AN: Greetings once again! I'm (finally) back to writing this story. I've been a little busy lately with the other stories I'm writing, as well as christmas, but now I'll make the most out of my remaining vacation to write as much as possible! I'm still slightly struggling with this story, however. I know what I want to do and where I want the story to go to, but I'm not sure how I want to do it. After some brief brainstorming, I came up with this chapter. I don't want to rush things too much, especially considering the "hidden/forgotten feelings" of the characters in question, but fear not, the budding romance will come soon!
Chapter 3 – Resurfacing Memories
I checked the time on my phone again as I stood in front of the University. The digital numbers told me that Yuri was late, by a whopping 10 minutes. Wasn't she the one who insisted that we meet again today? I thought and sighed. We had met completely randomly yesterday, and almost instantly became good friends. We both felt like we had known each other for a long time, so talking about things – even somewhat personal matters – was easy and felt natural. I had completely lost track of time with her yesterday, and Hatsune was quite mad when I finally got home. She didn't pester me about where I had been, though. Although she was quite curious when I told her I had plans for today and couldn't go shopping with her. From what I had learned about Yuri yesterday (and what I felt like I already knew about her), she seemed to be the kind of person one couldn't say no to. I had an in-explainable feeling of dread when I initially thought about refusing to meet her, and I couldn't quite figure out why. Not that I didn't mind her company. Our conversation and banter was enjoyable, and the back-and-forth that we had could give anyone the impression that we were long-time friends, not two random strangers that bumped into each other one day. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her.
"Waiting for your girlfriend, Otonashi-kun?" A classmate of mine asked with a mischievous grin on his face as he nudged me with his elbow.
"I told you, she's not my girlfriend. We're just friends." I replied with a sigh.
"Really? So what about your date about yesterday, then, hmm? Kotegawa-san said she saw you with a pretty girl in La Soleil yesterday, didn't she? You two had fun, apparently."
"It was just an outing between friends. And what does Kotegawa-san have to do with this?"
"You really don't know? Well, she is kind of a tsundere, so no wonder..." He trailed off and took on a thoughtful pose.
"What on earth are you talking about?" I raised my eyebrow at him. Did I hear him correctly? "Nevermind, don't answer. Look, I don't know what you think, but the two of us are just friends. It's normal for friends to hang out together."
"Yuzuru!" I heard a voice call out to me from behind.
I turned around and saw Yuri running towards me. The clothes she was wearing were very different from the ones she was wearing yesterday. Compared to the more casual clothes she had worn yesterday, today it looked like she had made sure to wear pretty clothes. It made her look more girly, compared to her usual attitude and "aura", which honestly made my heart skip a beat. She stopped a small distance away from me, breathing heavily.
"Sorry… that I was… late… Yuzuru." Yuri said to me between breaths.
"Don't worry about it, Yuri. It's not like there's any rush." I replied with a smile.
"Hmmm? On a first-name basis already? Are you sure you're not dating her? I'm kinda jealous of you, Otonashi-kun." My classmate said to me and nudged me with his elbow again.
"And who the hell do you think you are?" Yuri said as she leaned to the side and glared at him, her voice dripping with malicious intent. Even I felt a shiver go down my spine! Good thing I didn't refuse to meet up with her!
"Nevermind! I'm not jealous! Have fun on your date, you two!" He said quickly and ran the other way, before Yuri could hurt him with more than just words.
"Ugh, seriously. Guys like him are one of the reasons I don't really hang out with boys." Yuri said and sighed. "Ah, I don't obviously mean you, though. You're a… nice guy." She then continued after a little pause. She looked so cute when she said that. Must be the clothes. Wait, stop thinking like that!
"Yeah, Takiya-kun is kinda annoying sometimes. He can be fun to hang around with sometimes, but he does piss me off a lot." I said and rubbed the back of my neck. "So, uhhh… should we get going?"
"Oh, right, yeah we probably should. La Soleil again?"
"Sounds good to me."
