Hello! Finally I get an access to the internet with my laptop after one whole week. Thank you so much for the reviews, I really appreciated it. I hope you all enjoy chapter 2! X3
Summer, June 13
There are various reasons why you can't forget about summer. Its heat, heavy atmosphere—and most of the time, you don't really need a reason why you can't forget about it. Even about the slightest thing—the sunshine.
"… It's hot." Rukawa murmured with his fingers rested on his eyes to prevent the sun from touching his eyes directly. The class already started fifteen minutes ago, but he didn't move from his favorite spot on the rooftop. He's sleepy but he couldn't sleep, and going to the class isn't a good idea. Most likely, the teacher will scold him from falling asleep during class—and even though he doesn't care, he just doesn't want to be in trouble. He just wants to spend his time to sleep peacefully.
"It is. The sunlight is really radiant, right?"
"That's true." Rukawa closed his eyes just to open it up again after a few seconds. "Who are you?"
A long, black-haired girl—without ponytail today—sits beside him. She stretched her legs and gently stroked the fur of a black cat on her laps. A slight smile that covered her face changed to a frown in a second. "That's rude, I've been here since forever."
Rukawa didn't answer a thing, but he rolled his body to the other side so that he doesn't have to see the girl with a cat beside him. A wind blows several times before stopped, leaving the heat of the sun alone. The cat meowed once and then went back to sleep when the girl's hands kept stroking its fur carefully and gently despite the heat.
"It's a nice day to take a nap, isn't it?" the girl said once again. Rukawa still didn't answer, leaving the girl to talk by herself, hoping that she will get bored and then leave. But she didn't no matter how hard Rukawa pray inside his head. Actually, he is ruder than this, but when it's something that involved woman, he tends to keep his mouth shut—he doesn't even know why.
"Aren't you thirsty? I'm going to buy a drink from the vending machine, you want something? Oh, and if you do, please hand me your money." She asked with a grin on her face after awhile. Rukawa still didn't say anything. Instead, he gets up and walked out the rooftop. The girl watched him disappeared and turned her eyes away, still stroking the cat's fur lightly. Probably thinking that Rukawa's leaving for good.
"Oi."
The girl turned her eyes to the source of the voice—Rukawa, who stood behind and handed her an orange juice while he's sipping a bottle of coke himself. "I don't like orange juice." She replied with a grin. Rukawa is about to drew his hand back when that girl suddenly grabbed the orange juice. "I'm kidding." She said. "Can't you tell the difference between someone who's kidding and who's not?"
After that, she fell silent for a long time and a wind blows, made her hair flows softly. It was when Rukawa closely look at her when he realized that girl is pretty. Well, I'm just saying she's not bad, he told himself. There's no way he would admit it. And he's not interested in that kind of thing, anyway. They were silent for quite a long period of time before the black cat woke up and meowed. "Isn't it prohibited to bring a pet to the school?" he asked.
She looked up at him and smiled faintly. "It's fine as long as the teachers don't know about it. That's why keep this a secret, okay, Rukawa-kun?" She moved the cat's paw at Rukawa, to make it sound like it's the cat who's begging. The cat just meowed weakly and closed its eyes again, back to its afternoon nap. "Ara, even at this heat he can sleep so soundly."
Rukawa sits on his usual spot, sighed after he finished his coke. "Are you a first-grader?" he asked without expression—as if whether she's going to tell him or not, it's not going to bother him at all. The girl pierced him a quick glance before turned her eyes away to the sky above them.
A summer sky.
"You can say that." She answered as she narrowed her eyes a little bit. "What, is it strange?"
"Just because I never saw you before."
"Mhm." She muttered. "Have you ever tried to look at your surroundings?"
"No."
That girl laughed silently. "As I thought. Well, you are always surrounded by people maybe that's why you never noticed me before. As for me, I always notice you. You stand out, anyway."
"I don't care." He answered without tone.
"I know." She replied softly. This time, Rukawa pierced her with cold looking eyes, but she didn't react at all. She just sat there, showing him the same faint smile while her hand keeps stroking the cat's soft fur. "I can tell whether someone is feeling lonely, annoyed, worry, happy or maybe sad. Even without them telling me, I can tell just by looking at them. Isn't that strange? But I'm sorry, if I'm unnecessarily meddling into your business. Or if I've said something I shouldn't have. I'm sorry—it's a bad habit of mine."
