A/N: My girlfriend loved writing Chapter 6 so much that she came back to write this chapter too! Have fun!
The quiet, still ambience of Tonosho Junior High permeated through the hallways once the day's proceedings drew to a close. After an afternoon without rain, the spouts from the clouds above reopened. Falling rain accompanied the storm brewing above the clouds. The raindrops tapped on the school's rooftops and cascaded down the glass windows. The sounds of pattering rain filled the quiet hallways, acting as a welcome ensemble for the students remaining at school.
Moments later, the quiet hallways and pattering rain made way for the sounds of chattering students. Many of the students had their shirt sleeves drenched from the torrential rains while they waited underneath the school's awnings. As more of the students entered their familiar classrooms, two groups of students began to form. The first group waited for the storms to end. They sat by their acquaintances dishing out the latest gossip or remained alone with their notebooks open and their pencils writing. The girls and boys who held hands with one another comprised the second group of students. Their eyes were glued to one another and their mouths released giddy giggles around each other.
Back at the entrance, Mano paced back and forth in front of the glass entrance to the school. With her umbrella in her right hand, she furrowed her brow and swiveled her pigtail-adorned head. Her venturous eyes scanned through the emerging crowds for her boyfriend Nakai. Her efforts ended in vain; Nakai was nowhere to be seen. It didn't help that her short height made it difficult to see past the taller students in the crowds.
Weaving her way through the crowds of students between the getabako, she pressed her arms against her stomach and her school bag in her hands. She maneuvered past the hoards of students, arriving at the hallways away from the getabako. She placed her umbrella down on the adjacent wooden bench and shifted her eyes left and right to continue her search for Nakai. Still, she could not pinpoint Nakai's figure. Ohh, I hope Nakai-kun didn't go home already! Why didn't he check up on me before he left? She moped with a light-pitched groan.
Her mind created a reel of how she and Nakai got separated just minutes after their school day ended. Last she remembered, they were strolling down the stairs to the first floor after the last of the Westminster Bells chimed. The sounds of romping shoes and raucous complaints blaring from the hallways jumbled her memories after that. All she remembered as a result was Nakai's figure disappearing when she looked towards her left hand.
Mano turned her head to and fro. She saw no sign of Nakai anywhere. She tapped her shoes on the floor and crossed her arms by her stomach. With a longing sigh, she reached into her shirt sleeve and retrieved a gold bracelet from inside her cuff. She rotated the bracelet around her wrist, careful not to lose her grip on it. She gazed at the bracelet's interlocking chains, taking a moment to admire its intricacies. With her left hand, she then opened the heart-shaped locket attached to her bracelet. Inside her locket was a coloured picture of Mano and Nakai's smiling faces. Her face beamed and her cheeks glowed as she swooned over their picture.
But as the crowds gathered in her direction, she closed her locket and shook her head to and fro. Despite squinting her eyes to get a better view, her efforts remained fruitless. With her boyfriend still nowhere to be found, her mind began replaying a scene of her life from back in elementary school. Whenever she made a new friend, she recalled the moments she would jump in and give them big bear hugs. Instead of receiving their hugs back, she remembered the shoves and awkward glances her classmates gave her. Their cold responses stabbed her like icicles then, and they still did now. Just recalling their disgust caused her to stomp her feet and her nostrils to bellow out smoke.
Her failure to find her boyfriend caused tears to gather at the corners of her eyes. She tried blinking them away but her tears continued to flow. Her wet, midnight black eyes formed a narrowed glare as she cast her head downward. That idiot really left me stranded, didn't he?! Mano released her piercing thought, flopping her arms down and looking back and forth once more. With Nakai still nowhere to be seen, she grabbed her umbrella off of the wooden bench to her left and retreated towards the exit beyond the getabako.
But as she took her first pace towards the getakabo, she felt a gentle, nimble finger tap on her left shoulder. Her eyes widened and her shoulders prickled. She yelped, jumping in place. Once she turned her head around, she caught sight of a sheepish Nakai waving at her. She positioned her arms into a karate-chop position, ready to strike in an instant. "Nakai-kun, where were you?! You were beside me for one minute and then you disappeared!" she shouted, flailing her stiff arms as if she were ready to pounce at any moment.
