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Tomorrow was saturday, and right now it was time for all students to head home. Tokie, of course, was one of those students.
Sighting, thinking about how she really wanted to just go home and sleep till tomorrow noon, the girl abruptly stopped her tracks.
Satoko.
Slightly younger than Tokie, Satoko was one kind and simple village girl who didn't attend school. Tokie had heard rumours that her parents were planning to marry her off to some village boy around her age. Meaning that they'd probably stop seeing each other.
Tokie did not want that obviously. She walked up to Satoko, who at first did not notice the other girl.
"Oh, Tokie," her usually droopy eyes lit up like little lamps as Satoko took notice of her. "What a lovely coincidence! I was actually just thinking about you."
Tokie could not help it, but a hint of red took over her cheeks. A smile happily made its way into her young face.
"Aw, were you really? And i just saw you passing by and i thought, why not talk for a bit before heading home?"
Satoko looked really happy with the school girl around. As if Tokie was this one puzzle piece that she was looking for. When the two were standing together, Satoko felt full, like she was completely herself.
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"Soon i'll get engaged." Satoko dropped those words like an anvil from a two story building. Very quickly this joyful atmosphere faded away. Tokie did not want to hear any confirmation that those rumours of her friend's engagement were true. She wanted to continue living in her own reality where there were no marriage plans for Satoko, where she could go to school with her, where they'd grow up together.
And on the other side, deep down, Satoko wanted the same thing. But she had to introduce the stupid, dull reality that she was living in.
"His name is Kazumi."
"Don't tell me about it." Tokie's thoughts almost slipped off her tongue.
"See, he's actually not a bad guy, he's decent and friendly but... I don't really see myself living the rest of my life together with him under a single roof."
Tokie quickly noticed a forced smile on her friend's face. She tried to reassure her, that despite the family decision that she wasn't agreeing with, Satoko still tried to look calm as possible about it. Tokie hated to see Satoko force a smile.
"Satoko." A firm, sudden tone. Tokie stretched her arm forward. "Let's hold hands. Till we reach your home."
Satoko was, in all honesty, a little confused. At least her forced smile from earlier was gone. The girl hesitated to give her a hand. She fidgeted her fingers around the fabric of her own clothing instead.
"Come on, just give me your hand!" Tokie felt her face getting redder, but she tried to ignore the feeling in order to focus only on Satoko. "I don't care if one person or two talk about us behind our backs!"
If it was hand holding that Tokie wanted so badly, then she would so get it. Satoko stretched back an arm, her hand carelessly locking with the other. But her free hand continued to fidget onto a fabric, like she didn't know what to do with it.
The atmosphere quieted down around the girls, getting the occasional sudden burst of noises from strangers and fellow students of Tokie who'd pass by. This gesture of a "simple" hand holding turned a little too intense for the two. It didn't need to become this way, but it did.
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Tokie held a tight grip onto Satoko's hand. Never wanting to let go of it. Something made Tokie feel that the other girl definitely experienced some similar feelings, buried deep within.
The two walked, hand in hand, one beside another. Satoko walked forward carefully, with her sight fixated on Tokie, while Tokie looked up ahead, not batting an eye to the girl.
As they slowly reached Satoko's house, Tokie in particular heard whispers. Pretty quiet ones, from two or three people who were definitively trying their best to not get heard. Tokie blinked, her eyebrows furrowing, as she felt Satoko letting go from her grip earlier than supposed to. In response, Tokie gripped her hand tighter.
"You'll let go of me once we reach your house."
Satoko could only smile as visibly as she could in response. With each passing second, her smile became as clear and genuine as a day.
Tokie had a point. She could only let her go once her house was close and reached.
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