At a train station.
*The doors are closing, the doors are closing* the speakers repeated.
A female with light brown coloured with slight curls in her hair stood at the entrance of the train station, then looks up towards the sky with warm eyes.
"It's been a long time since I've been here, I wonder if I would be able to..." She said as the train grumbled noisily on the train tracks, moving on, towards its next stop.
In the Sket-dan clubroom.
"Ahh there are no request today, again." said Fujisaki "Bossun" Yuusuke, leader of the Sket-dan of Kaimei High School.
"I know right," Onizuka "Himeko" Hime agreed. Himeko then glanced towards their other member, Usui "Switch" Kazuyoshi who seems to be busy fondling with some machinery.
"What are you doing Switch?" Himeko asked.
"I'm reparing this really old limited edition 'Futari wa Nervous' one of a kind music box for Otakura-kun," said Switch with his speech synthesis program, invented by his late younger brother, the original 'Switch', Usui Masafumi. "Wow, how long has that anime has been aired?" Bossun cried.
"In exchange for that, he's going to give me exclusive tickets to the Futari wa Nervous! special movie preview showcase, kira kira(bling bling)."
"Otaku-s are really into this kind of stuff as expected," said Himeko then immediately began a chat with Bossun, "Bossun, you know, Nakatani-san from 2-A just got kittens! You see, her cat gave birth to these really cute kittens and then..."
Himeko's chat session lasted until:
"Yes!" Switch exclaimed.
"You're done already Switch?" Asked Bossun.
"Yes, now to get my tickets." Switch said as he got up from his seat.
"Hah, okay, see ya then," said Bossun.
"Hey Switch, when is this event of yours held anyways?" Himeko asked.
"Tomorrow at noon," replied Switch as a matter-of-factly.
"Tomorrow's a Saturday and I have nothing to do again," Bossun said. "Have fun then."
"Of course I will."
The next morning at the Town's center.
"So..." Switch paused and then continued, "why are you two here again?" He said to nervous-looking Bossun & Himeko.
"Because we're bored! And we seldom go out with you on weekends so this is our chance!" Bossun explained.
"Yeah! We'll just accompany you to the event area and hang out around there," said Himeko.
Switch just sighed with his computer and left them behind.
"Oi, wait for us Switch!"
Then began a conversation with Himeko asking lots of questions about the Futari wa Nervous movie and Switch answering all of them professionally.
It was a fine day and everything was normal. All that Switch had in mind was:
"I hope I'm not late."
"These two..."
"Did I bring my ticket?"
"I did, I did, I need not panic"
"Did I forget anything else?"
"MY 'FUTARI WA NERVOUS' HEADBAND! I left it back in the clubroom!"
And that last sentence was what made Switch looked gloomy and down.
But everything changed, his face expression, his thoughts and his movement, all just because he caught a glimpse of one person that once, or maybe still, had a special place in his heart, or so he thought. When he thought that he would never see her again, he was sure that they would never be able to meet again, but there she is right now, in front of him, exactly 100 meters away from him.
Switch footsteps stopped as that girl disappeared into an alleyway. Bossun noticed Switch's sudden stop and questioned, "What's wrong Switch?"
All of a sudden, Switch's mind blurred and his arms fell to his sides, unable to comprehend what he just saw, he couldn't believe it. He was panting for no reason, like wanting to get a grasp of air even though he's out in the wide open space, probably due to the sudden rush of adrenaline into his head. Part of him wanted to chase her so bad, but the other didn't want to, it didn't want to let her see what he had become while she was gone.
Switch then faced upwards, towards the bright blue sky with cloudy eyes that show no signs of the abundant of feelings that was happening within him at that very moment. Then he decided, that it was the wrong person, not the person he thought it was.
He then continued his journey to his original destination planned on that day.
The next day.
"Oh!" Himeko exclaimed. "Momoka sent me a text, she invited the three of us to her 'Lovely Momoka Fanmeeting Concert' held tomorrow!"
"Cool, I'm going!" Bossun said. "How about you Switch?"
"I already got my ticket."
"Switch, as expected, you are one hardcore otaku fan."
"We can collect the tickets at the venue itself," Himeko said. "Let's go together, shall we?"
"Of course!"
Switch was on his way back home, using the usual route he always uses every day. He passed by the neighborhood park, a few kids were playing catch ball at the center of the field, one fell and started crying as his friends tried to comfort him. Switch thought, "poor thing, I hope he gets well soon."
Switch turned his head to face back to the road but stopped halfway, because he saw that person again. She was on the swings, looking lost as the chains creaked at every movement it made. Her delicate hands were placed her lap, legs crossed over and her feet were touching the ground.
