Capítulo 69: Chapter Three: Trying To Recover What's Lost
The next day when Kanako woke up, she felt quite groggy. Thanks to her racing mind, she hadn't gotten much sleep. Sitting up, it took her a moment to separate dreams from reality. Against her hopes, it turned out that yesterday had been real and with it, the pain in her heart. "No... no, no, no..." she muttered. Kanako's hands came up to her face and covered it. "That didn't happen. Please tell me it didn't happen." Unfortunately, for as much as Kanako wanted to deny it, it was fact.
Akio had destroyed her heart. Haruna had poured out her feelings. Both had happened and it was all surging back once Kanako was fully awake. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, but she wiped them away. Doing her best to ignore all of it for now, she got dressed and ready for school.
Walking out the door, she had half-hoped that Haruna would've been waiting for her. She wasn't. Haruna was nowhere in sight. While Kanako felt a little disappointed about that, she couldn't help but feel relief for her other half, which had been dread. She still had no clue what she would say to Haruna. Forget trying to answer her feelings. Kanako couldn't even come up with a greeting.
She had futilely thought that if she just slept on it, then maybe something would come to her, but nothing did. Her mind was blank and her heart was a mess. Thanks to that, Kanako hadn't even realized she was running early for once. Perhaps it was because of Haruna that she had gotten ready quicker than usual. However, her actions had unintended consequences. Being early meant seeing other students walking by. Being early meant seeing Akio.
The boy approached, and Kanako froze. Part of her wanted to say something to him, but she didn't. Another part wanted to run back inside, but she stood still. As Akio walked by, Kanako expected something to happen... but nothing did. Akio went on his way without even so much as a glance toward the Nakatomi residence.
"Huh?" Kanako thought. She remembered what she had said yesterday. That they were no longer friends. That she hated him. For the most part, she had meant those things, but that didn't completely erase the longing she felt for...
Placing her hand over her heart, Kanako stared at it, confused. Rhythmically, the organ beat. The pace was normal, no different than any other time Kanako simply stood around. Usually, that would mean nothing was wrong, but in this case, it was the opposite. Something was very wrong.
In the past, every time Kanako had seen Akio, her heart had skipped a beat. It was a regular occurrence, but it still surprised her when it happened. It always made her giddy and light knowing she could feel that way just from setting her eyes on the boy.
Now, it was different. It was as if her heart was dead. There was no skip. There was no giddiness. The only feeling, if you could even call it that, was nothingness. Whatever small amount of denial Kanako had had left was wiped out when the final nail in the coffin was driven in. It was true. Her feelings for Akio were gone.
Was it really possible for something like that to happen? Kanako found it hard to believe. These had been feelings she had held onto for so long. Surely it wasn't that easy. And yet... it was. The pain that Akio had caused her had been so great, Kanako's feelings had gotten thoroughly eliminated. No longer would her heart race for Akio. No more would she be able to look forward to seeing him. There was no hate in that, but it definitely was not love anymore.
But if that were the case, then what was the longing that Kanako felt? If not for Akio, then who? She thought and thought, and as she walked, Kanako noticed she was standing closer to the right side of the sidewalk than the left. It had become a force of habit for her, as Haruna almost always took her left hand and walked on her left side. Glancing down at her empty hand, Kanako found herself feeling a little lonely. She wished for that warmth that had become so everyday for her. She wished she wasn't walking alone. She wished for... "Haruna..."
BA-THUMP!
A pounding hit Kanako's chest, causing her to stop. "What... was that?" she uttered, catching her breath from the sudden palpitation. It had been so strong, there was no way to miss it. At the thought of wanting Haruna to be with her, Kanako's heart had leapt, harder than it ever had for Akio. "Was it... because I thought about her?" Kanako wondered. Nothing had scared her, so she knew the cause was probably her own thinking.
If something like this had happened only even a month ago, Kanako would've found herself feeling very conflicted. But, with her old feelings dead, she found something else instead. She wasn't quite sure what her heart was trying to tell her yet, but she knew that at the very least, it made her feel warm inside.
And yet, guilt accompanied these feelings as well. If nothing else, Kanako knew she wished Haruna was with her, but knowing that and wanting it felt selfish. Haruna had confessed the feelings in her heart. Kanako had no idea how to respond to that, but she still wanted Haruna with her. Wasn't it wrong to want that when she didn't even have an answer? "Even if Haruna was here, I wouldn't even know what to say," Kanako thought.
