Moon and Sun (Part 3)
by BrDPirateMan

Mina's pep talk helped me plenty. It made me realize how important it was to not hesitate. Thanks to her, I had better faith in myself. Or so I thought.

All the confidence in the world couldn't prepare me for what was to come. As for what that was, it'd have to come later.

Makoto cocked his head in the direction of a row of stalls. "Sure you don't want to give those game stalls a go, Ai?"

"Ah, no… I'll give it a miss," I said light-heartedly. "I'm too old for that anyway."

The ironic thing about it was that at the age of sixteen, I wasn't in a state of stable maturity. I was neither too old nor too young. There were times when I wished I could be treated as an adult instead of "some dumb high school kid". But sometimes it wasn't cool to be all grown up because there were just so many responsibilities to think about, and as teenagers we wanted to have as much fun as we could during our tender pre-twenties.

Many times an elder would say how I was too young to understand the happenings of the real world. They were unable to let go of the notion that since I was much younger, that classified me as a child, and that made their views on me and other fellow teenagers horribly biased. On the other hand, my parents were always telling me to be more serious, to think about my future, and in short, start acting like an adult. What was I supposed to be? Hard to tell.

Regardless of what I truly was, the fact remained that I was still sixteen. Neither too young nor too old for Makoto.

Was I too young? No, I was a teenager for goodness' sake. If my mood swings, hormonal imbalances and the occasional bout of acne didn't already make that obvious, I don't know what would. Makoto could go out with me without being labeled as a child-snatching pervert. Probably.

Which certainly raises the question: was I old enough? In all truth, not really. Wouldn't a 22-year-old like him prefer to date someone around his age? A lass around her early twenties would make a nice companion for him. But me? Heck, all waiters would serve me at a sushi bar is water or juice, not rice wine or whatever liquor they've got; I just wasn't at the age for legal drinking. Social and cultural bias could be such a burden.

But even with these thoughts, I wanted to at least see if I could make such a forbidden relationship work. Just the very mention of such a scenario is enough to conjure up images of a male teacher taking his student lover to a private location for a round of shenanigans.

And of course, we're not like that!

"Ai? You've been spacing out a lot," Makoto's voice rang through my head. "Are you feeling unwell or anything?"

"Huh? Um, no…" I shook my head. "No… I'm fine." Well, the age issue could wait. It'd be more worthwhile to have fun with Makoto tonight and not worry too much about –

"Are you sure?" Makoto cupped his hand over my forehead to feel for my temperature. Yikes! I tried to stop myself from heating up from embarrassment, but it was no use. "Your skin is boiling!" he said with alarm. "You're all red and you're breathing rapidly. You sure you're not down with a fever or –"

"I-It's just pretty warm tonight, that's all!" I gave a short, awkward laugh to hide my true emotions. "And it gets hot being in a huge crowd."

"You know, you're actually right," said Makoto, flapping the front of his yukata. Gosh, his chest was slightly exposed… Argh! Why couldn't I stop having perverted thoughts about him? ! This almost felt like a bad running gag. I knew it was normal for a girl like me to try and imagine my dream guy naked, but…

"We should go someplace where there're less people," he offered. "It wouldn't be so hot there!"

"Good idea," I said, hoping that whatever solution he had would do much to ease the hormones that were coursing through my system. Puberty could be so bothersome!

Makoto suggested going to the outskirts of the festival area, which I seconded, so that was where we were headed now. But the way there was fraught with obstacles in the form of a constantly moving crowd, which was jostling us about a bit, and I found myself bumping into more than my fair share of people.

"Sure is crowded…" mumbled Makoto. "Oof!" A passerby accidentally knocked against him.

I was about to say something when I got bumped against for the fifth time tonight. This time I was hit squarely in the funny bone. And as one would know from the tingling feeling that accompanies it, it wasn't funny.

"We're getting pushed around like rag dolls," I muttered, nursing my elbow, stinging with pain.

"Ai, we need to stick together or we'll get separated," he said.

"Easy for you to say," I called over the din of the noisy crowd. "I can't even move about properly! Not with so many people pushing me left and right!"

"Figures. But I've got an idea. A rather silly one, but it'll work nicely."

"Huh?"

Then he did something truly unexpected. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. It took me three whole seconds for me to realize that I was pressed against his side, in dangerously close proximity to him. And boy, when the realization came to me, it did so with the force of a sledgehammer to the face. I almost keeled over and died.

