Chapter Text
Minamo took care this time to make the wide end of the tie just over half as long as the narrow end. From there her hands moved slowly, almost robotically, but barely trembling; over, around, through the top, into the loop, and finally she could tighten it. She pulled it down painstakingly, adjusting as she went along. But, no matter what she did, despite her efforts, it ended up the same: the tie was the wrong length. The small end poked through the bottom. There was a twist in the back. She grit her teeth and tried to tear apart the knot. Yukari grabbed her hands.
“Come on, Nyamo, you’re choking me.”
Minamo looked down in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Yukari, I just…” She sighed, pulled the knot apart, and gripped her knees with her hand. Yukari laughed and put her hand on her shoulder. “Oh, Nyamo… you take this too seriously, you know that.” She brushed her hand off. “It is serious, Yukari. You don’t—“ She met Yukari with her tear-welled eyes, took a deep breath, and grabbed back onto the ends of the tie. “I wish I could go through life as easy as you. You’re probably right. But let me keep trying.”
She began to twist them and knot them again, with the faint, sad hope that only comes with shattered confidence. She started to tear up again, and furrowed her brow in frustration and to hide her emotions. But then, as if solely to crush her emotional wall, Yukari raised her hand up, and gently touched Minamo’s. She clenched up.
“You know, Nyamo…”
Nyamo barely noticed her own hand start to rub against hers with friction and desperation. Don’t say another word, she pleaded internally.
But her silence was all the worse. She lifted her other hand and placed it on Nyamo’s rosy cheek. Her eyes closed and Nyamo watched in horror as she leaned in. In flight, she grabbed onto Yukari’s knee and lifted herself off the bed, staring down at her forlorn best friend. She brushed off her shoulders.
“M— Ms. Tanizaki, I…”
“Jesus, we’re not in class, don’t call me that.” Yukari stood up. Ms. Kurosawa turned around.
“Yukari, excuse me, you’re my best friend, but…”
“But what?” said Yukari, stepping toward Minamo, who turned back.
“I can’t do that, Yukari. You know that. I didn’t call you here for… that. I need help finding a real partner.”
Yukari stared her in the eyes. “A real partner. What would I be? What, your wingman? Your friend for when you get lonely? Has nothing about us has ever been ‘real’?”
Minamo tried to force a smile. “Well, Yukari… I’m not fifteen anymore.” She realized what she said and clasped her mouth, but nothing could undo Yukari being completely shattered. Her eyes widened and rippled, before heating and searing Minamo with their gaze.
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
Minamo turned around and started picking up Yukari’s crushed beer bottles from the ground. “Forget it. I think you should go home.”
“Don’t tell me to forget that bullshit. I’m not going to forget thirteen fucking years because—“
“YUKARI!” Minamo whipped her head around, and both her and Yukari’s eyes met with tears of rage and suffering. She cooled herself down. “I have a date tomorrow morning. My mother found him for me. He’s a doctor, and he’s young, one year out of medical school. He doesn’t seem like the most interesting guy, but he makes a lot of money and I think he’ll like me. Now I need to get some rest so I can be ready. Good night, Yukari.”
Yukari looked in her eyes and grinded her teeth in disgust. She walked through the door without so much as a second glance and slammed it. Minamo sat back onto the bed, gripped the ends of her hair, and rocked back and forth, trying to control her shallow, erratic breaths.
She barely closed her eyes that night. The next morning, for an hour, she practiced putting the tie on herself. It didn’t work.
…
“Um— I’m sorry, Sak…”
Sakaki looked up. Oh, it’s Kaori. Her face was all red. Sakaki looked back down. She’d been trying, for the past hour, to draw the cats she’d seen that morning outside a beautiful blue house. She wondered why Ms. Yukari hadn’t been in class as Kaori sputtered above her.
Sakaki turned her head back up. “Hm?” Kaorin blushed and touched the tips of her fingers together. “I was thinking — you remember the sports fest, how we ran together?” Sakaki thought for a moment and nodded.
“Well, I really liked that a lot.” Sakaki gave another small nod — she’d liked the race, too. She’d always wanted to do a three-legged race like that. Since Kaori had made her point, Sakaki turned back to her drawing. She remembered there was another orange cat, a small one with a little chip in his ear…
Kaorin’s face was as pink as her uniform. She looked around. No one was looking, other than Chihiro, of course, who’d given her the courage. She looked back down and inhaled deeply. “Sakaki!” she yelled. Sakaki looked up in surprise, as did many others in the class. Suddenly becoming self-conscious, Kaorin looked back down. “I just… wanted you to know we make a good team, is all.”
Sakaki tried to smile a little, and wondered if it came off. Kaorin began to walk away, stealing a few glances on her way. Sakaki didn’t take notice. She focused in on the details of the fur and the size of the eyes, and was about to add in the pupils when Tomo jumped onto her desk and crushed her paper. Sakaki grimaced and motioned toward it as Tomo put her arm around her and pat her shoulder.
