CHAPTER THREE – MINGLING OVER MANGA (NatSuke)
At lunch the following day, Daisuke ate rather quickly. He did not care that today's lunch was a bit colder than usual. In fact, he did not even bother to think about the taste of the cafeteria's servings for today—rice, ground pork with vegetables, and broth—as he ate. Instead, he was wondering on whether the manga he had brought along for Natsuki would spark her interest, or at least convince her that he does read manga. Social Studies, their class before lunchtime, had taken up the first five minutes of their lunchbreak, leaving him with less time to eat and catch up to Natsuki at the same time.
As always, Kenta was the first to remark. "I don't think I've ever seen you eat this fast, Daisuke. What's up?"
"Just have . . . something to do . . ." said Daisuke in between mouthfuls of lunch.
"You're not talking about schoolwork, are you?" said Kenta. "I mean, it's just the second day of school."
Though Naoki also looked puzzled, he simply shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with catching up on something. Just leave him be, Kenta."
"Alright, alright," Kenta relented. He puffed up his chest rather proudly and looked around at them with a genial gleam in his eyes. "Besides, I dunno about you guys, but I feel a lot more . . . observant today, y'know? A lot more talkative. I had a pretty swell day yesterday, so I'm feeling pretty good, that's all."
"Kenta, you're . . . always talkative. . ." Daisuke stated through another mouthful. He swallowed and spoke more freely. "I mean, you're basically the first one to always say something funny about class or today's lunch or stuff even if no one wants to hear it."
"I know, I know. Today just feels different, alright?" Kenta smiled. "I dunno if I should tell you guys about it, but . . . ah, it's about Monika."
Daisuke slowed down a little, and even Naoki looked surprised. "Oh, yeah, she asked you to help her yesterday, right? So how did it go?"
"Oh, I see," Kenta cried out in mock exasperation. "So when you guys say something and I ask you about it, you tell me 'Oh, shut up, Kenta, leave us be,' but when something interesting happens to me and you find out, I have to tell you a little story? Some friends you are, you little dolts!"
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," said Daisuke with a laugh. "I just need to catch up with Natsuki. Lunch is the only time that we can talk easily."
Kenta's frustrated expression changed instantly into a knowing grin. He elbowed Naoki playfully. "Oho, looks like the pink-haired petite girl just left a mark on our friend here, Naoki. Aren't you proud? Looks like Daisuke is on his way to becoming a man now!"
"See, this is exactly why I don't share stuff with you, Kenta," Daisuke muttered facetiously. "Anyway, we're gonna be talking about . . . about manga."
"Manga?" Kenta frowned. "Of all the things you can talk about—love, friendship, getting her phone number—you're gonna talk about manga?"
Naoki, on the other hand, smiled. "That's actually a good way to go about it, Daisuke. That's your common interest, right? I'm sure that'll help you talk to her better."
"Thank you, Naoki, at least you get it," Daisuke remarked, high-fiving Naoki.
Kenta scratched his head irritably. "Okay, okay, I know I'm the odd man out again," he grumbled. "Just because I don't read all the time doesn't mean I should get a lot of flak for the stuff I say about it. Anyway, I dunno if you guys still wanna hear about what happened yesterday about me and Monika, so I guess I'll just—"
"No, no, we definitely want to hear what happened!" Naoki said quickly.
"Better make it quick, though," said Daisuke. "Natsuki might be waiting for me now."
"Yeah, yeah, it's not like there are a lot of interesting details that I can share with you guys," Kenta said, waving his hand dismissively. "We just . . . talked about a few things. Like that time we used to be classmates. She asked me how I was, and how my grades were last year."
"Well, if we're talking about your grades, then yeah, nothing much to discuss there," Daisuke joked.
"Go to another damn table because no one's laughing at your joke here, Daisuke," Kenta complained, even though Naoki was sniggering next to him. "Anyway, she needed to move some stuff that the debate club needed for their clubroom, apparently. A few extra chairs and tables, nothing too heavy," he added proudly.
"I'm sure she was really impressed," Naoki said.
