Soon after Kanaye went into his room, he started working on his homework while he waited for his father to arrive from work. Usually he would come back five minutes after Kanaye came back from school. This time, it's taking longer than usual. The good thing is that the food prepared by Kanaye's family is still in the pot warming up, not served on the plate yet.
"When is my dad coming back? I'm hungry."
He turns to his phone, laying on his nightstand.
"Is now a good time to call her?" He said.
"I don't think my dad will be coming back in the next five minutes or so. Nah, I'll do it."
He walks to his nightstand to pick up the phone and dials Tomo's phone number. But before he calls her, doubts were thought.
What should I say to her? He thought.
Maybe I shouldn't talk to her. He thought.
Without attempting to, he accidentally presses the call button.
"Uh oh." He said.
"Too late."
He places the phone by his ear and waits for her answer. Tomo's phone is ringing, she's in her room laying on her bed reading manga. The moment she hears the ringing, she wonders who it could be.
"Could it be Yomi?" She stands up, picks up her phone and opens it up.
"Unrecognized number? Wrong number maybe?" An image flashes in her head, it was of Kanaye.
"Wait a minute, it could be him!" She presses on the answer button and starts talking through the phone.
"Hello?" Tomo's voice could be heard from Kanaye's phone.
"Hello, Tomo?" He said.
"Is that you Kanaye?"
"Yes it is, hope I'm not interrupting!"
"Oh no it's fine, I wasn't doing anything at the time." Tomo said.
"Good." An awkward silence occurred between the two.
"So...how are you doing?" He asked.
"I'm doing fine, what about you?" She said in return.
"Same here. What are you doing right now?" He asked.
"Nothing, just on my bed relaxing reading manga."
"Oh you read those? What are you reading?"
"Lupin the third." Tomo said.
"Oh, isn't that a comedy-drama manga?"
"Yeah, it's adventure too. But if you read it further, the story gets a darker tone. That's why I like it, do you read it?"
"Yeah, who's you're favorite character?" Kanaye asked.
"Fujiko Mine is my favorite! She's a very cool and strong character, very good at martial arts too! Do you read it too?"
"Yeah, but it's been a while since I've read the recent chapters. I would like to read it sometime soon."
"Bummer, who's your favorite character?" Tomo asked.
"Mine is Lupin, can be goofy and silly at times, he's cool to me."
"I can see why." She laughs along with Kanaye.
"Hey." Tomo said.
"Yeah?" Kanaye said with wonder.
"What was the last volume that you read?"
"Just volume three, which one are you on?"
"Volume five, you're far behind my darling." She said playfully trying to tease him, causing him to blush.
"Uh, d-darling?" He stuttered.
"Just kidding Kanaye!"
"Oh, right."
Kanaye's little sister, Mai, can be heard from downstairs.
"Big brother! Daddy's home, it's time to eat!" She said loudly.
"Alright, I'm coming down!" He says, covering the microphone of his phone.
"I have to leave, it's dinner time."
"Okay, talk to you later." Tomo says.
"Bye." Kanaye said, he hangs up, places his phone on his night stand and leaves his room to eat dinner with his family.
The first conversation starts, being about the bandages on his head.
"Kanaye dear, what's the deal with those bandages on your head?" His mother's asks.
Yuka Hironaka, Kanaye's mothers. Stands 5 feet and 6 inches, 28 years old, just a year younger than her husband.
"You got in a fight Kanaye?" Kanaye's father asked.
Haruo Nakahara, stands 5 feet and seven inches tall, 29 years old, the person who made the name Nakahara the last name for Kanaye.
"Nothing like that dad, let's just say that I got in an accident with someone." He said which caused Yuka to gasp.
"An accident?!" She exclaimed.
"Was it a guy or a girl that was involved in the accident? Tell me the details."
"Haruo!" Yuka said.
"It was a girl." Kanaye told Haruo.
"Anyways! How did it happen?" Kanaye's mother asked.
"It started when I went to the boy's bathroom. After I did everything I had to do, I went out the door to go to class but then something stoped me. The girl's bathroom door swung wide open, that's when I got hit on the head with the door and fell to floor. The girl who swung the door took notice of me, apologized and took me to the nurse's office. I felt dizzy the whole time I walked there, so it was recommended that I would sleep in the office with the nurse. And so, I ended up having the wound of bandages around my head."
"At least you're okay, right?" Mai questioned Kanaye.
