Chapter Thirty-Two.

People who do not want romantic relationships sometimes can give the best advice.

Kenya sits on the edge of his bed, solemnly staring at the charm on his hand. He wonders if it truly had any effect and if it ever brought him luck because so far he has not felt any desirable fortune coming into his life. Yume gave it to himas an apology for something wrong she did not even do. It was Kenya's temper that went out of the barometer when he admittedly got jealous over her supportive stance towards her friends at Rikkaidai. He was wrong, but she was the one who went out all the way to apologize. That was really childish of him.

He sighs. He almost got the thought that she was probably having feelings for him as well. Kenya remembers the sudden meetup. It was obviously a mess. He longs to see her once again, maybe catch up or try confessing again. He is not even sure if she wants to see him again, if she feels the same excitement when she remembers him – or if at least she actually thinks of him.

He even came to school earlier than usual. It was the big day. He was so sure about what should be the outcome, but he still felt that tingling feeling inside his stomach as he reviewed the plan for the nth time inside his head. This was going to be great - if not perfect. After settling his things down in his classroom, Kenya ran off to her classroom.

It was still empty – a perfect time for setting up. He was going to leave a note in her desk and he did not want anyone else to know. 'Please meet me at the lake a block away from school after class,' the note read. Kenya gently placed the note below a bar of chocolate he was going to give to her. He could not have been any more obvious. Yume would have to be a total idiot to misunderstand the gestures. After putting the note in place, Kenya left the room and the waiting game had just begun.

He waited hours to see her that day. It was his vow to deliberately stay away from her sight before their meetup. If he was to see her earlier before their meetup, Kenya thought he might immediately confess out of impulse. He did not join the tennis club regulars during lunch. Everyone else already understood his position anyway. He was only hoping that Hikaru did not say a word to Yume regarding his plans.

Kenya waited near the lake for her. He initially thought of giving a bouquet of flowers, but Koharu told him that the idea was too much for a confession and a 'date proposal.' Shitenhouji's genius advised him to give his friend something simple and subtle but meaningful for the occasion. It was quite a difficult task to think of a gift as the things he initially planned to give – a ring, a necklace or a watch – are not only expensive but are definitely not also the simple and subtle gifts. But he was able to think of something anyway. Kenya clutched onto something inside his pocket.

And there she was.

Here!" He waved a hand as he jumped gleefully. "Over here, Yume-chan!"

Hey." The girl approached him. She was looking mostly at the ground and rarely at him. Her eyebrows were meeting in the middle and her mouth was shut tight.

Kenya began to worry if she was alright. But he managed to keep up a smile. "D-did something wrong, Yume-chan? You look like you saw a ghost on your way here," he joked.

She shook her head, still staring at the ground.

He gasped upon a realization. "Oh no. I shouldn't have called you by your real name, right?" Kenya looked around the vicinity. "I hope no one we know saw or heard us."

No, that's actually not it." She took a deep breath. Yume looked up to see his face. He had been blushing the whole time, but worry is painted on his face. She already what was the intention for that meeting and it even made things harder for her. She forced a smile. "Before anything else…" She shoved a hand into her pocket and took out a piece of paper. She handed the paper to him. "Mi-yo-" Her voice was shaking that she took a deep breath before resuming. "M-Miyoko-san asked me to give this to you."

Kenya opened the paper. It was undoubtedly a confession letter supposedly from Miyoko. He did not tell her, but he already rejected Miyoko's confession a few days ago.

She is a good friend. Please don't break her heart."

Kenya smiles weakly. "I'm sorry I failed you, Yume-chan. I could not bring myself to make her happy when I could've been making you happy."


"So… an iguana?"

Yume frowns as she stares at the cage inside her room. "Yes, an iguana," she says to herself. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "How the hell did I not know that Yuushi-kun is Kenya-san's cousin? Dammit, I should've known; I should've asked Sadaharu-kun for a little background check of Yuushi-kun at least."

Marui laughs from the other line. "Your past is still haunting you, huh? Y'know, I've heard some people say that an unresolved event or relationship in the past haunts you more than those relationships that had a clearer closure."

"There's just nothing I could do about that. And you know that. You know why." She groans.

"Things could have ended better if you were not too nice… and if you were not too hard on yourself." The sound of munching chips can be heard from the other line. "Look at what happened."

She pouts. "I don't even know what happened. The last thing I heard was that…" Yume sighs. "…Kenya eventually asked her to be his girlfriend."

"You see now. That is what happens when you're too kind – you forget about yourself. There's nothing bad about being selfish once in a while." Sound of chewing.

"That's a really good advice coming from you, a very selfish person," she flatly jokes.

