Eventful Evening

Light streamed in through the window, illuminating Nitsuki's room in a soft glow. The sun wasn't quite setting yet, but she knew that it would soon. Tachibana had dropped her off from work a bit ago, and she had already bathed and changed into something more comfortable. Now she just lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

It was 6:00 PM, half an hour until she was supposed to leave for the cafe. She should have been excited, but all she felt was a dull sense of anxiety.

She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath to calm herself. The event wasn't anything special. It was just a way for the town to have some fun. It was a casual gathering for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves. There would be food, drink, music, and even a small latte art contest for those who wanted to participate.

It was meant to be a stress-free environment where people could socialize without feeling pressured to do or say anything specific. But here she was, worrying about it anyway—for obvious reasons.

Ugh, it was like she never grew out of her teenage years. Except, instead of worrying about being ridiculed and harassed at school, she was worried about being ridiculed and harassed by grown adults that could actually make a difference in her life.

She buried her face in her hands and groaned. Why was this so difficult?

Her phone buzzed on her desk, and she glanced at it, noticing that it was from the chat app.

 >> Hey, Nia! Just wanted to ask if you wanted a ride?

 >> I can be there in 20 mins if you'd like. We might even be able to chat a bit before heading over?

 >> What do you think? (✧ω✧)

She rolled over onto her side, staring at the screen. She could have just told him that she didn't want to go. That she was tired or sick. Anything to get out of this. But instead, she found herself typing a reply.

 > That sounds good. See you in 20.

A small ding sounded, signaling that her message had been sent, followed by a series of quick replies from him.

 >> Great! o(≧▽≦)o

 >> See you soon!

Nitsuki sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly before standing and grabbing her coat from the back of a nearby chair. She slipped her arms through the sleeves and fastened it up, making sure that she had everything that she needed before heading downstairs to wait outside for Tachibana's arrival.

She had thankfully managed to dig out some old clothing that she had somehow missed earlier: an oversized sweatshirt and some tacky pants in this case. It wasn't much, but a girl had to make do.

For once, she actually had to thank past Nitsuki for not being thorough enough.

There was still a lot of time left, so she took the chance to sit down on the porch steps and think about what might happen at the event. Would something nice happen? Would anyone actually talk to her normally? Or would they all just ignore her and move on to their own conversations?

The urge to peak into the future was strong, too strong. She wanted to know how the evening would play out, if only to ease the gnawing sense of apprehension that had settled in her gut.

"This counts as something significant, right?" she asked aloud to herself.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on the event. After a moment, a vision appeared in her mind's eye:

***

She was sitting at the bar with a cup of coffee in front of her. Her heart raced as she tried to keep calm, but she could feel her hands shaking like a pair of jackhammers. She was nervous, afraid, and very self-conscious.

So… about par for the course. Maybe a tiny bit worse than usual.

"Hey, Nia, you okay?"

She turned to see Tachibana sitting next to her. She smiled weakly and nodded.

"Yeah. Just a little anxious, I guess," she said, before remembering to project a more confident image. "Erm, for you that is. Because I'm going to make the best damn latte art of my life!"

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Really? Have you ever even made latte art?"

She awkwardly cackled. "Eh, well no, but—"

The door suddenly opened behind them, and Nitsuki glanced over her shoulder to see who it was. It was Inoue, and she had brought along several other people. Nitsuki recognized most of them, and she froze when she noticed that one of them was a police officer.

"Nia?" Tachibana's voice was filled with worry. "Are you really okay? You seem a little out of it."

"Y-yes." She quickly nodded and forced herself to relax. "It's nothing." She continued to glance at the newcomers out of the corner of her eye, watching as they moved around the room. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves, and every once in a while, they'd glance in her direction. The police officer was talking to a woman who worked at the local grocery store, and they kept looking over at Nitsuki as if they were waiting for something to happen.

She swallowed hard and gripped her mug tighter, forcing her attention back to Tachibana.

"So, uh. What are you planning on making for your art? I'm planning on making mine look like a—"

"Excuse me, miss."

Nitsuki's breath hitched in her throat as she looked up at the officer who was now calmly standing beside her. He wasn't a large man by any means, but he had an air about him.

"H-hello," she stammered, trying not to make eye contact. "How can I help you?"

"I'm Officer Kitamura," he introduced himself with a polite nod. "I heard from Mrs. Inoue that you gave a moped to an unlicensed minor. It was the daughter of a friend of hers. If you're free, I would like to ask some questions."

Nitsuki stiffened, her blood running cold as she stared at the man in front of her. She felt as though her heart had stopped beating.

"Are you free now?" he asked, gesturing toward the door.

Tachibana stood up abruptly. "Wait a second! What's this about? You have to have the wrong person."

