As the music stops, Akira speaks up. “Hey, I’ve gotta go to the little girl’s room. Hanako, do you need to too?”
Why would she even ask… Oh, she doesn’t need to go there at all. She wants to talk.
“Wh… y… y-yeah, s-sure.”
“Sorry, Hisao, guess you’re alone for now without our company, we’ll be back in a few…”
I follow Akira to the restroom, and as soon as I enter, she blocks the door to prevent my escape. Oh crap. “Hisao isn’t just your friend, is he?”
Klaxons go off inside my head.
«Red alert, red alert.» However, she’s never been mean to me, so I decide to fight through the anxiety. “W-wh-what?”
“I saw how you two were looking at each other, even though he was keeping his distance from you, and how both of you reacted when I mentioned Shizune. So, spill. What’s going on?”
Well. We’re busted.
I let out a sigh. I’m actually conflicted here. Akira’s the closest thing to a friend I have other than Hisao, and it’d be nice to be able to talk to someone else about this. On the other hand… I’m terrified to say anything to anyone, both because of the possible repercussions for Hisao, and maybe even Shizune taking it out on me if she finds out. And then, part of me wants Shizune to find out, so she breaks up with Hisao…
I decide to tell her. It seems that we’re in this restroom until I explain SOMETHING that she believes, anyway, and might as well go with the truth, it’s easier to keep consistent if nothing else.
“I’m not even s-sure what’s g-going on between us, and H-Hisao avoids it if I-I-I bring it up.”
She leans back against the wall. “Sooooo… start from the beginning, then.”
“Al… alright.” I take a deep breath, and let it out slowly, trying to push my anxiety away. It doesn’t really work, but I force myself through it anyway.
I explain how Hisao approached me, needing a friend. I tell Akira about our first time. I tell her about Hisao’s relationship with Shizune, and how they’ve never actually seemed close, even though he supposedly loves her. I even tell her about how we’re spending almost every waking minute together that we can, and it seems like half of that, we’re having sex. I tell her about how damn comfortable it is for me to be around Hisao, and how much he relaxes around me, too. I tell her about how he changes in public, though. And, I tell her about what happened on the way here. By the end, the tears are flowing quickly. It surprises me that I was able to be that open about all of that, but Akira doesn’t seem to be judging me for it. I was expecting to be called a slut, a whore, a bitch, and all sorts of countless names that I’ve even called myself at first, when this started.
She walks over to me, and rests her hand on my shoulder. “Well, kid, you’ve certainly got a… situation on your hands, that’s for sure. You want my advice?”
That’s not the kind of question that someone expects a no to, so I reply, “y-y-yes.”
“Shizune… when she gets her mind set on something, she has a habit of forgetting about everything else, and especially everyone else. Unfortunately for Hisao, it seems she’s got her mind set on taking over the family business.”
“Wh… why are you telling me this?”
“Because I think he doesn’t even realize that he’s throwing something good away, chasing after something that doesn’t exist, and I’m sure he won’t listen to a word I say about her, he’s too stubborn. He’d have to be, to fall for Shizune. And I tried to get her to break things off with Hisao, but she’s too stubborn, too, she thinks she can keep things up with him, when it’s clear that she doesn’t give a damn about him. Honestly, I think she’s just ‘staying’ with him to piss off dear old Jigoro, at this point.” Akira darkly chuckles.
Wait a minute. ‘Something good.’ Is… Akira suggesting what I think she’s suggesting? That I’m not the only one that thinks I’d be better for Hisao than Shizune is?
“I think if he sees what he’s losing by staying with Shizune, though, he may just be swayed. Besides, you should have more pride in yourself. Don’t stand for him treating you like that, he needs to make up his mind.” She winks at me.
I nod slightly at her, understanding what she’s suggesting, finally. “Th-thanks, Akira.” I hug her tightly.
“Any time, kiddo. Hey, if you need anything, give me a call, ‘k?”
“S-sure, thanks.” I smile at her, and then head back to our booth, knowing what I’ll have to do when we get back to the dorms. Might as well sing one last song with the time we’ve got left, though. It’s my turn to pick, so let’s see… no… no… ah. Yes. This. It’s more than a little mean to Hisao, but it fits too well. It’s not like he’ll understand the lyrics anyway...
"«But what's the meaning
The meaning of love?
From the notes that I've made so far
Love seems something like wanting a scar
Well I could be wrong
I'm just not sure you see
I've never been in love before»"
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, but I was surprised that Hanako didn't make the Akira->Shizune connection until this last chapter. At the very least, she would know that Akira and Hideaki are very close, so she had to know she was taking a big risk.