Love, Prodigious Style
I should've known from the get-go that something was out of sorts when I woke up late Friday morning. I had forgotten to set my alarm the night before, and had slept in a full hour. I'm usually a habitual early riser, not to mention religious about making sure my alarm clock is set, but I guess the past couple days' worth of activity had begun to wear on me a bit. By the time I finished getting ready for the day and got to the kitchen, mom was long gone and I was forced to forage for breakfast by myself. Of course, this is nothing new to me. If anything, mom sometimes waits for me to get up so I can make breakfast for both of us.
Now if I do say so myself, I'm a pretty good cook. I'm not nearly as good as Daisuke, mind you, but I'm certainly better than average. Yeah, I did just praise him for something. Hey, dense he may be, but you should try his yakisoba some time. I swear he should make a business out of it. He'd clean up.
My repertoire of recipes for breakfast is mighty impressive, too. I can make an omelet that'll stick to your ribs and put a spring in your step that'll last you straight to lunch, and that's just the tip of the iceberg of what I can do. Keep in mind also that my mother knows very well of my cooking skills after the number of times I've cooked for her over the years. Naturally you'd assume she'd keep things like eggs, bread and milk stocked so I can make good breakfasts for us.
So can somebody please explain to me why, in the name of all that is holy, my mother continues to stock our refrigerator not with good ingredients, but with instant natto?! Every time I see her break into one of those little cups it makes me want to wretch on sight! I thought we Japanese were supposed to be smart and innovative, and yet one of our most popular things to have for breakfast is a concoction that looks like someone just took a paper cup and sneezed in it! Ugh!
I managed to find some bread and fixed myself some toast and juice for breakfast. I checked the clock and it read 10:00 AM. I had half an hour to kill before it was time to head out and complete my plan, so I decided to just chill out and catch some TV. Five minutes later, I reminded myself why you don't try to kill time during the summer by trying to watch TV. There's a whole lot of nothing on.
I turned the TV off and let my thoughts turn back to the past couple of days. By this point, I was really curious how everything had turned out for Sora and Taichi, as well as Miyako and Ken. I still had some mixed feelings about fixing them all up together, but I reasoned out that Sora and Miyako were with guys they'd really had feelings towards for a long time. I then thought about Mimi, and not only found myself experiencing the same feelings towards her, but almost coming to the point of feeling a bit of spite against Koushirou. I mean of course I liked her, heck what's not to like about her? But with as much evidence as I had that there was something between the two of them the last thing I wanted to do was get in their way, regardless of my feelings.
Besides which, there was also Hikari. My thoughts quickly turned to daydreams as I thought about her and what possibly was in store for us down the road. I envisioned us going out for ice cream, then watching a scary movie at the theater. She'd get freaked out and start clinging to my arm. You know, all the typical things a guy thinks about doing with the girl he likes. Then I'd get her home at a reasonably decent time, and take her into my arms and...
About this time I realized I wasn't daydreaming anymore, but had actually fallen asleep again on the couch. And by the time I snapped out of my reverie, looked up at the clock and it was a quarter after eleven! I was supposed to meet Koushirou in the park fifteen minutes ago, and the park is at least a half-hour away from where I live!
I jumped up from the couch and ran out the door, sprinting for the elevator. I reached the elevator and punched the button, and then stepped back and waited impatiently for it to show up. As I stood there, I suddenly realized that the floor of the hallway felt a lot rougher and colder than it usually does to me. I then looked down and cursed at myself, as I'd run out of the apartment without my shoes! So I ran back home and quickly put my shoes on. I also made sure to lock the door this time, as I'd forgotten to do that when I'd tried to leave before, and sprinted back to the elevator, only to have the doors finish closing just as I arrived.
I groaned out loud in frustration and burst into the stairwell. It was just the beginning of what was going to be a long day.
_ _ _ _ _
I didn't so much run down the stairs as I practically flew down them. I'd run down several steps and then jump down the rest. A bit rough, I know, but I was in one huge hurry! In fact, I was in so much of a hurry that I almost ran right over the 80-year-old lady who lives just below us in the process. I managed to bail at the last second and hit the wall as I lost my balance. That one hurt. I think I still have a bruise on my back from where I hit the handrail.
"Well of all the...Takaishi Takeru, is that you?!" I heard her yell at me.
"Yes Kawaguchi-san. I am terribly sorry." I said as politely as I could as I stood back up.
