CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT – VICTIM OF THE CURRENTS (MoniKenta)

The sound of her shoes tapping on the stairs with each step she took, the sensation of the handrail's coldness against her hand, the ambient sounds coming from outside the house and within the kitchen area—Monika observed all these things closely, anticipating if there was a change in them that would signify that this day's routine would be different from the others. So far, she saw and heard nothing new. Breakfast would be waiting downstairs along with her mother, and then the car ride to school would follow. There would be silence all the way. Conversations never lasted long with her mother, and her father would get up from bed a bit later than they did; Mr. Fujita would punctuate the silence with small talk that she appreciated, but that always came to an end when she arrived at school.

Today, however, there was a slight change in the atmosphere as her mother spoke up during breakfast. "Are you going out tonight? We'll be having some guests over, and I want you to be there," she said casually.

"Guests?" Monika paused for a moment, thinking about who would be coming.

"Yes. The clients we've talked to in the city, to be exact," her mother replied, taking a sip of coffee. "We'll be discussing our plans over dinner."

"Should I be there?"

"Yes. Are you familiar with someone named Takeo Kimura?"

Monika looked up in surprise. "Yes, he's a schoolmate of ours, and the vice president of our debate club. Why?"

"His parents are our clients," said her mother smoothly. "He was there when we first met up with them in the city, and his parents mentioned that he was taking up high school in Koizumi Academy, like you were. When he heard what our family name was, he asked if we were related to anyone named Monika Steinbeck, by chance."

So that's what Takeo meant by talking to me again soon. Takeo had been rather cordial since his last encounter with her and Kenta, and he even relented when it came to granting their junior members in the debate club a short reprieve after the one Monika had requested before they began bunkering down in preparation for the nationals. Monika had welcomed the second break happily on behalf of the rest of the club, but she admitted that it seemed odd for Takeo to go out of his own way to do that. Now, she knew why.

"So did you guys talk about me?" she asked her mother.

"A little. Takeo spoke glowingly of you and your leadership in the . . . debate club, is that it? Anyway, when we asked his parents to come over for dinner to discuss our plans, we invited him to come along, and we told them you'll be there as well."

"I see." Monika toyed with her food as she mused on her thoughts. "What time are they going to show up?"

"We told them that seven-thirty was a good enough time. Why? Do you have any plans for tonight?"

"No, not really. I'll be there, I guess," said Monika, giving her a small smile. As she continued eating, she imagined how Kenta would react to this development.

When she arrived at school later that morning, a small distraction gave her a bit of reprieve from thinking too much about it all. An announcement from the faculty told everyone that the school's annual cultural festival would be taking place early next month. As a result, the student body was practically giddy with excitement. Monika shared their enthusiasm; cultural festivals gave everyone a time and chance to shine, and most students were more than willing to lend a hand in shaping the event. Clubs and groups were tasked with opening booths and organizing proceedings for both students and outsiders to attend. A lot of time would then be spent crafting the decorations and smoothing out things—practice for a play, choreography for a dance presentation, or plans for what a specific booth will be—but it felt less like a chore and more like free time off of classes. Even if the festival would only happen for three days, students always made the most out of it and brightened up the school in their own unique ways.

Focusing her thoughts on the festival, Monika surveyed her classmates with warmth as they used lunchtime to start planning what they would be doing for the festival. Already, those who were skilled in drawing and crafting were tasked to decorate booths, while the ones who knew something about cooking began debating on what food their booth would be serving. Some discussed what themes the booths would have, or who they wanted to impress. A few planned on attending other schools in the city that would be holding their own festivals. It all heralded incoming days punctuated by extracurricular activity, a welcome change of pace following the exams and the apprehension brought by the school fire weeks ago.

One of her friends, however, was noticeably distancing herself from the proceedings. Monika frowned with concern as she watched Sayori staring out the window, knowing that it was unlike her to be this impassive while excitement was in the air. Sensing that something was wrong once again, she walked towards her.

"Sayori?" she called out.

