Chapter 7: A Seance
Takasu and I had caught each others' gazes and after a short while his expression widened into a goofy smile, probably close to the one I had. I was glad my face didn't match the disaster that was me right now but that was the least on my mind. My heart was pounding. I felt my skin tingle. I didn't know what I was looking forward to after Taiga left but it definitely wasn't to work alongside Takasu. I was already in dire straits a few moments ago and this in no way was going to make it better.
"...Okay!" He stammered his words showing that he was a little nervous too; it must be uncomfortable to help a friend you don't know that well at her job, but I doubt he was as shaken as I was.
I needed a way to move the conversation forward. I couldn't just stand still smiling at him after accepting his offer to help me, but at the same time I was at a loss thinking of what he should do. I was in no situation to have him actually help me with rest of the inventory, but he couldn't just stay and do nothing. I guess he can sweep the store... no, he can't do that. What kind of a friend would I be if I just left him by himself and told him to do the worst job ever? There's gotta be something else... I can restock the shelves while he does the inventory, that works! ...Wait, I'm supposed to fix whatever he and Taiga didn't do right... he's not going to know what to do... and he's not going to know how to do the shelves either so-
"Umm... so Kusheida, what do you want me to do?"
"R-Right! Sorry there Takasu-kun, I zoned out there for a sec. We're going to finish restocking the shelves in front! Two sets of hands are always better than one!" I felt my face flush red and through the embarrassment I let my voice speak for itself. I was practically cursing at myself in my head. It already felt like my chest was going to pop out of my body and now it felt like everything else was going to as well. Not only was I mess but I had to be by the person who caused these feelings for the rest of the day. Why did you say something before thinking straight you idiot?
"Alright. So, let's get to it?" Takasu spoke with more confidence but his voice was still shaky. He dodged my eyes every so often while he talked.
"Yeah! But before we get started let me go and take a little bathroom break! Just wait for me in the front room and we'll jump right to it!"
"S-sure. I'll see you in a little bit." He stuttered a bit before raising his hand stiffly to say goodbye.
"Cya!" I darted away from Takasu as I waved back at him, rushing to the restroom as fast as I could. My first instinct now was to get as much distance between myself and him as possible. Everything felt like it was spiraling out of control, so much so that I was saying things before I even finished thinking. I just needed a second to calm down and take in what was happening. It was better to do this now than to risk screwing up again later.
I hurried inside the restroom and close the door behind me, putting my back alongside it's surface as I pushed it shut. I lift my head high and with my eyes closed I take a deep, long breath. I made sure to feel the air stream through my body as I filtered my emotions alongside with it.
"*breathe out*, you're okay Minori, you're okay." I focused on making my heavy breaths even slower. I made the weight of them pass to my fingertips, and through there I seeped them out to the cold surface of the door behind me. "...You're okay... you're not breaking down right now, you're fine. You just acted a little stupid before but that's okay... you're fine." I felt my chest still tight, but everything else seemed to get lighter. It was as if my body felt like it was seeping away too. I push my fingers firmer behind me. "You're friends with Takasu-kun... he's friends with you... that's all that's important. Just be a good friend, get through the day, and everything will be okay... simple." I tried my best, almost by force, to slow my breath to a crawl. "You're feelings aren't going to show, and you're not going to ruin anything. You're going to be yourself, and you'll be a great friend. That's that."
I let the door support me for about another 10 seconds or so; I was running on borrowed time with Takasu waiting for me outside. I knew I wasn't entirely fixed, but I was calmer and I wasn't so bad that I was overwhelmed. For this moment at least I was in control, and I was confident I could make it through a little longer until I got home. I glance at my wristwatch that read 4:49. My shift ends at 7 when the sun goes down, so I just had to last a few more hours and go back to normal. Simple.
Before I headed out I walked to the mirror to make sure I was still myself. The Minori that stared back at me looked a little worn out, but besides that everything else seemed fine. I arched my lips to the same goofball smile I always gave. It looked just as ridiculous as it ever was, thankfully. I made a few more faces to reassure myself nothing stupid was showing. With everything in check I hurried towards the door. I placed my hand on the doorknob and took one last deep breath.