"She was!" Kenta laughed, and Daisuke had to stop himself from laughing as well; there really were times when Kenta simply did not understand sarcasm. He continued haughtily, "She even told me how much of a big help I was, and that she was too shy to ask others for help because she didn't know them that much. And then she, ah . . . She said, um . . ."
As quickly as that, Kenta's confidence vanished. In its place, discomfiture suddenly prevailed. Daisuke, who was expecting a litany about how awesome Kenta was in Monika's eyes, felt rather surprised, and Naoki looked slightly confused. "She said what?" he asked.
"Well, she, um . . ." Kenta paused for a moment, scratching his head nervously. He looked around nervously, seemingly checking to see if there were any eavesdroppers at the cafeteria tables and aisles around them. When he spoke again, he leaned in so close across the table, as if he was about to reveal one of the world's biggest secrets. "She asked me if . . . if I'm free next Wednesday a-after school, because she needs . . . she needs help buying s-some stuff for her m-mom. . ."
A few seconds of silence prevailed after Kenta's reply. He merely looked at the two of them intently, as if staring daggers at them to make sure that they would never reveal a word of what he had just said to anyone. It did not take long, however, before both Daisuke and Naoki burst out laughing—partly because of the surprising turn of events Kenta had just narrated, and partly because of the look on Kenta's face. Kenta, on the other hand, looked so sullen and irritated that he merely folded his arms across his chest and scowled.
Naoki clapped him hard on the shoulder. "Well, congratulations, Kenta!" he said. "I mean, really, that's probably your biggest achievement to date! You should consider yourself lucky, my friend!"
"And you should be thankful I'm not throwing you two dolts outside the windows right now!" Kenta snapped.
"No, really, I swear!" Naoki cried out reassuringly, though he looked anything but reassuring as he continued laughing. "I'm not laughing at you like Daisuke is, I really am proud! It's just that . . . well, look at it this way: why would Monika ask you instead of someone she knows better, right? I mean, that's got to mean something!"
"Well, he's right," Daisuke added. He cleared his throat to stop himself from laughing. "I mean, maybe . . . maybe Monika just trusts you that much, Kenta. She could've asked anyone else, like her female friends or those in the debate club, but she asked you. Think about it."
"Well, yeah, I g-guess that's one way to think about it," Kenta acknowledged in a huff.
As Naoki began offering some advice, Daisuke took the time to finish eating, musing that perhaps there was still enough time left after Kenta's short interval of storytelling. When he looked at his wristwatch, however, he saw that there were only around fourteen minutes left before their next class. He snapped to attention. Natsuki!
"Holy crap, guys, I have to go, alright?" he cried out. "Natsuki might be already waiting for me. We'll continue this later or tomorrow! Congratulations, Kenta! See you, Naoki!"
And with that, he scrambled up from the table and bolted out of the cafeteria, leaving Kenta and Naoki staring after him in awe.
As Natsuki sat alone at the staircase, hugging her first issue of Parfait Girls almost protectively against her chest, her emotions were warring against one another; embarrassment, pride, excitement, confusion. Most of the students were simply passing her by, and she was grateful that no one seemed to pay that much attention towards her. She felt so . . . exposed.
Where the heck is he? Natsuki could not help but feel that Daisuke was simply humoring her until he could find an opening and make fun of her. It had always been like that with other people, people who thought that her interests were nothing more than a cute phase, so adorable and fitting for a girl like her. Cute. The mere thought of the word and how it was always used by people to describe her made Natsuki cringe.
And yet, cute she was to the world—at least, from her perspective. Natsuki knew that many of her characteristics caused people to call her so all the time; her hair, her eyes, her small frame, and her love for charming and adorable things. Of course, Natsuki could never deny these things—they were solid parts of her personality and her life—but somehow she resented the idea of being typecast solely as cute because of them. She always grew irritated at such thoughts, and outright furious whenever someone downplayed her sentiments and emotions as simply "cute."
Natsuki hugged Parfait Girls even tighter. Where the heck is he? To be honest, she somehow looked forward to sharing manga with Daisuke, though she also felt embarrassed at how awkward it could all turn out to be. Last night, as she lay in bed thinking about what he had said and done, Natsuki began questioning his motives in her mind. She didn't want to trust him too much, just in case he would turn out to be no different from all the people who mocked her or treated her lightly because of her preferences and interests under the pretense of getting to know her. However, Daisuke's niceness felt sincere, and that was what convinced her to at least hear him out for today.