She had told Mayu that she would seriously think about Haruna's feelings, but even Kanako wasn't sure what that meant. This was a completely new situation to her. She had harbored feelings for someone for years, but to suddenly be on the receiving end was something Kanako had never experienced, nor had she ever expected to. Where was she even supposed to start? It wasn't as if there was a natural spot to begin.
To some, perhaps this was something that should've been easy. One party expresses their feelings and the other party either accepts or declines them after a bit of thinking. It was one of the easiest formulas in life to follow. But for Kanako, things were a little different. It had taken getting confessed to by someone else to make her see a fatal flaw she had long possessed: in her pursuit of Akio, she had created a tunnel-vision for her heart so she would only see him.
For years, Kanako had been set on Akio being the one and only person for her. She had been so sure that one day they'd become a couple. Over time, the tunnel she had built had gotten narrower and narrower and even after she had confessed, there was still a certainty in her mind that she'd get what she had always hoped for in the end.
Instead, it had all come crashing down. Haruna had dealt the first blow when she screamed her feelings at Kanako. Akio had then dealt the second and final blow, causing the tunnel in Kanako's heart to crumble entirely. No longer was it possible to see just Akio. However, when suddenly dragged from a tunnel into the light, it was often blinding. Standing in a sea of white, Kanako could hardly see at all, other than a faint outline of someone in the distance. She had a feeling that with time, that silhouette would come more into focus. Something about it called to her, but the words were muffled. But, despite the blurriness ahead and despite the inaudible words, Kanako was sure that if she reached for that person, it would be able to give her what she now so desperately wanted: love.
Rather than Akio's words destroying Kanako's ability to love, it had instead had the opposite effect. If he wouldn't love her, then surely there was someone else out there who would. On the surface, a statement like that seemed like it would take someone down a dark path, but it meant something else to Kanako. To her, Akio had gone beyond rejecting her. He had crushed her feelings entirely, grounding them underfoot. If that was how he would treat them, then Kanako decided that she'd find someone who would treasure them. She wanted to be sure that whoever she gave them to would hold them close to their own heart and never let go.
With Haruna's confession, it led Kanako to wonder if Haruna could really be that person for her. Haruna said she loved Kanako. Those words had clearly been spoken with a lot of weight. Objectively speaking (or as objective as feelings could be), it made perfect sense for Kanako to turn to Haruna now. But, for as easy as she lost her affections for Akio, the same could not be said for gaining affection for another. The heart simply did not switch that easily… didn't it?
Kanako wasn't sure. She knew she felt a warmth from Haruna, and there was no denying that her heart had leapt at the thought of the girl, but it just felt like too much to process. All of the necessary elements were present, but that didn't get rid of the hurdles in Kanako's head. Even if she knew about how she felt when Haruna was around, how she felt when they held hands, how she felt when they had fun together, two questions prevented her from reaching the final answer her heart sought.
The first was how Kanako felt about Haruna.
The second was if she could date a girl.
As for the first question… she didn't know. Kanako could honestly say she had never once considered the idea in a real amount of seriousness. Aside from just being friends, she had never thought about taking it any further. When they had had their deal with Akio, the idea of the two girls dating had crossed her mind, but that was only because of the circumstances she had been in. Even then, it had been hard to imagine. Kanako was sure the two of them had gotten closer than before, but what would dating even look like? Was there really much more to it than what they were doing at the moment? Thinking about it that way, Kanako wondered if there'd be much point to them dating at all.
"No, that's not right," she thought. If there was no point, then Haruna wouldn't have felt the need to confess. Although, that didn't make answering her own question any easier. When it came down to it, Kanako felt like the only way she'd find her answer was with time. Perhaps if she thought about it enough and spent enough time with Haruna, she would find out how she felt. "Wait, aren't I doing that now already?" Kanako thought. Given, it had only been less than a day, but Kanako's idea certainly didn't feel any different from what she had already been doing.
Unfortunately, the second question wasn't any easier. In terms of ability, Kanako could date a girl. She could say yes and go through the motions, but the problem wasn't physical. It was psychological. She had plenty of sub-questions. What did it mean to date a girl? How did it work? Would she like it? The list went on.
