Kodocha: Middle School bk. 5

Chapter Seven the Thirteenth Birthday part 1

You are cordially invited to…

Sana Kurata's

13th birthday party on March 10th! Come and enjoy the fun!

At Silver [the club in Harajuku at 7:30pm-who knows when!

Check the extra cards for: directions to Silver and to RSVP by March 1st.

We'd love to see you there!

Akito Hayama had read the invitation and stared at the cute, pink and long green stemmed cherry blossom that was drawn behind the words. The card stock was heavier than limp 8' by 11'' paper and was in the shape a mouse-pad for a computer. The words were written in the same cherry blossom pink and the invite, itself was off-white colored beige.

'Oh crap, what am I going to get her?' Akito thought to himself. He was at a loss, a big problem, in other words. He sat in a swivel chair at his desk and crumpled his dirty blonde bangs in his hand. He closed his eyes for a brief second and re-opened them. Akito quickly grabbed his silver flip-phone and called the one and only boy he knew who could find his girlfriend a present.

"Hey Akito, what's the emergency?" Tsuyoshi Sasaki, Akito's best friend that was a guy and buying girlfriends presents extraordinaire, had answered. Okay, so Tsuyoshi wasn't an extraordinaire but, he could help Akito with this one.

"I need help," Akito explained, not specifying.

"With what?" Tsuyoshi curiously had to know.

"Buying Sana a present for her birthday," Akito dreadfully clarified.

"Oh, I see," Tsuyoshi responded and then there was a pause. Akito worried for a brief second if Tsuyoshi was really going to help him. "Meet me at the mall in half an hour." Tsuyoshi finished and Akito felt relieved.

"Alright," Akito nodded and quickly shut his phone closed.

---

A gets help from T to find a present. One word: good luck!

"Well, what did Sana say she wanted?" Tsuyoshi adjusted the buttons on his button down shirt.

"She said she'd be fine with anything," Akito felt irked by that. Her topic was way too broad and he couldn't pick one thing. It's more like think of.

"Well, what would you like to get her?" Tsuyoshi and Akito rode up the escalator in the mall centered in the square of the city.

"That's the thing. I have no clue," Akito confided as he and Tsuyoshi began to pass boutiques with hand-knit beanie hats and expensive looking blouses.

"Hey, let's go inside there. It looks nice," Tsuyoshi pointed out. "If you can't think of something, let's just try some girl stores." Akito and Tsuyoshi entered the cool looking boutique and walked up the counter in the back.

"How about this?" Tsuyoshi asked pointing to one of the gold or silver necklaces dangling from a holder with many other similar necklaces. They were all very similar looking but if you took a closer look they all looked as if they were hand crafted individually to give a unique effect.

"Shopping for your girlfriends?" the woman at the counter had asked. Akito twitched slightly but nodded honestly.

"I'm helping him find a gift for his girlfriend," Tsuyoshi smiled at the woman.

"Ah, what a good friend you are. Do you boys need any help?" She asked kindly.

"No," Akito sputtered. "We're fine. Thanks." Him and Tsuyoshi walked away from the necklaces and began to look around at the racks of clothes. Akito's phone rang to the theme-song of some anime that Tsuyoshi didn't recognize.

"Hello?" Akito spoke into the phone.

"Hey Akito!" Sana's chipper voice rang loudly.

"Uh…hi, what's up?" Akito stammered, this was odd. He was talking to his girlfriend while trying to find a present for her.

"Not much. Get my cool party invite?" Sana wondered, curiously.

"Yeah, I did," Akito fingered through the soft material of the clothing displayed in front. Tsuyoshi mouthed, "Like anything?" Akito shook his head; he couldn't find anything that truly suited Sana in this store.

"Isn't it so pretty?? Mama helped me decide the pattern and then I asked Fuka-chan her opinion," Sana rambled on and Akito gestured to leave the store. Tsuyoshi followed him right out and they continued through the lines of stores.

"Yeah, it's nice," Akito told her, just to please Sana. "Um, I can't talk now. I'll call you later, ok? We can meet up someplace and do something." Akito blabbered.

"Oh, you're busy now? Okay, sure, sounds fine! Bye Aki," Sana clicked off at the same time Akito did.

"Now where should we go?" Akito asked, turning to Tsuyoshi.

"Hm…how about there," Tsuyoshi pointed towards a cutesy store with stuffed animals glued to the window panes. Akito gulped, he wasn't shopping for a three-year old.

"Um, I think we should pick something more mature," Akito coughed, glaring at the store front.

"Okay…, how about that place," Tsuyoshi and Akito walked into another store and saw two familiar looking backs.

"Hey! Funny seeing you two here, how's it hangin'?" Fuka Matsui was with her boyfriend Yuta Takaishi and they were currently hovering over a glass counter topped counter filled with silver jewelry.

"Uh, just shopping," Akito mumbled, glancing away.

"I know! It's for Sana because her party is almost here, right?" Fuka said, brightly and beamed. "That's great, Aki-kun. Hey, Yuta-kun, we should help them. But, what is Tsuyoshi here too?" Akito gulped.

"He's helping me," Akito stifled, rubbing his arm.

"Ya know what? We'll help you since you're having trouble! I think I know just what Sana might want from somebody as special as you, Aki," Fuka's thought had given light into Akito's eyes. There was hope. Fuka pointed into the glass countered box which she and Takaishi were formerly in front of.

"Get her this," Fuka pointed to something seen through the glass.

"But, Fuka, I was g--."

"Don't worry, Takaishi-kun. This is much more special," Fuka smiled warmly. "Akito, get Sana this." Fuka told him firmly. Akito peered through the glass and nodded, it was pretty.

"Don't worry, Yuta. I saw something over there that I liked. C'mon let's go! See ya later, Akito, Tsuyoshi," Fuka pulled on Takaishi's long-sleeved shirt sleeve.

"Later guys," Takaishi said and the two walked over to more of the glass countered rows.

"Should I really get her this?" Akito wondered out loud.

"Yeah, it really is nice," Tsuyoshi nodded.

"Is there something you like, sir?" A man asked Akito from behind the counter.

"Yeah, I'll take that one right there," Akito firmly said, pointing the exact piece of jewelry, which Fuka had told him to get.

---

S contemplating party favors

"What d'you think I should give out?" Sana asked, lying on the light pink colored duvet. She was talking to her good friend, Aya Sugita about her up-coming party. Aya flipped through the pages of Japanese Vogue and looked up at Sana.

"Hm…what do you think everyone would like?" Aya asked, fingering the pages.

"I don't know," Sana rolled onto her stomach and picked up an old copy for Cosmo Girl. "Look at this. My English is no good but; this person looks like she's giving out sweatshirts at her party." Aya glanced at the pages and nodded.

"My English is okay. Want me to try translating?" Aya asked and Sana passed on the magazine. Aya coughed and read aloud, "Michal…um, having her uh, bat…mitzvah at…um, I think this word means club but, it's in New York City. She…gives out sweatshirts…for party favors."

"What's a bat mitzvah?" Sana curiously asked, retrieving the magazine.

"Hm…I'm not sure. Looks like some type of party," Aya shrugged.

"So, sweatshirts, huh? That does sound cool," Sana smiled and flipped the magazine shut.


A/N – Well, sweatshirts, anyone? Yup, it's almost party time and I wonder what Akito got Sana? Guess you'll just have to see next time in Kodocha: Middle School!