Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack, click-clack...

The rhythmic sound of the train was lulling Kotarou Azumi into a mild stupor. He actually didn't mind – it was easier this way to keep from getting too nervous. He wasn't about to fall asleep – instead, he noticed everything around him with an enhanced clarity, like he was tasked with remembering every little detail. It felt normal, yet strange – just another commuter train trip, but also part of a new chapter in his life. He was going to see Akane-chan for the first time in her new town all the way across Tokyo.

The train was mostly empty on an early Sunday morning. He'd planned his trip carefully – leave Kawagoe Station at 08:13, transfer at Ikebukuro and Akihabara, and arrive at Ichikawa at 09:35 – total cost, 860 yen each way. He would not risk making a wrong turn or missing a connection today – having Akane-chan wait for him, maybe even missing their meeting altogether, was unthinkable. He'd done that once before, and it'd almost ended their relationship before it began.

He couldn't spend more than was absolutely necessary; getting cash for train fare took him most of the week since he'd promised to make the trip. The opportunity to see Akane-chan trumped trivial financial issues, of course, but 1,720 yen was still a lot to scrape together. He was grateful Tachibana-san agreed to let him work a few hours at the bookstore – he even seemed sympathetic to Kotarou's desire to earn some cash, and was discreet enough not to ask too many questions. But then again, it was quite likely he'd finished reading the story Kotarou had posted online...

Kotarou was in good standing with Mom after his efforts to pass the high school entrance exams. (Looking back at it, he even surprised himself with how hard he'd tried!) And Dad – well, he was just being Dad, not saying much, but giving Kotarou the latitude to pursue what made him happy. They didn't give him grief about wanting to spend a Sunday away "at the library to do some reading" and requesting a bento lunch to take along. And they didn't pry even when he left so early – though he wondered whether they had a suspicion about what his real plans were.

The period between graduating middle school and starting high school had given him time to write and to think about seeing Akane-chan again. They had been texting back and forth several times every day since she left for Chiba. Kotarou was saving screenshots of their conversations, to read and re-read them – especially the texts she sent from the train when she left.

I love you, too.

He was sure that if he didn't save that one, he'd wake up one morning convinced it was all a dream. So he took 10 screenshots of it, just in case he accidentally deleted nine of them. It brought him overwhelming joy whenever he looked at it.

But there were still unanswered questions... Not having seen her since she literally ran away from him, he was still trying to wrap his head around what had happened. He was nervous about repeating his mistakes, but he wasn't sure just what they were. Sure, he didn't tell Akane about Chinatsu's love confession; that was an obvious error. And he was talking about coming to visit her, but she didn't want him to spend the money, saying that'd it'd be "too much trouble"...? He sensed that there had to be more to it than that. He couldn't bring himself to ask her directly what he had done wrong, but since everything seemed so much better this week, he though it better not to press.

All he really wanted today was to see her, enjoy their time together, and avoid screwing up again. Maybe the rest of it will just resolve itself and fade away. Maybe.

Akane Mizuno knew Kotarou-kun would be walking through the Chuo-Sobu Line gates when he arrived, so she constantly scanned the gate area and the walkway from the train platform. She strategically placed herself so there was no chance she would miss spotting him.

She knew he'd be on the 09:35 train from Akihabara, but she arrived 30 minutes early, just in case. She felt obligated to be there well before he arrived. In fact, she felt guilty about nearly everything, perhaps more than she could ever atone for. And there were things to be discussed...

The last several days had been busy with unpacking, putting things away, arranging and rearranging her new bedroom (her own bedroom, a really tiny one, but her own room for the first time!). The all-too-familiar stresses of moving were wearing her down. She welcomed a day off from all the hassle.

Her sister Ayane was getting particularly prickly about everything – Akane figured that high-schoolers must be prone to being drama queens. God, I hope high school isn't all about that, she thought. At least Ayane hadn't been saying anything recently about Kotarou – as far as Akane knew, her family thought things were over between the two of them, or at least they didn't ask about it.

The rest of the family seemed to be settling into the new place OK. Dad went to work each day, came home, grabbed a beer, and parked himself on the couch, as usual. Mom was her bright and cheerful self, taking care of most of the unpacking (not enough room in the kitchen, as usual, she said, but she'll make do). When Akane told Mom she wanted to go explore the surrounding town on Sunday, Mom didn't raise a fuss. Mom even gave her twice what she requested for spending money, saying, "Well, whatever you don't use today, you can save for the next time." Akane thought Mom's grin even looked a little mischievous.

Akane held her potato doll in her hands, and it was getting a workout. She was excited, and ashamed of her last time together with Kotarou-kun, and worried about what she needed to say to him. She felt unworthy; he was patient, and kind, and willing, through his writing, to tell the whole world he loved her. And what had she done in return? She ran away, and now she was just waiting for him to come to her.