Rubbing his neck with his left hand, he formed a humble apology, "I'm sorry Mano-chan, I just had to use the bathroom before we left the school. I didn't realize everyone would be coming back in like this," Nakai chuckled while fixing his hair and looking down at Mano's piercing gaze.
While his apology was steady and true, it only made Mano soften her eyes and let out a sniffle. She relaxed her arms onto her sides with tears continuing to flow through her face. "Nakai-kun, you know I don't like feeling excluded," she wept, placing her shirt sleeve below her eyes.
Seeing that the hallway crowds dispersed, she backed away from Nakai and pressed her body against one of the getabako clusters. Feeling a deepening blush form on her face, she turned her head away from Nakai's gaze and closed her eyes. The voices of her conscience admonished her overreactions, each one uttering words of disapproval. Her inner voices caused her to curl her toes and her body to freeze in place.
The world around her shrunk, growing dark with each inch. Before the darkness grew any further, she felt a hand holding onto hers. The light sensation caused her to open her eyes wide, shining a beam of light onto her darkening world. Turning her head towards Nakai, her mouth released the frown that she formed.
"Mano-chan, the crowds are dispersing a bit. Since the storm won't let up for a while, why don't we head to our classroom to study together?" Nakai asked, looking back at her with a sunny smile.
Mano gasped, smiling wide. Her eyes mimicked the shimmering colours of a rainbow reflecting from her tears. With the torrential rains not letting up anytime soon, her heart yearned for alone time with her beloved Nakai. Since she could never find the right way to phrase her request, Nakai's question came to her like a surprise present. Her deepest desire for the day would indeed be realized.
She placed her hand onto her right cheek and blushed. "Yes Nakai-kun, I would love that!" Mano let out a series of quick, high-pitched giggles. With her smile glued to her face, she and Nakai headed back up to the study hall on the second floor. Her mind forecasted Nakai's cute, contemplative face distracting her throughout their study session. Nonetheless, she didn't care. All that mattered to her was that Nakai-kun would be there to keep her company.
Mano adopted a wider stride to her stance when she and Nakai arrived at the second floor. Looking around the floor, she could see other boys and girls holding hands in front of her. The fact that she was part of the group of lovestruck couples made her heart shine. She swung her arms back and forth, not noticing Nakai's sheepish chuckle as his arm swung with hers.
"Come on Nakai-kun! Swing your arm along with me!" Mano chuckled with glee.
"Oh okay, Mano-chan! Just don't swing your arm too hard!" Nakai chuckled back with a warm smile on his face.
Their chuckles resonated like songs without words in her head. Her hand squeezed Nakai's hand tight as the pair made their way to the empty classroom. With each step, her shoes tapped against the oak wood floor like a tap dancer. She didn't want this moment to end.
Once inside the classroom, her face glittered with stars in her eyes. She then opened her mouth wide. Nakai-kun and I have the classroom to ourselves! We can be in love as long as we want! she giggled, her feet dancing in place. Letting go of Nakai's hand, she hopped around the front of the classroom.
She inhaled the leftover scents of chalkboard dust and the smells of old textbooks wafting through the classroom. Her vivid pink blush returned to her face as she closed her eyes. Each time she inhaled the mixture of scents, she would reminisce about the times Nakai would jump to the rescue. Each time she forgot her school materials, he would always save the day by sharing his textbook with her.
She then turned her head towards her desk at the front, prancing up to it and taking her seat. Once she sat down, she set her school bag onto her desk. As she extended her arms into her bag, her bracelet slid down from her arm. Lodged between her sleeve and her hands, she jiggled her bracelet free, letting it set down to her palms.
Just as she clenched her fingers to grab her bracelet, however, a familiar voice rang through her ears. "Hey, Mano-chan, Weren't you supposed to keep that bracelet in your bag at school?" Nakai observed, putting his hand on her school bag as he walked over to her desk.
At that moment, her sunny smile turned into a frown. She stomped her feet and scrunched her face. Ugh, he never understands how I feel. I don't want to hide my love from him! She pouted, turning around to face Nakai with narrowed eyes and fumes spouting from her ears.
"But Nakai-kun I don't want to hide the bracelet any longer, I want to be reminded of you even when we're apart," Mano pouted as she reached down to hold Nakai's hands.
"Aww, Mano-chan," Nakai chuckled as he cupped her hands to his cheek. He took a moment to admire her hand that touched his cheek. "Although I really do think you should wait to wear it till after school."
