Chapter 3
All the Things She's Done for Me
Finally, the weekend arrives. Chitose and I left the house about a half-hour ago and walked all the way to the nearest park that Yui-san told us. I look around for a bit to notice that neither her or Kyoko Tohsino is here yet. I check my watch, which says 12:05.
"Geez, where the heck are they?" I say frowning.
"Don't worry, Ayano-chan," Chitose assures me. "They probably will be here in a few minutes."
I clench my fists in anger. "If that Kyoko Toshino doesn't show up in a few minutes, I'm gonna punch her so hard in the throat that she can't speak a single darn word!" I pump my fist in the air.
My best friend chuckles. "Aw, you're worried about Toshino-san, aren't you?"
"What do ya mean!?" I shout at her.
She just takes off her glasses and goes off into her fantasy again. Really, what does she fantasize about as far as me and Kyoko Toshino? When some blood pours out from her nose, she moans in pleasure.
"Ahhh . . . that's right," she says. Out of nowhere, someone passes her a tissue box and Chitose takes one of the tissues to wipe her nosebleeds.
I sigh as I do a face palm. I check my watch again as time ticks down. Just then, I hear some footsteps coming toward me. I look up to see a certain blonde girl and Yui-san along with her.
"Here I am!" Kyoko Toshino says, cheefully.
"You!" I shout as I point at her. "It's about time you showed up!"
"Come on. Being a little late wouldn't hurt, right?"
"Not when I'm here!"
Chitose slides in between us, laughing nervously. "Now, now, you two. All of us are here, so let's just enjoy our time, okay?"
"Yes, let's," Yui-san says as she puts a large blanket down and a basket full of food she brought over. She also brought over a frisbee and a ball to play catch with. When she's done setting up everything, all of us prepare some sandwiches to eat. I place some ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato on mine and took a bite of it. Mm! Super delicious! I look over to see what the others are eating. Yui-san just made a left-over meatloaf sandwich, Chitose is eating some rice while Kyoko Toshino made her own ham and cheese sandwich.
I look over at mine and hers, feeling a blush coming over my face. "Y-you could've made a healthier sandwich, you know?" I try to say while turning away.
"Yeah, but I like this a lot better," the blonde replies, holding up her sandwich with a smile.
"Good for you," Yui-san says, being slightly annoyed.
As we continue eating, I stare at Kyoko Toshino. She's just so cute when she eats. I think to myself. I figure that this is not the right time to confess just yet. Maybe after lunch or something? But then, Chizuru-san appears in my head again, reminding me that I have to be with Chitose. I just shake my head at the thought again. No! It's not right for me to do this when . . .
"Um, Ayano?" Kyoko Toshino says. "Are you okay?"
"Ah! Uh, yeah, sure!" I suddenly jump at the sound of her voice and turn away to hide my blush. "I'm fine!"
The blonde looks over at me and comes over closer to me, making me blush even harder.
"U-uh, w-what are you doing!?" I cry out, afraid of what she might do to me.
"You got some crumbs on your face," she says as she takes a napkin. "Here, let me get that for you."
She wipes my face gently until all of it comes off. I can't stop blushing. I . . . I have been touched by Kyoko Toshino! I think. It's like a dream come true!
"There! All done!"
I touch my cheek to make sure that it's completely gone, still having a blush on my face. "T-thanks."
"No problem!" She replies and goes back to her lunch.
I glance at the blonde, feeling very pleased that she was able to do that for me. Maybe she's not as bad as she seems. Still, she can be pretty naughty, lazy and also silly. With that in mind, I just go back to eating.
When we're all done with lunch, all of us stand up and decide to take a walk for a bit before doing anything else. Kyoko Toshino immediately walks next to Yui-san, which for me, blew my chances of talking to her. So, I end up walking next to Chitose. We walk around the park for a while, looking at the beautiful scenery. We see some children running around with adults watching them, other kids playing on the playground, some elderly couple feeding some seeds to birds and so on. I smile at the scenery of this park, feeling very relaxed. I then look over at Kyoko Toshino, who is smiling at the scenery herself. For me, I can just imagine myself holding hands with her, observing the exact same thing, only that's what I'm hoping for when I . . .
Anyway, I turn my head around so that she doesn't notice me staring at her and continue walking along the park. There' no way I could confess to her when she's with Yui-san! Argh! Just why is it so hard!?
"Hey, Ayano!" the blonde says to me. "Wanna go look at the fountain together?"
"Huh? I didn't know there's a foundation in the middle of the park," I say, scratching my head.
"No, not at the park, silly!" Kyoko Toshino giggles. "The fountain that's next to the park!" She points in the direction where the streets are and I notice the huge fountain with lots of people gathered around, gazing at the beautiful water sprinkling out of the faucets. My eyes widen at amazement.
"Whoa!" I say.
"Come on!" the blonde says, quickly taking my hand. "Let's go! I heard that you can also make wishes in there as well!"
"R-really?" I didn't expect this to happen. Before I could even object, Kyoko Toshino just drags me to the fountain for both of us to observe.