She set two goals for herself today, things that needed to be addressed. One was to make amends for how she left him before moving away, to make sure he felt as loved as she did. As for the other goal, well, she knew what she wanted to say, and even a definite way to say it – but she'll just have to see how it goes...

So. Sitting. And waiting. And trying to stay calm, but failing.

She couldn't get herself to stop thinking about the things Ayane had said. Why don't you break up? (stop it) It's not like you'll be together your whole lives. (yes it is, that's exactly what's going to happen) What happens when you break up? (don't you get it, we won't!) Boys see this kind of thing as a hassle. (this is what scares me the most...)

No! Ayane was wrong, and Akane would prove it! She'd show everyone that she believed in Kotarou, and that Kotarou believed in her... But she ran away, crying... She needed to apologize properly, face to face... But what could she say?...

She looked up at the schedule board. Oh no! It's 09:36! AAAGH! I wasn't looking for him! Where is he?! He should be... Oh, thank goodness, there he is!

Kotarou spotted Akane-chan on the other side of the station gates, jumping up from a bench and yelping like she was just bitten by a centipede. She is a bit odd sometimes...

He quickly made his way through the gate (checking his card's balance – just enough to get back to Kawagoe). "Akane-chan!" he said excitedly.

"Kotarou-kun!" They came face-to-face and quickly greeted each other with "ohayo."

Then neither knew what to do next, especially in such a public place, and couldn't bring themselves to look directly at each other. Realizing that this moment was too important to screw up, Kotarou took the initiative and reached out for her hand, which she readily offered. They held both hands together between them, and that broke the tension – they both smiled and laughed softly. They kept their hands together while they continued to talk. Akane felt so relieved, she broke the silence and then some...

"Was it easy to get here? Were there any problems? I'm sorry I don't know much about the town yet. We're still working on moving in to our new place. It's really nice, and I have my own bedroom! I know you're used to that, but I've never had one to myself before..." She caught herself at this point, to give Kotarou-kun a chance to respond.

"The trains were fine – I've memorized the Sunday schedule, and I've got until 16:30 to catch the train back home. We can check my phone about places to go..."

He freed one hand from Akane to get his phone from his right pocket. Kotarou had spent a few hours the day before scanning tourism websites and found an app that listed interesting places to visit.

"Oh, you've got an app for Ichikawa?! Amazing!" She moved next to him so they could both see his phone screen, her right hand still holding his left.

Kotarou felt Akane-chan's hand in his. He so loved hearing the sound of her voice again. Then he noticed that scent she likes to wear.

And she was so close, so very close...

He was still facing his phone but was no longer looking at it. All the emotions he'd been keeping under control, the memory of seeing her train leaving for Chiba, the fear that he'd never see her again... It all came flooding back, taking him by surprise, and it started to overwhelm him.

Akane felt Kotarou-kun squeezing her hand tighter. He was staring straight ahead, his face a bit contorted, his eyes wide open and filling with tears. She wanted so much to embrace him at that moment, but this was too public a place for that. She walked toward the station entrance, tugging on his hand and suggesting they wander around a bit and just see what's nearby. The things she needed to say to him could wait until later.

"OK," he replied softly. He wiped his eyes and quickly felt better, grateful that she didn't ask what was wrong.

Their first choice for where to go was an easy one – most train stations have a nearby shopping center, and in Ichikawa it's a two-story mall named Shapo.

Kotarou was pleased with the familiarity of the place – a Uniqlo, a supermarket, a shop selling socks... Ichikawa was definitely more urban then Kawagoe, but they were much more similar than different. He knew it was silly, but he felt better knowing that Akane-chan could find such familiar-looking places.

As for Akane, she was all too happy to window-shop. She found a cute pair of socks she just had to buy, and she took selfies of them wearing identical hats.

It was the kind of morning they both had desperately wanted – free and easy, not rushed, literally picture-perfect, with lots of smiles. They could set aside their problems and just be with each other.

Soon it was lunchtime. "I'm starving!" exclaimed Akane. Then she set the stage for the first thing she wanted to tell him: "There are several places to eat here – what do you think?"

This was what Kotarou was afraid of. How could he deny her request? But he had to...

"Umm..." he said hesitantly. "I brought something for us to share..." He looked down, obviously ashamed he couldn't afford to buy something.

Akane saw her chance – this was working as well as she had hoped. She had rehearsed in her head just how to respond – by borrowing a bit of her sister's sass. OK, she thought quickly as she took a breath, here we go...

"Azumi-kun, don't be an idiot!" she said, trying to sound stern, but with a bit of playfulness.

Kotarou was shocked by Akane-chan's brashness. Big mistake! Now she's mad at me! "Sumimasen!" he said with a formal bow. Please, just forgive me, please...

