Hello everybody! It's my first story in a long time, I admit. I've passed my exams happily, I'm starting studies in October so I thought I could write something here again but when I sat to my previous (and only so far) story, I got blocked. I had no idea how to continue! And then, I came up with an idea for this fanfic. I started writing it just to show myself I can (somehow, but can). But while writing I found out that I really like it. So I made a few corrects and here it is! Hyouka one-shot that I hope you'll like and will smile after reading it (or even cry of joy or be moved? Who knows?)
Read and enjoy!
The view outside the window was changing while the bus was moving. Houtarou was looking at the landscapes with his usual, bored expression.
"We will arrive in Kamiyama City within five minutes," he heard the driver's announcement.
Houtarou only yawned, covering his mouth with his hand.
Kamiyama.
He hadn't seen his hometown in ages. Houtarou closed his eyes, remembering the places in this city. His father's house. High school. Satoshi's house. Chitanda's estate.
"Dear passengers, Kamiyama City. Kamiyama City."
Houtarou stood up and left the bus like the other people. He waited in a short queue for his bag and when he finally got his property, he strolled slowly in the taxi rank's direction.
After a several minutes long ride Houtarou reached his father's house. He paid the driver and slowly went to the door and pressed the doorbell.
The young man heard quick steps from the other side of the door.
"Houtarou!" his father exclaimed, opening the door.
"Father," he greeted the house owner, who gave his son a bear hug.
"Come in, come in," said the elder Oreki, dragging his son inside the building.
"Thanks," Houtarou said, coming in. He placed his bag on the floor and took off his shoes. "I'm home."
His father went to the kitchen while the son went to the living room. Houtarou was watching the house, noticing that almost nothing had changed. One new painting hung on the wall. The mirror was replaced, moved to the left a little, giving some space for a small bookcase with a vase of flowers and a photo of Houtarou and Tomoe on the top. The rest was like a few years ago when he was there for the last time. The same colour of walls. The same furniture. Houtarou wondered if something had changed in his room. He went upstairs to find out.
Houtarou came into the room and noticed that everything was where he had left it before leaving home years ago.
"I didn't touch anything," he heard his father's voice behind himself. "Or, to be more precise, only cleaned here sometimes. I thought that you'd like it if you came back home someday."
Houtarou only nodded and took one of the teacups which his father brought. They went back to the living room and sat in the armchairs.
"So…" started father. Son waited for his next words. "For how long did you arrive?"
"I'm not sure," admitted Houtarou. The elder Oreki looked at him questioningly. The younger sighed. "As long as you don't tell me to go. You know I quit my job," his father's eyes widened as he heard the news. "Didn't sister tell you?" asked Houtarou. His father shook his head. "I had spent a few days in her home in Tokyo before I received your email so I thought she has already informed you."
"But… But why?"
Houtarou tasted his tea before he answered.
"It wasn't a job for me."
His father shook his head again. He just couldn't understand why his son quit such a well-paid job. But Houtarou didn't really care about such trivial things as money.
"Now I want to find something here in Kamiyama," added the younger Oreki. "I would be very grateful if you let me stay here for a while until I find a house for myself."
"Yes, of course, my home is your home, Houtarou," responded father. "But I think you should…"
"No," son interrupted him. "It's not for me. I hated that job. I'd rather have a quiet, peaceful life. Big city rush is not for me."
"You're wasting your talents."
"I'm pretty sure about it."
Silence. The elder Oreki looked at his son, who was sipping his tea with closed eyes. He sighed. His son was always like that. But even so, Houtarou usually stood by his decisions. "I guess I just have to accept it," he thought.
"You must be tired," he told his son, trying to end the previous discussion.
"Not very much," admitted Houtarou. "But I'd like to take a shower. It's rather hot outside so you can imagine what it was like inside the bus."
His father laughed and showed the son that he could go. Houtarou bowed his head in silent acknowledgement.
The younger Oreki went upstairs once again, taking his bag with himself this time. He placed it on the bed and took a few things he needed to take a shower and some clean clothes. He was fresh and dressed a few minutes later. Next, he went to his room and started to unpack his things. Luckily, the room was cleaned lately so he only had to dust a bit.
When he finally finished, Houtarou glanced at the little clock on the desk. 18:06. He thought he should finally start preparing himself for the reunion.
The high school reunion. The reason he came back to Kamiyama. His father wrote him an email where he quoted Satoshi Fukube informing about the reunion commemorating another anniversary of Kamiyama's high school. When Tomoe read the news above his arm she insisted on his taking part in that event because she had no time for it. And she got what she wanted. Like always.
Houtarou changed his clothes again, not sure what people wore on such meetings. He finally chose a black shirt and dark jeans, hoping that he could wear something rather casual.
He was going to go down the stairs when he heard the ringing of the doorbell. Houtarou came to the door and opened it.
"Houtarou!" he heard a familiar voice.
"Satoshi?"
"Long time no see!"
"Good evening Oreki-san," said Mayaka.
"Good evening, Ibara-san."
"Ibara not for a long time!" said Satoshi. Houtarou looked at him. "We're getting married this September," Fukube added, putting his arm around Mayaka. Ibara blushed. "We'll invite you of course."
"Congratulations," said Houtarou. Satoshi's smile widened. Mayaka sighed with resignation.
"Spontaneous like always," she said, smiling slightly.