With that, we started to make our way to the cafe again. I couldn't help but steal glances at Yuri every now and then. The clothes she was wearing definitely made her look pretty. I had convinced myself that we were just friends, but I couldn't help my mind wandering. I know she's pretty, I've thought that way since we first met. But a relationship with her? I don't really know. I don't think I'd be good enough for her. I sighed as I wallowed in my slightly negative thoughts. I certainly wouldn't mind being in a relationship with her, but I knew it wasn't possible. I wasn't that great of a guy, after all. All I really had going for myself was my hair, which was a slightly unusual colour, and I knew some people were attracted to that sort of thing.
"What's wrong?" Yuri suddenly asked. She must have noticed my sigh.
I looked directly at her and couldn't help but thinking how pretty she was, once again. I could feel a blush creeping onto my face and averted my gaze.
"Ah, nothing. I was just.. thinking about stuff. Yeah."
"Oh really now? And what kind of stuff? Don't answer, I can get an idea based on the blush on your face." Yuri replied with a grin.
"What? No! I wasn't thinking of anything indecent, I swear!"
"What made you think I was insinuating that? Hentai." Yuri giggled as she finished, which shortly turned into a loud laugh.
I found myself laughing a little as well. As usual, she was just messing with me. As usual, huh? I guess it feels like that, despite only getting to know each other yesterday. As we got closer to the cafe, I suddenly remembered something Yuri had told me yesterday.
"Oh, yeah. Your friend Kanade. You said she was… like us, what with the Déjà-vu and all that. Is she coming today?"
"Yes, she should be coming. I should probably inform her that we're at La Soleil." Yuri said and quickly took out her phone to message her friend. "She goes to University, like you, but she takes special courses and stuff, so her schedules are all different from yours. We try to hang out as much as possible, though."
"Huh, interesting that I haven't met her yet, then. Although if what you say is true, then we'd really only have a chance to meet at the cafeteria, and I don't really eat there any more."
"Why not? Kanade's always said the food is delicious."
"I'm sure it is, but… there's something about the cafeteria that triggers my Déjà-vu, so I've avoided it. I usually just eat a bento during lunch."
"Yeah, you mentioned something like that, about avoiding things that trigger it. Do you find it… unpleasant then?"
"No, it's not that the feeling itself is unpleasant. It's just that… well, I told you that my own heartbeat is one of the triggers, and it has caused some… incidents in the past where I've passed out from exhaustion and the Déjà-vu feeling. I don't know if every single one of the "triggers" can cause it, but just in case I avoid as many of them as I can." I explained as we arrived at the cafe.
"You're not avoiding me, though." Yuri said with a smirk and playfully nudged me with her elbow as we entered.
"Well, that's true, I guess. Though at first I did try to avoid you, but you grabbed hold of me before I could get away. And after our outing yesterday, I've felt that… well, I've felt that the Déjà-vu feeling is… pleasant this time."
"Is that so? I'm… glad." Yuri said and smiled at me, and my heart skipped another beat. I swear this girl was doing this on purpose.
We walked over to the same table we had occupied yesterday. On the way, we walked past a table with a lone girl sitting by it. I only briefly glanced at her, but recognized her immediately. The uniform of the University I went to, made exactly according to the regulations, the long strands of jet-black hair and piercing, angry eyes could only belong to Kotegawa Yui. The very same girl who – according to Takiya-kun – Had seen Yuri and I in La Soleil yesterday. The very same girl who glares at me every single time our gazes meet in school. Just like now. She hated me, I was sure of it. I averted my gaze and did my best to ignore her. My plan seemingly worked, as Yuri and I sat down at our table shortly after the encounter. I could still feel her piercing glare drilling into me, however.
"Is everything alright, Yuzuru?" I could suddenly feel Kotegawa-san's icy glare increase in intensity at the mention of my first name. "You seem quite tense."
"Do I? Well, it's nothing you should worry about, Yuri." Big mistake mentioning her first name! I thought as the glare directed at me once again became stronger. "As I said, just thinking about stuff."
"Oh? I suddenly have the urge to get as far away from you as possible, Yuzuru. Are you thinking of something indecent again?" Yuri said and giggled.
"You just love messing with me, don't you?" I said and sighed. "Let's just order something, alright?"
