Chapter 7
Piko : Realize?!
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"Congratulations on releasing a song you wrote by yourself, Gumi!" said Piko when he played over to Gumi's house.
" Thanks, Piko! Hehe!" Gumi couldn't stop smiling. It's very obvious that she's happy that she managed to write her own song and publish it. It's starting to gain popularity among the folks.
" Whoa, from now on you'll surely get more popular and then busier, eh?" said Piko.
" Well, that can't be helped, ehehe... But I'm happy that way!" Gumi smiled.
Piko looked at Gumi's happy face. He can feel Gumi's happiness, too. Piko smiled, but his smile is somewhat bitter. If this keeps on, my time together with Gumi like this will decrease and soon—perish, is what has been bugging his mind.
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" You're so good, if only I can keep up with you so we can be together in work as well...," said Piko.
" Huh? What are you talking about? Of course you can! Don't give up and keep trying!" said Gumi, as she gently pat Piko's back.
" Uh... you're talented, and I'm not that...," said Piko hesitantly.
" Now, quit that attitude! Start having positive thoughts and work harder! I know that you can do it, too, Piko!" said Gumi.
" Well, but... if it keeps on going like this, I feel like you're from a different world, Gumi, haha...," Piko smiled bitterly.
" Gah...," Gumi frowned, " why do you keep saying things like that, Piko?! I... I hate that attitude of yours! Different world?! Hah, what the hell is that?!"
" But you don't understand, Gumi!" Piko yelled back.
" It's YOU who don't understand, Piko!" Gumi stood up, " aah, quit with it! I'm going!"
" Huh?! Where to?!" asked Piko when Gumi was about to go out from the room.
" I'm going to go out with Gaku-nii! I'm gonna play around with him to RELIEVE MY STRESS I GOT FROM YOU!" said Gumi while pouting.
" What the heck?!" Piko felt a somewhat uneasy feeling when he heard that.
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A calm afternoon, at a cafe...
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" So, what business made you force me to accompany you here?" asked Kiyoteru, drinking his coffee.
" Hee, don't give me that kind of tone, Kiyoo!" said Piko.
" That's too sudden. I have my life too, you know?" answered Kiyoteru.
" But, but you're a good friend of mine and I know you'd come, so... HEY, your friend is in difficulties here!" yelled Piko.
" Sigh... It can't be helped then. So, what about it?" asked Kiyoteru.
" Kiyoo, listen, listen! Gumi, she's...," Piko started to ramble on.
" Hee, so it's about Gumi again, eh?" murmured Kiyoteru.
" Hoe? What's that?" asked Piko.
" Never mind. Continue your story," said Kiyoteru.
" Well, that Gumi... She didn't understand me. She's getting more and more famous, and soon she'll be busier... Meanwhile, look at me! I can't get as famous as she is... I'm just not confident with myself. I feel like I don't have any talent whatsoever... Someone as talented as her wouldn't understand my concern, yet she spoke like she knew and said that I have talent...," answered Piko.
" Hee? She's just trying to cheer you up and encourage you, dude! Seriously, you're always like this when you're in despair!" answered Kiyoteru.
" Uu... I know, I know that... But still, I'm not a confident person... And also, what if I kept failing and she kept getting famous? If that keeps going, then I feel like she's in different level—like she's from another world...," said Piko.
" Wait, did you say that to her?"
" Yeah, and then she suddenly got mad and decided to play with Gaku—"
" Man, you serious?!" Kiyoteru stopped Piko's rambling.
" Yeah?" asked Piko.
" Man, what an unsensitive boy you're!" said Kiyoteru in wonder, " No wonder she got angry at you! When you said that... It feels like you're creating the distance with her—the one thing that you don't like—by yourself!"
" What?!" Piko couldn't believe Kiyoteru's words.
" ...Try to think first before speaking your words out. Women are more sensitive and they often misunderstand our words because they thought about it more than we actually meant it," Kiyoteru gave out his advice to his troubled—and not yet mature, friend.
" ...I see... but still, why is she all over that Gakupo?! She can play with Neru or her other friends, so why did she decide to go out with Gakupo, anyway?!" Piko continued to ramble.
" ...You jealous?" asked Kiyoteru. He's very sure that Piko is just jealous... and that he just wants to have Gumi for himself, which made him unconsciously saying those words to Gumi. I wonder if he really doesn't realize his feelings... or he's just a dumb person? So Kiyoteru thought.
" What?! Jealous?! Why must I be jealous to her cousin?!" asked Piko, dumb-founded.
" ...Cousins can still get married, y'know," answered Kiyoteru. Whoa, what kind of a slow person my friend is?
" And...?" asked Piko.
" ...You still don't get it?" asked Kiyoteru, "everyone already knows your feelings, you know... Why don't you realize it? Or are you just pretending?"
" Huh? What feelings?" asked Piko.
" It's L-O-V-E!" answered Kiyoteru, his head got so close to Piko's that other people, especially fujoshi (girls who like boys love stuff) who were there, misunderstood the scene they saw and thought that the boys who are busy talking—as lovers who were showing their love to people, as their "fan service".
