CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR – ANSWERING TO AUTHORITY (MoniKenta)

Monika wiped the sweat from her brow with a face towel, her breath misting in the chilly morning air. The arboretum was only starting to stir as dawn broke, and given that it was a Sunday, there were even fewer people about as most chose to wake up late instead of going about. The autumn chill helped add to the comfort of waking up in one's bed, lulling the body into an extra hour or two of sleep, but Monika had decided that it was a good time to get physical. As she checked the time on her cellphone, which was tucked neatly in the jogging belt that she wore around her waist, the clock showed fifteen minutes before seven. Kenta had been gracious enough to agree to such an early morning jog, as he admitted that he usually did his Sunday jogging at around eight. Still, partly due to Monika's request and partly because they had no schoolwork to worry about now that the exams were done, he had agreed to jog a bit earlier so that the two of them could meet at the arboretum.

As she looked around at the arboretum's sights, Monika wondered how long it had been since she had gone for an early morning jog around town. Her fitness routines often involved things that she could do at home—aerobics, push-ups, jumping jacks, those kinds of routines. The house also had a treadmill that she could use, as well as simple weights and other similar apparatuses, but there was always something refreshing and fulfilling about going outdoors for an hour-long brisk walk or jog. Staring at the tranquil-looking trees and well-tended shrubs in the arboretum that bore the marks of autumn, and the nearby gazebo standing like a beacon of beauty with koi teeming in the pond at its feet, Monika knew that this kind of genteel beauty lent its vigor to those who ventured out of doors for an exercise.

When Kenta arrived, he was huffing and puffing as he jogged lightly towards her. Monika waved at him as he approached, and he waved back.

"Sorry if I showed up a bit late," he said, sitting down on the bench next to her. He breathed deeply. "I ran through the last bit of my jog on the way here."

"No worries. You didn't take that long. I hope you didn't strain yourself," Monika told him, smiling.

"Nah, I didn't, don't worry," Kenta assured her, smiling back. "Y-You look, er . . . really good, by the way."

Monika laughed, looking down at the outfit she had worn for her jog: jogging pants, a jacket over a plain shirt, and her running shoes. "You might only be saying that because this is the first time you've seen me wearing this kind of attire. Besides, you also look good, you know?"

Now it was Kenta's turn to look down at his own attire, which was not that different from Monika's; there was no point in dressing for something other than to stave off the cold while jogging. He shrugged. "Can't sweat too much and have it dry out in the cold, right? I've gotten sick a couple of times in the past because of that."

"I know what you mean," said Monika. "Anyway, I'm sorry for not being able to talk to you too much for the past few days. Apart from the exams, well . . ."

"Nah, that's totally fine with me," said Kenta.

For a while, the two of them looked around the arboretum again, taking in the sights in silence. The two of them had already talked to one another about the exams, so there seemed little point in making small talk about such a thing. Monika sensed that they could at least start talking about the next get-together they were planning, but she knew that her revelation to Kenta would be the more pressing thought in his mind right now.

Kenta proved so when he asked, "So . . . your parents. How are they?"

Monika sighed. "Well, I did tell you how excited and nervous it got me when I heard they'll be coming home," she replied, "but when they actually did, I forgot what I was excited or nervous about."

"How come?"

"It's like they're not even there. I mean, don't get me wrong, the house got a bit livelier now that they're back and the rest of the household staff are also around, but . . . it's still all about the family business."

"Did you ever try talking to them?"

"Yeah, but it's a bit difficult to pull off. Dad always shuts himself in his room, poring over his laptop, talking to his clients and associates when he's not watching television. Mom's the only one who makes the slightest bit of effort to talk to me, but even then it's mostly cellphone calls with her friends around here and other clients too. Mealtimes are the only instances when I can talk to them a bit properly."

"Well, better than nothing, I guess," said Kenta.

"Yes, but you can feel how awkward it gets sometimes," said Monika with a short laugh. "It's like we're complete strangers, you know? Everything's so formal that it's almost funny. I don't think they'll care about the school fire weeks back even if I mentioned it to them."