"Ugh, you are such a blockhead Nakai-kun, why don't you notice how I feel?" Mano cried out. She clenched her bracelet between her fingers and took it off in one swift motion. She placed the bracelet back in her bag's inside pocket and turned her head to face Nakai.
"Do you even remember what happened at school today?" she questioned. She put her hands to her head and massaged her temples. She bared her teeth and shook her head. As much as she loved Nakai, she bemoaned his lack of awareness. The thoughts of his apathy flowed through her temples. With it came a furious resolve to break down his apathy with words strong as a war hammer.
She shuffled through her bag, grabbing her white Rakuten Mini Phone amongst its contents. With a press of the power button, her smartphone came to life with a small blip and a vibration. Holding her phone, she stuck out her hand inches away from his face. On her phone were the texts she sent him earlier in the afternoon, after library duty.
Nakai took a breath in and took the phone from Mano's hand. "Ah yes, these texts. I remember these. Houjou-chan really gave you a hard time huh?" Nakai mused as he dragged his right index finger bottom to top over the screen. With each scroll, text messages dotted with exclamation and question marks emerged.
"Nakai-kun seriously, don't you understand?! Houjou-chan is out of control and we have to do something about it!" She finished her last resounding statement by forming a fist with her left hand and stomping the floor again.
"Well, it's not like she's being a menace. I mean, I don't think she's hurting anybody," He drawled, shrugging his shoulders and waving his hand about.
The room grew silent, save for the pattering rain outside and Mano's footsteps on the wooden floor. Sitting on her desk, she laid her head down in her arms. Her whimpers now echoed into the still air. Ugh, he still doesn't get it! Why don't you understand how I feel? Why won't you stand up for me when I need it most?
In the haze of the tears surrounding her eyes, her mind transported her to the school swimming pool. She felt herself splashing her arms against a tide of water. Her body was being dragged away by the water in the pool into the deep end. As she sank deeper, she disappeared underneath the pristine waters. All around her became a sea of blue. Above the surface, she could see a figure distorted by the watery veil above her head. The figure called out in a familiar boyish voice and reached out their hand towards Mano. Is that Nakai-kun?! she panicked, sinking lower towards the bottom of the pool. No matter how hard Mano beat her arms downward and kicked her legs, she could not rise up to join her hands with Nakai's from the frigid waters below.
Mano's eyes snapped open, breaking free from the thoughts holding her hostage. In her mind, she felt herself floating back up towards the water's surface. Her whimpers grew louder and her shoulders quaked. Then, she felt a hand patting her back, as if a gentle touch of Ki descended upon her. The touch calmed her weary figure like the warmth of a local onsen.
She raised her head from her folded arms. Her puffy, red eyes met Nakai's smiling face as he kneeled on the floor beside her desk. His eyebrows curved upwards along with Mano's. He then cocked his head to the right.
"Mano-chan, are you okay? Please tell me what happened," Nakai consoled her, rubbing her back and handing her some tissues from his bag. "I don't like seeing you upset," he continued as she blinked the tears away from her eyes.
Mano froze and hunched over her desk. A pink blush formed on her face as she snatched a tissue from Nakai's tissue pack. Wait, Nakai-kun usually doesn't care for me this much. Maybe he is trying to understand me after all, sighed Mano. She let out a deep inhale and exhale, as if she emerged from the water's surface.
"Houjou-chan made me feel really upset today. I talked about the lovely White Day we had during library duty," Mano explained, keeping her head face down towards her desk. "She berated me and stormed away!" she sniffled while fidgeting with her hands. She turned her face towards Nakai and noticed him nodding his head. Maybe Nakai-kun really is taking the time to listen to me. Maybe I just need to explain what I notice better, she posited, taking another piece of tissue from his tissue pack.
"I know for a fact that she's angrier than usual! I get that she hates talking to me because she always ignores me," she pouted with a duck face. "But now, she's resorted to attacking me for my feelings!" Her contempt blazed into fury as she narrowed her eyes and shouted at Nakai at the top of her lungs.
Letting go of her back, Nakai put his hand to his chin and arched his brow. "Hmmm, now that you mention it, Houjou-chan has been a little more testy lately. I remember her glaring at us while we were holding hands this morning," Nakai responded. He took her fidgeting hands and held them still with his own hands. "I want to be able to listen to you Mano-chan, so if there's anything that's on your mind, please tell me," he continued, pulling her hands close to his chest.