"Hey, I'm here!"
Daisuke had finally arrived. She heaved a sigh of relief and exasperation at the sight of him. "I thought you weren't going to show up," she said sourly.
Daisuke scratched his head apologetically. "Had a small chat with my friends, sorry about that," he replied. "Had to go back to the classroom to get my manga as well. Well, here they are!"
Indeed, tucked underneath his left arm were three manga books, all from different issues based on what Natsuki could make of the titles and colors they displayed on their spines. All of a sudden, Natsuki felt a bit conscious that she had brought only her first Parfait Girls issue with her. Once Daisuke had gotten near her, he sat down on almost the exact spot where he had sat on yesterday when he had kept her company. Taking his lead, Natsuki sat down to his right, close to the opposite side of the staircase. Daisuke lay his manga down on the step he was sitting on.
"What are those?" she asked immediately.
Daisuke smiled. "Well, are you familiar with Gun Breakers, Yesterday's Daylight and Mutant Idol?" he asked.
To her surprise, Natsuki was indeed familiar with all three of them, though she had never taken the time to read and follow Gun Breakers and Mutant Idol; the former was from the sci-fi and mecha genre, while the latter was a mixture of horror and shoujo. Yesterday's Daylight, however, was another case—it was a slice-of-life romance and comedy that Natsuki found fantastic. "You've read Yesterday's Daylight as well?" she asked rather eagerly.
"Well, I'm glad that you know at least one of them," said Daisuke, laughing. "Yeah, managed to finish it during vacation!"
"Oh, yeah? I managed to read that, like, three years ago," said Natsuki proudly. "And I also happen to be familiar with Gun Breakers and Mutant Idol, okay? I just never got around to reading them because they're not exactly my type. Mutant Idol can be really disgusting and just plain dark at times, and—"
She stopped for a moment, only then realizing that she had just started on a monologue about her opinions and thoughts—and on the start of their conversation, no less. Though she had expected to stay in control of her words while talking to Daisuke, everything was momentarily forgotten once Yesterday's Daylight was mentioned. She glanced at Daisuke, who was looking at her with mild surprise. She blushed slightly as she looked away.
"I'm f-familiar with all of them," she stated lamely.
Daisuke, however, didn't seem to mind that much. "That's alright," he said lightly. For the next few minutes, the two of them entered a conversation that revolved around a number of things: the manga's author, the art style, the plot, and the characters. In spite of her doubts, Natsuki slowly began enjoying herself, and she was starting to ease back into the same enthusiasm she had shown just a few minutes earlier.
"Who was your favorite character in Daylight? Personally, mine was Miyu," said Daisuke.
Natsuki's mind quickly picked up on his question. "Miyu? . . . Oh, Miyu. Well, I've always found her a bit weird for my taste. I mean, seriously, I don't think anyone could be that oblivious to someone's feelings when everything is right in front of you already! If you ask me, I think my favorite would be Reiko. She's more alert, and she's never afraid to tell people what she thinks. Anyone who tries anything funny, she'd shut them down in an instant!"
Daisuke grinned. "Yeah, looking back on it, Reiko does resemble you in some ways."
"I know, ri—Hey, wait!" In a flash, Natsuki went from amused to suspicious. "What are you trying to imply?! Are you trying to m-mock me for being straightforward like her?!"
Ostensibly caught off guard by her tone, Daisuke looked startled. "Wait, what? Of c-course not!" he cried out. "What I meant was that Reiko had a few qualities that you have as well, and that's a good t-thing!"
Natsuki bristled a little, wondering whether Daisuke's reply was any good. She mellowed a bit, however, when she reflected and saw that he never really said anything that offended her. She sighed. "It's alright. I just t-thought you were being cheeky or something. . ."
"That's okay," said Daisuke. The relief in his voice was almost palpable in her hearing. "I should've phrased my words a bit better. But anyway, yeah, Reiko's probably my second favorite character in Daylight after Miyu. Kinda wished she ended up with Kazuya in the end."