"M-Makoto? !" I yelped, red as a tomato. "What are you–? !"

"If we don't want to get hit about so much, like I said, we'll need to stick together, literally. As opposed to simply walking side by side, you know? Takes up too much space." A valid explanation… "And also," he added, with a cheeky grin, "Look at this place. There are couples everywhere. It'll look strange if we didn't look like one… ha, just kidding!" He broke into a hearty laugh.

Amongst the sea of people was a great many couples, each one caught up in their own little world of romance. Some were holding hands, others had arms wrapped around each other's waists, and all of them had this sickening lovey-dovey expression on their faces. Ugh.

But turnabout is fair play too, because if Makoto and I were to start going out, we'd be using the same disgusting expressions too. What was it about romantic relationships that made people want to showcase to the world how much they were in love with each other? We – and I mean the rest of us – don't want to know, we don't care, and we certainly don't want to see shameless fondling in public.

But what Makoto and I were doing right now… wasn't it exactly that? Oh well, it couldn't be helped. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't ungrateful for this little slice of heaven…

"We've never done something like this before," I mumbled absent-mindedly. "It almost feels like… we're a couple." My body temperature rose a degree or two with the last word.

"That's the idea, right?" he chortled. "Now we wouldn't look out of place!"

I was never comfortable with getting too touchy-feely with any of my guy friends, but Makoto was different. If it was him, I wouldn't mind… and I didn't. I found myself unconsciously nestling closer to his body, and it felt so warm in his embrace… Oh, I wished he could hold me like this the whole night… It would be perfect…

And then just when I thought it couldn't get any better, someone in a hurry rushed past and trampled on my toes in the process.

Crack.

"OW…! ! !"

XOXOXOXOXO

"Hope your foot is okay," Makoto said.

"Well… as long as my toe bones weren't rearranged, I should be fine…" It was difficult to enjoy my ice-cream when I was still limping from a sore foot. And worst of all my tender romantic moment was ruined by that one clumsy fool…

He took a generous lick from his snow cone. "That can't be good for your cheerleading thing," he deadpanned.

"Tell me about it! Don't people have eyes to see where they're going anymore?"

"Oh, hold on, Ai…" he said, staring pointedly at me.

"Yes?"

"…you got ice-cream on your face," he said, dabbing my cheek lightly with his finger which he then popped into his mouth. "All clean now."

Oblivious to my umpteenth blush for the night he gave me a charming smile. My skin was now so warm, that even if he had not done what he did, I would have melted… no, vaporised that spot of ice-cream off of my face anyway. Did he just do that? ! Did he actually touch my cheek? ! Wasn't that something that I should be doing to him?

Wait a minute… Now that I thought about it, I hadn't placed any moves on him tonight… In fact, it seemed more like the opposite! I hadn't done anything, but regardless, we were steadily growing closer to each other. So did this make Operation Creeping Snake a success or a failure? I had trouble deciding which it was.

And if I wasn't careful, the following scenario might happen…

"Ai, you've got ice-cream all over your lips," said Makoto.

"All over my lips?" I said, puzzled. They were clean.

With both hands he grasped my shoulders gently but firmly. He stared into my soul, his eyes twinkling with boyish mischief. I just stood rooted to the spot, nervous at his sudden change in attitude. "M-Makoto, what is it?" He was smiling for some reason, and it was scaring me.

"We can't have your pretty face marred like this, can we? Let me clean those lips for you." And with that he smashed his lips onto mine and trapped me in a crushing embrace. I couldn't do anything to help myself. But the sensation was overwhelming… so passionate… Before long, we had retreated to the privacy of a secluded area, and…

WAAH! ! !

Sweat was gushing down my face like a waterfall. No, Makoto was not like that. He would never do something like that. I just knew he wouldn't! Right? ! A near-perfect guy like him wouldn't even think of doing such a thing. Yes, he wouldn't, I kept telling myself ad nauseam. He wouldn't…

"Look, Ai," he said, nudging me in the arm. "The Statue of Hachiko's over there."

Up ahead was the main attraction of the Hachi Fest. The stone dog was circled by countless people, all eager to touch it for good luck. I could barely make out the head of the statue above the crowd.

"There it is!" I chirped, tugging at Makoto's sleeve. "Hey, let's go join them. C'mon! It'll be fun! Please?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm coming. You don't have to pull."

