Angel Beats! エンジェルビーツ!
Our Beats Incarnate
Book I: The Station
Chapter 3: Not So Chance Encounters
Over the remainder of the week Yuzuru didn't encounter Kanade at all. She didn't appear by the station, and she didn't pop up on the train again either. It did sadden him, because he'd been hoping to bump into her again and have a proper conversation with her – there were so many questions he needed to ask that maybe only she knew the answer too. And no doubt she had plenty of questions of her own too.
It was late on Saturday morning when Yuzuru awoke, bright sunlight filtering through the slightly parted blackout curtains, dancing across the floor and bathing the room in a bright luminescent glow. He resisted consciousness at first, rolling over with a groan and turning his back to the light. He winced as another beam caught him dead in the eye, reflected deviously off the glass aperture of a wall-mounted photo frame, as if conspiring solely for the purpose of interrupting his slumber.
Matters weren't helped when Hatsune's voice called inquiringly through the thin material of his bedroom door.
"Are you getting up today, or what? It's after ten already!"
Yuzuru rolled onto his back, letting his eyes fully open and readjust once the sunlight had stopped tormenting him.
"Yuzuru?" his younger sister repeated once she got no answer.
He could just make out her silhouette through the door, and he considered just ignoring her and going back to sleep. That notion was rudely dispelled the instant she made a move to open the door.
"I'm up!" he jumped quickly to his feet, managing to tangle himself in his futon and trip, crashing into his desk with an ungainly yelp of pain. A failed reactive grasp at the side of his desk did little more than leave a bright red mark on his forearm and numb his limb from the wrist up.
Hatsune's laughter came from the other side of the door, "I knew that'd do it. Come on, get your ass out here. Breakfast is on the table."
A curse escaped from under Yuzuru's breath, alluding towards the evils of devious sisters and interrupted sleep.
But here was only silence as the room ignored him.
-o-O-o-
Yuzuru trudged miserably into the dining room, dragging his feet and a shuffle and nursing his injured arm piteously, grumbling every step of the way. Even as he dropped to his knees on the vacant side of the table Hatsune ignored his complaints, her attention split entirely between her bowl of cereal and that morning's newspaper. Yuzuru couldn't make out the headline from where he was kneeling, but presumably it was something of interest.
With an over-emphasised sigh of dejection Yuzuru reached for his plate, already filled with what he could only describe as a small mountain of food. Fried eggs, griddled back bacon, grilled pork sausages, lightly fried mushroom, baked haricot beans, sautéed potato slices... Yuzuru could only gawk at the veritable feast placed before him. He was familiar with all of the ingredients, but never in his life had he seen them in such quantity on such a small plate.
Just how hungry does she think I am?
As if reaching into his mind and reading his very thoughts, Hatsune folded over her paper and looked straight at her elder brother, "I figured I'd try something new on you." She stated simply, as if it were nothing more than a simple experiment.
Yuzuru looked at the meal like it was toxic, "Do I have to be your guinea pig?"
Hatsune ignored the jibe as she always did, instead reaching forwards and handing her brother a stainless steel knife and fork, "You'll need these."
Yuzuru accepted them from her with added caution, assuming they were the most appropriate weapons of attack. A pair of chopsticks just weren't going to manage this.
"It's called a Full English Breakfast." Hatsune carried on explaining, "Should see you through until lunch."
"From the looks of it, it'll see me through until death." Tentatively, he pressed his fork into the expanse of mushroom, opting to take the cautious route and start with something he knew he could stomach.
"Well, you know. I thought you may need it, today of all days."
Yuzuru raised a questioning eyebrow, eying Hatsune with suspicion, "Why, what's happening today?" he speared a slice of cut-off mushroom and inserted it into his mouth. To his surprise it was quite nicely done. Not raw, but at the same time not cooked to the point of being rubbery either. Hatsune had always had a skill at cooking. Rarely on her first attempt, though… Maybe she'd practiced this dish before?