"Okay, you got this." I said a few more words out loud to myself, reassuring myself further. "*Breathe out *", don't screw up." And with that I was out the door.
Takasu was sitting on a fold-out chair near the front counter of the store, the same one that Inage-san sits down on during days when the shop wasn't really that busy. He had his hands folded in front of him and was staring at the ground beneath him. His face looked tense, even more tense than how his face usually is. I didn't think I kept him waiting too long so I hoped he wasn't upset by that. Either way it was best to start off as bright as possible.
"I'm back! Sorry that I had you waiting in here for me. I didn't take too long did I?" I waved a big hello to him as soon as I walked into the room. I made it a point to give off of as much energy as possible.
"Oh n-not at all, you were actually really quick about it. You surprised me a little with how fast you were." He was still stuttering a bit and he showed a slight blush across his cheeks. I took the opportunity to raise the mood.
"Well it can't be that much of a surprise Takasu-kun! You know I can't let a moment's chance slip by! And neither should you! Let's make the most out of this while we still got our lives left to live!"
He looked a little lost before giving a slight grin. "Yeah, you're right. We can't drop the ball while we can help it right?" Something about his voice seemed different. I couldn't put my finger on it, but he sure did say the right thing to get me riled up.
"Nailed it! C'mon, lets do our part and show this store the spirit of an Ohashi student!" I extended my arm out to him as a gesture to help pull him off his seat. "Whaddya say?"
His eyes met mine as I offered him my hand. I gave an extra perk to my smile to make sure I was as inviting as possible. Takasu kept his smile, but something about his expression changed. It wasn't anything apparent like a change in mood, it was something stranger. It was like everything about him had deepened.
"Yeah, let's do our best." He swung his arm slowly towards mine and both of our hands clasped together. I instantly felt how firm of a grip he had and was taken back by how strong he was. But surprisingly his arm was almost docile; it felt like the strength of his arm willingly supported my own. Not thinking too much of it I lifted him up from his forearm. Takasu felt weightless, like he could pass right through me.
He and I kept eye contact as he started to be raised off of his seat. I was feeling something strange for some time now. I had gotten over looking at him in the eyes but this wasn't the same. It was something about the way he looked at me now that made me unsteady. There wasn't any other way I could describe it, I just felt nervous for some reason. I had no answer for it, and I had less answers for how to deal with it.
"! Hey-" Takasu grunted something in the middle of my thoughts, but I wasn't paying attention to what it was. I felt the shock of reality when I felt his hold over my hand tighten up. The next thing I noticed was that Takasu was being pulled over fast into my direction, with about less than a meter in distance separating us and closing. My nerves stiffened immediately and my skin burned like fire. Instinctively I shifted to my right away from him and I folded my hand in to slip away from his grip. Because of that Takasu ended up fumbling a bit past me. It looked like he was going to fall.
"Takasu-kun!" I reached out my hand to him again afraid that he was going to hurt himself. Fortunately he got a hold of the front counter and stopped himself from hurdling to the floor. I pulled my hand back and gave some distance between the both of us. "Oh my gosh are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm alright. What the heck happened though, you just jerked my arm all of a sudden and sent me flying."
"What!? Oh crud I didn't mean to I'm sorry!" I apologized copiously. I was blushing pretty badly when he told me that.
"Don't worry about it, it wasn't anything serious." Takasu stood back upright, looking more confused than anything else. "That took me by surprise though, it just came out of nowhere. If I had known you were going to do that I would have prepared for it." It took me by surprise too, believe me. I took a second to check myself and could feel that I was becoming more insecure. I did my best to flip the conversation.
"Hah! You fell for my trap Takasu-kun! You see, only the best Ohashi students are prepared for the unexpected turns in life! The moments that stress your mettle are what we should live for!" I bump my fist to my chest to show my enthusiasm and let my character show further. "So how good was my acting a little while ago? Pretty spot on huh?" I gave a playful smile to emphasize me goofing around.
"You sure fooled me, that's for sure." He gave a soft smile in return. Whatever kind of strangeness I saw in his face was gone, and I gave a quiet sigh of relief. I wasn't sure what exactly happened with me pulling on Takasu, but I knew I had to move forward. I don't think it had anything to do with my emotions so I put it aside.
