Capítulo 43: Chapter Twenty-Four: Changing
"I'm home," Haruna called as she walked through her front door. "Oh, welcome back," her father said as he leaned out into the front hallway. "Did you have fun on your trip?" Haruna stared blankly, thinking about everything that had happened. "...I'm not sure if you could call it fun." "Huh? What does that mean?" her father asked, but Haruna ignored him, dragging her bags up the stairs along with herself.
Getting into her room, Haruna shut the door behind her and sighed. "I'm exhausted," she said to no one. Before she could get much further than the threshold, Haruna felt her phone buzz. She set her bags down and looked at the device, seeing that Chiyo was the one who had sent a message.
The message turned out to be a picture of the whole group after dinner on their first day of the camping trip. "Guess this was before everything got so nuts," Haruna muttered. Constant fighting with Michi, Kanako getting lost in the woods, and Mayu finding out about Haruna's feelings for Kanako had all contributed to Haruna's current tiredness. "I can't believe how much happened in just five days..." Haruna thought as she sat down on her bed.
First there was all the fighting with Michi. "It's like she just can't leave me alone," Haruna thought. "Any chance she gets she makes some stupid comment. I wish she'd just shut up." Unfortunately, for as much as Haruna wished that to be, she knew it was unlikely. In fact, it was more likely that she'd be seeing even more of Michi in the coming months. "What was the deal with that 'declaration' of hers anyways? What the hell did she even mean by that?" Haruna wondered. "Fukuhara-san said she'd 'free' Kanako from me, but what is she going to do? I have no idea..."
Thinking about things that Haruna was unsure about made her wonder about Mayu. "Kawaguchi-san said she wouldn't tell anyone, but it's kind of hard to believe someone that looks that out of it." At the time, Mayu had agreed to keep Haruna's feelings a secret, but the way she had been acting was anything but reassuring. "Her face reminded me of robots in movies when their systems get overloaded."
Honestly, Haruna wasn't overly concerned about Mayu saying anything. Chances were, even if she did, Kanako wouldn't believe her. "...Putting it that way kind of hurts," Haruna thought. She didn't really like to admit it, but she knew how much of an uphill battle it'd be to get Kanako to notice her feelings. Adding in the fact that both Haruna and Kanako had gotten used to shrugging off the rumors that they were dating already was also going to make Haruna's task that much harder.
Haruna fell back onto her bed, leaving her legs dangling off the end. "Ugh... why couldn't I just fall in love in a normal way?" she groaned. "Well, I guess there was Miyashita-kun... but he's the one who got me into this mess! Kind of..." Haruna laid silently for a moment. "It's not like I wish I hadn't fallen in love with Kanako... I mean, I think it's one of the best things I've ever done, but... Sometimes it feels like I might not be able to tell Kanako how I really feel."
It was then that Haruna remembered the night in the woods. She had said all sorts of things and had even gone as far as embracing Kanako tightly. Haruna could feel her face burning up. "Agh, that was so embarrassing!" she screamed into a pillow. "Why did I even do that?! That was so unlike me!" After freaking out for a moment, Haruna thought deeper about that time. "She was so small and soft..." Haruna muttered. She could still remember what it had felt like to hold Kanako. "It'd be nice... if we could do stuff like that a lot more..." she thought. "...Maybe I should've confessed then. I didn't really think I was ready, but looking at it now, that would've been the perfect opportunity..."
Regret began to fill Haruna's mind. "Will I ever get another chance like that again? It's not like I'm that good at getting myself into situations like that. Who knows if I'll ever be able to just stand in front of Kanako and confess?" In the back of Haruna's mind, she wondered what the difference was between preparing herself to confess to Akio and her current predicament. Was it because she had had a lot more time to think about how and when she'd confess to the boy she had grown up with? Was it because Kanako is a girl? Or, was it because Haruna was that much more in love with Kanako than she ever had been with Akio?
Haruna sighed. "Why is love so hard and complicated?"
*****
Next door, Kanako had conflicted emotions as well. However, while they did have to do with love, they weren't about Haruna. Instead, Kanako was thinking about Akio. Specifically, about the deal that she had with him.
