"Share your smile with the world. It's a symbol of friendship and peace"- Christie Brinkley
The light in the room faded with the setting sun. Hanako and I were insistent on completing our game. Tap-Tap went the chess pieces until Hanako spoke:
"Mate"
I sighed "Again? Is that 3-2 now?"
"S-Stalemates don't count"
I smiled at her "You're better at this now" Or maybe she was just going easy on me the entire time. That was also possible.
Chess was becoming a popular pastime for the two of us; hiding away from the hustle and bustle of the school, playing a couple of games after every class. The voices of passing classmates just a faint background buzz.
"Again?" I asked her
Hanako looked torn "I...I have to finish my homework"
I nodded "Okay. I'll see you later"
"But..." Hanako gestured to the tea set surrounding the mostly-empty chessboard "What about this?"
"I can get it" I assured her
"Oh...Okay. S-See you"
"Later" I smiled.
Hanako left as I cleaned up, the noises outside eventually fading into silence. I was enjoying my time at Yamaku, especially with my friends. Lilly and Hisao were nice and patient, but I especially enjoyed my time with Hanako. She was quiet, which I liked, but the feelings I got as I discovered more and more about her were indescribable, or least I couldn't describe them.
Time went on when I heard voices directly outside the door. It sounded like Lilly and Hanako, so I went out to see what they were talking about.
"Are you sure?" Lilly was asking her as I exited.
"Yes" she nodded.
"Oh, hey Kaito" Hisao was there too
Hanako spun round to see me, a look of surprise on her face. Lilly's eyebrows rose "Oh my," she said "Is that Kaito?"
"Hi" I waved "What's up?"
"I was hoping" Lilly spoke "Now that I've finished with my class representative duties for the day, that the four of us might go for tea at the Shanghai. It would be nice to enjoy ourselves outside of the school for a change"
"Okay" I nodded, before realising "Hanako had...uh...homework though..."
Hanako shook her head "I-It's...not all that much..."
"So are we going then?" Hisao asked
"Yes, I believe we are" Lilly smiled
There were other people in the Shanghai apart from us, but they were relatively quiet and mere background noise.
"Welcome to the Shanghai!" came Yuuko's chipper tone "May I take your order?"
"Just tea, please" Lilly ordered for herself "Boys, Hanako?"
"I'll just have some tea too" Hisao said
"Tea, with cake" I ordered
"Just...t-tea...please" Hanako managed to ask
"Coming right up!" Yuuko smiled "Please take any seat you wish, and I'll be back shortly"
As we took our seats, I noticed that Hanako wasn't hiding behind Lilly anymore, rather she was merely keeping her gaze to the ground while she led her blind friend around.
"Are you okay, Lilly?" Hisao asked her "You look tired"
Lilly lowered her head with a sigh "Class representative work can be very tiring, considering that it often means dealing with the Student Council. Very tiring indeed"
Oh yeah, she didn't get along with Shizune, did she?
"How...do the other representatives go?" Hanako asked
"Better than I," Lilly answered "But not by much. Shizune is a harsh taskmaster no matter whom she deals with"
"It doesn't sound like you particularly relish the job" Hisao noted "Why do you do it in the first place, if it's that bad?"
"Being a class representative is enjoyable, and I can deal with the responsibility well enough. It's just that the people involved are sometimes..."
"Annoying?" I suggested.
Lilly's face scrunched up, looking like she had another word in mind "Let's go with that"
Hanako suddenly rose to her feet "Hanako?" Lilly asked, having felt the girl rise.
"What's up?" I asked
"I'll...be back in a bit" Hanako answered. She left in the direction of the toilet. I guess when you have to go, you have to go.
Lilly looked bad. "Don't worry about it" Hisao said, putting a hand over hers "I don't think it was you"
"But..."
"She's fine" I spoke up "I think she's a little better now. At least since I met her"
Lilly sighed "Possibly. Sometimes...I find it hard to tell"
Eventually, Yuuko arrived with our orders to break the silence "Here you go"
"Thanks, Yuuko" Hisao smiled
"Yeah, thanks" I spoke up as well.
"Thank you" Lilly smiled
Yuuko bowed and left us to our devices.
"That's right" Lilly spoke up again "Kaito. I was meaning to ask you something"
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested "What is it?"
"Hanako's birthday is coming up, and I was hoping that might accompany Hisao and I for present shopping in the city this weekend"
"Uh..." I didn't really want to go into the city. I was never much of a city person, it was always too full of people and noise and smells. I grew up in a small rural area on the outskirts, much better for my state of mind. But if it was for Hanako...
"Okay, I guess"
"Great" Hisao smiled "Are we doing anything else?" he asked Lilly "A party or something?"
"I don't think she'd like a party" I said
"Indeed" Lilly agreed with me "Perhaps a more low-key affair-" she suddenly stops talking, taking a sip of her tea.
She must have heard Hanako coming back, because she arrived back to her seat within the next few seconds.
The four continued to sit there, drinking and eating as the sun set. I found myself growing to love Yamaku and this quiet little life all the more. I found myself looking at Hanako often. She was talking to Lilly about books when a question formed in my mind.