"Haaaaaai." Yuri paused and giggled again. "Yo, Kashou-san! We need some drinks over here!" She then shouted and waved at the man currently wiping a table behind us. I made the mistake of turning around, only to meet Kotegawa's glare. Interestingly, she was the first to avert her gaze, though.
"Ah, Nakamura-san! I thought I saw you entering. And this is your friend, yes?" The man said as he walked over to us, placing the rag he was using to wipe the table into the pocket on his apron.
"Otonashi Yuzuru. Nice to meet you!" I politely introduced myself, as the man seemed to be an acquaintance of Yuri's.
"Otonashi-san, huh? Nice to meet you, too. I'm the owner of La Soleil. You can call me whatever you want, but I prefer Kashou, it's what most people call me." He replied with a beaming smile and took out a small clipboard and pen. "So, what will you two have?"
"Hmmm… I went for Neko Coffee yesterday, so I think today I'll have a Maple Tea, please." Yuri said without even looking at the menu. "Oh, and I feel like eating something sweet, so I'd like a strawberry parfait to go with it."
"Hot and cold, eh? Roger that. How about you, Otonashi-san?" Kashou turned to me as he wrote down Yuri's order.
"I'm not quite sure, so I think I'll go for a plain coffee, just like yesterday." I replied as I hastily scanned the menu.
"Got it! I won't keep you two any longer." Kashou said and winked. "Your orders will be brought to you shortly." He then continued with a smile and turned away.
As he left, I turned back to look at Yuri. She had fetched her phone out of her pocket and was checking something on it. I let my gaze wander around her, as I once again took in how pretty she was. The white and light-blue dress shirt that she wore complimented her hair, and she wore a matching light-blue headband. A green ribbon was found both in her hair and on her chest, matching the colour of her eyes. For a few moments I was lost in those eyes of hers, before she placed her phone back into her pocket and looked back at me inquisitively.
"Hm? Is something wrong?" Yuri asked and brought a hand to inspect the ribbon on her hair.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just that..." I scratched my cheek nervously as I averted my gaze from her and noticed Kashou out of the corner of my eye, taking the order of another customer. "That Kashou fellow. Is he a friend of yours?"
"Kashou-san? Well, I wouldn't call us friends. Sure, we know each other and stuff, as I do come here every now and then, but… not really. He acts like that towards all of his customers. I never thought anything of it. I guess he's a nice guy, though. Apart from you, he's the only guy I can have a reasonable conversation with." Yuri explained and chuckled. "Why? Are you jealous that I'm friendly with another guy?" She continued and a smirk made its way onto her face.
I could feel another icy glare directed at the back of my head. A chill went down my spine as I replied.
"N-nothing like that. You two just seemed like you were friends, so I was curious." I smiled, which turned into a smirk of my own as I thought of a way to get back at her. "What, you hoping that I would be jealous for you?"
"Hah! Now that's a nice comeback!" Yuri slapped her hand onto the table and let out a loud laugh. I started laughing together with her, which made me completely forget about the growing concentration of fury behind me.
After we had managed to stifle our laughing, one of the two waitresses came over and handed us our orders. In addition to my coffee, a single chocolate chip cookie was present. The waitress told us that Kashou had included it with my coffee, "On the house for a new customer", apparently.
"Oh, yeah, Kanade should be on her way, soon. She texted me a minute ago saying that her classes just ended." Yuri said as I took a sip of my coffee.
"That's great. I'm looking forward to seeing her, if she really is like us."
"I'm most interested in both of your reactions. You froze in place when you first saw me, didn't you?"
"Well, I guess I did. It was so… sudden though. To see you like that, and instantly feel that type of familiarity. But, you were almost like in a trance yourself, so I don't think you can say much yourself."
"Touche." Yuri giggled and took a sip of her tea. "I'll warn you though, Kanade is… unique, let's just say that."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, after our initial meeting, it took me the better part of a week to get through the shell she had, and even after that she felt cold, even emotionless. It took a long time before I could get her to laugh with me, and I still don't think I know quite everything about her. She's a bit… aloof, I guess? Wait, scratch that, she's plenty aloof." She explained and took a larger sip of her tea.
