Chapter Ten
Aihara didn't get home until after dark, my mother greeting her at the door.
"Kotoko," she said with worry lacing her tone, "It's so late. Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm okay," Aihara said, though she looked quite the opposite, "Sorry for making you worry. I completely forgot to call." She dragged her feet upstairs with a long face. My mother appeared to only be more concerned.
Aihara needed to stop this. All of this fuss over a stupid crush? It held no meaning, and now she was making my mother worry because of some supposed feelings that probably accumulated over a mere week before confessing to me. What was worse was that while she would get over it, she was causing so much trouble since she still wasn't.
From the living room, I heard her door click shut. She didn't reappear. To be this dejected, she was taking it too far.
I took a shower and dressed for bed. My mother ran Aihara up a bath.
"A bath will help her to feel better and clear her mind," she told me as I was on my way up, "Go let her know it's ready, okay?" I headed for her bedroom.
All beyond the door was silent. I knocked, "Hey, the bath is ready." No answer. I waited a moment.
"I'm coming in," I said and turned the knob, "My mother told me to tell you the bath is ready." My eyes landed on her, asleep at her desk. She was peaceful, but her face was blotchy and her eyes were puffy. The smallest traces of tears dampened her eyelashes. Laid out beside her was the envelope for the love letter I rejected.
I thought for moment, wondering what was going on inside her head and if this letter would explain anything to me about why she wouldn't let it go.
I reached for the envelope, my fingertips grazing the edges as I decided to read it. Holding it nimbly, I slid the letter from its encasement. It was small, only one page long. The handwriting was in perfect condition. I began to read it.
Dear Naoki Irie,
it said.
My name is Kotoko Aihara, and I am from Class F.
You don't know me, but I know you.
I stopped for a second and examined the writing. I tried to find a single error. There wasn't one. She'd written it so perfectly, it must've taken her hours.
Since two years ago, when you made your speech at the
entrance ceremony, I have been admiring your intelligence
and how handsome you are. The first time I saw you, I
felt like I was hit by a shooting star. I started falling for you.
I love you.
Finishing reading the letter and glancing over at her sleeping, swollen face, I felt a twinge of guilt. She'd been feeling this way for over two years at this point. I'd rejected a letter she'd worked hard to write. Maybe this wasn't such a simple crush after all.
And if it wasn't so simple, this torture would never end. She would continue to mess things up for me and make everything more difficult than it should be.
"Why me?" I said to her, though knowing she couldn't hear me. I slipped the letter back into the envelope and returned it to the desk.
I returned downstairs to tell my mother the drain the bath and went to bed.
When I woke the next morning, my mind was clear. I wasn't nearly as angry as yesterday. In fact, in the presence of the soothing, pale sunlight of morning, I was calm. I wasn't mad with her anymore. It would've done nothing anyway.
I was downstairs and at the table before anyone else. I read the newspaper until my family and Aihara's father congregated around the table for breakfast. My mother was as worried as she was yesterday. She glanced over at the stairs, her brows knitted together.
"Kotoko is late. I hope she's okay after yesterday." She said.
Aihara's father looked concerned, "What happened yesterday?"
"She came home hours late and didn't eat anything and I didn't hear anything from her for the rest of the night. She looked so depressed. Do you know what happened with her, Naoki?" I didn't look up from the paper.
"No idea." I went on to the sports section where I recognized an acquaintance of mine. Her name was Yuko Matsumoto. Once in a while, I would see her in the paper, either for some academic achievement or because she was such an exceptional tennis player. I knew her through the sport, but only vaguely. And this time she was in the paper for winning a tournament.
I skimmed through the article. It became quite late to the point that I would be leaving for school in a few minutes and Aihara still hadn't shown. She better not have been thinking about skipping school for being upset. She wasn't smart enough for that and I wasn't about to be having her beg or blackmail me into helping her complete her workload.
Right as I was finishing up the paper, Aihara skipped down the stairs in a hurry.
"Good morning!" She said, all bright-eyed. It was as though yesterday had never happened. Resilient, she was.
"Good morning, Kotoko." My mother said, seeming to relax since Aihara looked to be in a better state of mind.
"You sleep in too late," Her father said to her as she took a seat, "Why don't you wake up early for once and help Mrs. Irie with breakfast?"
"I'm sorry." Aihara said.
"Don't worry about it," Said my mother, "Naoki and Yuuki never help me either. Just hurry up and eat your breakfast. It's getting late."
Aihara grabbed a piece of toast, and as she did, she snuck a longful glance at me.
"Kotoko, do you think you can come home early today?" Her father said and interrupted the look she was giving me, thankfully.
"Sure I can. Why?"
"Iri-chan and his family are being so great to us. I want to make them dinner tonight to show them our gratitude. I want you to help me make it."
"Oh, please, Mr. Aihara, you don't need to do that." My mother said.
"It's the least we can do, and it's my pleasure." I couldn't say I would object to his cooking, considering that he owned a restaurant. But if Aihara was helping, the food (or at least portions of it) would be inedible.
"Ai-chan is the best cook. I'm sure it'll be a great meal. That's something to look forward to, isn't it, Naoki and Yuuki?" The only thing to look forward to was seeing Aihara buzzing around the kitchen and spilling things and generally messing up. The thought of it entertained me already.
"Right," I said, standing, "I'm going to get going now." Coming away from the table, I heard my mother whispering with Aihara.
Knowing she would be catching up no matter what I did, I slipped slowly into my shoes at the front door. Sure enough, in swooped Aihara and shoved her feet into her shoes.
Turning and seeing her, bread crumbs littered over her face, my mind conjured up something fun to do that would probably leave her frazzled the rest of the day. I peered at her for a second.
"What is it?" She asked, her eyes darting about.
I reached over and brushed the crumbs off her face, much to her surprise. She leaned away from me and stared at me in shock.
"There were bread crumbs." I left out the front door, laughing slightly to myself. She stayed put those two meters back on the way to school, silent as ever.