I have to admit: it looks even more beautiful up close, but also . . . with Kyoko Toshino by my side. I couldn't have been more happy than before. Both of us walk up to the fountain and the blonde takes out her wallet. This tells me to take out mine as well, but when I do, I notice that I had forgotten it back home. Oh, why in the world would I do that!? I know I was in a hurry and all, but to forget my wallet is just plain stupid!
"Here," Kyoko Toshino holds out her hand, revealing a quarter she's holding. "I have extra in case you don't have your money."
N-no way, I think to myself. It's like she read my mind or something. I can't believe she would even do that for me. But . . . why?
"T-thanks," I say softly as I take the coin.
"Great! Now we'll both make our wishes!" Upon saying that, she takes a step towards the fountain, flips the coin in the water and holds her hands together like she's praying while closing her eyes.
Whatever she's wishing for, I hope for the best of her. Taking a deep breath, I also flip the coin into the water. Closing my eyes and putting my hands together, I make on simple wish in my head, Please let me be with Kyoko Toshino. I love her and I want to be by her side forever. When that's done, both she and I look at each other. She gives me a bright smile and a thumbs up, which makes me blush a little and turn away. I've never gotten a thumbs up from her before. Maybe she's congratulating me on my wish or something. Whatever it is, I hope she's happy with her wish, too.
After about a few minutes of observing the fountain, Kyoko Toshino and I go back and meet up with Yui-san and Chitose.
"So, how was the fountain?" Yui-san says.
"It was a great view!" Kyoko Toshino says, cheerfully. "Ayano and I had a lot of fun, right?"
"Oh, y-yes," I reply, having a blush on my face again. I look at her smiling face, seeing that she really enjoyed it.
"That's good to hear," Yui-san says. "Want to come?"
"Sure!"
The blonde quickly takes Yui-san's hand and walks off while I stare at them, holding hands. Seeing them like this makes me feel jealous and disappointed at the same time. Was Chizuru-san right about Yui-san having feelings for Kyoko Toshino? For me, I just don't know anymore. Trying not to cry, I just walk to where Chitose is standing and just walk with her.
We've been in the park for the whole afternoon until the sun is setting. And the whole afternoon, I had a little talk with Kyoko Toshino or no time at all with her. To be honest, she was too busy with Yui-san and clinging to her like she was her own girlfriend. Girlfriend . . . I really wish it could be the same for me. I didn't have a chance to confess my feelings at all to her. How stupid I am for waiting for too long. Chizuru-san was right about that as well. I'm just no good about being honest with Kyoko Toshino and it's really frustrating. Why can't I just say those three simple words to her?
"Hey," Yui-san says. "Since we still have some time left, why don't we watch the sunset together on that little hill over there?" She points to the direction at the end of the park.
"That's a great idea!" Chitose says, clasping her hands together and turns to me. "Well, let's go, Ayano-chan!"
"Okay," I just nod and walk with the others to the hill.
We walk all the way up to the top where a big thick tree is standing and sit by it. I sit in the bottom while Chitose sits a few inches close to me. Kyoko Toshino and Yui-san sit above us and observe the beautiful sunset. I start to smile at this beautiful scenery as I look around to notice that there are very few people at this park now. They're probably going home now for dinner or something. Anyway, I look down at the ground while hugging my knees. Well, since I'm never able to confess my feelings to the blonde, I'm left wondering if Kyoko Toshino loves Yui-san after all. No, that can't be possible, right? I mean, there isn't any proof yet that they are girlfriends. Maybe there's still a chance for me to be honest.
"Ayano?" Kyoko Toshino says. "Why are you all the way down here? Come sit with me and we'll watch it from up here."
I turn to her angrily. "I'm just fine by myself, thank you!"
Kyoko Toshino just giggles. "You're silly. You can't see the full view from here. Come and I'll take you up high so we can see the whole thing." She takes my hand and walks me up to the very top of the hill with Yui-san following. Chitose follows soon after.
Still holding my hand, both Kyoko Toshino and I sit side by side and watch the sun go down, saying its final good-byes. I feel a major blush coming over me as I glance at the blonde. She's even offering to have me watch the sun set with her. I think to myself. But I'm still wondering why she would do this for me. Doesn't she love Yui-san?
"Ahh, now this is what I call watching a beautiful sunset!" Kyoko Toshino sighs happily. "Right, Ayano?"
I just turn away, blushing. "Y-you can call it whatever you want." That's not what I want to say, idiot! I think.
The blonde just giggles as she turns to Yui-san and smiles. The black haired girl smiles as well and turns to the sunset. The sun is about to disappear when Yui-san takes hold of Kyoko Tohshino's hand. I gasp softly at this sight and just turn away. I don't want to see any more of this now that I'm pretty sure that Yui-san loves Kyoko Toshino. But what about her? I just don't understand why she would be happy with both of us. Could it be that she doesn't have the one she loves yet? This is all too confusing.
