Chapter 5: Shaved Ice
"Here you are," a cheery stand worker said, handing us two bowls with different colored ice.
"Thank you," Chizuru and I replied in unison as we took our bowls and tiny spoons from the bins.
As we walked towards our seats, Chizuru asked me, "So you've never heard of shaved ice?"
"Nah... but it's like a snow cone, right?" I replied, taking the spoon out of the plastic.
"Well, yeah, sort of. It's a different texture. It's in the name; 'shaved ice,' rather than snow cones where they crush it. I can't believe you've never heard of it."
"Oh, yeah, I don't know," I replied, scooping into the bowl. I put the spoon in my mouth and bit down. "Oh... I like this! It's good!" I beamed.
Chizuru half-smiled as she tried a bit of hers. Her smile grew at the corners of her mouth as she nodded. "Let's go sit down. I'll get the ones for the girls after we finish."
We found a round table placed across from the concession stands and kiosks. Sitting parallel to each other, we enjoyed our treats.
"Have you been enjoying yourself here?" I asked Chizuru.
She looked up before nodding slightly. "Mmm. It's been fun," she said, without elaborating further.
"That's it?" I persisted, chuckling slightly so as not to sound rude.
Her eyes shifted downwards. "Mmm. That's it. I'm having a good time."
I looked down at my bowl for a second before looking back up at her. Our eyes met, and we caught each other off guard, looking away at the same time. I tried to break the tension by asking another question. "You, umm... said you came here with some friends, right?"
"Oh, yeah... my friends from school," Chizuru replied, taking another scoop from her bowl.
"How'd you guys hit it off?" I asked, placing my chin into the palm of my hand as it rested on the table.
"They just kind of started talking to me and I started talking to them. It just sort of happened," Chizuru replied, seeming reluctant to continue.
"I see. I guess that's how it works when you make certain friends," I half-heartedly replied, feeling somewhat defeated with this conversation.
Chizuru didn't hesitate to change the topic. "Anyways, speaking of friends, what are you going to say to your friends?" she asked with both eyes closed.
I looked up at her in disbelief. She hit me with the 'Reverse of Reverse' trap card, eh? She held her gaze on me now, her eyes narrowed in that familiar cat-like resemblance.
"I don't know," I exhaled. "I'm probably going to have to apologize to Kibe. Even if I was annoyed at him for telling my business to people, I shouldn't have snapped at him the way I did."
Chizuru nodded as she ate.
"Mmm," Chizuru replied as she dug into her cup. She scooped up another piece of the shaved ice and placed it in her mouth, chewing as she ate. "I think that would be the mature way to handle it, even if I think you're in the right for feeling the way you feel."
I scooped the spoon down into my bowl and sighed. "Yeah," I replied. "It's just awkward to apologize right away. The timing is just... y'know?" I asked, placing my fist into my cheek. I hoped that was enough to make her understand what I meant, but I didn't really know what I was trying to say. I was just nervous thinking about having to confront Kibe after this.
I could see her nodding in agreement as she ate.
"Yep, I understand. It's always hard to apologize right away. It could seem like you're just saying it to say it rather than actually meaning it," she said half in between another bite.
Oh wow, that's exactly it! Couldn't have said it better myself, actually.
She continued. "But, y'know, I think you've proven to me at least that you're not the type of person to apologize without realizing what they did wrong."
Oh... is that a compliment? Thanks... I guess?
She looked up from her bowl again. "But, I also meant what you would say to your other friends as well."
Oh yeah. I guess they're gonna be curious as to where I went too.
I waved my hand in a circular motion. "That'll be easy, I just tell them I went on a walk to clear my head."
"Mm," she mouthed in between bites. "Fair enough."
I looked down at my bowl. I stabbed the spoon into the bowl in thought. Suddenly other thoughts came to mind.
I wonder why Mami was bringing up all that stuff to me. Was it just small talk? I don't think she'd have much else to talk about with me otherwise. Honestly, I think it was just an awkward conversation starter.