"Alright! Let's get straight to work!" I raised my fist in the air and gave an ecstatic cheer to the relatively quiet room. Everything seemed alright so far and I intended to keep it that way. With the right frame of mind going in I started to gave Takasu a brief explanation of how things worked at Inage's.
About 10-15 minutes soon passed since we started stocking the front shelves. I told him how it was done in my normal manner and as soon as he picked it up we went to different sides of the store to get it done. I was thankful that he was helping out and it was going to get done a lot faster this way, but a part of me felt kind of bad. At first I was thrilled with the idea of Takasu and I working alone so I wouldn't be near him, but as time went on I felt more and more guilty. I thought more of the idea of leaving a friend alone doing grunt work and became more and more disgusted with myself. I got through my half anyway so I had no reason to just hide here. I debated with myself for a while, weighing the many negatives of going over and talking to him, but in the end my shame fell over me. He was going to have a worse impression of me if I left him alone then if I stayed with him and screwed up here and there. Timidly I began to walk over to the end of the room, with the idea of just asking how he was doing, nothing more.
I got a quick glance of him before he noticed me as I came up behind him. He looked focused on what he was doing and was wearing a pretty serious countenance on him. I was glad to see he was taking it seriously. Not wanting to scare him I made my footsteps a little louder as I walked closer to him. He turned his head around casually, and after realizing it was me he gave a quick smile.
"Hey, what's up Kushieda?" Takasu gave me a curious glance while still working on the shelves.
"Nothing much, just wondering how you're doing that's all." I leaned on one of the shelves next to him, resting my hands on the smooth surface of the ledge. "I got done with my half a little while ago so I figured I might as well check up on you. How goes your little adventure?" I gave an easygoing tone in my voice, wanting as relaxed an atmosphere as possible.
"I'm almost done with my side too. I just got to finish this last row and that'll be it."
"Hmm, really? Okay then speed demon, let's check how you did!" I leapt up and went into a ridiculous pose, ready to scour and nitpick at anything Takasu didn't do right. I quickly glanced at all of the merchandise around me and just as expected they looked decent. I tried for an impersonation of one of those corny martial arts masters from the movies to get a good vibe going. "So... I see that there are no faults so far... well done Takasu-kun! You have completed the first phase of your journey!... but … have you moved beyond what the eyes see? Have you prepared for the struggle of the inner depths of the shelves?!" I peered down several lines of products, expecting for at least something to have fallen down or be misplaced. Surprisingly though nothing seemed wrong. I looked at all of the other lines and was impressed with how neat and organized everything was. It was more impressive considering he had never done this before, and in such a short time too. "It would seem that you have mastered all that I've taught you! You have succeeded!" I bowed honorably too him. Takasu gave a little grin, a little cheerier than usual I think, but quickly went back to focus on finishing up his last row.
"I hope I did alright. I'm a little used to doing stuff like this but still I didn't want to mess up somehow." He spoke very humbly, but he had all rights to brag. The speed at how he was stocking items was incredible. It was like he was working here as long as I have.
"Wow Takasu-kun! I didn't know you had work experience before! Here I thought I had you pegged as more of a school-centered guy. So where did you used to work at if you don't mind me asking?" I stood back up like a normal person and asked my question in my usual spirits.
"You were right to begin with. I don't have a job and I haven't had one before. I just do a lot of housework and cleaning at home so I'm comfortable with this type of work."
"Ehh? There's no way you just do chores at home and nothing else, you're too good at this for you not to have worked before!" I was halfway teasing him and the other half skeptical. I didn't believe him at all. "C'mon, spill the beans!" I swayed over him and started to nudge him with my elbow.
"I'm being serious Kushieda, I really haven't worked before. I've done most of the housework by myself since I was young so I'd be pretty ashamed if I wasn't good at stocking shelves." Even with my pestering he still went down the aisle doing work with no signs of stopping. "I'm normally by myself at home since my mother works full time to support the both of us. I spend most of my time taking care of the house, so I guess that could explain why I'm this way."
