Overnight, the rain stopped falling. The ground had dried up by the time Sunday morning arrived. At the moment, Tomoya is walking along the neighbourhood road, intending to return the umbrella in his hand to its owner. He stopped in front of the door to the Minase Residence, and pressed on the doorbell.
"Ara, Okazaki-san. Good morning." Akiko greets Tomoya with a smile after she opened the door for him.
"Good morning, Akiko-san."
"What brings you here?"
Tomoya holds the folded umbrella up. "She lent me her umbrella yesterday."
"I see. You can give it to me first." Akiko told him.
"All right." he hands over the umbrella to her.
"By the way, Okazaki-san." Akiko addressed him after stuffing the umbrella into a stand by the door. "Did you already have your breakfast?"
"No, I haven't." he answered her. "Why?"
"If you don't mind, you can have it here." Akiko said to Tomoya in an inviting tone.
"Really, Akiko-san?"
"Yes." with her seemingly ever-present smile, she replied in less than a second. "The more the merrier."
Tomoya accepts her invitation. "I'll take up on the offer."
"Splendid! You may head in, Okazaki-san." Akiko steps over to the side to give Tomoya some space as he enters the house.
After that, Tomoya is seated by the dinner table, a single plate with a toast already prepared for him. A similar plate, presumably for Nayuki, and another plate which consists of some sunny side eggs is also present on the table.
"Is Minase still sleeping?" he comments on her absence.
"Yes. She should be waking up soon though."
"Unyu~..." right on cue, Nayuki shambled to the kitchen while carrying a stuffed Keroppi in her grasp.
"There she is." Akiko points out. "Good morning, Nayuki."
"...Good morning, Mom~..." Nayuki makes her way for the table in her half-asleep state, before registering Tomoya's presence there. "Huh... Okazaki-kun~?"
Tomoya raised his hand to wave briefly at her. "Good morning, Minase."
"Good morning~... What are you doing here...?" Nayuki asked him groggily.
"I was returning your umbrella." Tomoya explained to the sleepy girl. "Then your mother invited me for breakfast."
"I see~..."
"Thanks for lending it to me, by the way."
"You're welcome~..." Nayuki pulled both chairs on the other side of the table, and placed the stuffed frog on one of them. "Keroppi sits here~... And I go here~..." she settled down on her chair, with the stuffed frog, Keroppi next to her.
Seeing Nayuki's currently heavy-eyed face, Tomoya decides to tease her about it. "What a funny morning face you have there, Minase."
"I don't have a funny~... Huu~..." she rested her head on the table.
"Are you really gonna sleep there?" quipped Tomoya.
"Nayuki tends to be like this in the morning when she's tired." mentioned Akiko as she pours the tea from the teapot into Nayuki's cup, which prompts Nayuki to slowly rise her head up from the table.
"I get that, though I'm usually not this tired."
"I see." the older Minase moves to the other side of the table. "Are you fine with tea, Okazaki-san?"
"Oh, I don't mind." Tomoya replied to her.
Akiko poured the tea into his cup before placing the teapot at the table. Then, she went to kitchen and holds a jar of strawberry jam, unscrewing the lid before placing the jar next to Nayuki.
"Strawberry jam~..." Nayuki begins to spread the strawberry jam over her toast.
"Would you like some jam too, Okazaki-san?" Akiko asked Tomoya.
"I'm not a big fan of sweet things."
"Really...? But the strawberry jam is really good~..." Nayuki took a small bite out of her share of toast slice.
"If you insist, I do have jams that aren't too sweet." Akiko heads for the kitchen and took another jar full of golden substance inside it and proudly presented it. "Like this, my special blend jam."
"Wah!" Nayuki's chair grated back. She had suddenly stood up, now completely awake like she wasn't just lingering in the line between being asleep and conscious moments prior.
"What's wrong?" Tomoya looks at her.
"Uh... I-I'll go wash my face first~" she leaves the table in a hurry.
"That's odd." he observed.
"Would you like the jam?"
"Well, if it isn't too sweet..." Tomoya hands his toast to Akiko. She spreads the special blend jam over his toast before handing it back to Tomoya.
He grabs the toast that is now spread over with jam. Disregarding the uncertainty that he felt for just a moment, Tomoya bites into the toast. As he registered the taste of the toast mixed with the special blend jam in his mouth, an increasingly nauseatic feeling struck him.
"W-What the hell... It sure isn't sweet, but..." the unbearable nausea got stronger with each second.
"Uh... Akiko-san, what kind of jam is this?" he asked, his voice a little strained.
"It's a secret." Akiko simply said to him. "How was it?"
"...It's terrible." expressed Tomoya.
A brief yet uncomfortable silence followed. Tomoya looked at Akiko, having realized that he just said it out loud. The youthful mother appears to be dazed from what she'd heard from him.
Akiko broke the silence first. "I see... That's a shame..."
She tries to hide it, but Tomoya can tell that Akiko was dejected from the comment he made on the jam. To that, he felt a considerable guilt weighing in on his conscience.
"Way to go, I made her feel really bad..."
Tomoya looks at the unfinished toast as he steeled himself for what he is about to do.
"I'm sorry that it wasn't to your... Okazaki-san?" Akiko is surprised that Tomoya took the drastic choice to finish the rest of his toast, in spite of what he said before.
"Oh dear." clearly worried, she moved to his side with a slight haste in her steps.
"Just gotta endure it..." Tomoya tried to reduce the effects of the taste by drinking his tea, which did little to really help him. In spite of that, he somehow managed to finish off the toast spread with that jam in record time.
"Are you okay, Okazaki-san?"
"Yeah, I'll manage." Tomoya took another sip from his cup of tea in an attempt relieve the aftertaste of that jam from his mouth.
"You didn't have to eat all of that..." Akiko says to him.
"Huh?"
"You said it was," Akiko contemplated her words briefly before continuing, "...less than pleasant. So you didn't have to trouble yourself more."
"I know, but..."
Akiko cups a hand to her cheek as she gradually gets the gist of his intent. "By any chance, were you troubled over what you said to me?"
"Well, more or less... and I'd feel bad if I just throw the toast away." Tomoya said to her.
"I see." her smile returns. "I appreciate the thought, Okazaki-san. But it's alright." Akiko holds another slice of toast which already has the jam spread over it. "I'll have this one then."
He tries his best to not cringe when he saw Akiko eating from the toast, only to be baffled when it didn't seem to affect her."I thought I was seeing the Sanzu just now. How in the world can she handle that jam at all?!"
It then dawned on him, the reason behind Nayuki's hasty leave earlier. Tomoya glanced at the seat she had occupied earlier. "No wonder she left the table earlier..."
"Is it because of the jam?"
"Huh?" Tomoya turned to Akiko, not expecting to be heard.
Akiko doesn't appear to be feeling down from it, contrary to what he was expecting. "I suppose I might have to improve on it." she murmurs to herself.