I put the spoon down into the bowl and placed my elbows on the table. I clasped my hands together in thought.
Or maybe... that was her way of saying she missed being with me.
I put my hands together in deep thought at that. Did she actually care about our relationship that much? Or did she just like being with me because she thought I was easy? Honestly, I don't think she'd be that type of a person. It was a mutual breakup, correct? It felt like it was. Otherwise, why'd she seemingly take it so well when I broke up with her?
"What else are you thinking about?" Chizuru asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I looked at her. "Hmm? Oh. Just thinking about what my ex said."
"What, about the stuff you don't remember?"
Oh... I guess that too. That was definitely scary. "Oh, well that, but also just why she was bringing all that up to begin with."
Chizuru palmed her hand into her cheek. "Mmm. If you asked me, I think it means she still likes you," she said matter-of-factly.
I felt my eyes widen a bit. I took my hands off the table and folded my arms, looking down. So she thought so too, huh?
"I'd thought of that in the moment myself, but I had a hard time believing it to be true."
Chizuru set her bowl down and folded her arms on the table. "Really? It seems quite obvious. Why else would she bring up all the good times she remembers having with you? It seems like a way of saying 'I miss us being together,' y'know?"
I felt myself nodding on auto pilot until I snapped myself out of my trance. Then I shook my head decisively.
"That's gonna be awkward then. I don't want to tell her that I'm not trying to get back together," I admitted ashamedly.
Chizuru shrugged. "Hey, that's your dilemma. It's up to you if that's what you want to do," she neutrally stated.
I looked down at the bowl in front of me. "Mmm, and what do you think about the other stuff? The stuff I don't remember?" I asked, hoping for a second opinion.
Chizuru palmed her cheek again. "I told you, I can't give you anything helpful. That's really just a personal issue to figure out," she said bluntly.
I clenched my jaw and sighed, acknowledging that she was right. No one else could know or understand what I was going through, and I was totally on my own. The thought made my stomach clench.
After finishing our desserts, Chizuru stood up from the table and stretched her arms into the air. "Welp, I'm gonna go grab the shaved ice for the girls, and we can walk back," she said before leaving.
Suddenly, I processed what she said and threw a look of confusion her way. "Wait, you mean together?" I asked wide-eyed.
Chizuru looked behind herself and replied nonchalantly, "Yeah, it's no big deal."
For a second, I didn't know if she was serious. "Well, I mean... Aren't you worried about being seen with me?" I asked cautiously.
Chizuru cocked her head sideways before sighing. "We have our story straight, don't we neighbor?" She asked for reassurance.
I looked at her for clarification before nodding. "Ok, yeah, I see what you mean... Sorry for overreacting," I apologized.
She shook her head and shrugged. "You're okay. If we're on the same page, then we're cool. Now, I'm going back to the stand. I'll be right back," she said coolly, pointing towards the shaved ice stand as she spoke.
Feeling embarrassed, I threw my bowl away in a nearby bin. Before long, Chizuru walked back with two more bowls and looked at me with a plain expression. "Ready to head back?" she asked.
We walked for what seemed like a mere two minutes back from the pier down to the beach.
Suddenly I and Chizuru arrived back to where my groups spot was... and we saw-
"Oh my gosh! I didn't know you guys were coming here!" One of the girls from Chizuru's group said.
"Me neither! We're sharing the same hotel too and everything!" Imai-san responded brightly.
Chizuru and I looked at each other wide-eyed.
"Are those your friends?!" We both said at the same time.
We paused, sharing a moment of split second decision making, before we nodded.
We were going in.
Chizuru led the way, clearing her throat to get everyone's attention.
"I'm back." She announced calmly and with a wave of the hand.
Imai-san, Shimae-san, Kuri, Sasano-senapi and Chizuru's friends all looked over in response.
"Ah! There you are!" One of Chizuru's friends replied cheerily. "What took you so long?" The girl walked up to Chizuru. Chizuru smiled and handed over the bowls.