Sayori didn't flinch. Her eyes remained transfixed outside the classroom windows. Though Monika knew that she was prone to occasionally zoning out like this in and out of class, she became even more concerned nonetheless. She placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Sayori?"

This time, Sayori blinked and shook her head a little, as if a trance upon her had been broken. "Oh, Moni, h-hello there!" she said, grinning apologetically. "I must've been spacing out again, huh?"

"You were," said Monika, smiling as she sat down opposite Sayori. Her open reaction warded off her worry a bit. "Had a good lunch?"

"Yep," replied Sayori. "Everyone was so busy discussing what they're gonna do with the festival, but I just listened to them. I didn't know what I should say. I've been thinking about other stuff. . ."

"I hope nothing's wrong. How are you and Akihiro?"

Sayori sighed. "I haven't been talking to him again lately. . ." she admitted with a guilty tone.

Monika looked at her with an expression reminiscent of a mother catching her child with a hand in the cookie jar. "Again?" she asked.

"I'm sorry!" replied Sayori hastily. "I was just caught up with thinking about a lot of t-things, that's all. I haven't been feeling the same since the exams."

"I see." Monika smiled to take the sting out of her stern expression. "I didn't think you were stressed or feeling bad, to be honest. You seemed to be doing okay for the past few days. Did something happen?"

"N-Nothing happened, don't worry." Sayori nervously fidgeted with her hands. "I think I let the pressure of the exams catch up to me, and it's still here."

Monika patted her arm. "I understand. Just . . . don't forget what we talked about before, okay?"

"Yep! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten, Moni," said Sayori. "I don't want to make anyone feel bad by talking to you or Akihiro or anyone else while I'm still like this, so I just need to have everything under control before that. It's a bit tough, though. Especially after what happened at my apartment last week. . ."

"Why? What happened there?" asked Monika.

Sayori looked hesitant and even anxious for a moment. "Is it okay if I tell you about it some other time? It's something that really got to me, and I don't know if I can talk about it j-just yet. . ."

"Oh, I see. That's okay," Monika smiled reassuringly. "We'll just discuss it when you're ready. Anyway, everyone's already pitching ideas for the festival. Do you have any? I'm sure you have a few colorful ideas in that creative noggin of yours!"

"I'll try thinking about some tonight," said Sayori, laughing a little. "If you want, I can just message you online or text you when I've thought up of some. I need a bit more time to sort things out in my head."

"Sounds good!" Monika gave her a thumbs-up. "I'm gonna be having dinner with my parents and some guests tonight, so I might be a bit late in replying. Will that be okay with you?"

Sayori beamed. "Yep! I understand. Just get back to me when you're free."

"Sure thing!"

Kenta looked incredulous when Monika mentioned her mother's words later that day. Given that there was no club meeting for today, she managed to meet up with him a bit earlier and tell him about dinner with Takeo and his parents. Together, they sat down on a bench and conversed about it in silence.

"When you told me that the dolt was letting everyone else in your club off the hook for a few more days, I knew something was up," Kenta mused. "He probably thinks it's gonna be a date or something."

"Hardly," said Monika. "It's just going to be a business meeting or something, the type my parents usually go to. I'll just be sitting there eating dinner and listening to talks about construction costs and infrastructure and permits and whatnot, and I'm certain Takeo will be doing the same."

"That sounds boring," stated Kenta. "No offense to your parents, of course!"

"Don't worry, I think it's a rather tedious affair too," said Monika with a laugh. "But I knew it was bound to happen—going with my parents during one of their work discussions, I mean. Mom always said that I need to start familiarizing myself with their work sooner or later, because I might be helping them with the company and everything in the future. I suppose this is the first step."

"Yeah, I guess that's part of the reason why they wanna take you with them when they move, huh?" Kenta let out a sad sigh.

Monika reached out toward his hand and held it tenderly. "There you go again, worrying about that," she said with a soothing tone.

"I'm sorry," said Kenta guiltily. "I just have a lot on my mind right now, that's all. My buddies are a bit quiet nowadays, and with Akihiro asking me for help and all. . ."