There was a pause between us for a moment. Things were getting pretty serious all of a sudden and I didn't want to just start blathering again for fear of being inconsiderate. I toned myself down a bit. "I get ya. Sounds pretty tough on your end. Sorry If I pushed you too far."
"Don't apologize, you haven't done anything wrong. Like I said I'm just used to things like this. I don't think it's tough, or good or bad for the matter, It's just a part of my life." The way he spoke didn't change; if he was angry about anything it sure didn't sound like it. His words resonated with me though. What he was saying was really mature, at least that's what I thought.
"Well said Takasu-kun. It isn't good to dwell on the way things are, right?" I said my words rhetorically to go with the mood. I slowly sat on the shelf opposite to where Takasu was working at, trying to get comfortable with how the air of the conversation was. I lifted my head up a bit to relax. "But I know the feeling of having parents that work all the time." I began to close my eyes. "Back at my old place both my mom and dad worked around the clock to support all of us. We had a pretty big family with my grandparents living with us and all, so there was a lot of tension to get things done. I was the oldest sibling out of me and my brother so most of the responsibilities fell on me." I leaned my back further down against the shelf, letting my head hang back further as well. I didn't understand why I was talking about this, but I was comfortable with it so I kept at it. "I did things like cook meals for everyone, the laundry, and just helping around the house in general. I remember as soon as I got home from a school day the first thing I would do was get started on the chores. And then the next thing I knew it was night already and I barely had time to finish my homework. ...You know now that I think about it, we're not that different after all are we? Neat coincidence huh?"
I heard Takasu slowing down his pace bit by bit. The sound of scuttling merchandise was getting softer. "Your old place? Does that mean you moved out?" It sounded like he was interested more than before.
"Mhmm. Actually my family lives in Misaki. They gave me the okay to live on my own while going to high school."
"Woah, Misaki? Isn't that in Osaka prefecture? What made you move all the way over here?" I could hear the sound of shuffling boxes get quieter and quieter.
I let in and let out a heavy breath. I was getting so comfortable reminiscing that it felt like I was drifting away. I stopped for a second before giving him an answer. "...Dreams, my dear Watson. I've always loved playing softball and have wanted to be in the big leagues ever since I was little. When my parents learned what I wanted to do in the future they did their best at finding a way to make it possible. And when they discovered how well known the Ohashi softball team was, they went out of their way to save up funds for me to travel here. And the rest as they say is history." I felt really warm inside. It wasn't that often that I got to talk about things like this. It was a really nice feeling. "...Geez, look at what you've got me to say Takasu-kun! This is pretty embarrassing you know!" I got off my seat and stood straight up to see him at the end of the aisle gently looking back at me. It looked like he just got done. I was too into this conversation to care that much though. "Alright then wise guy, what about you? What are you gonna do with the rest of your life?" I taunted him in a friendly manner.
His face dropped a bit when I asked my question. "Err..." Takasu closed his eyes and went into deep thinking. It was taking him a while to respond back too. It looked like he was really trying to come up with an answer. "I don't know." His words were disconcerting. A part of me felt like we've been in this position before.
"... Takasu-kun, everyone has something they want to do as an adult. You can't just not have a goal to look forward to!" I wanted to coax him into saying something seeing as how I shared my story. "We have a future for a reason you know!"
He looked really contemplative as he stared at the floor beneath him. His aura didn't match the cheery tone I gave at all. "I honestly don't know. I haven't put too much thought into things like that. Don't get me wrong though, I would like to live happily and have a family in the future, it's just that I'm not sure exactly how to get there. I guess I'm undecided right now." He spoke in that puzzling voice of his that wasn't happy or sad, just in the middle. I gave my best shot to try and match his mindset.
"No worries, we all got our own little motives in life. Some of us just have our sights set on different things. I just figured you were one of those guys who thinks about that type of stuff. Guess I swung and missed on that one huh?"
It looked like a switch had flipped on inside Takasu. The energy he gave now was completely different, like he was a different person altogether. I saw a smirk on his face start to grow as his expression loosened. I swallowed a nervous gulp. It was like that time earlier when I came out of the restroom. I didn't know what was going on. I was unsteady. My legs were twigs. I felt like a breeze could tip me over like a domino in the wind.