We pushed through the people towards the statue. I was careful to not let my feet get stepped on again; no one in their right mind wanted to relive the experience of having one's toes being crushed underfoot by hard Japanese clogs.

"It's been a long while since I touched this statue for good fortune," he said, a tad nostalgic. "I remember how excited I was to pet it and to almost feel the rush of luck coursing through me."

"I know, right?" I said, grinning.

Several people were contemplating where to rub the statue. Obviously they had heard of the popular myth that surrounded it. And apparently, no one had actually designated which spots were good and which ones weren't. "What are those guys waiting and frowning for?" asked Makoto. "Aren't they gonna touch the statue?"

"They're just thinking about where to touch it. Because you don't just touch it, Makoto. Touch the wrong spot, and you'll get cursed… whatever that means."

"I guess it's just a ploy to keep things interesting. There's no curse or anything, but it makes the whole experience all the more surreal. So I don't mind where I touch it, 'cause it doesn't really matter at the end of the day, right?"

"Hmmm, yeah, I guess," I muttered, a little disappointed that he wasn't as caught up in the hype around the statue as everyone was. "Anyway, you wanna have a go?"

"Why not? If it's for good vibes, I don't mind." Then he added with jest, "Though I feel bad for poor Hachiko… having to deal with molestation for an entire night…"

"Ha ha ha! That's a good one!"

He was reaching out for the head when I halted him in his tracks. "You sure you don't mind rubbing a potentially cursed area?" I asked.

"Nah, like I said, I'm not worried about that." Bad luck wasn't something to play around with, but despite ongoing warnings he went ahead and patted it on the head. I wasn't as foolhardy as him though. I was racking my brains for a good place…

"How about the head, Ai?" he said.

"No, not the head," I replied, thinking hard. "Last year all the good luck was concentrated in the head. This year it has to be somewhere else."

He smiled, amused at the way everyone was fussing over such a seemingly trivial matter. "I'm sure it'll be fine either way…"

Ignoring him, I continued to tap into my common sense and knowledge of previous Fests to decide on the best spot. A brainwave later, I finally settled for the left forepaw of the dog. I felt good knowing that I was now blessed for the rest of the year. Hesitating for a few more seconds, I decided to rub it again for twice the luck. Well, you couldn't blame me, really.

"Satisfied, Ai?" chortled Makoto, the amusement refusing to leave his face.

"Oh, crack your jokes, Makoto," I huffed, in mock annoyance. "But when I win the lottery, don't expect me to share my money with you… ho ho."

"Heh, I guess if I were you I'd do the same thing!"

"Aw, you're mean," I pouted, punching him softly in the ribs. It was fun to joke around freely like this. With any other guy I probably wouldn't have dared. Even if it turned out that I couldn't be Makoto's girlfriend, having him as a close buddy was quite good already… But no, this wasn't the mindset I chose to adopt. I wanted to go out with him and tonight I would ensure that. Like hell I would chicken out and fail!

Behind me was a trio of teenage girls clad in kimonos (not as beautiful as mine, though, ha!) and chatting excitedly amongst themselves. "Where in the world do I touch it for good luck? !" grumbled one of them.

"Calm down, calm down," said the second girl.

"You know," piped up girl number three, "a friend of mine who lives in a temple said that she knows the exact location for this year's lucky spot." What? Although I was done with the statue, I was all ears as I continued to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Whoa, really? Why didn't you say so earlier? !" asked the impatient girl. Her other friend nodded in agreement.

"Sorry, I wasn't really sure about whether my friend was right or not," replied the third girl, adjusting her spectacles.

"If she stays in a temple, she should know all about this stuff. Now spill it! I'm getting tired of thinking!"

Enjoying the look of impatience on her friends' faces, the third girl smiled with an evil sparkle in her eye, "Good things come to those who w–"

"Tell. Us. Now!"

"O-Okay, chill," said the third girl, quickly giving up on her earlier plans of mental torture, "The rump! She said this year you should touch the rump."

I froze. The rump of the statue? But what I touched… wasn't the rump…

"Whaaaaat?" snorted the first girl. "I have to caress a dog's butt to get good luck? !"

The second girl furrowed her eyebrows. "How's that make sense? Is this friend of yours serious? ! She's a shrine maiden alright, so her advice should be spot-on, but…"

"That's why I wasn't sure about this!" said the third girl, "I mean, it didn't sound like the ideal place for such luck-rubbing, right? !"

