CHAPTER THIRTY – FORTHCOMING (MoniKenta)

As he walked along the hallway towards the debate club's headquarters, Kenta was excited. Today was going to be another Friday capped off by a date with Monika, and looking back at how grueling the past few days had been for everyone, the prospect of spending some more time with her came as an immense relief. Obviously, he was also totally fine with letting Monika have some space so that she can take care of more important things first, but she always seemed to find some time to be with him. Then again, he sensed that Monika needed some respite now more than ever from the stress of maintaining her grades and running the debate club, and she always reminded him how she often found such relief in his company.

Of course, today would be no different from the past meet-ups they've had. The two of them would share how their day and week went, vent about any frustrations or grievances, and laugh them off over a nice meal or a walk in the park. Such encounters were simple, to be sure, but they were always meaningful, and the experience definitely helped them bust stress and grow even closer to each other.

In no time at all, he reached the corridor where the clubroom was. He passed by a few of his friends along the way, with some of them preparing to go to the open field for football practice, or to the gymnasium for basketball. Kenta could not avoid the usual questions as to why he had declined joining the varsity team all throughout high school, though his answers always remained the same—he simply had other things to take care of.

As he approached the clubroom's door, he wondered whether to go inside and check on Monika or not, but his thoughts were soon put to a grinding halt as he heard a bit of commotion inside the clubroom.

Voices were speaking in raised tones, as if people were having an argument. Kenta knew that the debate club involved arguing about certain topics and proving which side was right, but somehow, he sensed that the din coming from within the clubroom was anything but debate practice. He was about to retreat some ways back down the corridor when he heard Monika's voice.

"—like this, Takeo," she said in a frustrated tone. "We simply do not have enough time to schedule weekly research and practices for the competition, not while we're about to deal with the exams."

Kenta bristled with annoyance as he heard a familiar voice speak. "Then we may as well forfeit our chances for the nationals. This is our chance to take the team to a bigger horizon, one that goes beyond local boundaries, and you want to slow down and give everyone a break? The committee is going to demand the preliminary list of credentials and sample researches soon, and they won't wait for anyone."

"Takeo, all I'm asking is for you to help me buy the club a couple of weeks to prepare for this," said Monika with exasperation. "Everyone can't work strictly by these schedules that you want, because they also have other matters to attend to."

"Interschool teams are molded through rigorous schedules and constant preparation," said Takeo in response. "If we show any sign of weakness to the higher-ups, we will never be considered good for the nationals. A couple of days a week is all that I'm asking—"

"Yes, but we'll take care of that after the exams!" said Monika. "Not everything that we deal with every week has to be about competitions all the time! Everyone has homework to take care of, quizzes to review for, and personal things in between!"

There was a slight pause before Takeo spoke again, this time with a bit of knowingness in his voice. "Well, I understand where you're coming from, Monika. After all, you do have a personal life to tend to outside of school. But of course, we can't all sacrifice the rudiments of the club for such trivialities, right?"

"What does that have to do with anything here, Takeo?" Monika's tone was tentative but firm.

"You're our president," replied Takeo. "During times like these, we cannot have you going soft on us, not if we want to make it to the nationals by January. A lot of people are looking to us to lead the club properly, and the nationals will be the crowning glory that we can achieve for our fellow members and the school. Can you imagine just how many students will be inspired to take our club a lot more seriously and even join our roster if we manage to achieve victory in the nationals?"

Monika sighed. "I know what you're getting at, Takeo, but—"

"I've put quite a lot on hold for this," Takeo interrupted, betraying a hint of impatience in his voice for the first time, "and I'm pretty sure that you can as well. Once this is all taken care of, you can devote all the time you want to your personal dealings outside of school. Besides, I'm certain that he would understand."

Kenta bristled, knowing that Takeo could only be referring to him. What angered him even more, however, was the way he was speaking to Monika. All of a sudden, it became clear to him just what she meant about Takeo becoming too much for the club and even her to handle when it came to things like this.

"Takeo, this is not about my personal life outside of school, nor is it about Kenta," said Monika sternly. "Stop making it sound like it is."