"That's who I am," ended Houtarou.
"I guess you're going to the reunion?" Satoshi asked, Houtarou nodded. "Come with us!"
"Okay. Father, I'm borrowing your keys," said the younger Oreki to his father.
"Yes, of course," he heard the response. "Have fun!"
Houtarou waved his hand and closed the door.
"Better to see you live than just get phone calls or messages," Satoshi said. "Your father told me that you'd go to the reunion," he added, going in his car's direction, and showing Houtarou to follow. "So I thought we could pick you up," he opened the car's door for his fiancée. "I'm happy you're here, Houtarou," Satoshi's eyes were shining in the dark car.
"Will you stay in Kamiyama for long?" asked Mayaka when her fiancé launched the engine. "You've been living in Tokyo, haven't you?"
"I sold my house in Tokyo, with furniture and the rest," admitted Houtarou. Both Mayaka and Satoshi turned to him surprised. "And I gave my notice in my previous job."
"Wha-what? Really?" Mayaka couldn't believe, but Oreki nodded. "Weren't you working for that hi-tech empire?"
"Yes."
"You must have had an astronomical salary," guessed Satoshi.
"Yes."
"So why did you leave?" Mayaka asked when they were riding through the town. "Such a career!"
Houtarou leaned his head on the car window.
"Life is more than money," he said, looking through the window at the view outside. Satoshi and Mayaka glanced at themselves surprised. "I was tired."
"Big city not for a lazy guy, hm?" asked Satoshi with a grin.
"I'm saving energy."
The three of them were silent for a moment. Houtarou focused on the views, Mayaka was looking at her fiancé while Satoshi was driving. This silence made Fukube feel uncomfortable as he was a rather talkative guy. To break it, he started talking about himself and Mayaka.
"I'm not sure if you know," he said. "But I have written a book called…"
"Sapphire," ended Houtarou. "I decided to buy it when I saw your name on the cover. Quite interesting."
"Whoa, I didn't expect that," Satoshi glanced at rearview mirror to see his friend.
"Is it selling well?"
"I'd rather say – not bad," admitted Fukube, scratching his cheek. "Writing is not a thing I can earn money from, I guess," he added, looking at Mayaka. "But it doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing criminals." Houtarou didn't say anything so his friend continued. "You may not know but I'm also working as a journalist for a local newspaper," he said. "Or should I say it's my main job?"
Houtarou smiled. He looked at Mayaka.
"And you?" he asked. The woman looked at him, surprised that he was asking for the details of her life. "What are you doing now, Ibara-san?"
"Nothing special," Mayaka replied reluctantly, unhappy that she didn't have a job as good as Houtarou had had. "Just an office work."
Houtarou nodded slowly. He noticed that they were not so far away from the high school. The closer they were, the more cars were on the road. They finally got stuck in a traffic jam and were barely moving.
"It'll be a nightmare to find a place to park…" Satoshi said, looking at the road full of machines.
"Let's park somewhere here," Mayaka suggested, pointing at the roadside. "School parking is full, I'm sure. You can park here and we can walk the rest of the way."
"Yeah, you're right," Satoshi said, looking for an empty space. "I guess you're not against it, Houtarou?" he asked, smiling.
"No," was the answer.
Satoshi only laughed at his response.
A few minutes later they were in the school corridors, looking around at familiar places.
"Do you remember?" Satoshi asked Mayaka, pointing at one of the corners. "You made an epic fall once," he added, giggling. His fiancée blushed. "I'll never forget your embarrassed expression."
"I remember! I remember!" shouted Mayaka, covering Satoshi's mouth with her hand and looking at Houtarou to find out if he was laughing. But he kept a straight face. Ibara was looking at him for a moment but let it go soon. Houtarou let himself sigh with relief. He was almost sure the woman twitched in that moment.
They were going slowly to the gym through overcrowded corridors. Satoshi's mouth didn't close even for a second. Mayaka and Houtarou were listening to him partially, while he was telling some facts about the school.
Houtarou remembered his school days very well and it wasn't only because of his great memory. He had never shown it but it was a great time for him so he had many things that he just wanted to remember. Days spent in Classic Literature Club had been interesting, even though Houtarou had been doing his best not to show he had enjoyed them. Although it had been tiring, he had never regretted spending his time with Satoshi, Ibara and Chitanda.
"How is Chitanda-san?" Houtarou asked when it came to his mind. Satoshi glanced at him surprised and Mayaka looked like she wasn't sure if she didn't mishear.
"You're asking about Chi-chan?" she tried to make sure. Houtarou nodded. "She's very busy, especially since she took over most of the things connected to the family business. Her family wanted her to learn how to manage all of their properties as soon as she graduated from the university. I tried to phone her and ask if she comes but I only managed record a message on her voice mail," she said with a sigh.
Houtarou only nodded without a word.
The friends went to the gym where the current headmaster was giving his speech. He was reminding the history of the high school. Satoshi was quietly giving some more details about it. Houtarou wasn't really listening to any of them. He was looking at the crowd in search of one particular person.
He was looking for Chitanda.
The three years with that girl were totally different than the rest of his life. Happier. Somehow brighter. It had taken him too many years to admit to himself that he had loved that girl. But when he had finally done it, she had been out of reach.
He had thought about it for the first time after Hina Doll Festival. He had spent two more years with her but he had been always pushing his feelings away and pretending that it had been nothing. He had sometimes thought she had felt something towards him. But he had never been sure and had never asked.
