Chapter Four:

Tohno couldn't deny that he was waiting for Akari's reply. His cellphone was positioned on the right side of his futon, at a short distance so that his hand could easily reach it... if he had to, that is. With a slight frown, he realized that his phone was at an abnormal place, its usual residence was among the careless clutter on his small table. Staring idly up at the ceiling, his mind began to wander.

It first traveled to the thought of food. Tohno wasn't sure when he had last eaten. But as if that thought did not satisfy to torment his mind, it automatically switched to today, to Akari. Then his mind, satisfied that it had struck a nerve in Tohno's defensive barrier, started flipping eagerly through the pages of the past, turning, and turning until it reached his childhood.

There was a girl and a boy, alone in the school library. They both had the burden of allergies. Well, it wasn't really a burden in the end. After all, it was through this way, did this boy become close to the girl. They were both standing with their backs with each other, except at an angle, so if one started talking, the other could simply twist their body around to face the other and respond. He watched wistfully as the smaller of the two, the slightly shorter, brown-haired girl with wide, spirited eyes turned and tugged on the boy's sleeve, enthusiastically motioning for him to look at the library card that she was holding in her hand. The boy followed suit without a word of complaint; looking over the girl's shoulder despite the obvious blush settling on his cheeks. The boy was extremely aware of the fact that he was extremely close to the girl.

Closer than should be. Closer than normal. Close enough to feel the heat radiating from her body. Close enough to reach forward with a hesitating finger, poke her back gently, then claim it was a joke with a smile when she turned around.

But the boy didn't move away. Neither did the girl.

-Flash Forward a Few Months-

The boy was clenching the phone tightly, pressing it to his ear, and the tightness started to hurt. He didn't want the girl's sweet voice to end though, so the phone remained where it was.

Disbelief was painted on the boy's face as he continued listening. "Huh? ...You're transferring schools?" He sat down on the tatami mat. "What about Nishi Middle School? You went through all that trouble to get accepted."

His eyes fell to the ground. "No... there's no reason to apologize."

Then somewhere inside his heart, he knew that the person on the other side of the line, the girl, was crying. It killed him to know that. He didn't want to continue hearing the catches in her usually, steady voice.

"I understand. You don't have to say anymore." He just didn't want to continue hearing her cry.

-Flash Forward A Year-

The cold was seeping into his entire body. The absence of the sun, the pitch-black darkness of the sky didn't do any good to improve his deteriorating mood. The delay of train after train caused the boy to clench his directions tightly and check his watch more than necessary.

He was late. Would she still even be there, now that it was past the appointed time?

The growing teenager arrived at the train station that was supposed to be there meeting place. He didn't expect her to be there, but he saw her waiting, half asleep, in one of the chairs. Not seeing anything else but her, he walked until he was standing in front of her. She heard his footsteps and looked up, grabbing the hem of his coat. He saw that her shoulders were shaking, then realized it was because of joy.

Later on, they walked along the snowy path together, the girl running ahead of the boy, just like when they were children. And it was under a bare tree, laden with falling snow, did they share a kiss...

...I thought I knew where her heart lay.

And Tohno knew at that moment, the boy really loved the girl. Because he was that boy.

He had always longed for Akari, always wondered about her every now and then. She was never far from his mind.

His phone vibrated a bit, creating minuscule earthquakes. His hand automatically picked up the cellphone, flipping it open to the screen. It was only a reminder to pay his monthly phone bills. Cursing, he tossed the phone back onto the ground, not too gently.

He brought his right hand up to his forehead, massaging it. He had honestly thought it was a reply from Akari. What was he even doing? Was he lovesick?

Propping his arms on the futon, he propelled himself upwards from the futon. Time for food, he thought. Right, that will clear my mind. Staggering to the white refrigerator, Tohno noticed for the first time that it was not exactly "well-stocked." Half a gallon of milk sat on one of the shelves, a couple of apples scattered on the shelf underneath, and his hopes raised up when he caught sight of a carton of eggs. He opened the carton only to discover a lone egg inside.

Scrambled eggs at midnight? Why not.

He set the frying pan on the stove. I better start finding a new job soon. I can't continue to live like this.

Tomorrow, he would look for one.

"She replied." He whispered the words to himself in disbelief.

Takaki-kun, how have you been?

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep. The small apartment was already bright with rays of daylight streaming in. But reading Akari's words first thing in the morning had a very nice feeling to it. He could still hear the little girl she once was in her words.

Tohno glanced at his digital clock, the numbers telling him that he had slept past noon. What a surprise; he usually had restless nights and pulled an all-nighter occasionally. Remembering that he had promised himself to look for a job today, Tohno poured himself a glass of milk and performed all his morning necessities. Then he grabbed his wallet, cell, and keys, and left the locked apartment behind.

When he was fully outside the apartment building, he was at a loss. How was he supposed to find a job? Tohno was quite sure that he couldn't just waltz into a random building and declare that a job be given to him "or else." Only psychopaths or delusional people do that. Furthermore, he'll wind up getting kicked out of the place instantly if he ever tried that.

As he stopped to take in his surroundings, he realized that the aroma of food cooking lured him to a food court in a mall. For the first time in many days, Tohno felt his appetite growing. He wondered if his will for living was returning back to him. Tohno's stomach growled at the sight of the food stores, but the limited amount of cash in his wallet suggested another option. He compromised. Maybe he'll settle for a drink.

The restaurant directly in front of him looked promising, not a horrible place, but not a classy five-star restaurant that he couldn't afford. In other words, just right. It was a traditional place with low tables and cushions for chairs. The space was small, but not to the point where everything was crowded. In a way, it was cozy and to Tohno's liking. Tohno opted for one of the single places in front of the chef.

