This is Her Given Name

“O-oh, alright.” I could feel Akimoto tracking me with her gaze as I stood and exited the room. When I stepped into the hallway the air became refreshingly lighter. You’d expect with a bigger space the air wouldn’t get muggy, but all those people probably balanced it out. Thankfully, I nabbed my laptop as I left, so now, I can get some work done in my classroom.

Not just one page, not two pages, not three nor five… but six, six pages have been completed. Questioning the quality of the content of these pages would be logical, and a valid concern. However, we’re not going to delve into the minor details.

I glanced at the clock, a little past four. Look at that, I remove myself from the crowded place and work in solitude, it’s a simple equation—and I hate math! Looks like there’s no two ways about it but to quit the writing club and go solo. Kinda like Suzuki-san, if she had to quit her band and go rogue for an arc.

“Makoto?”

“Ah! O-oh— It’s just you…” I became airborne in my seat momentarily. “Akimoto-san, what’re you doing here?”

“Looking for you of course. You disappeared almost thirty minutes ago.” She looked at me with a mixture of concern and disappointment, sorta like a mom. She moved across the empty classroom to take a seat at the desk in front of me. “Is somethin’ wrong?”

“N-no, not really. I just couldn’t focus there.”

Akimoto sighed deeply. “You know, Makoto, we are different people, I’m not trying to force you to be like me but… think about your dreams.”

“What’re you saying?” I’m completely lost, has she finally gone crazy?

“Comiket, book signings, interviews, possible guest appearances? You want all of these things, right? And one of them isn’t even some far off dream, Comiket will come before we know it. There’s gonna be a lot of people there you know.”

“Akimoto-san. I don’t wanna have this conversation right now.”

She looked at me blankly for a few seconds then rocked back in her desk. “I know you’re a strong person. I’ve never dealt with something like that before so I don’t know what to say, but…”

“But what?”
“Ahahaha…. I really don’t know what to say.”

The sun shone it’s glow over the window grids, casting long shadows across the classroom. As always, Akimoto’s hair perfectly matched the hanging sun shafts. Usually where there was a smile though, was a slight frown.

“...There’s no issue, nothing for me to be strong about. I just like writing in peace, is that a crime?”

“Hey, why do you still call me Akimoto-san while I call you Makoto, hm?”

There it is, a grievous distance between her character and mine, she is forward and friendly. The kind of dog that would happily greet an intruder into your home as a friend. And me of course, I’m the mysterious writer you’d see in passing at a cafe—very attractive too, of course. “W-w-well, that’s because uhm…” I tapered off—really nice and mysterious, more stuttering.

“Is it that you don’t know my given name?” She smirked.

“No! It’s Kaoru!”

“Ha! There, you just called me by it!”

“T-technically I didn’t! I said that name as an answer to your question, not in reference t you!”

“Ahh, nuh-uh, nope. You called me by my given name.”

“No I didn’t!”

Akimoto crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks. “For now on, since you’ve called me it once, I expect nothing less than for you to use Kaoru.”

“No way!” I slapped my hands on my desk and she turned further away from me. “Akimoto-san.”

No response.

“Akimoto-san.”

Nothing.

“Akimoto-san, don’t be like that.”

“Hmpf.”

“Don’t be so childish!”

Not a word.
“Haaa— Ka— Kao— Kaoru… san.”

“Hm? What was that?” She still refused to look at me. “It’s almost as if someone called my name.”

“K-K-Kaoru… san.”

“Hm, weird, must be the wind.”

“Kaoru!”

“Ah! Makoto! You’re here! I was wondering where you went!”

“You’re impossible… Kaoru…” After I called her given name for a second time she locked her hands onto mine—she wore a stupid ear-to-ear grin. I yanked my hands away and set them back on my keyboard. “Whatever, just let me write.”

“Huh?” She sounded baffled at the idea. That’s like what we do here, is that so confusing? “You gotta go back to the club room with me.”

“...”

“You weren’t seriously considering not coming back with me… Right?”

“Uhm… Yeah… Definitely not.”

“Makoto, it’ll be okay. Everyone there is your friend, what’s the issue?”

I met her big beady-eyes, she was hinging on my explanation… my upcoming incredible answer. “...K-Kaoru… it’s—” But I couldn’t say it… “It’s difficult to write, like I said.”

Akimo— Kaoru stood up and set a hand on my shoulder. “It’ll be alright.”

If I don’t give in now while she’s being nice about it, I have a terrible feeling she’ll be annoying about it.