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Akira hadn't come back since what happened, from what Lu had said Akira had caught a cold and was bedridden, Heisuke went to her house once a week to help her in her room with a bowl of soup. When Shin did nothing and avoided talking about what happened...
“Is she still sick? “ asks shin
But he couldn't help but ask for news to make sure she was okay.
“Who is that? “ asks Lu innocently.
“Akira, you saw him recently.. so you must have some news” Shin asks.
“she is.. still sick very very sick…” she said.
“I thought she just had a cold…” Shin asks again
“yes but it’s gotten worse and Heisuke can’t go there anymore… because it’s quite contagious. “ retorts Lu;
“ah good… me who thought I was going to see her to apologize” said shin very calmly.
The two are outside the store with posters that they were supposed to put up on the door to attract new customers, Shin was putting up the posters while Lu sat her on one of the table chairs outside.
“There’s no point in going to see her… since she’s unwell, the boss forbade you to leave the store because you had to receive the orders,” she said in a fairly passive voice.
“It’s you that he asked for his…” he replies
“No, he asked you… it’s crazy how you’ve been rambling for a week, rest up, old man,” she said, tapping his right shoulder with a poster.
Of course it was another lie from Lu but she had taken advantage of Shin's situation to pass the bad spots on him.
“You’re probably right, I didn’t check the schedule this morning,” he said, putting up a new poster.
Shin continued to put up the posters with Lu for a good half hour before going back to take care of putting them on the shelves and making a delivery because Heisuke had not yet arrived at the store.
“It doesn’t usually take him this long to go shopping,” Shin said.
“he said he wanted to try some new products for Pitsuke,” Lu replies, folding a sheet from the counter.
“Okay, too bad, I'm going to go deliver it myself, tell Mr. Sakamoto that I'm going to make a delivery instead of Heisuke,” he said, taking the delivery bag.
“Are you sure? “ asks read.
“Yes, I still know how to drive and make a delivery! “ Shin retorts, sighing.
“I’m just asking..” she said
He takes Lu's sheet then a pen to write a note to Mr. Sakamoto to warn him, before going to the rest room to collect the keys to the motorcycle. All this under the gaze of Lu who was looking at him without doing anything.
“I’ll text you the address,” she said, pointing to her phone.
“thank you” he said before leaving
Then shin goes to the garage to pick up taro's motorcycle which shin used on rare occasions but usually it was for deliveries out of town like in this specific case, he starts the motorcycle then starts to leave with the address that Lu had given him.
Meanwhile Heisuke was in a cat cafe with Akira to review “the play”.
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea to bring Pitsuke here.. with all the cats present” Heisuke said looking at the cats.
“Don’t worry, they’re very calm cats...” she said, taking another sip of her drink.
“I trust you on that.. but otherwise tell me how is shin? “asks akira
he turns his head to do akira to see her face embarrassed by this question, heisuke knew that the situation between the two was complicated but he didn't want to hurt her..
“he’s doing… quite well if I may say so! “ said Heisuke, hesitating on the answer.
“What do you mean... if I may say so? you haven’t seen him recently” asked akira.
“Shin went to stay with family so I haven’t seen him for… three… five days but I think he’s fine after all it’s Shin” Heisuke said stammering.
“Okay… I see..” she said, lowering her head.
After that, a few long minutes of silence settle in... which ends when Heisuke receives a call and picks up in the same minute.
“hello.. oh it’s you s-... Lu . “ says heisuke who quickly glances at akira to give him a smile.
“I’m going to go pay..” she replies in a whisper.
Following this sentence she leaves directly with her bag to pay, leaving Heisuke to talk on the phone.
“Yes I know it’s you.. excuse me it’s because of the lady in the canteen.. listen I’ll meet you at the shop!! “ he said rather quickly.
“wait heisuke don’t talk so fast! I don’t understand where do you want me to go get you” Shin asks from his phone/
“Heisuke do you have any change..” she asks, approaching him
“Wait but this is the way..” Shin said during the phone call.
“ to the store! What did you drink from? go to more LU “ he said stuttering before hanging up.
“Are you sure you’re okay? “asks akira
“very good and here is the change” he said giving her a note.
At the same time Shin had just said that he was getting ready to leave before noticing Heisuke who was also starting to leave, but was not at the store as Lu had told him but in an old cat store to drink tea, he wanted to wave to tell him to come with him but he stops when he sees the person with him... it was akira in great shape exchanging money for him.
“I was sure..” he said
Then he leaves on a motorbike
Later that day back at the store shin was putting up posters on the counter to show the promotions Heisuke is coming up an old sheet.
“So Heisuke you found what you were looking for at the store” asks shin
“yes, and besides, this is for you,” he said, handing her the sheet.
“If it’s still a poster for your shooting range activity, it’s no,” he said.