Now Houtarou was older. More experienced. But he was still waiting for the curiosity in those indigo-purple eyes like he used to when he had been younger. He was waiting for the only girl he had ever loved. But he had no proof he had anything to wait for.
"That's where my lifestyle led me," Houtarou thought, looking around the gym. "There I am. Waiting like an idiot."
Oreki looked at his companions. Satoshi and Mayaka were whispering to each other, commenting on the speech and waving to the old friends they noticed in the crowd. Many people were doing the same. Houtarou saw a familiar face smiling to him so he waved in response. The face seemed to be satisfied.
"If it was Chitanda-san, she would run here to me," he thought. "She would apologise to all the people she'd jostle on her way but would come here to me."
Houtarou slowly stood up, making sure that his two friends didn't notice. He wanted to go somewhere, but on his own. He planned to come back before the end of the speech. Oreki was pretty sure that he had enough time to see the old Club's classroom.
"It's probably closed," came to his mind when he saw the Classical Literature Club's door. "No, it's not just probably, but for sure," he added to himself in his mind but he grabbed the doorknob nevertheless.
He pushed it a little and surprisingly, the door opened. Houtarou pushed it once again to open it wider so that he could take a peek inside.
Eru Chitanda was leaning on the window frame and was observing the school in the light of sunset. The wind was blowing gently, making her hair move slowly behind her head. She had a simple, light red sweatshirt with something white under it but Houtarou couldn't see it properly. She also wore a plain skirt in the colour of sand.
The woman was totally absorbed by something she was looking at. Houtarou wondered if he should disturb her but finally, he decided to come in and wait until she finished. He opened the door and took a step inside, stomping at a creaking floorboard.
Eru turned immediately to him. Her eyes widened so that Houtarou could see that Chitanda's eyes were as deep and shiny as he remembered.
"Oreki-san!" she exclaimed. "What a meeting!"
Houtarou nodded and they came closer to each other. They stood in front of each other not sure what to do after those years.
"Exactly," uttered Houtarou.
"I'm so happy you're here!" said Eru after a short moment of silence. She smiled, pointing at the window. "I didn't remember we had such a beautiful view from here. Want to see?"
"Sure," responded Houtarou and both of them approached the window.
"It's so beautiful…" Chitanda said, looking at the city skyline. Houtarou didn't really care about that fact. But he decided to say something.
"Yes," he answered. He wished he could say something more. More intelligent for example.
Eru turned to him with a smile.
"You haven't changed, Oreki-san, have you?" Eru turned to him. They were really close to each other and she kept shortening the distance. "At least, inside," she added, peeking at Houtarou who was taller and built better than she remembered. Suddenly, she blushed.
"Maybe," Houtarou said, wondering why her face was red. Inside, he also told himself off for his laconic replies, hoping that the woman wouldn't think he wanted to end their conversation. "It's hard to notice your own changes so I've never tried to do it, I think," he added, happy he was maintaining the conversation. "Should I comment her appearance?" he thought.
"I guess you wouldn't find anything," Eru said with a smile.
Chitanda was smiling at Oreki lovely and her eyes were shining. Those fantastic eyes! Houtarou noticed that their colour was still the same, making him feel like he could dive into them. Eru was looking into his eyes too and Oreki thought that he would be impolite if he was still doing the same so he focused on her hair. They were longer than he remembered. Houtarou noticed that Eru had a very well-shaped body. The man turned to the window, blushing. Chitanda covered her mouth with her hand. He was almost sure that she was hiding a slight smile.
"I came here to see this place again," she said. Houtarou looked at her. "I mean, our club."
" I see. I also wanted to see the club once again," Houtarou leaned on the window frame like Chitanda did a moment before.
He closed his eyes. Gentle wind was blowing and the setting sun was giving away its last warmth that day. Houtarou felt that Chitanda was trying to do what he had done, so he moved a little, giving her some space. But still, he could feel her arm touching his arm, and her perfume filling his nose. Oreki opened one of his eyes a little and peeked at the woman that made his heart nearly skip a beat. She was making a strong impression. Her eyes were closed so Houtarou let himself look at her for a longer moment, feeling he could do this without a punishment.
"What a fantastic feeling," Eru said. Houtarou turned to her but she didn't open her eyes. She took a big breath and started to hum.
"Fool On The Hill?" guessed Houtarou. Chitanda opened her eyes and moved closer to him so that their noses almost touched. He stepped back a little by reflex.
"Yes! How did you recognize it? Do you know it?" the woman asked.
"My father loves them, The Beatles, I mean," he explained. "So I used to listen to them since I was a child."
"I love this song," Eru said, smiling. "Even if it's so sad."
"I don't remember it that well," admitted Houtarou. "Only the moment you hummed. But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down… That's all."
"You should check it," Eru suggested.
"I will."
"I hope you don't say that only to drop the subject," Eru joked.
"Even I'm not that cruel," Houtarou cleared his throat.
"You seem to be more cheerful than in the past."
"I'm also surprised by that fact," he said. Oreki was honest. He didn't remember the last time he was joking with anybody. "I'm that, as you said, cheerful, only at this moment," he said, surprising even himself. Chitanda's face reddened.
"Is it a compliment?" she asked shyly.