"I agree," said Natsuki. "But Kazuya was too dense to ever figure out how to go through Reiko's exterior. He just . . . assumed that that's all there was with her."
A short silence fell between them. Natsuki had no idea on how to break it, considering that she almost screwed up everything by reacting so defensively to such a simple thing as being compared to a manga character. Luckily, Daisuke saved her the trouble. "So, um . . . Would you mind introducing me to Parfait Girls?" he asked.
"Ah!" she exclaimed, caught off guard as she remembered the book she had been holding all this time. In all honesty, Natsuki never figured that she would reach this point today with Daisuke. She was perfectly fine with him simply explaining his love for manga as well as the manga issues that he followed and read, but regarding the idea of introducing Parfait Girls to a new friend . . .
"You h-haven't read this yet, right?" she asked.
"Well . . . not yet," said Daisuke. "I think I've seen it a few times online, but I didn't dig much into it. . ."
"Because it's boring and girly?" said Natsuki bluntly.
"N-No, it's not like that!" said Daisuke, his nervousness returning. "It's just that . . . well, sometimes I get so caught up in the series and books I'm following that I don't really have the time to look for new series to try out just yet."
With a sigh, Natsuki brandished the book at Daisuke and stated sternly, "Well, I have to warn you, you'd better take a beautiful manga like Parfait Girls seriously if I'm going to share it with you! Parfait Girls may look predictable or one-dimensional on the outside, but it's got its twists and turns! If I'm going to let you read it, then you need to read into everything it has to offer, alright?"
A determined tone rang so soundly in her voice that Daisuke looked amazed for a moment. Natsuki kept glaring at him, as if to make her point clear—and crystal clear it was from her perspective. Back then, she usually opened up excitedly about her manga, and she even positively invited friends to read a few panels here and there. But once most people began laughing at her and stating that Parfait Girls was just a childish manga that matched the cuteness she had, she decided to take a more direct approach regarding people who asked about her manga nowadays. Still, Natsuki had other thoughts as she eyed Daisuke intently. Maybe he really means well.
Daisuke let out a little chuckle, however, and her thoughts of giving him a chance seemed to fall apart in her mind. She began trembling with resentment; all the memories of her so-called friends and other people who had laughed in her face came flooding back.
"You're . . . l-laughing at it, aren't you?!" she cried out angrily. "And at me?! You think I'm not serious?!"
"W-Wait, that's not—!" Daisuke quickly stopped laughing and sat up straighter as he began blurting out his words, but Natsuki did not want to hear any of it.
"I knew it!" she exclaimed, embracing Parfait Girls protectively around her once again as if she expected Daisuke to just lunge at her and grab the book. Her voice rose to daring levels of volume. "You think my manga is just for . . . f-for kids, don't you?! Because it's not as cool as your s-stupid Gun Breakers or scary like Mutant Idol, right?!"
"No! That's not what I meant, Natsuki!" said Daisuke.
"You don't h-have the right to mock me for what I like, okay?!" she yelled. A few students who were passing by started looking at them arguing, and that made her feel even more conscious. "Just because I'm not into m-manga that's mostly for the cool kids like you are doesn't mean you s-should laugh at me!"
"I wasn't laughing at you!" Daisuke cried out earnestly. "I just found what you said, well . . . amazing, alright?"
That put the brakes on Natsuki. "A-Amazing?" she sputtered.
"Y-Yes!" Daisuke sighed in relief. Before Natsuki could get back on track, he went on. "It's just . . . you know, awesome to see exactly how passionate someone is about something they like. You definitely showed just how serious and enthusiastic you are about your preferences, and that's why I found myself laughing a bit, because it's, well . . . it's just a remarkable sight to see someone speak about it the way you do. I mean, sometimes, that's how I feel too!"
Natsuki leered suspiciously at him. "What do you m-mean?"