It wasn't as if Kanako couldn't do a quick web search and find at least some answers, but she got the feeling that the best way to find out would be through experience. Of course, to gain that experience, she had to agree to date a girl, but she wasn't sure if she could because of the questions she had. Stuck in a loop, all Kanako could do was sigh.
She had nothing against the idea, but being for or against it and actually doing it were two separate things. Thinking a roller coaster is cool and that same person riding it would result in two very different responses. One would probably be positive, while the other would be either that they loved it or hated it. While Kanako wasn't sure if her current problem went to quite that extreme, she still thought it was a good analogy.
But, while the analogy was good, it didn't really help. It couldn't dissolve the hang-ups in Kanako's mind. She knew she was at least willing to consider the idea. If she wasn't, then she would've turned Haruna down immediately. Beyond that though, it was uncharted waters. Was it Kanako's own feelings that stopped her? Was it social convention? Somewhere in between? Maybe it was making Kanako question her identity, or maybe she was overthinking it entirely.
By the time Kanako reached the school, she had nearly given herself a headache. All she could do was sigh as she walked in through the front doors. Met by the rows of lockers to change out shoes, Kanako proceeded to her own to do just that. As she did, she discovered that she must've been walking slowly, because despite her early start, it was only a few minutes later when Michi, Itsuki and Mayu arrived. The three of them tended to show up together due to living in somewhat similar directions.
Talking the most was Itsuki Yukimura. She was a member of the cooking club like Kanako, but her primary duty was to the track club. She was a bit of a tomboy, sporting the short black hair look, along with a leftover tan from the summer, and she was on the louder side. Out of the group of Kanako, Mayu and Michi, Itsuki was the tallest.
Standing beside her was Michi Fukuhara. About the same height as Kanako, she kept her blonde hair tied up in two separate buns, one on each side of her head. From them, one strand of hair hung from each, rebelliously refusing to join the rest that was held together. Her personality was strong, to say the least, but until recently, Kanako had always thought of Michi as the person to help her out.
Ever since the start of their second year of high school, the two had been fighting. It hadn't been anything serious at first, but as time had gone on, Kanako learned that Michi's feelings had kept getting hurt. Every time the two girls spoke, it seemed to turn into an argument, ultimately leading to Michi screaming at Kanako about her picking Haruna instead.
When the group approached, Itsuki and Mayu said their greetings, but Michi simply looked away. It wasn't unusual. Things had been pretty awkward between Kanako and her since Michi's explosion. For a moment, Kanako thought about saying something, but she decided not to. Whatever she came up with would probably lead to a longer discussion, which was something they didn't have time for.
Itsuki and Michi went to go to their own lockers, but Mayu stayed behind. "Mayu-chan?" Kanako said. Mayu looked nervous. "So, about yesterday," she said. "Yesterday?" Kanako repeated. "Yes. Well, it's just… I feel like I may have been too forward with you. I hope you didn't feel like I was pushing you or anything," Mayu explained. "O-Oh, no, not at all!" Kanako said, surprised by Mayu's apologetic words. "Thank goodness," Mayu said, breathing a sigh of relief.
While Kanako had been at Mayu's house, Mayu had said all sorts of things a bit out of character for her. When she had thought back, she had felt a little guilty about it. Although, she embarrassingly admitted that she did want to pry a bit. Haruna's feelings for Kanako was the kind of relationship Mayu had never seen before. She found herself wanting to know more and to see what would happen. After being told relationships could only be one way for so long, it intrigued her to see there be another.
Because of that, Mayu had nearly asked about the flowers from the other day as well, but she had stopped herself. She was pretty sure they were from Haruna, but without Kanako knowing how Haruna felt about her, she couldn't say that then. When Kanako was over at Mayu's house, there was never really a good time to bring it up either. It was only after Mayu's guilt set in that she decided it would be best if she said nothing after all. Kanako had yet to know how she felt about Haruna. Knowing that those flowers had come from Haruna might make a difference, but something about that felt wrong. Mayu thought that it would probably be best if Haruna was the one to tell Kanako herself.
Of course, Kanako knew none of this about Mayu. All she saw was a typically kind girl apologizing for thinking she had been pushy with her. Not thinking much more about it, both Kanako and Mayu went to class as well.
