At the Edge of the World
Disclaimer: CCS is not mine.
Chapter Thirty Seven – Sonomi
Certain days you just know that something is going to happen. You're not sure whether they will be good things or bad things – simply that they will be significant. Your stomach curdles for no apparent reason and your mouth tastes sour. You are prone to fits of perspiration and you can't stop fidgeting. I was having one of these days.
"Do you need to use the bathroom, Sonomi?" asks Nadeshiko concernedly. She is standing in front of our vanity looking at my reflection in the mirror, her tie halfway done.
"Eh? No. I just feel…something," I finish stupidly. Surely there must be a word in the world that describes this feeling of…oh. "Uneasy," I conclude. "Yes. I feel uneasy."
Nadeshiko glances at me curiously and her mouth quirks up on one side. "What about?" she asks.
I shrug. "I don't know yet. Maybe because it's our first day back."
"Maybe," she mumbles as she slips on her shoes. "Right! Shall we get going then?"
Soon we are walking down the familiar streets towards school. Soon we are joined by three other girls – Yori-chan and Reiko-chan, who are sisters, and Misato-san, who is in Nadeshiko's art club. It is a lively, lovely morning and everyone is soon swapping stories about their summer. Yori-chan and Reiko-chan spent most of their holidays helping their family run their grocery shop, and speak animatedly about the crazy customers they've had to endure. Misato-chan suddenly announces that she found herself a boyfriend and we all gasp and squeal and bombard her with a hundred questions.
"Oh, you're so lucky, Misato-chan," sighs Reiko. "He sounds really great."
"On our first date, he took me to the summer festival to see the fireworks."
"Kawaaiiii!"
"He'll probably walk me home from school today, so you can all meet him!"
"That's so romantic!"
Still grinning, I realize that Nadeshiko has become uncharacteristically quiet all of a sudden. When I glance at her I see – and it lasts only a moment – the most peculiar expression on her face, as if everything good in the world had turned to ashes.