She stared around at the trees in the arboretum, sighing once more. Some birds flocked from one towering tree to another, their songs adding a vibrant feel to the cold atmosphere. Monika envied how free they seemed to be. "I'm sorry if I didn't tell you right away about the aftermath of their homecoming," she went on. "I was worried that you might get distracted from studying for the exams."

"I understand," said Kenta. "Besides, if you talked to me about them, it wouldn't have been a problem for me. I could always spare some time for . . . f-for you."

"Thank you," said Monika, giving him a sweet smile. She inched closer to where he was sitting and rested her head on his shoulder. Kenta shifted anxiously in his seat, but he didn't move away. Monika felt a little amused at how cute he always was whenever they did something like holding hands or cuddling. To be fair, even she felt a bit nervous and shy whenever she did such things, but she never showed so. For a long while, the two of them simply observed the arboretum, reminiscing about their first trip here together back when they had not known each other that well just yet.

"Just give them some time," Kenta said after a while. "Your folks, I mean. Maybe they just need some time to sort things out, and after that they'll be back to normal."

Monika laughed softly. "How they're acting right now is the kind of 'normal' I've gotten used to," she said. "But yes, I guess you're right. They did mention that they had one project to take care of here in town. That means that they'll be around for a while—maybe long enough for something to change, hopefully."

"Something will," said Kenta reassuringly. "We'll just have to trust things to go where they should! I mean, life can sometimes make us feel that we're . . . predestined to go down this one route or no route at all, and sometimes we feel that we don't have a choice in how things turn out, but that's not always the case, right?"

As always, there was something uplifting and endearing about Kenta's way of speaking about such things that Monika appreciated. "Thank you for that, Kenta. I'll keep those words in mind whenever I start doubting things, I promise."

"Ah, it's nothing," said Kenta as he blushed slightly. "Anyway, do you wanna go and eat breakfast somewhere, or are you gonna go home and eat there with your folks?"

"Hmm. . . Well, to be honest, no matter what I do, they won't mind," replied Monika. She looked to him once again and smiled. "Lead the way."

The next day, as Monika went down the stairs on her way to a quick breakfast before school, she saw that her mother had gotten up early. She was seated at her end of the dining table, taking quaint sips from a cup of coffee. She was clad in a fluffy bathrobe that covered her nightgown and made her silhouette seem larger than it actually was in the morning light. In the nearby kitchen area, the smell of freshly cooked eggs and bacon wafted from the stove, though Monika would be having none of that; as a vegetarian, her breakfast usually consisted of foods like oatmeal, wheat bread with low-fat cheese, or French toast.

As she approached the table, her mother beseeched her with those emerald eyes that she had inherited from her. "Good morning, Mom," Monika said politely as she sat down at her place on the table.

"Good morning," her mother greeted back. A short silence fell between them, punctuated only by the sounds of sizzling pans and running water as Mrs. Fujita and a maid cooked in the kitchen area. Granted, it might be too early to talk about anything, but Monika knew that this kind of silence usually prevailed whenever she was in the same room with her parents regardless of the time of day. Even when the food was finally laid out before them, no one spoke up.

This time, rather unexpectedly, her mother broke the silence first as they broke their fast. "Your father should be up at any minute. He did sleep late last night, talking to the firm and all. Anyway, there's something important that we've been meaning to talk to you about."

Now Monika was genuinely surprised. "What is it?"

There was a pause before her mother replied. Monika was reminded of how she herself would do such a thing to gather her thoughts before speaking. "Well, I was going to wait until your father woke up so we could tell you together, but he might take a bit too long waking up. The thing is . . . we're planning on relocating for good."

The words hung between them like an unseen veil. Once again, only noises from the kitchen area prevailed, though Monika was sure that Mrs. Fujita and the maid were somehow listening.

"Relocating?" Monika repeated, digesting the meaning of what her mother had said. "You mean . . . a new office?"

"Yes," her mother replied simply after another sip of coffee. "Your father has been planning it for quite a while. He wants to set up in Osaka. Of course, we'll still be traveling to other prefectures to oversee any projects we have outside of the city, but at least we'll have a second office to retreat to other than the one we have in Tohoku."