Makoto heard it too. "Um, Ai, which part did you go for just now? It wasn't the rump, was it? Just asking."

My face started to turn pale upon realization of one fact. If what those girls said was true, then did I just touch a cursed spot? !

"Ai?"

"I…I…I think it was th-the left forepaw…" No way… Was I going to be plagued with misfortune from now on? And because I touched it twice, did it also mean that I had twice the bad luck? !

"Why don't you touch the statue again? On the butt this time, of course. You'll be able to neutralize that negative aura hanging around you now, right? At least that's what I figure."

"I can't do that," I countered. "There's an unwritten rule that states you can only touch the statue twice at most. You'll be afflicted with the curse anyway if you dare to touch it a third time."

Incredulous beyond words, Makoto's jaw hung open. "Unwritten? ! Okay, now that's just plain ridiculous. But hey, come on!" he said, trying to cheer me up, "Don't get your kimono in a knot just because of some silly superstition! You can't possibly be affected by an urban legend."

"I hope you're right." An unhappy sigh escaped from my lips as he led me away from the crowd. "If this screws up next Monday's Physics test, or makes mincemeat of my cheerleading practice, I'll seriously –"

A sharp pain suddenly spread over my head, accompanied by a hollow sound that reverberated inside my skull. "Ai!" I heard Makoto's voice as I tried to steady my dazed self. Something hit me in the head. But what? I knew trampled feet was a relatively common accident, but…

"Are you hurt, Ai? !" he said, urgently, "That branch landed squarely on your head… It must have fallen from this tree!"

The tree branch in question lay at my feet. "A… A tree branch?" I looked straight up at the offending source of my pain, and the moment I craned my neck skyward, believe it or not, another branch fell onto me, this time right on my face. "What tree br – Argmph!"

"Wha…? ! Oh no, Ai!"

Even as I was reeling, I wondered whether this was all because of bad luck, undoubtedly acquired from my botched "blessing" by the Statue of Hachiko. Nah, it couldn't be. This was just a coincidence. But two branches from the same tree falling on me in the space of a single minute… could that really be called a coincidence? Didn't sabotage from the forces of the universe sound like a more likely explanation?

A warm liquid was oozing out of my nose. "You're bleeding, Ai!" said Makoto, fishing a tissue from his pocket and wiping the blood away as best as he could.

"Makoto, I-I'm cool, I can handle this my–"

Somebody bumped into me from behind. It was a very weak bump, so even with my wavering balance I was still able to keep my footing. But what was this weird moisture that was seeping into my back?

I swiveled my head round and the sight that greeted me was enough to make my jaw detach itself and clatter to the ground.

There was a dollop of ice-cream plastered onto my kimono, slowly seeping into the delicate fabric. Some kid was quivering behind me like a frightened deer, holding an empty ice-cream cone in his hand. He looked genuinely apologetic, not to mention scared.

"I-I'm sorry!" he stuttered, bowing profusely. "I didn't see where I was going and accidentally smashed my snow cone into you. I'm very sorry! P-Please forgive me!"

What was I supposed to do? Forgive him? How could I? That was my best kimono he just ruined! My best kimono, that I just blew my entire allowance on! ! !

As much as I hated it, I let him off with a gentle warning to be more careful in the future, which that darn kid apparently took to heart. Makoto was less lenient but could not find it in himself to tell off the poor wretch. "You really have to watch where you're going," he grumbled.

"Y-Yes, I understand! Sorry for everything! Very sorry!" The kid then ran for his life. If I had my way, I'd surely have strangled him…

Makoto helped to wipe off as much of the mess off my kimono as he possibly could. There was still that sticky, icky feeling on my back, though. It dampened not only my clothing but also my spirit.

"I can't believe this is happening," I sighed. "It wasn't easy getting this kimono and this is the first time I'm wearing it…"

"Hope it wouldn't stain," said Makoto, "It's a pretty nice one too."

I didn't feel like having fun anymore, not when I knew that I was now cursed and that this was actually coming true. If this was all hogwash like Makoto had said, then why was all this nonsense happening to me? ! Was I actually suffering the effects of a man-made myth? ! That was ridiculous!

And the night was far from over for me…

A little later, we watched in horror as a jet-black cat sauntered across our path… followed by its litter of about six or seven similarly-coloured kittens. What were black cats doing at a place like this anyway? Wasn't this supposed to be a place for luck, not a lack thereof? !