"Well it's just like you said, right Kushieda? It isn't good to dwell on the way things are right? We just have to make do with what we have here and now." He raised his head to meet mine and gave a strong presence while doing so. He looked so unfamiliar all of a sudden. He was confident. His eyes were benevolent. It was weird. It was like the old him had faded away. I spun my mind on fast forward to compensate for what was happening.
"Y-yeah you're right! All that we have is the here and now! So let's get the most out of it!" I gave a good old fashioned fist pump. "Speaking of, let's get the rest of the store done pronto! Time's a wasting Takasu-kun!"
"Eh? We're not done?"
"Nope! We have to do one last check on the room that you and Taiga did a while back! The boss wants to make sure everything is A-OK!" I was speaking off of instinct like baseballs off a pitching machine.
"Ah... here I thought we were finished with everything. Guess not." Just like that he went back to the person I thought he was. So what the heck happened? Was I just seeing things?... Whatever, doesn't matter.
"So whaddya say we go ahead and finish this job up? You with me?"
"Yeah. Let's get it done." Takasu spoke calmly.
"Sweet! High five coming at ya!" I dashed to him with my hand raised to meet him.
"Wha- wait-" He stumbly lifted his hand towards me.
*smack*
"Woo!" I ran past him and jumped in the air in celebration. I twisted my hips fully to turn towards Takasu and display my joy. "Woa-!" I felt my foot land in a place I didn't want it to go and the support I thought I had landing fell quickly. My body kept spinning when my legs touched the ground and I started hurling towards the floor.
"Watch out!" I heard Takasu somewhere behind me but my vision was spinning; I had no idea where he was. With little control over when I was going to land I braced for impact.
*thunk.*
… I was sitting on the ground. I wound up with a view of Takasu, several feet away, with his arm stretched towards me. I had landed with my bottom to the floor and my legs extended in front of me. My hands were beside me supporting my back and keeping it off the ground. I felt like I was suddenly at Taiga's place sitting on her carpet watching t.v. There was an awkward silence between us as we just looked at each other. None of us moved for what felt like a long time.
"... *laugh*" I cracked a beaming smile, trying to hold myself back from laughing. I saw Takasu give a mushy expression like he was going to laugh too. There was silence again as we stared at each other.
"Haha! Hahaha!"
"Hahahaha!"
There wasn't any chance that we were going to hold back. We both tried to keep it down because I think Inage-san was still here somewhere, but what happened was just really funny. In between our muffled laughter I caught a look at Takasu laughing into his arm; it looked like he was enjoying himself too.
"*chuckle*, that was really dumb of me huh?" I brought my hand to the back of my head embarrassingly. Being the center of attention I made all of this seem really silly. I didn't have to try very hard. It all came naturally.
Takasu was standing at the edge of the aisle, looking at me with a smile. "Not really. It looked like you were having a lot of fun." He was gentle and content now, just like the person I always thought he was. ...Well he wasn't lying; I was having fun right now. After a while I eased myself back and started to pick myself up. When I was able to I jumped up to stand.
"I sure did! It's moments like these that make life worth fighting over!" I said my words enthusiastically and gave a big old thumbs up with equal energy. The feeling in the air was amazing but I think that was just me. I hope the both of us were feeling just the same. "Anyways follow me! We still got a job to do!" I started walking around to the back storeroom and Takasu soon followed. I'm glad that things ended up the way they did somehow. I had my doubts about him helping me out but it turned out better than I thought. Despite a few strange things happening things were going okay. Maybe he and I could be better friends at the end of this. That would be nice.
It was 6:10. The both of us checked the job he and Taiga did a few hours ago and noticed that there was some alcohol that was missing. It was mostly stuff that was locked up in the shed like some sake and shochu that no one orders from here. But other than that I was happy with the job that they did. Inage-san's doubts weren't right and the inventory was really well done. I felt proud having taught them in so little a time. But I still owed them a lot of gratitude.
"Man, you two sure did a good job when you guys were back here. Besides the stuff that you didn't know was here everything else is perfect. Couldn't have done it better myself." I gave Takasu praise while looking in the crooks of the room, making certain there was nothing else we needed.