"Great, now I feel bad even more..." Tomoya thought. Neverthless, Tomoya asked for another slice of toast without the special jam, opting for the marmalade jam instead.
Later on, Nayuki returns to the table.
"Ara, Nayuki. Welcome back."
"I washed my face." after saying that, Nayuki returned to her seat. She noticed Tomoya's slight frown which is directed at her and purposely looked away.
"Nayuki?" Akiko called her.
"Yes, Mom?"
"You can be honest to me. Do you not like my special blend jam?" Akiko asked.
"Eh? Um..." at the unexpected question, Nayuki is hesitant to give her mother an answer at first. However, she decided to just tell the truth to Akiko. "No... I'm sorry."
"It's all right." Akiko said in respond to her daughter. "You could said something earlier, Nayuki."
"I didn't know how to tell you about it, Mom..." Nayuki said to Akiko in a sheepish manner.
"Akiko-san couldn't have said that any better." Tomoya commented.
Still smiling, the youthful mother turns to look at Tomoya. "Well, Okazaki-san sure didn't hold back with his words."
Nayuki looked at Tomoya when her mother mentioned that. "Huh~?"
"Yeah, I tend to speak out what's on my mind." Tomoya spoke.
"That's not a bad thing by itself." she stated, before giving Tomoya a small advice. "But, it's important for you to consider what you're going to say next, Okazaki-san. Not every person you talk with may handle blunt honesty well."
"I understand, Akiko-san."
"That's good." Akiko leaves it at that, content with his answer.
The exchange between them left Nayuki wondering what exactly happened after she left the table before. She then continues to munch on her toast, as her thoughts were occupied with what had occurred yesterday.
Nayuki sets her unfinished strawberry jam toast on the plate, before calling out to her mother. "Hey, Mom."
"Yes, Nayuki?"
"I'm going to visit Nagisa-chan after this."
"Oh, I see."
"Guess I'm going too." Tomoya mentioned to her.
Nayuki turns to look at him. "Hm?"
"I was thinking of paying Furukawa a visit as well."
"Then, we'll go together." says the blue-haired girl with a cheery smile, before glancing at her current attire. "After I get changed of course~"
"Did you went out while in your sleepwear before?" he asked.
"I would never do that~"
"But you nearly did that one time, didn't you Nayuki?"
"Mom~! You don't have to mention that~"
Tomoya couldn't help but to smirk a bit after hearing that, which the blue-haired girl noticed. This caused him to be the target of Nayuki's scowling face.
Later, both Tomoya and Nayuki are on their way to the bakery.
"I can't believe you, Minase." Tomoya started.
"Eh? What do you mean?" Nayuki looks at him when he spoke.
"You knew about her jam, didn't you?"
"Ah, that..." Nayuki awkwardly glances away from Tomoya when he said that.
"I went through quite the trouble thanks to that."
"I'm sorry, Okazaki-kun~" Nayuki apologized once more, this time to Tomoya. "I didn't mean for you to go through that, but..."
"But?"
"It's difficult for me to say anything..." she admitted.
"Well, it's fine. Maybe I should have seen it coming too."
"Um... What did you say to Mom?" she asks him.
"Told her it was awful." Tomoya said casually.
"Wah~!" Nayuki expresses her shock at his reply. "Did you really say that?"
"Well, yeah." he replied.
Hearing his confirmation, Nayuki stated to him, "No one was that honest about the jam before... "
"Given how Akiko-san is like, I'm not surprised."
"Mom really thinks a lot about that jam." Nayuki said to him. "It's hard to say anything bad about the jam to her."
"I see." with a sly smile, Tomoya goes on to say, "Guess I got you covered with that, huh?"
"Sheesh~! You could've been more nicer about it, Okazaki-kun~" she frowned a bit at him.
"My bad, I know."
After a couple more minutes of walking down the road, Tomoya and Nayuki eventually reached the street where the bakery is situated. Ahead of her, Tomoya enters the bakery first.
"Welcome!" greeted Akio from the reception desk. "Oh, it's just you."
"My bad I'm not a customer."
"If you really feel bad, then next time come back here crawling on all fours so that I can tell that you're not a customer." Akio's attitude immediately changed upon noticing Nayuki with him. "Nayukyun!"
"Good morning, Akio-san~"
"Good morning!" Akio returned her greeting. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine~" replied Nayuki to him. "Okazaki-kun and I came here to see how Nagisa-chan is doing."
"Nagisa is okay. She's sleeping in her room now. Best not to disturb her." Akio informed them both. "And for the record, brat," he continued, pointing at Tomoya. "she wasn't crying out for you in her sleep."
"I wasn't even hoping for that at all." Tomoya told him, but he is ignored as Akio continued to ramble on.
"If anything, she'd be calling for me." boasted Akio. "Ah, Dad~! I love you! You're so cool~! You match so well with my beautiful mom~!" he acted out a subpar impression of his own daughter.
The sight of his act elicited a small giggle from Nayuki, while Tomoya can only stare at him dumbfoundedly. Realizing how funny he must've looked like, Akio quickly cuts out the act.
"Don't make me look like an idiot!"
"You did that yourself!" Tomoya fired back.
"Okazaki-san, Nayuki-chan." Sanae's warm voice greeted them. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Sanae-san~"
Sanae smiled as she stood near Akio. "Are you two here to visit Nagisa?"
"Yes." Tomoya answered Sanae. "Heard she's stuck in bed."
"No, it's just a mild fever. It's only that... " Sanae turns her gaze to the direction of the hallway. "Nagisa is physically weak to begin with, Okazaki-san. She was away from school for a length of last year too. So the doctor said that she should stay in bed to be safe for the day."
"That so..." Tomoya murmured, as Nayuki looks at him worriedly.
"In any case, we're glad she's safe." Akio chimed in after packing up some bread into a plastic bag. "So thanks for bringing her back home."
"It's the least I can do." as Tomoya finished saying those words, Akio showed him the plastic bag.
"Huh?"
"Take them, it's our token of gratitude." says Akio.
"No, that's not what I'm..." Tomoya tries to speak, but it fell on deaf ears.
"Don't be so modest, brat." Akio still attempted to convince him. "We're sure to have leftovers anyway, so there's no harm in you taking the ones from here."
"Um, Akio-san?" Nayuki called out to the lively baker.
"What is it, Nayukyun? You want some too?"
"No, it's not that." she declines his offer. "It's just... Sanae-san can hear you."
"Crap." the cigarette in Akio's mouth fell to the floor when Nayuki pointed that out. He turned behind to look at Sanae, finding her on the brink of tears.
She begins to sniffle. "My bread, my bread..."
"Hold on, Sanae-"
"My bread is just Furukawa Bread's dead weight?!?!" Sanae cupped her face with both hands and ran out the store crying.