Chizuru gestured toward me with her shoulder. "I got caught up talking to my neighbor. Turns out he came to the beach at the same time as we did."
"Oh! Kazuya-kun!" Imai-san responded with surprise.
"Kazuya, there you are!" Sasano said with a smile.
"Kazuya! Where were y-" Kuri began. He paused when he saw Chizuru. "Oh, wait a minute! Ms. Ichinose, is that you?!" Kuri shouted, playing with his glasses as if to adjust them (even though he could see perfectly fine from where he was, I'd imagine.)
Chizuru smiled at Kuri with her eyes shut. "Oh, hello! It's good to see you again... uh, I'm sorry, I forgot your name." Chizuru said, holding one hand vertically in front of her and lightly bowing in apology.
"K-Kuribayashi! N-now I know why you looked familiar! You're in my literary class with Kawanaka-san, right?" He said with a slight yelp in his voice.
Chizuru smiled again. "A-ah, yes, that's right! Please forgive me, I'm terrible with names."
I side-eyed her, but I don't think she noticed. I feel like she did know his name, but was playing dumb as a farce.
Kuri waved his hands back and forth feverishly. "No, no! Not a problem, you're quite alright, m'lady! I must say, you look quite different than the day I met you in the streets with Kazuya. I almost didn't recognize you!" He admitted.
Chizuru's froze like a deer in headlights when Kibe said that. Hell, actually I did too.
"M'lady, what the hell is that?" Imai-san chided with a digusted look on her face.
"W-what?! There's nothing wrong with that, she's a lady and should be treated as such!"
"Gross." Imai-san loathed. "What does that make the rest of us?"
Chizuru and I let out a sigh. Suddenly, the attention fell on me now.
"Whoa, so this is your neighbor? What a small world. Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Youko Shinbo, one of Chizuru's classmates." Shinbo-san said with a friendly wave of the hand.
"And I'm Yuuko Kawanaka!" The other one of Chizuru's friends said sheepishly, peeking out from behind Shinbo.
"N-Nice to meet you both," I waved back with a klutzy smile. "I'm Kazuya... if you couldn't already tell from everyone yelling my name."
Shinbo-san and Kawanaka-san laughed at that. "You're funny!" Kawanaka-san admitted.
Imai-san interjected herself back in to the conversation to ask me some appropriately pointed questions. "Kazuya, are you okay? Y'know, Mami-chan was worried about you!" Imai-san asked with what felt like obligated concern.
"Yeah, I'd never seen her so shook up like that before." Shimae-san added as she looked up in recollection, holding her thumb and index finger to her chin in thought.
I nodded my head. "Yeah, sorry guys. I just felt sun sick and needed to go cool down in the bathroom." I affirmed with a light smile.
"Oh, well okay then. It's good you're feeling better! You really had her worried. She asked Kibe to go follow you and make sure you were okay."
I paused at that. "O-oh, did she?" I said rather nervously. I guess Kibe didn't tell them about our fight in the bathroom, then.
"Yeah, he came back down to the beach not too long after he went to go look for you. He said you were fine, but he didn't tell us much else. He took his wallet out of his bag and said he was gonna go grab drinks from the vending machines nearby... though I'm not sure why, we got plenty of drinks here." Shimae-san responded, rubbing the back of her head in thought as she turned to look at the coolers under the umbrellas.
Ahh, jeez. He ran off, huh? Guess It's my turn to go hunt him down. "W-weird... I'm gonna go look for him. Uh, I'll talk to you guys later, okay?" I said, cutting the conversation short and trying to skirt my way around everyone.
"Oh, hey Kazuya, you should probably go talk to Mami-chan and let her know you're okay. She looked really panicked when I saw her." Sasano-senpai replied.
"O-oh, okay. I guess I'll go talk to her first then." I replied. When I turned my face away from Sasano's, I grimaced.
I really did not want to do that first, but I guess I can't pick and choose what fire I want to put out now.
Starting my way towards the beach chairs, I noticed Mami sitting solemnly in one of the them. She was on her phone, typing something with one hand. As I began to make my way towards her, I heard Imai-san say something else behind me.
"Oh, we're going to this hibachi restaurant later. Since most of us know each other, all of you should come with us!"
My ears pricked up like a dog at that. I subtly shot a look behind me towards Chizuru one last time.
"Oh, okay! We weren't too sure what we were gonna do next, but we are getting hungry!" Shinbo-san said matter-of-factly.
Chizuru caught my gaze from afar. She subtly nodded her head as if to say "go."
Taking her nod as a token of good faith, I shook my head and made my way towards the beach chairs.
As I got closer to Mami, I saw her expression clearly. Her face was haunted, and her eyes looked sunken. It was a little intimidating at first, but I got within earshot of her to catch her attention.
"Mami-chan." I said softly.
Her head snapped to attention. "K-Kazuya!" She exclaimed. She quickly stashed her phone in her hoodie pocket before jumping to her feet. She brushed the sand off of her legs and straightened out her hoodie. She held both her hands together before her puppy dog eyes met mine. "A-are you okay?" She asked in the sweetest way imaginable.
My face felt flushed when I saw her. I shied myself away from her gaze slightly and put my hand behind my head.
"Uh, yeah I'm okay now. I'm sorry for running off on you like that." I admitted, rubbing the back of my head.
"I-It's okay," she smiled, waving her hands back and forth. However, her smiled dissipated shortly there after, and her hands ceased motion as well. Her hands fell back to her sides and she looked down at the ground. She gripped her left arm with her right hand.
"What happened? You looked unwell when you ran off. Like you'd seen a ghost." She asked with almost motherly concern.
I looked down and sighed. "I, uh... I guess I got sun sick, so I ran to the bathroom to cool off."
I didn't see Mami-chan's face, but I heard her voice. "Oh... I see. Well... I'm glad you're feeling better." She said, followed by a long pause afterwards.
What am I doing... that's not the truth whatsoever!
We both stood there for a matter of what felt like five seconds before she followed up with another question.
"What I said earlier... did it freak you out?" She asked.
I looked up at her fully now. Her eyes were fixated on the ground. That gloomy aura she had when I first approached her was slightly visible again. My body tensed at the sight of her. I think she knows full well that I was lying, so I decided to be honest instead.
"Y-yeah... it did."
Her haunted expression was replaced with one of shock. Her eyes met mine fully now.
"R-really?!" She exclaimed, her hands brought closer to her chest.
My heart thumped. I was taken aback, but I found my words again. "Yeah... I was freaked out." I continued, scratching my cheek.
Mami looked down for another moment in thought. Suddenly, her hands and jaw clenched before she placed both hands together and bowed at the waist.
"I'm really sorry!" She shouted.
My eyes widened in shock. Why was she apologizing?!
"I'm really, really sorry! I don't know why I said all that stuff; it just sort of came out. I didn't think you'd react that way though," She admitted, readjusting her posture, but keeping her hands clasped together as she held my gaze.
"Wh- what do you mean?" I asked in confusion.
She looked away as she spoke, her hands falling back to her side.
"I- I was just trying to make small talk with you, but I didn't know what else to talk about besides... us."
For a second there, I thought "is she blushing? Or maybe she was sun burnt?" Either way, I felt it making me blush.
"I don't want to tell her that I'm not trying to get back together."
I froze. Those words I'd said earlier echoed in my brain.
My eyes looked into hers, and I forced a smile through the melancholy of my thoughts.
"I get it." I said.
Mami watched my face as I spoke. Her eyes were twinkling in my presence.
"But... I think it worried me... because I didn't want to get the wrong idea of what you meant by saying that stuff." I said remorsefully.
Mami's face widened. Her eyes grew a little larger. Her head drooped down and her gaze fell from mine.
In that moment... she reminded me of the day I broke up with her.
She gave a weak smile and nodded. "Oh, I see." She said softly.