Throughout the summer and over the course of the trip, there had been one particular thing that had been weighing on Kanako's mind. It was a question that she had found herself asking over and over again: because of the changes around her, should she look to make a change as well? At first, this had been a simple enough question. But, due to Kanako's feelings of people changing, she had begun to feel like she was being left behind and that she'd end up alone. However, after her night in the woods with Haruna, she had come to realize something. She realized that she wasn't alone at all. There were plenty of people around her who were just simply her friends.
Having this knowledge had helped to rebuild the slowly-corroding confidence of Kanako's. And, through that reinvigorated confidence, Kanako had decided that she didn't have to make a bunch of changes to herself. But, that didn't mean nothing should change. For a while, Kanako had only wondered about the deal she had made with Akio, without much consideration for the idea of if there was any way around it. She had tried scheming, but had quickly found she didn't feel too good about it, so Kanako had just lived with the terms of her agreement.
However, there had always been one thing that Kanako could never get used to, and that was the fact that Akio would have to choose between the two girls. Kanako hated the idea that even if she was chosen, it would hurt Haruna. And if Kanako didn't get chosen, she'd be hurt, even if she tried to convince herself otherwise. Then, Akio might be stuck dating a girl that isn't entirely happy with the result. "Nobody really wins, do they?" Kanako sighed.
So after considering everything, Kanako had found herself wondering if it might be for the best if she ended the deal she had with Akio. "I'm sure if I explained everything, he'd understand," Kanako thought. It just didn't feel fair to her that someone had to be hurt in the process and pursuit of love. "Maybe that's being naïve, but I want to believe that we can all be happy."
Somehow, Kanako wanted to find a way that everyone could have what they wanted. That she could be with Akio, that Akio wouldn't have to hurt or reject Haruna's feelings, and that Haruna could... "Could what?" Kanako wondered. "What does Haruna get out of that?" Thinking about it more, Kanako found herself arriving at the same conclusion that she had before. "Mnnn..." Kanako moaned out of annoyance. She was thinking hard, but at the moment no perfect solution was coming to mind. She thought about a plan that involved her giving up her own feelings, but that got quickly discarded. "It may be selfish, but I just can't do that. I've been in love with Akio-kun for too long to just do that."
That thought caused Kanako to remember something Michi had told her. "Mi-chan keeps telling me Akio-kun is manipulating me somehow... That can't really be true, right?" Loathe as Kanako may have been to admit it, part of the reason she had begun to consider ending the deal with Akio more seriously was partly because of the doubt that had been forming in her mind. Her feelings hadn't been weakened, but knowing she could be a part of some mental game didn't make Kanako too happy. She wanted her love to blossom and grow and happen the old-fashioned way, not get it twisted like it may currently be.
Kanako didn't want to believe it, but the fact that Michi was so insistent on the idea of Kanako being manipulated did make her wonder if there was any truth to it. "I know our situation is pretty unusual, but would Akio-kun really go that far? He's never been the type to do something like that..." These were points Kanako had made to herself repeatedly already, but it seemed like no matter how many times she told herself stuff like that, she just couldn't shake the doubt from her mind.
So, considering everything that had happened so far and everything that people had said to her, Kanako had come to a conclusion. "It's probably best to end my deal with Akio-kun after all," Kanako thought. "I'll find some other way to win his heart. I know I can do it!"
*****
That night, the very boy in question was meeting a certain gal in a café to discuss recent events. They sat across from each other, each with a type of tea in their hand. Akio was dressed casually, his slightly messy brown hair matching his basic green t-shirt and khaki shorts. On the other side, Chiyo was wearing a bright blue mini-skirt and white blouse with a low neckline, changing from her leftover clothes that she had put on earlier in the day before coming back home from the cabin.
"So how was the trip?" Akio asked. "It was great! Maybe we'll do one next year too!" Chiyo said, although her tone didn't carry as much enthusiasm as she had meant it to. Akio looked at her skeptically. "It kind of feels like there's more to it than that," he commented. Chiyo kept trying to smile, but in the end she gave up, instead going for a more serious look. "Well, I gotta admit, I'm pretty disappointed that Haru-chi and Kana-chan didn't get together during the trip." "Yeah, I had my doubts about that happening," Akio said. "But did they make any progress at all?"
