CAFÉ
“You know your way back, right?”
“Yes, though I’m not sure if the station would still be open.”
“It should be. They run until two.”
The cafe was practically deserted now. Only a few customers remained, and the staff were busy cleaning up. Looks like they’re closing soon.
“If not, you can sleep over at my place!”
I was uncomfortable with that idea. “Sleep over…? What would your parents think?”
Akiho grinned. “They’ll be mad at me for keeping you out this late, but it should otherwise be fine.”
That wasn’t very comforting. “I wouldn’t have the right clothes either.”
“That’s fine! You can borrow mine! We’re the same size, aren’t we?”
“Eh…” I imagined myself in the bright, colorful underwear she probably had.
Akiho took a sip of her bubble tea, looking off to the side. She fell silent. Employees were closing the shutters on the front windows. Out of respect, they skipped ours, and a kind employee assured us to take our time. I acknowledged his commitment, and he continued with his work.
I noticed Akiho mindlessly stirring around her straw in her tea, even though she didn’t need to. A sign she was pondering something.
“Rose, don’t let me put words in your mouth, but I’m sure your parents would be fine with that as well.”
“…?”
“With you being away from the house for a night.”
“Ah… Well, probably. I’m not sure to be honest. They’d probably be more concerned about how your parents would feel about that.” I briefly mixed my tea with the straw to free up some of the pearls. “I’d probably call home to let them know I’m safe.”
She nodded. “That’s a good idea, if it comes down to that.”
“I hope you’re not intending to keep me out late.” I eyed her.
“Of course not! I’m pretty sure it doesn’t close until two!”
I checked my watch. It was still twenty-three. Still, this was much later than I’ve ever stayed out.
“But just so you know, I wouldn’t mind if you slept over. We should do that someday.” She had a sly smile on her face.
“That’s not very subtle at all…”
She laughed. “Just saying, just saying!”
“… You’re obsessed with western culture.”
She waved her hands out to the side, surrendering. “Who isn’t, these days?”
“I’d rather not bother your parents like that.”
We both took sips of our tea. I glanced outside on a whim. Even though the sky lost all traces of the sun, there were still many people on the streets.
“You know, I really had a lot of fun today.”
I turned back my attention, the straw still up against my mouth. Akiho smiled, continuing. “I never get to see this side of you.”
“Ah, you think so?” I reddened.
“Honestly.”
I reflected for a moment. “… Well… I’ll admit it was hard to relax at first. But I think I ended up enjoying it as well.”
“All it took was bringing you to the bookstore.” She giggled, eyeing the seat next to me.
With an embarrassed smile, I sighed. “I suppose so. You really do know me too well.” I glanced to the side. In the floppy plastic bag were the three books I ended up buying; two novels and one comic.
“We’ve known each other for a long time. It’d be embarrassing if I didn’t pick up a few things about you.”
I kept my eyes away from her. “Ah… Sorry. I didn’t get to know you that well.”
“No, you know me very well too! I think.”
“Think?”
“Well, I can’t know for certain what you know. But I think all you were really missing before today was my shopping life!”
She laughed loudly, then stopped herself, leaning forward. “See, I knew what you would’ve told me there.”
I smiled. “Well, I’m sure I’m not the only one who reminds you.”
“Yeah,” she leaned back with her cup in one hand and her other hand dangling on the seat rest behind her. “It always annoys me when they do. But for some reason, it doesn’t annoy me when you do it. Maybe because I know your intentions better.”
“Is that so?”
Akiho sipped on her tea as she stared out into the city night. I squeezed my cup forward and back, deep in thought.
“… We really are a good combination, I suppose.”
Akiho glanced back, the straw still in her mouth. A reversal.
“Me, as the introvert, and you, as the extrovert.”
She put her cup down. “They’re opposites, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, but it can work out well. They filled the gaps each other have. For example, you help me feel comfortable outside of the school premises. And I…”
I stopped short, reconsidering my words. However, Akiho picked up the direction.
“Ah, that makes sense. And you help me focus on studying for exams, cause I could never sit down for that long without losing interest.”
I nodded, repeating myself as I considered how to advance the conversation. “We help each other with the tasks we may not be good at ourselves.”
“Are you saying we should start a company?” Akiho leaned forward.
I chuckled at the idea, giving her a slightly shrewd grin. “That is, if you can study hard enough to lead one.”
Akiho laughed. “That would be absurd! My wild self as the face of a company.”
She leaned forward once more, palming her cheek, and sipped more of her tea. This time, she kept staring at me, almost as if she was amusingly prodding for a reaction.
Again, I felt myself becoming self-conscious, as if my other self was taking back control. It was always while we were silent like this, staring at each other. Despite what I mused earlier, I couldn’t help but let the feeling take over.
“Sorry, I’m letting my thoughts ramble,” I mumbled.
“No no, don’t be.” She sat up. “You’re always intelligent when you speak, and I don’t usually get a chance to hear you talk about things I can easily understand.”
That could’ve came across as rude, but I knew what she meant.
“You should do this more often,” Akiho continued. “It’s good to let others know how you feel, you know.”
“Ah… You’re right.” I was reminded that Akiho had to study some psychology for school. Similarly, I had elected to study a little bit of it as well. “I forget about that sometimes.”
“Because we’re trained from the start not to do that, huh?” She shook her tea. “It’s kind of ironic, how our culture works that way.”
She slurped the last of her tea. I shrugged. “Nothing is perfect.”
“Yeah. Well, I believe it’s an important thing to do with those close to you. You’ve got to do it with someone at least.”
“It’s not an easy thing to do.”
“Give it time. It’s not something you can rush. Just like training.”
“Or studying.”
Akiho nodded. “You could try training with me. I’m willing to help, and I’d say we’re close enough.”
“Not literally speaking, but I thank you for that.”
She laughed a little. “I love how sarcastic and witty you are when you’re not in school.”
“Ah… That’s… a little unsettling to hear. I hope I’m only that way when I’m with you.”
She laid down her cup. “Don’t sweat it,” she giggled. “You can’t please everyone anyway.”
I watched her poke at her empty cup. “I can at least try to please as many as I can.”
Akiho breathed out. “I suppose that’s one way of living. I’d rather not tie myself down like that.”
She poked the cup a little too hard and it fell over, bopping the table. As if waking up, Akiho sat up straight.
“Oops. The time.”
I checked my watch. “Ah, it’s almost midnight.” I quickly drank the rest of my tea as Akiho bundled up her belongings. We threw away our cups and thanked the cafe workers on the way out.
Outside, it was still hot, even though the sun was gone. We speed-walked through the streets towards the train station.
“Are you going to the same station as I am?”
“Yeah, I live a few stops nearby, remember?”
“And you can get to it from the same station?”
“The main station of this ward has a bunch of different lines running to it.”
“Just making sure.”
“Haha, you worry too much.”
A crosswalk forced us to stop and wait. There were many other people waiting on both sides.
“Next time we go out, I want to dress in something more casual.” Akiho grinned. “It just doesn’t feel right walking around in uniform here.”
“Suit yourself.”
“I hope you’ll do so too.”
“Eh…”
“I’d hate to mismatch our synergy with our clothing.”
“What synergy?” I teased.
She laughed. “Oh, you!”
“…………”
“You know. I’m glad to have a friend like you,” I admitted.
Akiho smiled. “I’m glad to have you too.”
The crosswalk finally changed signal, and we walked across, amongst the crowd.
End.