(i know i said i wouldn't hold to any schedule but i didn't realise it'd be so long please forgive me it's been a trying year)


7pm and 2am feel the same this time of year...

You struggled internally against the last 5 minutes of the hour - Kanan had said an hour and around 15 minutes, meaning the end of the hour wasn't the end of the session. Putting equipment back, locking them up, drying off, changing...You could almost swear she could hear the buzz of the electric lighting.

She sighed internally, and observed the reception again, trying to avoid the sight of her own reflection in the windows in the corner of her eye. A stranger passed by, and You shrunk slightly in the corner in an attempt to avoid being noticed.

I did everything I could to avoid waiting here the full hour and looking like a loiterer but I feel like I've been here a while. Please come quickly, Kanan...

She cleared her throat and read once more through the leaflet she'd picked up to buy her a little more time, and her decision quickly became a choice to bury her head in it until Kanan arrived. The minutes dragged, and You paid close attention to footsteps passing by in the hopes any set of them would approach her as members of Kanan's dive club trickled out slowly a few minutes after the hour passed.

Cold air whistled faintly from beyond the doors, and so she continued to wait.

A few minutes after the last of what You assumed to be the dive club members left, one last set of footfalls approached her.

That green jacket...

"Hey~ sorry to keep you waiting!"

You stood up, trying and failing to stop herself from smiling reflexively.

"Hey!"

"Come here." Kanan said, setting down her bag and opening her arms without missing a beat. You stepped forward readily, and Kanan hugged You. "I'm glad to see you again."

Wow, she's still super muscular yet soft at the same time...I hope I feel like that to her. She smells nice too.

"Me too."

You made sure the moment lasted a second longer before disengaging and Kanan smiled back.

"Shall we go?" Kanan asked.

"Sure! Where to?"

"Mmmm...At this time in th..." Kanan mused with a pause, "I know a place. It's...a fair distance away, though."

"That's okay! Follow me to the car. Feel free to put your gear in the back seat."

You started forward with slow steps in a silent go-ahead for Kanan to follow her, and with that, the last of the people in the lobby exited the swim centre's reception.

A crescent moon hung in the sky covered by a misty screen of clouds, and the chill of Numazu's night air returned, prompting both You and Kanan to tense up slightly. The narrow streets were silent, and the wind whistled at an uneven volume.

Kanan stared intently at You, mostly for lack of knowledge of the location of her car, but a small part of her showed a curiosity she'd tried to hide; a curiosity that wanted to know what had happened to You in the last year and a half, of Chika, of Riko, of You's career.

Of You.

"Is that your car?" Kanan asked.

You pointed further ahead. "The one just behind it!"

The foliage rustled quietly in the breeze, shaking free a few leaves.

Kanan and You got into the car, and the headlights came on, casting a cone of light through the leaves. You tapped the GPS navigator's screen a few times and turned it towards Kanan, who input their destination with a slow, focused intent as You adjusted the side mirrors.

The clicking of You's turn indicator had the attention of the pair despite the lack of road traffic, and even as the indicator went quiet and You started driving, a pause of a few seconds descended, and what was left unsaid came a little closer to the surface.

"So, um...what can you tell me about the restaurant?"

With this, the haze over them was lifted.

"Ah, well...it's a shokudo restaurant that's a kilometre or two past Uranohoshi. It overlooks the coast."

"Have we...ever been past it?"

"Hm, maybe? It's near the mikan orchards, but not the side you usually get to it from. Have you ever been to the museum near the Kouchi River?"

Idle chatter and the hum of You's car retained a steady, comforting atmosphere; for each lull in the conversation, both You and Kanan took the moment to bask in the warmth of the situation, all the little things of the moment: the infrequent clicking of the turn indicators, the lights of Numazu passing by, the comfort of the other's presence, the glimpses of Uchiura Bay through the hills...the familiar lights on the horizon over the ocean.

The journey came to a close outside a small collection of buildings practically at the edge of Numazu Bay. The car doors opened to a harsh ocean air chill, their breath visible. It bothered neither Kanan nor You, both opting to saunter to the doors of the restaurant. You took one last moment to take it all in - Uchiura Bay, Numazu's distant hills, the lights over the water, Kanan.

You caught up quickly, and before she knew it, she'd taken her seat. The world beyond the restaurant's metal-framed windows was pitch black and You saw her own reflection staring back at her, across the table from Kanan's head buried in her menu. She felt that same indescribable feeling she did back at the pools, staring at her own reflection in the glass at the back of the room.

My reflection again, huh...

It felt more like a café than a shokudo restaurant, the kind of place you'd be friends with the owner; the menu written in paper, the frilled decoration on the counter divider, the calendars on the wall.

And yet...it still all seemed to come together just fine.