“Heyy, look at you, Sakaki. Must be nice being the most popular in class. You’re fighting them off by the dozen, right, Sakaki? Tell me, what’s your secret? I can name a couple things…”
Tomo went on as Sakaki blushed and tugged at her paper. “Popular…”
Finally, Tomo noticed the paper under her butt. “Oh, is this yours?” Sakaki reached for it meekly and groaned as Tomo picked it up. Why wouldn’t she just give it to her…
Tomo laughed and pushed it away. “Well, no one’s falling in love with you for your art skills, anyway. Must be your brains then.” Sakaki barely protested as her head was palmed and shaken around. She didn’t get what Tomo was talking about and really just wanted to get back to her drawing. The bell rang, and Tomo finally gave it back and stood up. “Here, I’ll wait for you and the others outside, alright, Sakaki? Alright.” She gave a thumbs-up and smiled with those bright teeth Sakaki always found unsettling, then turned and ran to the door. “Hey, Yomi! Trying to get away from me, huh?” Yomi groaned and the two walked out.
Sakaki stared at the door for a while and started to get up. Suddenly, she heard a high-pitched voice squeal “Ms. Sakaki!” and whipped her head around. Cute little Chiyo was staring up at her with her mouth hanging innocently open. “Ms. Sakaki, there’s going to be a fireworks display by my summer house next week! Everyone is coming. Do you want to come too?”
Sakaki smiled and nodded. She loved the way the sand felt by the beach, and Chiyo’s spot was always nice and quiet. They heard a sharp gasp. “I love fireworks. They’re scary. Can I come too?”
“Osaka, I already invited you…”
“Pretty please?”
Sakaki started to walk away as they continued their fruitless conversation. Chiyo turned and ran. “Wait for us, Ms. Sakaki!” Osaka followed close behind, smiling. “With a cherry on top…”
They got outside, and Sakaki listened to the sounds of the crickets and Kagura’s distant running and panting in the back. She raised her head and looked around for Yomi and Tomo. They said they’d wait out for—
“Umph!” Sakaki, embarrassed, looked down at whoever she’d collided with. She met eyes with Kaori, who stopped breathing as her pupils dilated. She pulled away, but wasn’t letting go. “Sakaki, earlier, I…”
Kaori stopped and finally let go. Her face turned red and she shut her eyes. “I just wanted to tell you that you’re really pretty, is all!” she spit out. Sakaki was a little surprised but smiled sheepishly. “Thank you…”
“Goodbye!” Kaori screamed and ran off. She met up with Chihiro, who’d been watching from under a tree. Sakaki heard their voices trail off as they walked away. “Kaorin, what the hell was that…”
Sakaki stared at them until she was startled by Tomo’s howls of laughter. “Holy shit, she’s really in love with you, Sakaki.”
Sakaki was confused. “Huh?”
Tomo stayed stunned for a moment until she burst out laughing even harder. “Oh, my God! Yomi, Yomi, Sakaki doesn’t know that Kaorin likes her.”
“She likes me…?”
Yomi walked over and didn’t laugh, but she smiled and pushed up her glasses. “Sakaki… it’s obvious. Everyone knows it. Well, maybe not Osaka.”
Osaka didn’t hear this because she was playing with an ant pile and giggling while Chiyo screamed at her in vain to stop.
Sakaki looked down and scrunched up her shoulders. “I didn’t know.” She squatted down on the ground and looked at the dirt.
Yomi smiled gently as Tomo cackled. “Do you like her, Kaorin?”
“Yeah!” chimed in Chiyo, standing next to Osaka, who was covered in ants and wincing. “You two would be adorable together.”
Sakaki looked away from them and dragged her fingers through the dirt. “No. I mean— I don’t know. I never…”
“You should talk to her!” said Yomi, right before she was smacked on the back by Tomo, knocking the wind out of her. “That’s wonderful, Koyomi, but I think she’d rather have help from someone who can actually land a date. I don’t think that’s you, cutie-pie.” She squeezed Yomi’s cheeks and got promptly shoved to the ground. “Ow!” “Fuck you, Tomo! You haven’t either!” “Coaches don’t play! Get off of me!” Sakaki stood up and walked around the fight, down the road to her home. “Wait!” yelled Chiyo. She caught up and panted. “Do you wanna come home with me, Ms. Sakaki?” She nodded.
They walked off and Osaka stumbled close behind, covered in ant bites and groaning. Eventually she split off, and Sakaki and Chiyo arrived at Chiyo’s home. They heard barking, and Sakaki perked up. “Mr. Tadakichi!” said Chiyo, as her dog ran up and rubbed his face on her. Sakaki lit up and kneeled over to pet him. He wagged his tail and they sat together in the yard. Chiyo said goodbye, but before she walked inside, cleared her throat and said, “Ms. Sakaki, I did want to ask you… what do you think of Kaorin?” But Sakaki didn’t answer, and kept petting Mr. Tadakichi with a peaceful smile on her face. Chiyo grinned to herself and went inside.
Sakaki continued to pet Mr. Tadakichi and didn’t think about Kaori, or anything else, for the rest of the day.