Akio grabs the closest two buns that he can find from the display and sunk his jaw into the buns. "I LOFHHE DEEEM!" he dashed out of the store in pursuit of his wife, leaving Tomoya and Nayuki inside the store.
"Did they always do that?" Tomoya asked Nayuki.
"Yeah, you can say that~" she confirmed.
Tomoya allowed a sigh to escape from his mouth. "Looks like there isn't really much worry about."
"Excuse me." a lady with short brown hair stood by the entrance.
"Yes?" Nayuki responded to the lady.
The lady walks into the store. "Is the staff around?"
"They ran out just now." mentioned Tomoya. He showed to her the bag full of leftovers that Akio left to him before running away. "You can have this."
"Really?"
"Yeah, since they gave it to me for free."
"Well, thank you very much." she accepts it from him. "Say thank you to Sanae-san and her husband for me."
"Sure~" Nayuki smiles at the older lady. "May I know your name?"
"Oh, that's right. I'm Ibuki Kouko." she introduces herself to them.
"I'm Minase Nayuki, and he is..." Nayuki points at Tomoya, waiting for him to reveal his name too.
"I'm Okazaki Tomoya."
"Nice to meet you, Ibuki-san~"
After that brief conversation, Kouko excused herself and head out of the bakery, carrying the bag given to her by Tomoya earlier. The two teenagers watched as she walked off into the distance by the door.
"She's very nice~" Nayuki said plainly.
"Yeah."
Tomoya and Nayuki looked at each other now that they're both the only ones at the store again.
"Let's stay around until they return~" Nayuki suggested.
"Fine by me." Tomoya simply followed along.
No other customers besides Kouko came during that time, so Tomoya and Nayuki didn't have much to work with besides keeping an eye on the bakery until the Furukawas come back. They didn't have to wait very long for their return, and made their leave not long after.
"So she was Nagisa-chan's teacher..." Nayuki thinks about the lady from earlier, having found that out from Sanae and Akio before leaving the bakery. Next to her, Tomoya seems to be deep in his own thoughts while he is walking, which she noticed.
"Hey, Okazaki-kun."
"Yes?" responded Tomoya.
"Is something wrong?"
"What makes you say that?" he asked her.
"You look troubled over something." Nayuki admitted.
"That's just how I look like all the time." Tomoya remarked offhandedly. "Oh, you were staring at my face?"
"No~!" she blushed a bit. "I'm just worried for you, that's all."
"...That so?"
Before he could say something to her, a man suddenly comes running to them. "Hey! You right there!"
"Huh? Woah- hey!" Tomoya got pulled over abruptly by the man.
"Ah, Okazaki-kun!" Nayuki watched in surprise as the man drags Tomoya by his sleeve. "What's going on?" Nayuki wondered to herself. Without a delay, she quickly followed them.
As it turns out, Nayuki and Tomoya ended up being the apparent witnesses to a scene where the man claimed that an electrician dented his car using a fallen tool.
"What a dent..." Nayuki observed the damage left on the bumper.
"You see this? An electrician's tool fell and caused this! Will you be my witness?" the fellow urged Tomoya in particular.
"Witness?" Tomoya is confused at the man's suggestion since he was not even there to witness what exactly took place. "Even if you say that..."
"How irresponsible of you to drag unrelated people into this." said electrician remarked in a cool tone.
"If I didn't, you wouldn't have admitted it right?!" the man accused.
"Like I told you, I didn't drop any tools." the electrician stood his ground. "And if I did, I would have owned up to it."
"How can I trust that?!"
"If you're telling me to pay the repair fee, I can cover that." says the electrician.
"So you admit to it!" the car owner claimed erroneously.
"No, but I want you to consider the mistake that you've made here."
"How am I at fault?!"
"You dragged a young couple into this situation against their will." the electrician asserted to the man. "Do you have no shame?"
"Eh?" Nayuki is nonplussed when she heard what the electrician said.
"Hey, wait a minute-" Tomoya tried to dispel the misunderstanding. However, the car owner unintentionally cuts him out.
"We're supposed to be talking about my car!"
"Yes, but for you to get in the way of love is just reprehensible." he clutched the edge of his helmet. "Think back to this day, if what the electrician said that day is true or not."
"I think there's a misunderstanding..." Nayuki smiled awkwardly as she mentioned that to Tomoya.
"That's what I'm trying to say, Minase." he replies to her.
The electrician starts to give a speech, capturing their attention. "People's lives are repetitions of actions hurting each other. It's understandable to doubt others. However, being unable to trust anything is the same as being unable to sense other people's love."
What he said managed to captivate them, if even for a moment. None of them interrupted the electrician as he continued with the speech.
"Are you feeling lonely? Aren't you perhaps, living slavishly? Are you capable of laughing with a honest heart?" he declared each of those phrases confidently, aiming them at the speechless car owner in particular.
"Y-Yeah, I think, hahaha..." the car owner responds with a dry laugh.
"I see. You are loved indeed." the electrician looks away from them. "Keep on living, so that the love does not go away. Same goes for you, too." he looks at Tomoya.
"How can this guy spout such sick lines? And I still haven't cleared up the misunderstanding." Tomoya sighed at the thought.
Looking over his shoulder at Nayuki, he noticed that she appears to be checking at the dent again. With his curiosity piqued aswell, Tomoya approached her.
"What's wrong, Minase?"
"This dent... I don't think a tool caused this." Nayuki mentioned to Tomoya.
"What makes you say that?"
"Look over here." she points at the dent.
Tomoya did as she told him to. His eyes narrowed when he spotted a couple of faint marks left over the damage. Taking a closer look, he realized that the marks on the dent are actually paw prints.
"You're right. This is..."
"It's a cat~" Nayuki spelled it out for him.
"That settles it. Hey!" Tomoya immediately called the two men over, garnering their attention on himself.
"What?" the one who replied is the car owner.
"It was a cat." said Tomoya simply.
"Huh? A cat?" the car owner is skeptical at what he mentioned.
"Yeah. Try looking closer at this dent." Tomoya suggested to them.
The electrician and the car owner took a closer look at the dent. Just as both Tomoya and Nayuki pointed out, they can see the paw prints left on the dent.
"Woah, you're right! Uh..." the car owner frowned after discerning the marks.
Tomoya directs his gaze at the top of the wall where the car was parked by. "It must have jumped from the wall up there. I bet that's how the dent came to be."
To prove his point even further; the culprit, a slightly overweight cat emerged from below the car. They simply stared at the cat as it walked away into the street at a slow pace. The car owner appears even more perplexed.
"Well, this kind of things happen too." states the electrician in a calm manner.
The car owner scratched the back of his head anxiously. "Err, sorry for the false accusation..."
Meanwhile, when she spotted the cat, Nayuki got enthralled and went to approach it. "Wahh~!"
"What is she doing?" Tomoya didn't pay much mind to what Nayuki is up to, until he recalled her mentioning that she was allergic to cats. He quickly grabs her arm to restrict her movement.