*****
In the past couple of weeks, Michi had been experiencing a severe case of regret. It had been about that long since her big fight with Kanako and nothing had really changed from that point. Considering they were in the same class, Michi couldn't entirely avoid Kanako (not that she was trying to anyways). However, aside from them interacting enough to qualify as interaction in class, the two had hardly spoken to each other at all.
Thanks to her outburst, it felt impossible for Michi to say anything. What could she say anyways? It certainly wasn't an "I'm sorry" or "Hey, let's figure everything out between us." Yet again, Michi's emotions and thoughts put her in a very uncomfortable position.
On one side, there was the desire to at least talk to Kanako. They had been friends for a while, and now they were acting like total strangers to each other. It just wasn't right. Surely there had to be some way to hold a conversation like they used to.
On the other side was the mountain of feelings Michi had piled up over the course of the last six months. Anger formed the base, and stacked on top of it was sadness, pain, regret, guilt, confusion and more anger. According to Michi, the cause of all of this was Haruna Endo. The girl had swooped back into Kanako's life out of nowhere, wreaking havoc on Michi's best friend. Seeing that had made Michi take action. She had wanted to defend Kanako and to save her from the evil Haruna.
But it backfired. Instead of being the hero, Michi was made into the villain. At every turn, it seemed Kanako took Haruna's side instead of hers. At first, Michi was sure that it was because of something Haruna was doing to Kanako. Blackmail, threats, anything illegal to get her to comply. That theory didn't last long though, as it was quickly shot full of holes by both Haruna and Kanako.
That was what had led to a lot of Michi's confusion. If Kanako wasn't being blackmailed or anything, then why was she with Haruna? She had been treated terribly in the past, yet she still stood by the girl. It didn't make any sense.
It wasn't until Michi's final outburst that she saw what she was sure was the truth: Kanako was replacing her. Haruna, who Kanako had grown up with, would take the title of best friend away from her, leaving Michi with nothing. It also answered a question she had had. Why did Kanako take Haruna's side? Simply put, it was because that was who she had chosen.
It left an awful, bitter taste in Michi's mouth. "Why her?" she had repeatedly asked. "Why the hell would Kana-chan chose that brute over me?" She wouldn't get an answer, but she kept asking anyways. Over and over she wondered why, and all that did was add to her frustration.
At the core of it all (and perhaps the root of the problem), was the fact that no matter how many times Michi thought about the situation she was in, there was one thing she refused to do: admit she was wrong. She had considered it, but ultimately, she placed more blame on those around her than herself. It was Haruna's fault for butting in. It was Kanako's fault for letting her. It was Chiyo's fault for… well, probably something, Michi figured.
Was there blame for Michi as well? Absolutely. It was undeniable. If she had just talked to Kanako about how she felt abut Haruna showing up or, if she had just listened instead of forcing her opinions onto her best friend, then perhaps things would be different. But Michi hadn't done that, instead digging herself a sizable hole with no way out that she was willing to use.
The way out would be by accepting her own blame. What should've been undeniable, Michi denied, but in relation to that, so too did she stay in her hole. Truly, in the case of Michi Fukuhara and her relationship with Kanako, she had every chance at any time to create her own footholds or take a hand offered to her and escape the prison she had made.
And yet, with plausible solutions right in front of her, Michi ignored them all and tried to get everything she wanted without having to bend at all. It wasn't possible, but possibility was ignored too. However, just because Michi pretended not to see it, that didn't mean it wasn't there. In one side of her mind, this tangled mess resided, coming into direct conflict with the most recent addition to Michi's mental state.
Regret. There was a strong amount of regret Michi held, not for what she'd done in the past, but for the yelling at Kanako she had done in their last encounter. Something about it bothered her. Perhaps it was the finality of it all. Michi couldn't help but feel like if she didn't do something soon, that would be the end of her friendship with Kanako for good. That was what led to her desire to talk, but not apologize. To Michi, what mattered most was not discussing her past actions, but rather, maintaining some sort of connection to the girl she had once called her best friend.
Luckily for Michi, being in the same class as Kanako provided a unique opportunity for her. Even if they didn't interact much, that didn't stop Michi from looking. Observing Kanako's face was enough to tell her that something was bothering her. It was the perfect pretense. Michi could approach her as a concerned friend and use that to lead into other topics, beginning to rebuild their relationship. Unfortunately, no one was around to tell Michi just how manipulative that sounded.