Monika nodded absently, remembering how her parents stayed in rented townhouses in other prefectures that were often far from their office in Tohoku as they made business with their clients. It made sense for her father to want to cover a bit more ground by establishing an office in Osaka.

"Well, that's good, I guess," she said, unsure of what to say.

"That's not all," her mother went on. "We're also considering moving there."

Monika always marveled at how her mother spoke with that formal, almost indifferent kind of composure, the kind that both belied and accentuated a statement's effect at the same time. She set down the piece of French toast that she had been eating and looked at her mother directly, frowning a little.

"Move? That's, um . . ." For her entire life thus far, Monika had always called this place and this little city in Kanto her home. Apart from some ventures into the other nearby prefectures with her parents back when she was younger and things were a lot simpler, she had never gone too far from the region. As such, the thought of relocating to a new home in Osaka was an alien prospect to her.

"I know. It's a bit of a surprise, isn't it?" said her mother.

"'A bit of a surprise'? Mom, that's a shock more than anything," said Monika. "When did you and Dad plan for that?"

"Last month," replied her mother. "Well, not quite exactly, because we've been thinking about this for a long time now, even before last month," she added, "but that was when we actually started laying down plans to make it happen."

Monika looked outside one of the house's windows, staring at nothing in particular as she took in what her mother was saying. The hectic schedule that exam week put her through had already been riveting enough, and she was thankful for the reprieve she got once the exams were over. Now, however, it felt as if the world began entering another fast-paced state with her mother's revelation, one that she was never ready for.

"I . . . I don't know what to say, frankly," she managed to say after a while.

"Well, at least you'll have the rest of the day to think about it," said her mother, spearing some egg on her plate with her fork. "I'll just tell your father that you already know. Better than keeping you in the dark for a while longer, that's for sure."

Again, Monika glanced outside, wondering just how much would change in her world from here on out. "Y-Yes, I suppose. . ."

Kenta frowned, thinking as he stared at his phone. Monika rarely texted him during class hours—she often chose to do so during lunchbreaks or just before her after-school club meetings. At first, he surmised that Monika had some free time and was checking on him, but her message seemed like a portent of something unpromising.

"there's something i need to tell you about. let's talk after school. are you okay with that? it's pretty important…"

For a while, after sending Monika a quick reply telling her that he was all for talking to her after school, Kenta wondered what she seemed worried about. Monika was never the type to mess around whenever something was up—she would say things directly and honestly, even when there was a bit of understandable hesitancy involved. Her text merely reinforced the fact that she trusted him enough to tell her about such things, and Kenta always prided himself over that simple fact. As a follow-up check, he had sent another text asking her if something was wrong, but no reply came.

It was during a time like this when Kenta would turn to ask his buddies for help, but somehow he sensed that they had things to worry about as well. Naoki, in particular, had expressed a bit of concern more than once about Yuri, who did seem to be a little out of it nowadays; Kenta noticed how distracted she seemed to be in class, though there were admittedly moments when she had appeared so in the past. Daisuke, on the other hand, now seemed even keener on accompanying Natsuki as frequently as their time together would allow, and thus rarely had lunch with the two of them nowadays. Akihiro, meanwhile, had Sayori to be with, and Kenta saw no point in bothering him right now.

To his slight surprise, Monika showed up almost immediately after classes had ended, meeting him next to the school entrance. He had expected her to take around a quarter of an hour or more to meet with her fellows in the debate club before going down to meet with him. He surmised that whatever she wanted to talk to him about must be important indeed.

"Hello," she said, smiling. "I told the club that I wouldn't be joining the meeting today, so I managed to show up earlier."

"Is that gonna be okay with your club members?" asked Kenta.

"Yes. Besides, there's not a lot to be tackled for us anyway. Only Takeo says otherwise, since he's the one who likes setting up these meetings," she replied. "He asked me why I planned to forego the meeting today, but I told him that I needed to take care of something important, and that whatever needed discussing can always wait for one more day."

Kenta frowned. "I hope he didn't give you any trouble."

"Not really, but he was a bit insistent," said Monika. "He—"

"Monika."