"Yes I am sis, I'm even better now that I can see you two again!" Kanaye rubs the top of Mai and Maiko's head making them brighten up, this causes Yuka and Haruo to chuckle.
"Now that the situation has been explained, we might as well start eating. I'm hungry!" Haruo said.
"Okay!" Said both Mai and Maiko.
"But before we eat, was the nurse hot?" Haruo asked.
"Haruo!" Yuka yelled.
"Kidding, let's eat!"
Every member of the Nakahara residence sat on a chair by the table.
"Thank you for the food!" Everyone said.
Haruo immediately takes a scoop of the curry and eats it, along with white rice on the side.
Meanwhile at Rono's house...
The door slowly opens from the outside. From inside, Neko-san runs to the door and waits for Rono to get inside the room. When he squats down, just about to greet Neko-san, she jumps into his arms and purrs.
"Missed me Neko?" He said, she meows as a response.
"Guess who's here to see you?" Rono says, now turning around to the doorway.
Sakaki walks inside the room to catch sight of Neko-san in Rono's arms.
"Neko-san." She said with her hands covering her mouth.
The cat immediately makes eye contact with her.
"Recognize her? It's Sakaki." Rono informed.
Just as she heard the name Sakaki, she remembered at that moment what she had to do. She would jump out of his arms to land on the floor, run towards Sakaki and jump into her arms. Neko-san purrs loudly than before, both Sakaki and Rono knew that now, must be the happiest moment for Neko-san, especially since so long.
"Looks like she remembers you after all. Told you there was nothing to worry about!" Rono said.
"You're right." Tears of joy start to form in her eyes.
"Sakaki...are you crying?"
"N-no, I-I'm just happy t-that I get to see Neko-san again." She answered with a smile on her face.
"I'm glad, I think we should eat now. What do you prefer?" Rono asked.
"Anything is fine." Sakaki responded while she played with Neko-san.
"All right! I'll start cooking, you can watch the television if you want. If you need anything, just ask!" Rono said.
"I'll let you know!" Sakaki said as Rono made his way to the kitchen.
During the ten minutes that Rono was cooking and preparing for dinner, Kanaye and his family finished eating. Mai and Maiko sat on the couch to watch their favorite anime. Yuka and Haruo would sit on the table talking about their day with each other. As for Kanaye, he decides to call Rono, to tell him about the news.
*phone rings*
"Hm?" Rono said as he places the last fried fish on the napkin covered plate to let the napkin absorb the grease. He rubs his hands on the apron he was wearing and picks up the phone to see who it was.
"Hey, it's Kanaye. Wonder what's up with him." He flips the phone open.
"Hello?" He said.
"This is Rono, right?" Kanaye asked.
"Yes it is, what's going on?"
"You won't believe what happened today!"
"Did something happen between you and Tomo?"
"Yeah, she gave me her phone number!" Kanaye said in a proud mood.
"Look at you, already have her number! You're making progress! I bet that you'll probably become her boyfriend in no time!"
"You think so? I'm pretty sure that it'll take a while though."
"Well of course, I think that it takes time for it to happen. At least that's what I heard."
"Agree with you on that. Haven't you fell in love before, Rono?" Kanaye asked.
"I don't think so, I don't think I've felt it before. To be honest, I'm kind of scared of it." Rono said.
"Why is that?"
"I feel that if it came to that, there would be drama involved. It could even involve people that weren't responsible in the first place too!" Rono informed Kanaye.
"Jeez, really, hope that doesn't happen to me ever."
"Same here, I doubt that I'll ever get in a relationship anytime soon."
"Don't worry, you're probably attracting the girls right now!" Kanaye said while chuckling.
"You mean like luring strangers in my home? Only Sakaki is here." Rono said bluntly.
"W-what! Sakaki's with you?" Kanaye said acting all surprised.
"Yeah, she's in my room right now."
"What is she doing?"
"I don't know, probably playing with my cat."
Back in Rono's room, the only person and animal in the room is Sakaki and Neko-san. While playing with Rono's newly adopted cat, Sakaki finds something popping out under Rono's mattress. It appeared to be some kind of magazine. The thing is, there wasn't just one, but two magazines popping out. Sakaki looks out of Rono's bedroom door to check if the coast was clear. Indeed, no one appeared to be inside the hallway, all that remained was the sound of water running from the sink. She is convinced that it would be fine to have a little peek of what's inside the two magazines.