"Well, what else could it be?" asked Takeo with a bit of derision. "For all I know, your redheaded boyfriend could be one of the reasons why you're growing soft as a leader. It's typical of most underclassmen, I'm sure, but I was honestly expecting better from a student of your caliber. Perhaps it won't take long before you start skipping meetings just so—"

That was enough in Kenta's hearing. He reached forward and opened the door, staring at the scene before him. Silence fell as his presence was made known. Only Takeo and Monika were in the clubroom; Kenta guessed that the other members must have gone home already. Monika's eyes widened in surprise as she saw him; Takeo merely raised his eyebrows.

In spite of how startled she was, Monika found her voice and spoke first. "Kenta, what are you doing here?"

"Can we help you?" asked Takeo lazily.

Kenta took a step forward. "You got a problem with Monika or something?" he muttered, leering at Takeo.

The vice president gave him a cold smile. "Were you eavesdropping?" he asked casually.

Kenta strode forward. "Kenta—" Monika began, but he cut across her.

"Look, Monika's getting stressed out by a lot of things, and she doesn't need you adding anything else to that. You don't get to force your little decisions on her, alright? If she's not into what you're trying to say, take that into consideration. Better yet, take a hike as well, wise guy."

Takeo shot a sideways glance at Monika, his face tinged with amused bewilderment, as if he couldn't believe Kenta's audacity; then again, Kenta was also surprised at his own daring. "Typical," he murmured. "Well, I'm sure you have your reasons for being gallant enough to just waltz in here and interrupt our conversation like that, but if you don't mind, we're not yet done."

Kenta chuckled grimly. As he balled his hands into fists, his knuckles cracked audibly. "Oh, I think you are."

"Why? Do you two have an . . . urgent appointment or something?" asked Takeo, looking again at Monika with a smirk as he folded his arms across his chest. "Or is patience never really a virtue for someone like you?"

"Stop it, both of you!" Monika cried out, stepping in between them. She turned to Kenta and said, "Kenta, just wait for me downstairs, okay? This won't take long."

"I think it'd be better if I stayed here just in case, Monika," said Kenta grimly.

"No," Monika stated strictly. "You don't have to. Just wait for me by the school entrance."

"But Monika—"

"No, Kenta, no buts. I'll take care of this. Just go downstairs."

Her order rang loud and clear, going against the instincts that were ringing in Kenta's head. He stared daggers at Takeo, ready to keep arguing, but Monika's tone had brooked no disagreement. Takeo, on the other hand, merely kept staring at him with an infuriatingly lazy look on his face, as if what was happening before him was undeserving of any other emotional reaction from him. Kenta knew that a punch or two can easily change that, but he knew that it wasn't a good idea with Monika around.

"Fine," Kenta grumbled. With one last glare at Takeo, he strode out of the clubroom, careful not to slam the door behind him. As he marched toward the stairs, he heard Monika and Takeo resume speaking. He banged his fist against the corridor's walls, took a deep breath to stabilize his anger, and went down the stairs in grim silence.

Monika showed up ten minutes afterwards, meeting him at the school entrance. She looked so serious that Kenta grew a bit worried for a moment even as he spent the past few minutes still dwelling on his anger towards Takeo. He walked towards her, careful not to get too close lest she was frustrated with him as she undoubtedly was with her vice president.

Monika looked at him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Kenta sighed gruffly. "Mostly. It's you I'm worried about."

"I'm fine," said Monika. "I just . . . Kenta, you know you didn't have to do all that, right?"

Grunting, Kenta shifted his thoughts back to what he had heard earlier. "I'm sorry. I know I kinda listened in on you two back there, but it's just that . . . the stuff I heard him saying and—"

"I understand where you're coming from, Kenta, but still . . ." Monika glanced at him again. "I was just worried that you might've done something even worse."

With a grudging smile, Kenta shrugged. Admittedly, he had avoided getting into fights for so long now that the feeling of almost starting one was rather alien to him, even though he had seriously contemplated decking Takeo earlier just to wipe the smugness off of his face. It wouldn't be the fiercest brawl he participated in, but it would surely be the most satisfying.