Mano let go of Nakai's grip. She curled her hands into fists and folded her arms. Her gaze turned away from him and towards the oak wood floor. She then let out an abrupt humph. I'm still a little doubtful. I really hope Naka's really listening. If he is, he needs to do this more often! she exhaled through her mouth, letting her breath sail out into the empty classroom.
She let her tensed fists relax but kept her arms crossed. She uncrossed her legs and let her body relax inch by inch. As her body unwound, she next uncrossed her arms and put them parallel with her legs. No wait, this is Nakai-kun I'm talking about. He's supposed to care for me! Mano huffed, letting her shoulders rise and fall with each breath. If there's anyone I'm supposed to trust right now with my feelings it's Nakai-kun. He may not always know what to do at times, but when he means it, he means it. She remembered reading these pieces of love advice from her many sojourns into 100% Unrequited Love.
Mano opened her eyes. Her boyfriend was still there on the floor. He was still kneeling on the floor beside her desk, her hands clasped again with his own. "Mano-chan I hope you understand. I want to listen to you because what you say is important to me," Nakai reassured.
Mano emitted a soft gasp. She smiled wide and closed her eyes, letting a soft blush take over her cheeks. It was as if the stormy rain cleared away in her heart to make way for the chirping birds of Nakai's soothing voice. Moments like these allowed her to imagine Nakai's voice as ripe cherry blossom petals drifting from the trees. Her heart thumped. She could feel his words soothing her weary heart.
All this time in our relationship, Nakai-kun cared about the problems I was facing. He really meant what he said! Mano beamed as she held Nakai's hands on her own this time.
"Do you really mean it, Nakai-kun?" Mano asked, locking her gaze with Nakai's. She placed her hand over her heart and sighed.
"Of course I do Mano-chan! I may not say it as much, but I hope you know that if you're sad, I want to cheer you up," Nakai said with a blush forming on his face. He stood up and sat at the desk next to Mano's. "If anything else is wrong, please tell me and I'll make sure to help you," Nakai patted Mano's head and stroked her hair with his left hand.
"Thanks, Nakai-kun. I really appreciate what you've said," Mano chirped. She beamed at Nakai, who was also grinning and blushing. "I want to trust you more Nakai-kun. I want to keep believing that you truly mean what you say." Mano's heart vibrated in her chest. She tapped her feet on the floor while sitting in her seat.
"Sounds good, Mano-chan! Now, what's up with Houjou-chan?" Nakai put his hands on the edges of his desk so he could move it closer to Mano's.
"Well, she's been acting really angry as of late. It made me wonder if something happened to her earlier today," Mano breathed. She kept her head up and focused on Nakai's gaze.
Nakai scratched his head as he put both of his elbows on his desk. "You seem to know her better than me. What do you think could have happened?"
"Houjou-chan is usually alone, but today she seemed even more alone than before," Mano mused as she tapped the desk with her fingers. "She may have other issues she's dealing with, but I wonder if I made things worse for her," she slumped in her desk, her voice tinged with guilt.
"What makes you think you caused her to be upset?" Nakai shrugged his shoulders at Mano and turned his desk chair to face her.
"Well, maybe it's because she thinks I'm annoying when I talk about our love," she slumped her head forward close to the desk. She closed her eyes and turned her head away from Nakai. Her thoughts filled with voices seething at her love-tinged behaviour during library duty.
"But Mano, you barely talk with her anyway, how could she be that easily annoyed by you already?" Nakai reasoned, his gestures with his arms forming a shrugging motion.
His words punched away the loathing voices hovering over her mind. She froze, her legs ceasing their rhythmic swinging pattern. If that's true, then it must be so! Mano gasped as her heart sank in her chest. "Then there really is only one explanation: Houjou-chan and Hamaguchi-kun must have broken up!" With a shout, Mano closed her hands into fists and shook them up and down.
"Huh, you really think so?" Nakai raised his eyebrows and crossed his legs. "Well, I don't remember Hamaguchi telling me they got together at all," he clarified himself, scratching his jaw and swaying away from Mano.
Mano drew in her breath and snorted it out like a growling puppy, "Don't you remember when Houjou-chan gasped out loud in class when Nishikata-kun mentioned Hamaguchi-kun?!" She drew in another breath, extending her hand towards Nakai. "Ugh, they also didn't talk to each other at all today!"