"I should hope you are sorry, young man! You could have killed me with as fast as you were coming down those stairs!"
"I know, Kawaguchi-san. I am terribly sorry for this." I bowed deeply to her.
"I have half a mind to call your mother and tell her how you were acting before! Really, I thought better of you young man!"
"That won't be necessary, Kawaguchi-san. Again, I apologize deeply for my actions before."
I continued to be chewed out by her for about five minutes, until finally she started walking up the stairs again. Yeah, I know I probably shouldn't have been wasting my time listening to her go on and on about how I was an example of the deterioration of values in kids. Or about how things used to be when she was younger. Or about a dozen other topics that she rambled on and on about. But, me being the nice and polite person I am, I just wanted to make amends for almost flattening her. Pretty dumb of me, considering I was now even later for getting to the park.
I started running again, finally getting out of the building. I needed some alternate transportation to the park if I was going to make it there in any kind of time. I started running for the subway station, but was halfway there when I remembered that I hadn't bothered to grab my wallet before leaving. So I had no money at all for buying a subway ticket. By some stroke of luck, however, I did have my bus card with me, so I headed for the bus stop. When I saw that the bus was there I figured my luck was beginning to look up. Then I came closer and noticed that the bus was broken down.
At this point, anybody else would've given up and gone back home. I mean, now I was not only super late, but also what was normally a half-hour trip to the park would take almost an hour on foot depending on how many times I had to stop at crosswalks. In retrospect, I figure this was all a not so subtle hint that some higher power was trying to lay on me to let me know that I wasn't supposed to make it to the park. At the moment, though, all I could think was that I was going to be made to experience at least five new kinds of pain that day before I was finally allowed to die a horrible, horrible death.
So I started walking at a fast pace, hoping I could make it to the park in time to salvage things somewhat. Hey, at least all those years playing basketball paid off. I had the endurance to be able to travel that much at a slightly higher speed. It would be another forty-five minutes before I reached the park, and boy was I in for a surprise when I got there.
_ _ _ _ _
I entered the park and started making my way to where I'd told Mimi I'd meet her. Idly, I wondered if Koushirou had gotten there yet as well. Obviously, I hadn't figured it out yet.
Like I said, someone up there had been ever so subtly trying to hint to me that I didn't need to show up, and I figured this out when I finally spotted them. Yeah, them. As in Mimi and Koushirou. Together, sitting on a park bench, smiling, laughing and talking. I walked over to them and leaned over, my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath.
"Hi...Mimi-san...sorry...I'm...late..." I said out of breath.
"TK, what happened? Did you run all the way here?" she asked concernedly.
"Yeah...long story. Hi Koushirou-san." Koushirou nodded to me, though he looked pretty red in the face. They must've been talking about their feelings long before I got there.
"TK, I hate to do this, but do you think we could postpone things for a few days? Suddenly now isn't so good. See, Koushirou-san and I have a bit to talk about ourselves, and he happened by here a while ago." Mimi said, trying her hardest not to hurt my feelings.
"No...that's fine, Mimi-san. I understand. You guys catching up on old times?"
"Something like that, yeah..." she blushed a little as she looked back at Koushirou, and that got a smile out of me.
"Listen, Mimi-san, there's something you should know." I told her, standing back up straight. "Remember those flowers I gave you when you came back to Japan?"
"Yes, how could I forget?"
"Those flowers weren't really from me. They were from Koushirou-san. I think he was just too nervous to give them to you himself."
"Is that so?" she asked, looking back at Koushirou.
"W-well...yes, it is." Koushirou said, smiling bashfully up at her.
"Then I think we have even more to talk about than we thought." Mimi said, smiling back at him. She turned to me again. "I'm truly sorry this all fell apart, TK. Can I make it up to you sometime?"
"Don't sweat it, Mimi-san. We'll grab a burger sometime." I said, smiling at her. "Well, I'd better start heading home."
"Do you need money for a bus or something?" Koushirou asked, reaching into his pocket.
"I'll just walk it, Koushirou-san. Thanks. You guys take care!"
I waved to them and started to walk away, though when I was halfway out of the park Koushirou caught up with me and stopped me.
"Takeru-kun, I'm sorry I didn't wait." He said apologetically.
"Not a big deal, but what exactly happened? I thought you were still skeptical as of yesterday?" I asked.