"You bought a ticket to come here, and now you apologize for not buying me lunch as well?! You don't get it, do you?"

He straightened up again – she was right, he didn't get it. "Eh?"

"You will not be doing all the money-spending! I will carry my fair share!" Akane leaned in and gave him a stare-down, but then her tone became more conciliatory. "You paid for the train ticket, so I'll pay for lunch. It's only fair. This time, since you brought a bento, we can share it, and we'll also share whatever I buy. Deal?" Akane said this with such finality that there was only one correct answer.

Kotarou turned slightly away from Akane and smiled sheepishly. "Deal!" He felt thoroughly chastised, but also immensely relieved.

Akane was happy about how that went. I'm starting to understand why my sister acts this way around her boyfriends. "Now, I think I know where we can go to eat..."

Akane brought the takoyaki plate to their table. "Remember that day at Dome City? We ate takoyaki there, too."

How could I ever forget? thought Kotarou. He gave half of the onigiri from his bento to Akane-chan. "Itadakimasu!" They both devoured their shared meal with great vigor – Akane as she usually does, and Kotarou because his worries about lunch had suddenly evaporated.

They were unusually chatty throughout, talking about anything and everything. There wasn't much news from Kawagoe, since there had only been a week of break so far, but that didn't stop them from gossiping a bit about what their classmates might be up to. Many were going to Daiichi Municipal with Kotarou but, of course, they didn't yet know which classes they'd be assigned to. Please let Chinatsu be in a different class, Akane thought to herself.

Aoi was going to Daiichi, along with Aira, Miu, and Setsuko (nothing would ever separate the Three Musketeers!). Kotarou promised Akane to give them all a status update on her when the school year started. Takumi was off to a private school in Kawagoe with a well-regarded track program, and Daichi was going there as well, to be on the judo team. No one knew what Roman's plans were – he always deflected questions about it – but rumors of him and Sonoda-sensei running off together made for juicy gossip!

Talking about classmates made Akane feel just a bit wistful, but it was so nice to talk with Kotarou about anything that she couldn't help but be happy. They were communicating, not just by text, but in person as well, and so easily! This was what she had hoped for.

But she still had something left to tell him, and she didn't know how he'd react. Heck, she still didn't even know how to say it. She knew time was running out, but she couldn't bring herself to ruin such a perfect lunch.

After lunch, they consulted the tourism app and saw that there was an observation deck just up the street – and best of all, it was free! They decided to go there straight away. Akane also started to look for the right opportunity to properly apologize...

There were only a few people waiting for the elevator up to the 150-meter deck, which proved to offer spectacular views. They walked slowly around the entire perimeter, marveling at the view of the city of Tokyo, then the harbor, all of Chiba, Yokohama, and then back to the western skyline dominated by Skytree and Mount Fuji. An information plaque said that one could even see Saitama Prefecture. They both tried to find Kawagoe in the distance, but its historic buildings were hidden behind Tokyo's skyscrapers. "Your new city is beautiful," said Kotarou. "I'd like to write about it someday."

"I'd like that, too," Akane replied, resting her head on his shoulder while holding his hand. Kotarou got a little nervous at her display of affection and glanced around to see who was looking. After a few seconds, though, he realized that he needed to stop worrying about it. They wouldn't see each other very often for the foreseeable future, so when they do it'll be important to stay close and not be so worried about others. Besides, this place was actually quite romantic. He made a mental note to come back here someday at sunset. Watching a sunset over Mount Fuji with his girlfriend – that was something to look forward to! But he honestly didn't know whether that could be any better than what he saw and felt right now.

Back on street level, they looked around the neighborhood, being careful not to wander too far away. It was mid-afternoon, and Kotarou had a train to catch to get home by dinnertime. Their remaining time together was drawing short. Walking down a side street, Akane spotted a sweets cafe. "Ah! Honey toast!" she exclaimed, "That's my favorite! Come on, let's split one..." Kotarou, knowing now not to raise a fuss about Akane-chan spending money on him, readily agreed. He also knew not to get between Akane-chan and desserts! They decided on a small honey toast topped with banana and chocolate.

Akane, besides just wanting something sweet to eat, hoped it would give her courage. After finishing the honey toast, she checked her phone – there was less than an hour before Kotarou had to leave, and it was weighing heavily on her mind. How should she apologize? How does he really feel about what happened last week? Will this reopen an emotional wound? Could he forgive her if it did? Was she about to make a terrible mistake?

Walking along the streets near the station, Akane and Kotarou were mostly silent. He was feeling euphoric, basking in the warmth of the winter sun. She was feeling more and more anxious.

Finally, while walking down a narrow side street, she decided she couldn't wait any longer – she'd worked up the courage to speak, it had to be now... She slowed her pace, falling a few steps behind. Then she stopped and looked down, saying in a soft voice, "Gomen nasai."

