Disclaimer: Sunrise
Tachikawa, November 2020
.
Waiting on the bench at the bus station, Cagalli checked the time on her watch. It was 8.20.
She was a little bit early, but as Athrun said to her, better be early than late.
It was finally here, her Upper Secondary School Proficiency exam. The test would be held in two days, and today is the first day of the exam. It would start at 9.30 AM, and would end around 5.30 in the afternoon. The same would be for the next day.
Cagalli looked around and found a few people—some around her age, some looked older—were sitting nearby, while flipping through a book for the same exam as her. And it made her nervous. She tightened the grip she had on the postcard she was holding- her exam card plus guide map to the exam venue-feeling nervous again for the umpteenth time today.
Suddenly, a hand rested on top of hers.
"Don't make that kind of face, relax," she looked up to see Athrun smiling at her. "You scored okay for the mock exam we did last week. You got this," he whispered to calm her down.
"I know. And I'm sorry we turned your birthday into a mock exam session," Cagalli smiled apologetically. "And I didn't even prepare anything for you since you didn't tell me that it was your birthday," Cagalli pouted. She knew from Kira about his birthday after they did the first mock exam-they did it two times just like the actual exam-a couple days past his actual birthday.
"And like I said, if you want to make it up for me, you've got to pass this exam, and fulfill my one wish," he smiled, reminding her of the promise she made, right after she knew that she missed his birthday. He wanted two things from Cagalli as his birthday present-which made him quite delighted at the time she agreed to him. One, he wanted her to pass her exam, and the other one was that he got to ask her to do something for him, and he refused to tell her what it was before her exam result was out.
"Look, the bus is here," Athrun tugged at her hand as the bus they were supposed to take came at a hilt in front of them. Those people who Cagalli had thought were taking the same exam as her, start lining up before the bus entrance.
Sitting together at the far back seat of the bus, Cagalli looked up at Athrun, "Are you really okay staying with me? You can go home when my exam starts, you know. No need to stay with me till the end," she voiced out her concern again.
"I'm the one who volunteered myself. Besides, I'm still worried since it hasn't been long since we removed your sling. If your left hand feels burdened, or in case something happens, at least I can stand by you here. If nothing happens and your exam goes well, then good. I brought my laptop today, I'll just code some program for my idle project. We can have lunch together, and I'll bring you home when your exam is done."
"But the exam is one whole day till 5:30 PM. You'll get bored eventually," the bus started to move as she said this.
"Coding is pretty much how I spend my weekend, except for doing the actual micro-unit assembling. Trust me, I won't get bored, and I'll be there when your exam ends."Athrun assured her. Cagalli just nodded. She actually couldn't help but feel a little grateful for Athrun's presence. She was trembling from the moment she woke up today and was nervous like hell, thinking of many scenarios that she might not be able to do well on the exam, or even not getting there on time and miss the exam entirely. But when Athrun messaged her that he was waiting near her station, she almost skipped to where he was, her worries slowly evaporating into almost nothing.
Since they departed quite early, they had a lot of spare time and didn't need to rush. Arriving at the nearest stop to the exam building, they walked from there with the other examinees. At the campus area where the exam was held, Athrun helped her find the exact building where she'll be taking her exam. He took the map from her, asking the person standing by around the campus. Turned out it was quite far away from the entrance gate, and Cagalli secretly thanked Athrun for encouraging her to come as early as possible, so they had some time to spare in case they lost their way inside the campus.
Finally, after they found the building, they parted ways in front of its entrance—Cagalli's class where she would have her exam was on the 7th floor. "I'll wait somewhere inside a cafe or something, and come here again 5 minutes before the lunch break," was Athrun's parting note as he handed the building map back to her; and Cagalli headed inside the building with the other examinees.
At the 7th floor, she found her class and where her seat was; it was almost full. In front, the examiners were busy checking some papers and discussing something. At the black board in front of the class, the examiner had already written "Only writing utensils, exam card, and analog watch allowed on the table" in large handwriting. Doing as instructed, Cagalli pulled out the necessary items. Reaching out to her exam card, she remembered to pull apart the tearing sign, to separate her actual exam card with the maps.
But when she opened the exam card-which had been on Athrun's hand since they arrived at the campus earlier-she noticed something near the map, where there was a white margin space.
