"Taki... can I... talk to you about something?"
The girl nodded absent-mindedly, her fingers continuing to fold the flora-patterned square paper. "I already know my cranes are not that great," she said somewhat defensively, her eyes tracing the folds carefully as she aligned the sections together.
Tanuma huffed and returned to folding his own paper. He stared blankly at the group of girls that played voleyball across them, his mind lost somewhere in thought.
"Sasada-san said we have to make three crane festoons by tomorrow... I have twenty three cranes so far..."
"I've got fourteen..." Tanuma mumbled.
Taki gently balanced her paper crane between them on the bench and proceeded to stretch lazily, relishing in the soft breeze. "It'd be nice to go to a beach during summer break, don't you think?"
"Yeah."
"With Natsume-kun and the others too... It's been a long time since I've been to the sea."
"Mm."
The silence between them grew. Tanuma sighed and let his head rest on the bench, staring at the bits of blue sky through the rustling leaves of the tree above them.
"Do you like Natsume?"
"No," Taki replied calmly and surely, and started to fold another paper crane. "He's a very important friend to me. But I guess I haven't thought of him that way."
The boy closed his eyes. "I see."
"Yep."
The girls that played voleyball across them lost control of the ball. Taki watched as it bounced towards them, then picked it up and threw it back at them while they waved at her with gratitude. She set the stack of papers aside.
"I think..." Tanuma started, then paused again, eyes still closed. A pucker formed between his eyebrows. He exhaled softly. "I think... He's a very good person. A good friend."
"Yes. He is," Taki agreed. "He's very kind."
"Yeah."
"You... always look so happy when he's around, Tanuma-kun."
"Mm."
"Natsume-kun is someone who understands. He is able to understand emotions he himself has and others have more than most people do. So, I'm sure he will be able to understand you too."
Tanuma grimaced.
"If you don't want to talk to me about it, it's alright. But, he won't judge you."
"I think you've got the wrong idea," Tanuma giggled with a raised eyebrow, batting an eye open.
"Is that so." Taki started folding a new crane, with a soft smile."Sorry."
"Don't apologize. It's... It's not..."
"I'm sorry I assumed rude things."
"I just... It's not that. It's not that..."
Tanuma coudln't explain himself. He sat up straight on the bench again, and with a prolonged sigh, started working on the leftoverer papers. "I myself don't know what it is... So, I'm not sure what to say about it," he explained.
"It's fine. I promise to listen, but you know, you don't have to tell me anything, Tanuma-kun. It's alright."
"Taki... I..." the boy trailed off, the paper crane on his lap remaining unfinished. "You might not be wrong. I'm not sure, but, you might not be wrong. And I don't know if this is good or bad for me. To know what it means... Isn't it better to just... let it go?"
"Sometimes, understanding things, especially when it is about our own selves, is scary. But it's not up to me. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm not. You have time to figure it out. And whatever it is that you find - it will be alright."
Tanuma unclenched the fists he hadn't realised had turned into tight balls of nervousness and sweat. "Thanks, Taki. For hearing me out."
"That's what friends are for."
To understand things about our selves is scary...huh
Natsume... Do I really...
Not very pleasant chapter. But you have to work out your feelings first. It's stressful. But necessary.