"Don't worry about it, young man," he assured in a calm but firm voice. "I would just like to ask this young lady—"

"Young man," Inoue corrected.

The officer glanced at her confused before looking back. "This… 'young man' some questions regarding a matter involving an unlicensed driver. It won't take long." His gaze fell back on Nitsuki. "Do you mind?"

Her throat constricted as she felt the weight of the room around her. Everyone had taken notice, and their expectant gazes made her feel like she would pass out at any moment.

***

Nitsuki gasped and jerked backward, her eyes flying open wide as she found herself sitting on the porch once more. "Shit," she murmured, her chest heaving. "Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

Her mind raced furiously. How had this happened?! Was this really what awaited her at the cafe? Would Inoue really have gone so far as to dig up dirt on her and then call the police over something so freaking petty as not volunteering?

…Yes, yes she would.

Nitsuki burrowed her face into her hands. "That hag! What the hell am I gonna do?!"

Nitsuki knew she wasn't in the wrong; the girl she gave her scooter to had a license—she had made sure to ask her. And even if she didn't, it wasn't a crime to give someone a scooter, right?

Wait, crap. It was possible, wasn't it? She had looked into the regulations of owning one and using it—but not giving one away.

Nitsuki sighed heavily. This was all her fault. She had been careless. She hadn't considered all of the possible consequences of her actions, and now, she was paying for it. If she went to the cafe, could she end up being arrested? She didn't know, but even if she wasn't, she would definitely be humiliated.

She could see the headline already:

 Fake Woman At Local Café Endangers Innocent Youth, Gets Questioned!

She could almost hear everyone laughing at her, pointing fingers, calling her a criminal, saying that they knew she was trouble all along.

Why had she thought she could have a normal night?

Nitsuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed to calm down. She had to think. She couldn't go to the cafe, that much was clear. She would just have to tell Tachibana she wasn't feeling well and cancel on him—

She jumped at the sound of wheels rolling against the pavement. When she opened her eyes, she saw Tachibana already out and walking towards her.

Her fists clenched upon seeing his stupid, happy, and very oblivious face. It wasn't his fault, but it was hard to believe that he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Did he really think that he could invite a freak like herself to such an event without something bad happening?

"…"

That was a stupid question. He was Tachibana—of course he did.

"Hey!" he greeted cheerfully, oblivious to her internal turmoil. "Are you ready to go?" His smile was infectious, and despite herself, Nitsuki found herself smiling back.

"Um, actually." She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Sorry. I'm, uh, not feeling too good. Got a headache."

That wasn't a complete lie, she actually had been nursing some lightheadedness that had grown throughout the day.

His expression fell slightly, before he nodded slowly and… immediately dropped to the ground, face-first.

"W-wha—"

"Please forgive me, Nitsuki!" he exclaimed as he bowed completely prone. "I should have been more considerate of your health! I knew you were caught in the rain, but I still asked you to do a shift! I'm such a terrible friend!"

"W-what are you doing, you big idiot?!" Nitsuki hissed, looking around anxiously. No one was around to witness this spectacle, thankfully. "People might think you're crazy, doing that out in the middle of my walkway!"

"Then accept my apologies, please!"

She groaned and shook her head. "You're seriously overreacting. It's fine, okay? You… don't need to apologize."

He fervently shook his head. "No! I have to make it up to you!" He paused for a moment, as if thinking, then mumbled into the ground. "Oh, that's it." He pushed himself to his knees and then rose to his feet, brushing off dirt from his clothing and gesturing toward her with dramatic flair.

"I'll cook for you!

"…What?" she said, staring dumbfoundedly at him. She blinked once. Twice. Thrice.

"You know, I'll cook for you. Make you dinner," he repeated, his grin never faltering. "And not just tonight! I'll make you food every day for a month!"

"What the shit?" Nitsuki blurted out, her voice cracking. "Are you insane?!"

His face immediately fell again. "Ah, you're right. Just a month wouldn't be enough…"

"N-no, that's not the problem here. Tachibana, you really, really do not have to do that. I'm fine. Really!"

He stared at her, his eyes searching hers, trying to find any hint that she wasn't being honest. "But your headache—"

"It's gone!" she hastily interjected, her heart thumping loudly. "See? I'm better now. So let's just forget all this nonsense and…"

Her vision suddenly blurred in and out of focus, and her sense of balance shifted drastically.

Huh?

Confused, her arm latched out onto one of the porch's columns to hold herself up, but even that wasn't enough to keep her upright as her legs buckled underneath her.

"Nia?!" Tachibana's voice rang in her ear like they were underwater. She tried to respond. Instead, all she could do was stare at him dazedly as her body slumped in his arms.

Ah. She forgot to eat today, hadn't she? After all the trouble she had gone through just to buy stuff too. How stupid.

Tachibana was definitely going to hold that against her.