"She sounds like a real handful." I said and snickered, before taking a bite out of my cookie. "I'm surprised you two became friends. You're pretty much polar opposites."
"Yeah, I've wondered that too, sometimes. I think ultimately it was our shared experiences that pulled us together. But, I think over time I have gotten Kanade to change a little. She's… more expressive than when we first met, at least." Yuri smiled and took another sip of her tea.
"Glad to hear that." I said and returned the smile. "Are going to eat that, by the way?" I asked and gestured towards her parfait. "It's gonna get cold soon, you know. If you don't want it, then I'd be more than happy to… indulge myself." I continued and smirked as I reached a hand towards the parfait.
"You dare touch this and I'll make sure you won't indulge in anything ever again." Yuri said with a mock venomous tone. "Although, if waiting makes it colder, then I might just continue talking with you for a while. It's not like you don't enjoy it." She then continued with a smirk.
"Touche." I said to her and laughed, pulling my hand away from her. Yuri laughed at my use of the same phrase she had said just a bit earlier.
"Ah, I really am glad I met you, Yuzuru. And I don't just mean that because both of us are weirdos with a special Déjà-vu." Yuri said to me and smiled. "You're really fun to hang out with, probably on par with Kanade, if not more fun that hanging out with her." She continued and then took a spoonful of parfait into her mouth.
"I'm… glad to hear that, I guess. Though I'm not sure you should day that about someone that you've only known for a day. But… I feel the same way. I don't hang out with my friends much, other than going to the arcade or something every now and then, but with you, I feel like I could spend every day like this, just talking with you, like it's the most natural thing in the world." I felt slightly embarrassed about what I had said, but It felt right to tell her about my thoughts.
"I-is that so." Yuri said and hid her face behind the parfait. I could see her cheeks were slightly red, and I could feel the heat rising into my own as well.
With that, I felt a chill go down my spine, and a feeling of imminent danger swept over me. I heard the distinct sound of footsteps coming from behind as someone walked closer to us. With each step, the feeling became stronger. I swallowed and braced myself as I slowly turned around.
"Otonashi-kun." A cold, venomous voice called out to me.
Before I had managed to turn fully, the culprit reasonable for triggering my "fight or run" instincts stood in front of me. Kotegawa Yui was standing directly in front of me, her imposing face looking down on me, due to the fact that I was sitting down. Her fierce eyes drilled into my very soul as I swallowed again.
"K-Kotegawa-san. N-nice to see you here." I managed to say with an awkward smile. What does she want with me? Don't tell me she's finally found a reason to end my life? I'm sorry for whatever I've done that has caused you to hate me!
"Hm? Who's this girl then? One of your friends, Yuzuru?" Yuri asked, completely oblivious to the situation. I don't blame her, she hasn't seen the way Kotegawa glares at me all day long.
"Yuzuru? Aren't you awfully familiar with him..." Kotegawa muttered and averted her gaze, ignoring Yuri to the best of her ability. "Otonashi-kun." She said and looked at me directly in the eyes again. "Do I need to remind you of the regulations at our University? I believe I do not. I've done so enough already, you should remember them by heart."
I quickly clapped my hands together, closed my eyes and bowed at her.
"Whatever I've done, I'm sorry, Kotegawa-san!" I said to her quickly, hoping that I could calm her anger somewhat. I truly had no idea what I had done to upset her, as usual when she scolded me for whatever reason. At first I had tried to shrug it off, but I soon realized how malicious her words could be.
"Hey, what's Yuzuru done now? I don't go to Uni, but to my knowledge, hanging out with friends isn't prohibited." Yuri interjected and pointed her spoon at Kotegawa. "Who are you, anyway? You obviously know Yuzuru, so you two must be close."
"C-c-close?" Kotegawa suddenly panicked. "Y-you're the o-one who's close, calling him by his f-first name and everything! A-anyway, the name's Kotegawa Yui. I'm Otonashi-kun's classmate. And not like I care, but I'll warn you – You shouldn't hang out with him. I need to remind him of the regulations almost daily, and for good reason!" She shot another glare in my direction, her cheeks red from anger.