"Hey, hold on Minase."
"Don't stop me, Okazaki-kun. I want to pet it~"
"No, you're allergic remember?"
"But, I want to pet the cat~!" Nayuki keeps trying to move towards the cat. "Kitty~... Kitty~!"
Tomoya struggled a bit to make sure Nayuki doesn't get any closer to the cat as it got away from the area, until an idea pop up in his mind. "Minase, if you don't chase the cat..."
"What, Okazaki-kun? Just let me pet the cat~!"
"...I'll treat you to a sundae."
"Kitty~..." Nayuki immediately stops trying to chase the cat. She turns to face Tomoya. "Really~?"
"Yup. You heard me right." Tomoya loosened his hold over her arm.
"Then, it's a promise~"
The sound of engine revving up interrupted their talk. It appears that the man who owns the car had gotten inside his vehicle and started it up. He quickly drives away from the scene, as if trying to escape.
"Oh, he drove away..." observed Nayuki.
"Guess the case is solved." Tomoya remarked.
The electrician approached them both after that. "Thanks for helping me out. My apologies for interrupting your date."
"I just-" the word date ticked Tomoya off. "Wait, you're mistaken! We're not dating or anything like that." he clarified to the electrician.
"Is that so? I apologize for lumping you two together."
"It's okay~" replies Nayuki.
"In any case, thanks for the help." the electrician reiterated hus gratitude.
"I just pointed out what she saw. It's no big deal." mentioned Tomoya.
"Still, I'm grateful for your assistance. Here, take this." the electrician took out a business card from his shirt pocket and hands it to Tomoya. "If you need anything, feel free to give me a call."
Tomoya inspects the card after receiving it. On it is written the name of the company he works at, as well as his name.
"Well then. I have more work to attend to." The electrician began walking to his van. "Have a good day, you two."
"Yeah."
"Bye, Mr. Electrician~"
They watched as he got inside his work van. He then finally leaves, accompanied by the low roar of the engine.
"Yoshino Yusuke, huh? I feel like I've heard this name before. But where?" Tomoya wondered as he gazed at the business card in his hand, curious on the reason he finds familiarity in the electrician's name.
After that incident, they're now seated inside a parfait shop near the station. Nayuki is currently enjoying the strawberry sundae she ordered, while Tomoya only ordered a cup of coffee.
"Aren't you getting anything else, Okazaki-kun?"
"It's fine. I'm still full."
"Okay then~" Nayuki happily takes another small bite out of her sundae. "Mmmm~"
"This atmosphere... now that I think about it, this definitely looks like a date." the thought crossed his mind."If Kyou sees me now, she would never let me live this down."
Tomoya turns his attention back to Nayuki as she bit into another spoonful from her sundae. "You seem to enjoying yourself."
"Of course~" she replies, before continuing to enjoy her dessert.
For a minute, Tomoya appears to be contemplating on something in his mind, before he speaks to Nayuki again. "Hey, Minase."
"Yes?"
"I think I owed you an explanation."
"Eh?" she tilted her head.
"...About what happened yesterday." with a hint of hesitation, Tomoya spelled it out for her.
"...I see." replied Nayuki. Though she does want to know what took place during that rainy evening, the blue-haired girl didn't expect Tomoya to come forward with her on it.
"You're aware that Furukawa wanted to see me playing basketball, right?"
"Ah, yes." Nayuki responded. "I wanted to accompany Nagisa-chan, but I got busy with something else."
"There was a reason I'm so insistent on not playing."
"Why?"
"...It's a long story."
"I'm all ears, Okazaki-kun."
"No turning back then." Tomoya exhaled.
"I get why Nagisa-chan collapsed, since she didn't have the best of health to begin with. But... she said something about you."
"What did she say?" he asked.
"Nagisa-chan told me that she hurt you, Okazaki-kun." Nayuki revealed. "What did she mean by that...?"
"...She saw what my problem was." Tomoya told her. He takes a deep breath before deciding to reveal the same thing he'd told Nagisa. "The reason I quit basketball... it's not out of my own choice."
"It's not out of your own choice? Then..."
"I injured my right shoulder during the last year of middle school." Tomoya revealed to her. "Got into a fight with my old man."
"Your father... injured your shoulder?" Nayuki could hardly believe what she had just heard from him.
Tomoya only gives her a subtle nod, as he continues to elaborate on his past. "It never healed properly. By the time I went to the doctor, it was too late." he stopped for a moment to recompose himself, before continuing his story. "I had to quit the varsity team and never got to play after enrolling in high school. I can't play basketball anymore."
"Okazaki-kun..." Nayuki slowly took in the unpleasant story.
"I knew what Furukawa was aiming for. She wanted to do what I'd done for her; helping someone. But..."
"Nagisa-chan found out, didn't she?" guessed Nayuki.
"She wanted to see me play. So, I tried to show her." he gazed down at his cup, still feeling bad over how he confronted Nagisa with the truth. "Furukawa didn't take it well."
Nayuki frowned sadly at Tomoya, having managed to get a grasp of his situation, in addition to what really happened the day before. As an athlete herself, she can only imagine how Tomoya's circumstances must have affected him.
A tense pause of silence fell between the two of them, as Nayuki didn't say anything else. Tomoya initially assumed that she was probably still taken aback by his story, which he couldn't really blame her for. However, looking back at Nayuki, he noticed what seems to be a look of understanding from her.
"I see... It must've been hard for you." Nayuki simply said.
"...You could say that."
The mutual silence lingered on between them. While she fidgets a bit with the spoon on her nearly empty cup of sundae, Nayuki mulled over how she can help Tomoya to cheer up instead of trying to dwell any further on his background. One idea springs up in her mind, which prompted her lips to form a little smile.
Nayuki proceeds to break the silence by calling for a waiter. "Um, excuse me~!"
"Yes?"
"I would like two more strawberry sundaes, please~"
"Huh?" Tomoya blurted out.
"Got it. Your order will arrive in a moment." the waiter writes down the order.
"Thank you~"
After the waiter went away from the table, Tomoya addresses Nayuki again. "Hey, Minase.."
"What, Okazaki-kun~?"
"Are you seriously getting two more strawberry sundae?" he asked.
"Yes~" Nayuki nodded at him. "It was so tasty. I can eat a lot more if I want to."
"You'll get you a brain freeze, y'know."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine as long as I take my time eating~"
"Oh, well."
Before long, two more glasses of strawberry sundae appear on the table.
"Okazaki-kun."
"Hm?" Tomoya looks at her.
Nayuki carefully moves one of the two sundae cups to him. "This one is for you~"
"Huh?"
"I said, this one is for you~"
"I heard you the first time." Tomoya remarked. "It's just, why?"
"Because it's tasty, Okazaki-kun~"
"You know I don't like sweet stuff, right Minase?"
