The festival approaches! Sorry if the ending to this chapter seems a little rushed, I was pressed for time and really wanted to finish this block. It seems fine when I read it, but reading your own work is always different
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A knock on the window behind the bed disturbs me, causing me to quickly turn my head to identify the noise. Too quickly. Now my head is spinning. I let out a groan, which causes the intruder to laugh. I rub my eyes and look up to see who is visiting. It’s Suzu, and she has some food with her, both on a plate and her shirt.
“Hey. I brought you some food. There were some books too, but they were heavy, so I left them outside. Here, it’s curry.” She hands me the plate and ducks outside to grab the books. I hear a thump, but before I can voice any concern Suzu returns with a small stack in her arms. “I managed to keep the food away from these.”
“Thanks Suzu… Uh, how did you know I was in here anyway?” I set the plate on my stomach and move the books to the bedside table before she answers.
“Miki told me, Kenta told her. I thought you could use some company, since everyone else is busy and I would just be reading alone anyway. So you feeling better?”
“Yeah, a little groggy, but that’s probably because I was asleep before you came. I’m guessing you were asleep on the walk here too, half of my meal is on your clothes.” She blushes, looking down at her sweater. It’s a few sizes too big for her, but I guess if you’re going to be lying around reading it doesn’t matter. Her sweatpants seem like a last minute addition so she could go out in public though. “Hey, don’t worry about it, alright? I’ll eat plenty tomorrow at the festival anyway. You decided what you’re gonna do yet?”
“Same as last year I guess, sit in my room and read. Big events are dangerous for me, I could get trapped and trampled if I get very sleepy very quickly. I don’t really like celebrations like this anyway, so it really isn’t an issue.”
“Oh. Right. Uh, thanks for coming I guess. I think I can leave now, I’ll have to ask the nurse when he gets back though. Any of these books interesting?” She points at one near the bottom of the pile, and I pull it out to look at the summary on the back. It’s a romance based in a school, and the two characters meet at…
“Really? Are you trying to say something about Miki and me? It says here that the two characters fall in love at a festival in their school… We aren’t characters Suzu, we’re people. It probably won’t work like this anyway, I haven’t had a chance to talk to Miki since yesterday’s run.”
“That’s a good thing Hisao, it gives her time to think. Listen, if I know Miki, she’ll say something tomorrow during the fireworks show. Just relax Hisao, it’ll happen eventually.”
“Why do you assume I want it to happen anyway?”
“You don’t?”
I do, but I can’t tell her that. She told me last night, Miki is like a sister to her, and they tell each other everything.
“You do, don’t you?” Damn. I didn’t answer her. “I had a feeling I was right. I get that feeling a lot, but this time I actually was right, which is weird. I’m usually wrong about these things.” I can feel myself going red, but I don’t deny her accusations. I just lie here, waiting for her to say something else. She doesn’t, she waits for a reply.
“I’m her friend Suzu. That’s all.” She gives me a funny look, but decides against pressing the matter. “So what other books are interesting? I don’t think this is something I would enjoy.”
“Fine, I’ll take that one back. It’s pretty boring anyway, I just wanted to mess with you anyway. This one is probably closer to your interests.” She pulls another book from the pile, almost lying on top of me while reaching for it. It’s a detective novel, based somewhere in Europe. It really does look pretty good.
“Ah, Suzuki! Visiting Nakai, are we? Well, you can walk him back to his room, he’s fine to leave now. Unless you want to finish eating first Hisao?” He grins at both of us, surprising me with his sudden appearance.
“Uh, yeah. I’ll be out of here soon...” An awkward silence falls over the three of us. I can’t remember what Suzu and I were talking about, and the nurse doesn’t show any signs of leaving us to whatever it is we were doing. I take now as an opportunity to start eating. It’s good.
I eat in silence as Suzu reads one of the books she brought me. The only sound in the room is the tapping of the nurses keyboard as he sorts through documents, probably something to do with dosages and treatments for other students.
I finish eating and have to nudge Suzu with my leg to get her attention. We look at each other for a few seconds before I glance down at the plate. She realises I don’t know what to do with the empty plate, and smiles before taking it and putting it in a tray on a countertop. I get up to follow her out.
“Ah, leaving now you two? Have fun tomorrow!” The nurse offers a friendly smile and a wave goodbye before turning back to his computer and loading more files.
“Wanna head out to the track?” Suzu asks, with no hint of irony in her voice. “Miki’ll still be out there, so we can sit on the bleachers until she’s done.”