She looked the same as ever, he thought. Her hair grew longer over the years, with slight waves at the ends. But her eyes changed. They looked solemn, sad yet calm as if the trauma she experienced matured her, her thinking and her face, making her looking like an adult rather than a 17-year old high school girl.
Questions suddenly flood Switch's mind. Why was she here? Switch thought. Did she noticed me? Should I approach her? Should I head back home instead without doing anything? What do I do?
Switch's frantic thoughts halt to a stop when the girl suddenly roused up from her seat. She walked towards the opposite direction, away from Switch, looking lost in her own land.
Switch hesitated, but subconsciously followed her, silently and stealthily.
The girl was walking around the neighbourhood as if it was a maze, taking turns at every corner and would sometimes encounter the same house here and then.
Switch was hiding behind a lamp post. "Where is she going?" Switch asked himself in his heart. "Wait, isn't this the direction to-"
The house next to his, the girl's old house before she moved out.
Now, the girl, the daughter of the previous owner of that house, was standing still in front of it.
Switch watched her, he saw her eyes observing the house's every nook and cranny, and then she let out a long sigh. Switch thought he saw a tear before she looked away.
She started walking away, towards the other direction, when a cat meowed behind Switch. He was startled by the cat's sudden appearance and quickly shooed him off. But he was too late, she finally noticed him. "An...chan?"
"How are you An-chan?" Sawa asked. "It has been a long time already, hasn't it?" Switch wasn't sure whether she was referring to the day they last saw each other or the day his little brother passed away. Switch just nodded.
"How is aunt? And uncle? They are fine, right?"
Switch nodded again.
"I see..."
At this point, Sawa already noticed that he wasn't speaking at all. "An-chan, why aren't you...talking?" Switch merely looked down to the ground.
Then, Sawa noticed the laptop in his possession. "Ah, An-chan seems to be really busy at school nowadays, that you have to bring a laptop everywhere to do your work."
Switch then switched on his laptop, and opened up the Speech Synthesis program. "No, I bring my laptop around for this reason."
Sawa's eyes widened at his reasoning. "An-chan..." Sawa looked bewildered, and a little sad.
Sawa then leaned against the fence of her old house and said, "An-chan, you must be wondering why I'm back here again."
"Yeah."
"I-I to tell you the truth An-chan," Sawa gave a long sigh before she continued on. "I…never visited Switch's grave before, not even once," Sawa confessed. "So, I want to go there, to go see him, if not, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
"I see," Switch replied.
"So An-chan, I'm sorry if it is too much to ask of you but, will you go there together with me?"
The next day at Usui's family grave.
Both Switch and Sawa stood in front of it. Sawa kneeled and went to pay her respects to Usui Masafumi, Switch's little brother, first.
"Hi Switch," Sawa greeted as she laid down the flowers she bought for him. "I'm really sorry I couldn't visit you before," Sawa said. "I just wasn't able t-to-" Sawa suddenly broke down in tears, sobbing loudly, like every regret she had towards not visiting Masafumi all these years were released. Her chest hurts and her head throbs from the heart-wrenching pain. Not being able to say goodbye at his last second was Sawa's biggest regret of her life. She just cried and cried till the she had no more tears left. Switch just kept quiet, stood behind her with his head low, and prayed for his little brother's soul to continue to rest in peace. "Gomene Switch, gomene...(Sorry Switch, I'm sorry...)"
"Arigatou An-chan, for accompanying me," Sawa said to Switch. They were at the town's train station.
"No, it's not a problem." Switch replied when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and flipped it open. It was from Otakura-kun.
"Switch~! Are you at Momoka's concert yet? I just wanna remind you to give my fan gift to Momo-tan! Thanks!"
"Shoot I'm late for Momoka's concert!" Switch thought as he developed a frown on his face.
"It's there something wrong Switch?" Asked Sawa. "No, none at all."
"Perhaps, was that text from your...girlfriend?"
Switch was shocked at her question. "No! It's not..."
"Say An-chan," said Sawa. "You, perhaps, are not holding back your feelings for another because of me right?"
"What? What do you mean?" Switch asked, surprised at her sudden question.
"No, it's just that, all that had happened before, it hurt An-chan really badly. I just, I just wish that..." Sawa paused for a while then continued, "...that An-chan, will forget about me."
"Huh? What are you trying to say Sawa? Why, why do you want me to forget about you?" Switch was shocked but at the same time, he knew, deep in his heart, it was something Switch had longed to do but never could. He never had the courage enough to do so.
"We ought to start our lives again, brand new, and putting our past behind and move on forward," Sawa said. "It's not good to keep on dwelling in our past, I'm sure Switch wouldn't like us to be the way we are right now..." A tear streamed down her cheek.
Switch glanced at her sadly. "Sawa..."