"Kenta, listen to me," Monika went on. "I know that Takeo can be a bit hard to handle, and I know that I said things about him to you, but please, don't do anything rash, okay? What you heard earlier, just treat it like one of those days I told you about. They'll pass, and everything will go back to normal."

"I know, I know," Kenta huffed. "I just hate it when he keeps piling up crap on you like that, forcing you and all just because he thinks he knows everything. It already ticked me off when you told me about it, but to actually hear it happening . . ."

Again, he grunted gruffly and scowled at the air. His anger still roiled and stewed within him. It reminded him of a lot of things: a bitter defeat at a basketball game, a failed test at school, a rival embarrassing him in front of the student body. Of course, the ways he dealt with the residual anger from such experiences were simple; you play better in the next game you participate in, and you study harder for the next quiz that comes up. As for rivals . . . well, Kenta always believed that a good scuffle is an excellent way to settle disputes with them.

Monika moved closer to him and wrapped her hand around his, intertwining her fingers with him. The warmth of her touch gave Kenta's anger pause. He looked at her and saw a softer look on her face.

"Let's just forget about it, okay?" she told him. "I'll be fine, and I hope you'll be okay too. It won't do us any good if we just keep dwelling on it."

Kenta let out a sigh. "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that dolt anymore," he grumbled.

Monika smiled, her hand curling a bit tighter around his. "Good. Now, I don't know about you, but I could really use a latte at the Connection right now. Are you interested?"

"Of course," said Kenta, smiling back at her. His anger still hadn't ebbed away fully, but he knew that if there was anyone who can help him calm down, it would always be Monika.

"Wouldn't have blamed you if you laid him out like what you did with Nagisa back then," said Daisuke, closing his Science book. "He had it coming to him anyway."

"Yeah, damn bastard could've used the old one-two," said Kenta, guffawing.

"I wouldn't call that a good idea," Naoki remarked, looking up from his Social Studies notes. "Monika was right. It could've gotten you suspended. Don't sweat over it too much, Kenta. Even if he didn't show it, I'm sure you ticked him off."

"Well, if I tick him off enough to the point where he starts swinging, I'll be ready," Kenta muttered savagely as he looked down at his own notes.

Spending the early evening yesterday with Monika at the Cocoa Connection had done a lot to ease Kenta's temper, though it hadn't been easy. As if to explain to him why Takeo acted in such a way most of the time, Monika had told him about how Takeo was known for being one of the most competitive achievers in the school, driven by a strong desire to rise to the occasion in nearly everything he participates in, from academics to the debate club. For that, Kenta began to understand the snobbish vice president a little—after participating in a lot of sports games since middle school and always acing Physical Education, he understood what it was like to be competitive. But still, that did little to excuse him in Kenta's book, though he kept his musings to himself instead of voicing any more of them to Monika. He did, however, share what he had heard to Naoki and Daisuke today when the three of them made their way to one of the benches next to the open field to study—Akihiro, who was also studying, was at the 3-B classroom with his other friends for today.

"You okay, Daisuke?" asked Kenta; his blonde-haired best friend had been staring at the nearby trees for the past minute now.

Daisuke blinked, looking rather dazed for a second, as if he had just snapped out of a trance. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "Didn't get that much sleep last night, that's all."

"Oh. I can relate to that," said Kenta. "How's Natsuki?"

Daisuke paused before replying. "She's doing pretty well. I wanted to keep her company for today so that we could study together, but she told me that she'll be alright at the classroom with our other friends."

"Well, it's good to hear that she's doing okay," Kenta mused. "It ain't just Monika who's feeling the heat nowadays. A lot of our old buddies are starting to crack, and Naoki told me that even Yuri couldn't avoid the pressure all the time."

Naoki sat up straighter. "She's doing better, though," he stated. "I mean, compared to last week, I can tell that she was totally strained, but she seems to be handling things better now."

"Speaking of Yuri, where is she, by the way?" asked Daisuke.

"She said she wanted to be alone," replied Naoki. "I'm guessing she's at the library right now."