“…Sure.”
At the track, practice is over. Miki and Kenta are the only two left, and it looks like Kenta is setting a pace for her to keep up with. I guess training is the same as exercising, but faster and harder. Suzu pulls me to the lowest bench on the bleachers before lying on it and opening the book she started in the nurses office.
“She’s really dedicated… Is this what she does all day now?”
“Yeah, pretty much. It’s working though, she’s almost faster than Emi. If she keeps this up she might win at the track meet next Sunday.” Suzu flips the page of her book, not even looking up to converse with me. I would probably consider it rude, but I do it sometimes too.
“Wait, the track meet is next week? Damn, so she won’t be in class next week either?” Suzu peers at me over the edge of her book, but she doesn’t say anything. Her eyes say it all. “Don’t say it.”
“Say what?” She looks at me, her eyes teasing again. She lowers her book and smirks at me. “Anyway, no, she’ll be back in class on Monday, she just needed a few days extra training.”
“Uh, right… So why didn’t they give her the extra training closer to the actual event?”
“In case of injury Hisao. Come on, think a little. If she sprained her ankle while training just a day before the event, she couldn’t run at all.”
That makes sense. I look back to the track and see Miki slowing down on the further away turn. She looks exhausted, her shirt is drenched in sweat. Kenta skids to a halt and runs back to her, and they talk animatedly about something before Miki holds her hands up and walks away, towards me and Suzu.
“Jesus, Kenta is strict. I can’t feel my legs anymore and he wants me to do another two miles! Come on, let’s go. I need a sho-“
“Miki, at least do some cooldown laps. These two can accompany you on them, I’ll do some more running then we’ll all head back to the dorms, alright?” Kenta somehow made it here without any of us noticing him, and he now has everyone’s direct attention… Not Suzu’s, she is reading again.
Miki sighs, apparently giving up. “Fine, I’ll do two laps walking then we’re going. I want to be able to wake up tomorrow, I’m not missing the festival this time!” She starts walking back to the track, stopping only to look back at us. “Come on, I wanna get this over with!”
You don’t need to ask me twice. I hop down from the bleachers and catch up to Miki, leaving Kenta to deal with Suzu.
“What’s the plan for tomorrow Hisao, you coming with Kenta and me?” Festival talk.
“Yeah, couldn’t convince Suzu or Misha to come along though.”
“Pfft, screw those two, tomorrow is the runners day out! So where’d you wanna meet?” Ah. Meeting up. I’d completely forgotten that was an aspect of going to the festival.
“Uh, by Rin’s mural? I kind of wanted to see it finished, since I helped her mix paints before. What time?”
“Lunch, I like to sleep, is that alright?”
“Perfect. I would be late if we were meeting early. What about Kenta, where will we meet him?” Miki frowns a little at the mention of his name, still sour after that session.
“He’s running a stall, we’ll pick him up there. Lunch first though, I want fried food and he won’t let me. You know, healthy lifestyle and all that crap. Anyway, we’re done, let’s go to the dorms. Kenta can carry Suzu, she fell asleep back on the bleachers.” She’s right, Suzu is hugging one of the benches and Kenta is trying to gently pry her off. It isn’t working.
We walk across the grounds together, mostly silent until Miki asks what she has been missing in class.
“Nothing really, I can help you catch up if you need it. Mutou will probably do the lesson again though, lots of people looked really confused.” She looks relieved that she won’t have to do extra studying to catch up. Turning to me, she is smiling again. Not grinning like she usually does, but smiling. Like the time in the city.
“Thanks for the offer Hisao. Really, it’s good to know you’re there to help me out if I need it. Kenta isn’t the best academically, so he helps me with sport. Now I have a nerd of my own!” She punches my shoulder with her bandaged wrist and the smile is replaced by that grin.
Outside the dormitories, we see Rin working on her mural. Neither of us want to disturb her, nor do we want to try to converse with her. Miki just gives me a quick wave before jogging into the building, reminding me to meet her tomorrow. As if I would forget.
Kenta catches up to me on the way in to our own building, patting me on the shoulder and smiling. For some reason he follows me to my room, leaving me with the awkward decision. Should I invite him in?
“Uh, what’s up?”
“Just wanted to see where your room is, just in case. Anyway, g’night!” He jogs off down the hall and around the corner, leaving me wondering. Just in case? What the hell does he mean? I sigh, pushing my door open and flopping down on to my bed. Sleep Hisao. Lights off.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next
Feedback, comments, blargle schnargle and joy