"I'm glad you brought it up!" his sister beamed creepily from ear to ear, "You're going into town for me."
"I am?" Yuzuru swallowed, opting next to try a slice of sausage.
"Yup." Hatsune picked up the paper again, turning it so Yuzuru could see the article she'd been reading. She began to explain it to him even as he read through it, "The new limited edition Fate figurines are coming out today. I want you to go grab me an Archer and a Saber."
Yuzuru coughed, choking on his sausage. It took him a moment to compose himself, and a moment further before he could breathe properly again, "Are you crazy? The store's been open for hours already. There won't be any left!"
Hatsune rolled her eyes like he was being a moron. He couldn't help but wonder what she knew that he didn't.
"You're an idiot. I bought them weeks ago!" she explained, "Bought and paid for. All you have to do is go collect them for me."
"Wait, wait, wait…" Yuzuru assaulted one of the egg yolks with a piece of potato, "Why do I have to go? You've been up for hours."
"You were always going to go, Yuzuru." Hatsune pointed out, "I'm sick, remember? And honestly, I was expecting you to be awake hours ago. That dream usually gets you up regular as clockwork."
A moment of epiphany collapsed on top of the orange-haired teen as he realised that he'd actually slept all the way through the night for a change. He couldn't recall having the dream. That was a welcome first.
"So…" he continued talking as he ate, "Where exactly is this shop again?"
-o-O-o-
The sun hung happily in a clear blue sky, forgetting the remarkably changeable weather from earlier in the week and basking the world below in its warm radiance. To Yuzuru, it seemed like whichever god was in charge of the local weather that day had decided that he deserved a pleasant day off school, rather than the typical rain and wind which had punctuated his earlier time off.
By the time he made it into the shopping district he was glad that he'd opted to leave his coat at home, though a very small part of him wished he'd brought it just in case the weather did decide to change. But without even a single cloud in the sky he was able to push that concern to the side with ease.
Yuzuru was pretty much taking the same route into town as he did during the week, but he couldn't help noticing just how different the journey felt on a weekend. There was no rush, no sense of impending stress and exams. He could afford to take it easy, at a more sedate pace. Clearly everybody else who was out and about on their Saturday shopping trip felt the same way. There were more people around than even during the Monday rush hour, but nobody was in a hurry. It was a nice day, and they all wanted to be there for whatever reasons drove them, and that was pleasant enough.
All the while, one familiar intersection fed into another until Yuzuru was almost at the station, large concrete paving slabs giving way to the herringbone white brick of the pedestrian only zone. And that recognizable hummed melody once again caught his attention, as soft and sweet and thoroughly unmistakable as it always had been.
There she was, in the same spot as the first time he'd seen her, lost in a world of her own making. Her small hat hid most of her face from view, but the bright reflection the sun cast upon the wall against which she was leaning framed her like an angelic aura.
"Kanade?"
Instantly the melody faded away, her head lifting to cast her eyes upwards and looking straight into him. A warm, slight smile slowly crossed her lips as recognition dawned, "Yuzuru."
He approached her, returning the welcoming smile with one of his own, "What are you doing here?"
The pale porcelain skin of her cheeks flushed a bright red, somewhat abashed, "I was waiting for you."
"It's not a school day today..." he pointed out, confusion turning his face to a frown, "What if I hadn't come by? You'd have been waiting here all day."
"But you did come." She pointed out, tilting her head slightly and regarding him with curiosity.
Well, he couldn't really argue with that reasoning. After all, there he was.
"I knew you would." She explained further, her smile returning anew.
Yuzuru wasn't exactly sure what to say to that. There wasn't any way she could've known his plans in advance. Maybe she'd just been hoping for the best? A fair gamble, and an easy way to lose the day if it hadn't have paid off.
"Okay…" he opted after a moment or two, "Kanade, do you… have any plans today?"