A small television on a stand barely large enough for it emitted nondescript noise into the room and acted as a backing track for the sounds of sizzling and clattering from the kitchen beyond the open doorframe by the counter and the occasional murmurs from the party of three on the other table. The third table remained empty, and You snapped out of her reverie when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye: Kanan's head lifting to look at her.

"Well? Have you chosen, You?"

"Um..."

You realised she hadn't even picked up her menu yet.

"I'll have...the cutlet bowl?"

Please let this place do cutlet bowls. They really should and if I don't, I'll...look really stupid...

Kanan looked above You's head to glance at the menu behind the counter, and You turned her body around to do the same.

Score!

"Wait!"

Kanan's fixed gaze on You became unblinking and her mouth opened quizzically.

"What about drinks?"

"Ah." Kanan's expression became a smile and she returned to the menu, her gaze occasionally moving back to You. "Well, I'll just get the lemonade."

"I'll get the same if you don't mind, Kanan!"

Kanan beamed in response and raised her hand, summoning the proprietress to order. The two of them caught up in a matter of sentences and the conversation culminated in Kanan assuring the elderly woman that her father was doing fine. You smiled politely, and the proprietress took both menus and set them down on the counter as she headed into the kitchen.

The possibility of hiding behind a menu was gone for the both of them now. Something inside You snapped and she felt as if she'd just been woken from a dream. For a moment, or even a minute or two, her heart caught in her throat, and every question she'd ever wanted to ask filled her mind once again. A small part of her head asked her if she wanted to keep her phone out in case things got awkward, but she decided against it in favour of facing it head-on.

Kanan...are you going to say anything about it?

"So..."

So...

"It's been a while, hasn't it~? How's Chika?"

"We haven't talked in a while, so I can't say, ehehe...I think she's okay though. She always is."

You're childhood friends with her too...you haven't talked with Chika either?

On impulse, You came close to voicing her thoughts but caught herself just in time to take her thoughts on a sharp ninety-degree turn. She left a note to herself: "Unless it's about diving, do not ask Kanan about the last year and a half."

"Not yet." She added to this imaginary note.

"Ah, that's a shame. How about Hanamaru or Yoshiko?" Kanan responded. You could feel the ice finally breaking if only from one side, and she could hear the Kanan she knew - the Kanan from, once again, before the end. At least, she hoped.

The cold ocean winds howled momentarily outside, and the sliding doorframe behind their table rattled slightly. You shook her head meekly.

"I...haven't seen them either...Sorry, Kanan. Ever since I started working I haven't seen much of anyone lately. I spend some time away from home too on work, so even less..."

Come on, You, come on, come on! She needs a reason for you both to continue talking after this!

"I mean...", You continued, "When you live so close to the ocean in a rural coastal town, it's still really nice, right?"

Kanan's eyes lit up slightly and You knew she'd gotten the reaction she'd hoped for - advice taken from a much older note in her head, the one that had gotten them close before.

To make Kanan happy, talk about the ocean.

"Mmm!"

Too generic. Go back one step, You!

Soup and rice arrived at the same time, to You's surprise as she held back a comment on the speed of service on the chance she'd just lost track of time. They started eating almost immediately and You noted that Kanan seemed hungry.

"Hanamaru..." You continued, "kind of disappeared a while back and still hasn't resurfaced...I've thought of visiting her temple but I'm too afraid to go. She's probably doing fine and living her own life, but...what would I say to her grandmother? It's been so long and I wouldn't want to make things awkward..."

"Mmm."

I'm losing her...she's so closed off...

"Kanan?"

"Mmm?"

Kanan made the almost immediate realisation she'd given the same monosyllabic response three times in a row and set her soup spoon down.

"Um...are you okay?" You asked, her worried gaze casting a light on Kanan.

"Yeah!" Kanan said, beaming. "Don't worry about it."

"Are you...sure?"

Is this something to do with Mari? What aren't you saying, Kanan?

The corners of Kanan's mouth lowered slightly and she looked away for just a moment. It was still a smile, though now a faint smile. Her silence had showed You what she'd both feared and predicted. This was it - the first signs of the tip of the iceberg.

"I suppose I'm just getting used to things being different, you know? I haven't really seen anyone in a while since I was away. I..."

Kanan trailed away, and the sound of the television filled the silence. It sounded louder, despite the volume not having been changed at all today.

"That's why I'm really happy to see you, You! Really~!"

"M...me?"

You couldn't help but blush slightly at the idea of making anyone happy at all. Her, You Watanabe.

"Mmm!" Kanan replied, nodding. "I mean...yes!"

A small part of You's mind took note of how quickly Kanan seemed to have changed the topic, but the forefront was far too happy to care, and so You's doubts were buried.

"That reminds me...were you around for the Obon celebrations this year?"

"I don't think I was, unfortunately...did I miss anything?"

"Well, um...this might take a while. So, it was near the Kano River as usual. But, the fireworks this year..."