"I was when I first got here. But when I saw her here I remembered all you told me. You know, about how she's really just another person like any of us no matter what she looks like. That and...well, I kinda began to remember just how I feel about her. I just couldn't wait, so I just walked on up to her and we started talking and..."
"Koushirou-san, don't worry about it." I told him, calming him down again. "The bottom line is you guys got together. Ultimately it doesn't matter how it happened. I couldn't be happier for both of you."
"I owe you one, my friend."
"Don't even think about it. Now go back to her."
Koushirou nodded and jogged back to Mimi. I watched for a moment as the two of them started to walk off together again, and it did my heart good to actually see them together. I turned and began heading back home again, a smile on my face. As I exited the park, though, I had this weird feeling like I was being watched. I shrugged it off and hiked on back home, not thinking twice about it.
_ _ _ _ _
Once home, I began my celebration. Hey, do you blame me? By hook or by crook, I'd pulled it off! Three girls who had previously been in love with me had been hooked up with other guys, and I was set up on a date with the girl of my dreams for the next day. I was home free! I mean, nothing could possibly get in the way of the day with Kari that lay ahead of me, right?
I showered, since all of that running around had worked up quite a sweat. I got dressed again and hit the kitchen. After I had gulped down some water in the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Curious, I went to the door and answered it, and who should be at the door but Motomiya Daisuke.
Now I know I've been mentioning Daisuke all along, but I've never really formally introduced him to you. As I mentioned when I talked about Ken, Daisuke is 15 just like me. Taichi is something of an idol to him, as he plays soccer as well. He can be something of a braggart sometimes, but he really is a good friend to have. He's a good soccer player, and also as I told you, he's one heck of a cook. Up until recently, he's always considered me as some kind of rival of his, just because I know Kari almost as well as he does. See, he and Kari pretty much grew up together. I've only known Kari since I was 8, after all. In any case, in the past year he's become just a really good friend of mine.
"Hey Daisuke, what's up?" I asked, drinking some more water.
"Not much. Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked meekly. I nodded and let him inside, closing the door behind us.
"Have a seat and tell me what's on your mind." I told him.
"Actually, I think I'd rather stay standing for this." He looked rather awkward as he paced back and forth a bit in front of me. It was slightly unnerving.
"Daisuke, what's wrong? Come on, let's hear it. You know I'll help you with just about anything."
What can I say? I was in a good mood, and ready to try and help a friend with any problem. That is, except the one Daisuke laid on me.
"Takeru, you've gotta help me! You've got to get me back together with Hikari-chan!" he blurted out.
"Wh-what??" I said, suddenly taken aback.
"I can't stand being without her! I was so stupid before with her.and I realized just how much she means to me this past week. I've got to show her just how much I care, and how much I want her to take me back!" he said, pleading at me.
"But...why come to me? I mean, why not go to her yourself? If she wants you back, she'll say so." I was trying my hardest to get him out of my home before one of us said or did something stupid.
"I thought about that a few days ago, so I called Taichi-san up on his cell phone to see if he knew where Kari was. He didn't know, but I heard Sora- san in the background. When I asked about it, Taichi-san said you had helped him get together with her."
Suddenly I felt like the color was draining out of my face.
"Then, yesterday I saw Ken and Miyako-san together leaving the library, and when I asked Ken about it last night on the phone he told me you'd done the same thing for them."
My stomach began turning.
"And earlier today...well, I kinda saw you running out of the building so I followed you to the park. And I saw that you got Mimi-san and Koushirou- san together as well."
My jaw dropped slightly. Daisuke, who I've always underestimated, now knew about everything except why I had set them all up in the first place!
"So I figured, if he could get all of them together, he could do the same thing for me and Hikari-chan as well. That's why I came to you, man. You've got to help me!"
"Da...Daisuke, I...I don't...I mean..."
I was at an utter loss for words. How could I possibly get myself out of this? If I refused to help Daisuke, sure I could still have my date with Kari, but it'd hurt our friendship and cast suspicion over everything I had accomplished so far! And if I helped him.
"I know we've had a competitive past, Takeru, but please believe me! I need to be with her again! She is everything to me! If you had a girlfriend, you'd know what it felt like." He said, practically begging me at this point.
What happened the rest of that night was a blank for me due to the utter shock I was experiencing. I can't really detail much of what happened, but I can tell you this much. Remember how I said I wanted to get Daisuke out of my place before one of us said or did something stupid? Well, that didn't happen. One of us said something stupid, and that someone was me.