"You don't see that everyday," remarked Makoto, watching them slink away into the crowds to infect everyone with their bad luck and cause widespread chaos. If everyone started slipping on banana peels, stepping into drains or losing their wallets, we'd know who was at fault.

"One happy family," I muttered, "with Mum and kids in tow."

Unfortunately, because I was busy looking at this bizarre sight, I didn't look where I was going. One of my slippers got caught in a small bump in the ground as I was walking, and I subsequently lost balance and fell. There happened to be a woman who was rushing in the opposite direction with handbag swinging in the crook of her arm. Right at the moment I got back on my knees, aided by Makoto, the woman's handbag connected into my face, uppercut-style. It must have been loaded with lead and granite, because it felt heavy and it hurt a lot!

My nose started bleeding again. She continued on her way, hurrying to who-knew-where.

Makoto frowned as he took a withering glance at the woman. "She didn't even say sorry. Man, that's rude!" He handed me a fresh packets of tissues. "Incidentally, Ai, don't you think this is a bit weird? A lot of terrible things have been happening to you in a row."

"I don't want to say it," I mumbled, slotting tissues into my nostrils, "but it's probably the curse taking effect."

"The curse? You mean the curse of the Statue of Hachiko? ! But… But that's not possible… right?" Even Makoto the non-believer wasn't so sure anymore.

"It's the only thing that makes sense."

Suddenly, I heard screams coming from our left. The people were in a panic and darting out of the path of the push-cart that was barreling down the road at high speed.

Wait, a push-cart? At high speed?

Oh no, it was heading right towards us!

Behind the rogue push-cart was an elderly peddler, puffing and panting as he tried his best to catch up with it. "Gangway!" he shouted frantically, his arms spinning like helicopter rotors. "Everyone, look out!"

Makoto and I wasted no time dashing out of the way. And so, I was saved from a potentially gruesome fate…

…not.

In a peculiar turn of events, the push-cart veered sharply in our direction! Maybe it had gone into a gentle slope in the road and that was what made this happen. But with the cart so close we could do nothing to save ourselves.

Ah, crud.

Unable to react in time, Makoto got shoved to one side where he ended up spinning on his heel like a top. At the very same time, the evil push-cart charged into my person and knocked me down with the force of an 18-wheeler, its contents of fried tofu snacks and hot dumplings spilling everywhere like confetti. I may be exaggerating about the impact but what I clearly remembered was the pain in my body, and my scream being cut short, and a piece of tofu slapping into my forehead, sauce and all.

After that I blacked out.

XOXOXOXOXO

Ugh… Where was I?

I was floating in a vast empty space, where neither colour nor dimensions could quite describe it. Was it dark? Was it bright? I didn't know.

Suddenly, from above me a trio of winged children flew to my sides, coaxing me skywards. I did nothing to resist them. I couldn't. They pulled me by the arms with only the gentlest of touches, but the effort needed was none, like I was weightless. Were they angels? Then… was I dead?

Wait. I was DEAD? ! Was I actually killed by that… that stupid push-cart? !

"Hey, stop!" I shrieked. "What're you doing? ! I don't wanna go to heaven! I'm too young to! And… And why am I naked? !" Was it customary for souls who would ascend to the Great Hall in the sky to wear nothing? !

The angels said not a word but continued to drag me to the gates of a higher plane. I wanted to struggle, to fight back against my fate, but my muscles were strangely paralysed. I couldn't do a thing.

"No… Stop, please…" I whimpered as they brought me before the grand entrance. One of them released her hold on my arm to unlock the gate which squeaked open. Warm light poured in and kissed my entire body, but I didn't want this. It was the kind of light that embraced a person who had kicked the bucket!

"STOP…! ! !"

And just as I was about to step foot inside, I woke up, finding myself in my bed.

"Gah… just a dream… so terrible… Ow."

It was the day after the Hachi Fest, a day I spent at home recovering. The impact of my collision with a freaking push-cart last night was so bad that I couldn't stop the world from spinning. Much of the time I was in bed resting my poor head. I lacked the energy and enthusiasm to do anything else. And while none of my injuries were too severe, they were bad enough.

Mina would have hit the roof if she knew that her brainchild Operation Creeping Snake was an utter and complete failure, but she was sympathetic upon knowing what happened. She gave a sad sigh as she stared at my swollen bandaged forehead.