Houtarou gave her a poor smile in response, not sure what to say or how to ask. But he decided it was a good move after all when he saw the woman smile sweetly.
Eru smoothed her sweatshirt and skirt and slowly came to the table to sit on one of the chairs. The man turned to her.
"So," she started, looking at him. "How is your life, Oreki-san? We haven't seen each other since the end of high school. I've heard you studied… Is it true?" Houtarou nodded. "And so did I," said Chitanda. "Economical studies in Tokyo. And you?"
"Maths in Kyoto," he answered. Eru clapped her hands.
"How surprising! I wanted to study it but mother and father wanted me to learn something more connected with my future inheritance of their properties so I finally chose Economics. I would never think you would choose Maths!"
"I didn't really know what I wanted to study," Oreki interrupted her. She was staring at him, waiting for more details. "I just didn't know what I wanted to do in the future. To tell you the truth, I didn't really want to have a demanding job so I thought I could study a subject that would let me find something normal with regular time of work."
"Sounds like you," Eru smiled once again. "As I said, my parents wanted me to be ready to take responsibility for family business so I started to work in it right after I graduated from university," she got lost in her thoughts for a moment. "What is your job, Oreki-san?"
"I'm unemployed at this moment," he answered, surprising Eru. "I couldn't stand my job so I quit."
The woman leaned towards him, waiting for more and looking carefully into his eyes. Houtarou tried to avoid her gaze with a gulp.
"When I was still studying, I worked for a hi-tech company in Tokyo to get some more money," he continued his story. "I helped them with a few problems, but I didn't know that I was giving them a huge help that way. I just wanted to do what I had to quickly and without unnecessary effort. I worked for them only for a month but when I wanted to focus on studying and quit, I was given an offer to work for them permanently. I rejected politely, explaining that I wanted to focus on my studies. They waited," Houtarou walked up to the table and sat across Chitanda. She was within his reach. Oreki turned his face to the window, sure that Eru was observing his face. He sighed.
"It was a month after I graduated. They phoned me while I was packing my things, planning to come back to Kamiyama. I was offered to become an assistant of one of the managers in their branch. I didn't remember them so it took me a while to understand what they were talking about. But I finally agreed," he said. Chitanda stood up and started moving around the classroom and looking through the cupboards. "What are you doing?"
"I'm searching for tea or something," Houtarou looked at her questioningly. "I want to hear the whole story so I thought it would be nice to drink something. Students may have left something… There's a kettle here, so…" she added, pointing at the thing.
Houtarou sighed while Eru continued her search.
"I guess I should suggest going out somewhere or something," he thought. He contemplated it for a moment. "Better not. If she's in a relationship it would be embarrassing if she had to reject," he concluded but glanced at Eru's hand to find out if she had a wedding ring. Unluckily for him, he couldn't see well because the woman stood on her chair, checking the higher shelves of a bookcase. Houtarou's face reddened as he saw her legs. He turned his face away immediately.
Eru emitted a grumble when her search became a fail. She stepped off the chair displeased and took a sit next to Houtarou. The man let himself glance at her hands and found only a bracelet. He felt a kind of relief. "Should I ask? Or maybe she has a boyfriend?" he thought.
"Ehh… We can drink boiled water if you want," the woman joked.
"I guess it's not necessary."
"Is it? But you can tell your story even without it," she said, looking into his eyes with a smile. Houtarou gulped. "I'll gladly listen to it."
"If you want… We can go to a café or something," Oreki suggested, surprising himself. "If you want, I mean."
"You've already said that," Eru smiled at him, standing up. Houtarou watched as she took his hand and forced him to stand up. "I can't say no if you invite me," she added and suddenly blushed. "I mean, it's so rare," Eru said, showing her tongue a little.
Shocked by the way the things went, Houtarou politely followed the woman and observed how she closed the door with the keys when they exited the classroom. She waved them a little, making a ringing sound.
"I, hmm… borrowed them?" Eru winked knowingly. "I'll put them back in their place so you can wait for me near the main entrance, Oreki-san?" she asked and Houtarou nodded in response. The woman ran into one of the corridors. Houtarou scratched his head.
"Should I interpret it somehow?" came to his mind but he pushed this thought away. "No, no, no. Don't make a fuss about nothing. I just asked my old friend out. Somehow. And she just doesn't want to waste time or to be caught borrowing keys so she was in a rush. Sounds logical," he was convincing himself. "Hmm, I should tell Satoshi that I'm leaving."
It took him a few moments to get to his friends. He bent and gently patted Satoshi's shoulder. The man turned his head a little.
"Hm?"
"I'm leaving, Satoshi," Oreki said, Fukube's eyes widened. "Sorry, I want to have a talk with somebody but it will take some time, I suppose."
"With whom?" asked Satoshi, curious.
"An old friend," Houtarou responded with his usual poker face. Satoshi looked at him for a second and sighed.
"But be at home before ten," he joked, whispering.
"Of course, daddy," Oreki told him, leaving Satoshi who was shocked by this sudden joke.
"What did he want?" Mayaka asked her fiancé while he was observing Oreki vanishing in the crowd. Satoshi smiled at her cunningly.
"I guess he met Chitanda-san," he said, interesting Ibara.
"Why do you think so?"
"He said he was going somewhere with an old friend. Honey. Houtarou wouldn't leave me for just anybody. If we don't count Chitanda-san. But I can be wrong of course," he added. Mayaka was observing his face. "You know, a database can't draw conclusions." His fiancée giggled.