"I know. But just try it." Nayuki insisted. "I'm sure you'll like it, Okazaki-kun~"
"Alright, fine."
Tomoya took the glass of sundae she offered and moved it close to him. Nayuki looks at Tomoya with anticipation as he scoops up the ice cream from the sundae using the spoon and eats it. He didn't miss the way Nayuki had been smiling as she observes him.
"Is watching me trying to eat the sundae that interesting?" Tomoya quipped at her.
"Mmh~, it's not like that~" Nayuki happily takes another spoonful of the sundae from her second glass.
Leaving her at that, Tomoya takes a bite from his spoonful of sundae, letting the taste melt inside his mouth. He finds that despite the sweetness of the dessert, the strawberry sundae is quite delicious. Now he can understand why Nayuki really likes it.
"How is it? It's good, isn't it~?" asked Nayuki.
"Sweet." replied Tomoya in a nonchalant manner at first, "You're not wrong though."
"Hmm, I see~" Nayuki looks pleased when she finds that his complexion has softened somewhat.
"Still, to order another glass for me... What's gotten into her so suddenly?" Tomoya wondered why Nayuki did that. As he took his time to finish the strawberry sundae, Tomoya came to realize what her intention is."...Is she trying to cheer me up?"
"Hey, Minase." he calls out to Nayuki.
"Yes, Okazaki-kun?"
Tomoya considered asking her about it. But, he chose not to, opting to say just one word to her instead. "Thanks."
Nayuki tilts her head slightly. "Hm~?"
"...Just felt like saying it." Tomoya turns his gaze away from her.
"You're welcome, Okazaki-kun~" Nayuki simply replied with a sweet smile.
At the sight of her smile, Tomoya mused to himself,"Maybe I can handle this kind of sweetness after all."
"That was lovely~" Nayuki spoke after they leave the cafe.
"I can tell." said Tomoya to her. "Glad to hear that."
Without a fixed destination in mind, the two of them walked around the station area. They continued wandering around until Nayuki stops in front of a general store, gazing at the entrance.
"You wanna go in, Minase?"
"Ah, yes." she answered.
"Alright then."
Tomoya led the way to the door, and a bell rang overhead as they entered the store. After heading Inside, they rounded the shelves of the shop for anything of interest. On the other hand, Nayuki seems to be interested in the aisle in which the clocks were stored at. She spent some time checking the various themes of clocks there.
"You're buying that?" Tomoya asked as she is still checking on a cat-themed clock.
"Maybe another time~" she puts the clock back in its place. "I still have a lot of clocks at my home."
"You have a lot of clocks?" Tomoya rephrased her words.
"Err... I'm not really a morning person, you see~"
"Fair enough." Tomoya remembers how she acted when he first saw her during the morning. "I'm not a morning person either."
As they walked around the store some more, Nayuki examines a shelf which contained keychains among other items. Ultimately, she settled on taking the keychain of what appeared to be an orange cat mascot, or at least what Tomoya believed to be a cat. He wasn't very sure with his observation, considering how strange-looking the mysterious animal mascot is.
"This thing has quite the unique face." mentioned Tomoya.
"It sure does." said Nayuki. "I think it's cute~"
"Cute? Looks like its staring right into my soul." quipped Tomoya. "Are you getting this?"
"Yes~" she replied. "Will you get something too, Okazaki-kun?"
"Not really." he answered. "Well, let's go and pay for your keychain, Minase."
"Okay~"
Both Tomoya and Nayuki proceeded to the front of the store, where they purchased the keychain before exiting the store. The two of them continued on their way down the street in the town. As they both reached the arcade, a game that was set just outside of it caught Nayuki's eyes.
"Wah, a photo booth~!"
"Huh? Oh, that." Tomoya looks at the booth she was setting her eyes on. According to what he knew, it was popular with the girls, although Tomoya himself hardly saw anyone ever use it. "You used this kind of booth before?"
"Yes~" Nayuki told him. "My old town had a booth like this."
"I see."
Nayuki looks at the booth with interest. "I want to take a picture from it~"
"Well, go ahead."
"Yes~" Nayuki starts to brush the curtain on the picture booth to the side, when she turned around to address Tomoya. "Um, Okazaki-kun."
"What is it, Minase?"
"Why don't we take a picture together?" Nayuki suggested.
"No. Take it by yourself."
"But, going in there alone..."
"What? Is there a superstition about going in the booth alone?"
"No." Nayuki shook her head lightly. "But, if we go in together, it would be more fun. Don't you think so~?"
"I wouldn't know, I never used it before." says Tomoya. "Besides, that could give other people the wrong idea, you know."
Nayuki considered what Tomoya told her for a moment, before replying with, "Don't worry about it. It's just for fun~"
"Such a carefree girl." he thought. "Are you really sure about this?"
"Yup~" Nayuki affirmed. "Let's take a picture, Okazaki-kun~"
Tomoya tries to say more, but figured it probably won't do much to change her mind. "...Fine. Just one picture, you hear me?" he relented.
"Yes~!" Nayuki entered the picture booth first. "Leave this to me, Okazaki-kun~"
"Sure." Tomoya shrugs in reply, before following suit. He simply watched as Nayuki grabs the stylus connected to the machine and makes some adjustment on the editing console using the stylus. "There's barely any space in here..."
She taps the stylus on the screen to select a mostly white frame with pink undertones to it. "I'll pick this frame~"
Tomoya bat his eyes on the screen as she said that. He is relieved that the frame she chose isn't very distractive.
"What should I write on this?"
"Up to you."
"I'll do this then." after briefly thinking about it, she wrote the date of the day on the screen in a stylish way. "There we go~" Nayuki is done setting up the template for the picture on the screen.
"Are you done?"
"Yes~"
"Alright." he inserts some money into the machine.
A couple of seconds later, a digital voice from the booth announced the standby signal, prompting Tomoya and Nayuki to be ready for the booth to take their picture.
Click!
After a minute passed, Nayuki takes the print out containing different variations of stickers from the picture taken in the booth.
"No matter how I look at it, this is simply embarrassing." Tomoya thinks to himself as he looked at the stickers.
"They came out pretty nicely~"
"I guess they did." says Tomoya. "You better keep this to yourself, Minase."
"Eh? I wasn't going to show this to anyone."
"Good." he looks away from Nayuki. "Make sure it stays that way."
"...Okay~" Nayuki keeps the print-out inside her handbag. "Where are we going next?"
"Let's see..." Tomoya scans his surroundings at the arcade. "You're not into games at the arcade, right?"
"I don't really go to arcades, so I can't say~"
"I see." he started to walk, when something interrupted him.
"Tomoya!" the voice of a girl that is clearly not Nayuki called out to him.
"That voice..." he turns to the source of the voice. "At least call me out normally, Kyou."
"What do you mean, was that not normal?" Kyou remarked.