"Say, boy, what's your order?" The chef was already eyeing him, a sharp knife held in his left head, ready to start preparing the dish. He was a middle-aged man, by the looks of the graying hairs along the side of his head. His eyes were kind. The small space and the existence of only the chef in this restaurant suggested that it was family owned.

"I'd like a cup of green tea," answered Tohno.

"Is that all?" The chef sadly dropped his knife. He was probably expecting to do some slicing or chopping with that knife of his.

Tohno thought for a second and was spurred on by the idea of more food. "Onigiri, too, if you can."

The chef turned around to brew the tea. He set a tea kettle upon the stove to boil the water. "What kind of filling do you want in it?"

"Anything."

Soon, a warm cup of tea was in Tohno's hands and a plate of onigiri was in front of him. The mystery meat inside the onigiri tasted surprisingly delicious; though, Tohno couldn't find the courage to ask the chef what was in it in fear that it was something that was better left unsaid.

When he was almost finished, Tohno had the sudden idea that he could work at this restaurant. He watched as the chef waited on another person. Surely, the chef could use some help? A waiter?

Purposely, Tohno waited until the customer left until he asked his question. He stood up, pulling cash out of his wallet and placing it on the table. As the chef came to collect his payment, Tohno nervously stopped him.

"Grandfather, I-I've noticed that you work here alone?"

The chef stopped and turned to Tohno. "I own this shop." A fond expression crossed his face and passed quickly. "I used to have a son who helped out, but he's overseas now. He won't be coming back anytime soon." He turned to take Tohno's plate, assuming that Tohno's questions were answered.

However, Tohno wasn't quite done. "I'm just wondering, do you need any help?" Tohno rubbed his neck in embarrassment. Great, I just made it sound like I think that he's weak. "I mean. I was wondering... may I work here?"

The chef blinked his eyes twice. "You want to work here?"

"If I can, yes, sir."

"Then don't call me 'Grandfather.' I'm not that old yet." A smile played on the old man's lips. Tohno wondered if the chef was actually enjoying this conversation.

"Then what do I address you as... Sir?"

The old man pondered for a minute, turning the offer around in his head. "Come back tomorrow. I'll tell you then. First, what's your name, boy?"

"Tohno Takaki." The man nodded and Tohno bowed a respectable ninety degrees, leaving the shop without a backward glance.

The man watched him leave, his mouth unconsciously turning into a genuine smile. It had been a long time since he smiled like that. "Tohno Takaki... he reminds me a little of Daisuke. Ah, I wonder how that boy is doing."

The bright daylight outside the dim shop blinded Tohno the second he left his potential future job place, noting the banner saying "Tagawa's Family Food." He should have addressed the old man as "Mr. Tagawa," given the fact that Tagawa must be his surname. Shielding his eyes momentarily, he waited for the sudden pain to subside before lowering his hand and proceeding on with his slowly brightening life.

He was aimlessly walking when he spotted a young woman fleeing from somewhere, with her dark brown eyes focused on the ground, brown hair past the shoulder, a pink sweater on, the very same tint as...

Cherry blossoms. Akari. It was her.

Eyes widening, Tohno stood there, frozen in place in the crowd of moving people. He knew he wanted to reach out to her, to hear her sweet voice again, but would she like his entrance into her life again? Or was his entrance unwelcome? He lost his sight of Akari as the crowd moved, blocking his view of her. Before he knew it, he was already walking briskly, his brisk pace making way to a run as he once again caught sight of her. His heart sped up as he closed the distance between them, trying to as politely as possible, push pass the mass of people in the court. Murmuring apologies every time he had to separate a group of people, his hands finally clenched the fleeing young woman's shoulder.

He just knew it was Akari. The feeling of being with her felt so familiar that Tohno didn't have to worry about the possibility of clenching the shoulder of a random Akari look-alike.

Startled, the woman turned around. "Takaki-kun?" She tried to muster a smile. "What are you doing here?"

Tohno was concerned to see tears brimming in her eyes. Coincidentally, he ignored her question. "Akari, what happened?"

"I... Yuuchi just... It's nothing-" Her voice faltered as the tears fell, wetting her dry cheeks.

The sight reminded Tohno of the past when he heard Akari crying over the phone. Though, the pain was a thousand times worse as he watched her try and stop her tears, her head bowing down in hopes of having her hair hide her face and mortification. Except, back then, distance separated them. Right now, she was in front of him. He couldn't comfort her back then, but he could right now.

He reached out, wrapping his arms around Akari's shoulder, and pulling her to him. "I understand. It's okay. You don't have to say anymore," he whispered.

Tohno felt her start to relax as he hid her from the puzzled flashes of passing onlookers. Even her form was so familiar yet foreign at the same time. The feeling was the same as when he was younger, clearing out his room, and stumbling upon an old favorite book of his. The words he memorized by heart, the pages had gotten dusty through the years of neglect, but the words were the same... the words he so dearly remembered.

"I know Akari's pretty and practically single, but you can't just hug her. So get your hands off her."

A skinny woman clothed in black jeans and a denim jacket stopped in front of Tohno. With her head tilted at an angle, her raised eyebrows, menacing eyes, she looked like she wanted to murder him. Literally.

"Or do you want me to do it for you?"

Chapter Notes:

(1) Mizuki, as you can see, is very much like that upbeat and protective friend.

(2) Tohno wants to find a job and so he followed the line of reasoning that he could have a restaurant job while he searches for a suitable job. If you're wondering what "Tagawa" means, the definition is "rice paddy river."

Author's Notes

I'm very horrible at creating usernames and naming things. By the same reasoning, I'm horrible at creating names for restaurants. I thought that since the shop is family owned, it wouldn't have a flashy name, but would probably include the surname of the owner.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading.