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The passing fresh breeze felt heavenly through Shoko’s shirt sleeves as she pulled a slow drag from the lit cigarette between her teeth. She sat backwards on a park bench with her elbows resting against it’s back and her legs stretched comfortably through the wide gap between, beginning to feel the tension in her back and shoulders loosen.
Puffing out smoke, she watched it fade away and rubbed her brow tiredly. Her study load was too much these days, and her dorm room started to feel stifling the moment she opened her textbook in an attempt to learn something. She was pretty sure that book would’ve ended up through her window had she decided to not step away for a breather.
Shoko frowned at herself. She lost count of the times she had to go on a smoke break today, which was unusual for her. Examinations are coming up, and it was already grating on her. Maybe she could find a different method around it….
As if hearing her thoughts, it started to drizzle lightly. Shoko groaned and lifted the cigarette back to her lips. Even the universe wanted to send her scrambling back into her room. She didn’t even bring a hoodie‒
“Shoko!” She turned her head to the fantic voice and loud footsteps at her right. It was Utahime, her best friend whom she had dialed up a short while ago and asked (demanded, really) her to come hang out and talk for a while before she went insane and started talking to the walls of her room.
I’ll be there in half an hour, was all Utahime said in return. Shoko did not have to check the time to know that she meant it.
The young woman came clamoring up the stairs to where she was. “How long were you here by yourself for?” Utahime planted one hand that was not occupied by an umbrella she was holding to her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
Calmly, she regarded her friend with a smile. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Shoko asked mildly, putting out her cigarette against the bench head, then flicking it on the gravel somewhere beside her.
Utahime straightened herself and walked towards her at a steadier pace. Her cheeks were still pink, and she had her dark hair up in a slick ponytail behind her. Her green dress looked as windblown as the rest of her did. Her senior looked younger than she was feeling at the moment.
“I came as fast as I could to meet you after I went to the convenience store to pick up some stuff.” Utahime placed her hand to her hip and observed Shoko for a moment. A plastic bag dangled from one of her wrists.
“I told you not to rush,” Shoko reminded her. “I’m not going anywhere. Especially not in front of my desk right now.”
“I know, but I didn’t want you to be alone for too long,” Utahime said easily and settled down next to her. “And I’m glad I did! Where’s your umbrella? ”
“It’s right here with you,” Shoko grinned for what felt like the first time in a month and pulled Utahime’s umbrella from her hand to balance and rest it against the bench between them. They had to scoot closer together to be better covered under it. Neither of them seem to mind that.
Already she could feel the stress from the entire week melt away from her shoulders better than the cigarettes managed to do. That was one of the things she adored about Utahime, how cozy and dependable she was.
They were silent for a while, enjoying each other’s warmth and company under the see-through umbrella as the rain picked up a little more. Then, Utahime opened the bag she brought with her.
“Here: your favorite coffee,” she handed Shoko a chilled can while flashing her a toothy smile. “And look, I got us dark chocolate too! 75% cocoa. There were only two left, can you believe how fast these sell out? Perfect for that all nighter you wanted to pull, right?”
“That and more.” Shoko gratefully snapped open the can and drank a long swing of black coffee, then took a big shard of dark chocolate Utahime broke off for her and ate it. It all tasted like magic in her mouth. She never noticed how hungry she was until she saw all the goodies. Somehow Utahime always knew exactly what she needed.
“I feel like a baby, with you buying me food and feeding it to me like this,” Shoko admitted between crunches, furrowing her brow. Utahime laughed, offering her another piece of chocolate, which she took. “I’ll owe you later for this.”
“Don’t worry—it’s your senpai’s treat. And sometimes people need to be looked after like that. You included,” she said in a motherly tone, sipping her bottle of water that she bought for herself.
“What I would do to be a baby again though,” she muttered into her palm. Her tone sounded more bitter than the chocolate, more than intended. Utahime caught her tone and paused for a second.
“Did you have a bad week?” she asked softly. She scooted a fraction closer to her.
“Yeah,” Shoko finished gulping down her coffee and licked the chocolate off her fingers. She was always a frank person, to a cutting degree. She wasn’t going to lie, least of all to Utahime. “This medical degree is killing me. Especially when I know I’ll be looking at boogie men and who-knows-what instead of humans most of the time.”
Utahime nodded, having already known the situation and Shoko’s grievances about the higher ups putting pressure on her to get her medical license as soon as possible. Natural healers like her were a precious few among the already extremely rare number of sorcerers throughout the world. The faster she completes her studies, the sooner she can start real work at the college. The current medic stationed at Tokyo Tech isn’t getting any younger either.
She sighed heavily. “I know what I have to do, and I know what I’m good at. I just wish that I didn’t have to take so many tests all in a single week and be expected to pass all of them. I think I should just cheat this time around.”
To her surprise, Utahime just raised an eyebrow at that. “You think you can pull that off?”
“Hell yeah,” Shoko pointed at Utahime with a finger gun. Honestly, she expected a stern reprimand from her. Maybe she was tired of all the bureaucracy too, and wanted to see someone stick it to those old farts. “Just as long as senpai brings me black coffee and dark chocolate.”
Utahime did a poor imitation of someone thinking hard, tapping her forefinger on her chin. “That sounds like a deal.” She leaned in close. “I’d feel bad if you were left all alone on the streets after they’d kick you out anyways.”
“I’m getting out of there with my degree in my hand one way or the other,” Shoko said with an air of confidence. She poked Utahime’s cheek. “Give me a few years, I promise.”
“Well at least you're settled on that,” Utahime just batted her hand away and smirked. Downing the last of her water, she tossed all the garbage they made into the plastic bag she brought and tied it up. Both bellies content, she copied Shoko’s pose and rested her elbows on the edge of the seat back, looking at the scene in front of them.
“The petals are really nice from up here,” Utahime observed out loud. “It looks like the city is in a big bubble bath, don’t you think? With the rain and all.”
Shoko thought about that and squinted. “It looks like when you blow bubbles in a glass of strawberry milk too,” she rested her head against Utahime’s shoulder, feeling strangely exhausted, even after what she had just consumed. The sound of rain hitting the umbrella between them did wonders relaxing her. That and all the talking between them helped too, silly or not. So much better than hearing an old man miserably lecture her about organs and veins and their functions for hours on end.
Shoko felt Utahime’s snort more than she heard it. She also felt her cheek rubbing gently against her hair as well. “Maybe you are a baby, Shoko.”
“Whatever,” Shoko said petulantly, closing her eyes and wanting to stay like this forever. For a while, they both gazed down at the city immersed with frothy sakura blossoms that bloomed at its peak.
She opened her eyes when she felt an ankle hooking her’s.
“You’re doing great Shoko, you know that?” Utahime said softly into the night, still staring at the city. “You’ll be a great medic, no matter what.”
Shoko couldn’t hide her smile if she wanted to. Maybe her good mood will stick with her for the rest of the night after this. And she was sure it wasn’t just because of the chocolate and coffee too. “Too soon to tell, Utahime.”
“Why can’t you ever take a compliment,” Utahime rolled her eyes. She held out her hand outside the cover of the umbrella. “It stopped raining.”
“I’m not going back into that boiler room called a dorm, even if you drag me on your bike,” Shoko announced loudly as Utahime got up and closed her umbrella. Her right side was still warm from when she sat next to her. She briefly wondered if Utahime’s left side felt just as warm too.
Utahime looked affronted. “I wasn’t even going to mention that! I was thinking maybe we should ride on my bike around the park for a bit. It’s so beautiful outside, plus it’ll help you destress. I have an extra seat attached to the back wheel.”
Utahime held out her hand towards Shoko, and they looked at each other. Her hair glittered under both the lamp and city lights, and for a moment she admired how her friend looked like she had just stepped out of a children’s book, how abnormally dream-like this night had unexpectedly turned out to be.
Charmed, Shoko took her hand and got up on her feet. “Thanks, for everything, Utahime,” she said, meaning every word of it with a wobbly smile on her face.
Her best friend was pink cheeked again, grinning as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Come on Shoko. Let’s just go and forget about everything else but these stars above us tonight.”