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Ogata Haruna peered over the girl’s writing, in which Nonaka quickly covered with her arms, slumping herself over it protectively like it was some highly-sensitive information that no one should ever discover.
Well, it sort of is.
“Mou, Miki-chan!” Ogata whined. “What are you trying to write there huh? Huh?”
But then she remembered it needed not be hidden. So she relaxed, giggling at the girl peering down at her with her huge brown eyes, brows highly-arched and lips pursed like of a bird’s.
“You’ll find nothing!” She cried.
She let her arms unravel it – there was it, written entirely English, in English alphabet. She was confident Ogata would barely understand it, save for a few, elementary words she might know.
“What’s this?” The girl took snatched and held it before her. She frowned. “Eh~ Miki-chan’s sneaky. What’s this!”
“It is what it is,” she replied. She can’t help but just giggle at the expanse of the girl’s animated expressions. It seemed to change every second, and none like the other. “See, you’d understand it none.”
“I... you... hmm... nani kore, nani... cute. Kawaii?” Ogata tried to read what she can while skipping the words she can’t, which were most of it, so she wasn’t able to form any coherent thought. She huffed and slumped on the table on her chin. Her eyes drooped and she let the paper slid back to Nonaka. “How am I supposed to read that? It’s unfair, it’s all in English.”
“You’ll be reading it when you can already.” Nonaka took the paper again. She wrote some more.
“I’m still not good at it,” Ogata watched the ballpoint scribble on the paper. She then propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hands. “Why can’t you just tell me?”
She put down the pen and smiled at her. She had been helping her generation mate with English, and teaching the girl with many more than what was currently being taught at school. Words, phrases... “There are yet many more days to learn.”
The girl frowned at her, albeit in a different way. Frowning and pouted altogether in a not-so-kawaii way, still, Nonaka found it adorable.
“’Watashi no namae wa Ogata Haruna-san desu.’ Translate that to English then.”
“My neimu is Ogata Haruna,” the girl answered back.
“Very good!”
“Yoku dekimashita! Suggoi yo!” She answered again. They had been practicing by having Ogata translate Nonaka’s Japanese to English, or vice versa. The girl seemed pleased, but again, grumbled as according to her sulking mood. “But we practiced that over and over~”
“Ii yo. ‘You are cute.’”
“Anata wa kawaii.”
“You are funny as well, and kind as well.”
“Eh? ‘Anata wa omoshiroi mo?’ Is that okay? Omoshiroi mo, yasashii mo.”
Nonaka only smiled. She continued, “You made the days fun.”
“Anata ga.. fun? How do you say it in Japanese? Tanoshii? Days huh? Uhh...”
“I feel happy to be with you."
“Ureshii? Ano... ”
“The days were bliss. I have completely relied on you.”
“Eh??? Wait!”
“When you’re not around, the days were sad."
“Oi Miki!”
“Even in school, even around friends, it’s you I think of and I can’t wait to see you again.
I began to miss you so much that for awhile I was confused
‘Why?’ I asked
Could it be I’m falling in love with you?”
“OI MIKI!!!”
The words trailed off. She smiled at Ogata. This time she’s the one with her chin on her hands, elbows propped on the table.
“THAT WAS ENGLISH!” Haruna complained, eyes incredulous and nose fuming. It looked funny though. “I CAN’T UNDERSTAND!”
She continued again, “Today, you snatched this letter away. I was relieved that you can’t read it, but disappointed as well. When will you understand my feelings, then?”
“STOP IT!” Haruna pushed back her face. She burst into fits of laughter.
“But aren’t we practicing English?” She managed to say when it gradually ceased.
“But that’s long English! Complex English, I can’t understand it!”
“You’ll be reading it on another time then.” Nonaka neatly folded the paper and tucked it away. Ogata pouted at her, and this time, it was no exaggeration. There were so many things she could write everyday, and until then, these letters would just pile-up.
"Why can't you just tell me?" The girl muttered. Her face was now devoid of expression, just natural and solemn. Even then, she managed to look like a very cute puppy. Kawaii na~
“You’ll read it when you can,” she promised.
Ogata pulled her lower eyelid and stuck her tongue out. Nonaka laughed.