Stopping at this interruption, Kenta and Monika turned around to see Takeo standing at the school doors, looking right at them. His handsome face was impassive, but there was a mutinous gleam in his pale blue eyes. Kenta stood a bit straighter, glaring at him, but Takeo only had eyes for Monika.

"Takeo, what are you doing down here?" Monika asked, surprised.

Instead of answering her question, Takeo said, "So this is what you meant by 'something important,' hmm?"

Kenta bristled, but Monika spoke up before he could. "It's not what you think, Takeo. There's just something that Kenta and I need to talk about."

"Something bigger than the club? I see," said Takeo, walking down the school entrance's steps to move closer to them. "You could've at least been honest with us, Monika. Granted, we didn't expect you to skip a meeting for your friend here, but I did say that it was bound to happen."

"Takeo, we don't need a meeting already," said Monika sternly. "The exams have just been finished. Everyone deserves a day or two to regain their bearings before we get back on track with whatever plans we have."

"You already said that when you told me to cut the club some slack before the exams, and I was gracious enough to agree in the end," said Takeo shortly. "However, our professors are going to be expecting us to continue working shortly. The nationals are a couple of months away, and with Christmas break cutting off some valuable time, that means we'll have to make do with every single day we're given."

"One more day, Takeo," Monika sighed. "Just one more day, and then we can discuss whatever you want to discuss tomorrow. There's a lot on my mind right now, and I don't want to focus on the club when I might get distracted by them."

"Seems to me like you're already distracted enough," Takeo mused, glancing at Kenta.

"Easy, dolt," Kenta growled. "You're already bugging me enough as it is. Don't say anything that might get you hurt."

"Kenta, please," said Monika firmly. She turned back to Takeo and repeated, "One more day, Takeo. That's all I'm asking."

Takeo sighed, glancing from her to Kenta, who stood his ground and glared back dangerously. There were students and even teachers around, but Kenta didn't care; one wayward remark from Takeo and he would be more than willing to throw down and teach him a lesson.

"Alright, one day," Takeo relented. "Just so you know, Monika, I have to let the club know about all this. They do deserve the truth from their leaders, after all. But you won't have to worry—I'll just reiterate what you said about needing to take care of something . . . important," he added, side-eyeing Kenta with the faintest of sneers.

Monika heaved a sigh of relief, though Kenta was still seething. "Thank you, Takeo," she said.

"It's nothing," said Takeo haughtily. "Besides, it's very likely that we'll talk again soon, so. . ."

With that, without waiting for a reply, he turned and strode back inside, leaving the two of them staring after him. Kenta turned to Monika and asked, "What did he mean by talking again to you soon?"

"Maybe he means tomorrow at the meeting," Monika mused. "Anyway, please don't pick a fight with him, Kenta. I don't want you to get into trouble, even if he's sometimes more trouble than he's worth."

"Oh, I try, Monika," Kenta grimaced, "I definitely do, believe me. He just gets on my nerves really quick especially with the way he talks, like I'm some sort of distraction to you all the time." He sighed, shaking his head. "Then, again, maybe I am."

"No, you're not," Monika told him firmly.

"I know, I know," said Kenta as the two of them made their way to the gates. "It's just that he might not be the only one who thinks so. Like, my buddies are different—they tease me about you and all—but I heard that there are a few who don't actually seem too happy that you're hanging out with me of all people. Wonder Boy Takeo is not the only one who thinks so, it looks like."

"What I do and don't do is all on me, and I don't care anymore about what they think, because that's their problem," said Monika. "It's no one's fault, and no one has the right to tell me who I should be with. Don't listen to them, okay? I'm happy being with you like this."

Kenta sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll keep that in mind."

Monika smiled briefly, the expression quickly giving way to a look of tiredness. "Come on. Let's find someplace we can hang around before I tell you everything."

"Oh, right," said Kenta, remembering what was at hand. "Where do you wanna go?"

"The Connection?" asked Monika.

"Sure thing," said Kenta. "Lead the way."

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them were comfortably seated at the Cocoa Connection, discussing things over a latte, a glass of coffee jelly and some cheesecake. It reminded Kenta of the time they spent together long ago, back when he and Monika were still just casual friends. It was amazing how much had changed since then, and there was no doubt that there were more changes to come.

