Chapter 10

It's lunchtime and I've really been looking forward to it all morning. Me and Daisuke or going to spend some time together for the first time since my confession. So, I'm pretty happy about that. I was a little worried he wouldn't be so forgiving. But he's so nice, I should have known better.

I initially invited Akari to have lunch with me and Daisuke somewhere, thinking it would keep her from being alone at lunch, but she said she really didn't want me to just ditch Carsten and Ai like that, so instead Daisuke will be joining the three of us in the usual spot.

Thankfully, his presence will mean that I don't have to be alone with the handsiest couple on the planet. Right now, Ai is all but sitting in Carsten's lap and she is feeding him. They both look blissfully happy, which is the only reason I put up with it.

Just as I am trying my best to survive being around the two love birds, I see Daisuke and Kaito. I am relieved to see them. It might be another couple, but something tells me they aren't going to be like these two.

I get up and wave and walk towards them. When we meet, I hug Daisuke and he hugs me back. This feels so nice. I think I still have a little flicker of my feelings for him somewhere deep down, but I mostly just feel like I'm hugging a family member.

I notice Kaito is smiling. I imagine he knows everything. Which is a little embarrassing. But he looks happy that we are hugging, so I guess that's okay.

I say, "I'm really glad you two are here. Mostly because I missed you, but also because Carsten and his girlfriend are…challenging to be around on my own."

Daisuke looks over in the grass and sees what I'm talking about and can't help but laugh.

I realize Kaito doesn't know what's going on, so I explain, "So, my friend Carsten's girlfriend, Ai, is sitting almost on top of him and they are feeding each other."

Kaito chuckles, "So they are one of those couples?"

"They are so far. They are pretty new, so I am cutting them some slack. But it is a bit awkward being around them on my own."

Kaito nods, "I can understand why."

We walk over to where they are and sit down.

Carsten sees Daisuke and says, "Oh, hey Daisuke. It's been a while."

"It has. Nice to see you. Who is your lovely girlfriend?"

"This is Ai." Ai waves.

"Nice to meet you. This is Kaito, my boyfriend."

Oh. He's telling people now.

Carsten raises his eyebrows in surprise. He knows I liked him and confessed to him. I guess that's what makes things surprising to him. To Ai's credit, she doesn't really respond as if Kaito and Daisuke being together is anything strange.

She says, "Nice to meet you, Kaito and Daisuke"

Then Carsten says, "Yeah, nice to meet you."

Kaito responds, "You too, Carsten and Ai."

Before long the two love birds are back doing what they were doing, and once it's clear they aren't paying attention I turn to Daisuke.

"So, you are telling people now? That's great!" Kaito smiles at me.

Daisuke nods. "Yeah…the thing with you made me realize I need to be open about it. If I had been…you wouldn't ever have gotten hurt. I did sort of think your parents had told you, but I shouldn't have just assumed. I also just needed to be open for myself…and for Kaito. But you gave me some extra motivation to do that."

Kaito laughs softly, "Yes, while I wish things hadn't become hard between you two, I am somewhat thankful that things led here." He reaches out for Daisuke's hand, and Daisuke gives it to him. "I have wanted to do things like this for quite a while." Then he whispers, "But don't worry. We aren't like them." He gestures towards Carsten and Ai with his head, making us all laugh.

"Well, while it wasn't exactly fun for me for a little while there, the fact it helped lead to this does make me feel a lot better. I'm really happy for you both."

Daisuke smiles, "Thanks. It's really nice to talk to you again."

"Yep, I missed this. I hope you know…I was never mad. At either of you. That isn't why I needed some space."

Kaito nods and Daisuke says, "We know. We never thought you were. We get why you needed some space. We've both been rejected before."

"Okay, good. So, summer vacation is almost here. You two have any plans?"

Kaito responds, "I'm going to Israel in two weeks. But other than that, nothing set in stone. We thought we might travel a bit. Unfortunately, once summer vacation is over things start getting intense for us, pretty much until graduation. Even the winter holidays will be spent studying. So, we kind of want to try to relax some, at least."

"Yeah…I am not looking forward to examination hell. I can only imagine how it must feel when it is right around the corner."

