章節 86: Furuya Attempts
"So… is this enough?" Furuya asked, eyes flicking around the cluttered room. He held out a small box, a hint of pride in his posture. Yasushi noticed the smudge of dirt on Furuya's cheek, a remnant of yesterday's baseball practice.
Yasushi glanced at the box, curiosity piqued. Furuya flipped it open, revealing a delicate necklace. The soft glint of the pendant caught the dim light, casting intricate shadows. Yasushi blinked, momentarily stunned.
"Are you out of your mind? I get it, you want to impress her, but a necklace? How much did this set you back? Weren't you complaining about being broke?" Yasushi's voice was a mix of disbelief and concern.
Furuya shrugged, a casual smile playing on his lips. "It's not that expensive. Remember when we were sorting through those antiques for the Halloween event? I found it then. It's an antique, only cost me about four thousand seven hundred yen."
"Four thousand seven hundred yen? That's like... thirty dollars, right?" Yasushi's eyebrows shot up.
"Does it matter? We live in Japan, so yen is what counts. The US dollar doesn't really affect us right now," Furuya said, dismissive. He looked at the necklace again, a subtle satisfaction in his gaze.
"I guess it's okay? Did Catherine ever mention she liked necklaces?" Yasushi asked, still doubting Furuya's choice. The hallway buzzed with the typical morning chaos of students shuffling to class, yet Yasushi's focus remained on the small, ornate box in Furuya's hand.
"Yeah, she mentioned it once. She likes collecting them," Furuya replied, his voice tinged with a mix of hope and uncertainty. "That's why I thought this would be a good gift. But... I'm not sure when to give it to her. We're going to your place after school, right? With everyone else? Should I wait until we're alone? Can you make that happen?" He looked at Yasushi, seeking guidance in the complicated realm of teenage emotions.
Yasushi leaned against the windowsill, glancing down the hall, where students drifted like autumn leaves caught in a breeze. He sighed, considering the logistics. "Well, we'll definitely have breaks, but how regularly they'll happen is up in the air. The girls' plan from last night basically came down to this: we take a break when we're hungry," Yasushi explained. His eyes followed a group of second-years scurrying past, their laughter echoing off the walls. The memory of last night's conversation with the girls played in his mind.
Furuya nodded slowly, digesting the information. The uncertainty of the situation mirrored the delicate necklace he held—a small, beautiful gesture balanced on the edge of a hopeful heart. "Alright, I guess I'll figure it out as we go," he said, a determined glint in his eyes. The morning sunlight slanted through the windows, casting long shadows that danced on the floor, as if the school itself was holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come.
+-+
"Alright, first break it is. You get fifteen minutes. If you mess up, you'll have to wait for the next break, or find another time to tell her," Xinyi warned Furuya, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.
Lunch hour had come, and the group gathered in the bustling cafeteria. The hum of conversation and clatter of trays created a familiar symphony. Furuya, usually out on the baseball field, sat with them today, the inclement weather making practice impossible. He bit into his sandwich, contemplating the task ahead.
"I might be a bit late, you guys know that, right?" he said, glancing around at his friends. The anxiety of the upcoming confession lingered in his eyes.
"Yes, yes, we know, you baseball fanatic," Xinyi replied, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. "We'll have some food ready for you when you get there. And make sure you shower before coming. We don't want to deal with a sweaty teenage boy stinking up the place, understood?" She pointed a stern finger at him, her seriousness only slightly undercut by the grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Furuya sighed but nodded. "Got it," he said reluctantly. The cafeteria buzzed with energy, students exchanging laughter and conversation, oblivious to the small drama unfolding at Furuya's table. His friends resumed their chatter, but he remained silent, mind occupied with the necklace hidden in his bag and the words he needed to muster.
Yasushi sat quietly, his mind drifting as his friends chatted animatedly around him. Jingliu sat beside him, her presence a comforting, steadying force. He nibbled at his lunch, the taste barely registering. His thoughts were elsewhere, lost in the noise and bustle of the cafeteria.
A sudden tug on his sleeve pulled him back to the present. He turned to see Jingliu pointing discreetly behind Furuya and the others. Following her gaze, Yasushi saw Catherine approaching with Layena. His stomach tightened with a mix of anticipation and unease. He raised his hand subtly, signaling the group to halt their conversation. They obeyed, the lively chatter about that topic ceasing abruptly.
The lunchtime discussion resumed in a quieter, more controlled manner. Topics shifted to the upcoming study session, a necessary but dreaded part of their academic lives. The conversation drifted to the logistics of food and drinks, with most of the responsibility falling on Yasushi, Jingliu, and Xinyi. Their pockets would bear the brunt of the expense, a familiar scenario that no one really minded but occasionally grumbled about.
+-+
"I'm here!" Furuya's voice echoed through the living room as he pushed open the door. Yinhaie had guided him there, and now he stood in the threshold, scanning the room.