I look over at Kyoko Toshino, who has her eyes on the sun set and her holding hands with Yui-san. I then think about if I should confess to her or not. Then, I shake my head sadly. No, not when Yui-san is around. She'll be heartbroken if she found out I love Kyoko Toshino. Tears were starting to form in my eyes as I think about this.
"Ayano-chan?" Chitose says as she scoots closer to me. "Is everything okay?"
I shake my head as I glance at Kyoko Toshino. Chitose then understood what I was feeling and just pats me on the shoulder, telling me not to worry and there will always be a next time. Will there be a next time?
Night falls. All of us are on the sidewalk, saying our good-byes as I just stand there, looking disappointed. Not once did I ever get a chance to confess my feelings towards Kyoko Toshino. Because she's with Yui-san, the girl that she might be in love with. As both Chitose and Yui-san say good-bye to each other, the short silver haired girl turns to me.
"Ayano-chan?" she says. "Don't you want to say good-bye?"
I just nod and walk up to Yui-san. "I'll see you later, Yui-san." I put out my hand.
The black haired girl smiles as she gently grips it. "Same to you. I had fun today."
"Same here," I reply with a small smile. I turn to Kyoko Toshino with a blush on my face. The blonde just smiles as she walks up to me and wraps her arms around me, making me blush even harder. "K-K-Kyoko Toshino!?"
"I had a great time, Ayano," she says gently. "But most of all, I had fun with you. You might have not had fun for the most part, but I can tell that you were happy, even when you were with me. So, I want to thank you for your time."
My heart skips a beat when she says that to me. She had fun with me, even though she had her time with Yui-san? She pulls away, giggles and rejoins Yui-san. I have a loss for words as she and Yui-san walk off together home. I don't believe it. All this time, even when I didn't get a chance to confess, Kyoko Toshino still didn't mind hanging with me. Now part of me feels happy while another part of me feels indecisive. Now that I'm seeing her hang with Yui-san more and more, I'm starting to feel that both of them might like each other. It's a possibility, but I don't really know for sure.
Chitose looks at me in concern. "Are you okay?"
I turn to her as I just nod my head. "I'm fine. It's just . . . I had a great time with all of you."
"I had fun, too!" Then, she realizes something. "Oh, yeah! Did you get a chance to confess yet?"
I shake my head sadly. "I . . . waited too long."
Chitose just pats me on the shoulder again. "Don't worry. You'll get your chance. I promise."
"But . . . what about Yui-san?"
"What about her?" Chitose raises an eyebrow.
"She . . . I mean, Kyoko Toshino might be, um . . ." I'm not really sure if I should be saying this.
However, Chitose had already figured out what I'm trying to say. "Ah, you're worried about Toshino-san falling in love with Funami-san? Well, you can tell that they are happy together. But hey, Toshino-san had the opportunity to spend some time with you. Isn't that a good thing?"
"I-I guess. But it's not the same as being together with her." Tears are starting to form again. "And I'm just afraid that I'll never be able to get together with her."
"Aw, don't cry, Ayano-chan." Chitose says as she hugs me. "Everything will be fine. Maybe there's still a chance to confess."
"Thanks for your assurance, Chitose," I say as I slightly turn away. "But . . . let's just keep the way things are for right now. It seems that Kyoko Toshino is happy already." It's no use. I have to keep Yui-san happy if I want to do the right thing and try to follow what Chizuru-san says.
However, Chitose grabs my shoulders while wearing a serious expression on her face. "You can't give up now! Sure you've waited too long, but that's all in the past now! You can do it, Ayano-chan! I believe in you because you've had feelings for her the whole time! Don't you want to be with the one you love and not suffer from depression?"
I just nod.
"Then, you must keep on standing up and be brave! No more waiting!" She lets go of me and smiles. "You're my best friend, Ayano-chan and I want you to be happy."
"Chitose . . ." A couple of tears drop from my eyes. She's right, after all. I shouldn't think about how Yui-san feels about Kyoko Toshino. No mater what, I have to confess to Kyoko Toshino!
"It's alright, Ayano-chan," Chitose says, gently. "I'll be there to support you all the way."
I wipe the tears from my eyes and smile. "Thank you, Chitose."
With that, both of us walk back home.
That night, while lying in bed, I start to think about what Chitose had said to me earlier. If I'm able to confess to her just one more time, maybe things would get better for me. But I don't know about Yui-san. I mean, she might have already have had feelings for her and already confessed to her for all I know. No, no, no, NO! That's not possible, is it!? Kyoko Toshino doesn't really have feelings for anybody, yet, so I still have a chance! Tears were starting to form again. I just don't know anymore. This is all to confusing for me and if I fail my confession again, it will be history for me. So . . . I might as well try getting closer to Chitose.
A/N: So! Anyone want to vote on who Ayano should be with? Chitose or Kyoko? Feel free to put it in the reviews if you want! Because to be honest, I'm sort of confused myself! Haha! Chizuru and Chitose satisfy me because of their different opinions on who Ayano should be with! But in my opinion, Ayano x Kyoko are the best couple! *pumps a fist in the air* The best couple, I say!
A-anyway, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)