Daisuke winces. "Yeah. Not fun. Do you have any plans?"

"Yeah, we're going to spend a week with my mom's family in Sendai, and then a week with my dad's family in Chiba. They are all getting quite old, unfortunately, so we want to spend time with them while we can…morbid as that sounds."

"Well, that will be nice then. It sounds like you'll still have a couple weeks that will be more relaxing too."

"Yep, I am thankful for that. I know it isn't examination hell, but these last tests have been pretty stressful."

The bell rings for us to return to class.

"Well, it was really nice seeing you two again. We should hang out some more for sure."

Kaito says, "Yes, we'd like that."

Daisuke says. "Yep, agreed. See you later Kayoko." Then he turns towards Carsten and Ai. Carsten is carrying Ai back to her wheelchair as they look lovingly at one another and he says, "Bye, lovebirds!"

I laugh and then walk towards my two classmates. Carsten says, "What did he mean by that?"

I laugh and quickly think of a way to explain this that won't upset them. "Well, you two are a new couple. And it's obvious. It's cute. I don't think he meant anything bad by it."

Ai says, "Yeah, it's fine. We are pretty lovey-dovey in public. Which we like. But people will definitely say stuff. Don't worry about it babe."

So at least she's aware of it and just doesn't care what other people think. Makes sense from what I know of her so far.

Carsten says, "I'm not worried. The prettiest girl in the whole school is my girlfriend. How am I supposed to not be lovey-dovey?"

Ai blushes, "Thank you, Carsten."

This whole exchange is equal parts cute and nauseating. But they're both happy, that's what matters.

—-

I just woke up from a glorious nap.

Earlier today I finished my last test of the trimester and I feel more relaxed than I have in weeks. I have a week where I can do absolutely nothing before we go to Chiba. I'm pretty excited about that.

I am a little sad that most of my friends won't be around though. Daisuke and Kaito are leaving tomorrow on a little trip and Akari's parents are coming to get her tomorrow. Carsten and Ai will be here a little while longer. They couldn't bear to part just yet. I'm mean about it, but I guess it would kind of suck to leave your significant other for a month just a few weeks after you started dating.

Akari is coming over later for one of our mini-slumber parties since she's leaving tomorrow. I'm going to miss her the most. We've gotten very close over the last couple of months.

I go out in the living room and see that my mom is watching some Paralympic track and field on the TV. I think it's...the world championships or something. I have never done a very good job of getting into running, and I feel bad about it sometimes since my mom loves it so much. My dad really liked it too, though he wasn't quite as obsessed. But the fact that I knew I could never do it myself made it sort of hard for me to really get into watching it. Still, it is important to my mom. Especially because many of her students have competed over the years.

I stand behind her and through a yawn I say, "Anyone we know running today?"

She nods, "Yep. One of my former students is in the 100." She giggles. "You'll like that. It's the shortest one."

"I know that. I know smaller number means shorter. I'm not completely ignorant. Just…mostly."

She laughs before taking a more serious tone. "There's still a little while until the race, so I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay. Why so serious, though? I am trying to relax and enjoy my vacation here. I don't know if I want to be serious."

"Well, because I think it's something important. Now that tests are over and summer vacation is here, are you planning on moving to the dorms in the fall?"

"Um…no, I don't think so. I think I still want to stay home."

She sighs and grimaces a little, "Are you only staying at home because of me?"

Dammit.

"Wh-what? Why would you think that?"

"Because before we lost your dad you seemed excited about dorm life. When you changed your mind, I suspected it was because you didn't want to leave me alone. At the time, I didn't say anything because…well, I think I did kind of need you here for a little while longer. But now I think you need to go."

"But-"

"Just let me finish. I don't want you to miss out on that just because you're worried about me. I'll be okay. I mean, we will still live really close to each other. It isn't like most of the kids at Yamaku, whose parents live far away."

"I just…I don't want you to be all alone in the evenings, mom. I hate imagining that."

"I'll be okay on my own, sweetie. I'm not completely helpless. Look, even if I am struggling, I can go hang out with Chisato and Mitsuru. If I am having a particularly hard day, I can even tell you and you can come stay for the night."

