Chapter 29
"Kanade, you heading to class?" Makoto asked. "Here, I'll join you."
"A-Actually, I need to run somewhere first, so you go on ahead!" Kanade called, and she quickly escaped the apartment.
Makoto raised a brow, bewildered by Kanade's distant behavior. He sighed as he put on his shoes, wondering why Kanade is keeping him at an arm's length again. It was different when he realized that Haru had told her off. He understood why she had avoided him then.
But why is she avoiding him now? He thought everything was settled.
Makoto sighed again as he grabbed his bag and left the apartment. He passed by the front of the rec center and a smile crept onto his face. Tonight, his first class would start, and his chest bubbled with excitement.
He finally arrived onto the campus and rushed to the building where he and Kanade shared their first class of the day. He pushed open the door and walked inside, his head turning up towards the rows of seats. He glanced towards his usual seats and saw that they were both empty. He lightly sighed as he walked up the steps to take his seat.
Makoto put on his glasses and took out his notes, going over the material from last week. His eyes kept flitting from to the door every time it opened, but soon enough, the professor walked in and locked the door behind him. Makoto's back stiffened as the seat next to him would remain empty for the rest of the hour. Listening to the lecture proved difficult as his mind wandered, and he took out his phone.
To Kanade:
Hey, where are you?
Makoto rested the phone in his lap and waited. The professor's words went through one ear and out the other as his phone remained still and silent. He checked it a thousand times within the hour, seeing that his text was delivered, but ignored.
Something wrenched in Makoto's chest as a million different scenarios ran through his head at lightning speed. Did she get in trouble? Did she pass out somewhere?
Is she having another attack?!
"Make sure you study the material. See you all next class."
Makoto was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts and he watched his professor pack up his things. He scrambled to put his notebooks back into his bag and surged onto his feet. As he rushed out of the classroom, he dialed her number and held the phone up to his ear.
Rei stood in front of his shoe locker and he slipped off his shoes. He grabbed his school slippers and dropped them onto the floor, slipping his feet inside. He sighed as she grabbed the locker door and stared hard at the ground. His brows pushed together.
"Mom… wants me to come home. Now."
"E-Eh…?"
Rei blinked at Nagisa as his magenta eyes stared fearfully down at his pink phone.
"Why… why does she need you home?" Rei asked carefully.
"I don't know," Nagisa answered, his voice completely listless. He shoved his phone into his pocket. "Sorry, Rei-chan. I'll see you on Monday, okay?" Nagisa said, and he turned around to leave.
"A-Ah, Nagisa-kun!" Rei yelled, rushing to grab his wrist. Nagisa turned around and froze, staring back into Rei's frazzled face. "D-Don't run away from home!" Rei said.
Nagisa's eyes widened. "Rei-chan…"
"If… if something is bothering you, you… you should talk to me," Rei said. "Don't run away from home if something comes up. Okay?"
Nagisa blinked at him, and then he gave Rei a sad smile. Rei's heart broke at seeing that sad smile. Nagisa put his hand on Rei's and carefully tried to pry it off of his wrist.
"Mmn," Nagisa hummed, and Rei slowly released his arm. "Bye, Rei-chan!"
Rei slammed his locker door shut, making some nearby students jump in surprise. He brushed past them without a word and headed to class.
This is troubling, Rei thought. Nagisa-kun didn't talk to me at all after that. And he wasn't on the train this morning.
Rei's fears swelled as he headed down the hallway to his classroom, his brows furrowed and his eyes focused on the ground.
"Excuse me," he whispered as he slipped past a few students blocking the doorway. He lifted his head, expecting to see an empty classroom, but his jaw dropped when he saw Nagisa sitting at his desk. He was staring at his desk so hard that his head was hanging. Rei rushed to his desk and stood beside him.
"Nagisa-kun," Rei said, a hint of urgency in his voice. Nagisa jumped and looked up at Rei and put a skittish smile on his face.
"Oh, Rei-chan! Good morning!" Nagisa greeted shakily.
"What happened? You didn't respond to any of my texts or phone calls," Rei said.
"O-Oh, r-right!" Nagisa stuttered. "Sorry, I was a little busy."
Rei quirked a brow and stared down at his friend. He folded his arms across his chest and gave him an accusing look, and Nagisa laughed.
"What's with that look, Rei-chan?" Nagisa asked, a little more bubbly.
"What happened with your mom that night?" Rei asked. Nagisa blinked at him a few times before he turned his head and scratched his cheek.
"A-Ah, nothing really. Just wanted to talk about school stuff," Nagisa said.
Rei's brows creased, turning from frustrated to concern. His arms dropped to his sides as he stared down at his blond friend.
"That was all?" Rei asked. "Really?"
"Ah, yep!" Nagisa said quickly, snapping his head back up to him and flashing a huge smile. "Oh, Rei-chan, you better hurry up! Class is about to start!"