Chiyo thought for a moment. "I wonder what exactly you could call progress..." she mumbled. "Come on Chiyo, spit it out," Akio said, growing impatient. "So like, there was this one night in the woods, and when Haruna and Kanako came back, they were holding hands, but then Mi-chan and Haru-chi got into a fight-" Chiyo explained. "Wait, Haruna-chan fought with Fukuhara-san?" Akio asked. "Yep. It was almost real bad too. Haru-chi almost punched Mi-chan for something she said," Chiyo said. "So her feelings are that strong..." Akio muttered to himself. He guessed (correctly) that Michi must've said something to Haruna about Kanako. "Still, it's hard to imagine Haruna getting that violent," he thought, but then quickly remembered the time Haruna slammed him into the stairwell wall. "Then again..."
"Helloooo? Earth to Akio-kuuun," Chiyo called, waving her hand in front of his face. "Oh sorry. Did anything else happen?" Akio asked, coming back to the current situation. "Hmmm... Oh! Haru-chi and Kana-chan slept together!" That comment caused Akio to spit out his tea that he had just started drinking. "T-T-They what?!" he exclaimed after coughing a few times. His reaction drew the ire of a nearby waitress, prompting Akio to say a quick apology.
Chiyo laughed. "Oh Akio-kun, what're you thinkin' hm? Did something dirty come to mind?" she teased. "What else am I supposed to think when you say something like that?!" Akio said in a lower but still shocked and annoyed tone. "Well I guess boys are all about sex at this age..." Chiyo pretended to sigh. "Can you please just properly explain?" Akio begged. "Sure, sure," Chiyo said with a wave of her hand. "See, Mi-chan took my and Kana-chan's room, so we just decided we'd mix the whole thing up, and in the end, Haru-chi and Kana-chan were in the same room!" "That's not really much of an explanation, but it makes more sense than before..." Akio said. "C'mon Akio-kun, you can't expect a girl to spill all the secrets of an all-female excursion!" Chiyo said.
The two of them both took a moment to take drinks of their tea before returning to the conversation. "I'm assuming you don't know what happened in their room that night?" Akio asked. "Nope, not a clue. Although, Haru-chi did seem pretty determined the next morning," Chiyo said. "We were talking about things she could do to get Kana-chan to notice her feelings when Mayu-chan showed up." "Mayu-chan?" Akio repeated. "Yeah, Mayu Kawaguchi. Y'know, Kana-chan's friend with the two braids and circle glasses," Chiyo detailed. "Oh , right. To be honest, I've hardly noticed her," Akio said. "That's rude Akio-kun. Mayu-chan's a good girl. You should be more observant," Chiyo said with a bit of a huff. It was hard for Akio to tell if Chiyo was actually annoyed with him or not, but he decided to continue on anyways.
"Honestly Chiyo, I was really hoping you'd somehow pull off getting Haruna-chan and Kana-chan together," Akio lamented. "I did what I could," Chiyo said with a shrug. "You don't sound as invested as before," Akio said. "Hey, I'm still 100 percent on board. Buuut, it's not like we can just force 'em together, y'know? Love takes time, especially one like this," Chiyo said. Akio frowned. "I just feel like I don't have that kind of time."
Chiyo went back to being serious. "Look Akio-kun. I agreed to help you because I think you've got the right idea, but I also meant what I said last time too. If people start getting hurt during this, then I'm out. So if you're going to plan something, it better not involve something sneaky." Akio smirked a little. "Quite the righteous gyaru aren't you?" Chiyo glared. "You are planning something, aren't you?"
Akio closed his eyes, taking a sip of his tea. After putting the cup down, he looked at Chiyo. "I really had high hopes for this trip, but I can see now that just a little push here and there isn't going to do it. I need those two to be a couple for real Chiyo, and I'll do whatever I have to to make that happen." "What does that mean?" Chiyo asked. Akio let loose a mischievous grin.
"I think it's time to shake things up."
End of Volume Two.
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