"I'd like to meet Chi-chan too…" she said, becoming serious. "But I guess I shouldn't interrupt them?"
"I would like you to," Satoshi put his arm around Mayaka, hugging her tightly. She smiled. "Houtarou may be a genius, but he's so stupid sometimes…"
"It took you sooo much time to notice that," Mayaka showed him her tongue and the man laughed.
Meanwhile Houtarou was going to the entrance. Eru was already there. She was looking around nervously but when she noticed Houtarou she stood on her tiptoes and waved at him, smiling.
"She's already there? She had twice as long way as I had," came to his mind. "Is she that quick or am I so slow?"
Eru waited for him as he was going towards her. She let herself sigh with relief when he was slowly coming closer.
"I was afraid you'd already gone, Oreki-san," she said.
"Am I that bad? Invite somebody and leave before he or she comes?" Houtarou said. Eru imitated his usual face expression.
"You might have thought that It's too troublesome or My girlfriend would kill me or something," Chitanda said while they were leaving the school building.
"Do I look like a guy that girls like? They usually find it unattractive, I mean, my wide variety of face expressions," he told her. "I have no problem with meeting people. From time to time of course."
"Oh, I see," Eru turned her face away to hide the fact that it became red. Houtarou ignored it, certain she was embarrassed by her own question.
The two of them were silent for a moment. It started to be a little inconvenient even for Houtarou, who started thinking how to make Eru talk. The woman was moving nervously, obviously trying to break the silence.
"Eh… Mmm…" he heard. Houtarou sighed and took this burden on himself.
"I hope you know a good place, Chitanda-san," he started. His companion looked at him, he shrugged. "I haven't been here for ages, I don't know if everything is where I remember it to be or if something new has showed up," he explained. Chitanda's eyes were shining.
"Of course I know! If I have time, I sometimes go out to watch the city life," she said and then, she smiled unsurely. "It didn't sound good, did it?"
"Welcome to my world," Oreki said. Eru giggled. Out of the corner of his eye, Houtarou could notice that the woman was looking at him almost all the time. "Why is she staring at me? Do I have dirt on my face or something?" he thought, trying to ignore her gaze. Thank God he mastered this skill.
"Anyways," he heard Eru's voice. "I know a café you may like, Oreki-san."
"If you say so."
"It's toootally separated from crowd. Even though it has fantastic coffee."
"So you think this is an advantage that makes a place best? In my opinion?"
Eru only smiled, Houtarou sighed, becoming serious.
"I think you should contact Ibara-san, Chitanda-san," he suggested. "She's worried about you," Houtarou added, turning to Eru who saddened. "And she feels ignored by you, Chitanda-san."
"I'd like to contact her," the woman said, looking down at the road.
Silence.
"So do it," said Houtarou.
"I'm not sure if I should, Oreki-san," the man looked at his companion, who was smiling shyly. "I didn't have time for her some time ago… For some time," Houtarou waited for more, the woman took a big breath. "Because of being always busy I was cancelling meetings, was rejecting calls, wasn't answering her messages… We haven't met for a long, long time. I guess, for too long?" Eru scratched her cheek. "Recently," she started once again, "I've heard she's getting married with Fukube-san so she must be the one who is very busy now. I don't want to interrupt."
Houtarou was listening to her and stopped when Eru ended her utterance. The woman, surprised, did the same. Houtarou put his hands into pockets.
"I can't believe that I've heard that from you, Chitanda-san," he started. Eru seemed to be shocked. "It's so unlike you, I mean, unlike my memories about your person, Chitanda-san. I supposed you would never think you can interrupt somebody just by, I don't know, wanting to spend some time together?"
"It's rude, Oreki-san," Eru said, puffing out her cheeks.
"Sorry," he answered, brushing her words off with a wave of his hand. "But what I mean is that nobody, Ibara-san especially, would mind if you tried to contact him or her after some time of separation. I met Ibara-san today and we mentioned you and what I think is that she would be very happy if you phoned her," Eru wanted to say something but he silenced her with a gesture and moved on. "She's waiting for you and I'm sure she has an eternity to spend with you, Chitanda-san. And she probably wants to invite you to her wedding, but has no possibility to do it."
Houtarou didn't turn back to Chitanda, who smiled widely. She trotted to him, thankful for comforting her and grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop and look at her.
"I'll call her tomorrow, I can promise," she said happily. Houtarou was doing his best not to show a silly grin caused by the impression she made on him. "Thank you, Oreki-san. I feel much, much, muuuch better now."
"I didn't do anything," Houtarou said, pretending that he wanted to check his watch so that Chitanda had to leave his arm. That let him calm his heart from the rapid beating. "So no need to mention my words to Ibara-san, right?"
"Roger!" Eru answered, saluting and smiling. They moved in city's direction once again.
Houtarou looked at the road stretching out in front of them.
"Chitanda-san?" he started, drawing Eru's attention. "How far away from here is your café? I mean, that café?" the woman frowned, calculating.
"Hmm…" she placed her finger on her chin. "I would say it's three kilometers from here, so in this pace… Half an hour? Forty minutes?"
"Why so far away?"
"You'll like it," Eru smiled. Houtarou sighed. "I know it's troublesome, Oreki-kun," she added and reddened a moment later. "I mean, Oreki-san."