She decided to try after school before club started. Naturally assuming it probably wasn't anything serious, Michi thought it would be just the right amount of time to have a conversation. "Knowing Kana-chan, it's probably about one of her grades… or Miyashita-san." Including that last part irritated Michi, but she knew she had to. Personally, she wasn't a big fan of the boy, but because Kanako like him so much, she put up with him.
When the time came, Michi approached Kanako as others were leaving the classroom. "Kana-chan," she said plainly. The girl looked at her. "Can we talk?" Kanako gave Michi a confused look with a clear amount of hesitation mixed in. "W-What about?" she asked. "I just thought it might be a good idea," Michi answered vaguely. Kanako still looked unsure, but she agreed anyways. With people still around, they decided to go somewhere a little more private.
Out the door, down the hall and then down one more, the two of them stopped in an area of the school that was now deserted. "S-So…" Kanako began. "What did you want to talk about?" "Well, I noticed you looked kinda down earlier, so I just thought I'd check on you," Michi said. If this was six months ago, something like this happening would've been completely normal. With things the way they currently were though, Kanako was caught off-guard by the sudden caring Michi was showing. It felt like it had been quite some time since she had done anything like that, and that wasn't even including the two or so weeks that they had barely said a word to one another.
"C-Check up on me?" Kanako repeated. "Why?" "Why?" Michi said. "Because we're friends. This is normal, isn't it?" "Oh…" Kanako said. It was obvious she didn't buy it. If someone were to ask Kanako if she still considered Michi a friend, she'd still say yes without hesitation. But, their friendship was a far cry from what it once was. Strained beyond belief, it was a miracle the line connecting them hadn't snapped yet.
"Well, um…" Kanako said. "What?" Michi said, already getting annoyed. For some reason, she had thought her plan would go off without a hitch. Seeing Kanako so hesitant was something she hadn't thought would happen. "It's just… I-It's kind of weird for you to just come see if I'm okay out of the blue like this. I mean… it's been a while since we last really talked," Kanako explained. It was a fair point. Most people would be confused by something like that. "What does that matter?" Michi said back. "We've known each other for a long time. It's not like we have to talk every day. Neither of us just had much to say, that's all."
Kanako still didn't think that was quite how it worked, but she decided to go along with Michi. "Alright…" she said. "W-Well, I guess I've just had a lot going on." "Like what?" Michi said, happy to be getting somewhere at last. "Umm…" Kanako paused. She wasn't sure if she should tell Michi about stuff that had happened. Telling her Akio had not only rejected her, but gone as far as laughed at her would probably send Michi into a fury, along with going to hunt Akio down. Then again, that would most likely go over better than Kanako telling Michi that Haruna had confessed to her. She wasn't sure why, but Kanako got the strong impression that saying that would be even worse.
Thinking for a moment, Kanako went with a different idea. "Actually, can I ask you a question?" she said. In the past, Michi had always been pretty helpful for Kanako, giving her all sorts of good advice. Even if their relationship was rocky, surely something like getting advice would still be the same. "Sure," Michi agreed. "If… if someone you knew confessed to you… what would you do?" Kanako asked. Michi went quiet for a moment. "I'd turn them down," she then said plainly. "Huh?" Kanako let out. "Come on Kana-chan," Michi sighed. "If you don't have feelings for them, it doesn't matter if you know them or not." "B-But, what if you think there's a chance you might get feelings for that person?" Kanako asked. "Look Kana-chan, if this is about Miya-" "It's not."
Kanako had said those words so fast it caused Michi's eyes to widen. "It's not?" she asked for confirmation. Kanako shook her head. "This has nothing to do with him." Now genuinely concerned, Michi stared at Kanako. In all the time they had known each other, Kanako being in love with Akio was basically a fact. For her to reject his name so quickly when brought up in regards to love and feelings, it was almost unnerving to Michi. "Kana-chan," she began. "Are you… alright?"
Kanako averted her gaze. "I'm fine…" she mumbled. "I just don't really want to talk about Akio-kun, alright?" Michi wanted to press further, but she could tell it would get her nowhere. The look in Kanako's eyes was one she had never seen before, but she knew it was one that would allow no more discussion on the matter. "Well, if it's not Miyashita-kun, then it has to be…" Michi thought.