She lifted her head and smiled, her eyes closed and her hands held behind her back. "I guess you're right." She said with a cheery voice now.
I politely smiled and nodded. "Thanks for understanding." I replied.
Her expression soon after faded. I decided to end the conversation here before things got any more awkward.
"Uh, anyways... I heard Kibe went off on his own somewhere. I'm gonna go look for him... I'll, uh... I'll talk to you later, okay?" I said with a wave of my hand.
"Mmm... okay." She said quietly. I forced a smiled one last time before I started to walk past her and make my way towards the shops. For a second, I thought I heard her say something behind me.
"Take a hint."
I stopped. She did say something, but it was quiet. I narrowed my brow and turned my head back towards her. "Wait, did you say som-"
"Kazuya-kun," Mami called out before I could reply. Her head was turned to look at me. Her face was determined.
"Y-yeah?" I replied nervously.
"When I said I didn't think you'd react the way... I meant it in the sense that... you looked terrified of me."
My heart stopped in my chest for a moment. I can only imagine the tell on my face at that moment.
Her sharp expression faltered. She looked down.
"Why?" She asked, her face showing small signs of anguish.
The positions that we were in a moment ago then changed respectively. I was now looking away and towards the ground, while Mami-chan's body half faced me, yet her gaze never left.
I thought about how to respond... but the more I thought, the more I realized the situation I was in. All those things she said, I had no memory of. I was sure as the sun rises that nothing like that had ever happened. I was sure as the sun sets that I'd never said anything about a child or baby names or whatever. As a matter of fact, I was also sure that I'd never done a lot of things that were becoming too inexplicable to comprehend rationally. I hated this feeling.
I balled my fists and clenched my jaw.
"Are you messing with me?" I said under my breath.
"W-what?" Mami responded both confused and concerned. I don't think she heard me fully.
I looked back at her. Her face was one of visible grief, but buried in that grief was what I thought to be anger. She lowered her head.
"Do you hate me now?" She asked hopelessly.
My eyes shot open. I took a step toward her, my hand extended outwards as if swiping away the very notion of that idea.
"Of course not!" I shouted.
She gasped. Her shoulders tensed up from the sudden outburst. I continued.
"Don't be ridiculous... you... I care about you... you're important to me! You-"
I hung on what I was about to say next. I looked down for a moment before I decided it was the right thing to say. I clenched my fists.
"You were my first girlfriend. I care about you still." I admitted.
Her eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open. She brought her hands closer to her chest in response.
I looked down at the ground.
"I'm sorry for shouting." I apologized.
"I-It's okay." She said. Her voice was quiet.
I turned my head back to face the direction of the shops yet again.
"I'll be right back. I'm gonna go find Kibe." I said, starting to walk up the sand bank.
She didn't say anything, but somehow I knew she was watching me the entire time.
When I rounded the corner of the shop district, I saw a pair of vending machines with a person I recognized squatting over the dispensers at the bottom. He was shoving a can of something into a plastic bag. I crossed my arms and watched him. He didn't see me yet, but Kibe looked like he was buying the whole vending machine's stock. He had dozens of drinks in that plastic bag. He must've got it from the nearby family-mart.
I planted my shoulder against the wall and crossed my legs. Seeing this, I couldn't help but crack a smile and make a joke.
"Thirsty?" I asked sarcastically.
Kibe's head turned to look at me. I was standing about six feet away and staring down at him. He looked tired, uninterested and annoyed.
"What do you want?" He sighed, standing up from his knees and stretching his lower back.
I pushed myself away from the wall. I put my right hand behind my head and looked off to the side as I walked up to him.
"I, uh... they said you walked off on your own after I came back. I just... came by because I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier."
I looked at him. His frown didn't disappear. He just looked at the bags of drinks he'd bought. I continued speaking.
"I'm really sorry, Kibe. I didn't mean to snap like I did. I was stressed out at the time you came in to check on me, and I took it out on you. It wasn't right." I said.