"B-but what about when you have your nightmare?"

She scoffs, "If that's your big concern, the nightmare is pretty predictable these days. You could just stay here on the nights around the anniversary."

She gets up and hugs me, "Look, sweetie. I love that you want to help me, but I really want you to experience the dorms. Your dad wanted it too. I think you should move there after summer vacation. I'm not going to make you. But I do think it's what will make you the happiest."

I do feel sort of left out of a big part of Yamaku. I always have to come back home fairly early in the evening, when I could be spending more time with my friends. And I don't even stay into the evening that often because I feel bad for making my mom pick me up too often.

"Okay…you're right. I do want to live there. But you have to promise me you'll let me know when you need me to come stay here for a night or two."

She pulls back from the hug and smiles up at me. "I will. You do the same, you know. You're always welcome. Akari too. I'm not telling you to stay away or anything."

"Okay."

"What time will Akari be here, anyway?"

"I think pretty soon."

"She doesn't need a ride?"

"Nope. She wanted to walk. The girl likes to walk. For you relatively able-bodied people it's a pretty short walk, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." She crosses her arms. "'Relatively able-bodied,' huh?"

"Well, yeah. You two can walk up and down the hill without risking serious injury. Seems able-bodied to me."

She laughs. "Well, just remember that Akari and I have some struggles you don't. Like for example, how you happen to have legs. And how you didn't spend your childhood having organ transplant and joint replacement surgeries."

I sigh, "Yes, I know. We all have different struggles. I didn't mean anything by it. I guess…I guess I'm just a little jealous you two can do that walk. It seems like it would be really nice. But as you just pointed out, there are things you two envy about me."

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I get it out and see a text from Akari, "Speaking of which, she is walking this way now."

Not too much later Akari arrives at the door and I let her in.

I say, "Hey there. Happy summer vacation!"

She smiles and comes in and gives me a quick hug. "Yeah, a vacation is nice. K-kind of sucks that I'm leaving for a month, though."

"Yeah, but you'll be back. Won't it be nice to see your family?"

She nods. "Speaking of which, I wanted to see if you could meet them tomorrow."

"Yeah, that would be nice. I am free all day tomorrow. I mean…I would maybe like to sleep in, but I can make an exception."

"They probably won't be here until noon. Surely, you'll be up b-by then?"

I laugh, "Yeah. I think I can manage."

We walk into the living room where my mom is now standing and watching TV so intently that she doesn't even say hi to Akari. Her student must be running, or about to. I know better than to disturb her.

Akari looks kind of disappointed because my mom is usually so happy to see her. "Oh um…let's go to my room for now and put your stuff down."

Once we're in my room Akari says, "What w-was that about? She looked kind of scary."

I laugh, "She is kind of scary. She has a former student competing in a …big athletic event…thing. And she gets intense. The track coach version of my mom is a bit different than the one we know. It should be over quickly though. She was excited to see you, I promise."

"Oh, I see. I thought I sort of recognized her face. My d-dad is big into New Japan Pro Wrestling, and looks sort of the same when it's going on." She laughs, "Of course he doesn't actually know the competitors. And it isn't really a c-competition since the winners are predetermined, but the look of intensity is the same."

"So, your dad is a French horn playing fan of pro wrestling. Can't be that many of those. I'm now looking forward to meeting him even more tomorrow. What do your parents do, anyway? We haven't talked that much about them."

"They are both professors at the University of Tokyo. He is a history professor, specializing in medieval Europe. My mom is a Literature professor, specializing in 19th century English literature."

"Oh, that's really interesting. They must have both spent a lot of time in the West."

She nods, "Yeah before I was b-born. They actually met at Cambridge when they were both getting their PhDs."

We hear a knock on the door and my mom says, "Hey girls, I'm ready to be sociable now."

I open the door and we join my mom in the living room.

I ask, "How did your student do?"

"She did well. Made it to the last heat. No podium though."

I nod, pretending I know what all that means. Well, I do get the podium part. I think. The rest is a mystery. Akari seems to be following my lead.