"Hanako? What do like to do? I mean, besides chess and books I mean"
Hanako looked at me with a funny look. Maybe surprise(?). It took a while before she answered:
"Um...I guess...I like singing a l-little. I'm okay with c-computers as well, but I...don't use them all that much"
That was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting her to enjoy signing, given her soft-spoken nature. It was nice to know we had more in common than I had first thought.
Lilly nodded. She must have known all of this already.
"W-What about...y-y..."
"What do I like?"
She nodded.
I smiled. I suppose it was only natural she wanted to know about mine.
"I like to paint, draw, stuff like that. Chess. Reading...Can't think of anything else. Oh wait, I like music too. Singing and the like. My dad, he...he had a guitar that I liked to play," I made a sad little wave with my fake hand "Need both hands for that though. And then there was my PlayStation..." I kind of needed two hands for that too.
That killed the mood real quick "It sounds like you lost a few things since your accident" Lilly noted
"Yeah" I agreed sadly "But that's why I took up art. Doctors suggested it to improve my right hand. I was a leftie before it all. Painting and drawing and that helped like a kind of therapy"
Hisao nodded "Nice to see that you gained something from it all"
Hanako remained silent. I wanted her to say something, anything, so I could hear her opinion. I may have stared at her a little to get a response out of her.
The awkward silence was broken by a soft ringing noise. Lilly reached into her pocket and drew out a phone.
"Sorry..." she said as she rose from her seat.
"I-It's okay..." Hanako spoke
Lilly went away to take the call in private.
"Must be nice to be popular" Hisao said in the silence.
Hanako smiled, but did not speak.
Hisao leaned back into his seat, eyes closed "It's nice and peaceful here" he said "I wonder what it'd be like to grown up somewhere like this, rather than in the city"
"It was nice" I said "I grew up in a place like this. It was nice, quiet, peaceful. Never liked the city. Too noisy and crowded"
"Aw, the city's not that bad" Hisao chuckled
"You grew up in the city?" Hanako asked him
"Yeah," he confirmed, leaning back forward "I guess you can say I was a city boy, through and through"
"I-It sounds like a lot changed" Hanako said
"It did" he nodded "I'm still not quite sure what to make of it all. It's a bit of a culture shock, in more ways than one. The pair of you must have felt something similar when you arrived at Yamaku? I imagine most students would"
"Not really" we more or less said at unison. Hanako looked at me, stunned, then dropped her gaze.
In the quiet, I could overhear Lilly's conversation "But can't we deal with that on Monday? The fallout has hardly settled from the last...I understand. I'll try to talk her down. You know what she's like when she gets locked onto an idea...Yes, thank you. I'll talk to you later then. Goodbye" With that, she closed her phone and turned back to us.
"Need to go?" Hisao asked, rising from his own seat.
"Unfortunately" she nodded "Class representative work calls once again"
"I'll walk you back" he said
She nodded, before turning to Hanako "Keep our Kaito company, won't you?"
"Okay..."
"I can join you for tea again later tonight" she promised "I may well need it"
We agreed on that, and so Hisao and Lilly left together, each leaving some money for their respective part of the bill. They spent a lot of time together.
And then Hanako and I were alone. We sat there, in silence. She looked at me with a wary look in her eyes that made me feel a little self-conscious. I knew I looked different, with my big scars and fake limbs, but it never bothered me too much until I saw the way she was looking. What did she think of me?
"You want to get something else?" I asked her. I hadn't had much of a dinner so I was still hungry.
Hanako face seemed to brighten as she nodded. I guess she was hungry too, but was just afraid to bring it up. I wonder why she would feel that?
It took some time, but we managed to order a sandwich and hot chocolate each. The food was nice, and we enjoyed it in silence. Or at least I did. I looked up to find that Hanako had not touched hers
"Are you okay?" I asked her "Not hungry?"
She shook her head "I-It's not that"
"What is it?"
"You looked...t-troubled. I-Is something...w-wrong?"
Did I look troubled? I guess my face must have given away some of my thoughts.
"Are we friends?" I asked her
"Friends..." she repeated. Her voice seemed shaky and she seemed to shrink into herself. I was afraid I'd hit a sore spot.
"I'm sorry..." I began to apologise for my question when she spoke
"I-I think th-that we are..."
That made me happy. "Good"
"A-Am I wrong to th-think that?"
"No! No, it's not..." I took a minute to control my volume "It's just...It's nice to hear it. I never had many friends. It's...good to know I have one" I happily took a swig of my hot chocolate, only to spit it back out with a swear "That was hot"
"Th-That's why..." Hanako quietly giggled "That's why I haven't eaten yet. I-I was waiting...for my drink to cool down first"
I wound up chuckling at my own blunder "I guess I should wait too"
The rest of the evening was much less tense. We enjoyed our meal in silence and made our way back to the school in silence, merely enjoying the company of each other.
A loud yawn escapes Hanako before she vainly tries to cover her mouth.
"Tired?" I asked, although I suppose the answer was fairly obvious.
"Yes" she nodded.
"Well...I best be off to bed too. Goodnight"
"G-Goodnight"
We both went our separate ways to the dorms, before I stopped and looked back. Hanako stood and waved at me before going inside. I waved back and went inside to my room, a silly smile adorned on my face.
I enjoyed my time with Hanako, those small and precious moments, more than I realised. I wanted to make her smile as much as I could. I did not fully understand my feelings, but I know one thing:
I liked these feelings.