Sakaki spent most of Sunday cooped up in her room. She laid on her bed for most of it, hugging her Starry Neko Coneko tight and close to her. She drifted in and out of sleep, though she experienced no dreams, only dips of black and the sensation of unconsciousness. She tossed and turned throughout most of the day. "Maybe if I'm with my dad...I could finally have a cat." She thought to herself. Sakaki became misty eyed at the thought of this. What good was a cat if she could not be with her mom? Surely a cat is no replacement for a mother. While she continued to toss and turn, a knock came on her door. She sat up quickly. "Come in." She softly said, wiping a tear away from her eye with the sleeve of her pajamas. Her father opened the door and peeked his head in. "Can I come in?" He asked Sakaki. "Sure." She answered. Her father stepped in through the door and walked over to his daughter, unaware of her inner troubles and tear filled bouts of non-sleep. He sat down on her bed and began to talk to her.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"I'm fine." Sakaki lied, looking down.
Both of them were quiet for a moment.
"Have you eaten anything yet?" Her father asked, knowing the answer. Sakaki shook her head. "Are you hungry?" He asked. Sakaki waited a moment before nodding. "I'll make something for us. How about beef takoyaki? You still like that, don't you?"
Sakaki nodded again. Her father pulled his daughter close and gave her a kiss on the head. "I'll call you down when it's ready." He said, exiting her room. He partially closed the door behind him, leaving it open just a crack so she could hear his call when dinner was ready. After he had gone, Sakaki hugged her stuffed animal again and slipped back into the sadness she had become so familiar with. She thought for a moment before reaching across for her phone. Upon opening it, she began to type out a message for her mother.
"I love you."
She sent it and waited patiently for a reply. About two minutes later, her phone vibrated.
"I love you too xx"
Sakaki turned off her phone and began to tear up. They both loved her so much. Why couldn't they just love each other?
Some time passed and eventually her tears dried up. "Foods ready!" Her father yelled up the stairs. Sakaki sluggishly lifted herself out of bed and gave her plushie one final hug, before placing it on the bed and walking downstairs. She walked through the hallway and into the kitchen, where a dish was prepared for her on the table. Her father had already begun eating, his papers from work occupying part of the table. "Sorry for the mess." He apologized. "It's fine." Sakaki assured her father. She walked over to her place and slowly began to eat, chewing her food slowly so as to enjoy it to the fullest. While she was eating, her father slipped her a piece of paper. On the piece of paper was a list of names of students from her school. "This is my class for next year. Are any of your friends there?" He asked his daughter. Sakaki put down her chopsticks and glanced over the sheet of paper. She pointed to one name on the list. "This one." She said, pointing to Kaorin's name. Her father took the paper back and looked at where Sakaki had pointed. "Haruhi?" Her father asked. "No, the name below her." Sakaki corrected him. He looked down at the name beneath 'Haruhi'. "Oh, Kaori?" He asked his daughter. She nodded. "I see." He said. "Would you prefer it if she stayed in your class?"
Sakaki nodded. "Alright, I'll call Miss Yukari later on." He told his daughter. Sakaki felt a little happier knowing atleast one of her friends would be in the same class as her. "Thank you." She told her father. She picked up her chopsticks again and continued to eat her meal.
"Thank you for letting me stay the night." Kagura thanks Kaorin's mom, bowing before her and the girls. "We were happy to have you." Kaorin's mom replied.
"We should do this again some time!" Kaorin told her friend.
"Yeah, definitely!" Kagura answered back. She waved the trio goodbye and set off back home with her back across her back. Continuing down the road, she reached down into her pocket and picked up her phone. Kagura punched Sakaki's number in and held the phone up close to her ear.
Sakaki placed her dish in the dishwasher and thanked her father for the meal again. "Can I get you anything else?" The man asked his daughter. "I think we have some ice cream left in the freezer." Sakaki shook her head back and forth. "No thank you." She told her father. He nodded. "If you change your mind, let me know." Sakaki nodded back. She walked back up the stairs and closed the door behind her. As she was about to slump back down onto her bed, her phone began to ring. Sakaki picked it up and answered the phone. "Hello?" She said.
"Hey, it's me, Kagura." Said Kagura.
"Oh, hello."
"Hey, are you doing anything tomorrow? I was thinking we could hang out."
Sakaki took a moment to reply and thought for a moment. It couldn't hurt to hang out with Kagura.
"Yo, you still there?" asked Kagura after not hearing a reply from her friend.
"Sure." Sakaki said. "We can hang out."
"Awesome!" exclaimed Kagura. "Where do you wanna meet? I was thinking the park near school. You know, the one with the pond, lake, area, thing."
"That sounds nice."
"Alright, sounds good. Meet me by the gate tomorrow!"
Kagura hung up the phone and carried on home, excited about what tomorrow may bring.