I should've known from the get-go that something was out of sorts when I woke up late Friday morning. I had forgotten to set my alarm the night before, and had slept in a full hour. I'm usually a habitual early riser, not to mention religious about making sure my alarm clock is set, but I guess the past couple days' worth of activity had begun to wear on me a bit. By the time I finished getting ready for the day and got to the kitchen, mom was long gone and I was forced to forage for breakfast by myself. Of course, this is nothing new to me. If anything, mom sometimes waits for me to get up so I can make breakfast for both of us.
Now if I do say so myself, I'm a pretty good cook. I'm not nearly as good as Daisuke, mind you, but I'm certainly better than average. Yeah, I did just praise him for something. Hey, dense he may be, but you should try his yakisoba some time. I swear he should make a business out of it. He'd clean up.
My repertoire of recipes for breakfast is mighty impressive, too. I can make an omelet that'll stick to your ribs and put a spring in your step that'll last you straight to lunch, and that's just the tip of the iceberg of what I can do. Keep in mind also that my mother knows very well of my cooking skills after the number of times I've cooked for her over the years. Naturally you'd assume she'd keep things like eggs, bread and milk stocked so I can make good breakfasts for us.
So can somebody please explain to me why, in the name of all that is holy, my mother continues to stock our refrigerator not with good ingredients, but with instant natto?! Every time I see her break into one of those little cups it makes me want to wretch on sight! I thought we Japanese were supposed to be smart and innovative, and yet one of our most popular things to have for breakfast is a concoction that looks like someone just took a paper cup and sneezed in it! Ugh!
I managed to find some bread and fixed myself some toast and juice for breakfast. I checked the clock and it read 10:00 AM. I had half an hour to kill before it was time to head out and complete my plan, so I decided to just chill out and catch some TV. Five minutes later, I reminded myself why you don't try to kill time during the summer by trying to watch TV. There's a whole lot of nothing on.
I turned the TV off and let my thoughts turn back to the past couple of days. By this point, I was really curious how everything had turned out for Sora and Taichi, as well as Miyako and Ken. I still had some mixed feelings about fixing them all up together, but I reasoned out that Sora and Miyako were with guys they'd really had feelings towards for a long time. I then thought about Mimi, and not only found myself experiencing the same feelings towards her, but almost coming to the point of feeling a bit of spite against Koushirou. I mean of course I liked her, heck what's not to like about her? But with as much evidence as I had that there was something between the two of them the last thing I wanted to do was get in their way, regardless of my feelings.
Besides which, there was also Hikari. My thoughts quickly turned to daydreams as I thought about her and what possibly was in store for us down the road. I envisioned us going out for ice cream, then watching a scary movie at the theater. She'd get freaked out and start clinging to my arm. You know, all the typical things a guy thinks about doing with the girl he likes. Then I'd get her home at a reasonably decent time, and take her into my arms and...
About this time I realized I wasn't daydreaming anymore, but had actually fallen asleep again on the couch. And by the time I snapped out of my reverie, looked up at the clock and it was a quarter after eleven! I was supposed to meet Koushirou in the park fifteen minutes ago, and the park is at least a half-hour away from where I live!
I jumped up from the couch and ran out the door, sprinting for the elevator. I reached the elevator and punched the button, and then stepped back and waited impatiently for it to show up. As I stood there, I suddenly realized that the floor of the hallway felt a lot rougher and colder than it usually does to me. I then looked down and cursed at myself, as I'd run out of the apartment without my shoes! So I ran back home and quickly put my shoes on. I also made sure to lock the door this time, as I'd forgotten to do that when I'd tried to leave before, and sprinted back to the elevator, only to have the doors finish closing just as I arrived.
I groaned out loud in frustration and burst into the stairwell. It was just the beginning of what was going to be a long day.
_ _ _ _ _
I didn't so much run down the stairs as I practically flew down them. I'd run down several steps and then jump down the rest. A bit rough, I know, but I was in one huge hurry! In fact, I was in so much of a hurry that I almost ran right over the 80-year-old lady who lives just below us in the process. I managed to bail at the last second and hit the wall as I lost my balance. That one hurt. I think I still have a bruise on my back from where I hit the handrail.
"Well of all the...Takaishi Takeru, is that you?!" I heard her yell at me.
"Yes Kawaguchi-san. I am terribly sorry." I said as politely as I could as I stood back up.