Unbeknownst to him, such changes would happen right now.

"Wait, let me just make sure I heard that right," said Kenta, frowning. "You're . . . moving away?"

"Not immediately," Monika said hastily. "Mom just told me about it earlier this morning. She and Dad are planning to set up an office in Osaka, and they're also looking to move there permanently too. It's . . . I know it's kind of ridiculous because it just came out of nowhere. That's how I felt about it too."

"Yeah, it really is something," said Kenta, plopping back against his seat as he took in what she had just said. "I mean, Osaka, that's . . . that's pretty far."

"Three hours max if you take a train from here to there," said Monika, toying with a piece of cheesecake on her platter. "Yes, it's rather far."

Kenta nodded, circling his spoon around his glass of coffee jelly. Field trips back in middle school had taken them to certain rural areas of the other prefectures in Kanto, but never outside it. With that said, he had no idea what it would be like to venture outside of the region to visit places like Osaka. Only his father had visited other regions as his work took him through Japan, ending at Okinawa where he had now been staying for a long time now.

"Did your mom tell you when you might be moving out?" he asked.

Monika shook her head. "I doubt they're even sure about it all. I mean, they did say they were planning it already, but who knows?"

"Well, if they were planning, it means they're gonna make it happen eventually," Kenta mused quietly.

Monika leaned closer to him. "Kenta . . . I know what you're thinking."

"Really?" asked Kenta. "What is it, then?"

She held his hand. "You're thinking that when that time comes, I'm gonna be leaving you all for good."

Kenta sighed. "Can't lie about that."

"Don't worry about that too much," she told him, squeezing his hand gently. "I'm not all for it, either—moving out just feels . . . off, you know? And everything's happening so fast all of a sudden that I don't even have time to react properly to it."

"Yeah, I guess," Kenta muttered. "I'm just worried that when you move out, well, things won't be . . . w-won't be the same anymore."

"I know. I feel that way too. But hey, maybe it's not going to happen, right? I mean, Mom and Dad have already been letting me live alone for a long time now, so what's wrong with me staying here with you and our friends? Besides, I can take care of myself perfectly well, and I've got Mr. and Mrs. Fujita and the other helpers at our house with me. I don't need to follow Mom and Dad to Osaka."

"Yeah, but what if they want you to study there?" Kenta offered. "What if Osaka is where they're gonna take you for college? There aren't a lot of big-time universities around here, so they might consider enrolling you there or in other prefectures, at least. There's no way that you're not gonna go then, right?"

"Kenta, you're starting to worry about this more than I am," said Monika, smiling a little. "Nothing is final yet, okay? We don't know what the future has in store, and while it's possible that what you said will happen, it's also possible that it won't. Either way, we'll just have to wait and see. Don't worry about it too much for now, alright?"

Kenta said nothing. In his mind, he kept picturing this inevitable day when Monika would be leaving town for Osaka, the day when she would no longer be around to make his days brighter. Granted, he knew that he should have seen this coming once they graduated high school and entered college, but that was still around a couple of years from now; this new development could potentially change that. Right now, the only thing that offered him some respite from his anxiousness was Monika's reassuring presence, and the warm feel of her hand curled around his.

"Alright, I won't," said Kenta at last, managing a short laugh. "Sorry about that. I often tell people not to sweat over small stuff but here I am, doing just that."

"That's understandable, because this isn't exactly 'small stuff' anyway," said Monika amiably, "but we shouldn't let it get to us too much this early. Let's just enjoy everything for now, okay?"

As she said those words, she squeezed his hand a bit tighter. Kenta drank his fill of her beautiful eyes, becoming lost in those pools of emerald. In a way, she was right. She was still here, and things were still fine, and that was all he needed.

When Kenta arrived home later that evening, his mother greeted him in the kitchen with her usual expression: hands on her hips and a shrewd look in her eyes. Kenta sighed deeply, knowing that some sort of remark was coming at his expense.

"You went on a date again, didn't you?" she asked.