Houtarou kept a straight face, like always. Eru was quiet and started kicking small rocks on their way. Houtarou silently watched them bounce.
"Oreki-san?" he heard. Houtarou turned to the woman. "What happened after you had started to work? I'm curious."
The man looked at something far away from them.
"I started to work," he continued his story. Eru was looking at him. "I got promoted very quickly. In the blink of an eye I was a vice-director of the Tokyo branch of the company. It meant that my decisions were inflicting the policy of the whole firm. Much work to face. I would say, too much for a beginner," Houtarou wiped his forehead with his hand. "I suddenly found myself deeper than I had expected to be. And the rush I hated. And the city I was sick of. I was tired of it. So I quit," Eru observed him, thoughtful. "I have nothing more to add," Houtarou said, preparing for an attack of the woman's curiosity. But unexpectedly, she shook her head.
"I was just thinking about my story," she explained. "It's quite similar," she admitted, scratching her cheek shyly.
Houtarou got interested but pretended that he didn't care. "Am I tsundere?" he thought teasingly about himself.
"We're almost there," Eru said, bursting on Houtarou's thoughts. He looked around. A few people were strolling along the street. He knew this place, remembered the library they were passing by.
"We're not so far from the main street, am I right, Chitanda-san?" Houtarou asked, his companion nodded.
"If we went this street in this direction…" she said, pointing with her chin. "…we would go to the main street. But we're going this way," she added, turning right. Oreki followed her. He noticed a sign Oasis before they came in.
Inside was a little hot and confined. Tables were surrounded by an enormous number of plants which were literally everywhere. Lights were turned on but gave a dim light so every table had three candles whose flames were moving restlessly.
Chitanda led him to one of the tables aside, nearby the window. The two of them were isolated from the other customers by a wall of plants. On the other hand, they had a window with tinted glass, showing a view of an almost empty street.
"My friend from university is the owner of this place," Chitanda told him with a smile. Houtarou turned to her. "Once, when we were studying together, she confessed to me that she wanted to open a café with her boyfriend. And so they did a year ago. As a married couple."
"I see," Houtarou nodded. He liked that place. It let him feel that no-one could disturb them. Maybe it was confined but he didn't mind it. Eru leaned to him over the table so he did the same.
"She's a little eccentric, but how cheerful!" she whispered. Houtarou didn't hear her properly but felt her breath on his cheek very well. And he thanked God it was so dark there.
"Excuse me," they heard the waitress. Eru moved away from Houtarou immediately, her face burst in red. Oreki cleared his throat. The waitress was watching them with a grin. "Can I take your order?"
"Umm… Yes," Chitanda hid her face behind the menu. Houtarou looked at her confused. The woman seemed to focus on the search of something on the white cards. "What do you want, Oreki-san?"
"Shouldn't I be the one to ask this question, Chitanda-san?" he noticed. The waitress snorted. Eru's face became even more red. "Could you give us a moment please? We'd like to think about our order for a little longer," he turned to the waitress. He supposed she was sixteen, seventeen years old.
"Oh yes, of course. Take your time, please," the girl answered and looked at Eru. "It's been a long time since you were here last time, Chitanda-san."
Eru gave no response.
"I guess the boss would be very glad if you found some time to have a conversation with her, Chitanda-san. She is truly missing you, Chitanda-san. She often says she has nothing to laugh at since you don't show up here, Chitanda-san," continued the waitress. Houtarou, with growing amusement, was observing Eru fidgeting restlessly. Of course, he didn't show it. The girl continued her monologue. "I'm so sorry to say that you're breaking her heart, Chi-"
"Stop!" Eru interrupted her, grabbing the waitress' hands so that the girl dropped her notebook. Chitanda's face was bright red and she was breathing heavily. The two of them were looking into each other's eyes. "Stop it, Mari-chan, it's cruel!" the so-called girl made a displeased expression.
"I'm so sorry that I hurt you, dear customer," Mari said. "But you were first, Chitanda-san."
Eru only muttered something in response. Suddenly, the waitress smiled widely, totally changing her voice into a very nice one.
"But never mind, Chi-chan. You'd better introduce your boyfriend," Mari turned to Houtarou, grinning. "My name is Minami Mari," she introduced herself, bowing a little to Oreki.
"Oreki Houtarou, nice to meet you, Minami-san," the man said, standing up and bowing to the girl. She seemed to be delighted with this poor introduction.
"Wait a minute, Oreki-san is not my boyfriend, Mari-chan!" Eru stood up rapidly, making the table bounce a little. Mari looked at her blankly.
"Weren't you two kissing?" she asked, Eru shook her head.
"You've misinterpreted the situation!" Eru grabbed Mari's shoulders. "I only wanted to say something to Oreki-san, nothing more! We're old friends from high school times."
"Reeaaallyyyy?" Mari drawled this word mercilessly, glancing at Houtarou. Eru nodded enthusiastically. "If so," she turned to the man. "You can meet me sometimes, Oreki-san? Are you free at the weekend?"
"Until I find a job, I'm free all the time," admitted Houtarou, who didn't get the situation. "Can I ask for a shallow roasted coffee?" he added with his usual poker face, sitting on his place. He noticed that Chitanda did the same, moving her lips silently. Mari grinned to him and bent to take her notebook.