You can do it :)
There, a short message was written with a pen, which she was sure was not there the last time she checked before boarding the bus. So the culprit could only be one person.
Athrun…
That bubbly feeling she felt when Athrun kissed her on her head at the hospital, which often reoccurs when she remembered the small talk they shared before she confront her fear to talk with Kira again, when he was sitting too close to her explaining questions she didn't understand, when she unconsciously stared at him too long than she was supposed to do—and sometimes she got caught by Lacus or Kira—came again just out of nowhere at the small yet endearing cheer he had written. It made her chest so full it might explode anytime, and-for fear she was going to make a sound-she hid her mouth with the card, careful so no one could see whatever kind of weird expression she was making right now. Though the seat arrangement was made in a way that there was quite a space between each examinee, she was still cautious if anyone caught her here.
Cagalli didn't know how long she was reliving the warm feeling inside her, but her attention was suddenly brought back to the current place when the examiners called out all the students' attention, announcing that they were going to read them the rules of the exam.
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Cagalli put the paper beside her exam card, with the message-side down-she was sure the examiner would walk around the aisle to check on them-to make sure no one was cheating.
Glancing once again at the paper with the message, Cagalli gave the examiner her full attention. Even if it was just a small cheering word, she could already feel that she was going to pass her exam.
When the examiner took the last paper on her desk, Cagalli let out a sigh with her mind still in disbelief.
She was done. Her two days of exams were finally over. All her effort for nearly half a year, and now all she had to do was waiting for the result next month.
Oh no, Cagalli suddenly thought again. She still had to prepare for the college entrance application and the entrance exam. Well, Kira said he was visiting his desired campus open house-which was the reason he didn't come with Athrun to accompany her yesterday, even though he wanted to-and he asked a lot of things including the application filling. She would ask Kira next week if he was available.
When the examiner gave them the okay to leave the room, Cagalli walked out of the class with lighter steps. All the study sessions and the mock exams she did with her friends and brother was worth it. She didn't have any particular difficulty as she had thought she would. The exam questions were not easy, but not particularly hard either. And since she thought she had done well with the test, she was confident enough that she would pass, even though her rank would be around average.
Stepping out of the building, she put the red scarf that had been hanging on the inner side of her left elbow, when suddenly her companion greeted her—
"Cagalli, how was it?" she heard Lacus ask as she approached here. Wait, Lacus?
"Why are you—Kira, you too," she exclaimed before finishing her earlier sentence when her brother followed Lacus' steps. She could also see Athrun trailing them from behind.
"Since they already finished their business-whatever that is, they decided to come and wait for you," Athrun said as he approached her. "So, how was it?" he repeated Lacus' question.
Thinking about all the effort she pulled, with the help of these three people in front of her, Cagalli couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude toward them. All the time they spent teaching her willingly, keeping up with her slow progress since she had a late start compared to them. She couldn't possibly manage to pull it through if she were doing it all by herself.
And here they were, still sticking with her till the end. Staring at each of their eyes, all of them only showed their support for her.
"If I passed the test, it's all because of you guys," Cagalli smiled, but she could feel her eyes feeling a little bit misty. "Thank you so much," she bowed deeply toward them.
"What are you doing, no need to do that," Kira said as she held her shoulders. "You work so hard too, juggling between your work and self-study. I'm so proud of you," Kira nudged her head with his in affectional gesture. And as he expected, Cagalli started to push him away, mumbling "Cut it out!" at him.
Chuckling at her, he continued, "It's dinner time soon. Do you want to eat out somewhere? Want me to treat you to a cutlet bowl?" Kira held her hand.
"My exam is done already!" she huffed, "You should have done that before the exam," she continued, referring to the old tradition of examinees eating cutlet bowls before exams.
"The intention's still the same," he said as he dragged her toward the get to leave the campus area. "How about you, Athrun, Lacus?" Kira asked, looking back at them through his shoulder.
"Eating out sounds good too. I want something warm," Lacus said as she put on her gloves since the weather was getting colder. Athrun voiced out his agreement and pulled his phone to leave a message to his parents, informing them that he wouldn't be eating dinner at home.
Walking past the long entrance of the campus, there were lines of ginkgo trees on both sides, with their green-yellow leaves blown by the cold autumn air. Suddenly, something came to Lacus' mind, "Say, do you guys want to visit the Ginkgo Festival in a few weeks?"