There was a brief pause. For a second, I thought he wasn't going to say anything.
"Will you forgive me?" I asked, unsure of anything he was thinking.
Suddenly he grunted in frustration. He smacked his open palm against the vending machine frame and faced his back towards me.
"Dammit!" He growled.
"Kibe, are you okay?!" I asked in concern.
"And here I thought I was gonna be the one to apologize to you first." He lamented.
The tension in my body was suspended. I lowered my shoulders and hands.
"What? You were gonna apologize to me?!" I asked in bewilderment.
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turned back.
"Yeah, but you beat me to the punch, I guess. And here I went and bought all these damn drinks because I was frustrated and didn't want to talk to anyone about it." He admitted, placing his hands on his hips and looking down at the plastic bag again.
Well, I mean... you didn't need to buy anything.
I shook my head and held my hand out in front of me. "Wait, back up, why do you feel like you have to apologize?" I asked.
He looked from the corner of his eyes at me. "Because you were right," he said.
I shook my head, still confused. "What do you mean? Right about what?"
Kibe shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, you were right about me saying that stuff I said to Mami and the others. In truth, when I thought about it, I felt like I might've given Mami the wrong idea to get on your case and ask you a bunch of overwhelming questions. When she came running up to me and asking me to go check on you, that panic she had in her face meant she must've said something she shouldn't have... and I felt responsible for that," Kibe admitted, his mouth sinking to a frown as he spoke.
I looked down at the ground as he continued.
"And, when you snapped at me like you did? It was like you were confirming it to me, yet I was too prideful and ashamed to back down and apologize. It's not your fault, though. I just don't take confrontations well... but it's no excuse, right?"
I pursed my lips and looked back up at him. His eyes met mine.
"Look, I'm sorry too, man. Are... we cool?" He asked, averting his eyes in embarrassment with his last question.
I blinked. Then, I silently chuckled and half-smiled. I walked up to him. He looked at me as I approached. I held out my hand in a fist towards him.
"Yeah," I said. "We're cool."
A tiny smile crept into one side of his face. His hand left the back of his head. He held his free hand out in a fist and tapped mine.
"Cool," he said.
We both put our hands back to our sides as we nodded. I chuckled now.
"So," I said. "What about all these drinks?"
He clicked his teeth and threw his hands up in frustration.
"Man, I don't know, that's also why I got upset. Like I was saying, now I bought all these drinks for nothing y'know?"
We both laughed at that.
"What the hell did you even buy?" I asked, squatting down to my knees and opening up the bag.
"Man, I can't even remember, I was just buying stuff."
I looked inside the plastic bag. Inside were dozens of soft drinks and iced coffees.
"Jeez, I guess we won't need to worry about caffeine while we're here," I joked.
Kibe laughed once. "Yeah, you ain't kidding," he said groaning. "You're gonna have to help me finish these!" He pointed at me as I stood up from my squatted position.
"Dude, I don't drink soda, but I'll try one of these coffees in the morning." I laughed.
"Man, what?! Since when do you not drink soda?" He asked, throwing his arms up and shaking his head.
"Dude, since like, forever?" I responded with a shrug.
"Man, whatever," Kibe grieved, scooping down to snatch up the plastic bag by the handles. "Let's get back to the beach before it gets too late."
Suddenly, I was reminded of the plans that Imai-san had made. "Oh, you know what we're doing after the beach, right?" I asked Kibe.
He looked at me as we began heading back down the road. "Huh? What are we doing?" He asked with a brow raised.
"Kanpai!" Everyone shouted with glasses raised.
We were all seated around an island in front of a grill in a dimly lit hibachi restaurant. We were all laughing and talking amongst one another. Everyone from each friend group was here, too. I, with my group of friends, and Chizuru with her group of friends. Chizuru and her friends were seated across the table from me at the other end of the island. Kibe and Kuri were to my right, while Sasano-senpai, Imai-san, Shimae-san, and Mami-chan were to my left in that respective order. Mami and Chizuru sat perpendicular to each other.