She shook her head slightly, her delicate white locks swaying like the long grass of a meadow in a gentle summer breeze, "No. No plans."
"I see." He thought for a moment, "I was wondering…" one of his hands rubbed the back of his head nervously, his expression one of sheepish diffidence, "Would you like to come shopping with me? I've got to pick up a couple of things for my sister, and-"
"I'd love to." She interrupted eagerly.
"Oh!" a wide smile began to spread across his face, "Great!"
Yuzuru gestured forwards with his hand, and together they headed off into the shopping district.
-o-O-o-
The shopping district was pretty much the hub of the local town. Although the area had long since been incorporated into the wider metropolitan area – a natural consequence of the seemingly boundless expansion of the city as it absorbed all the surrounding townships – it still managed to retain its independent local businesses, and held fast to its identity as a local hotspot for shopping and general recreation. At times it seemed more like a community than a suburban district.
There was just about any shop you could need, from haberdashery to pharmaceuticals, greengrocers to amusement arcades. Even the handful of large, open-air food courts contained not a single multinational brand, and it was a status quo the locals had always fought hard to hold on to and protect.
Yuzuru had always thought that the district felt like an open-air mall, and it was very easy to lose an entire day there within its streets, especially with good company. But, as Kanade and he made their way down the pedestrianized streets, he knew that wasn't really a bad thing. The smile on his face paid testament to that.
"So where are we going?" Kanade asked unobtrusively, so quiet that Yuzuru almost missed it.
Yuzuru shook himself out of his reverie, taking a moment to get his bearings, "We need the models and collectables shop. They're holding a pair of figurines for my sister."
They'd just wandered by the butcher's shop, Yuzuru noted as he recalled the route Hatsune had described from memory. Next there would be the bakery, then the little newsagents. Followed by an immediate left down a side-street, and the shop he wanted was at the end of the road.
"That way." He pointed.
The street itself was actually quite widely spaced, and all it would need was a few well-placed trees for shade for it to be considered a boulevard. Each end of it terminated in a T-junction, acting as a thoroughfare between two bustling high streets. There were no shop fronts down the road itself, so market stalls had been set up down both sides, wasting not a single bit of space, and giving it a more rustic, old market sort of feel.
This particular street was no quieter than the main ones, and Yuzuru knew its reputation fairly well as a place to find more obscure items such as antiques and all kinds specialist items. If there was something rare or unusual, chances were you'd be able to find it on one of the market stalls.
Many of the proprietors were actively seeking out people to sell their wares to, drawing in anybody who happened to make eye contact. There wasn't anything specific that Yuzuru was looking for himself in that make-shift market, so he did his best to avoid locking eyes with anybody at all.
Kanade, however, had other ideas. She wasn't shopping for anything specific either, but she looked intently at just about every stall they passed as they walked. And it didn't take long for one of the people behind the stalls to pick out the undecided shopper. The elderly lady in what amounted to a tattered old apron carefully rounded her knickknack stall, the pocket sewn onto the front jangling in time with her steps, no doubt crammed full of loose change and petty cash.
"Is there anything in particular you're looking for, little miss?" the old lady opened politely with a warm smile.
Yuzuru supressed a chuckle when he saw Kanade jump, obviously unaware of the woman's approach. Her hand went to her heart as she took in a few calming breaths, composing herself with surprising swiftness.
"No, ma'am." Kanade replied, returning the smile with genuine warmth, "We're just passing through."
Truth be told, she was a little bit put out by the whole idea. She'd brought enough money for her lunch, but she hadn't factored going shopping into her calculations. And if it came down to a choice between buying a memento or eating, eating would definitely come first.
"Oh, come now." The old lady moved up beside Kanade, taking her by the arm and urging her forwards, "I know you want to buy something, you just don't know what yet, am I right?"