"About your question," Michi said. "Does this have something to do with Endo-san?" Kanako's eyes bulged. "W-W-W-What do you mean?!" she stammered. "I-I-It doesn't h-have to be H-Haruna you know!" "Whoa, calm down!" Michi said. Kanako took a breath as Michi continued. "I mean, if it is, then I really don't get your question. It's not like Endo-san is going to confess to you or something, so why even think about something like that?"
"...Right. Yeah, haha, of course not…" Kanako said with a dry laugh. "I guess the idea just popped into my head one day." "And it made you that worried?" Michi asked in a doubtful tone. She assumed the real reason was because of something Akio did, but when Kanako nodded, she decided to go with it. "Wow, talk about weird. And you seriously thought about Endo-san confessing to you?" Michi said. "W-Well, it was just a thought..." Kanako lied.
"That's kind of gross, don't you think?"
Kanako froze. She felt her entire body stiffen upon hearing those words. "G-Gross...?" she repeated. "Yeah. A girl confessing to another girl? That's messed up, don't you think?" Michi said. "It… is?" Kanako squeaked out. "Of course it is! I can't even imagine how gross I'd feel if some girl did that to me," Michi said with a squirm. "And the fact that you thought of Endo-san…" Stifling laughter, Michi continued. "Trying to picture her in love is hard enough, but with a girl? Pfft! It's just too good. A massive jerk like her ending up with feelings like that. She would totally get shot down too. I mean, who'd want her feelings anyways? No boy would, and I'm sure every girl would be disgusted by them! And you thought about what it'd be like if Endo-san confessed to you? What, did you think up rejection scenarios just to make yourself feel better?"
Michi kept laughing, but as she had gone on, Kanako's fist had been getting tighter and tighter. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion. If Michi didn't like the idea of girls falling in love with other girls, that was just how she felt. It wasn't like Kanako had to agree with it. However, as she stood there listening to Michi specifically bash Haruna's feelings, anger rose inside of her.
There was no way Kanako could ever forget the look on Haruna's face when she had said she was in love with her. There had been so many emotions on it, but most of all, it had been clear that she meant it. Haruna had managed to say how she truly felt, and Kanako believed that was something to be admired. Hearing Michi laugh at it all only served to remind Kanako of how Akio had treated her as well, which only further contributed to her frustration.
"Shut up."
"Huh?" Michi said, stopping her laughter. Kanako had turned her face to the ground, but she brought it back up, bringing the full brunt of her gaze onto Michi. "Don't you dare treat someone else's feelings like it's a joke!" she yelled. "And don't call them gross or disgusting either!" "H-Hang on, Kana-chan-" Michi said, trying to defend herself but not getting the chance. "You know what's really disgusting?" Kanako went on in a dark tone. "The people who trample all over someone's feelings!"
Michi tried to come up with a defense, but before she could, Kanako breezed by her. "I knew this was a mistake. I'm going home," she said as she went by. Michi wanted to stop her, but she couldn't, and before she knew it, Kanako was gone. "Damn it…" she muttered to herself. "That didn't go at all how I had pictured it…"
In Michi's mind, it had gone something like this: Michi begins a conversation with Kanako, Kanako tells her what's bothering her, Michi offers advice then goes into another topic to continue the conversation. It had been simple enough in her head, but now Michi was left wondering where it went wrong.
"No, I know where it did," she thought, annoyed. "It was as soon as Endo-san's name came up." Michi was sure of it. Once Haruna's name had entered the conversation, everything had gotten ruined. "Of course it did… it's always because of her… she's not even here and she still gets in the way." Finding herself getting more and more irritated, Michi thought it'd be best if she left as well.
Leaving the abandoned hallway to go get her things, she changed out of her indoor shoes before heading out the doors. About 10 feet after that came a familiar call. "Miiii" it began, before on impact finishing with a "chan!" Looking at the new weight attached to her arm, Michi saw it was the one person it could be, Chiyo.
"Ugh, get off! You're heavy!" Michi groaned. "Mmm, but I like it here. It's so warm and soft," Chiyo cooed. "That's probably just your own boob fat!" Michi shouted at her. Finally releasing her, Chiyo gave an impish sort of smile, a sight common for Michi's eyes. "Why are you even here? I thought you were absent," Michi asked, ignoring the look. "Hm? I came just for you~ I told you we were gonna like, walk home together, didn't I?" Chiyo said. "What? When?" Michi asked. "Last night," Chiyo answered. "Check your texts."