"Sounds like how a grade schooler would call their friend out."
"You can be a real stick in the mud when you want to, you know that?"
"Well sorry for being a real stick in a mud." Tomoya retorted in a sarcastic manner.
Kyou disregards the response he gave and switched her tone to greet Nayuki. "Hello, Nayuki!"
"Hello, Kyou~"
"What are you two doing?" she asked Nayuki.
"Ah, we were..." Nayuki started to talk, but she was cut off by Tomoya.
"Minase and I were just strolling around the town."
"What a coincidence, I was just strolling around too!" Kyou replied. She caught Tomoya shooting her with a suspicious gaze. "What's with that look, Tomoya? If you have a problem just say it."
"You're imagining things." he replies clearly.
Kyou humphed at his retort. "Hey, Nayuki. Why don't we ditch Tomoya here and hang out together instead?"
"Hey." Tomoya voiced out in response.
"But, why would I ditch Okazaki-kun?" asked Nayuki.
"Ahahaha! I was mostly kidding about that, don't worry." she laughed it off.
"Mostly?" Tomoya quipped.
"Just spare the minor details, will you?" Kyou responded. "Well, let's go window shopping!"
"Sure~!"
Now joined by an intrusive company, they rounded the area for some window shopping, which went on for an hour or so. Tomoya mostly stood by as Kyou and Nayuki showed their interests in the items sold by the various stores they entered, until he had to carry the bag which contained stuff that Kyou bought for herself.
"Hey Tomoya." Kyou calls out to him at one point.
"What is it, Kyou?"
"By any chance, are you on a date with Nayuki?" Kyou asked him.
Tomoya immediately replied with, "Heck no."
"Oh, really?" a sly smile formed on Kyou's face. "You know, anyone else would think that you two are on a date."
"You're reading too much into this, Kyou." says Tomoya. "I'm not on a date with her."
"So, you're not after Nayuki or something?"
"I'm not."
Kyou shot him an unamused look. "Just when I thought you couldn't be anymore shallow."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing important." she brushed him off.
"What are you two talking about~?" Nayuki interrupted their conversation.
"Oh, nothing! Ahahaha!" Kyou told her.
"I see~"
"Why did it felt like I just dodged a bullet there?" Tomoya thought to himself. It was then that he recalls about the box arrangement. "Oh, right. Kyou, Minase has a request that she wants to ask from you."
"Really?"
"Eh? I did?" Nayuki tilted her head.
"The boxes, remember?" Tomoya reminded Nayuki.
"Ah, that's right~!" Nayuki chirped. "Would you be able to help me with unpacking at my home next week?"
"Okay!" Kyou gave a thumbs up. "You can count on me, Nayuki!"
"Great~! Thanks, Kyou~" said Nayuki.
"No problem." she replied. "Since Tomoya mentioned it, is he helping as well?"
"Yup~! Okazaki-kun will be helping too." Nayuki says to her.
"Hmm? Now that's a surprise." Kyou turned to Tomoya with a mischievous smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Who knows?" she simply left it at that. Kyou looked down at her watch, and came to a realization. "Oh no. It's nearly that time already?"
"What's wrong?"
"Sorry, Nayuki. Looks like I have to go first." she told Nayuki.
"Oh, I see."
"Tomoya, hand me the bag." Kyou asked him.
"Here." he gives it to her.
"Thank you." Kyou receives her bag from him. "Well, I'll have to get going. Bye!" she walked off in a hurry.
"Bye, Kyou~!" Nayuki waves at her. "I wonder why is she in such a hurry?"
"No idea." Tomoya shrugged. "But with this, you already got Kyou to help with the unpacking."
"Yup~. It's nice to know that she will be helping~" another idea crossed her mind. "Should we ask Sunohara-kun too?"
"Huh, Sunohara?" Tomoya repeated his name. "You want to ask him?"
"Yes~" Nayuki replied.
"Forget about it. Sunohara isn't really the type to help unless there's something in it for him."
"Really?"
"Yeah, that's just how he's like."
"Hmm..." for a moment, Nayuki seems to consider what Tomoya just told her. "I think you should still try asking Sunohara-kun~"
"Look, Minase," Tomoya paused to think of a good way to tell Nayuki why it wasn't a good idea. "I don't think we'll need that many people. Between you, me, Kyou, Akiko-san and Furukawa, we should be fine."
"But wouldn't it be better to have more people helping?" responded Nayuki. "Or, are you trying to leave out Sunohara-kun on purpose?"
"Why would you think that?"
"It sounded like you're just being mean about him." Nayuki said to him.
"I'm not. Sunohara would just whine about how there's nothing for him to do and slow everything down."
"So, you don't want to invite him?"
"No."
"I see." said Nayuki. "Maybe I'll do it myself~"
Tomoya turned his head very quickly at her. "Huh?"
"If you won't invite Sunohara-kun, then I'll do that instead~"
"...You already set your mind on this, huh?"
"Yup~!" she smiled.
Tomoya relented as it seems that there's no convincing Nayuki against her suggestion. "Fine. Just leave inviting Sunohara to me."
"Oh?" Nayuki is surprised that he changed his stance, but didn't comment any further on it. "Alright~"
Later, Nayuki and Tomoya took a rest at a bench in a park, where a pond is situated across at. It is one of the places Tomoya would loiter around in town after school, though he didn't usually go here.
"Hey, Okazaki-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"Um, thank you for taking me around town today. I had fun."
"You don't really need to thank me." Tomoya said to her at first. "But, you're welcome."
"Mhm," Nayuki gazed at the pond. "This is a nice park~"
"You think so?"
"Yup~! The scenery here is calming~" says Nayuki. "It feels like I can just take a nap~" she assumes a more relaxed expression.
"Hey, do that when you get back home."
"Mean~... Oh?" she heard the fountain springing to life. "Wah~!"
Nayuki rose from the bench, and with some haste in her steps, heads over to the jetty by the pond for a closer view. Tomoya followed her closely behind.
"It looks pretty~" Nayuki watched from the jetty as the fountain sprayed out water. "Don't you think so, Okazaki-kun~?"
"Oh, yeah. I suppose." he replied. "To think that she was so gloomy earlier today." Tomoya thought to himself, smiling subtly at her. He didn't exactly get the full appeal, but Nayuki appears to be enjoying the view, and that's what mattered at least.
As he gazed absent-mindedly at the spraying water, Tomoya was thus reminded of one person that was weighing on his mind: Nagisa.
"Okazaki-kun?" Nayuki asked, noticing his his "staring into space" look.
"Oh." her voice interrupted his train of thoughts. "What is it, Minase?"
"Were you thinking about something?"
"I guess I am..." Tomoya considered leaving it at that, but he chose not to. "It's about Furukawa."
"Nagisa-chan?" Nayuki continued. "Are you still thinking about yesterday?"