"I know I usually cook for our girls' nights, but the track stuff threw me off. I was thinking of having something delivered. That okay with you two?"

"No, mom. You must cook. Now go get in the kitchen." I aggressively point in the direction of the kitchen.

She smirks at me, "So in a sarcastic way, you just said 'takeout is good' right?"

I nod.

"Obviously it's f-fine with me too."

"Good. I have a menu for that Chinese place we like somewhere."

We order our food and then we sit and chat in the living room.

"Did you tell her yet, Kayoko?"

"Tell her what?"

"Where you'll be living?"

"Oh. No." I turn to Akari. "I will be moving to the dorms in the Fall."

Akari smiles big and bounces a little on the couch, "That's awesome! I think the room across the hall from m-me is empty. It would be cool to be neighbors."

"It would! I will have to see if we can make that happen." I look at my mom hopefully.

She smirks. "Sweetie, I have worked at Yamaku for 30 years. Your dad worked there for 24. If I can't get you the dorm room you want, especially when it's unoccupied, I would be really disappointed in myself."

Akari squeaks and launches herself at me for a hug, causing me to grunt.

My mom looks at me with some concern for a moment, but I tell her I'm fine with my eyes.

My mom laughs, "Although before you can be neighbors, we may need to give Akari a training on how not to hurt my daughter."

I laugh, but Akari breaks our hug and looks embarrassed.

"S-sorry."

"I'm mostly kidding, dear. But just try to be gentler to be safe. Whatever you think gentle is, go one step even more gentle."

Akari nods with a determined expression on her face. It will be interesting to see if she remembers this training in the excited moments when she hugs me like that.

My mom laughs, "Okay, you have passed your training. Well done. You two can officially be neighbors. Congratulations."

We chat for a while longer and eat dinner before my mom turns in early as usual. We watch TV for a little bit before turning in ourselves.

Once we're in bed, Akari says "I'm really excited to be neighbors. I think it will help me with my anxiety. In a-addition to it just being nice to see you more, of course."

"Yeah. I am excited too. I have wanted to live in the dorms for a long time. Since before I started going to Yamaku. But I was worried about leaving my mom alone."

"Oh…yeah, will she be okay?"

"She said she would be. But I made her promise she would tell me if she needed me. I'm…a little skeptical she will honor that. And worried. But I think she'll be okay."

"That's good. We can always just come visit her too."

"Yep. She made a point of saying we were always welcome."

"Um…I'm really glad I found you and your mom. You both make me feel…I dunno, part of the family. It has…" Her voice cracks. "It's been really important. Getting me through things. Especially after I had to stop t-texting Carsten." She laughs, "I guess I am glad I ran into you that day. I…don't know if I would have ever worked up the nerve to t-talk to anyone, if I didn't feel so guilty."

I laugh, "I guess I'm glad too then. It was probably worth being in a sling for a couple of weeks."

—-

The next day I sleep in until 10, and Akari is already gone. My mom is at work, too. She works part of the day until we leave for Chiba. There are a few students who she sees that are still here. Like Carsten.

I laze around the house for a while, before getting a text from Akari around 11.

"Can you meet at the Shanghai at noon? My parents want to eat there before we go."

Luckily the Shanghai is a place I can walk to. It's only a few minutes from the house and there's no hills or anything. It's a tea house that has been here forever. So long that my parents went there as students. It has changed ownership several times over the years, but it has always stayed open. It has even been remodeled several times.

I reply, "Yep. I will be there. See you soon."

—-

An hour later, I set out for the Shanghai. When I get there, I notice Akari has texted me to say they are already inside.

When I go in, I see Akari right away and she waves to me. Her parents are currently seated with their backs to me.

I approach the table and her parents smile at me and get up. They are both very small people. Which isn't too surprising given the size of their daughter. I would go so far as to describe them both as 'mousey'. Her mother is only slightly taller than my mom, and she has black hair that is graying at the temples. Her father is a little taller and mostly bald.

They are both dressed exactly how I would expect university professors to be. They both wear glasses with thick rims. Her father has on a blazer with leather patches on the elbows. It is hard to believe this man loves pro wrestling but looks can be deceiving I suppose. Her mother is wearing a black skirt, a white button down, and a black blazer.

