Love Train
Written by Kairu Kobayashi
A fanfiction for the manga "Chocolate Cosmos" by Haruta Nana
Characters (now with "what has happened!):
Sakurai Sayuki (She's the "heroine" of the story. Because of her glare, people get scared by just one glance of her. She met Hagiwara on the train during Valentine's.)
Hagiwara Katsuya (He is a very young Home Ec teacher at Sayuki's school and girls frequently chase her but boys don't like him. Other than his encounter with Sayuki at the train, they have met before and he has already confessed to her! Now that they have met again, he's waiting for her reply.)
Mutou Yuushi (He's a guy in Sayuki's class who shows off that he hates her although he feels the opposite. In addition to that, he has rejected all chocolates and confessions during the Valentine's, meaning that he only has Sayuki on his mind.)
Nomura Mina (She is one of Sayuki's closest friends, and she loves to chase guys. Even though she's like that, she gives friendship choco to her friends, even Kaji and Yuushi, during Valentine's.)
Harada Shiori (She's the smart girl and quiet type. She surprising read a romance book during the Valentine's, which was unexpected by her friends. She knows a lot, and seems to know that there's something between Sayuki and Hagiwara.)
Kaji Takayuki (Among the gang, he's the friendly guy and he's quite close to Yuushi. Just like him, he is frequently given chocolates, love letters, and even personal confessions-and he accepts them carelessly!)
Waka Kasumi (She is a teacher with short, brown hair who observes Hagiwara constantly, but not because she likes him. She tricks him most of the time with her usual face, and her expression doesn't change most of the time. Some people say that she's quite boring.)
[Katsuya/Sensei's POV]
This class doesn't seem to be interested with the lesson. When the bell rang, I sensed the unbelievable relief in their faces. Amazing. Did the bell just...provide them with some kind of...therapy? Psh. Do they hate me, or the lesson I discussed with them? Children today just don't know the importance of teaching and learning.
I walked into the faculty office without giving them a hint that I was disappointed. Still, Waka-sensei said an awkward welcome. "Hey, newcomer. Did you receive chocolates?"
"No, I didn't. Why?"
"You table smells like them."
Hahaha! Is she asking me that because she's craving for some? I brought out one Chocolate cosmo and handed it to her. "Do you want some chocolate?" She seemed to still have a dull face even over such a joke. Is she a possessed woman? "No, thank you. I'd rather buy a real one than eat a plant."
"Fine," I sat on my desk to tidy up all the stuff. Beside my desk was a window, so I could see the "view" outside. (Is there even a view?) I saw Sakurai walking gracefully towards the gate. Oh, speaking of her. I suppose she left her wallet or something. I must find it!
Ever since the day I first met her, I have always been captivated by her smile. Well, I was shocked this morning to see her on the train wearing this school's uniform.
That day, she was with some...friends, I suppose? I know those people are also in her class as well. One girl was picking up men, but when she tried to encourage Sakurai to do the same, she went to the stall to buy some choco bananas from me. Yeah, right. I was a vendor that time. Part-time job.
"Choco bananas!"
"Mister, can I have one?"
"200 yen."
"Here."
"Are you new around here? By the way, I'm Kimura Takuya."
"Huh? Not really. Just in vacation with friends. I'm Sakurai. Sakurai Sayuki."
"What a cute name! Nice to meet you..."
"Nice to meet you, too."
Maybe this is what I get for pretending to be a SMAP person. (And she believed it.) She introduced herself as a college student (which was...yeah, not true but I fell for it, too), so because I liked her and all, I went on with it. I confessed to her. But after a few days of being together, she never came back. I never heard the reply that I was waiting for.
"Ne, do you like chocolates?"
"Y-yeah. But, I don't really like receiving chocolates."
"Oh. Pity."
"Why?"
"I'd like to give you one."
For the first time, I handed her a flower called Chocolate cosmos. By that time I never knew what the scientific name was, or even just the meaning. I like it because it had a chocolate smell. During the sunset, we had a photo together, and had it printed on the same day. The two of us had a copy each, which meant to be a memoir.
You know, I had this mistake. Because I already "introduced" myself, I never got to tell her what my real name was. And so, we never had contact in a long time.
Because I was going to work in this school after the summer, I quit selling choco bananas and tried to make up a more matured, "sensei" figure for her because I believed back then that she really was about my age. Tch. Why did we not exchange e-mail addresses? Or number? Ah, I forgot. I don't have a cellphone. Only a home phone, though. Because of that, I was determined to find her. Until we met on the train, that is.
