"Do you hate Uchiura?"
Final exams turned out to be a breeze for both Hanamaru and Ruby, them being diligent students after all. Yoshiko, too, managed to pass despite barely studying, much to her friends' delight.
"Your sacrifices to the devil paid off, Yohane-sama," Hanamaru said jokingly.
"Ugh. Blow me," Yoshiko groaned in annoyance. After Uranohoshi was merged with local high school in Numazu, she actually buried her fallen angel persona and became what she always strived to be: a normal high-schooler.
"You did good, Yoshiko-chan," Ruby said. The little redhead was always quick to praise. Looking back, it's almost hard to believe this brave girl was such a crybaby back during their first year of high school. Stepping out of her sister's shadow worked wonders on younger Kurosawa.
"I guess it's enough. I'm nowhere near as close as you two." Yoshiko then turned to Ruby. "Any word from Leah?"
"She did great on her finals as well. We're coordinating on our choice of college." It wasn't a secret Ruby and Leah became really close during their first years. After both Dia and Sarah graduated, they became even closer, going as far as to visit each other, damn the distance and travel costs. To this day it was a mystery how come these two still aren't dating.
"Yoshiko-chan will clearly try for Tokyo, right?" Hanamaru asked.
"I don't know," she replied, twiddling her thumbs. "I would love to enroll into the same university as Dia and Riko, but I doubt my scores will allow it. You two might make it there."
"Do you hate Uchiura?"
Hanamaru's grandparents couldn't be happier about their beloved angel of a granddaughter being so close to securing her future. As happy as she was to tell them, what she really wanted to do is tell her.
Kanan was at the diving shop, as usual. Cool March weather wasn't helping her business, so she was tending to various diving equipment when Hanamaru came in.
"Maru might make it to the same uni as Dia-san and Riko-chan," she said, not even bothering to say hi. It's like their conversations were briefly interrupted by their daily lives only to continue when they meet again, so they dropped their hellos and goodbyes a long time ago.
"I would say "that's impressive" if I doubted you. Which I never did."
Kanan found a good and loyal friend in Hanamaru after coming back from America. It turned out that this quiet life without Mari's squeals or Dia's chastising proved to be too dull for both of them. Chika, Riko and You couldn't quite fill the void in Hanamaru's heart, and Kanan… she needed a good friend, and Hanamaru was glad to be such a friend for her.
"You know, Maru is still baffled," Hanamaru said. "You have a diving instructor's license. You could've easily stayed in America. But you returned here. Why?"
Instead of answering, Kanan simply looked in Hanamaru's eyes. "It felt lonely there," she finally said.
"Doesn't it feel lonely here?"
"Not as much. I lived my whole life here. Sure, it's a bummer that everyone else but you guys and Chika left Uchiura, but I feel more at ease here."
"Dia-san doesn't come home nearly as often as any of us would want, though," Hanamaru pointed out.
"Don't go there. I miss those two so much." Kanan stood up and turned to face the small temple girl, a bright smile beaming on her face. "Wanna go for a walk? I have some free time."
Walking along the shore in comfortable silence was quite relaxing for both of them. It almost felt like there was no need for words. It almost felt like everything there was to say was already said.
"How'd the other two handle the finals?" Kanan finally spoke.
"Ruby-chan scored high as well. Yoshiko-chan… not as high."
"Her dream of studying with Riko is becoming more distant."
"Yeah. It's sad."
Kanan threw an arm around Hanamaru's shoulder and pulled her close. The smaller girl rested her head on Kanan's shoulder, and in that moment all her woes and worries were vanishing away.
"She's a strong girl," Kanan said. "She'll pull through."
"Of course."
Their walk continued in silence again as they held each other in their arms, relishing in each other's company. Eventually they strolled back to diving shop, and parted ways again, without saying goodbye, as so many times before.
"Do you hate Uchiura?"
Hanamaru, Ruby and Leah were all accepted into the same university as Dia and Riko. Ruby couldn't be happier, getting to be with her loved one (even though she denied it and pouted when Hanamaru or Yoshiko called them that) and her sister. Hanamaru, too, was happy to tackle her student years with her best friend. Yoshiko, however, had to settle for a less ambitious and less grade-demanding college.
But of course, Hanamaru was anxious. As much as she wanted to get out of Uchiura, her mind always wandered to Kanan. She was staying behind, alone, while everyone she loved is far away from her. Hanamaru's heart was breaking over and over again from those thoughts.
"This is how life works," Kanan would tell her. "You have your path laid out before you. I have mine. It's not the end of the world that our paths will keep us at varying distance from each other."
"But Maru wants to be with you," the small temple girl answered, hugging Kanan.
"We will be together. You'll see."
"Do you hate Uchiura?"
The day before their departure for Tokyo, Hanamaru rushed to Kanan's place first thing in the morning, her luggage in tow. Seeing such a guest at her doorstep, the strong diver girl gently smiled. "It's only for today," Hanamaru thought over and over, and her eyes would tear up in realization that she will have to go. "It's only for today," Kanan thought over and over, and her heart would skip a beat in realization she will have to send her off.
The two lovebirds seemed to be connected at the hip for the entire day. Eating lunch, taking strolls along Uchiura beach under the gradually warming sun, holding her hand, hugging her, kissing her cheek; it all felt so right to both of them. But no matter what they did, they remembered: it will all end tomorrow.
Affectionate stares, loving kisses, their quiet moans as their hands explored each other, their hands gripping harder the lower their lips descended. This night was theirs, and the bright moon in the clear night sky was shining for them, and only them.
Waking up together in one bed, their shy smiles as they pulled clothes over their nude forms. Both wished it would stay like this forever. But reality begged to differ.
Coming to the train station, Hanamaru could barely keep herself from crying. When Kanan kissed her as the train approached, tears rolled down on their own. It didn't help that Kanan's kiss was pure, mature, loving, like a bride's kiss would feel.
With sights of Numazu behind them, Hanamaru recalled one winter day she spent with Kanan, the vision of cold but still very gentle see embedded in her mind.
"Do you hate Uchiura?" Kanan asked suddenly.
"I do," she replied.