"Well, he is quite a ruffian, I'll give you that, but you haven't answered my question. What reason do you have to start telling him off like this?" Yuri asked and placed another spoonful of parfait into her mouth.
Kotegawa flinched slightly, then looked away for a moment, before returning to glare at me.
"W-well, it's not like there's any reason to tell him off. I-I j-just..." Kotegawa trailed off and paused for a moment before continuing. "I-I know he's d-done something that warrants a lecture. I-in any case, you shouldn't hang out with him. I'll be keeping an eye on you, Otonashi-kun." She finished by pointing a finger at me before turning around to leave.
"What was she on about?" Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow as Kotegawa left us.
"Honestly, I don't really know. I always seem to be at odds with Kotegawa-san. I first met her back when I started my economics studies a year ago. I tried to get along with her at first, but there was one… accident that I don't want to go into detail about. After that, she's been fixated on lecturing and telling me off nearly every single day. You should see her in class, all she does is glare at me all the time! I'm more afraid of her than you." I explained and sighed as I took a sip of my coffee to calm myself.
"Really now? And you think that's all there is to it? That she just hates you?" Yuri asked with a mischievous look on her face as she took a sip of her tea. "Also, what was that about being afraid of me?"
"Oh, I just… for some reason I get the feeling that I should be afraid of you, like, what would happen to me if I opposed you, or something." I said and rubbed the back of my neck. "But, anyway. No, I haven't ever thought that there would be anything else to it. At first I thought there must be some reason for why she acted like that towards me, but at one point I just accepted that she hated me for… whatever reason. Why do you ask?"
"Hmmmmm…. No reason, just wanted to know. What was the accident you mentioned? Could it be the reason for her current behaviour towards you?"
"I… would rather not talk about it. But… maybe. It has always been at the back of my head as the root of the cause. Though I would've hoped that she would have gotten over it by now..."
"I see. So it was something… indecent, then?" Yuri asked with a smirk and continued to chow down her parfait. "Don't worry, I'm just messing with you. But I wouldn't worry about if I were you." She continued and winked at me.
"What… do you mean by that?"
"Teehee, I wonder what I mean?" Yuri said and winked again. "Let's just call it… woman's intuition!" She continued after taking a sip of her tea, giggling afterwards.
I decided not to press the issue further. I had no idea what Yuri was going on about, but I did hope I could take what she said to heart. I had always wanted to mend my relationship with Kotegawa. She could be kinda cute – when she wasn't showing me her death stare.
"Otonashi Yuzuru-kun?" A stern, slightly cold voice called out my name.
"Yes?" I turned to look at the source of the voice.
Directly in front of me was a short girl with silvery-white hair. Her doll-like, porcelain face was looking at me with a slightly curious expression. My eyes met her auric orbs. She was wearing the same uniform as I, telling me she went to the same University. Despite this, I had never seen this girl before, and yet, like when I had met Yuri, I was overwhelmed with a massive sensation of familiarity. As I saw her, my heart started to beat extremely fast, for whatever reason. This effect only strengthened the Déjà-vu feeling I had. The girl felt extremely familiar to me, just like Yuri did, but there was something… different in the feeling. Yuri had felt like an old friend, but this girl… I couldn't quite describe the feeling I had.
"Ah! Kanade, you came!" Yuri practically leaped from where she was sitting to embrace the newly-arrived girl.
"Of course. I would have no reason to refuse your invitation, after all." Kanade replied in a monotone voice, seemingly unaffected by the Déjà-vu.
"Oh, I should probably introduce you two, although judging by Yuzuru's reaction, he probably already recognized you." Yuri said and giggled.
"So, he's like us? With the 'Déjà-vu'?" Kanade asked, slightly raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, he is. But, yeah, Otonashi Yuzuru is his name. He goes to the same University as you do. And this here is Tachibana Kanade, the friend I've mentioned to you many times." Yuri gestured to the girl stood in front of me.
"Nice to meet you, Otonashi-san." Kanade said and bowed briefly.