Rukawa looks away from her. He didn't think like that. No, it's not like that at all. "Don't misunderstand." He rested his left hand on his knee. "I didn't mean it that way."
She looks astonished for a moment before she smiled warmly after that. "… Thank you." She whispered. Rukawa heard it, but he pretends he did not just because he couldn't think of an answer. He gets up, walked towards the door. "I'm going back." He said. "What are you—"
"It's not you. It's Kanade." He heard her voice rose. He turned around, seeing her smiling at him. "Yaegaki Kanade." She repeated.
"…Whatever." Rukawa replied. "Aren't you going back?"
Kanade slowly shook her head. "No, I'm going to stay here a little longer." Rukawa turned his back, he's about to open the door when once again; he heard Kanade's voice calling him. "Rukawa-kun, is it okay if I come here tomorrow too?"
He didn't turn back to look at her, but he answered with a short reply. As always, without any expression or tone, before disappeared and closed the door behind him. "Do what you want."
Kanade heard the sound of the closed door and smiled. "Ne, summer is so special isn't? There are various reasons why you can't forget about summer. Its heat, heavy atmosphere—and most of the time, you don't really need a reason why you can't forget about it." She stroked the cat's head gently. The cat meowed again and purred as an answer. She lifted her head to the clear blue sky and felt the warmth of the sun lingering on her skin. "Even about the slightest thing—the sunshine."
"Yo, Rukawa." Ayako waved to him after the practice ends. She walked towards Rukawa, who is now drenched in sweat, like always. "Did you return that book yesterday?" she asked.
He didn't say anything, but just gave her a short nod. The truth is, he totally forgot about that thing. After the almost-incident with the ponytailed girl, he went straight home. Went straight home, and go to sleep. When he realized, it was already morning and the book is still inside his bag, even now.
So, he got another reason to go out today after practice.
The thing is that he forgot his bike today, so he had to walk. Why did he forget so many things anyway? With his bag rested on his shoulder, he walked out the gymnasium. It was hot today—maybe even more than yesterday. As he walked out the gate, his eyes caught a figure of someone he knows. Well, not really someone he knows.
That girl was squatting, playing with the same black cat she always brings with her. She swung a strand of grass on her hand back and forth, while the cat foolishly followed it. Rukawa sighed. Out of all people, why did he have to encounter that girl over and over again? But maybe he should at least be thankful to the fact that girl is not as loud as the other girl who always screams on the bleachers.
Even though she still annoys him.
Kanade lifted up her face, probably realized that someone's shadow covered her. Her eyes turned to Rukawa's, who is looking at her with a cold look, then beamed him a warm smile. "Oh, are you going home now? It's already late."
"…Yeah." Rukawa answered shortly.
Kanade looked up to the ground again, to the cat, to be precise. She stroked the cat's fur a few times before the cat jumped and ran to the school building. Both Kanade and Rukawa looked at it as it is disappeared from their sight. "That cat lives in the school ground. I found him a few days back. Apparently, he isn't too nice to people, he even scratched people who draws close to him."
She laughed silently and stood up. Looking at Rukawa with her two clear eyes, she grinned. Her long hair flutters because of the wind as she speaks. "So, are we going to a date now?"
"Did you hit your head or something?" Rukawa raised an eyebrow and turned his back on her. She chuckled softly and followed him from behind. They froze in silent as they walked together. Nobody said a word, they even can listened to the buzzing insects—probably the cicadas.
"Where are we going?" Kanade asked, looked at her surroundings. Rukawa glanced at her for a second and then turned his face the other way.
"Library." He answered.
"You are taking a girl for a date to a library? What are you? Even though you seem to be popular with woman." She taunted her two eyebrows together. She raised her wrist watch to see what time it is. "Well, I guess you have to date any other girls in the library. I have to go to work."
"Hm." Rukawa muttered as an answer.
Kanade giggled and tapped Rukawa's left shoulder. "Don't look so lonely. Now, I feel bad—gotta go. Don't miss me okay? Later." She dashed and disappeard to a crowd of people who are going to cross the big street. Rukawa narrowed his eyes to see where she's going but he couldn't find her anywhere with the two eyes of his.
"Heh." Without even realizing it, Rukawa chuckled. He closed his eyes for a second and started to walk, leaving the place where he stood. He can still feel the heat of the sun even though it's starting to set.
It was summer.