Monika looked at him in surprise. "Akihiro, asking for help? Is something wrong?"

"Well, he's just worried about Sayori again," said Kenta. "He said that she wasn't exactly the same after the exams, which is weird since she seemed fine when we got together with the others, right?"

"Oh, yes. I've talked to Sayori earlier, and she did admit that she's not exactly at a hundred percent nowadays. She did assure me that she was alright, though, and I told her that she's welcome to talk to any of us if she needs someone to listen to."

"Glad to hear that she's okay. I told Akihiro that maybe that's just how Sayori rolls sometimes, that she needs some space every now and then. It might be weird considering they've been friends for a long time, but I guess it's not impossible for stuff like that to happen. He was worried that she might be starting to have some issues with him and all, but I told him that it doesn't seem to be like that, so he shouldn't worry too much about it."

"I'm confident that Sayori and Akihiro will pull through," said Monika. "High school romances often have rough times ahead, but their relationship will help them see those through."

"Yeah, for sure," Kenta mumbled. When silence stretched between them for a moment, he changed tack in what Monika guessed was an attempt to lighten the mood in the atmosphere following his irritation at Takeo and their concern for Sayori and Akihiro.

"So, the festival. D'you have any plans with your classmates?"

"Nothing much. Most of the time, I'm just listening to them plan everything out," replied Monika. "As for the debate club, I don't know if we'll be doing another debate demonstration like we did last year, and I don't know if Takeo will be willing to spare some of the club's budget for that."

"Figures. How about any extracurricular activities or presentations? Some of my pals in 3-C and 3-D are thinking about grouping up together to do a small concert. If my vocal pipes were any good, I'd try singing a few songs."

"I'll make sure to attend that concert then, no matter what you'll be singing."

"Really? I figured I'll just be jumping around and yelling onstage. You sure about watching that kind of performance?" asked Kenta, chuckling.

"Of course!" Monika grinned at him sweetly. "Your spirit in a performance counts more than any talent you might have in singing."

Kenta blushed. "I guess you're right about that. . . Wait, how about you?"

Monika's smile faded a little as she looked at him with mild puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

"You ever think about doing a musical number for the festival? I mean, you can play the piano really well, and you can sure sing better than any of us."

Now it was Monika's cheeks that turned red. "That never crossed my mind, to be honest. Playing for you alone was good enough for me," she jested, laughing. "The last time I played the piano in front of a crowd was during a talent show in elementary school. Mom convinced me to do it." She smiled at the memory, of how her friends and their parents had applauded her attempt at one of the songs that her mother used to play. Simpler times, indeed.

"You didn't perform for a crowd anymore after that?" asked Kenta.

Monika shook her head. "Sometimes teachers invite me to play for school events once they get wind of the fact that I can play, but I never thought about doing it again. I guess it's one of my introvert tendencies. You'd think that I should be used to being in front of a lot of people because I'm in the debate club, right? I guess playing the piano's just . . . different."

"I guess it's like what you said, about putting your spirit into your performance and all," Kenta mused. "Yeah, I can understand why that is a whole lot different from debates and stuff. You're putting your heart and soul out for other people to see, and if that's not personal as heck, I don't know what is."

"That's a nice way to put it," said Monika softly.

"Then I should be happy that I was the only one who managed to watch your last 'concert' ever, huh?" Kenta joked with a chuckle.

Monika pinched his arm, laughing along with him. "Well, let's just wait and see if it's indeed the last one ever." She took a look at her watch. "Mr. Fujita should be arriving soon. I'll just tell you how everything went later tonight, okay?"

"No worries," said Kenta, nodding. "I just hope Wonder Boy Takeo doesn't try being a wise guy at the dinner. Just because I'm not around doesn't mean he gets to do that!"

"Don't worry. With our parents around, I'm sure he'll be on his best behavior," said Monika reassuringly.

"Do you think these will fit you?"

Monika stared at the clothes that her mother was holding out in front of her; a peach-colored long-sleeved cotton blouse and a matching white pencil skirt. She recognized them immediately.

"Those are yours, right?" she asked.