"Sooo… One shallow roasted coffee for Oreki-san," she wrote down the order and turned to the other customer. "And you, Chi-chan?"
"Ah, um…" Eru was flicking through the menu pages nervously, but she handed it to the waitress in the end. "What I always order, please."
"You mean, you used to order?" Mari let herself emphasise it once again. Eru sighed dramatically, what made the girl laugh. She noted something more. "One shallow roasted coffee and one matcha milk dessert, am I right?" Chitanda nodded. "Please wait for a while for your order," Mari added, leaving Eru and Houtarou. The woman lay her head on the table, heaving a heavy sigh. Oreki grinned a little at this.
He turned to the window but he barely saw anything through the glass. He heard his companion fidgeting.
"Do you want to say something, Chitanda-san?" he finally asked, shaking his left leg.
"N-no," Chitanda rejected, raising her head and looking at him. "I just wanted to apologise to you for Mari-chan's behavior, Oreki-san," she added. Houtarou waved his hand dismissively.
"Nothing happened, she didn't offend me or anything," he said. "But basing on your conversation I understand that you two know each other rather well, right, Chitanda-san?"
"She's the niece of the owner," Eru smiled with a nod. "And also, she is a student of Kamiyama High School so we always had topics for conversation and somehow we got on well with each other," she added.
"I see."
Houtarou didn't really understand because he hadn't been listening to the woman's explanation. He was wondering how to ask Eru about her life in the last few years. Without undermining his image, of course.
"But still, she shouldn't act like that towards you, Oreki-san. But I'm sure she understands now that she was wrong."
"Was wrong with what?" woke up Houtarou.
"Oh," Eru's face reddened immediately. "That we're a couple or something. She won't trouble you about that thing."
"But I said that nothing happened," Houtarou waved his hand dismissively and changed his position to a more comfortable one. "She didn't offend me after all."
Eru lowered her head. The waitress showed up suddenly next to her, smiling and laughing.
"Definitely," she said, giving them their orders. "It's more like a compliment, isn't it?"
Houtarou ignored her, focusing on his coffee.
"Aunt will come to see you, Chi-chan," Mari finally said, noticing with amusement that the man wouldn't react. Houtarou couldn't believe she was so self-confident to talk with elder people just like that. "I guess you can greet her or something, Chi-chan?"
"Yes, of course," Eru stood up, ready to go.
"No, wait here, please," Mari interrupted her, stopping her from leaving the table. Eru sat obediently. "She'll come to you in a minute. She just has to do something in the kitchen."
"Ok."
Mari left them. Houtarou was stirring his coffee slowly while Eru was waiting for the owner with her hands on her lap.
"You should relax, Chitanda-san," the man said, drawing her attention. "You have no reason to be nervous, right? This person is your friend, not enemy," Eru nodded. "If you want, I can leave to give you two more privacy."
"No, no, there's no need," Eru responded quickly. She heaved a sigh and finally got interested in her order. A minute later, the café owner showed up.
The woman wore a simple white shirt and a deep brown skirt, both partially covered by a black apron. Her niece was very similar to her. They both had light brown hair and their eyes were in the colour of peaceful sky.
"Chi-chan!" the owner exclaimed happily.
"Aya-chan!" was the response.
The women hugged each other. Houtarou was watching this scene out of the corner of his eye, pretending that he was totally absorbed by his drink.
"Long time no see!" the owner said, looking at her friend. "You're prettier than I remembered!"
"Thank you."
"And your breasts are bigger."
"Aya-chan!"
The owner laughed. Eru lowered her head. Houtarou was sure that her face became red but he decided not to make a move before he found out what sort of person the newcomer was. So he was sitting silently.
"You'll never change," Chitanda mumbled, making Aya laugh once again.
"Any change would be a regress in my case, don't you think?" the owner said, smiling even wider.
"Uu… She's like the niece," Houtarou thought. As if she heard his thoughts, Aya turned to him.
"So this is him," she said to herself loudly, looking at the man. Houtarou decided to confront her and stood up.
"I'm Oreki Houtarou, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said politely.
"Yeah, the same. I'm Samada Ayame. Call me as you like," she told him, outstretching her arm towards him. She and Houtarou shook hands.
"Thank you, Samada-san," he answered, trying to smile. Eru smiled comfortingly at this unusual for Houtarou face expression.
"Oh, don't be boring," Aya said, embracing him with her arm. Oreki froze. "Friends of Chi-chan are friends of mine. Feel at home."
Oreki nodded. His mind was intensively working on a way to escape from the woman's arm-trap.
"So… How is it finally with the two of you? Mari kept changing her mind," Aya said, tightening her embrace. Houtarou looked at her and they sized each other up. That made him feel uncomfortable and he gave in to the power of his own weapon. Aya smiled with triumph.
"Did anyone tell you that you and your niece are similar, Samada-san?" the man tried to change the subject.
"Maybe," was the reply. "So?"
"Aya-chan, I just wanted to have a talk with my old friend," Eru said, tugging on the owner's shoulder. "We were in the same club in high school."
Aya was thinking for a while. She turned to her friend.
"Is that this great-mind guy you were talking about?" she asked, Eru nodded. "Hmm… I wish I could see him in action…" she added, looking at Houtarou. Chitanda nodded enthusiastically at those words.