"Mom, dad, this is Kayoko, she's my b-best friend."

I smile at them. "It's so nice to meet you both."

Her dad laughs and says in a surprisingly deep voice for a man his size, "So, she's real!"

His wife shoots him a glare and his facial expression becomes contrite instantly. I guess I know who the boss is here.

She says, "It is very nice to meet you too. We have heard a lot about you. Please, join us."

I sit down in the booth next to Akari who smiles at me. I smile back.

Her mother says, "It's so lovely that you two are friends. I understand your mother has been quite welcoming too. Will we have a chance to meet her?"

"Not today, unfortunately. She's at work. But I am sure you can meet her another time. Maybe when you come back in the fall."

Her mother nods, "We would really like to thank you for looking after our daughter. I assume you know how hard things have been for our Akari. We're very happy she found a friend who has guided her through things. It can't have been easy for you."

I don't really like how they talk about her so far. It's like they can't believe I'm her friend. Her dad made a joke about it. Her mother is more subtle, but it's almost worse. It's like she thinks me befriending her is some immense act of kindness or some kind of burden. Still, I just met them. I shouldn't draw too many conclusions.

"You don't really need to thank me. I'm happy to be her friend. I like being around her. She's helped me a lot too. She's just a really great girl."

This seems to catch her parents somewhat off guard, as they are both silent for a moment.

Ending the silence, Akari adds in a quiet, but sharp voice, "M-mom, this friendship isn't just her p-pitying me or…p-protecting me. Or t-taking care of me. Or whatever you seem t-to think. I…understand why y-you might think that…but…that's n-not how it is."

Okay, so she picked up on the same thing I did.

Both of her parents look at Akari as if they've never seen her before.

Eventually, her mother says, "Akari, you seem to have changed a lot since you came here. I think for the better."

Okay…not sure I love that either, because it makes it sound like you used to think she was a really flawed person.

I look at Akari, who looks too exasperated to say anything.

Then I say, "Well. I do think she has gotten more confident. But I think she's always been great. Even when I first met her and she was struggling with adjusting to things, I could tell she was an amazing person."

Akari smiles at me, and her parents look at me like I said something in Martian and don't say anything for a few seconds.

Eventually her mother says, "Well, of course. She has always been lovely. She just hasn't always been able to show people that. We are very happy she is better able to do that now."

Okay, I think that's a more acceptable thing for her to say. I feel like I had to guide her here though.

From here, the conversation thankfully becomes less tense. Me, Akari, and her father spend some time talking about music, and I can see that the shared hobby between Akari and her dad has made them close, as they really light up when discussing it together. It's probably the warmest thing I saw between Akari and her parents during the whole lunch. Her mom never seemed anything more than cold and distant. It came off as very strange to me. But I guess all the moms in my whole family are warm people. That doesn't mean they all are.

Eventually, it becomes time for them to go. Akari gives me a noticeably gentler hug goodbye and I tell them to have a nice vacation.

When I get back to the house, I notice I have a text from Akari that says,

"Sorry about them. Especially my mom. They mean well…but they are overprotective. They think I'm much weaker than I am. They always have."

I reply, "Yeah. I picked up on that. It annoyed me. I hope I wasn't too rude."

"You weren't. You handled my mom better than me or my dad can. Anyway, have a nice vacation! Keep in touch."

"I will. Talk to you later."

—-

After a couple more nice days of sleeping in and lazing around the house, I find that I'm actually pretty bored. Just as I'm trying to decide what I should do with my day, I get a text from Carsten that says,

"Hey, you're still here, right? Do you want to hang out this evening with me and Ai?"

I wouldn't mind seeing them. But I'm a little worried about being alone with them and it getting awkward. Oh well, they are my friends. I should give it a try.

I reply, "Sure, what did you have in mind?"

He says, "I'm making dinner, we're eating in my dorm."

I reply, "That sounds like a date for just you two. Are you sure you want me to come?"

He says, "Yeah. Ai says she wants to get to know you better."