I blinked a couple of times before responding. Why did she cause my heartbeat to rise so suddenly? And the feeling I got from seeing her, it was different from Yuri. But why?
"N-nice to meet you, T… T..." Her name got stuck in my throat as I tried to say it. Suddenly, my vision got slightly hazy, and I swear for a moment that I could see a magnificent pair of angel wings on her back. "T… Tenshi." I finally managed to say.
"Tenshi?" Yuri asked, looking dumbfounded. "What are you calling her an angel for?"
"I… I don't know why I said that. I Just… suddenly I got the feeling I should call her that." I decided to not mention the angel wings I saw. Maybe I was going crazy, after all.
"Tenshi..." Kanade said, and her eyes widened suddenly. "You… called me Tenshi..." She lifted her right arm and looked at her wrist, gently caressing it with her other hand.
Yuri suddenly brought a hand to her chest as her eyes widened as well, her gaze fixated on Kanade's wrist. As I looked at her wrist as well, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest, causing me to clutch it lightly, before the pain was gone in an instant.
"I… I'm getting the feeling… that I should call her that as well." Yuri spoke, breaking the silence. "It's… weird. And your… wrist… These feelings..." She then raised her gaze to meet Kanade's. "And… on your back… almost like… wings."
"You… saw them too?" I hesitantly asked, to which Yuri replied with a nod. "What on earth… does this mean?" I looked at Kanade's wrist again, but the pain in my chest didn't return.
"Ah, Tachibana-san! Welcome! Would like something to drink, or perhaps you're feeling a little peckish?" Came the voice of Kashou from behind Kanade.
"Yes, I would like a Neko Coffee, please." Kanade said and moved to sit down on the chair next to Yuri's, on the opposite side of the table from me.
"Certainly!" Kashou said and wrote down her order, then looked at us. "Is… something wrong? You two look like… I don't even know how I'd describe it."
"Ah, no, we're fine. Nothing to worry about." I said and waved my hands as I sat back down.
"Ah, yeah. Nothing you need to worry about, Kashou." Yuri said and mimicked my movements.
"Alright, whatever you two say." Kashou said with a grin, then he leaned towards Yuri and whispered something in her ear, causing a bright blush to appear on her face.
"K-Kashou!" She blurted out and covered her face. Kashou simply grinned as he stifled his laughter, before coming up to me and leaning towards my ear.
"Yuri's a good girl, take good care of her." Kashou whispered to me and winked, before leaving the three of us alone.
I could a feel a slight blush on my cheeks as well, and I could understand Yuri's blush as well, if what Kashou said to him was anything like what he had said to me. The atmosphere had suddenly became very awkward. Kanade was looking at both me and Yuri, her gaze alternating between the two of us.
"Are you two in a romantic relationship?" Kanade suddenly bluntly asked, without any hesitation or shame.
"W-WHAT?!" Both Yuri and I shouted at the same time, slamming our hands onto the table.
"Uhhh… I mean, N-no, we're not." Yuri sat back down on her chair and slightly concealed her face with her hands again.
"Uhhh… Yeah, we're not. We just met yesterday." I said and rubbed the back of my neck. Why would she ask something like that out of the blue?!
"Oh, I see. I don't really know about this stuff myself, but from what I've read from various works of literature, as well as overheard from other people, I deduced that your reactions could be explained if that was the case. I guess I must have been wrong." Kanade explained, and I could see what Yuri meant when she said that this girl was aloof and emotionless.
"O-oh, right. That… explains it. But, yeah, we're not in a… romantic relationship, as you put it." I replied and scratched my cheek awkwardly. "A-anyway, Ten… Tachibana-san. Yuri has told me about you, namely that you were… like us, in a way, and I'm… curious about your experiences." I diverted the conversation into another direction. No need to stay in that awkward atmosphere any longer.