"I should hope you are sorry, young man! You could have killed me with as fast as you were coming down those stairs!"
"I know, Kawaguchi-san. I am terribly sorry for this." I bowed deeply to her.
"I have half a mind to call your mother and tell her how you were acting before! Really, I thought better of you young man!"
"That won't be necessary, Kawaguchi-san. Again, I apologize deeply for my actions before."
I continued to be chewed out by her for about five minutes, until finally she started walking up the stairs again. Yeah, I know I probably shouldn't have been wasting my time listening to her go on and on about how I was an example of the deterioration of values in kids. Or about how things used to be when she was younger. Or about a dozen other topics that she rambled on and on about. But, me being the nice and polite person I am, I just wanted to make amends for almost flattening her. Pretty dumb of me, considering I was now even later for getting to the park.
I started running again, finally getting out of the building. I needed some alternate transportation to the park if I was going to make it there in any kind of time. I started running for the subway station, but was halfway there when I remembered that I hadn't bothered to grab my wallet before leaving. So I had no money at all for buying a subway ticket. By some stroke of luck, however, I did have my bus card with me, so I headed for the bus stop. When I saw that the bus was there I figured my luck was beginning to look up. Then I came closer and noticed that the bus was broken down.
At this point, anybody else would've given up and gone back home. I mean, now I was not only super late, but also what was normally a half-hour trip to the park would take almost an hour on foot depending on how many times I had to stop at crosswalks. In retrospect, I figure this was all a not so subtle hint that some higher power was trying to lay on me to let me know that I wasn't supposed to make it to the park. At the moment, though, all I could think was that I was going to be made to experience at least five new kinds of pain that day before I was finally allowed to die a horrible, horrible death.
So I started walking at a fast pace, hoping I could make it to the park in time to salvage things somewhat. Hey, at least all those years playing basketball paid off. I had the endurance to be able to travel that much at a slightly higher speed. It would be another forty-five minutes before I reached the park, and boy was I in for a surprise when I got there.
_ _ _ _ _
I entered the park and started making my way to where I'd told Mimi I'd meet her. Idly, I wondered if Koushirou had gotten there yet as well. Obviously, I hadn't figured it out yet.
Like I said, someone up there had been ever so subtly trying to hint to me that I didn't need to show up, and I figured this out when I finally spotted them. Yeah, them. As in Mimi and Koushirou. Together, sitting on a park bench, smiling, laughing and talking. I walked over to them and leaned over, my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath.
"Hi...Mimi-san...sorry...I'm...late..." I said out of breath.
"TK, what happened? Did you run all the way here?" she asked concernedly.
"Yeah...long story. Hi Koushirou-san." Koushirou nodded to me, though he looked pretty red in the face. They must've been talking about their feelings long before I got there.
"TK, I hate to do this, but do you think we could postpone things for a few days? Suddenly now isn't so good. See, Koushirou-san and I have a bit to talk about ourselves, and he happened by here a while ago." Mimi said, trying her hardest not to hurt my feelings.
"No...that's fine, Mimi-san. I understand. You guys catching up on old times?"
"Something like that, yeah..." she blushed a little as she looked back at Koushirou, and that got a smile out of me.
"Listen, Mimi-san, there's something you should know." I told her, standing back up straight. "Remember those flowers I gave you when you came back to Japan?"
"Yes, how could I forget?"
"Those flowers weren't really from me. They were from Koushirou-san. I think he was just too nervous to give them to you himself."
"Is that so?" she asked, looking back at Koushirou.
"W-well...yes, it is." Koushirou said, smiling bashfully up at her.
"Then I think we have even more to talk about than we thought." Mimi said, smiling back at him. She turned to me again. "I'm truly sorry this all fell apart, TK. Can I make it up to you sometime?"
"Don't sweat it, Mimi-san. We'll grab a burger sometime." I said, smiling at her. "Well, I'd better start heading home."
"Do you need money for a bus or something?" Koushirou asked, reaching into his pocket.
"I'll just walk it, Koushirou-san. Thanks. You guys take care!"
I waved to them and started to walk away, though when I was halfway out of the park Koushirou caught up with me and stopped me.
"Takeru-kun, I'm sorry I didn't wait." He said apologetically.
"Not a big deal, but what exactly happened? I thought you were still skeptical as of yesterday?" I asked.