"Yes, some of your father's old gifts to me," her mother replied, smiling as she looked at them. "You'd look really beautiful in them, I'd wager."

"Well, they are beautiful," Monika acknowledged. She reached out to touch their fabric, running her fingers against them. "And yes, I'm sure they're just the right size. Are they going to be the clothes I'll wear for tonight?"

"Yes. I thought I'd take the liberty of finding you something suitable to wear. Some of the clothes in your wardrobe felt a tad too casual," said her mother, "but I also didn't want you to wear something too formal. This is a dinner, not a gala."

"I see." Leave it to Mom to decide on something before asking for my opinion. Still, Monika knew that there wasn't much harm done when it came to mere clothes. "I'm gonna be preparing in a few minutes. You can just leave the clothes here."

"Sure thing. I'll go prepare as well." With that, her mother laid the clothes out smoothly on her bed. "Honestly, I don't know why your father insists on taking a bath first. He always takes a lot longer than I do."

When her mother had left her room, Monika stood up and started prepping, taking out a dry towel from her wardrobe and perusing the clothes she was to wear one more time. Certain families still wore traditional Japanese clothing both for formal occasions and casual gatherings, but Monika's family was one of those that had gotten used to more Westernized traditions. A businessman of German descent, Kristofer Steinbeck brought with him the culture of his home country when he married Fujiko Suzuki, and this culture rubbed off on the name they chose to give Monika when she was born. Monika was always curious as to what her name would have been if she had ended up being a full-blooded Japanese girl, though she had no qualms with the one she ended up with; a bit of research told her that her name was Scandinavian in origin, was derived from "Monica," and stemmed from the word "advisor" in Latin and "unique" in Greek. In that regard, Monika often imagined with amusement that her role as a model student who always gave help and guidance to others made her name fit really well.

Mrs. Fujita knocked on her room door around thirty minutes later, just as she had finished dressing up. Like her mother had expected, the clothes fit her perfectly, and she had taken some time to admire how good they looked in front of the nearby mirror.

"Miss Monika, your parents told me that they would just be waiting for you downstairs," Mrs. Fujita stated politely when she answered the door. "The guests are expected to arrive shortly."

"I see. Thank you, Mrs. Fujita."

Five minutes later, Monika stepped out of her room and made her way downstairs. She had decided not to put too much makeup on, instead applying only soft touches of foundation and blush and skipping any lipstick entirely. Her parents were sitting on the cushioned chairs in the living room, basking in the orange glow of the lights overhead. Her mother looked nothing short of immaculate in a black satin sheath dress, with pearls dangling from her ears and her neck glowing with a beautiful silver necklace; her brown hair, like Monika's, was coiffed up in a soft-swept ponytail. To her mother's left, her father looked like the true businessman he was in a crisp black blazer with a grey shirt underneath and a pair of matching pants; his black hair was stylized with just the right amount of wax, giving him a youthful look that belied the creases on his face. Though Monika imagined that her relatively ordinary facial touch-up would earn her a bit of criticism from her mother, she was surprised when she actually gave her an approving nod.

"You look splendid," she told her as she reached the foot of the stairs.

"I agree. It's like you two are simply siblings, dear," her father stated. "The hair, the eyes, everything."

"Thanks," said Monika, smiling at the two of them. Had she not known that the evening was scheduled for guests to come over, she felt like it was one of those instances where the three of them would bond over dinner on a quiet but meaningful night out. Simpler times, indeed.

When Takeo and his parents showed up ten minutes later, new life was breathed into the house for a moment. Takeo looked like a younger version of his father—tall and handsome with short brown hair and pale blue eyes; the similarities in their appearance was made even more evident by the fact that they were both wearing similar articles of formal clothing: grey blazers, white shirts, and black pants and shoes. Mrs. Kimura, meanwhile, was shorter than either of them, with an oval-shaped face and long hair that had a lighter shade of brown; the lavender peplum dress and black heels she wore, however, made her no less stylish and beautiful.