Sure enough, when Michi checked, there was a message from Chiyo (filed under the name bimbo) that said they'd walk home together. There were also a bunch of smiley faces of various kinds and a lot of hearts. "Great…��� Michi sighed. "Why do I even have to agree to this? I don't want to spend any more time with you than I already do." "Ah, so cold," Chiyo said, feigning a wounded heart before going back to normal. "I just thought it'd be nice." "Nice for who?" Michi asked rhetorically.
"Besides," Chiyo said, sauntering back up to Michi. "You never know what a walk home might lead to. You might even want to invite me in." "Like hell I would. I don't want you anywhere near my apartment, let alone in it," Michi said, flat out refusing. Slowly, Chiyo wrapped her arms around Michi's right. "C'mon, what're you afraid of?" she said softly. "I-I'm not afraid of anything! I just don't want you inside, that's all!" Michi said in a panic. "Oooh, really? You seem a lil' scared to me. What's the matter Mi-chan?" Chiyo's lips moved closer until they were right in front of Michi's ear. "Are you afraid that once we're alone, I'll. Eat. You. Up?" she said in a sultry whisper, finishing with a light blow into Michi's ear.
"G-Gah!" Michi shrieked, tearing herself away from the potential predator. Her face was flushed red, making Chiyo giggle. "I-I told you to stop doing that! Lecher! Pervert!" Michi screamed. "So cute," Chiyo sighed happily inside.
"Ugh! Forget it! Walk home by yourself you sleaze!" "Aww, wait up Mi-chan!" Chiyo called as she ran to catch up with the blonde-haired girl. "You seem like you're in a bad mood. Did something happen?" "And who's fault do you think it is that I'm in a bad mood?!" Michi shouted. Catching up to Michi, Chiyo looked at her. Michi looked back, then turned away. "Look, even if it wasn't because of you, why should I tell you anyways?" she mumbled
In response, Chiyo said nothing. All she did was wait in silence. Michi looked at her, then away, then back at her. Finally landing on her feet, Michi spoke, "...I tried talking to Kana-chan. It didn't go so well." "Oh really?" Chiyo said. "Yeah. She got all mad at me. Something about not laughing at other people's feelings," Michi said. "Did you?" Chiyo asked. "All I did was make a joke about Endo-san and her having feelings for another girl! Besides, Kana-chan was the one who brought it up in the first place, so why'd she get so mad?!"
Chiyo sighed. "Yeah, that totes was the wrong move," she said quietly. "What?" Michi said, not hearing her. Chiyo shook her head, then continued. "Haven't you had enough of Kana-chan yelling at you?" "It's not like I do it on purpose!" Michi yelled. "It's mostly because of Endo-san. Any time she even comes up in conversation Kana-chan gets all weird about it! It's ridiculous! Why does she always have to take that jerk's side?!"
Again, Chiyo sighed. "Mi-chan, we talked about this." They had. In the aftermath of Michi's argument with Kanako and after seeking comfort in Chiyo's arms, the two had talked at length about Michi, Haruna and Kanako and how best they could approach the situation so all this fighting would stop. The one thing that kept hanging up the process at the moment was Michi's resistance to Haruna. Chiyo had told her that she wasn't the bad guy and that it was all one big misunderstanding. Michi had seemed to understand that then, but now Chiyo wasn't quite so sure her words had gotten through.
Michi huffed. "Whatever. In my experiences with Endo-san, I've never once seen what you told me about." "That's because you always come out with fists flying..." Chiyo thought, then said, "I promise if you just give her a chance, you'll see what I mean." "Hmph," was all Michi had in response.
The rest of the walk was filled with Chiyo saying stuff and Michi ignoring her, but Chiyo didn't mind. By the time they reached the point where they split off, Chiyo hadn't gotten a single reply. "I'm going this way. Don't follow me," Michi said harshly. "Aw, you really won't let me come over?" Chiyo asked. "No way…." Michi said, though her tone seemed to indicate something more. As it turned out, the indication was right.
"...maybe...someday, alright?" she muttered. It was barely audible, but Chiyo had caught every word. "Hm? What'd you say?" she said, pretending like she hadn't heard. "Augh! Forget it! Never mind! I'm going home!" Michi shouted, marching off toward her apartment complex. Left alone, Chiyo giggled to herself. "Someday, huh?" she repeated, holding the words close to her heart.
End of Chapter Three.
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