Kanade was a little taken aback by the woman's forwardness as she was shepherded towards the stall, "No ma'am, I'm just…" she looked back over her shoulder, shooting a pleading "rescue me" gaze at Yuzuru as she was effectively kidnapped.
For his part, Yuzuru simply looked up and whistled innocently, earning a frown in return. He found the whole situation highly amusing.
"Now, take your time and pick out something really nice." The lady instructed, sweeping her arm across her stall to make a point.
As she was deposited in front of the stall, Kanade cast her eyes downwards at the felt-covered tablecloth and the variety of items sat on display upon it.
"There's really nothing I-"
A sudden hand on her shoulder proved to be an interruption. Looking up, she saw that Yuzuru had joined her.
"Go on," he urged, "Pick something. I'll buy it for you."
The offer caught Kanade a bit by surprise, but she turned her attention back to the table. Most of the items on it seemed to be either overpriced or completely worthless, and she really didn't want to go wasting Yuzuru's money on anything, despite his kind offer. There wasn't anything there that she could set her heart on.
Yuzuru must have sensed her uncertainty because he stepped closer to the stall, getting a closer look himself, "Hmmm…" he seemed to ponder, then leaned forwards and picked something up, "How about this?"
Kanade wasn't entirely sure what it was that he'd picked up until he held it out to her. A small necklace dangled from his hand, a thin golden curb chain holding a pendant of small slightly cream off-white angel wings.
"Well, I-"
"Would you like it?" the old lady asked with a hopeful smile.
Kanade hesitated, uncomfortable with letting Yuzuru spend his money on such a frivolous item.
"She'll take it." He addressed the old lady, answering on Kanade's behalf.
Before she could protest further Yuzuru took some notes out of his pocket and handed them to the lady. There was scant little change handed back to him, and it made a slight pang of guilt rise up in Kanade's gut.
"You didn't have to do that." She spoke softly.
"Nonsense." Yuzuru dismissed her concerns, taking the necklace in both hands and unclipping the latch, "Let's see what it looks like on, shall we?"
He held it out towards her expectantly, so she stepped closer, bowing her head slightly so he could get the curb chain around her neck. He didn't notice, but the proximity caused a pale blush to warm her cheeks. She was unaccustomed to people being so openly forwards, especially with such an intimate gesture as this. It felt almost as if he were hugging her, and she had to force herself to resist embracing him. But then again, he didn't really feel like a stranger. He felt like somebody she'd known for a long, long time. So, why was she blushing?
There was a brief click as the latch caught, closing the necklace around her collar.
"There we go." She heard the smile in Yuzuru's voice even before she straightened up again and saw it on his lips. She took a moment to remove the necklace she'd had on previously, wrapping it up carefully and slipping it into her bag.
"Well?" Yuzuru asked, "What do you think?"
Kanade looked down, lightly fingering the outline of the angel wings delicately. It was a lovely gift, and she appreciated it.
"It looks very nice on you young lady." The elderly stall patron offered with an earnest smile, "I hope it brings you all the luck it brought me."
Kanade regarded the woman for a moment, a question almost forming in her mind. But she let it go, and bowed her head slightly instead, "Thank you."
Yuzuru's hand was once again at her shoulder, pulling her gently away from the stall.
"Come on," he urged softly, "Let's go."
Kanade simply nodded, thanking the woman once more as she turned to leave. All the way to the collectables shop she was in a world of her own, lost completely in thought. The angel wings were a beautiful gift. And for some reason, they felt awfully familiar.
She shook off the sensation as Yuzuru stepped out in front, taking the lead. For some reason Kanade's attention was drawn to his hand as he walked. And she wondered what it would be like to hold it.
-o-O-o-
By the time Yuzuru and Kanade had fought their way into the packed out little shop, beaten back the queues, and actually collected the items Hatsune had reserved, almost an hour had passed by. The place was heaving with shoppers – presumably otaku desperate to get their hands on the very self-same figurines – and they made for a very disorderly rabble.