"Oh, that's right! Hamaguchi stomped away from the other guys today. Nishikata told me it had something to do with Houjou-chan, actually. He didn't look so good either," Nakai remarked as he extended his pointer finger up in the air.
"See what I mean?! Both of them have been acting really strange today!" With those words, Mano felt a jolt of heat coursing through her body. Jumping up from her chair, she pointed her finger at Nakai and declared, "I say we try to help them both!"
"Ahh, that's very noble of you Mano-chan!" Nakai smiled. He reached his hand towards Mano's right finger and clasped them against his hand. "But doesn't talking with Houjou-chan make you feel scared and angry?" He added as he raised his eyebrow, his hand still holding onto hers.
Mano turned her head to look out the window. A single ray of sunlight streamed through the vast expanse of the dark, rumbling clouds above. She stared at the sunbeam and imagined its warmth enveloping against her skin. The sunlight reminded her of Nakai's warm hugs on a chilly winter day. She yearned to be in that warm patch of sunlight and not be so caught up in her cloudy storm.
She continued to squint her eyes through the window. This time, she turned her head towards the cluster of apartments where Houjou lived. Over that area, she saw a grey sheet of water continue to pour. To her, it almost seemed like the rains would never cease.
"Mano-chan, are you okay?" Nakai asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder with his left hand.
Mano looked out the window, her lips parting and her shoulders sagging. The leftover droplets of rain trickled down the window pane, mimicking the tears flowing through her cheeks. "I don't like Houjou-chan, it's true. But I know how it feels to be unloved and I don't want her to feel that way either," she sniffed. " I want to help her somehow but I don't know how," she continued, turning around to face Nakai with fresh tears streaming down her face.
Nakai-kun cupped her cheek with his hand, brushing her tears away. "Well, if you want me to help too, I will be right beside you every step of the way," Nakai reassured her as their eyes met and a comforting silence surrounded them.
"Thank you, Nakai-kun. I know you truly mean it now," She massaged her chest as her heart quaked. Mano sat back down in her seat and proceeded to collect her things to go home. I'll figure this out soon enough. I just hope it doesn't end in vain.
A metallic clink on the wooden floor below interrupted Mano's train of thought. She looked down to see the bracelet Nakai gave her lying on the floor beside her desk. She blushed as she bent down to pick up the precious memento, clasping it between her fingers.
"Ahh, you definitely don't want to lose that!" Nakai winked with a grin as he stood up from his desk chair and swung his school bag onto his shoulders.
"I won't, don't worry!" Mano beamed as she clutched the bracelet to her chest. She got up from her seat, sliding the bracelet on her left hand into her right wrist. She took a moment to study the golden chains and the loops connecting them together.
As she continued staring at the bracelet she remembered Nakai's goofy chuckle when he gave it to her. For her, the bracelet was a perfect symbol of their love. The chains represented their deep connection, and the locket represented the heart of their love. No matter what happens we'll find a way to work this out together, Mano sighed, walking out of the classroom hand in hand with Nakai.
Meanwhile, Nakai sifted through his school bag to pull out his white iPhone. He turned it on and swiped to his messenger app. Just as he opened his messages app, Mano turned her head towards him. Seeing him with his phone, she snapped the fingers of her left hand with a wide grin on her face. She tugged at Nakai's arm and squeezed in closer to see his phone screen.
"Nakai-kun! I have an idea!" she clamoured for his attention, swinging her arm back and forth with his left arm.
"Oh, what is it, Mano-chan?" Nakai grinned back, chuckling while holding his phone steady in his right hand.
"You can call Nishikata-kun and I'll call Takagi-chan. I have a plan!" Mano mused as she turned away to grab her own phone from her bag. "If we're going to help Houjou-chan and Hamaguchi-kun we need another couple's opinion! Plus, Nishikata-kun and Hamaguchi-kun are close friends!" She explained with her phone planted on her right hand.
"Oh, that sounds like a plan Mano-chan!" Nakai grinned as he patted Mano's head. Mano in turn responded with a gleeful smile. When the couple walked outside the school, the rays of sunlight piercing the clouds greeted them. Mano turned her head upwards to let the sun rays warm her face and the rest of her body. The sunlight shining on her face caused a new vigour to awaken inside her. Perhaps she could help the forlorn couple after all.