Rei jolted and glanced around, seeing that the rest of his classmates had already taken their seats. He quickly rushed up the row of desks and sat at his respective seat, sighing as he plopped down.
The teacher walked into the room, and after the class bowed, she held onto a piece of paper.
"All right, listen up," she started. "The guidance office will start holding individual meetings with all of you over the next few weeks. They want to start with those who didn't turn in a Career Survey."
Both Rei and Nagisa jumped and avoided their teacher's eyes.
"So the following students will have a meeting today. Takeda Tadashi. Okano Kiyoko. Hazuki Nagisa."
Rei jumped and turned around to risk a glance at Nagisa. Nagisa had a sad and nervous look on his face, his face scrunching up pitifully. Rei gulped. Was he going to cry?
"That's all for the meetings today. There will be more later this week and next week. Now please take out your textbooks."
Rei turned back in his seat and sighed, his hands fidgeting in his lap. He knew something was wrong. He risked another glance back at Nagisa, and his jaw dropped.
Nagisa was gritting his teeth and held his pencil in a death-grip, his knuckles turning white. His brows quivered as he stared through narrowed eyes down at his notebook.
N… Nagisa-kun?
Kanade plopped down underneath the cherry tree in the courtyard and closed her eyes, lying on her back. The wind played with her hair, and the faint sounds of footsteps lulled her into a haze.
Takuya's face popped up in her mind. He was smiling so brightly when she agreed to meet. Could he always smile like that? Since when did he look that way? Why did it look... forced? Something was not right. And suddenly, Kanade felt sick to her stomach.
Why did I agree to this again? Am I a masochist or something? Kanade asked herself.
Why was he being so nice? He wasn't nice like that in our third year. He was downright cruel and distant!
Kanade felt her heart flutter in her chest and she took a deep breath to calm her heart. This was really strange and foreign to her, wondering what happened to the old Takuya. Was he just remorseful? Did he really want to make amends?
Kanade's brow quirked.
Or did he want to get back together?
Kanade's body stiffened at the thought. That's impossible. There was no way.
Right?
She sighed and thought of his face again, wondering what it would be like to be with him again. The man who she was with for nearly three years. The man who made her heart flutter every time he said her name. The man who would kiss so sweetly and gently that she thought she would pass out. Would they go on dates again? Would he come to her swim meets?
Kanade felt her heart pound and she shuddered. This feeling wasn't butterflies restling in her stomach.
It felt more like knives.
"Hey! Kanade! Are you okay?!"
Kanade's eyes popped open and she was met with a field of green. It reminded her of summer, of green grass and warm breezes. Her ice cold core suddenly melted into a warmth she could not put her finger on. She blinked a few times, seeing the man hovering over her with a worried look on his face.
"Makoto?" Kanade said.
Makoto visibly relaxed and sat back on the grass next to her. He leaned back on his hands and sighed heavily, a few beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Thank goodness… I was worried that…" Makoto started. "That you had had another attack or something…"
"Huh? Why would you think that?" Kanade asked, sitting up to look at him. Makoto pointed at her bag.
"You weren't in class this morning," Makoto said. Kanade's eyes widened and then she looked away guiltily.
"Yeah," Kanade mumbled.
"And then you didn't answer any of my calls," Makoto said gently.
Kanade snapped her head to him and then she felt every pocket she had. She groaned and put her face into her hands.
"You forgot your phone, didn't you?" Makoto said with a deadpan expression. Kanade peeked at him through her fingers.
"M… Maybe?" she answered.
"Honestly," Makoto sighed, and he shook his head. He lied back onto the grass, his hands cradling his head. "I was so worried."
"Sorry," Kanade mumbled.
"So why weren't you in class?" Makoto asked, turning his head towards her. Kanade avoided his eyes, staring at the grass in front of her instead. She bit her lip.
"I, uh…" Kanade started. "I just… wanted to skip."
Makoto blinked at her, his face falling into a concerned stare. He sat up and turned to face her.
"Um, Kanade…" Makoto started, scratching his cheek. Kanade looked up at him. "Did I… did I do something wrong?" he asked. Kanade's eyes widened and she jolted.
"Huh?!"
"Well, because… if I did, I want to know how to fix it," Makoto said.
"Whaa? N-No! No, you didn't do anything!" Kanade said, putting her hands on his shoulders. Makoto's eyes widened at her touch and he felt a blush rise to his cheeks. "You… you never do anything wrong, Makoto," Kanade said softly, hanging her head.
"K-Kanade…" Makoto stuttered.
Kanade lifted her head to meet his gaze and she froze.
Their noses brushed together gently, both feeling the other's breath on their cheeks.
Snapping back to reality, Kanade ripped her hands from Makoto's shoulders and stood up.
"I… I… We… I've got to get to class!" Kanade yelled.
"Kanade, wait!" Makoto yelled.
But she ignored his pleas and she grabbed her bag in a rush and fled out of sight at lightning speed. Makoto scrambled to his feet and grabbed his bag.
"Kanade, wai—" Makoto looked up and saw that Kanade had completely disappeared. He sighed and hung tilted his head back, letting the wind cool down his hot cheeks.
"Hazuki-kun, it's your turn to go to the guidance office."
The teacher at the front of the room glanced down at her watch and then back up at Nagisa, who put on another fearful look. Nagisa stood up from his seat and passed Rei without a single glance. Rei tried to lock eyes with him before he left the classroom, but he passed through the doorway without looking back.
Nagisa slumped down the hallway and up to the guidance office. He opened the door with caution and stepped inside.
"Ah, Hazuki-kun!"
Nagisa cocked his head at the sound of his name and saw a kind woman waving at him from her desk. He gulped and then walked over to her, sitting down in front of her.
"Well then, Hazuki-kun," she started. "I see you failed to turn in your Career Survey sheet."
Nagisa let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I guess it just slipped my mind!" Nagisa excused.
"You shouldn't take these things so lightly, Hazuki-kun," she said, and Nagisa straightened.
"Right. I know."
The guidance counselor sighed. "The school received a call today from your parents. They were very adamant about having this meeting today."
"Mmn," Nagisa hummed, turning his head.
"They said that you needed to be convinced," she continued. "What did that mean?"
Nagisa bit his lip and squirmed in his seat, staring at the ground.
"They want me to go to a college in a major city," Nagisa said. "They said I had to, and that local colleges were out of the question."
"I see," the guidance counselor said. "And do you know what you want to study?"
Nagisa furrowed his brows. He was tired of everyone asking him this question. He now understood why Haru had so much trouble. He finally shook his head, avoiding her eyes as he studied the items on her desk.
"I see," she said again. She reached into her drawer of her desk and pulled out a folder. "Well, I did some research for you after your parents called. Here you are," she said, handing him a pamphlet.
Nagisa's eyes widened in curiosity as he looked at the pamphlet in her hand.
"What's this?" he asked.
"It's a brochure for a college," she said.
"Brochure?" Nagisa repeated, taking the pamphlet from her.
"Yes," the guidance counselor said. "It's for a school in Tokyo."
"T... Tokyo?" Nagisa muttered, the word hitting his chest like a knife.
But what about...
"Yes. It has programs that excel in history, which I believe is one of your best subjects."
Nagisa opened the pamphlet with increased curiosity and his eyes widened.
"This is…" Nagisa paused and looked at the name at the front of the brochure.
"This is Haru-chan's school!"
Haru entered through the double doors of the rec center and headed towards the pool. He had received a text from Makoto earlier saying that his first class was tonight, and he sounded a little nervous or flustered... or both. Haru wanted to make sure he was all right so hopped on the train and quickly maneuvered through the busy streets to get to the rec center. He walked down the hallway that had an arrow above it that wrote "pool."
But Haru abruptly stopped a few feet away from the doors that led to the pool. His brows rose.
Standing in front of the door was Kanade, and she was standing on her tiptoes to peer through the window of the door. Haru blinked a few times and then looked around. Once he saw that the halls were empty, he faced Kanade and sighed. Gingerly, he took a step forward towards her.
Once he was right behind her, he could tell that she was straining to see through the window. He peered through the window easily and saw Makoto in the pool with the kids. He had a huge smile on his face, and the kids standing around him were attentive.
Haru turned his gaze back to Kanade, who had yet to notice him standing behind her. Her gaze was fixed on the brunette standing beyond the doors. Haru took a deep breath through his nose.
"Are you going in?" Haru asked.
Kanade jumped and whirled around, pressing her back against the door. She put her hand to her chest and stared up at Haru, her cheeks a little red.
"N-Nanase-kun?!" Kanade gasped. She sighed and clutched her shirt. "Geez, don't you know you shouldn't scare people who have weak hearts?!"
Haru winced a little. "Sorry," he said, looking away. But Kanade peered up at him and flashed him a kind smile.
"I'm teasing," Kanade said once she had caught her breath. She straightened and glanced towards the doors to the pool. "A-Are you here to support Makoto on his first day?" Kanade asked gently.
"Yeah," Haru answered, now looking back at her. She had a sad smile on her face.
"I see," Kanade said quietly. She turned back to meet his eyes, but quickly flitted her gaze towards the ground. "You're free to go on in… if you'd like."
"O-Oh, mmn," Haru said. "Aren't you coming, too?" Haru asked before Kanade could move away from the door.
"Hm? Oh, uh…" Kanade glanced back through the window. "Probably not. I'm sure he'd like to see you, though," she said, glancing at him with a smile.
"He… probably wouldn't mind seeing you, either," Haru said quietly, his eyes darting from the doors and then back to her.
Kanade's smile vanished from her face, her blue eyes widened curiously. Was… was he inviting her to join? She felt her heart flutter with a little excitement. Maybe things would be okay between them. Maybe…
"I don't know. I just don't want to mess up."
Oh, right.
When he and Haru had not been on speaking terms, Makoto was a nervous wreck, defeating himself over and over. Kanade gulped painfully. If she butts in now… again… then she could tear Makoto and Haru apart again. Then Makoto would lose his drive, his passion, his dream.
"Ah, well… it's fine. You go on ahead. I'll just get in the way," Kanade said. She glanced back through the window of the door, barely able to see the top of Makoto's head. "I don't want to push him too much. He seemed really stressed last week, and I… I couldn't really make it better for him."
Haru pressed his lips together and curled his fingers into loose fists as he studied her fake smile. Her eyes shimmered a little in the light, and her fingers fidgeted a little.
"So… I think it would be best if you were the face he saw today," Kanade said, turning her gaze to the ground. She straightened and then tiptoed past Haru. "See you later, Nanase-kun!" she said as she passed him, giving him a small smile.
Haru watched her pass by and then glanced through the window of the door. He saw Makoto happily explaining something to the kids, each of them wearing smiles or widened eyes. Haru's brows lowered and his fists tightened. He spun around to face Kanade.
"Shizumi," Haru called.
Kanade stopped in her tracks and turned her head back to look at him, a look of fear on her face. Haru gazed down at the ground for a few seconds and pursed his lips, trying to piece together his sentence.
"Thank you… for getting him this job," Haru said. Kanade's eyes widened and her chest felt tight. "He looks… really happy," Haru said, gazing through the window of the door. Then, he glanced back at Kanade. "He looks happy… here."
Kanade stared at him, trying to understand his meaning. He was happy here? Of course, he was! He was teaching kids at the rec center. It was what he always wanted… or…
Was he meaning he was happy here… with her?
Kanade shook her head of those thoughts and then slapped on a small smile. There was no way he meant it like that.
"Yeah, of course!" Kanade said. "I think he's going to love this job a lot more than his last one." She laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.
Haru's brows creased and his eyes narrowed as she turned towards the door once again. She lifted her hand to him and offered a kind wave.
"Have fun, Nanase-kun!" she said, and she disappeared beyond the doors.
"Right…" Haru whispered to no one in particular.
Haru turned around and pushed through the double-doors, catching Makoto's attention immediately. Makoto met his gaze, and then he frowned, but quickly pushed a smile back on his face. Haru's face hardened, realizing Makoto was disappointed. Makoto raised his hand and waved to Haru and Haru nodded back at him. He headed up to the bleachers and sat down, quietly observing Makoto's class.
Haru was pretty impressed. Makoto was doing an excellent job, telling the kids about safety and how to float and hold their breath. The kids were very attentive and amazed at "Tachibana-sensei's" teaching skills. Haru snorted, the name "Tachibana-sensei" suiting Makoto perfectly.
Once the class was over, Makoto walked over to Haru with a towel around his neck and sat down next to him on the bleachers. He heaved a happy sigh and started to run the towel through his damp hair.
"Good work," Haru said, handing him a water bottle.
"Ah, thank you, Haru," Makoto said, taking the bottle from him and taking a drink. "The kids are great! I can't believe I get to do this."
Haru glanced at Makoto, seeing that he had a fond smile on his face. Haru pursed his lips and glanced out at the pool.
"I told you that you could make it happen," Haru mumbled, a light blush on his cheeks. Makoto chuckled and glanced out at the pool.
"Ah, yes, you did say that," Makoto said. "But I didn't do it on my own… I have Kanade to thank for this."
Haru turned his head and glanced at Makoto, watching the moment Makoto's face fell. Haru winced, and a stabbing pain twisted in his chest like a knife.
"I… I ran into Shizumi," Haru said. Makoto snapped his head back to Haru with widened eyes. "She was watching through the door." Haru nodded towards the double doors and Makoto eyed the door with a dropped jaw.
"Oh," was all Makoto said, and he turned his head to peer into his lap.
"Makoto," Haru called, making Makoto's head rise slowly. But he was attentive to listen to whatever Haru had to say. "You really need to talk to her."
Makoto cocked his head, his eyes looking tired.
"She wants to back off so that she doesn't get in the way of our friendship," Haru said. Makoto blinked at him.
"She… she's not in the way!" Makoto blurted.
"I know," Haru said. "So tell her how you feel."
"E-Eh?!" Makoto's face flushed. "B-But, Haru! What if she doesn't like me like that? And… and she's under enough stress as it is!"
Haru deadpanned and then looked away. "Hopeless."
"Huh?!"
"Never mind," Haru said bluntly.
"H-Haruu!"