"I mean, I know how you feel based from experience as another manga lover, okay?" Natsuki could see that Daisuke wanted to laugh or at least smile, but he looked to be hesitating out of fear for another flare-up from her. "I really wanted to share what I was reading, because somehow I felt that maybe other people will have as much fun as I was having. Of course, reading manga is nice and all, but once you grow older, people start expecting you to grow out of it. Well . . . I still haven't done that. Some people have laughed at me in the past because of it, and that just sucks because it . . . it's such a waste because when you grow older, you learn to appreciate things more, and manga has a lot of things that you can definitely appreciate apart from the stuff you already liked when you were a kid. Anyway, because of those people's opinions, I began questioning my love for manga, and I even considered just dropping it and focusing on some of the 'better' stuff, like they say. I mean, what's the point of liking something if you're going to be made fun of? It's like you can't even begin to discuss it with your friends, let alone with new people, r-right?"
Natsuki was stunned again. She could practically hear herself saying those words to someone, though she had never done so simply because there was no someone to say them to. Daisuke continued, "I would never make fun of anyone simply because they have a preference or interest that's different from mine, because I don't want anyone to share in that kind of bad experience. One of the reasons I'm here talking to you about manga is because in some way, I feel that I can share these kinds of things with you, a fellow manga lover, without being laughed at or mocked. I'm sorry if my laugh came across as something wrong for you. I'm just . . . happy about this."
Another silence fell. Daisuke did not move; he just stared at her intently, and Natsuki could find nothing in his words to rebut. She moved her glance back and forth from him to his manga books. Slowly, shame started creeping into her, shame from having such an immediate burst of outrage towards a sincere person from something that she could have understood in a few simple seconds of thinking. This caused her to become angry again—though this time, not towards Daisuke.
She quietly turned away. "I understand," she murmured. "I'm . . . I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry as well," said Daisuke softly. "I really should work on how I—"
"No, that's okay," Natsuki interjected. "I'm the one who needs work. I should l-learn how to stop and think s-sometimes. . ."
Silence returned once more. For a moment, Natsuki wanted nothing more than to get up and walk back to the classroom before her humiliation could grow any worse. Daisuke, on the other hand, showed no sign of getting up and leaving. Instead, he looked back up at her and spoke with a gentle seriousness.
"I still want to take a look at Parfait Girls, if that's okay with you. If I ever make fun of it and of you in any way, you can scream at me as much as you want."
Natsuki looked at him. Daisuke still looked so determined and honest that she couldn't bring herself to say anything else. She sighed resignedly. "I won't just scream at you. I'll probably even beat you up."
Daisuke grinned. "Fair enough."
With trembling hands, Natsuki finally handed over her copy of Parfait Girls. "Take a good long look if you want," she said curtly. "If I see a crease on any of the pages later, I'll kill you."
In silence, Daisuke opened the book carefully and began reading. Natsuki watched him intently, taking the time to observe him as she had never done before while he was focused on skimming and scanning Parfait Girls. With his wavy blonde hair, his hazel eyes and a youthful face that made his age difficult to decipher, Daisuke had a special kind of aura about him that Natsuki could not help but be drawn to. Perhaps it was the fact that she couldn't find anything except honesty and congeniality behind his expressions so far, and that Daisuke had nothing to hide from her at all as a friend except, obviously, the most private secrets that any person keeps. Every once in a while, Daisuke would smile or nod as he skimmed through the pages; Natsuki had to stop herself from assuming instantly that he was laughing at her.
She shifted her glance from his face to her manga. Indeed, Daisuke was carefully flipping over the pages, seemingly following her instructions not to leave any creases for fear of death. Of course, Natsuki never meant to actually kill him if he left a crease, but she wanted to at least drive the point across. Watching him read her favorite series in silence was like watching a stranger read about a private portion of her life story.
"Hmm. . . Is it awkward to say that . . . I kind of want to read this?"
Natsuki blinked. Daisuke was looking at her, smiling embarrassedly. Her brow furrowed as surprise crept through her.
". . . What?" she muttered.
"I don't know, but . . . well, I was once interested in shoujo and moe. It's, er . . . one of the phases I had while growing up," he replied. "I kind of stopped reading it as I branched out into other genres, but I return to it every once in a while. D-Don't get me wrong, though, I don't think shoujo like this is too girly or childish for my taste!" he added quickly.
"Then why do you want to read it?" said Natsuki, nonplussed.
