Chapter Text
There was something he heard, in the form of a whisper, the moment they all, but himself, decided to run straight to the ocean. “Say, Shima-kun”, Fumi, he believed was her name, had an extremely pleasant smile and sunburned cheeks. “Doesn’t Mitsumi look even sunnier when she’s surrounded by sand?”
Sousuke couldn’t put his finger on what made his skin crawl the most. Was it the fact that he couldn’t find a good enough excuse not to come on this trip? Or maybe was the moment he had to face Mitsumi’s dad and pretend they never shared a picnic blanket on a hot afternoon? Or was it now, with this foxy like girl, who could read him like an open book?
Avoiding her medusa eyes, he turned to stone before she could attack him, not moving a muscle, focused on Egashira almost drowning on a wave while Mukai tried to save her. “It does fit her very well,” he answered. “And she’s very happy here.”
“I’ll have to agree with that, yes,” Fumi said and, by the corner of his eyes, he could see her studying him. “By the way, she told me a lot about you, Shima-kun.”
Sousuke cleaned his throat, internally thanking (for the first time ever) his mother for forcing him to attend so many acting classes. “Only good things, I hope.”
“Have you ever heard her say any bad thing about anyone ever?”
He couldn’t refute the world’s most obvious truth, so he settled for a small nod. The sun, who was once eating him alive, now barely made any damage, a blessing that only Fumi’s cold shoulder could give. As obvious as the sand between his toes, he could sense how stupid he was for even accepting to be here. Not because he didn't want to, but for the sole reason that he didn't deserve to.
All because he was a filthy thief. Sousuke, who once stole Mitsumi’s smile, was now invading her precious sanctuary thanks to his own selfishness. And even knowing this unholy fact, he completely ignored the way the need to travel for the sake of friendship started to feel nebulous, only because all he ever thought, while helping all the girls with their luggages, was how he would be able to quite literally be from head to toe absorbed on Mitsumi.
And how could he be wrong when he smelled the familiar scent of lime as soon as her mother approached them, bringing in her small hands more cups than she could carry? Or how it felt electrifying when Mitsumi touched his arm, lightly, so close to her dad, who stayed at the corner of the room, completely disinterested in the newspaper he was pretending to read? How could he ever be wrong when Satonosuke jumped straight to his chest, knocking him down, as if they were longtime friends?
She was everywhere: on the couch; on the dinner table; on the baby pictures she tried to hide; on her little sister shyness and her little brother boldness; on the small patch of grass on their backyard, a little to yellowish compared to the others, where she admitted, only to him, that it was her favorite place to stop and watch the sky. “Not too sunny, but not too shady, Shima-kun. Can’t go wrong!”
It was obvious how he entered a world that was ruled by a queen he knew so well. And he, of course, had taken the wrong decision to disturb the peace with his pathetic presence.
“You can feel how loved she is here”, he tried, again, to make small talk. Fumi just nodded. “Kippei-kun even told me that their grandma stayed up late to make red bean rice, just for her.”
“It’s basically tradition, now”, turning his head slightly, he could see Fumi’s delicate smile as she observed Mitsumi. “Her grandma thinks it’s the perfect way to say how welcomed she is. And now you guys too, of course.”
“Ah!” He felt shy. “I don’t think I thanked her enough…”
The girl just giggled, light as the wind that disturbed their clothes. “You’re fine, Shima-kun. I think you should focus more on her than on her grandma.” He stayed silent, lost in his own mind, trying to find a way to tell her that all he could ever think about was Iwakura Mitsumi, ever since the moment their lives crossed on the subway.
Would Fumi ever tell Mitsumi to run away from him if he admits that now, without any hesitation, he could tell which and how many were the summer freckles that appeared overnight on the girl’s shoulders? Or how her eyes melted a little more in joy every time she’s near her little siblings, even when they are telling her new friends old embarrassing stories about her? Or how she has her mother’s personality yet her father’s mystery? Or how he’s finally able to see her signature smile back on her face, the one that he tore apart?
“Fumi”, he wanted to say. “Do you think I have any chance of winning her back?”. But instead, he could only murmur “I don’t want to disturb her vacation.”
For a brief fraction of a minute, all they could ever hear was the ocean’s cry and their friends amused screams. There was, hidden between the lines of their silence, the awareness that Fumi already knew everything that happened between them, yet was slowly trying to remove the information from his vocal cords. And he could toss this bluff away and be open and frank once and for all, although his pride was still too high for a coward to climb. If she wanted to persuade him, two can play this game.
