Chapter 2

I am inviting you

Youko knew less about her mother except for her career as pilot-scientist. The moment the special operations ended, Youko pursued the same path like her okasan in research development and aeronautics. Years before, she never took interest on studying. However, actualizing her dream to be a pilot-scientist would require outstanding remarks and a degree from a university. To be able to enter in a university, Youko had to get more than satisfying marks in the national tests. Slowly, she shifted her resolve to studying, thanks to Usada's rigorousness. She felt like her alter ego from the Dobutsu (animal) sentai Gobusters for her hardwork and determination.

With her workbook in English open, Youko put on a white headband to keep her long hair from falling all over her desk. "Yosh!" she said eagerly while reading the instructions from her workbook. Between exercises, she'd shout, "Yatta!" or "Yokatta!" whenever she'd finish before the expected time. With this kind of resolve, Youko would never lose to studying. If winning over Vaglass can be achieved, then it'll be the same with her dream too.

On the nth time of saying yokatta aloud—

"Baka, why are you talking to yourself?" a voice from the door said.

Youko turned to see Hiromu peeking through her door. She cupped the pillow beside her and threw it at him, missing him yet again. For a fraction of a second, Youko thought he was gone until she saw her sitting on her bed with his arms crossed, his expression grim.

"What are you doing in a girl's room and precisely on my bed, you siscon!"

Hiromu sighed, "I was passing through the corridor when I heard you and your bad English. Seriously, Youko, you won't pass the national exams with that."

Youko was about to protest when she remembered how Ryuji applauded her for behaving more than her actual age. Burying her anger deep to her unconscious, she closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and said calmly, "I am an adult. Adults do not get mad easily by childish remarks."

"Maji?" he drew closer to her while making his eyes appear smaller. This was his habit whenever he's unconsciously infuriating someone with his straightforwardness. With his right arm resting on her desk, he scrutinized her from head to toe, "You may have grown psychologically, but physically that didn't—"

Youko followed his gaze to her chest.

She pushed him away and cried, "hentai! (pervert!)" Hiromu fell like a sack to her bed. He was laughing so hard when she tried to cover her chest with her workbook. She dropped the workbook to her desk, took a larger pillow and whacked his face and body with it repeatedly.

"I'll be attending a convention on energy science next month," he blurted out suddenly in a serious tone, "scientists from around the world will come. The medium will be in English. You should go too."

Masaka (no way), is he asking me out? Youko thought. Baka, baka, baka! She slapped her face with the pillow she used on Hiromu thrice, her cheeks turning crimson. There is no way that HIromu would ask her, most especially that he had rejected her months ago. Her thoughts from that scene played for a while in her head. Hiromu might just be comforting her from her embarrassment few months ago. A convention is a convention. It is too far from a date.

And besides, she's getting the resolve to move on from that embarrassment.

"I'll think about it." She said in a monotone and slumped back to her working chair.

A school festival in Japan is all about commemorating the early years of excellence. As a senior who is supposedly preoccupied with the national tests, Youko couldn't find a better leisure than to participate in the logistics committee for their school's impending festival. She thought that it was also a good excuse to avoid Hiromu for a while. His frequent visits to her room (just to annoy her) seem to revive sentiments that are meant to be buried deep in the unconscious. Nakamura-san, who was on her break, accompanied her to conduct safety tests at the booths. With only one booth to go, Nakamura-san blurted, "Today's the convention on energy science, are you sure you don't want to come?"

With Hiromu appearing again in her thoughts, she replied, "Not with him around. Besides, there's one more booth to check."

Nakamura-san eyed her sympathetically. She knew what happened few months ago when he rejected her confession. She knew those days that Youko spent crying in her room. She never told anyone but her, as an acting older sister and a friend. She knew how that one particular event changed her to be better. But with Hiromu back in their midst, it seemed to her that Youko was back again with her struggle of moving forward and hiding her feelings.

They entered together the last booth to check—the horror booth. Jin-san's ghost stories were alive and fresh with the line of displays. At the back of her mind, there was regret on her part for suggesting ghosts that would only appear during festivals. She hugged her clipboard while Nakamura-san huddled close to her. A light materialized from the corner even without them touching the switches. They screamed as two figures slowly approached them.

"Why are you two screaming?" a frustrated voice asked.

"H—Hiromu!" Nakamura-san staggered and looked at the other figure that emerged from the darkness. It was Morishita-san, wearing a puzzled look in his face.

"We need to go, Nakamura-san. We have duties at the convention, remember?"

Nakamura-san tried to remember what those tasks were. A perfectionist like her wouldn't forget significant duties related to the Energy Management Center. Morishita-san winked at her when Youko wasn't looking. He was exactly making things up. "Souka! I remember!" She took Youko's hands and made a sad face, "Gomen ne, Youko-chan, but there are things that I should do." Before Youko could utter her protests, she let go of her hands and rushed with Morishita-san to the emergency exit.

Youko turned her back from Hiromu and continued with her inspection of the displays. "Why are you still here? You have a paper to present there, don't you?" She couldn't read his expression as part of his face was hidden in darkness.

"What kind of idiot would volunteer at a horror booth?" His eyes danced around, his face forming a disgust when he saw chicken feathers at a nearest spectacle, "These are indeed Jin-san's ideas." They walked in a slow and steady pace until they reached a well. The ghost lady that would appear from the well was the most regretful idea that Youko had pitched in for the project. She remembered carefully how a metaroid hypnotized her to dream that particular nightmare. She and Hiromu advanced to the well to check the ghost lady inside, only to find out that she's not there. Where could she be? Youko said to herself.

"Up there" Hiromu replied, as if reading her thoughts. His index finger was pointing to the ghost lady that hung at a branch looming over the well.

Youko screamed her lungs out. When she was done screaming, she sat on the floor and buried her face to her legs. Hiromu couldn't read her but he knew that she was crying. He wanted to say baka, Vaglass is a lot more to fear than that but he swallowed his conceit and crouched near her. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and neared it to her face.

"It's wrinkled, but it's clean."

Youko took the handkerchief and cried again. This time, her cries were loud.

Surely, Youko wouldn't forget how she got embarrassed again in front of him. She's walking with him now to the next building where the convention will be held. With his handkerchief crumpled in her hand, she replayed in her thoughts what happened some minutes ago.

As soon as she was done crying, Hiromu helped her to get back to her feet.

"Daijobou?" he asked

"I'm not a kid, just so you'd know"

His smile was impish that she wanted to do her high performance kicks at him. But he had shown generosity and so the polite thing to do should be kindness.

"You should go" she said, offering another emergency exit to his right, "I'll just finish this inspection and then head there myself."

"Are you sure? There are many ghosts to see yet."

Before she could utter her reply, she felt his hand slipping to hers. She tried to tug her hand away but his grip was tight. He was leading her to finish the inspection. Her face red with embarrassment, she hoped Hiromu was not paying attention to the muffled sounds that she was making.

They exited the booth with their hands still together.

And Hiromu didn't let her go while they travel to the next building.