Mr. and Mrs. Kimura exchanged pleasantries with Monika's parents, shaking hands and discussing trivial things such as the weather and whatnot—a basic routine before getting down to business, Monika knew. Takeo politely shook hands with her parents before greeting Monika with a casual grin. Monika smiled civilly back, taking note of how formal and serious his bearing was even outside of school.

Dinner became a cordial affair that was punctuated by talks about recent events, both families' exploits in business, and an occasional question about Kristofer Steinbeck's home country. Monika chose to listen more as she ate the palatable fare that Mrs. Fujita had cooked up with their other helpers for the past few hours. She helped herself to the tofu soup and daikon salad that served as appetizers, since she would be skipping most of what the main course had to offer—miso-glazed black cod, chicken katsu and beef stir-fry—due to her vegetarian lifestyle.

Inevitably, the conversation shifted towards her. "So, Monika," said Mrs. Kimura, "we've heard a great deal about you from Takeo here. He tells us that you're one of the brightest students at your school."

"Indeed she is," Takeo added. Across the table, Monika saw her parents smile proudly.

"I'm certain that a girl of your academic caliber has a lot of choices laid out once you graduate high school and take that next big step," Mrs. Kimura continued. "I don't know if you've spoken to your parents yet about this, but what are your plans for college?"

"Oh." Monika wiped her mouth gently with a napkin before replying. "I haven't thought about that yet, Mrs. Kimura. I'm still a junior high school student, after all."

"Wait, really?" Mrs. Kimura looked genuinely astounded. "I was always under the impression that you were a senior high school student, like Takeo!"

Takeo sighed lazily. "Mother, I've mentioned that a few times before. You might have just failed to notice or remember."

"Maybe, maybe," said Mrs. Kimura, laughing lightly. "I apologize for that, Monika."

"It's okay, ma'am," said Monika, laughing along with them.

"Actually, we were thinking of enrolling her in Osaka," her mother spoke up suddenly. Monika looked at her with surprise, though she did not say anything yet. "I mean, we did mention relocating there soon and all, and we thought that it'd be convenient for her to take up college there once she graduates."

"Ah, yes, there are quite a few university choices there that you can peruse," Mr. Kimura noted. "But why Osaka? I mean, wouldn't Tokyo be a better choice for relocation in terms of distance? The University of Tokyo is where we're planning to enroll Takeo. At least he's closer to home that way."

"We had thought about that before, but Fujiko and I decided to try and cover more ground conveniently by setting up in Osaka first," Monika's father replied. "Who knows? If we can keep the business in good shape, we might be able to set up an office in Tokyo soon. But since Osaka is where our new residential address will be, it's more opportune to enroll our Monika there instead of leaving her here. We've already talked to one of our acquaintances at the university, and he said he'll do his best to make things convenient for us."

"But of course, it's not final yet," Monika finally chimed in. "I mean, I've still got one more year of high school remaining, and a lot can happen in that span of time. I'll start measuring everything once the last few months of senior year hits."

Takeo spoke up in a would-be calm tone. "Monika is just concerned about the friends that she would be leaving behind if she moves to Osaka. This is, after all, the city that she grew up in, so it's a given that she has made quite a lot of friends here."

Monika eyed him across the table, wondering if he would be mentioning anything else. "True, I don't know where my friends will be taking up college, and it'll be a sad experience to be separated from them," she added. "Of course, I'm not saying that I will be basing my future decisions strictly off of them, but . . ."

"Well, such is life," Takeo mused, shrugging. "People come and go, and sometimes we can never make the choices that we want to make. I'm certain that your friends—or at least most of them—would understand."

There it was. "Yes, I'm sure they would," Monika said tentatively.

When dinner ended, everyone settled down in the living room to finally start discussing business over a bottle of high-class brandy that Monika's father had graciously bought for the occasion. Not feeling up to listening to her parents talk about the family business at the moment, Monika decided to distance herself from everyone else, sitting some ways away and listening only idly. Takeo also seemed to be rather uninterested with what his parents were discussing with hers, though he sat next to his mother and feigned listening in with a lazy look on his face. From what Monika heard from their conversation, Takeo's parents were apparently looking to have an insurance and business center constructed with the help of her parents' company. Depending on how long her parents would oversee the project, Monika imagined if she would stay longer here in the city after she graduates. Then again, they could always send some of their juniors to oversee things instead.