"I-it's nothing," Sawa said as she wiped away her tears. "After I moved away from this town, not once I could forget about Switch's death. I thought that I could, or will eventually, so that I am able to move on with my life but I just can't."
Switch couldn't help but to notice the depressing condition Sawa was in and so he asked, "Sawa, what happened exactly?"
Both of them looked at each other in the eyes, deeply and sorrowfully.
"Well, I went to a new school, a new town, a new home, and everything was so alien to me. I started a school a month later after I moved to that town. I tried my best to settle in and I had difficult times here and there of course. But there was this senpai from my school who would offer me help anytime. He was really nice, he would help solve my math questions when I asked him and would accompany me when I helped the teachers with their staff work from time to time. Then, he asked me out and I said yes." Sawa confessed.
Switch could only respond with, "Oh, I see."
"We are together for a few months already and not too long ago, we bumped into his little brother on the streets," Sawa said. "And when I saw him, Switch's face, he immediately appeared in my head and the memories rushed in and clouded my mind." Sawa sniffed and continued. "He looked nothing like Switch and yet, why did he reminded me of him?" Sawa cried. Tears were welling up in her eyes and pearl-like droplets began dropping. Switch's heart started to beat faster as he felt the pain in his chest. His stories were not even one bit similar to Sawa's but the pain they felt together was the same. They both missed Masafumi every day and they ached for the sight of him once more, though they know it will never happen.
"I-I just ran away when that happened," Sawa said. "I was in shock and I couldn't hold back my emotions, I had to let it out."
"My boyfriend, he didn't know. So I just made up a lie that I felt sick and ran home. It wasn't convicing at all but he believed it. I asked him to say sorry to his little brother for me, for causing inconvienice to him."
"Haaaaaah," Sawa let out a long sigh. "That felt a little better, I couldn't tell anyone. So, arigatou, An-chan." Sawa gave a sad smile.
Then she looked Switch in the eye. "Ne An-chan, you know I love you right? You and Switch."
"Yeah, me too Sawa," Switch replied.
"Remember the day we separated?" Sawa asked.
"Of course I did." Switch remembered it all too clearly, and the events that happened on that day as well.
"Switch, I know you better than you can thought I could and I know than anyone else," Sawa said. "You couldn't love anymore because of me right?" She said remorsefully.
"Sawa, I-"
"Switch, that's why I want you to forget me, at least, that will help you to move on with your life," She reasoned. "Not only with your love life but also your future. If you were not to have a bright future because of the past, I will entirely blame it upon myself for the rest of my life."
Sawa said it with such confidence and determination that Switch couldn't but help to admire it. But after what she had said, he still didn't want to not leave a fragment of his brother around. He wanted his presence to be still here. He is still not ready for it.
"Once again, goodbye An-chan. Looks like this really will be the last time we'll ever meet," Sawa said sadly.
"Goodbye Sawa."
Switch watched as the train rode of on its track. The morning-noon wind blew and his hair flew in various directions. Switch was thinking, and a lot of thinking he was doing at that moment when he remembered about the Momoka's concert. Momoka.
Switch was panting crazily when he arrived at the concert venue. It already had begun and Switch was rushing in to get in when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned around to find that it belonged to Switch's manager. "Switch?"
"You can get in through this door," Momoka's manager said.
"Thank you," Switch said.
"You're welcome. I would only allow this passage into the concert area to Momoka's precious friends, or in your case, Momoka's precious friend and fan."
"Precious friends..." Switch repeated.
"I shouldn't be wasting your time now should I? Hurry and get in. I'll set up a backstage meet-up with Momoka later, how about it?" She asked.
Switch was about to decline her offer as usual but he stopped to think about it again then said, "Yes please."
A knock was heard on Momoka's dressing room door. "Who is it?" A voice inside asked.
"It's Switch."
The door flew opened and Momoka and Switch were face-to-face. "Oh hi Switch!" Momoka greeted.
"Can I come in?" Switch asked.
"Yes, please come in, my manager told me that you would be coming," Momoka said.
"Ojamashimasu." No one was in the room other than them.
"Please say thank you to Otakura-kun for me again for the fangift," Momoka said as she poured tea into the teacups. "Of course I will," Switch replied.
"How are you Switch-kun?" Momoko asked sweetly, like a fluffy cotton candy. As expected of someone with a millions of fans, there isn't anyone who would not fall for her charms.
"I'm good and you?"
"Yeah, I'm fine here too." Momoka smiled. Her smile was similar to her "Idol version" but her smile to Switch gave a different feel, a softer one.
"Say, the concert going to start soon Switch-kun," Momoko informed Switch. "How about we meet up again later, if you'd like?"
Switch hesitated. Much to his own surprise, his mind replayed his conversation with Sawa. He then gave some thought to it. Later, he typed as his keyboard went click-clack, his speakers said, "Sure."
End