"I see," said Kenta. "Anyway, there's—"

All of a sudden, a bell began to ring. For a moment, the three of them imagined that it was just the first post-lunch bell calling in the students for the rest of their afternoon classes. However, it didn't take long before they realized that they still had around fifteen minutes before lunchtime ends, and thus this was a different bell that they were hearing. Its continuous toll echoed across the open field, causing nearly all the students present there to pause as they listened to it.

Naoki was the first to figure it out. "That's a fire alarm!"

Soon, as if brought out by his words, a loud commotion from inside the school joined the bell's shrill ringing, creating a cacophony that was muffled by the walls of the corridors. There were raised voices and the sounds of people running within, punctuated by a few screams and yells as well. Gathering up their things as quickly as they could, the three of them raced inside the building to see what was happening.

A faint smell of smoke was all around them. Many students were starting to come out of their classrooms, speaking excitedly to one another as they did. Most of the students who were running were coming from the corridors on the opposite side, covering their faces with handkerchiefs or the sleeves of their uniforms; Kenta guessed that the school's east wing was the one on fire.

Joining the domino effect that was happening, the school's PA system came to life as an announcement rang out, instructing students to remain calm, evacuate their classrooms in an orderly fashion, and make their way to the nearest fire exit. Those on the ground floor, like Kenta and the rest, were instructed to proceed to the open field. Having practiced fire drills before, students followed the given instructions and made their way to where they were told to go, though the anxious chatter and the occasional yells didn't die down immediately. Soon, the anxiety peaked when firetrucks arrived to help, giving everyone an idea of just how bad the fire might be; given that they couldn't see the fire from their spot on the open field, there was nothing they could do except wait.

In the end, it took the better part of an hour for everything to settle down. Some of their professors came out and informed them that the fire had started from an exploded fuse box inside one of the east wing's second-floor stockrooms, spreading quickly to adjacent rooms as it buffeted light materials. Then came an announcement that was met with mixed reactions; given that it was Thursday, and given that some classrooms might have been affected by the fire, the school was given the rest of the week off so that the damage could be assessed properly by next week. The students from the east wing had to wait for the confirmation that it was fully safe to go back to their rooms for their belongings. The rest were given permission to take their things and go home.

As students made their way towards the school gates, some went to take a look at the east wing from the school's front and saw some considerable damage indeed; at least three rooms bore a large amount of blackened scorched marks and still had smoke billowing faintly from its windows, though there were no more fires to be seen. Some of the school's officials were standing by talking to some firemen, discussing what had transpired and what must be done. Meanwhile, paramedics assisted some students who had inhaled too much smoke as well, though thankfully there were no students, school personnel or firemen who got hurt any worse. After a few quick texts, the three of them managed to confirm that Natsuki, Yuri and Monika were also fine.

"Will you take a look at that?" said Daisuke, nodding towards the east wing as he walked with Kenta and Naoki. "Sure looks pretty bad, huh?"

"Yeah, sure does," said Kenta. "Do you think they'll postpone the exams for this?"

"It depends on how many classes are left without rooms," said Naoki. "But I suppose they can find a way to use the clubrooms as replacement classrooms in the meantime."

"Damn," Kenta muttered. "I thought it'd at least buy us all a few more days off of school."

"Typical."

Kenta flared up instantly as he heard a familiar person speak behind him. He stopped in his tracks, with Daisuke and Naoki following suit. He turned around and saw, to his great irritation, Takeo standing there.

"Look who it is." Kenta laced as much hatred as he could in his voice as he spoke.

Takeo smirked condescendingly. "Unlike you, most of us actually worry about the school's welfare after such an incident," he went on. "Are you actually enjoying what happened simply because you're getting a small vacation off of it?"

"Did I say anything like that?" asked Kenta savagely. He turned to Naoki and Daisuke, as if asking them to answer his question for him. "Did I, guys?"

"Well, knowing your reputation, I suppose that's a given," said Takeo, taking no heed of his words. "It would, however, be appreciated if you kept such disrespectful thoughts to yourself."