"Me too! It's fantastic how Oreki-san connects facts," she said. "I'm sure there's no mystery he can't solve! Oreki-san always grabs his front bangs and crosses his arms like that," she showed Aya the particular pose. "It means that Oreki-san is thinking and will tell you what have happened in a minute!"
"Is he that good?" the owner looked at Houtarou suspiciously.
"Yes!"
Aya looked at the silent Houtarou. She laughed and freed him so that he could sit on his place. Chitanda smiled to him shyly, not sure about the man's reaction. Aya patted his shoulder, invited Eru to her house on the next day and left her customers. Eru sat back in her seat.
"Great-mind guy, hm?" Houtarou said, sipping his cooled coffee. Eru momentarily focused on her melting dessert, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Um, I told her once about you, Oreki-san," she finally told him. Houtarou looked at her from above the edge of his cup. "Or twice, or thrice."
The man smiled a little, what surprised his companion. She looked at him questioningly but he didn't utter a word and took a sip from his coffee so that she couldn't see his face.
"Are you smiling?" he heard.
"Is it that surprising?" he thought.
"Why are you smiling?" was the next question.
"I'm just wondering what made you tell Samada-san about me, Chitanda-san," he said. Eru blushed. Houtarou hoped that it was enough to drop the subject.
"Oh, it was on a party she organized for new students," Eru suddenly started. Houtarou looked at her and waited for more. The woman started eating her dessert but continued the story. "She wanted to get people to know each other so that we would get on well during the studies," she smiled at her memories. "We were talking about…" Chitanda hesitated for a second and Houtarou pretended he didn't notice that fact. He had a feeling it was better not to speak. "About our high school times. So I told her about the club. And its members."
"You must have had interesting time on university, Chitanda-san."
Eru was thinking for a while.
"I think that, yes, I can say it was interesting," she said, playing with her food. "But also very tiring and hard. But I learnt many things and met many people," she added. "Studies, work in Tokyo for extra money to spend, work for my family here and almost no time to relax. Students want to have fun sometimes, don't they, Oreki-san? I also wanted but barely had time."
Eru stopped talking, looking through the window. Houtarou just watched her silently, sure that the woman would add something. He was right. Eru sighed heavily and turned to him, finishing her dessert.
"I have to say that I had only a few friends in Tokyo. One of them was Aya who I was in a group with. We were working on projects together, studying together and we became friends," she said. "That protected me from being alone. I know it'll be arrogant to say but I was the best in my group. I was studying the most. But that's why I spent most of the time alone."
Houtarou closed his eyes, thinking. He hadn't expected such a story. Eru was always a fountain of enthusiasm for him. "I guess everybody goes through such a thing," he thought.
"And now I'm used to the amount of work, but still, it's too much for one person," Eru looked as if she was close to tears, making Houtarou panic a little. He raised his hand up. The woman looked at him, surprised. One of the waitresses came to him.
"Can I ask for the bill, please?" he asked the girl.
"Of course."
Eru watched as Houtarou took his wallet from his trousers' pocket.
"Let's go get some fresh air," he told Eru, who nodded slowly and started to search for her money. "I'll pay," he added. The woman argued about it for a moment but finally let him give the money to Mari who came with the bill.
They went outside. It was colder than earlier. Houtarou wasn't sure where he was going but he led Eru into the maze of side streets. The woman didn't oppose. They were wandering silently for some time and finally Houtarou found a place he remembered from his childhood. The playground, but rather in worse condition than he remembered.
Houtarou came slowly to a devastated slide and patted it.
"I used to play here with other children," he confessed. Chitanda walked up to him. "I like this place. I remember my whole family there, laughing and having fun," he continued, not sure why. Eru sat on the slide.
"It's like a scene from anime," she said, smiling sadly. Houtarou couldn't help but squatted in front of her.
"Will you still be working for your family?" he asked finally. He barely saw her face because it was dark and the lantern above them wasn't working well. Eru rubbed her hands, placed on her thighs.
"It's not that I want to quit. It's not that I hate it," Eru whispered. Houtarou was looking at her, but the woman's fringe was hiding her eyes. "I just want to have time for myself, for my friends. I just want to meet people, start a family… I've done so much only to have spare time, but… I-I…" one tear dropped at her hand. "I'm just afraid they don't want to meet me now… And it's still so hard… I can't cope with everything on my own, I just have no knowledge and skills to do that…" Eru raised her head and looked into Houtarou's eyes.
He dived in her eyes once again. He had the same feeling in the past. This closeness. Houtarou almost saw cherry petals in Eru's eyes. Almost felt their smell. He felt as if he was nearby the river with Chitanda once again where bright pink petals surrounded them during Hina Doll Festival. He chickened out that time.
Oreki moved his hands and gently grabbed Chitanda's ones. The woman looked at him surprised but not as much as he expected. And she didn't withdraw her hands.
"Chitanda-san?" he asked. Eru's eyes widened.
"Yes?" they were looking at each other for a while in complete silence.
"Do you want me to do the things you don't want to cope with for you?"
Eru smiled.
"I do, Houtarou."
And how is it? Good? Bad (of course not :D)? Let me know in reviews or PMs (please).
I would like to thank my sister for helping me with mistakes (pretty many mistakes -_-). You're big! I was laughing to tears when you read "Life is like a monkey" in place of Houtarou's "Life is more than money" If somebody has an idea how to interpret it, don't be shy and let me know! ;)
To the next time!