"So Chizuru-san, I didn't know you were coming here too," Kibe said, his glass of beer held by the handle in his right hand as he spoke.
"Oh, uh-"
Before Chizuru could get a word in, Shinbo-chan took over, speaking for her. "Oh, she's with us! We ran into Imai-san on the beach earlier, y'know?"
"Eh? Oh, is that so?" Kibe asked, sounding a little blindsided at the sudden interjection from the third party.
"Yeah, me and Shinbo-chan have international studies classes together! We were paired up together for a project. I figured since most of us knew each other, it'd be cool to invite them, yeah?" Imai-san added, pointing her finger over to Shinbo as Imai spoke directly to Kibe.
"Well, the more the merrier, I suppose." Kibe said, taking a sip from his mug. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his arm before continuing.
"Y'know, Chizuru-san, you look a lot different than that time we ran into you on the street with Kazuya," Kibe added with a half smile.
When I looked over, I saw Mami-chan shoot a surprised glance towards Kibe.
"Oh, uh well-"
This time, Chizuru was interrupted by Kuri. "Dude, that's what I said when I saw her, she looks so different, doesn't she?" He asked with overwhelming enthusiasm.
Kibe simply nodded as he went for another sip of his drink. I was still looking at Chizuru and Mami before I saw Imai-san waving her hand towards me trying to get my attention.
"Kazuya, you said you and Chizuru-san are neighbors, right?" Imai-san asked me.
I looked over at her. From the corner of my eye, at the end of Imai-san's row, I saw Mami-chan now speaking with Chizuru. I couldn't tell what they were talking about, though. I turned my attention back to Imai-san.
"Oh, yeah, we're right next door to one another." I said, grabbing my water from in front of me as I spoke.
"Ah, I see." Imai-san paused, looked over her shoulder at Chizuru and Mami, then leaned in to the table and held her hand to conceal her mouth. "So then, is it true you were out on a date like Kibe said-" her whispered question from afar was interrupted by Kibe to my right.
"Nope, that's not true... I made that up as a joke." Kibe quickly countered, dispelling the rumor within an instant.
I looked to my right at Kibe. He looked at me and smiled reassuringly... and I smiled back. He had my back.
"Ah man, Kibe, so that was a lie, huh? You're always making up stories about Kazuya." Sasano-senpai replied in disappointment, leaning back into his seat with his arms folded.
...
Always?
Kibe shrugged and brought the mug back up with his hand. "Yeah, whatever." He said dismissively, taking another sip.
"Ahh, well that's too bad." Imai-san said, leaning in to the table with her elbows. She had her eyes closed as she rested her chin on the palms of her hands. "To be honest, I think you two would make a cute couple." Imai-san teased, still trying to keep quiet.
I looked at her with a sarcastic expression.
"I mean, shit, I feel like you could bag her too, Kazuya. You did get Mami, after all." Sasano-senpai said, folding his arms and nodding as he spoke.
"Yeah, that's what I was saying too," Kibe added, setting his mug on the table before folding his arms.
I blinked. I darted my eyes off to the side for a moment before I looked back at everyone with a nervous smile.
...
This is awkward.
Everyone from Shimae-san to Kuri were agreeing. I was pinned from left to right. In between a rock and a hard place, as they say.
"Uhh..." I said, unsure of what to say. To get myself out of the awkward spotlight, I just decided to do something goofy.
"I mean... I'm like TT." I said, forming my thumb and index fingers into T's and shaking my head.
Imai-san got a kick out of that. She mimicked the gesture. "Just like TT," she said, shaking her head and pouting with a smile.
"Eh, Kazuya-san is a Twice fan?" Shimae-san asked curiously, giggling and covering her mouth.
I gave a single nervous chuckle before I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe," I said, scooting out of my seat. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go wash my hands."
I heard the girls still giggling behind me as I left.
"Ah, look, he's running away," Sasano-senpai chided as I got up.