"Ooh, the one at Jingu Gaien?" Athrun added, "Nice, but how about going in late November? I heard it is still a bit greenish for now. I want to see it when it's completely yellow." Their walk to the bus stop was lively with them forming plans to go out together for the festival. When they arrived at the bus stop, Lacus and Cagalli checked for the bus schedule, and Athrun approached Kira. "Is something bothering you? You've been checking our backs a few times since we got out of the campus area," since he walked behind Kira and Cagalli, he noticed a few times Kira turning his head back, and he was not looking at him, more like at something behind him and Lacus.
"Nah, it's just me I think," Kira said, giving him a reassuring smile to let him know not to worry about him.
"You're making me curious… and worried. Just spill then if it was nothing."
"Actually," Kira glanced at Cagalli to make sure she didn't hear him. When he saw she was still chatting animatedly with Lacus, he mumbled in a low voice, "I feel like being watched by someone since a few weeks ago."
"What…? Like a stalker…?" Athrun asked, bewildered.
"I'm not sure. Yesterday when I went to the open campus with Lacus, I felt it too. And I feel like it followed me all the way to my house. I don't think it followed me today, but I can't help but feeling… cautious…"
"Why don't you tell it to come out? You should be no match to this person. You are strong," Athrun countered, thinking about having Kira knock the stalker before interrogating them.
"I don't know if they have weapons or not, I can't be that careless-"
"Kira, is it true?" He heard his sister suddenly call out to him. Both of them jolted, did Cagalli hear his talk with Athrun? "Lacus said you were interviewed in a magazine."
At that, Kira sighed in relief. He still didn't know the intention of this stalker, but somehow he didn't want Cagalli to know and be worried about him. "Yeah, right after the final round of the Inter-high since I got second place. There is this magazine that covers for High School athletes in many sports. I wasn't in the cover, but I was mentioned a little bit in one article, I think," he explained, forgetting his issue for a moment.
"I got the copy of that issue. I'll bring it for you next time we meet," Lacus added cheerfully. Cagalli's attention was back to her again, and Kira sighed in relief.
"Isn't it just a secret admirer who fell for you after reading about you in that magazine?" Athrun commented after hearing about that. He vaguely remembered Kira telling him before the interview after his tournament. Also he believed some friends in class talked about it and brought the magazine.
"Then let's hope so and not a dangerous stalker," Kira mumbled in response.
"Let's hope so, are you planning to find out this secret admirer of yours and date her?" Athrun asked, glancing at Lacus for a while. He felt kinda sorry for her.
"Not at all, after Fllay, maybe not for a while…" He answered solemnly.
Now Athrun actually, genuinely felt sorry for Lacus.
Tokyo, November 2020
.
"Huh, Cagalli, you changed your mind?" Kira asked as he saw the form Cagalli pulled out to fill. It was not a university entrance application, but one for a vocational college.
A week after Cagalli's exam, now they were now at Kira's house, with Cagalli asking him to help her with her college entrance application form. They all sat on the floor with sitting-cushion, circling each side of a small kotatsu—table with a warmer. On the table were a few snacks prepared by Kira's mother, with cups of tea and a few cans of oshiruko—red-bean porridge.
"Yep. I spent around 4 years helping Grans at their home, and the last 2 years out of it I was taking care of them. Granma couldn't even leave her bed in the last few months. But through those times, I felt something… like it was something worth doing, helping others like grans who had done their best to take care of me. That's why I'm going to vocational college, and then I'm planning to take another exam for caregiver licentiate. Besides, the vocational curriculum offers more practical courses than university. And to be honest, I think you know that I'm not that good in learning theories, moreover keep doing it for 4 years," Cagalli said as she sheepishly rubbed the nape of her neck.
From across her, Athrun was staring at her in understanding, as he remembered what she had said when they spent some time in the class, playing as a high-schooler. Cagalli was saying something about volunteering, so maybe this was what she meant at the time. He smiled supportingly at her when she continued, "Maybe I won't get a degree, but I'll have qualification and professional license with this."
"If that's what you think is best for you, then of course I'll support you no matter what. And of course, I still remember you complaining every time I told you to do your homework when we were little," Kira chuckled as Cagalli pouted at him. "How about you, Athrun? Where are you going after this?"
"I sent my application already," Athrun answered, telling them about his first choice of university, one in the Kita-Senju area.
