I'm very flattered by the responses that I received for the first chapter. The first chapter was a lot of fun, so I was eager to get a second out. This chapter picks up where the last one left off, so expect a fair amount of Koiwai/Fuuka content.
I'd like to give props to Elle Rita (and her stories) for inspiring me to write one of my own. And I'd like to say thanks to Valaju66 and the anonymous reader for their reviews.
THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
Part 2
Just when it seemed as if Fuuka was about to tell Koiwai something rather important, Yotsuba (who was now seven) burst into the living room and derailed their conversation like the good little non-sequitur she was.
Still, as galling as all this had been, Koiwai liked to think he'd handled it pretty well- all things considered... He'd managed to keep his bewilderment and mild frustration to himself and shifted the focus onto the green-haired girl. "Well, it looks like you've been having fun?"
The girl became wide-eyed as she turned to him, still hanging onto Fuuka (who was only faintly blushing by this point). "Daddy, this neighborhood is amazing- there's so many places to explore!" She exclaimed happily as she cast her arms up for emphasis. "It's like a big forest- except for the parts that aren't like that... But otherwise..."
He smiled as he listened to Yotsuba, covertly glancing at Fuuka. To the girl's credit, she'd adapted to the child's sudden arrival much better than he would have at her age. She'd demonstrated a degree of coping skill that even Koiwai himself had to concede to... And he'd raised the kid!
And so, while this whole ordeal had been frustrating, he had to admit that when he looked at the eighteen year old girl interacting with his daughter... Well, the interplay between the two of them seemed to come naturally to Fuuka, almost as if it were second nature to her.
Eventually, he managed to shrug off the whole affair all together and fell back into a more familiar 'role'- that of Yotsuba's dad. If nothing else, he was certainly adaptive... One had to be when it came to parenting- especially with a kid as strange as his! And yet, while he marveled at her abilities, he still wondered if she was experiencing something similar to what he felt at the moment...
.o.o.o.
Fuuka had eventually returned home without incident... which frustrated the girl to no end. She had finally mustered the courage to talk to Koiwai-san about her feelings. But, like usual, things didn't go according to plan.
She plopped down on her bed and sighed audibly as she looked up at the ceiling. She mused over the events of the day, wondering how in spite of things, it still felt like nothing had changed between them. After she got tired of looking at the light fixture, she cast her gaze to the side and noted an upturned paper cup on her desk.
She blushed and averted her eyes from it, recalling when her older sister had walked in on her 'conversation' with Koiwai-san two years ago. She sat up (propping herself up on her hands) and looked at it again. She shook her head when she realized that the thing had somehow managed to remain there all this time... Her socks touched down on the floor as she got to her feet and looked at her nearby clock- the digital display confirming that it was early evening.
Fuuka walked over to her desk and picked up the string-phone. A small smile played across her face as she looked at it, dusting it off a bit as she held it up. She suddenly found herself wishing that the thing was still 'linked up'. She sighed and set it back down on her desk, wondering if the other cup was still were she remembered it being... in Koiwai-san's office.
Impulsively, she slid her window open and looked outside. There was light coming from the open window. She opened her desk and took out an old ball of red string (from an old school project) and walked over to retrieve one of her plush dolls from her shelf. The girl failed to register just how familiar the thing was as she looked at it. She the glanced out the window with a determined expression.
.o.o.o.
Koiwai was at his computer (working on an assignment) when something sailed through his open window. He got up and looked down where it had landed. It was a strange looking (though oddly familiar) stuffed animal- somewhat cat-like, yet not.
He noted the red thread and the paper cup attached to it. His eyes followed the red line up out the windowsill and beyond- through the window across from him. He felt himself sweat when he realized what was going on. Koiwai quickly undid the line and held the paper cup up to his mouth. "Um…Hello?" He asked, somewhat nervously.
He was initially met with silence, but then a nervous-sounding voice spoke up came through the impromptu phone. "Koiwai-san, can you hear me?"
He sat down on the floor. "Yeah, I can hear you Fuuka… What's up?" He asked, slipping into a more relaxed tone with her. Back in her room, the girl in question was sitting against the wall (under the open window) with the cup held to her ear.
"Earlier, when we were interrupted… I had wanted to talk to you about something- something important…"
Koiwai shook his head and put the phone up to his mouth. "Fuuka, I'm not so sure if string phones are the best way to do this…" He offered, though this sort of thing really should have been par for the course by this point.
"It's easier this way... I'm not sure if I could say this in person." The girl replied, her tone guarded as she spoke. The dark-haired man felt himself sweat as he listened to the voice on the other end. "I- I like you, Koiwai-san... And not just as a friend."
There was a pause, and he was tempted to say something- but he decided to allow the conversation to play out naturally."And I'm sorry if this makes things weird between us, but I just couldn't keep this bottled up any more."
He smiled and slumped back against the wall. "Fuuka, don't worry. It's alright... And, actually, there's something I need to tell you as well..."
.o.o.o.
About a month later…
Fuuka rode home and secured her bicycle outside, before opening the front door and venturing inside. She paused and looked at her mom, sitting at the couch, quietly reading a magazine. "Hi mom." She spoke with a smile.
The older short-haired woman glanced up, noting her middle daughter's cheerful demeanor. She set the magazine down and smiled at the teen. "So, how was your day?" He asked in her usual calm tone.
Fuuka paused and smiled. "Oh it went well," She replied cheerfully. "There's a lot going on, so it's pretty exciting right now. Anyway, I'll be in my room if you need me." She then made her way upstairs. Mrs. Ayase remained seated and watched impassively as her daughter practically flew up the staircase.
She then turned to the kitchen, just in time to see Asagi emerge (with an orange popsicle in her hand). The attractive brunette stopped and looked at her mother. "Well, Fuuka certainly's in a good mood." She observed as she unwrapped the popsicle.
Mrs. Ayase regarded her eldest daughter for moment, sighing inwardly as she saw herself reflected in the girl (more than she cared to admit). "Yes, she is... isn't she?" She replied idly, while noting that Asagi was now nursing the popsicle in her mouth. She looked at her daughter for a moment. "...Asagi, whose popsicle is that?"
(End of Part 2)
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The characters are a lot of fun to write for, and the relationships are very natural. Though I'm not sure if I got Yotsuba quite right- she's a hard character to write (as you can imagine). I'm only really getting started with this, so you should expect to see another chapter in the near future. And as always, feedback is welcome.