“read before you complain” he said
he looks at the sheet, it was the poster of the famous “play” that Heisuke and Akira were preparing for his family, he glances at his friend who in response nods yes.
This one
" For what ? “ asked Shin
“I want you to come see the presentation! “ he said with pride
“And if I don’t want to…” asks Shin
“so you're not a good friend but hey I understand you you must still blame yourself after everything that happened! “ he said
“Did Lu tell you about it? “ asked shin
“yes besides this evening I’m not here so can you watch pitsuke? “ Heisuke asks, walking out with soft eyes.
“do you have a date? “ he asks
“with my grandma..” replies Heisuke, smiling
“I want to,” he said.
“great, you’re a really good friend,” heisuke retorts, slapping him on the back.
In the evening Heisuke had gone to his meeting with his grandmother, Shin was outside to go buy cigarettes and a meal because the Sakamoto family was not there, Lu was supposed to come with him but she had pretended to be going out so he was alone for the evening but perhaps not for long..
Because he was a little bored and also wanted to know why Heisuke had lied to him so he wrote him a message to which he hoped to answer him,
It was when he arrived in front of the cat store this morning that he saw an old acquaintance sitting on a table playing with a cat. He entered then nevertheless moved towards her.
“ Akira … “ tell shin
she lifts her head to see shin's confused face here.
It had been a week since the two had last seen each other, since their misunderstandings and especially since neither wanted to talk about theirs.. to avoid an argument or worse….
“good evening shin…” she said
“you’re not sick anymore… from what I see” he asks before sitting down
“and you came back from your parents’ house” she said
“how is that with my parents...” retorts the blond guy
Given Akira's reaction to his response, he understood quite quickly that Heisuke must have told him a lie to avoid the misunderstanding and Lu had surely done the same.
“heisuke told me…oh I see” she said
“they had to make up a lie to keep us from being sad... that doesn’t surprise me. “ he said
“You really have great friends then,” Akira said with a smile.
“yes really.. actually akira I saw the poster for your show with heisuke” he said showing the poster
she looks at the poster and then understands…
“she’s really well made,” she said.
" Yes ! I know that I was reluctant about your show to the point of having been quite mean the last time we saw each other so... I wanted to apologize and tell you that it would be with pleasure that I will come,” he said, scratching his head and feeling some redness.
“OH BUT it’s me who should be sorry, I wasn’t clear with her.. and regarding this poster” she said before being cut off.
“It’s me who should be clear!” I was mean and that probably saddened you, especially after I refused your meeting,” he exclaims.
Akira then understood that Shin was sincere about his apologies and she wanted to tell him the truth about the show despite him cutting her off.
“Shin the show doesn’t exist.. it was Heisuke’s scheme..” she finally said
“oh… I suspected that…” he said
“Besides, we weren’t revising a play but Heisuke was giving me advice on love matters,” she said… stuttering.
“you really asked the wrong person for advice.” he said, laughing.
“I don’t think so..” she said.
“you know.. this story taught me that heisuke is really an intelligent person for having planned this, I think that Lu must also be in the neck for having lied to me but.. I know what we could do,” he said
“are you going to help me with love advice? “ she asks
“I could, but we could make them believe that we fought to get some kind of revenge,” he said with a smirk.
“no, I don’t think so,” she said.
“Can’t we just pretend to be together” asks the blue girl.
“bad idea,” he said, shaking his head.
“We might as well not say anything to avoid the involvement of both of us in the end.. we're just going to do nothing and wait until next week to tell them that we're friends again...” he said with a smile.
“friends...eh” she said in a low voice.
“It’s a good thing in any case, I’m happy to have become your friend again, it’s one less stress,” he said, sighing.
“me too.. even though it’s only been a week” she said with a slight smile.
Even if Akira was happy to see Shin again and to be his friend again... but she still had a pang in her heart after his refusal of a date, she knew that everything was going to go back to the way it was before and that nothing was going to change in their relationship... even putting on a fake show with heisuke..
Akira then takes the rest of her courage and gets up to then go towards Shin who was speaking without realizing the situation, she puts her hands on his cheeks then kisses him quite quickly on his lips, the kiss only lasts a few seconds and yet Akira knew that it might or might not change their situation.
After a few minutes she separates from him then leaves the store leaving Shin alone.
“What just happened” said Shin after a few minutes of silence
While Akira for her part sent a message to someone then glanced at the shop hoping that Shin would join her but after a few minutes which seemed to be eternal in Akira's eyes he didn't come and decided to leave.
She goes back home and Shin does the same an hour later he finds Lu sitting on a chair eating ice cream, she saw Shin's expression
“What’s going on? “ she asks
“nothing interesting” he said
“you met a girl” she asks again
“better than that. “ he said
then he goes to his room and takes out his phone then sends one last message for the evening
“I now understand the message! I was too stupid not to understand the signs!
If you would like, I would really like to apologize and invite you out.
good night and thank you for the message (once again)