Daisuke shrugged. "It looks interesting. I mean, more interesting than most of the shoujo and moe stuff I've read."
Natsuki frowned. "Just be honest."
"I am!" Daisuke said intently. "No, really, I am. I've never read this before, and I must say, I really like the humor and the art style, but I also like the way the characters are portrayed. You . . . You were right."
"R-Right about what?" asked Natsuki warily.
"That there's more to it than what it shows at first," Daisuke replied. "Any person who's not a manga-lover—or at least not a shoujo fan—would take one look at this and assume that it's just . . . all about girly stuff and silly humor, but when you take the time to read a few panels and watch a few interactions, you can see that there's actually some weight behind it, that there's some emotion and even a bit of drama there. That's why I said I want to be able to read more of this."
Natsuki was now really surprised. Again, Daisuke spoke with such honesty that she was caught off guard. At the back of her head, her usual no-nonsense way of thinking was telling her that Daisuke was merely patronizing her love for Parfait Girls, but another side of her was saying that she could at least give him the benefit of the doubt. However, Natsuki had never shared Parfait Girls with anyone else by actually lending them the books—simply sharing their concepts to others and being ridiculed for it had been painful enough.
A few more moments of total silence went on, broken only by the sound of the first bell after lunchtime. Gradually, the noise in the hallway intensified as students began preparing to move back to their classrooms. Even as she racked her brain for the right words, Natsuki really couldn't find anything else to say at the moment.
After waiting for a reply in vain, Daisuke let out a sad sigh. "Well, if you don't believe me, I understand," he said. He closed Natsuki's copy—taking care again not to leave wrinkles or creases on the pages or cover—and handed it back to her. "It still looks like a good manga to me. If I can borrow it from you, just . . . just tell me, alright?"
Natsuki took back the book slowly. After she had done so, Daisuke picked up his own manga books and tucked them back underneath his left arm. When everything was in place, the two of them stood up.
"Well, I guess that was a good start, hmm?" Daisuke remarked.
"Well, um . . . I guess so," Natsuki mumbled.
"Tomorrow, same time, same place?" asked Daisuke. "I'll be bringing some new manga if you want."
Natsuki did not answer. To be honest, she did enjoy the time she had just spent with him—much better than eating and sulking alone while waiting for the next class—though she could not bring herself to admit so. She still felt slightly ashamed at her earlier outburst and the fact that she could not answer Daisuke's statement of wanting to know more of Parfait Girls. Natsuki cursed herself inwardly. Here was someone who actually spoke with more genuineness in the past two days than any of her former friends ever did in her life, and still she was warding him off with her standoffish demeanor.
No longer. She held out her copy of Parfait Girls and pressed it against Daisuke's chest. "Take it," she blurted out.
In obvious surprise, Daisuke's shifted from her to her manga."N-Natsuki—" he began, but she went on relentlessly.
"I'm not g-giving it away, okay?" she snapped, hoping that the irritability in her voice would mask the fact that she was starting to blush. "I'm just lending it to you. You said you want to try reading it, so here you go!"
She closed her eyes, resisting the urge to look up and see the expression on Daisuke's face. To her relief, she felt Daisuke's right hand take the book gently from her hands. Only then did Natsuki open her eyes, and she lowered her hands quickly. Daisuke was looking at the book with a small smile on his face. He tucked it safely along with his copies of Gun Breakers, Mutant Idol and Yesterday's Daylight.
"I'll return it as soon as I finish it," said Daisuke genially. "If I end up liking it even more, I might just start looking for copies of other issues online."
"No need," Natsuki muttered. "I have them all. If you want to borrow them, j-just ask."
The grin on Daisuke's face was momentarily replaced with a look of surprise. "Are you sure about that?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Natsuki snapped. "Now, you better make sure that you return that without any marks or wrinkles or torn pages, alright?! If I ever find even just a small bit of damage on that, I'll . . . I'll break your legs!"
Even in her hearing, her words sounded awkward enough to be considered—to her personal chagrin—cute. Not opting to wait for a reaction or reply, she turned away and hurried back to their classroom before she could melt underneath Daisuke's gaze.