"Well, don't fret, Ai," she tried to console me as best as she could, "There's always tomorrow… or whenever you're feeling better."

"I feel like the Frankenstein's monster," a bedridden me groaned, "with these bandages on my head, and my arms and everywhere." Half of my skin was covered with gauze and plasters.

"No, more like a mummy," Mina joked, in an attempt to make things better. "Like, you know, the mummy returns!"

I said nothing, staring at her with a confused look.

"It's not funny, is it?" she muttered, dejected. She really needed to learn how to tell good jokes…

"Well, I don't think I can go to school for a day or two," I said.

"A day or two…" Suddenly Mina gasped in horror. "But our Physics test is tomorrow! Are you able to heal up in time? !"

Oh, yeah. I completely forgot about that. "Argh, curses." I instinctively slapped my forehead and was greeted with intense pain. How stupid of me. "Ow…!"

She clutched the back of her neck trying to fathom how terrible my luck had become. "I never for once thought that feeling up the Statue of Hachiko the wrong way would bring about luck as bad as this. We just kinda thought it was fun to keep the myth in mind, but we never paid it any heed, you know?"

I didn't say anything to that. Didn't know what to say and didn't feel like it.

"So is this myth busted or confirmed?" was the next joke she cracked. And like all her other jokes, it was terrible.

"Mina, we're not the Mythbusters," I mumbled.

"S-Sorry… I thought to cheer you up a bit."

"Thanks anyway…" I closed my eyes momentarily in a useless attempt to block out the pain. "Actually, I'm the one who should be sorry."

"What? Why?"

"I never got the chance to confess to Makoto. It's not because I chickened out, but… well, Operation Creeping Snake kinda got sidetracked by a lot of things…" I mentally went through all the things that ended up distracting me, and almost all involved Makoto and his undeniable charm in some way or another.

"Last night was so terrible!" My eyes watered up. "My foot got trampled on, I got hit on the head by a falling branch twice in one minute, someone dirtied my kimono with an ice-cream cone, I bumped into a company of black cats, and then a push-cart whacked me silly and now I'm here with cuts and grazes and a massive headache."

Mina opened her mouth to say something, presumably another one of her jokes to uplift the mood, but decided against it. She just squeezed my hand while I wept.

"W-Worst H-Hachi Fest ever…" I draped an arm over my face and let the tears flow.

There was not a single sound in my room except for my pathetic sniffles. I never felt so useless in my life, and I hated it. If I had been more careful this wouldn't have happened. And I ruined Makoto's evening too… What would he think of me now? I was sure that he thought of me as a pest – an immature, annoying, mishap-ridden pest of a schoolgirl who was too clumsy for her own good.

There was a soft knock on the door. My mother was calling me through it. "Ai, I'm coming in." She opened the door by herself and poked her head in. "You've got a visitor who's here to see how you're coping."

Shielding my eyes with my arm and trying my best to muffle the tears in my voice, I called, "Wh-Who is it?"

"It's me," answered the mystery guest for Mum. Where did I hear that voice before? I snuck a peek from underneath my arm and immediately sat up in shock.

"Makoto? ! What – OW!" The headache seared through my skull once more, as though a knife had been stabbed through my brain. Sitting up all of a sudden was not the brightest idea in the world. But I was astonished, seeing him at my own home. What was he doing here? A goggle-eyed Mina could only look from me to him and back again, curious to see how I would handle this surprise visit.

"He wanted to see you," explained Mum, standing in the doorway with Makoto at her side, "but you can't get out of bed just yet, so I brought him here."

"May I come in?" asked Makoto politely, careful with what he said because Mum was around. He looked nervous too. Was it because he was about to enter a girl's room? It's true that teenage girls' bedrooms were famous as sanctuaries with three P's: peace, privacy and pop star posters… and that they were out of bounds for members of the opposite sex… but if it's Makoto then it was okay, I guess… "I mean, it's cool if you want to rest and talk another day, but – "

"Um, n-no! I don't mind," I stammered, beginning to blush. "P-Please come in."

Makoto helped himself inside and Mum disappeared. Mina stood up from her chair and prepared to leave. "Going already?" I asked.

"I wouldn't bother you two so I'll take my leave," she said, smiling with a knowing twinkle in her eye. Then, out of earshot of Makoto, she whispered cheekily, "Have fun, Ai… ahem. Just don't make it too rough."