When things grew rather tedious, Monika stood up and made her way quietly to the nearby veranda that sat next to the garden at the back of the house, exiting through a sliding glass door that sat past the staircase. As soon as she stepped outside, the evening air cut through her like the coldest of knives, and she took a moment to thank the long sleeves of the blouse her mother had given her. She leaned against the veranda's cold metal railings and looked around. In the darkness, the garden looked rather somber, its vibrant colors lost in the dark purple of the evening and the faint orange of the lights seeping through the windows. The neighborhood's ambient noises were both tranquil and resonant at the same time—the sound of vehicles passing by on the street, indistinct voices from neighboring houses, and the trees rustling whenever a faint breeze blew. Monika had a number of memories that took place where she stood, and where she was looking at. As a child, she would run around and play with her mother in the garden while her father watched from the veranda. At times, she would also sit here for an hour or two as her mother read her some stories while they drank glasses of orange juice. When she grew into a teenager, she would retreat out here to calm her mind so that she could write poetry or read a book in peace. Simpler times, indeed.

Now, though, what her mother had said made her feel left out, almost drained. It was one thing to plan on moving out and telling her only later on, but for them to actually start deciding on where she wanted to go for college . . . Monika did not know what exactly her parents' stand was. On one hand, they let her live alone for a very long time while they took care of business elsewhere, giving her freedom on what she would do and not bothering to check on her as frequently or meaningfully as parents should. On the other hand, now that they were here, they seemed to be imposing their decisions upon her without even consulting her about them, instead going by the notion that she would go along with them just fine like she had always done. Once again, she felt like she was being trapped.

Behind her, she heard the veranda's sliding door open. She turned around to see Takeo walking towards her, holding a glass of brandy. She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I was going to bring you a drink too. But I imagined that you might not be a fan of liquor," Takeo said casually.

"You're right about that," replied Monika. "And even if I was, we're still not yet at the legal age, right?"

Takeo smiled. "Au contraire, I turned twenty two weeks ago. Besides, I've already had a few drinks in the past. No harm in drinking within the privacy of your own home."

Again, Monika felt surprised. "You had your twentieth birthday? Was it on a school day?"

"A Wednesday," said Takeo with a nod.

"I don't think I've ever known when your birthday was. Maybe it's because I've never heard you tell anyone," Monika pointed out.

"I don't consider some things worth telling, not when there are more important things to address." Takeo took a sip of brandy and nodded approvingly. "That's some nice brandy. Reminds me of the bottles Father keeps in his study."

Monika stared at him curiously. "Takeo . . . don't you ever feel like you're letting your life slip away sometimes? You're often so engrossed in academics and other serious things that there are times when you forget to have a bit of fun. Schoolwork and the debate club, that's important, to be sure. But there's more to life than that, you know?"

Takeo sighed, his lips curving into a smirk. "Is that one of the philosophies that Mr. Yamaguchi of 3-C has imparted on you?"

"I figured it out on my own, but yes, Kenta is often there to remind me of it," said Monika. "And it helps, I might add."

"Well, as much as I don't see eye to eye with your redheaded boyfriend, I can respect that kind of philosophy," Takeo muttered. "It is typical of us youths to think like that. I guess it just doesn't work with everyone, though. What I do right now, some might call it overly serious or devoid of leisure, but it is my way of preparing for bigger things in life. A good foundation, if you will."

"But aren't there times when you feel that . . . that you're dragging others along with your ideology?" asked Monika. "I don't mean to offend you or anything, because I can understand and respect where you're coming from, but there are moments when you tend to expect everyone to fall in line with your standards and expect them to be . . . well, perfect. While driving others to always do their best is a good thing, it can get quite taxing for everyone involved sometimes."