"Thanks, but it was a really big hassle. Taiga and I were bickering back and forth about the right way to do things the entire time. I'm just glad we did our fair share."
"Well thank you a ton Takasu-kun! You guys did awesome! I'll be sure to give Taiga a big ol' hug too when I see her!" I gave a chipper reply. "Well I think that takes care of it! We just got to get some sweet potato shochu and some koshu wine and it's a job well done! Could you give me a hand lifting some of the boxes in?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Great, let me just find the key to the shed and we'll be home free!" I dug in my apron for my work keys and looked for that rusty old key that Inage-san gave me. He really needs to get a new lock; that things looks like it'll break if someone sneezes on it. But he's pretty stingy with his money so it wasn't likely to happen.
"Hey Kushieda, what time is it?"
"Hmm?" I glance at my wristwatch. "It's 6:13. Why do you ask? You getting tired there?" I poked fun of him a little bit.
"No, it's just that Taiga hasn't come back yet. Those deliveries couldn't have taken that long. I'm just worried for her that's all." … Taiga. Oh my gosh, I completely forgot that she's coming back. That's right, she has taken a long time hasn't she? Huh... I can't believe she just slipped my mind like that... wow...
"Don't worry, she's alright. If there's anyone who can take care of herself it's her." ...I feel like garbage. How did she just leave my thoughts like that? What kind of best friend am I... and why did I forgot about her?
I glance up away from my keys towards Takasu. He looked lost, staring towards an empty corner of the room. I went into myself for a moment.
"... Did I really forget about her because of Takasu? I mean I'm more comfortable around him I guess... I had fun... yeah, I did have fun. But I can't believe this. I border-line hated him. And now-"
"Hey, Takasu-kun." I spoke up out of my daze. I didn't think about it; it just felt right for me to talk right now.
"? Yeah? What's up?"
I kept my eyes on my keys. I didn't look him at him. It was almost like I couldn't. "It's about Taiga. I just... I just wanted to say thanks."
There was a bit of silence. "What for?"
"For being a good friend to Taiga. I know she isn't the most friendly person out there, but she's a great person when you get to know her." My head felt like it was going through a fog. But it felt good to keep talking. "...I care about her a lot. It's really hard for her to make friends with the way she is and all. And because of that I worry about her sometimes."
"..."
My speech slowed down. My voice became scratchier. "I try my best to be there for her as much as I can, but things haven't been the way I've wanted them to be lately. We don't spend enough time together now, and we do our own things by ourselves way more often." I spoke softer. "...I was worried that I was leaving her alone. ...I was worried that she was going to have no one to be there for her. I don't want that. She deserves so much better than that."
"..."
"... But then you came in. I don't know how you guys started talking to each other or how you two met, but I'm really glad you have. I had my doubts at first, but you're a good person. I'm glad that Taiga has a friend like you around. It makes me worry a lot less about her."
"..."
I started to feel really small. I didn't understand what I was doing, but I didn't care. I just kept talking. "I don't know why you wanted to be her friend in the first place, but I appreciate that you came into her life. I don't think she can say it, and I know her actions don't show it, but she's glad that you're her friend. And I'm glad too. I'm glad that you're there for her now... when I can't be." My voice was heavy. My lungs felt tied down. "...I'm happy that she's not alone, and I'm happy that I don't have to worry about her that much now... I'm really happy that she met someone like you.
"..."
"...So yeah... Takasu-kun... I just... thanks. …Thank you."
"Don't sweat it. I think Taiga really appreciates the way you care about her. I bet she worries about you too, the same way you worry about her." The way he spoke slit right through me. "I can tell that you two are really great friends. I can't see that ever changing."
"...Yeah... I hope so..." I was still looking down, twiddling my fingers around my key chain. I felt warm, like my chest wanted to... wait... oh god. No! NO! Stop it! Do something! Anything! Just stop it you idiot! STOP!