However, there was a sudden thought that came into her mind. It was likely that male teens who lived by themselves have at least one of those dirty, adult magazines hidden somewhere in their room. Since Rono is a guy, Sakaki thought that this could be indeed true. She gulps at the thought that her childhood friend could maybe have one of those magazines to read at their private times.
"Only one way to find out!" She said as she moves her hand closely to the hidden magazines while Neko-san looks at her in a confused manner.
She couldn't help but tremble in fear of what could the magazines be. The magazines are now secured, she flips them over and finds out that they were not the kind of magazines she imagined them to be. One of them was just a cafe magazine and the other a cat magazine. Sakaki sighs in relief, Rono's mind is still clean.
Out of nowhere, Rono pops up behind Sakaki and Neko-san!
"I see you're looking into my stuff, aren't you Sakaki?" He said with a slightly evil smile, he surprises her.
"U-um, I-I'm just."
"I'm sorry, but I going to have to punish you for that."
"P-please don't." She said in a scared tone.
Rono lifts up both of his hands and draws them forward to Sakaki's torso.
Don't tell me he's going to touch me there! She thought.
If he was going to perform any kind of harm to her, it would be time for her to go on a defensive mode. His hands drew closer by the second, she was about ready to kick him. But before that happened, Rono did something else that even Sakaki did not expect. Instead, he tickles her waist with one hand, and tickles her neck with the other. Sakaki went full on laughing that tears started forming in her eyes due to all the laughter.
"Hahaha! Stop it please! I've learned my lesson! So stop tickling me!" Sakaki said while laughing her loudest.
"Alright alright, I'll stop." He finally stopped, allowing Sakaki to breathe.
"The food is ready Sakaki. Might as well eat now before doing the homework." He smiled.
"Okay, let's go eat." She smiled back.
"Then shall we?" Rono asked one final time.
"Let's shall." She giggled.
Rono stood up and gives Sakaki a hand. She looks up to him in a dreamy state.
"Let me help you up Sakaki." She said which caused her to blush a tad bit.
"Let's get right on it." She said.
The whole way when Rono lead Sakaki to the kitchen, they held hands. He was the one who insisted on doing it. His idea of holding hands with her wasn't because of affection, he felt that it was normal at this age. Back in the day, they would normally hold hands around when either one of them wanted to show each other something.
On arrival at the kitchen, four big bowls were placed on middle of the table. The first plate had spicy curry, the second had white rice, the third had fried rice, the last had five pieces of beef. Sakaki looks into all four bowls and finds them delicious.
"Wow, the food you made looks delicious. Not to mention that you cooked a lot more than expected." She commented.
"Thank you, and usually since I'm the only one living here, a lot less would be made. But now that you're here, I have company. I wouldn't feel as lonely in my apartment just like always."
"You're that lonely?" Sakaki asked.
"Yeah, not to mention bored too. Well, I'm hungry, it's time to eat now. After I serve Neko-san her food."
He grabs Neko-san's bowl located on the counter, opens up the cabinet to grab the cat food and then serves it in.
"Neko-san!" He said out loud.
She pops out from the hallways and looks at him.
"Time to eat." He shook her bowl a little.
He places the bowl on the floor by the dinner table, making Neko-san walk towards the bowl to start getting ready to eat.
"Let's eat! Thank you for the food!" Rono said.
"Thank you for the food!" Sakaki said.
As they thanked for the food, both of them started to serve themselves, while Neko-san started eating her food as well. Once again, his cat ate with the same people that took care of her seven years ago. In other words, the three ate dinner as a family.
The Next Day...
It was a fairly warm morning in Tokyo of Japan. As usual, things went normally at school like everyday. Miss Yukari lets her students work on the packet that was assigned on Monday. The day when Rono was absent due to some errands he had to do first.
"So, tell me the details Rono." Tod said.
"About what?" Rono wondered what he meant.
"About the visit from Sakaki!" Tod said out loud, causing people around to took towards them.
"Hey keep it down!" Rono whispered.
"Sorry." Tod apologized.
"Wait, how did you know that Sakaki visited me last night?" Rono questioned Tod.
"Kanaye told me." He blurted out.
"Of course, why can't he just keep these things quietly." Rono said.
"Well, the details?"
"Like what do you want to know?"
"What gave her the idea to visit you?"
"I invited her over." Rono said.
"Why?"
"So we could complete the homework we were assigned for that night. And also let her see my cat too." Rono revealed.