When at last they exited the stuffy little shop, Yuzuru was glad of the fresh air. He wasn't a big fan of large crowds in small spaces, but this was one of those instances where he was willing to grin and bear it.
Kanade seemed as relieved as he was when the door finally clicked shut behind them. It was still warm and sunny outside, but there was a pleasant breeze which kept the air fresh and tolerable.
"Remind me to never go in there again." Yuzuru joked with a chuckle, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of a sleeve,"So, where now?"
Kanade was cut off by the sound of her stomach rumbling in protest at being ignored for so long.
Yuzuru couldn't stifle his laughter, "I guess that means lunch."
Kanade blushed slightly, but didn't argue. She was as hungry as her stomach sounded, and she knew just the place to go.
"Where would you like to go?" Yuzuru asked.
"This way." She grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him down the street.
Yuzuru was so taken aback by her sudden and unexpected assertiveness that he forgot to tell his legs to move for a moment, almost falling forwards. But he soon got the idea, keeping pace and letting her lead the way.
It didn't take them more than a couple of minutes to make it as far as the nearest open-air food court, set up in one of the open courtyards where numerous side-streets intersected. There was room for a couple of dozen tables, serviced by a single café cum restaurant, and the place was abuzz with families and couples enjoying a pleasant midday meal in the nice weather.
No sooner had they stepped into the courtyard than a waiter came over, greeting them with a warm smile.
"Welcome!" he enthused merrily, "Table for two?"
"Yes please." Kanade nodded.
"Please, follow me."
The waiter led them both to a rather small table set into one of the quieter corners of the seating area, pulling out one of the chairs for Kanade as Yuzuru took the seat opposite.
"We have three different specials to choose from today," the waiter began to explain once the pair were settled, handing each of them a menu which he'd stowed under his arm, "But if you don't want any of those, our chef will have no problem preparing anything else you may want."
Yuzuru quickly perused the extensive list of starters and main courses, unsure of exactly what he wanted, "Could we have a couple of minutes to decide what we'd-"
"Mápó dòufu." Kanade interrupted briskly and without warning.
"Mápó," the waiter jotted down on a little pad, "dòufu…" he then looked over to Yuzuru, "And for the good Sir?"
"Erm… Yeah." He considered for a moment with a nervous grin, "I'll have what she's having."
"Very good." He snatched back the menus, making a rapid beeline for the café entrance.
"He didn't even ask what we wanted to drink…" Yuzuru frowned, licking his lips. After all the walking around his throat was starting to get rather dry, and he felt a little bit rueful at the missed opportunity to quench his thirst. Still, he could always ask the man for a drink when he came back with their meal.
"Have you ever had Mápó dòufu before?" Kanade's inquiry interrupted his thoughts.
"Oh, erm, no…" he considered for a moment. He'd seen it on the menu in the cafeteria at med school, but he'd never indulged. In fact, to the best of his memory, he couldn't recall ever seeing anybody there eating it… "Not exactly. But I've heard it's delicious!"
"It is."
A moment of silence fell between them, leaving Yuzuru feeling a little bit uncomfortable and out of place. He never seemed to know how to break these silences without seeming awkward. But then a question came into his mind, and he couldn't resist asking. Looking across the table, he saw that Kanade was looking down at her hands, twiddling her thumbs in discomfort. She must've felt as awkward with the pervasive silence as he did.
"Hey, Kanade?" he opened tentatively to avoid startling her.
She looked up at him, her eyes bright and enquiring, "Yes?"
"You remember when you said you felt like we'd met before?" Yuzuru paused briefly, then clarified, "Like I was familiar?"
Kanade nodded slowly, "Yes, on the train."
"That's right." Yuzuru was relieved she knew what he was talking about, "It's because of that dream, isn't it."