"Oh wow, what the heck came over me? Man I just started talking and I went way off the bend! Sorry that I made you hear that Takasu-kun! Let's go ahead and finish the day off strong! Just follow my lead, the shed is right out here!" I shut my eyes and let my body do the talking for me, from posturing to the way I talked to the way I proudly started to march towards the back door. I didn't know what would happen if I opened my eyes for that moment. I didn't want to think about it. I was sure I would snap out of this in no time.
"...Yeah, sure." Takasu sounded monotone as I heard his footsteps behind me. I really hope he doesn't think of me any less for what I just said. But it could be worse. At least I didn't cry in front of him again like a loser. I avoided screwing up this entire day and there was no way I was going to screw up right at the end.
We went to the shed pretty quickly. The sun was going down and my shift was almost over so I wanted to get all this done before the day ended. I felt a little strange from a few moments ago and I was autopilot from here on out. Today was a good day but work needed to get done.
"Just one sec, let me go ahead and get this old thing open. Watch out when you go inside, the door will swing shut once you let go."
"..." Takasu stayed quiet behind me. Not giving it too much attention I went ahead and opened the door.
"Alrighty! Let's get this show on the road! We got just enough sun in here to be in and out like that! Now, where is that sweet potato shochu?" I walked in and went through the wide variety of boxes instantly, crouching down and rummaging in search of what I was looking for. I heard the massive wooden door creak slowly to a close. I assume Takasu stopped it from slamming shut.
"..." Something was wrong. He hasn't said anything for a while now. He could be quiet every now and then but never like this. I turned around and sure enough I saw something that didn't sit right with me. Takasu looked grim, contemplating about something and staring down at the ground beneath him. I couldn't tell if he was mad or upset, but he sure wasn't happy.
"Hey Takasu-kun? What's the matter? Why such a long look on your face?" I asked concernedly.
"...Nothing... just thinking about something." He sounded so gloomy. There was no way it was just nothing.
"Well whatcha thinking then? I can't just have you lugging yourself around like that! Go on, you can tell me." I stood back up and leaned towards the wall opposite of where Takasu was standing. I wanted him to be as comfortable with me as possible.
He looked so serious, almost scary serious. "...Hey Kushieda?" He questioned me earnestly.
"Yeah? What's going on?" I gave a warm smile with an equally warm tone.
"... I don't like what you said before. When we were still in the storeroom. I'm bothered by it." I was taken back by what he said. I was floored. I felt like I was being crushed by every possible angle. Did I screw up that badly!? You're such an idiot Minori!
"Takasu-kun I'm sorry I didn't know what I was talking about I just went on a rant-"
"No!" Takasu exclaimed. I stopped mid sentence. "It wasn't that. It was something else." He didn't yell, but his words were so demanding. It wasn't scary so much as it was compelling. It was something above a level of normal confidence.
"...What was it?" I asked meekly.
He raised his head high and looked at me dead on. His eyes caught my gaze immediately. I couldn't peer off them even if I tried my best to. "It was what you said right at the end. You shouldn't have apologized, it made me kind of upset that you did." … What?
"I... I'm not sure I-"
"You shouldn't have said you were sorry for what you told me." He didn't let me finish. He was easily in charge of the conversation. "You being sorry meant that you took back everything you said before. That wasn't right for you to do."
"But... but I still don't understand why you're upset-"
"I'm upset because you really meant those words. You meant what you said about Taiga, all of it." Everything I was feeling back then started to come back. Only this time I was scared of what was going on. "You weren't lying to me. I know you weren't. I just... I didn't like you apologizing when you were being so truthful, that's all."
"..." I was at a loss for words. I didn't know what to say to that.
He never let go of my eye sight. I was stuck staring into his eyes as he pierced into mine. "You had every right to say what you wanted to say. You wanted to talk about it too. It's okay – no, you should always talk about things like this when you want to. Don't just push away what you care about. Don't ever hide it."
"..."
"! I... I think I stepped over my boundaries. I'm sorry if I scared you."
"..." I couldn't move. I lost control of everything as soon as he finished talking. All I could see were his eyes. I didn't know what else was going on. All I could feel was how thick my breathing was. Everything else shut down.
There was a moment of pause. "...I-"
*FWOOSH*
The shed doors swung open in a flash. My eyes readjusted to the change of lighting and went to the new source of light in a blitz. I looked down a little beneath me to find a girl in a beat up dress with a scowl that could boil water. It was Taiga.