Kotarou stopped and turned around. Still looking down, she repeated, "Gomen nasai." Then again, even louder, "Gomen nasai!" Damn it, she thought, don't lose control!

Kotarou felt a moment of panic. Why was she apologizing? What did she do? What did he do? Why hadn't he noticed she was in such distress? "What's wrong, Akane-chan?" he asked.

Still looking at her feet, she said, "Please listen to me. I need to say this."

She took a deep breath. "I hurt you. I hurt you badly. And I am... so sorry..."

Kotarou started to say, "I don't know what..."

Akane started to cry. She couldn't stop herself – all the pent-up anxieties were coming to the surface. The words came fast and furious now.

"You wrote such a beautiful story about me, about us, and I ran away from you. You wrote that you loved me... and I hurt you! And I can't stand the thought of that because... because I love you!"

She felt ashamed, surprising him like this and waiting until it was almost too late. She must look a total wreck by now. And he was going home soon – after this he might never want to come back...

Kotarou led her to a nearby bench where they could sit. He put her hand in his to reassure her – but also to hold her if she should try to run away. This time, he would not let her go.

"You were anxious about moving away... I didn't blame you for what happened. And I still don't." He turned to her and held her hand even more tightly. "And... you know... I finished the story because you ran away."

It was Akane's turn to be surprised. Oh my goodness, he's right! She had been so preoccupied with her fears, she hadn't thought it through. He posted the end of the story on the day she left, the day after she ran away from him!

Sensing that she was more calm now, Kotarou let go of Akane-chan's hand to let her dry her eyes. His words came straight from the heart. "I was afraid that I might never see you again. That's why I finished the story – I couldn't keep it inside, I needed to write it down."

Akane looked straight into Kotarou's eyes, pleading with a silent message. She needed to know that everything was going to be all right between them.

Kotarou felt her stare starting to bore through him, and he hesitated. His mind tumbled through all the things he might say next, but he suddenly became too self-aware. He started second-guessing all the things he could say...

The pressure to get this just right, the familiar fear of doing it all wrong again, left him temporarily speechless. And the longer the pause, the worse it got! C'mon, Kota, think! He went over in his head what he'd just said...

I couldn't keep it inside, I needed to write it down...

Of course! He'd thought this through before, when he was looking for how to end his story. He had written it down.

He took a breath to calm himself, and saw the words in his mind's eye. Then he read them aloud.

"Because no matter what happens... no matter where you go... I'll always love you."

Akane had shown herself to be an impulsive kisser over the past several months, surprising Kotarou on multiple occasions. This time, there were no surprises.

Walking home after leaving Kotarou at the train station, Akane felt more at peace than she had in weeks. They had said their "I love you"s several more times, each easier than the last. They even exchanged texts with that simple message after his train left.

They weren't sure when they could meet up again, but Akane said she'd try to make the trip to Kawagoe next time (after all, it's only fair!). Not knowing when it would be was frustrating, but more bearable now that they'd confessed their feelings face to face.

When Akane got home, Mom greeted her with, "Ah, there you are! How was your day?" Ayane was out with friends, and Dad was off running an errand before dinner.

"Oh, it was very nice, there's lots to see around the city center."

"And what did the two of you do?"

"Oh, we – " Akane caught herself. "Mom! Don't do that!"

Mom smiled. "I'm sorry, Akane, I couldn't help myself. You met that boy from Daisan, didn't you?"

Akane felt a need to stand up for herself. "Yes! Please don't be angry – he's... important to me. And I am NOT going to break up with him!"

Mom wasn't sure just where that came from, but she laughed it off. "Oh, goodness, Akane, it's fine! You don't have to keep it a secret. Invite him over - I'd love to meet him."

"OK... but do NOT mention grandchildren! I've heard you talk to Ayane's boyfriends! Don't scare him off!" And with that, she marched off to her room, embarrassed that she was so easy to read.

Oh, my poor anxious little bunny... Mom chuckled quietly. You are stubborn enough to stay with that boy, just to spite us.

And it wouldn't surprise me if you were the first to give me a grandchild...

The train ride back to Kawagoe was more of a blur than the ride that morning. Kotarou wasn't noticing much of anything – he was lost in his memories of the day. He looked at his phone – I Love You!, it said, with a picture of honey toast. Another text to save, another 10 screenshots just in case he deleted nine of them.

He wanted to mark the occasion somehow. Looking at his phone, he saw the name "Akane-chan" at the top of the chat screen. He decided it was time to update her entry. He knew just what would be appropriate for his sweet-tooth sweetheart – "Honey".

The rhythm of the train was causing his thoughts to wander. He'll be starting high school soon, and so many high school stories in light novels and manga were about young people looking for love. But here he was, already having found his. He felt extraordinarily fortunate – and their story was just beginning...

Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack, click-clack...