"Hey, hey, come on now." Daisuke stepped forward, looking irritated as well. "We're just walking, alright? There's no need for you to butt in on us like that."

"If there's anyone who knows all about 'butting in,' it's your friend here," said Takeo snidely. "He's never one to know his personal boundaries, I'm sure. Laughing and shouting in the corridors, speaking disruptively, he's made quite a reputation for himself, don't you think?"

"Everyone does that once in a while," Naoki offered seriously. "I don't know about you, but it's not exactly a crime, right?"

"What the heck's your problem, wise guy?" Kenta snapped, striding forward suddenly. "You've been poking fun at me ever since I took that survey for your club. If you've got a bone to pick with me, why don't you just tell it straight to my face?"

"Excuse me, but I'm not the only one who's got problems with you," said Takeo. "You honestly think that students adore people like you? From what I've seen, you're disruptive, irritating, and way in over your head. Now, before you accuse me of doing something as insignificant as observing you all the time, bear in mind that your presence is always so troublesome to the point where it is practically unavoidable for many of us to watch you act."

"Alright, that's it. Let's go, man," said Daisuke, putting a hand on Kenta's shoulder. "He's not saying anything worth hearing. Let him run his mouth to someone who cares."

"I agree," Naoki proffered. "I honestly expected more from an upperclassman, but I suppose everyone's licensed to be petty sometimes."

Takeo looked coldly at the two of them. "A word of advice, you two. You will never get far with a wearisome upstart like your friend over here. People like him tend to weigh others down with their antics. It's a shame that Monika never sees that."

Kenta's anger was now rippling like waves being stirred up by a storm. He understood his friends' hesitation—like Monika, they were simply worried about the possible repercussions he could incur from getting into a fight—but the urge to launch his fist at Takeo was almost overwhelming. He took a deep breath to steady his composure. Students passed by them, quite unaware of the confrontation that was happening. Takeo stared straight into his eyes, unflinching. His bravado irked Kenta even further; often times, his opponents would hesitate and even look afraid if they ever engaged in a staredown with him. Memories of his past fights came back to him; strained knuckles, a few bruises, the feel of the cold ground on his back on a bad day, the sight of an opponent lying in the dirt on a good one.

". . . Let's go."

The words were unexpected enough on his part, but his friends' surprise was even greater—no doubt they expected him to charge forward with a punch like all those times in middle school. Meanwhile, Takeo narrowed his eyes, as if he was expecting a sort of trick from him, but Kenta had made his decision. Somehow, at the back of his mind, Monika's sentiments rang clearer than the anger he was feeling. Sure enough, fights felt good and refreshing in their own way, and victories were always sweet, but he remembered some of their aftermaths in the process—a trip to the principal's office, a session with the guidance counselor, and disappointed looks and words from his mother and sister. Above it all, there was Monika voicing her pride at the change he had undergone through the years, and the disappointment she would undoubtedly feel if he wasted all that on another fight. It was a disappointment he could not afford to give her, not when he remembered just how stressed out she already was nowadays.

"Come on, let's go," he repeated, looking at Daisuke and Naoki. With that, he turned and walked away. After a few more seconds of hesitation, his friends followed suit, leaving Takeo to stare after them in silence. Kenta never looked back.

Daisuke spoke up first as they neared the school gates. "You were right, he's a real douche."

Kenta laughed harshly. "Told you. Never thought I'd meet a dolt as bad as him."

"When you turned around, I thought you were going to catch him with a surprise punch," said Naoki, looking relieved that no scuffle actually took place. "I'm glad you didn't—there are a lot of professors around."

"It ain't them that stopped me," Kenta muttered.

The three of them decided to spend the next half-hour inside a nearby convenience store. Given that it was a bit too early to go home, other students followed suit, gathering in nearby diners, stores and other places of interest to lounge around and eat. Some of the students in the convenience store were still a bit tense after the incident, but most were re-discussing what had happened in excited voices.

"Well, it's not like the vacation we're given will give us any time to slack off," said Kenta, downing a gulp of root beer. "We're just gonna end up cramming the days away anyway."