"G-Get your mind out of the gutter," I retorted.

With a final chuckle, she bid both of us goodbye and graciously left, closing the door behind her.

The mother of all awkward silences fell over the room as Makoto and I gazed at each other. Wordlessly, he cautiously sat on the chair where Mina had been sitting earlier. Realizing that there was no one in the room but the two of us, I gulped and broke into an uncontrollable blushing fit. I half-expected Makoto to pounce on me as soon as we were alone, but nothing of the sort happened, thank goodness.

I muttered, "So…"

"Feeling sunnier today, Ai?"

"No, not really." I shook my head, an action I immediately regretted. Even that could make my headache feel much worse. It almost felt like my brain was bouncing around inside my skull like a ping-pong ball. I grimaced.

Sympathy was written on his face upon seeing my partially mummified body. "It's that bad, huh?"

"I hit my head pretty bad that night. You did see it…"

"That you survived such a hard whack to the head, and being run over by a push-cart, is nothing short of a miracle. Even though you're in bad shape, I'm thankful that I'm still able to talk to you!" Was there the slightest hint of gallows humour in that last statement?

He continued, "I took you back here when you passed out, you know. Your mum was thoroughly shocked to see you hurt like that! But I explained everything to her, and she seemed to believe it, so everything's fine."

"You took me back home?" So it would seem that I gave him more than his fair share of trouble. "Th-Thanks… How are your injuries?"

"I'm fine. Just one or two bruises… No broken bones. Oh yeah, got you some nice cold OJ, by the way."

He fished out a Thermos flask from his sling bag. He jiggled it in front of me, smiling. "I know I'm not a medicinal pro like Dr Fumiko, but I do know you like orange juice… so I thought I might bring some to take your mind off the pain a little while!"

Why would Makoto still want to have anything to do with me after the unfortunate string of events from last night? I found it hard to understand. But here he was, visiting me in my own home, and he even brought my favourite beverage? Somehow, I didn't think I deserved it, and I started to weep anew.

"Whoa, Ai! Y-You don't like OJ after all?"

"No, Makoto, that's not it! Why are you even here? Aren't you supposed to be mad at me for making a mess of last night?"

"What? !" He arched both eyebrows in a quizzical expression. He had no clue of what I was getting at. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

"I'm sorry, Makoto," I sniffed, tears threatening to spill out the corners of my eyes, "Last night I was acting so weird, and I totally messed up your evening. And yet you'd still do such things for me? I know apologizing wouldn't make up for what happened, but… please forgive me. I… I still want to be your friend…"

He stared at me in confusion for a few seconds before a broad but kind smile spread across his mouth. "You really are so uptight about everything, Ai," he laughed softly. "What reason is there to be angry? Don't be sorry…

…because spending the night with you was the best thing that's happened to me in a long time!"

"Wh-Wh-What?" He said that? ! He wasn't mad? And did he say he really liked my company? ! Was I still asleep? I pinched myself in the arm, and when it stung, it set off a chain reaction which amplified the pain in the rest of my body. OW OW OW! How stupid of me! I didn't know how many times I blushed in my lifetime because of this guy, but today would increase that number by one.

"C'mon, Ai," he smiled, pouring me a cup of chilled orange juice from his Thermos flask. "Do you think I'd get mad at you for something that's beyond your control?" He handed it to me, which I gratefully accepted.

"I guess not…" I took a sip. The cool juice tasted good and did wonders to soothe my headache.

"Well, there you go! Trust me, I had a lot of fun hanging out with you last night." Then he added cheekily, "Too bad you didn't grope the statue's butt."

"Like I would feel up a dog's behind!"

But I wasn't offended in the least. I was stifling a giggle, to tell you the truth. Before long I burst into laughter and he joined me. Miraculously, my bodily pains vanished. And the tears I wiped away were not from sadness and self-pity but because I was laughing so hard. I was feeling pretty good!

"Thanks, Makoto. You helped me feel a lot better now."

"Don't mention it. What are friends for?"

So maybe Operation Creeping Snake wasn't much of a success. But it didn't matter. I seemed to be making some headway with him, anyway. It was a good sign. Our friendship was as strong as ever, maybe stronger. And perhaps, in time, we could take that big step towards a relationship. Together.

Maybe touching the wrong spot on the Statue of Hachiko wasn't such a bad thing after all.

But how would I fare in time to come? Only time would tell… Or maybe the next chapter would.