I decided to leave the place. I bid goodbye to all of my co-teachers, and walked away.
Near the gate, I saw a small bear with tiny glasses on it-which were just like mine. How cute. It was lying down on the ground, so I picked it up to examine it. It was a wallet. Inside it was a photo, a photo of a young man and Sakurai holding hands during the sunset...on the...beach. The beach-?
The beach! The guy in here is me, isn't it? Don't tell me-waaaagh!
I immediately hid the wallet in my pocket and went straight home, to the apartment. Of course I had to take the train.
As expected, there was 1200 yen here, which was her supposed lunch money. I shouldn't be rummaging through this wallet, but I need to return it. Now. Without the students noticing. I noticed a small sticky note pad, which contained a phone number.
Sakurai Sayuki.
I dialled it up, and finally...she was the one who answered. I was too nervous to start the talk. Palpitating...
"Hello? Hello?"
N-no! I must introduce myself as Kimura Takuya. Keep...cool...
"Y-you're...Sakurai Sayuki, right?"
"Uh-huh. Who's this?"
"I-I'm...Kimura Takuya. The one you m-met on the beach. R-remember?"
"OOOH. The choco banana guy. How'd you know this number? And it's a home phone, too."
"I-it was in your wallet. I found it, by the way."
I heard her sigh in relief. "Thank you so much! Then, can we meet up now? Where are you?"
"C-can we meet up at the l-local...train station?"
"Sure! See ya~"
Phew...good thing I wasn't caught! I'll just dress as my normal self, not a teacher, not a choco banana dude. I took my glasses and put them on, and wore casual clothes. A shirt, and shorts. (Well, not too short of shorts. Halfway between pants and shorts, that is.)
Chocolate cosmos. It says, "I love you more than anyone can."
Even though we only met once, I don't know why I felt like I needed to be beside her. It seemed like she needed me more than anyone else. I just found myself falling for her, just like that. I pushed my "matured" side away.
Showy women near the train station tried to pick me up. Yuck. I'm not some dirty old man with a lousy taste. Suddenly, I heard a very familiar voice. "I said I'm not going, but you folks still keep on insisting! I don't even know you!" As I thought, it was Sayuki, surrounded by men. Dirty men.
"Her mother told her not to go with strangers. Or even talk to them!"
I butt in. Good, Hagiwara Katsuya. Be a hero.
"Who are you, four eyes?"
"I'm her-boyfriend! Any problems?"
I'm sure there were. Sakurai knows that she never had one. She told me at the beach.
"You look more like her father. Are you sure?"
Shoot. I don't think Sakurai has noticed that it was me yet. I quickly stole a kiss from her, and the gang walked away. But in return, she shove me away like a hurricane.
"PERVERT! I thought you were some...hero-s...sensei?!"
I took out the wallet from my pocket and placed it in her hand. "I was the one who called you up."
"But, s-sensei...the k-ki-"
I smiled at her, as if nothing happened. "Sorry if I confused you. I'm really Hagiwara Katsuya, not the SMAP guy." Her eyes looked as if tears were about to come out. "Y-you n-never...told me..."
"Because other people might notice. If people in school knew that we know each other, they might have some suspicions. I gave you a hint on the train..."
"You should've said it straight, idiot!"
"I don't wanna~"
"Ugh! I hate you!"
I tapped her shoulder lightly. "Hey, Sakurai."
"Y-yeah?!"
"You never replied."
Silence broke out between us. But as I can see, she was already blushing. "Your fault for not having a cellphone!"
"Sorry..."
"What about your job...? As a...teacher..."
"You can still stand for one year without telling anyone, right? Until graduation."
"O-okay, I'll do that."
I wanted to tell the world...that my feelings are overflowing. Gently, she held my hand. "Happy Valentine's. I suck at making chocolate."
"Don't worry, I don't. Making chocolate." I chuckled. (A/N: He meant he doesn't suck at doing it.)
"Did you know...Chocolate cosmos meant, 'Walk with me hand-in-hand,' ?"
And so, I accompanied home, with our hands entwined with each other, promising that...
I won't let her off...easily.
Author's Note:
Read the original post with my drabbles and rants at . - with removing all and replacing them with periods.
I want to share a trivia! Did you know that I was supposed to write this as a one-shot and ended up with two chapters instead? (Laughs)
Nice trivia. Please give reviews! Negative and positive reviews are anticipated, as well as appreciated.