"Looks like Monika's planned outing's gonna have to wait, huh?" said Daisuke. "But then again, that'd make it all the more enjoyable once the exams are done. After that, it'd be a couple more months before the next ones come."

"And before you know it, Christmas break will be upon us," Naoki mused.

"Ah, stop talking about Christmas break this early," Kenta grumbled. "Makes our school workload a lot heavier just thinking about it."

"Amen to that," said Daisuke, raising his soda can in agreement.

"But that makes me wonder . . ." Kenta looked at his friends with a shrewd grin, "what're your plans for the girls on Christmas break?"

"Says the guy who just said talking about Christmas break is bad," said Naoki, shaking his head as he chuckled.

Kenta laughed with him, as did Daisuke. When the mirth died down, he spoke a bit more seriously. "Anyway, I know I don't often say this, but . . . thanks for having my back against the boy wonder earlier, you guys."

"Ah, don't mention it," said Daisuke, clapping his shoulder. "It's just like the good old days, y'know? Besides, that guy was asking for it."

"I agree," said Naoki. "Of course, it's good to stay out of trouble, but if trouble comes looking for us, then we've got your back, come hell or high water."

Kenta smiled gratefully at his friends. At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted another familiar face entering the convenience store.

"Oy! Akihiro!"

Akihiro looked around as Kenta called out to him. He smiled when he saw the three of them. Daisuke and Naoki raised their hands in greeting at him.

"Hey there," said Akihiro, approaching their table. "Didn't think of running into you guys here."

"We just stopped by for a snack, waiting for a bit before we go home," said Naoki. "Come on, have a seat!"

"I was thinking of the same thing myself," said Akihiro, sitting down on the spare seat next to Daisuke. "What about that fire? Pretty wild, huh?"

"You got that right," said Daisuke. "Never thought I'd see something like that happen in school of all places."

"How's Sayori?" asked Kenta. "Is she alright?"

"She went on home," replied Akihiro. "She's doing fine—I mean, a lot better than last time, that's for sure. Texted me only a few hundred times to check if I was okay during the fire."

Naoki laughed. "Sounds like she was really worried about you."

"You have no idea," said Akihiro, laughing with him.

For Kenta, it was as if his encounter and staredown with Takeo earlier didn't happen. His anger had vanished now, replaced only by a feeling of contentment and joy as he bonded with the three before him. It was during a moment like this that he valued the company of his best friends, almost as much as he treasured being with Monika. The four of them talked, ate and laughed the hour away, ignoring for a while the stress of their upcoming exams and ever-increasing academic workload. After all, these kinds of encounters always helped a student get past the stress and struggles of school life; Kenta knew that this was exactly what Monika meant when she told Takeo that not everything about school life had to involve extracurricular activities and constant studying.

"I know this is a question with a bit of an obvious answer, but . . . who's gonna be cramming tonight?" asked Akihiro.

"Me," said Daisuke immediately.

"And me," Naoki added, raising his hand. "Might ask Yuri out for another study session tomorrow, since we don't have classes. . ."

A light bulb perked up in Kenta's head the moment he heard Naoki's words. "That's it. That's exactly it!"

The other three looked at him, a bit confused. "Er, what is?" asked Akihiro.

"Since classes are done for the rest of the week, why don't we ask Monika to schedule the get-together for tomorrow as a study session?" asked Kenta excitedly. "Think about it—a group study is loads better than cramming alone. That way, we can study and have fun at the same time!"

"'Study and have fun at the same time.' Sounds like a promotional ad for kindergartners," Daisuke mused, chuckling. "But hey, it's a good idea."

"Um, I don't mean to be rude, but—" Naoki began.

"Oh, come on, Naoki!" said Kenta. "You said you two will be going! Are you saying you'd rather be alone with Yuri than spend tomorrow with the rest of us?"

"No, no, it's not that!" said Naoki hastily. "It's just that . . . well, studying with a lot of people isn't . . . Ah, I don't know if you'll understand. It's an introvert's issue, you know?"