"Yeah..." he responded to her. "I'm sure that she's still troubled over yesterday."
"...I think so too." Nayuki's expression dimmed a bit as she looked at the pond. "Nagisa-chan can be delicate after all."
"I get the feeling that's how she's like."
"Tomorrow... Can you talk to her?" Nayuki peers into his face.
"Talk to her?"
"Mhm..." nodded the bluenette. "...I don't want Nagisa-chan to keep worrying about that time."
"I see... You want me to put her mind at ease, right?"
"Yup..." Nayuki affirmed to him.
Tomoya can understand why Nayuki would ask for him to do it; she's worried about the whole ordeal as well. Perhaps even moreso than him. He takes a moment before providing her an answer, "Sure."
Nayuki elicited a smile upon hearing Tomoya's reply, which brought some comfort to him. Tomoya maintained his gaze at Nayuki, as he lifted up his hand and placed it on top of her head.
"Ah- what~?" Nayuki reacted, surprised by his sudden act.
"Nothing. My hand just moved by itself." or so he says.
A faint trail of redness appeared along her cheeks. "Hands don't just move by themselves.."
"Well, mine just did." Tomoya claimed with a straight face, as he moved his hand away.
"You really are being silly~"
"Nope. You're imagining it." he casually denied, looking away from her.
Instead of prodding at Tomoya any further, Nayuki figured that she can just return the favour for what he did earlier. She proceeded to deliver a poke to his cheek.
"Hey, you're poking my cheek there." Tomoya uttered in response to the light press on his cheek.
"What? I'm just returning the favour~" Nayuki chirped as she draws her finger back, smiling at him in a jolly way.
"Seriously, you..." Tomoya didn't expect this kind of response from Nayuki, but he is certainly amused with her payback tease.
"Hehe~" Nayuki giggled as she began walking away from the edge of the pier. "Come on, Okazaki-kun~"
"Okay, okay." Shoving both of his hands inside his pockets, Tomoya followed her behind. The two of them left the park afterwards.
After some time walking, Nayuki and Tomoya finally reached the intersection of the street leading to their neighbourhood area, and stopped there.
"I can go from here, Okazaki-kun~" Nayuki says to Tomoya.
"Alright. I'll see you around then, Minase."
"Mmh~" Nayuki starts walking in the direction of her home.
Tomoya watched as she halted her steps for a moment and turned around, looking back at Tomoya. Following that, she raises a hand to wave at him, which he returned with a wave of his own. Nayuki smiled, satisfied with the reply, before she continues on walking ahead. Once her back was already far enough from him, Tomoya went on his way to the usual hanging out place to bother a certain blonde guy as usual.
In the meantime, during the evening at Furukawa Bread...
"Tch, it's that boring time of the day again." Akio grumbled at the counter.
With the rush hour during the morning coming to a close, Akio was left to wait around for any customer to go into the store. Frankly enough, it was such a bore for him at that point, he'd rather go play baseball with the neighbourhood kids than sitting duck at the counter.
Akio grabs a hold of his bat lying nearby, deciding to do exactly that. "All right! I better not keep the little league waiting."
However, just as he started to head for the door, Akio spotted a customer entering the bakery from the corner of his eyes.
"Welcome- Oh!" he finally got a good look at the customer who just arrived. It was none other than a certain old friend of Sanae and himself.
"Good evening, Akio-san." Akiko greeted him.
"Oh, Akiko! It's been a while!"
"It has, indeed." she stands in front of the counter. "Is Sanae-san around?"
"Yeah, she is." Akio then called for her in the direction of the hallway. "Sanae, we have a guest!"
"A guest? Who is it?" Sanae emerges from the hallway a moment later. "Ah, Akiko-san! Long time no see."
"Likewise, Sanae-san." Akiko replied. "I heard Nagisa-chan wasn't feeling well. So I came here to pay a visit."
"Ah, is that so?" Sanae asked.
"Yes. I brought her some sweets, too." says Akiko. "It's not much but I'm sure she'll appreciate them."
"Thank you very much, Akiko-san."
"You're welcome, Sanae-san." Akiko then asked, "How is she doing?"
"Nagisa is doing much better compared to yesterday." Akio explained to her. "The doctor said that she just needs some rest."
"That's good to hear."
"That's right!" Sanae clasped her hands together. "Why don't we head inside?"
"Sure."
The three of them went to sit in the living room, with three cups of tea that had been prepared by Sanae on the table. The sweets Akiko had brought for Nagisa can be seen at the table too.
"I hope you didn't mind the wait, Akiko-san. Had I known you were coming, I would have prepared tea earlier!"
"It's fine, Sanae-san." Akiko assures her. "If anything, I'm glad that we're able to be reacquainted."
"Same here! Its been such a long time since we last saw you!" voiced Akio jovially.
"Indeed it has, Akio-san." replies Akiko with a smile. "You two seem as lively as ever."
"Looks like neither of our households changed much over the years." Sanae points out.
"Fufu, that may be right." Akiko holds her cup of tea, as she takes a sip from it. "This tea is quite well-made, Sanae-san."
"Thank you very much, Akiko-san." Sanae smiled at the compliment.
"Sanae's tea is always the best!" Akio then asked her, "Have you been acclimating well here, Akiko?"
"Yes, I am." Akiko nods, as she places her cup down. "Although, I might need a hand with something."
"What is it you need help with, Akiko-san?"
"Well, Nayuki and I need to pack up the boxes that we brought in through delivery after moving in. There are quite a lot of them." she explained to them.
"We would be glad to help."
"That's right. Count us in, Akiko!"
Both Furukawa parents were quick to express their desire to assist Akiko.
"Thank you very much, Sanae-san, Akio-san."
"So, when do we start?" asked Akio.
Akiko answers him with, "Sometime within next week."
"Akio-saaan!" a voice comes from the direction of the shop area.
"...Oh crap, that's right." Akio is pretty much aware of the reason that boy was calling him. "Sorry to cut this reunion short, but I've gotta play with the kids!"
In one go, Akio gulped down the tea from his cup, and practically dashed out of the living room before Sanae and Akiko's eyes.
"Baseball, huh?"
"Akio-san would often play with the boys in the neighbourhood."
"He's as energetic as ever." Akiko mentioned with a hint of amusement.
"Yes." Sanae smiled. "That's just how Akio-san is."
"Mom...?" The sound of a soft but audible voice came from the direction of the sliding door. Sanae and Akiko turned to look at the door, just as Nagisa peeked into the living room.
"Nagisa?"
"Ara, Nagisa-chan."
The chestnut-haired girl rubbed at her eyes. She definitely was looking better, but more bed rest was necessary for her to fully recover. Her complexion brightened up when she recognized the familiar woman currently sitting with her mom by the table.
"Oh... Akiko-san! Good evening."
"Good evening, Nagisa-chan."
Nagisa clumsily stepped into the living room and took her seat next to Sanae.
