Silence pervaded the two friends. The heat of the day has somewhat dimmed.
It was almost afternoon. There were some students walking and hanging
around the school grounds.
Hanasen looked at her friend who was fumbling with something in her bag.
"Noriko-chan?"
"Hmmm?"
"There's something I really must tell you..but I don't know where to start exactly..that's the truth." She looked down.
Noriko sat closer to her.
"Hey! It's me you're talking to. It can't be that big a deal."
"But it is a big deal." Hanasen sounded worried.
"So if it's such a big deal then you just might as well say it! C'mon!"
Hanasen looked down. She felt her hands beginning to shake. She clasped them together.
"I did something unthinkable. And I just thought I'd do something about it. But what could I do? The opportunity was right before my very eyes..and..and..I..j-j-just had to do it...I mean...I mean...if I didn't then I would regret it for the rest of my whole life...and..and...I don't want to regret it...I mean, what if I grow old and then I'd be like I wish...I did..if only..had I only..l-l-like..like...like..and.and.and." Hanasen was stuttering madly.
"Ok-k-k-k-kayy!!!! Relax. You're stuttering! You're going l-l-l-like and- and-and..and I don't know what in the world are you trying to tell me. What is it so unthinkable that you have done?" Noriko held her hand.
"Promise me something?"
"Okay. Just don't make me swear about getting my L'arc collection burst in flames again, ne?" Noriko winced.
"I'm serious. You must promise me you won't tell anyone!"
"Oh God." Noriko put a hand to her mouth.
"You promise!" Hanasen frowned.
"Does your sister know about this?" Noriko looked closely at her.
"NO!!!" Hanasen nearly screamed.
"ALRIGHT!!! What's going on?" Noriko folded her arms to her chest. It felt unusual that Hanasen would keep something from her sister. This had to be something really serious.
"Something happened yesterday."
"Wakatta. (I know) You called me. But you sounded so happy then and now you sound like a wreck."
"I was at the park. Okay..it was a play lot...you know, that small place that has this basketball hoop thingie..near the Shinodas?"
"Yeah, I know that place. My little cousins often play there. So what happened?"
"I was jogging."
"Yeah?"
"And I stopped."
"And then what?"
Hanasen squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face.
"Hanasen!!! What happened? You're freaking me out with the suspense!"
"I saw..uh..ah...uhn.." Hanasen was stuttering again.
"A what? Was it a snake?"
"No!"
"Oh my gosh! You saw someone making out there?" Noriko covered her mouth.
"HELL NO!!!!!" Now it was Hanasen's turn to freak out. Where the hell did Noriko get that idea? She stood up suddenly.
"Oi! What the hell did you see?"
"I saw someone."
"Do you know who this someone is?"
Hanasen nodded.
"Do I know that person too by any chance?"
She nodded again.
"So what's the problem?"
"I met the man that would change my life forever."
"Eh? A MAN??? Hontou desu ka?"
"hai. I saw him." Her voice small.
Noriko gave her a curious look and narrowed her eyes.
"Him? Wait..anou..let me analyze this first. You know him. I know him too. Basketball hoop...change life forever...uh-huh...okay..continue." Noriko shook her head in confusion.
"Did he say something?"
"He didn't say anything."
"Was he bothered that you were there?"
"No."
"Did he annoy you?"
"No not at all!" She defended.
"Did he look at you?"
"No."
"Then what?"
"He didn't do anything! I mean, he was right there! What was I supposed to do? It was 10:00 in the morning. The sun was beating down on him. His arms spread apart."
"Huh?"
"His legs spread apart."
"His LEGS SPREAD APART?"
"NORIKO-CHAN!!! You make it sound....creepy."
"I'm just repeating what you said. Hey! You started it." Noriko poked her shoulder.
"I'm giving you a vivid description."
"How does this guy look like?"
"He was..ah..tall."
"Like how tall?"
"Really tall...anou...basketball player tall."
"Okay, go on. So this guy was playing basketball, I presume."
"No. He was sleeping."
"Sleeping?"
"Hai." She bit her lip.