I shook my head in embarrassment as I headed to the bathroom.
I pushed a curtain out of the way and swung open the door to the men's bathroom. I walked up to the sink and looked at myself in the mirror.
I was smiling. I felt better than I had before. It's funny too, because the things I'd been worried about all day have dissipated. It's like it never happened.
I began to wash my hands in the sink. As I rinsed with the soap, I thought again about, not just today, but everything that's happened to me within the last month.
...
Never happened, huh?
I slowly stopped rubbing my hands together. I put my palms face down on the sink and sighed.
Now that I'm thinking about it, my problems aren't over. If these anomalies keep persisting, how long will it take before I lose my sanity. What am I supposed to make of all of this, anyway? Should I seek professional help? Go to a doctor, maybe?
I looked down at the running water.
Yeah, maybe I should go to a doctor. Perhaps that illness was actually way worse than I'd imagined. I never got checked out after I fell ill and recovered, anyhow. What if... this is actually the result of some debilitating disease that's affecting my brain. Come to think of it, I felt fatigued today when Mami brought up those things I didn't remember, as well.
...
No matter which way you look at it, one thing is for sure. I shouldn't be forgetting or misremembering this many things.
I looked up and glared at my reflection. I paused and examined myself before I nodded.
"Okay, I will go see a doctor," I said resolutely.
I shut the tap off. I dried my hands and walked back towards the restroom door.
When I stepped outside, there was someone just outside the door's frame to my left. They were leaning against the back wall leading to the restrooms.
"Augh!" I jumped.
They didn't seem to react. I calmed down once I realized it who it was.
"Mami! Sorry, I didn't see you there. Jeez, you surprised me," I said, chuckling out the nerves.
She didn't respond. She only kept her head down to conceal her face.
Okay, then...
"A-are you waiting to use the bathroom?" I asked. I don't think I really cared to know the answer, but I felt uncomfortable with her not saying anything so I just said the first thing that came to mind.
All of a sudden, she pushed herself off the wall and turned on her heels to face me. She was super close. She kept her head down so all I could see was her golden hair.
"I'm sorry... I can't take this," she muttered.
"W-what?" I asked, leaning my head back to give myself some room.
That's when she turned her head up towards mine. Her eyes were sparkling, and her mouth was agape. Her face was flushed light red. Out of nowhere, she lightly grabbed hold of my arms as she was... leaning in towards my face?!
"What are y-" I couldn't even get my words out before I realized what she was doing.
She was leaning in to kiss me!
Hello, hello, hello again everyone! It's me, the author!
Wow, this chapter was both difficult and fun to write!
For those who'd like to know my writing process, I have several different tabs open at the same time while I'm writing this story. Most of them are used for background character name checks, but at least two tabs are always dedicated to having a chapter from the manga open so I can parallel it to my story as accurately as possible. As I was writing this chapter, I would identify and correct inconsistencies with how all of these characters from Kazuya and Chizuru's friend groups interacted with one another compared to how they interacted in the manga. I wanted to make sure that every character was as authentic to the source material as possible. Of course, I have the creative liberties to add personality to characters that were barely seen in the manga such as Chizuru's friends.
One of the most difficult things about writing this chapter was the confrontation between Mami and Kazuya! I had to rewrite their interaction at least 3 or 4 times before I felt like it was what I wanted for my story. I also wanted to keep it true to the character of Mami, as she's a much more difficult character to keep accurate compared to Chizuru. You don't want her to seem too into Kazuya, but you also don't want to make her come across as someone who doesn't have any interest in him at all.
On another note, I proof read my chapters at least 2-3 times before they get posted. It's good for quality control, but also good for adding details. Despite my efforts, I noticed maybe 1 or 2 errors that slip by every odd chapter. I edit and update these errors as soon as I see them, as I want this story to be as good as it can be once it's finished! If you guys notice any spelling or grammar errors, please feel free to let me know via DM!
Other than that, I'll see you in the next chapter.
One love,
- Ady Art