His gaze fell upon the familiar faces of the study group: Reina, Xinyi, Catherine, Laura, and Layena. But Yasushi and Jingliu were conspicuously absent.
"Where are Yasushi and Jingliu?" he asked, moving closer to the group. He dropped into a seat beside Catherine, whose cheeks flushed a soft red. "And where's the food?"
Xinyi, without a word, pointed to the right. Furuya followed her gesture and saw Yasushi engaged in a quiet activity with Reina's younger siblings. The kids sat in front of a large flatscreen TV, headphones on, absorbed in their game. Yasushi, ever patient, was explaining the game to the boys, his voice a gentle murmur into the microphones.
"Ah, okay, then—" Furuya began, but the door opened again, cutting him off. Yinhaie and Jingliu entered, their arms laden with an impressive array of food and drinks.
The sight of sustenance brought a palpable shift in the room's energy. School supplies were hastily cleared from the table, replaced by trays of snacks and bottles of drinks. The mundane stress of homework and exams faded, replaced by the simple pleasure of sharing a meal with friends.
"Boys, food!" Reina's voice rang out, clear and commanding. Yasushi looked up, tapped the two younger boys on their shoulders, and they promptly removed their headphones, excitement lighting up their faces as they bolted toward the table. Yasushi followed at a more leisurely pace.
The group settled around the table, hands reaching for the spread of food. Conversation ebbed and flowed naturally, the room filling with the comfortable hum of friends catching up. Furuya, still feeling the effects of a long practice, ate slowly, savoring each bite to quell his hunger.
"So, what made you late?" Yasushi's question cut through the chatter, drawing everyone's attention to Furuya.
He sighed, shaking his head. "A first-year messed up today, and we were punished by the coach. Extra sets and laps," he explained, the exhaustion evident in his voice. "Do you know how cold it was? My hands are still numb from the snow."
"Put your hands on a heater, then," Xinyi teased, a playful smirk on her face. The others chimed in with their own jabs, laughter bubbling up around the table. Furuya could only sigh in resignation, their teasing both irritating and endearing.
Then, unexpectedly, Catherine reached across the table and took both his hands in hers. Her touch was warm, gentle. "T-this might not help much, but it's better than nothing, right?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper, her cheeks a deep crimson.
Furuya looked at her, momentarily stunned by the intimacy of the gesture. The room seemed to fade, the sounds of laughter and conversation dimming. Catherine's hands were small, delicate, but the warmth they offered was real, a tangible connection in the midst of his exhaustion.
He nodded, unable to find his voice for a moment. "Yeah, it's better than nothing," he finally managed, a soft smile tugging at his lips.
The moment hung between them, delicate and unspoken, as the world continued to move around them. For Furuya, the warmth of Catherine's hands was a small but significant comfort, a reminder that even in the coldest moments, there could be unexpected warmth.
"Get a room," Xinyi's voice cut through the charged moment, and the group's laughter followed, snapping Furuya and Catherine back to their senses. They quickly pulled their hands apart, faces flushed with embarrassment. Yet, the laughter held no malice, and the teasing was gentle, allowing them to slip back into the flow of conversation and food without lingering awkwardness.
The room buzzed with the sounds of friends reconnecting, forks clinking against plates, and the occasional burst of laughter. Furuya's mind, however, was not entirely present. Though he tried to focus on the banter and the food, a part of him kept circling back to Catherine and the necklace hidden in his pocket. He knew he had to bide his time, to find the right moment amidst the casual chaos of the evening.
Catherine, too, seemed more reserved, her eyes flickering towards Furuya occasionally, a slight blush still coloring her cheeks. Their brief moment had shifted something between them, a subtle change that both were acutely aware of, even if it remained unspoken.
The meal stretched on, plates were cleared, and the conversation shifted to lighter, more playful topics. Yasushi recounted a funny incident from practice, drawing laughs from everyone, including Furuya, who appreciated the distraction. But as the laughter died down, his thoughts returned to the task at hand.
He needed to find the right moment to give her the necklace. It wasn't just about the gift—it was about expressing something deeper, something he had been holding onto for longer than he cared to admit. He glanced at Catherine, who was listening intently to Xinyi's story, her expression soft and attentive. He wanted to see that look directed at him, to know that she felt something similar.
As the evening wore on, Furuya's anxiety grew. The room started to clear, the remnants of their meal being packed away. People began to settle into quieter groups, some focused on their studies, others on their conversations. The noise level dropped, creating pockets of relative calm.
Furuya knew he had to act soon. The evening would eventually end, and he couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
創作者的想法 
Haruki_Murakami
Haruki_Murakami "Alé kout kouto pa kouto." -Haitian Creole proverb
"A knife wound is not a knife."
Meaning: This proverb emphasizes that not everything that appears harmful or serious is necessarily as bad as it seems. It suggests the importance of understanding the true nature of a situation rather than making assumptions based on appearances.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票