“You know,” Fumi broke their peace. “You really think I’m judging and cursing you right now, right?” He stood still, not daring to call it a tie. “But I honestly only heard good things about you, Shima-kun. Even after the whole…You know.”
Sousuke turned, meeting her eyes in the middle. “I honestly think you are very brave for coming here,” she continued.
“Brave as in “how dare he”?” He scoffed.
“No”, she tied her brows one to another, amused. “Brave as in “good to know he’s still trying””.
He felt the sun start to burn again, or maybe it was his own blood going to his head as he turned away from her, fast. “We both know I don’t have the right to.”
“I only know what I heard,” she shrugged. “And from what she told me, I just thought you were a scary cat.”
Sousuke grinned, for the first time since they started talking, amused. “You’re not wrong…”
“I’m never wrong, mister human Satonosuke-kun.” Both laughed, a timid bond starting to form. “Isn’t it weird for a boy who looks so much like a dog to be a cat?”
Now it was his time to shrug. “It’s the role I gave myself.”
Fumi punched his shoulder. “If you don’t change this “role” of yours, I will haunt you in your sleep.”
With that, a rush of joy crossed his mind and he felt it was his right to feel at ease at this small fracture of the present they all shared. Maybe it was thanks to Fumi, who managed to make him feel at home, the same person who he once thought was going to devour him whole. Maybe it was the vanilla and lime smell that was stuck on his hair still, provenient from the borrowed pillow he claimed to be his. Or, if he could have the permission to say, maybe it was the way Mitsumi was bright and grateful, letting herself turn one with salted water.
However, there was a small but big part of his personality that he still couldn't let go, still. “I just think this is for the best, in the end”, he said. “I’ll only bring her down with me if I keep insisting on something more.”
“Shima-kun, it’s on her to decide what’s good and bad for her.” Fumi, with a grin at the corner of her mouth. “Of course that, as her friend, I need to warn her about a lot of things and help her with others. I just think that, in this case, you both just need a little time.” He nodded, agreeing. “You might need a little bit more than her but that’s fine.”
“I’m just afraid I’m going to lose her,” thanks to a fracture of vulnerability, Sousuke whispered. “It’s scary.” And, by the ocean, far beyond his reach, Mitsumi never looked so happy.
He felt a little but sudden pressure on his left shoulder, making him wake up from whenever dream he drifted to. It was Fumi’s hand that decided to rest there for a bit. “If you keep drowning yourself in this pity party, you will,” she said and he felt weird, slightly offended. “Give yourself a little break. For example, you could be there with them instead of being here with a total stranger that’s lecturing you.” She looked at him, playfully.
“I don’t know,” he said, sly. “I think we’re already best friends now.”
Fumi, not giving him a slight chance to make up another excuse, pushed him further and further. Sousuke, who pretended to try and escape, left his destiny to be in the hands of a girl he just met. And, as if reading both of their minds, Mitsumi turned around at the exact time they were close enough to wet their feet. “Shima-kun, Fumi! You finally made it!”
“We just needed some time to build up some courage.” Fumi said, cleaning her hands from imaginary dust. “The sun might be hot, but the water is always cold.”
Without waiting for a response from both of them, Fumi tossed her old shirt aside and let herself be swallowed by the ocean, swimming in the direction of the other girls, who screamed her name — Mukai nowhere to be seen. Sousuke, a little too shy to be wearing only his shorts, crossed his arms in front of his t-shirt, praying that he looked casual doing so.
“Shima-kun”, Mitsumi called. “Come join us!” She extended a hand to him, before dropping her eyes to his chest. “You can keep the shirt if you want, it’s ok!”
He felt silly, red covering his whole body. How could he ever think he could hide something from her?
Still waiting for a reply, Mitsumi just stood there, arm still stretched. Sousuke looked at her, at the girls and at his friend who appeared magically, a huge pool float in hands. They all looked happy, world covered in gold: the life he always wanted.
As his mind started to wonder, Sousuke took Mitsumi’s invitation, afraid he might break her. The girl, on the other hand, just covered his worries with a smile and a gentle pull. “I’m glad you’re here, Shima-kun!” A little further from them, Fumi observed it all, her foxy like gin back on her face. Without emitting a song, he could read her lips saying “I told you so.”
How lucky of a bastard he was, to be forgiven for all his sins, to be able to smell like vanilla and lime for the whole summer. “I’m glad you invited me.”