"Mom, come on, I just got home!" Kenta groaned as he walked into the kitchen, drawn by the familiar aroma of pork miso. As his mother was all alone cooking, he knew his sister Kanae had not arrived yet. "You always say that whenever I show up a bit late after school!"

"Son, there's no need to hide anything from me," his mother tutted. "If you've already got a girlfriend, then you should just come clean and tell us!"

"And deal with the stuff you and Kanae will be saying for weeks and weeks to come? No thanks," Kenta huffed. He took a peek at the small bowl of pork miso that his mother had just placed on the nearby dinner table, where a bowl of rice, some seasoning and a couple of smaller bowls awaited them. "Are we gonna be eating soon? I'm starving."

"Yes, your sister will be coming home a bit late again," his mother replied, taking off her apron and straightening out the simple brown dress she was wearing. "Let's just eat ahead of her."

"What's she doing?" asked Kenta as he sat down at the table. "Overtime, or going on a date?" he added, chuckling.

"Overtime, of course. As if your sister is the type to go out on dates like you," his mother stated, sitting down with him. As he reached out to get some pork, however, she slapped his hand lightly. "Wash your hands first!"

"Alright, I did go out with a close friend," Kenta remarked mulishly, standing up so he can go to the nearby sink to wash his hands. "But just because I come home late sometimes, it doesn't mean I was out on a date, you know? I could be going somewhere with my buddies, or taking care of extra school stuff."

"Well, just make sure you don't skirt your school duties with these dates, alright?" his mother told him sternly. "Your progress at school is heaven compared to your middle school years."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kenta grimaced. "What can I say? I'm a changed man."

To others, this kind of banter might seem unconventional given how family conversations usually go, but Kenta knew that his mother's remarks were simply her way of showing that she cares about how his day at school went and what he might be busy with other than academics. It was also the same with his sister, who always liked poking fun at him. Kenta was used to it all, even if he was often peeved by them.

When they were done eating, he cleaned up the table, placing their used dishes on the sink for her mother to wash. He had offered to do the dishwashing for tonight, as Kanae was usually the one who did so, but his mother merely shook her head.

"I'll take care of it," she said, covering some of their leftover rice with a small plate and setting it aside for Kanae later. "Just go on upstairs and do your homework."

"Mom, the exams just got done," said Kenta. "We won't be having any new homework until next week."

"Alright, alright."

For a short while, silence fell in the kitchen, the only sounds being the clink of utensils and dishes and the ripple of running water from the sink's tap. Instead of going upstairs, Kenta decided to hang around the kitchen for a while, drinking some water and exchanging texts with Monika. As he did so, though, he remembered what they talked about earlier.

"Hey, Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Fire away."

Kenta looked at her. "When Dad was made to leave town for his work, when he transferred to Okinawa . . . how did you react to that?"

His mother looked back at him over her shoulder. "Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?"

". . . Nothing, just asking," replied Kenta.

"'Nothing' always means 'something,'" his mother stated.

"Okay, okay, it's something," Kenta mumbled grumpily. "So what's your answer?"

His mother paused for a bit before speaking again. "Well, you already know how I reacted to it, right? I mean, I've been with you and your sister all this time, so you should have an idea already."

"I know, I know," said Kenta, "but . . . that can't be everything, right? I mean, there must be something else you were thinking about that you didn't show me or Kanae."

His mother glanced at him again. "Alright, this is a bit weird for me. You don't usually ask these kinds of things, you know?"

"Well, yeah, considering you and Kanae are usually the ones doing the asking around here, whether it's about me going out on a date or setting the school on fire or something," Kenta grumbled. "Come on, Mom. Just answer the question, please?"

His mother laughed. "Alright, fine," she replied. "Well, you know that I was a bit peeved that your father was going to work well away from us. After all, why should they send him away like that when he was doing perfectly well in Kanto? It would've been fine if he was transferred for good at Yamanashi or Fukushima, but Okinawa?"