This time.
Noriko's jaw dropped. She turned deathly pale.
Hanasen looked at her friend who was fumbling with something in her bag.
"Noriko-chan?"
"Hmmm?"
"There's something I really must tell you..but I don't know where to start exactly..that's the truth." She looked down.
Noriko sat closer to her.
"Hey! It's me you're talking to. It can't be that big a deal."
"But it is a big deal." Hanasen sounded worried.
"So if it's such a big deal then you just might as well say it! C'mon!"
Hanasen looked down. She felt her hands beginning to shake. She clasped them together.
"I did something unthinkable. And I just thought I'd do something about it. But what could I do? The opportunity was right before my very eyes..and..and..I..j-j-just had to do it...I mean...I mean...if I didn't then I would regret it for the rest of my whole life...and..and...I don't want to regret it...I mean, what if I grow old and then I'd be like I wish...I did..if only..had I only..l-l-like..like...like..and.and.and." Hanasen was stuttering madly.
"Ok-k-k-k-kayy!!!! Relax. You're stuttering! You're going l-l-l-like and- and-and..and I don't know what in the world are you trying to tell me. What is it so unthinkable that you have done?" Noriko held her hand.
"Promise me something?"
"Okay. Just don't make me swear about getting my L'arc collection burst in flames again, ne?" Noriko winced.
"I'm serious. You must promise me you won't tell anyone!"
"Oh God." Noriko put a hand to her mouth.
"You promise!" Hanasen frowned.
"Does your sister know about this?" Noriko looked closely at her.
"NO!!!" Hanasen nearly screamed.
"ALRIGHT!!! What's going on?" Noriko folded her arms to her chest. It felt unusual that Hanasen would keep something from her sister. This had to be something really serious.
"Something happened yesterday."
"Wakatta. (I know) You called me. But you sounded so happy then and now you sound like a wreck."
"I was at the park. Okay..it was a play lot...you know, that small place that has this basketball hoop thingie..near the Shinodas?"
"Yeah, I know that place. My little cousins often play there. So what happened?"
"I was jogging."
"Yeah?"
"And I stopped."
"And then what?"
Hanasen squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face.
"Hanasen!!! What happened? You're freaking me out with the suspense!"
"I saw..uh..ah...uhn.." Hanasen was stuttering again.
"A what? Was it a snake?"
"No!"
"Oh my gosh! You saw someone making out there?" Noriko covered her mouth.
"HELL NO!!!!!" Now it was Hanasen's turn to freak out. Where the hell did Noriko get that idea? She stood up suddenly.
"Oi! What the hell did you see?"
"I saw someone."
"Do you know who this someone is?"
Hanasen nodded.
"Do I know that person too by any chance?"
She nodded again.
"So what's the problem?"
"I met the man that would change my life forever."
"Eh? A MAN??? Hontou desu ka?"
"hai. I saw him." Her voice small.
Noriko gave her a curious look and narrowed her eyes.
"Him? Wait..anou..let me analyze this first. You know him. I know him too. Basketball hoop...change life forever...uh-huh...okay..continue." Noriko shook her head in confusion.
"Did he say something?"
"He didn't say anything."
"Was he bothered that you were there?"
"No."
"Did he annoy you?"
"No not at all!" She defended.
"Did he look at you?"
"No."
"Then what?"
"He didn't do anything! I mean, he was right there! What was I supposed to do? It was 10:00 in the morning. The sun was beating down on him. His arms spread apart."
"Huh?"
"His legs spread apart."
"His LEGS SPREAD APART?"
"NORIKO-CHAN!!! You make it sound....creepy."
"I'm just repeating what you said. Hey! You started it." Noriko poked her shoulder.
"I'm giving you a vivid description."
"How does this guy look like?"
"He was..ah..tall."
"Like how tall?"
"Really tall...anou...basketball player tall."
"Okay, go on. So this guy was playing basketball, I presume."
"No. He was sleeping."
"Sleeping?"
"Hai." She bit her lip.
This time.
Noriko's jaw dropped. She turned deathly pale.