"You're still feverish, right? You shouldn't push yourself too hard, Nagisa."
"I'm okay, mom. I'm feeling a little better now.." Nagisa said to her mother.
"While that may be true, you're still considerably sick." as she says that, Sanae gently reaches out to check Nagisa's temperature on her forehead. "Looks like your fever did go down. But, get some more rest after this, okay?" Sanae smiles at Nagisa.
"Okay, Mom." Nagisa looked around the table, before she asks, "Um... Where is Dad?"
"Well, he went out just a moment ago."
"I see.." Nagisa's attention shifts back to Akiko. "Akiko-san, what were you talking about with mom just now?"
"We were just talking about arranging the delivery boxes in my house." she then adds, "Before Akio-san left that is."
"Ah, can I help?"
"Ara, so quick to offer help." Akiko quipped.
"Of course." Nagisa proclaimed. "I'd like to help, Akiko-san."
"Approved." Akiko answered in just one second. "After you get better of course, Nagisa-chan."
"Yes!"
"Akiko-san brought some sweets for you earlier, Nagisa." Sanae mentions to her daughter.
"Sweets?"
"Yes. They're for you." Akiko clarified.
"Thank you, Akiko-san." Nagisa smiled at first, before she looked down. "But, you didn't really need to get me anything..."
"Oh?" Akiko cupped a hand over her cheek. "Why shouldn't I? It is Nagisa-chan after all."
"Eh?" Nagisa let out in response.
"Akiko-san is looking out for you, Nagisa. She definitely didnt need to bring something, but what matters is that she did."
"Um, I was..." Nagisa finds it difficult to form a response. "Sorry, I just had a lot going on..."
Upon listening to what Nagisa said, a look of understanding formed over Sanae and Akiko's expression. To both mothers, it is evident that she must be bothered over something.
"Perhaps, are you still troubled over yesterday?" Sanae asked.
Nagisa's silence spoke louder than any word she could have said in response. Sanae took this moment to assure her daughter. "I'm sure it will be alright, Nagisa."
"But, Okazaki-san... he was hurt because of me..." Nagisa revealed what has been causing her inner turmoil since yesterday. "I waited under the rain for Okazaki-san to come, made him play basketball even though he didn't want to, and..." what Nagisa was about to say next trailed off from there. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you anything more..."
"I see..." Sanae paused for a moment. "...You're worried about Okazaki-san."
"Yes..." Nagisa answered, now on the verge of tears.
"I'm sure Okazaki-san felt the same as you, Nagisa." Sanae said tenderly, brushing her daughter's head. "Earlier this morning, he was here to check on you."
"He did?" she looked up to Sanae's face.
"Yes, and Nayuki-chan was with him, too." Sanae revealed to her. "You were resting at the time, so they didn't stay long."
"I see... Okazaki-san and Nayu-chan was here..." Nagisa seemed slightly relieved.
"Nagisa-chan?" Akiko chimes in.
"Yes, Akiko-san?" Nagisa turns her gaze to Akiko.
"I understand the turmoil that yesterday must have caused you." Akiko speaks with a reassuring tone to her voice. "But, Okazaki-san is a good person. I'm sure he will understand if you talk with him about it. Don't you think so?"
"...Yes..." Nagisa takes a moment to gather up her words. "He went out of his way to help me with the Drama Club..."
"Nagisa," Sanae spoke once more. "You still wish to see him, no?"
"Y-Yes." Nagisa replied earnestly.
Akiko smiled at her. "I believe that alone speaks enough, Nagisa-chan."
"Ah..."
"If anything, you won't have to go through this by yourself." Sanae points out. "You have Nayuki-chan with you, Nagisa."
Nagisa went silent once more. Her disposition, while not very noticeable, had changed a bit. She moved to wipe the tears which forming near the edge of her eyes.
"I... I'll try." Nagisa says hesitantly. "I'm still feeling uncertain about what will happen... But, I'll try talking with Okazaki-san tomorrow."
"That's nice to hear." Sanae says, while Akiko merely smiled contently.
Nagisa lets out a little yawn after that. "Sorry..."
"Looks like Akiko-san and I kept you up long enough." Sanae proceeds to aid Nagisa in standing up. "Why don't we go back to your room?"
"Okay..."
The mother and daughter shuffled to Nagisa's bedroom, with Akiko following suit. Soon, she and Sanae are sitting beside her futon.
"Get well soon, Nagisa-chan."
"Yes." Nagisa smiles at her. "Thank you, Akiko-san." Nagisa slowly drifted into sleep as she sank into her futon.
Sanae gently patted Nagisa's head. "Sleep well, Nagisa."
Only after Nagisa really fell asleep, did Sanae and Akiko leave the room. The former slowly closes the door to her daughter room, before they both descended down the stairs to return to the living room.
"I was pretty surprised to see Nagisa moving earlier. She has been recuperating in bed since Okazaki-san and Nayuki-chan brought her home yesterday."
"Nayuki had told me about it." Akiko says to her. "At the very least, it's a relief to know that Nagisa-chan is getting better."
"I agree..." Sanae then decides to change the topic. "Now that we're acquainted again, we should have these little get-togethers more often, Akiko-san."
"I would be delighted with that." Akiko replied. "By the way, Sanae-san, are you running a tutor class?"
"Why do you ask, Akiko-san?" Sanae appears to smile when Akiko asked her that.
"Well," Akiko cupped her hand to her left cheek as she explains to Sanae. "I came across a group of children when I was on my way here. And I overheard them talking about "Sanae-sensei"."
"Ara, is that so?" Sanae then tells Akiko, "Yes, I am running a cram school."
"That's good to hear. Though, working as a baker and running a cram school doesn't sound like an easy job to handle in tandem."
"Well, that's true." Sanae admitted. "But, it's alright. I can manage it."
"If you ever need more help, let me know. I'll try helping out as much as I can, Sanae-san." Akiko offered to her.
"Thank you. I will keep it in mind, Akiko-san."
As the evening sky gradually turns even darker to welcome the night, Sanae would accompany Akiko as she went to the front of the bakery.
"Well, I should probably get going." said Akiko. "Have a good night, Sanae-san."
"Yes. Good night, Akiko-san."
Akiko started to turn around and walk back home, when a loud sound of glass shattering echoed across the neighbourhood area, garnering both Akiko and Sanae's attention.
"Ara, what was that?" Akiko halted her steps, looking around to find where the noise could've originated from.
"HEY, WHO DID THAT?!" a man shouted in the distance.
"Crap! Run away, brats!" Akio exclaimed to the kids he was playing with, his voice barely audible to Akiko and Sanae.
"Looks like we'll have to apologize to the neighbours." Sanae commented on the situation, her smile intact.
"So it would seem, Sanae-san." Akiko quipped in return.
The duo of youthful mothers exchanged looks with each other, before they both chuckled together in amusement.