"Experiences? Oh, you mean the 'Déjà-vu'? Well, I've had them since I was old enough to be aware of them, though I didn't know what the phenomenon was called until I was eight years old. I quickly figured out that specific things caused them, but couldn't find a reason for any of them. Until I met Yuri, all of these 'triggers' were inanimate objects, or otherwise things that were… not human. Due to this, I tried to avoid Yuri at first, but she was insistent on pestering me, so we became friends. After spending time with her, the feeling eventually disappeared." Kanade explained while putting on a thoughtful face. She looked quite cute when doing that, and I found myself oddly drawn to her. Almost like there was a… connection between us. I quickly shook that thought away, however.
"You know, you're quite… blunt with your speech. Not to be rude towards you or anything."
"Blunt? I suppose so. I do hear that being said about me a lot. But don't worry, your words haven't insulted me. You would have to say a lot more than that."
"Well, I did tell you what she was like, Yuzuru." Yuri cut in as she finished her parfait. "But, anyway, her story sounds similar to yours, doesn't it? And I'm pretty much the same. I've experienced this 'special' Déjà-vu ever since I was little. But… don't you two think that it's a bit… odd that the three of us have this… I don't even know what to call it. And why do we feel so familiar with each other?"
"Hmmm… I have wondered about it a little. You know, some say that the regular Déjà-vu might be a result of us 'remembering' memories from a past life, do you… do you think that might the case? Maybe we knew each other in a past life, and for some reason, those memories persist even now." All I got as an answer was an indifferent look from Kanade, while Yuri looked like she was trying to process what I had just said.
"A past life..." Kanade said and brought a hand to her chest. "You know… I've… thought of that before. Sometimes… I've gotten this weird feeling accompanied by the Déjà-vu, like… my heart… wasn't… there." She clutched her chest tightly and paused for a moment, her expression staying unchanged. "When I saw you, Otonashi-san, I felt like that for a brief moment, before the rate at which my heart beats increased exponentially."
"That sounds… interesting. For me, my own heartbeat is one of the things that trigger the Déjà-vu, so I avoid any heavy exercise. When I saw you, I… got the feeling I should call you Tenshi. I don't know why, and I even briefly saw a pair of wings on your back, akin to a real angel's."
"Yeah, I saw those too when you called her that. Then there was… her wrist. When I looked at it, I felt… afraid, slightly, if that makes sense. Like there was… supposed to be something there, or something." Yuri tried to explain, fiddling with something underneath the table.
After that, the girls seemed to be absorbed in our thoughts, and I was no different. As soon as I had seen Kanade, something in me had clicked. Even when we were just sitting quietly like this, images were flashing through my head. Images, that included familiar faces, more than just Yuri or Kanade. Faces, that I didn't know, but I knew were friends of mine. The images were brief and blurry, but I knew they were memories. Memories, that I had forgotten, or perhaps ones that I never had before this. As the silent and awkward atmosphere returned, Kashou brought Kanade her drink. Before we could resume the conversation, I suddenly felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I jumped slightly as I was pulled out of my thoughts. I quickly picked up the call without even looking at the caller ID.
"Hello?"
"Onii-chan!" The voice of my little sister came from the phone.
"Oh, Hatsune. What's up?" I leaned back in my chair, relaxing a bit while Kanade was looking at me with a curious expression.
"I know you said you had plans for today, but they can't be more important than your little sister~" Hatsune almost sang on the other side of the line.
"Get to the point, what do you need from me." I said with a sigh, faking my disappointment.
"Geez, you're so boring, Onii-chan." Hatsune replied to my fake disappointment with some of her own. "Turns out, my shopping bags are just a tad bit too heavy for poor old me. Your sister would really appreciate it if her Onii-chan would help her out." And the cat was out of the bag.
I looked over to the other side of the table. Kanade's gaze was still firmly fixated on me, while Yuri was still fiddling around with something under the table. I briefly lowered the phone from my ear and covered with my hand.
"Seems like my little sister has gotten herself into a bit of a pickle with her incessant shopping. I think It's necessary for me to go and help her." I explained to the girls.
"I do not mind. Family is important, you should help your little sister." Kanade said, her expression remaining unchanged.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's fine. If your sister needs help, it's your duty as an older brother to help." Yuri snapped out of her thoughts and answered with a smile.
I nodded to both of them before raising my phone back up to my ear.