"That's it, nothing exciting happened? No changes, no contact, no special kind of action?"
"None other than we watched television after we finished."
"Oh so it's nothing but a study date?"
"I guess, in a way."
"Well, what can I expect from you. Although, it's kind of cool that you invited her over at your house."
"You think so? It's just inviting your friend over. Nothing too special."
"Other than its a girl." Tod commented.
"Maybe. Oh! Have you heard that Kanaye got Tomo's phone number?" Rono said.
"Yeah, he told me on my way to school. Looks like that trip to the nurse's office did something good to him after all." Tod commented.
"Lucky for him. To be honest, I don't know what he sees in Tomo. She looks like any other normal girl in this school."
"When it comes to these things Rono, there are certain things that an individual wants in a girl. Guys and girls in high schools fall in love just by their looks, not by the way they act naturally."
"So some don't care of what's in the inside?" Rono asked.
"Exactly, but in Kanaye's case it's completely different." Tod added.
"How so?"
"Ever since grade school, I had Kanaye as my classmate."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Rono commented.
"I sat behind him, we didn't really talk much because we were somewhat strangers. Same as me, he doesn't stand out in crowds. I remember at some point, a group of boys started talking about which of the two girls were more attractive."
Flashback to grade school...
"Hey guys, which one do you think is the hottest between those two girls. Hanako or Keiko? I think Keiko is the hottest." One boy pointed at the two.
"Nah man, I think Hanako is better!"
"Props to Keiko."
"Agreed, Keiko for me"
"What are you all talking about, Hanako for the win!"
"Hanako can get my vote any time."
All six boys counted the votes and figured out that it was all even.
"Ah come on! Tie breaker!"
"Ask another guy to vote!" He turns around and points to Kanaye.
"Like that guy!"
"Alright let's ask him."
All of the six boys walk and turn to him and then tap on his shoulder. This caused him to lift his head up from his desk.
"Hey, Kanaye!"
"Hm?" Kanaye said.
"Which one do you think is the hottest? Hanako, or Keiko?"
Kanaye looks at both of the girls that were chatting with one another. He stares at them for a few seconds, but doesn't have a choice.
"I don't know." Kanaye replied which caused all six boys to get confused.
"What! What do you mean you don't know!"
"I don't get how all of you find those girls 'hot'" Kanaye said.
"Come on! Look again!" The boy demanded.
Kanaye looks at Hanako and Keiko for the second time. He tries his hardest this time hoping to find an answer. To his dismay, nothing.
"I still don't know." Kanaye said.
"Your pissing me off here!" One of the guys said.
"Fudo, Fudo, chill." One of the guys said.
Fudo, the blonde-haired leader of a group of boys. He could be rough on some of the weak boys at the school. If you annoy him enough, he won't hesitate to punch. He has never lost a fight against anyone. On his spare time, he would go to the park and pick on some of the kids, regardless of their height.
"Fine then, we'll ask someone else." Fudo said.
All of them start walking away to find an answer from a different guy.
"This will be last time I'll ever be nice to him!" Fudo can be heard from afar.
"Kanaye." Tod said quietly.
Flashback ends...
"That's why I think that this is something new, especially when it involves him." Tod said.
"Did he get bullied by that kid?" Rono asked.
"Sometimes, it would involve with Kanaye covered in bruises and cuts. Luckily for Kanaye, Fudo would always end up being suspended."
"Great to know he got a bit of discipline at least. What happened after grade school, did he go to the same middle school as you and Kanaye?" Rono commented.
"He moved, he never said a word to any of the students in grade school. Not even the boys that were in his group. After that, the group had split up and never interacted to one another again." Tod said.
"That's great to hear, I despise bullies."
"I feel you there. If I wasn't so scared back then, I would have defended Kanaye. Even if I knew I was going to lose." Tod said.
"Where do you think he is now?" Rono asked.
"Hopefully somewhere far away, I don't want him to hurt anyone else. Hopefully he would somehow change for the greater good."
"Don't be so sure about that, because sometimes, our past can return to the present."
"What makes you say that, Rono?" Tod asked.
"It's how I returned to Sakaki, even without knowing that she ever existed. Luckily there are no delinquents at this school. But if the day comes when one of them come to harm us, we'll get through it together, no matter what. Deal?" Rono asked while he lifted up his fist to offer him a fist pump to Tod.
"Deal!" Tod fist pumped Rono's fist back, making them accept the deal.