"I was when I first got here. But when I saw her here I remembered all you told me. You know, about how she's really just another person like any of us no matter what she looks like. That and...well, I kinda began to remember just how I feel about her. I just couldn't wait, so I just walked on up to her and we started talking and..."
"Koushirou-san, don't worry about it." I told him, calming him down again. "The bottom line is you guys got together. Ultimately it doesn't matter how it happened. I couldn't be happier for both of you."
"I owe you one, my friend."
"Don't even think about it. Now go back to her."
Koushirou nodded and jogged back to Mimi. I watched for a moment as the two of them started to walk off together again, and it did my heart good to actually see them together. I turned and began heading back home again, a smile on my face. As I exited the park, though, I had this weird feeling like I was being watched. I shrugged it off and hiked on back home, not thinking twice about it.
_ _ _ _ _
Once home, I began my celebration. Hey, do you blame me? By hook or by crook, I'd pulled it off! Three girls who had previously been in love with me had been hooked up with other guys, and I was set up on a date with the girl of my dreams for the next day. I was home free! I mean, nothing could possibly get in the way of the day with Kari that lay ahead of me, right?
I showered, since all of that running around had worked up quite a sweat. I got dressed again and hit the kitchen. After I had gulped down some water in the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Curious, I went to the door and answered it, and who should be at the door but Motomiya Daisuke.
Now I know I've been mentioning Daisuke all along, but I've never really formally introduced him to you. As I mentioned when I talked about Ken, Daisuke is 15 just like me. Taichi is something of an idol to him, as he plays soccer as well. He can be something of a braggart sometimes, but he really is a good friend to have. He's a good soccer player, and also as I told you, he's one heck of a cook. Up until recently, he's always considered me as some kind of rival of his, just because I know Kari almost as well as he does. See, he and Kari pretty much grew up together. I've only known Kari since I was 8, after all. In any case, in the past year he's become just a really good friend of mine.
"Hey Daisuke, what's up?" I asked, drinking some more water.
"Not much. Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked meekly. I nodded and let him inside, closing the door behind us.
"Have a seat and tell me what's on your mind." I told him.
"Actually, I think I'd rather stay standing for this." He looked rather awkward as he paced back and forth a bit in front of me. It was slightly unnerving.
"Daisuke, what's wrong? Come on, let's hear it. You know I'll help you with just about anything."
What can I say? I was in a good mood, and ready to try and help a friend with any problem. That is, except the one Daisuke laid on me.
"Takeru, you've gotta help me! You've got to get me back together with Hikari-chan!" he blurted out.
"Wh-what??" I said, suddenly taken aback.
"I can't stand being without her! I was so stupid before with her.and I realized just how much she means to me this past week. I've got to show her just how much I care, and how much I want her to take me back!" he said, pleading at me.
"But...why come to me? I mean, why not go to her yourself? If she wants you back, she'll say so." I was trying my hardest to get him out of my home before one of us said or did something stupid.
"I thought about that a few days ago, so I called Taichi-san up on his cell phone to see if he knew where Kari was. He didn't know, but I heard Sora- san in the background. When I asked about it, Taichi-san said you had helped him get together with her."
Suddenly I felt like the color was draining out of my face.
"Then, yesterday I saw Ken and Miyako-san together leaving the library, and when I asked Ken about it last night on the phone he told me you'd done the same thing for them."
My stomach began turning.
"And earlier today...well, I kinda saw you running out of the building so I followed you to the park. And I saw that you got Mimi-san and Koushirou- san together as well."
My jaw dropped slightly. Daisuke, who I've always underestimated, now knew about everything except why I had set them all up in the first place!
"So I figured, if he could get all of them together, he could do the same thing for me and Hikari-chan as well. That's why I came to you, man. You've got to help me!"
"Da...Daisuke, I...I don't...I mean..."
I was at an utter loss for words. How could I possibly get myself out of this? If I refused to help Daisuke, sure I could still have my date with Kari, but it'd hurt our friendship and cast suspicion over everything I had accomplished so far! And if I helped him.
"I know we've had a competitive past, Takeru, but please believe me! I need to be with her again! She is everything to me! If you had a girlfriend, you'd know what it felt like." He said, practically begging me at this point.
What happened the rest of that night was a blank for me due to the utter shock I was experiencing. I can't really detail much of what happened, but I can tell you this much. Remember how I said I wanted to get Daisuke out of my place before one of us said or did something stupid? Well, that didn't happen. One of us said something stupid, and that someone was me.