"Uh, what does that mean?" asked Kenta, scratching his head.

"Well, when it comes to reading and studying, the less people there are, the better it can be for introverts like me and Yuri, you see?" replied Naoki with an apologetic grin.

"Hey, at least you'll be going with people you're familiar with, right?" said Daisuke. "Besides, we can always use some good company, and a bit of fun afterwards won't hurt. I'm sure Natsuki would like that."

"I'm sure Sayori would agree as well," Akihiro added. "Of course, she might end up having fun more instead of studying, but that's alright."

Naoki beseeched them all for a few more moments, letting out a sigh when they kept looking expectantly at him. "Well, if it's with you guys, I'm okay with it," he mused. "Besides, it won't do if I back out on my word now, so count me in."

"That's the spirit!" Kenta cried out happily. "Alright, I'm gonna text Monika later about this. She should be able to give us an answer by tonight."

"Well, you two are our fearless leaders now. Just do what you gotta do," said Daisuke with a mock salute. "Once Monika gives us the good-to-go, I'll text Natsuki."

"Just chat me up about it," said Akihiro. "I might be busy gaming or studying—whichever I feel like doing first—but I'll reply ASAP and give Sayori the heads-up."

"A quick text is all you need for me, Kenta," said Naoki, "and I'll inform Yuri beforehand about it as well."

Kenta clapped his hands together. "Alright, that's a wrap. Mark your calendars, fellas!"

"Dude, that's just tomorrow," Daisuke stated, laughing. "It's not like we're gonna forget."

Monika didn't reply until around eight o'clock that evening. Kenta had let her be, imagining that she must have had some more schoolwork to deal with, though he also wondered whether or not Takeo had let her be for now regarding the issue he had been discussing with her. Kenta took this time to finish up his own homework and have dinner. Though she had texted him earlier and made sure that he was unaffected by the school fire, his mother barraged him once again at the dinner table with questions about everything that had happened, all while his sister Kanae listened and laughed at his answers and reactions. Kenta was once again beset by annoyance as the questions made it seem like his mother was penning him as the fire's cause.

"For the last time, Mom, an exploded fuse caused the fire, and not a student, okay?!" Kenta yelled as he reached the top of the stairs on his way to his room. "You've been watching too many action movies!"

"You mark my words, it was a student that caused that fire, thinking they can skip deadlines and delay exams by committing arson!" his mother yelled back. Kanae's laughter rang clear after her words.

As he entered his room, scoffing and shaking his head at his mother's wild sentiments, Kenta noticed that his cellphone was ringing. He quickly walked over to it and answered as soon as he saw that Monika was the caller.

"Hello? Monika?"

"Hello, Kenta!" replied Monika. "Sorry if I wasn't able to reply quickly to your text. I was just taking care of a few things. Anyway, I think what you said was a great idea!"

"Oh, t-thanks!" said Kenta, swelling with both pride and bashfulness, even if he knew Monika wasn't there to see him react.

"If you guys are okay with it, we can just have everything done at my place," Monika went on. "I mean, it's better than spending some time looking for a good spot in town, right? The public library's always nice, but we can't be too noisy there," she added, laughing.

"If that's fine with you, then sure!" said Kenta.

"Okay, good! So . . . tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow," said Kenta. "I'll tell the guys right away!"

"Sure thing! Anyway, um . . . I have some news, Kenta."

Kenta snapped to attention as he heard Monika's tone change a little. From the way she spoke, he sensed that this was a bit of a serious matter. He knew that she wouldn't mention something like this if she did not want him to know, and given the promise they formed between the two of them last time about hiding nothing from each other, he knew that Monika was simply keeping true to her word.

"What is it? Is everything alright?"

"Well, I don't know, to be honest," said Monika, laughing a little nervously. "I mean, nothing in particular is wrong. I'm just a little nervous. The thing is . . . well, I just received word from my parents."

Kenta paused before speaking. "What about? Are they alright?"

"Oh, yes, they're fine. It's just that . . . they told me that they're gonna be coming home next week."

Somehow, though he did not know why, Kenta felt the landscape change around him at that moment.