"Alright, I'll get going then. Where exactly are you?" I said and drank the rest of my coffee as I got up.
"See you another time, Yuzuru! It was nice talking with you!" Yuri said and waved at me as I gathered my things and got ready to leave.
"Yeah, see you!" I replied while Hatsune was telling me about what she had done today. I only asked where you were, geez. Oh well, I can't stay mad at Hatsune.
I looked back and waved at the two girls as I exited La Soleil. My first encounter with Kanade was now behind me, but I couldn't shake the thoughts and images from my mind that seeing her had caused to appear.
I sighed to myself as I watched Yuzuru leave the cafe. To be completely honest with myself, I was disappointed that he had to leave. I enjoyed his company so much, and I was looking forward to having him becoming friends with Kanade, too. And one cannot ignore that fact that having him meet her like this definitely helped us gain some clues relating to our… "uniqueness". I don't know about the other two, but I kept seeing hazy images of people and events in my head. They felt like long-lost memories suddenly reappearing. If they truly were memories, though, that only lead to more questions. What were these memories? Why did I suddenly remember them? What do they mean? I stared into my cup, now devoid of any tea as I thought over everything that had just happened. One memory in particular stuck to my mind. I couldn't focus on it fully, but I felt like I was… falling. Or, almost falling, rather. Hanging onto… something like my life depended on it. And Yuzuru was there, right in front of me, only mere centimetres away from my face. I could feel a blush appear on my cheeks as I thought of it. Why do I suddenly have a memory like that? When did that happen? Why did that happen. What happened before, and what happened next?
"Yuri." Kanade's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She sounded as emotionless as usual.
"Huh? What is it?"
"Are you perhaps in love with that boy? With Otonashi Yuzuru-kun?" Kanade asked, blunt as ever.
I felt the blush on my cheeks becoming hotter and more visible by the millisecond. Her words hit me straight in the face like a truck. This girl! Why is she like this!
"W-w-what d-do you mean? H-how d-did you come to t-that conclusion?" I struggled not to stutter as I frantically waved my hands in front of me.
"Am I wrong? Sorry, as I mentioned earlier, I don't really have first-hand experience with stuff like this, but… you've changed, I guess." Kanade explained to me.
"Changed? What… do you mean by that?" I lowered my hands and raised an eyebrow at her statement.
"Yes. I noticed it during the brief time he was here. And, I also apologize, but I did notice how the two of you acted before I arrived here. That is why I asked my initial question about the relationship between you two." Kanade explained, once again being blunt and honest with her statements. Sometimes I envied how honest she could be, even if she was aloof.
"Oh… I… didn't realize that myself. Was it… really that noticeable?"
"For someone who has spent so much time observing you, yes, yes it was. You're more… energetic around him, and then there's your body language. I've read about it a little, but your body language also changes – often without the individual themselves noticing – when you're with the person you have romantic feelings towards. I must say, it was… fascinating to look at you like this."
I wasn't even listening to Kanade anymore. Was it that obvious? That I… am in love with Yuzuru? I hadn't even noticed it myself, but now that Kanade had mentioned it… He is quite handsome, and friendly too. I like talking with him, and hanging out with him has been fun, even if we only really got to know each other yesterday. I thought it was just because he was like me, and we had shared experiences, but… I looked down and brought a hand to the ribbon in my hair. I… I even put on some pretty clothes today. I was so worried about what I wanted to put on that I was late to our meeting. Was that really the reason for it? I… I don't believe it. Did I really fall for the first boy that I became friends with?
Did I really… fall in love with Yuzuru?
AN: And finally we are done. This chapter became a little longer than I had planned, but take it as an apology of sorts for not updating this story sooner. With two other stories that I'm currently writing, as well as christmas, I didn't have the time to write this. I'll try to get the third chapter up sooner!
Oh yeah, and I guess I'll tell you guys now, but there will be plenty of references in this story to other Anime(and Visual Novels!) that I enjoy. Namely, there are two characters and one location that are references! If anyone gets the references I make, do be sure to say so, if you want to review the story!
Also, Happy New Year 2019 to everyone!