She seemed to really absorb the question before she opted to reply, as if she were running through many different memories to try and pin down the moments she recalled him from, "I think so." She agreed with him, a light blush on her cheeks. It felt very much like she was admitting to some deep embarrassment. It made her feel strangely embarrassed yet relieved at the same time, like a weight off her chest, "You're very much the same as the boy I loved from that dream."
"And that's how you figured out my name…" Yuzuru continued down the same line of reasoning.
Her reply was short and simple, "Yes."
"I.. I meant to tell you…" Yuzuru fumbled uncertainly for the right words, "I've had that very same dream."
Now it was his turn to feel embarrassed. Telling somebody that you'd had the exact same dream as them seemed completely absurd, in spite of the fact he knew it was the truth. There was no mistaking it, not after she'd described it so thoroughly to him when they'd shared the journey on the train. Without absolutely any prompting she'd managed to describe every facet of a scenario which had, until that point, been the supposed sole purview of his subconscious mind.
That theory had been blown decisively out of the water, and it was far too convenient for it to be a mere coincidence that they had shared the dream.
"I thought as much." Kanade admitted.
That took Yuzuru aback, catching him entirely by surprise, "You mean you knew?"
Kanade shook her head, "No." she elaborated, "But I suspected when you knew my name that you'd had a similar experience."
Yuzuru raised an inquiring eyebrow, "And you didn't think to ask?"
"Yes, but I didn't want to pry." Her gaze returned to her still twiddling thumbs.
Yuzuru regarded her with some amusement in that moment, amazed that her sense of etiquette and good manners had kept her curiosity in check. He knew for a fact that it wasn't managing to reign his own inquisitiveness in, or they wouldn't have been having this conversation in the first place.
The expression of innocent bashfulness that seemed to accompany her disclosure of the fact was thoroughly endearing.
This clumsy angel… he found himself smiling, looking at the winged pendant around her neck. It suited her perfectly, for reasons he couldn't quite nail down and identify. There was certainly something angelic about her innocence, and a naïve tint to it as well, which seemed conflictingly refreshing yet familiar. Like he'd experienced it before.
"Kanade, if there's ever anything you want to ask me, you know you can, right?" he tried to reassure her, pleased when she looked back up to meet his eyes, "I mean, we've been having the exact same dream. I've had it for as long as I can remember…"
"Me too." She interjected.
"Right," he nodded, "So you must have as many questions about it as I do."
"I have many questions." She admitted, a tinge of eagerness creeping into her tone.
"Well…" Yuzuru reclined in his chair, trying to project an air of relaxed assurance, "Never be afraid to ask them."
"Thank you, Yuzuru." She fell back once again on her quiet sincerity.
"No problem. I-"
"Mápó dòufu for two!" their waiter interrupted, seemingly springing up from nowhere with two meal servings in hand. It took Yuzuru all of his effort to avoid flinching, and he noticed the fleeting smirk which crossed Kanade's lips as she witnessed his reaction. He couldn't begrudge her that much, and he felt his own smile settle across his features as the humour of the situation found him too.
Before the man had fully settled the bowls down before them Kanade had her chopsticks in her hands. She was obviously looking forwards to this, Yuzuru noted, as she licked her lips in anticipation. The combination of spices and flavours assaulted his sense of smell, making his own mouth water in anticipation. He didn't know if it was because he was hungry, or because this particular example of mápó dòufu was especially well prepared.
By the time he'd finished that thought he noticed that Kanade was already beginning to tuck into her meal, the waiter watching from beside their table.
"Is it to your liking?" he asked them both.
Yuzuru realised that he'd best take a bite himself before answering that question. Taking care to not drip sauce everywhere, he picked up a chunk of pork between his chopsticks and raised it to his mouth.
He could taste the vivid flavours an instant before it reached his tongue, and for the briefest of moments he realised that it was actually very well prepared.
Then the heat of the spices hit him.
"Holy dòufu!"
-o-O-o-
Chapter 3: Not So Chance Encounters