"That's a little too much y'know. Anyway, it's not like you're meeting up with him again. The more important thing here is that you don't see him again..." Marui chuckles. "... unless you want to."

She nods even though Marui is not there to see. "It's just that I remembered." She turns back to the iguana. "And his iguana is right here inside my room. It feels like he's also right here inside this room with me."

"I don't think you really have to worry much. The dude probably won't even know that you're keeping his pet."

"You're right." Yume taps her knees with her fingers. "I'm simply overthinking things. I should be happy for him… I guess… wherever he is or whomever he is with."

"Oh! By the way–"

Suddenly, a woman's voice is heard from the other line. "Marui! It's time for dinner!" the woman said distinctively.

"- oh right!" Marui places the phone near his mouth. "Anyway, I'm going to eat dinner now. Kaa-san is a little bit under the weather, so… I should go now."

"Oh." She blinks. "Okay then. Bye."

"Bye! I'll see you when I see you!" The phone line ends.

Yume places her phone at the other end of the bed. She lies down on the edge of her bed and stares at the ceiling. She rolls around as she continuously grunts.

The door swings open. He clears his throat. "I hope I am not interrupting anything," Sadaharu says as he stares down at the distressed Yume.

The girl halts suddenly and sits up to face her cousin. "No, you're not," Yume replies with a frown.

"So, why do you have that thing in your room?" Sadaharu points to the cage.

"That is Yuushi-kun's- no, that's actually his cousin's pet."

Sadaharu blinks. "Are you talking about Shitenhouji's Oshitari Kenya?"

"Wait, you know-" She blinks. Then groans. "Of course, you know him. You're both tennis people, after all." Yume grunts. "Why do I have to keep getting involved with people who knows him? Why can't this world just let me live away from him?"

"I see." He adjusts his glasses. "So, this is the phase that they call 'moving on.'" Sadaharu brings out a thin book with seemingly glossy and colorful pages and opens it to a certain page. A girl and a boy, who seem to be on their early 20s, are on the front cover and the title 'Teens today' is edited at the top of the magazine.

"Is that a teen magazine? I didn't know you, an academic, read those kinds of things."

"Ah-" He adjusts his glasses once again. Sadaharu clears his throat as his face is flustered. "Th-this is… research, you know." She blinks. "As we get older, we eventually have to learn other things and other interests to improve our own personalities. Change is an inherent element in improvement. People-"

"So… you're basically changing tastes in your literature," she cuts him short.

"…" He looks at her for a few minutes as he mentally prepares an answer. "Yes."


Still bothered by the fact that she will be keeping over the weekend an iguana owned by the person she has been trying to forget for the past few months, Yume has decided to go out to ride her bicycle. The conversation with her cousin was not really fruitful, but she is dying to have her peace. Some call the night a dangerous time to be out of the house, but the darkness offers an extraordinary sight that the daylight cannot provide. The stars illuminate the clear, dark sky; the wind blows on her face as her feet continuously push against the pedals of her bicycle. This may be what she actually needs.

She remembers him again.

Her bicycle runs across the side of the street. She passes by the streetlights and open stores that light up her path. Kenya has been really good to her as a friend. She likes him. He liked her… or at least that was what she thought and what people had been saying. If fate had only allowed them, then maybe they could have even the chance of happiness together.

'Last year's wishes are this year's apologies every last time I come home…'

Oh, but it was not fate's fault – it never was. It was hers. He wore this beautiful smile when she met with him beside the lake near the campus. His smile was pure and genuine, as she remembers it. Yume hates herself for stealing that away from him. She blames herself for writing that fake confession letter supposedly from Miyoko when she could not even bring herself to say what she felt about Kenya. In a span of a few weeks and days, she found herself liking him. Yume believed that he was simply a friend, but she gets hurt every time she sees him with someone else even if it was just inside her head. She wishes for his happiness, yet she hates the thought of Kenya being together with someone else other than her.

'... I take my last chance to burn a bridge or two…'

She passes by a couple walking on the sidewalk. Yume grits her teeth.

'... I only keep myself this sick in the head 'cause I know how the words get you (off)...'

Yume reaches the peak of an inclined street. She releases her grip on the handlebar while she stops stepping against the pedal. Gravity pulls her bicycle into the flat after the slope. The wind directs her path. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

'... We're the new face of failure – prettier and younger, but not any better off…'

Yume immediately opens her eyes and grips the break. A man is standing a few inches in front of her running bicycle. But it is too late. The front wheel has already touched against the leg of the man in front. The next events have happened so quickly. She has run over a man with her bicycle. A loud thud is heard as they both fell to the ground.

~End Chapter~