"Hah! Found y-..." Her face dropped instantly. She looked astonished, like she saw something she would never believe. She was blushing and her eyes darted back and forth between me and something in another direction. I move my eyes back in front of me and see Takasu with a dumbfounded expression staring back at her. Realizing what all of this must have looked like I blush even worse than she did. Taiga then screamed at the top of her lungs.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?"
Some time had now passed since; even with Taiga throwing a tantrum everything still got fully stocked and I had done my job. The three of us were outside of the closed shop getting ready to see each other off. Taiga had said she wanted to talk so we planned to say goodbye to Ryuuji first, then walk to my place and chat for a bit. She looked serious so I was expecting a lot from her.
"Alright, I'll see you guys later." Takasu made his way down the street waving goodbye at the both of us.
"Cya Takasu-kun! Thanks for all the hard work!" I gave a merry goodbye in response.
"You better have cooked me something good when I get back!" Taiga yelled at him, expectantly so.
He got farther away from us and then turned the corner away from our line of sight. We both looked out into the distance towards where he walked off, acknowledging the end of the day. You know... it could have been worse. It wasn't so bad working with Takasu. It got kind of worrying at the end there, and I really don't know what it was about, but I think it was a good day despite that. My smile right now was genuine and I was really happy that it was.
"*breathe out*" I let out a tired sigh. "Hey Taiga, you wanted to talk about something right? You have my full attention ma'am!" I was tired, but I squeaked out as much energy as I could right now.
She spoke calmly. "So... you and Ryuuji huh? Did you guys have a good time together?" My face fell to shambles. My cheeks went up in knots and I reddened to the point where I think it hurt.
"I told you!- You're misunderstanding things! Me and Takasu-kun aren't like that!" I did my best at defending myself. I don't think it worked with me looking the way I did. "I thought you wanted to talk about something serious here!"
"I did. I wanted to know how deeply you two are in love with each other." T-this brat!
"T-Taiga! This isn't funny! He just wanted to help me with work, that's it! Nothing else!"
"Oh really?" She gave a devilish smile. "~Ryuuji and Minorin, sitting in a tree... k-i-s-s-i-"
"Oh my gosh! Stop it!"
"*giggle*" The fact that she was enjoying this drove me insane. "By the way I found something. Take a look." She was reaching into her pocket and took out my phone. … Why does she have MY phone!?
"H-how did you get tha-"
"I wonder who I should text. Ohh Ryuuji, you looked so manly as you stared into my eyes... it drove me-" I quickly reached out and tried to grab my phone away from her. she snatched her arm in and hid it away from me.
"Give me my phone back Taiga!"
"Make me."
"You little-!" She turned and sprinted away from me, dangling my phone in the air and taunting me. It worked. I ran after her with a shamed face and a sheepish heart. "Come back here!"
Author's Thoughts:
Hello again everyone. I feel like it's a routine now to release these chapters every few months now. In all honesty for those who are wondering, my circumstances haven't been the kindest to me. And as such I have very little time to write Chasing Ghosts as of late. It's a defeating feeling when I come back to write for this story weeks or even months later. But even with that said there's one thing that holds true. Every time I write Minori's story I become enthralled, and I find myself returning to that same passion I had when I first watched the show. It's these moments that remind me I still love doing this. And with the passing of so much time the fact that I still enjoy writing Chasing Ghosts means a lot to me in of itself.
I cannot imagine anyone who has had the patience of waiting for chapters of this fanfiction. It discourages me when I think about the fact that I've disappointed a great number of people. With that said though, this story will be written. I intend on finishing this story, I feel it deserves to be finished. And if any of you reading this are still here when this story concludes, I thank you with the highest form of sincerity. Chasing Ghosts is a passion project, but it means so much more if you enjoy what I do.
No date will be given to the post of the next chapter. The next chapter will be an X chapter, with Ryuuji's point of view of the events that occurred in this one. For a deeper look and information into the making of this chapter please visit my profile page. I hope to be writing another Author's Thoughts segments soon. And as always, truly, thank you for your time.