"It's still in Tokyo, but quite far from here, right?" Cagalli asked when she heard the name.
"Wait, then why are you here? You have nothing to do here today," Kira exclaimed, stealing a glance at his sister once, and back to Athrun with sour eyes.
"So what? I can't come just because I have nothing to do today? What am I to you?" Athrun asked the last part with an intentionally exaggerated voice. In truth, he didn't want Kira to have the thought that he was here because he could see Cagalli.
As the two guys continued to banter, Cagalli squinted her eyes at Lacus, who were visibly smiling but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"How about you, Lacus?" Cagalli suddenly asked. Lacus still hasn't told anyone about this besides Cagalli and her family. A few members of the chorus club knew, but Kira and Athrun were still in the dark about her plan.
She stuttered when answering Cagalli, "M-me? I'm…"
"Kira," suddenly someone knocked on the door. His mother then poked her head from outside. "I have to go for a meeting with the neighborhood association at the civic hall. It'll be quite a while, but I should have enough time to prepare for dinner. You are not going anywhere after this, aren't you?"
"Okay. I won't be going anywhere, leave the house sitting to me," he said, nodding.
"Cagalli, do you want to stay for dinner?"
"Ah, I'll have to decline this time. Andrew san is home and nobody will cook for him, I'll feel bad to leave him alone. Maybe next time," she smiled at Kira's mother. Even with an awkward start, they got really close after she helped nurse Cagalli after the accident. When Cagalli could move around better after one week of resting, she insisted on doing some chores in Kira's house, and Caridad too, was quite happy with the help-after hearing Cagalli's story and her work at the construction site, she knew Cagalli was the type who couldn't sit still. Even so, she was careful in allowing which chore Cagalli could do and what not. Caridad felt like she had a daughter, and on the other side, Cagalli felt like she had a taste of how a mother should be, and feeling it in her current situation, it was kinda nice feeling for her.
"How about you, Lacus, Athrun?" She turned to the other two, who politely declined her offer too, promising next time.
"Is that so? I'll be going then, good luck with your college applications. Be good, Kira," she gave a small wave and the gangs murmured their good-byes to her, Caridad made her way downstairs.
"Your mom is participating in the neighborhood association?" Cagalli asked Kira, to which he nodded his head.
"Yep. Maybe they are making plans to prepare for this year's hatsumode at the nearby shrine," he answered, telling Cagalli about the small shrine behind his house, and the hatsumode—new year shrine visit—event there. "She does this every year."
"Oooh, that's right. We should go to hatsumode together too!" Lacus exclaimed, a new spark lit in her eyes, followed with the other chuckling at her.
"We still haven't visited that Ginkgo festival and you are already planning for a new year shrine visit," Kira teased her lightly. "By the way, what were you going to say before? We still don't know where you are going after graduation."
"Oh, about that…. I'm…"
Suddenly the front doorbell rang, alerting a guest.
"Huh, is it mom? Did she forget something?" Kira mumbled to himself, walking out his room heading out to answer the door, with a low 'wait a bit' to his friends.
Cagalli huffed at her place. "Why is it every time Lacus is about to speak, she always gets interrupted?" she muttered, picking a slice of cut-persimmon on the table with a small dessert fork.
"What is it? Do you have something important to say, Lacus?" Athrun asked. It looked like Cagalli already knew, and it was something Lacus had been wanting to say.
Slowly glancing at the door where Kira left off, Lacus confessed slowly, "Well, actually I'm planning to—"
"I SAID GET OUT!"
All three of them froze; that was clearly Kira's voice. And none of them had ever heard Kira raise his voice like that. Moreover, he was clearly angry about something. Was he upset at the guest?
Started by Cagalli, everyone followed her out of the room to see what had Kira upset like that. Half-hurriedly stepping down the stairs, Cagalli went through the now familiar house and headed to the front door.
When she was still a few metres away from the front door, she could hear a woman's voice talking from outside, "Cagalli is here too right? At least give her back to me!"
Her body went rigid immediately. Even though she couldn't see the person Kira was talking to, since he was desperately trying to close the door, she knew that familiar voice too well, a voice she wished she never had to hear again for the rest of her life.
"Mother…"
I honestly still don't know how to approach with Lacus and Kira's relationship here, I'm stalling so much.
Prepare for next chapter, some unnerving truth would be revealed there.
See you next time
Cheers~