" The hell, get back, Kiyo! You're too close!" said Piko, realizing how awkward their position were.
"... Oh," Kiyoteru, who just realized that, backed down, " you're kinda fast in this, but why aren't you fast in understanding yourself?"
" This can't be love, what nonsense are you talking about?" asked Piko, " Gumi is just a close friend of mine, and it's normal for me to have those thoughts, right?"
" Not really," answered Kiyoteru, "after all, I never heard Neru complaining about that, she only gives Gumi encouragement, and that's what friends are supposed to do."
" Ugh... what are you- me? Likes Gumi?" Piko's face slowly turned red. This scene made the fujoshi's imagination grows wild.
" Well... Don't you want to always be close to Gumi?" asked Kiyoteru.
" Uh... yeah?" answered Piko.
" ...Don't you feel somewhat upset when she goes with another man—let's say, Gakupo?" asked Kiyoteru again.
" Well, yeah!" answered Piko.
" You like it when you see her happy? And you want her to be happy too?" asked Kiyoteru.
" Of course...," said Piko.
" The thoughts of her leaving you behind scares you a lot, right? You want her to look at you—want her to always be by your side, smiling, right?" asked Kiyoteru again.
" Yup, of course," answered Piko.
" Then, it's definitely love," answered Kiyoteru.
" N-no... that can't... be...," Piko blushed, his face got red—his ears also became red. The fujoshi instantly believed that Kiyoteru was flirting Piko, and that made Piko extremely happy and became red all over his head.
" Ah," Kiyoteru figured something out, " you just don't want to admit it, right?"
" What are you talking about...," Piko is still confused in his thought, he can't believe the fact that Kiyoteru just told him.
" Deep down you already know what this feeling is," stated Kiyoteru," but you refused to admit it."
" Wha..."
" Listen," Kiyoteru interrupted Piko.
" My first love ended even before I could tell her," said Kiyoteru.
" Uwaa, who asked you to ramble on about yourself?" asked Piko, "it doesn't have a connection with this—"
" It has," said Kiyoteru, silencing Piko.
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" So listen carefully. Since it was my first love, I also realized it... much later. And then, I made a fatal mistake. I indulged myself in confusion and doubt about it, denying that it was love. I did nothing and kept the distance with my first love. ...and then it's all too late. At the time I finally admitted it, I was surprised. We have already drifted from each other. We weren't so close anymore. And during that time, she fell in love with another guy... who kept approaching her. When she told me that she went out with that guy, I could only smile bitterly, giving out a congratulations that I didn't want to. And then I regretted it. I hated myself for it. I kept thinking... what if I admitted it and kept approaching her? Will things turn different if I were to do that? I was indulged in that thoughts for quite awhile," said Kiyoteru.
" ...It's my first time hearing it," answered Piko, " why didn't you tell me before?"
"... Because you're still a little chicken who just hatched from its egg," answered Kiyoteru.
" Eh?! Whaddya mean by tha—"
" You just realized it's love. So there's no way I could talk about love with you in the past," said Kiyoteru, " putting that aside—I hope that you won't experience the things I experienced before. Just... admit it, and don't just do nothing."
" ...," Piko couldn't answer.
" Maybe you're right...," he murmured after quite a long silent, " thank you, Kiyo. I know I can always count on you."
" Heh, pay for my meal, okay?" Kiyoteru smiled naughtily.
Piko smiled.
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That evening, Piko has cleared up his mind. He has admitted his feelings towards Gumi. And now, he's standing in front of Gumi's door, trying to silence his beating heart. I have to make things better here... I was at fault before...
" Gumi?" Piko knocked the door.
" Come on in," answered Gumi.
Piko opened the door and came in. He could see Gumi, sitting leisurely on the floor, while reading a manga. Piko sat down next to Gumi.
" Uhm hey... about earlier...," Piko started to speak. Gumi's face frowned a bit, and Piko knows that it's a sign that Gumi's still thinking about what happened earlier—that she's still mad about it.
" I'm sorry, it was all my fault. Sorry, I was so inconsiderate... I was too drown in my despair that I didn't realize...," said Piko.
" ...Well...," Gumi closed her manga, " ...at least you have realized your mistake."
Piko chuckled, "thank you! And also, I took back my words earlier. Sorry."
" Keep apologizing already, geez!" Gumi mumbled.
" And... thank you for encouraging me. I... don't know how far I can go, but I'll try," Piko continued.
" Now, that's the spirit!" Gumi smiled, " I'll always be rooting for you, Piko! So, don't give up! I'm really looking forward to be with you even at work too, you know!"
" Ah...," Piko couldn't hide his happiness, " is that so..." He laughed.
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After that, the two of them continued to play like what they have always been doing. They laughed and spent the time together. Piko was really glad that he could reconcile with Gumi. I really should treat Kiyoteru a dozen time!
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Now that Piko has realized his own feelings, how will his days with Gumi continue? Will things change or will it stay the way it is now?
...to be continued.