Oh. Well, that's nice. I guess we don't know each other all that well, even though I have come to think of her as a friend.

"Okay, I'll be there."

—-

When I knock on the door to Carsten's room, Ai opens the door, and she smiles up at me. "Hey Kayoko, come on in. Carsten is off cooking."

I do as she says, and I take a seat at the desk and she positions herself across from me.

"So, things are going pretty well between you two, I take it?"

She blushes bright red and looks embarrassed, "Yeah. Really great. He's…he's just amazing. I'm kind of sad I'm leaving in a few days. I'm going to miss him a lot."

"Yeah, I can imagine that wouldn't be very much fun. But you two can stay in touch and you'll be back before you know it, right?"

She nods, "Yeah. That's the plan. I just want to thank you again, for helping us."

"Did I really do that much?"

"More than you think. Talking to you about it before I made a move was really important. I was…really nervous about it. I know I come off as some experienced flirt. That's kind of what I try to make people think. But Carsten's my first boyfriend. I was really scared to put myself out there. But you made me feel better about it."

I smile at her, "Well, I'm glad to help. I'm just glad you are both so happy together. It's nice to see."

She smiles at me, "Thanks."

"Watching you that day was impressive. Even more impressive if you were nervous the whole time. Didn't seem like you'd never had a boyfriend before."

"Impressive?"

"Yeah. You really knew how to flirt just the right amount. He knew you liked him after that lunch."

She laughs, "Well thank you. I was nervous the whole time. But it was surprisingly easy. Every little thing I did, he responded in a way that made it easy for me to keep going."

"Yeah, he was certainly receptive, wasn't he? I was taking mental notes. I…don't really seem to know how to act around a guy I like. I get nervous too but instead of being all cute and flirty I just end up stuttering and being scared."

She giggles "Well, I hope observing me helped then. Is there a guy you like right now?"

"Not really. I confessed to a guy a few months ago, it didn't go so well. That's the extent of my romantic experience. I like the idea of having a boyfriend though."

She nods, "I'm sure you'll find one. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Are we…too much sometimes? Me and Carsten. Be honest."

"Honest, huh?"

She nods, while I try to think of a way to say this that won't hurt anyone's feelings.

"Well, I do feel uncomfortable sometimes. When it's just the three of us and you two are being all romantic and stuff. I'm glad you guys are so happy, though. So, I can deal with it."

She nods, "I guess that makes sense. We…probably should tone it down when we're in public. Is that why Akari stopped coming to lunch?"

Oh shit. I was kind of wondering if they were too in love to notice that Akari disappeared for the last few weeks. Guess not.

"No, I don't think so. She fell far behind in some of her classes and had to make up for it by not coming to lunch. I think after summer vacation it will be back to the four of us."

I think that sounded pretty good for something I made up on the fly.

Just as it looks like Ai is going to ask a follow up question, Carsten knocks on the door. I get up and let him in. "Hey Kayoko! Glad you could make it."

He puts the food down on his desk and gives Ai a quick kiss. I recognize some chicken, but the rest of the food looks alien to me. It's…some kind of pasta, or something? I'm sure it's something German. I have certainly encountered some interesting international cuisine since I came to Yamaku.

Carsten sees me looking at the food with curiosity and he says, "It's spaetzle."

Is that supposed to clear things up for me?

He laughs at the confused look on my face, "They are basically really tiny dumplings."

"It does smell good." I giggle. "Just don't ask me to say that word."

Ai giggles and tries to say it herself. Carsten nods as if she said it correctly, but it didn't quite sound the same coming from her. I guess her boyfriend is German, she should probably make the effort.

We sit down to eat and talk about our summer plans. And, to their credit, the two of them aren't overly affectionate for the rest of the evening. I guess maybe they had a talk about this already, given that Ai asked me my opinion about the situation.

"Alright, my mom's here to pick me up. Thanks for inviting me you two. It was a lot of fun."

Ai responds, "It was. Thanks for coming. Hey, Kayoko, can I have your number? I'd like to stay in touch over the break."

"Yeah, that would be nice." After we're done exchanging numbers I say, "Well, you two have a nice rest of your night, and a nice vacation if I don't see you."