Takeo chuckled. "I suppose I am guilty of that. It's just how I carry on with everything, I guess." He took another sip of brandy, let out a sigh of satisfaction, and continued. "The thing is that I want success to be truly earned. I want to be able to hold my head up high when I achieve that success, and I want to show others that they can do that too. Does it sound pretentious? Conceited, even? Well, it depends on the person listening, but that's what I believe in."

He traced the rim of his glass idly with his finger, gazing up at the night sky. "I guess that's why I don't sympathize that well with Mr. Yamaguchi. He might presume that I think poorly of him simply because he won you over and I didn't. It's nothing that crude. No, he simply strikes me as the sort of person who would boast with confidence about things that he never really fought hard for."

"Kenta isn't like that," said Monika defensively. "I know that his general demeanor doesn't sit well with everyone, but he's a genuine person through and through. From what he has told me, and from what I know of him, he definitely fought hard to become the person that he is today, and no one can take that away from him."

"Well, he does rub people the wrong way with how he acts most of the time, being noisy in the corridors and showboating whenever he messes around with his friends. I know, because I've seen him acting like that a few times before." Takeo took another swig of brandy, staring ahead idly. "Also, I don't put much stock in rumors, but I've heard that he's become even less popular among some of our schoolmates since you two started going out. After all, he and I were not the only ones who admired you."

"I'm sure Kenta doesn't care what others might think of him," Monika stated, though she hid her own uncertainty at the thought; there had been times in the past when Kenta had mentioned being talked about behind his back because of his relationship with her. "We let those rumors slide, wherever they may come from. People can choose to believe and think what they want to say, and we'll do the same."

Takeo scoffed a little, emptying the rest of his brandy in one gulp. "I just don't want him to weigh you down, Monika. High school romances can work sometimes, and they can be the foundation for something bigger in the future, but they can also be sad memories, moments where the question of 'what if' will bother you for a very long time. I don't know what Mr. Yamaguchi has planned for his own future, but I don't want that to hold you back. You're a smart girl, Monika. Hopefully, you get what I'm saying."

"Don't worry, I get it," said Monika incredulously. "But just to make myself clear, Takeo, I know what I'm doing. I get to decide whether or not a person is weighing me down, and I'm positively sure that Kenta isn't doing that with me. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I don't need you or my parents or anyone else making my own decisions for me."

With that, she stalked off in a huff, leaving Takeo behind to mull on her words. Frustration welled up inside her, at the idea that no matter how hard she tried, there were always people like Takeo and her parents who thought that they could take the reins and decide everything on her behalf. College in Osaka, her relationship with Kenta, the maintenance of her life as a model student and daughter, Monika became fed up with thinking about it all. She tried hard to walk as calmly as possible, not letting her footsteps land too hard and give away her exasperation.

The living room area was ringing with mild laughter when she walked in. No doubt her parents and Takeo's were exchanging some sort of jest fueled by the gradual onset of brandy. They looked around when they heard her approach.

"Oh, Monika, where have you been?" her mother asked.

"I just went to the veranda to get some fresh air," replied Monika, giving them a polite smile. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm feeling too well at the moment. If you'll excuse me, I'll just rest my head upstairs in my room."

"Sure thing, sweetie," said her father, waving his hand benevolently.

After exchanging some final and brief pleasantries with Takeo's parents, Monika went back as quickly as she could to her room. Even until she had closed her bedroom door, she did not hear Takeo reemerge from the veranda.

As soon as she sat down at the foot of her bed, she reached for her cellphone and took a look. There was only one message, which Kenta had sent almost two hours ago. "i hope that dolt doesn't give u trouble. have a gud dinner, eat well!"

Monika let out a sigh of relief. Though her mind was still smarting from what she had just been through, staring at Kenta's words started to make her feel a bit better. She did, however, notice that Sayori had not texted her at all. Musing that perhaps she was doing alright at the very least, Monika decided to address Kenta first. She texted him back.

"just got done with everything. can i call you?"

Kenta's reply was quicker than she had expected it to be; it was apparent that he was waiting for her text. "sure thing! but is everything ok? :("

Monika smiled wistfully. "yes. i just want to hear your voice :)"