Kenta nodded, remembering his mother's initial resentment at his father's employers for the transfer. What followed that was an argument on whether he should resign from work in favor of looking for work in a company that wouldn't boot him out of the prefecture to work someplace as far-flung as Okinawa. Kenta remembered it all too well, given that he and Kanae could not help but hear their parents argue about it during the weeks before their father's departure. After much convincing, some serious nightly debates and constant reassurance that Okinawa was as safe a place as any that their father had been to before, their mother eventually relented. Knowing that his father was willingly doing this all for them, Kenta had developed massive respect for him since then.

"Well, when I finally let it happen, I just constantly reminded your father to take care of himself there," his mother went on. "I mean, who knows what's going to happen to him while he's so far away, right? But knowing your father, he's tougher than he looks. I always remind him to be careful and work hard and all that whenever he calls, even if I know that he's perfectly fine."

"Do you miss having him around?" asked Kenta.

"Of course I do," said his mother without missing a beat. "It's been almost . . . what, two years already, right? And somehow I still hadn't gotten used to him being gone from the house, coming home every night, eating with us and all that. Sometimes, I'm worried that the same thing will happen with your sister eventually, but she always tells me that she won't let herself be thrown off somewhere else in the country just for work."

"Yeah, there's no doubt Kanae's gonna fight to stay here, even if it means resigning from her work," said Kenta, knowing how stalwart his sister can be regarding her decisions. "So, about Dad . . . how do you deal with him not being here?"

"Well, I just accept things and go on my merry way," his mother replied, wiping some dishes dry with a clean cloth. "Things don't always go back to normal, but what can we do? It's not like we can somehow force everything to be as they were before. Times change, that's an inevitable part of everyday life. You won't always agree with it, but there's not a lot you can do about it. You just . . . get on with everything."

Silence followed his mother's reply. Kenta looked down at his hands, staring at nothing in particular, his mind going back to Monika's words earlier at the Cocoa Connection. Though he had reassured her that he wouldn't dwell too much on the idea of her moving away, the thought resurfaced once they had gone their separate ways. After all, how could he try to distract himself from it when he would be reminded of it by his father's absence at home? Naturally, there was no confirmation that Monika would be moving away, but the possibility of it happening was enough to keep him slightly on edge.

"This is about a girl, isn't it?" his mother asked suddenly, and not unkindly. Kenta looked up to see that she was done with the dishes.

He heaved a sigh. "Must've been obvious from the start, right?"

"Ever since you started saving money, I knew it was a girl," she replied, a soft smile crossing her lips. "So what happened this time?"

"Well, I didn't get rejected this time around, so you should be proud of me for that," said Kenta jokingly, though he sobered up as he went on. "She might be moving out of town with her parents, that's all.

He watched as the smile on her face faded somewhat. He sensed that it was probably because of how somber he looked all of a sudden. "I see," was all she managed to say.

"Yeah," Kenta muttered. Not wanting to be put in the hot seat, he stood up. "Anyway, I'm gonna go upstairs now. I just realized that I haven't even changed out of my uniform yet."

Instead of asking anything more, his mother replied, "Alright, go ahead. I'll just wait for your sister down here."

After he had finished dressing and cleaning up what needed cleaning in his room, Kenta laid down on his bed and stared for a long while at the ceiling. Monika had not texted him yet for the evening, and he wondered whether or not something might be up again at her place. After what she had shared, it was becoming more and more difficult to guess what would happen next, and what else can change between them. He reflected on everything in silence, his mind wandering towards the planned get-together in the effort to deviate even for just a moment from what transpired earlier. Monika had decided to hold off the next get-together until the weekend so that she could focus on what she wanted to prioritize, and Kenta had been more than willing to oblige.

At that moment, as if on cue, his cellphone rang. Kenta quickly sat up and reached for it, expecting to see something from Monika. What he saw, however, was a text message from Akihiro.

"hey Kenta. i hope i didn't disturb u or anything"

Kenta sent a quick reply. "don't worry bro, u didn't. wat's up?"

"can i call u real quick?"

Kenta smiled; for a moment, he had forgotten that he had his friends to lean on when he needed to. After all, though they saw him as their leader along with Monika, he was no different from them, and though he had his own worries to address, he was always ready to help.

"sure man, go right ahead. wat's it abt?"

"i need help. it's about Sayori…"