Now We Know It Could Only Mean One Thing!

Ume and Tani sit inside the Tokyo Skytree Solamachi, about to take their first bite of their long awaited ice cream. Tani kept it traditional, ordering the famous Giontsujiri matcha ice, while the more adventurous Ume ordered strawberry shortcake from the Okoppe Milk stand. Both treats look especially delicious considering their hero’s journey to this point.

Their walk from the Former Yasuda Garden to here took way longer than they could have imagined. 

One hour and twenty minutes.

It didn’t help that they got lost a couple times and stopped to play in the park, but the time it took made it seem like a much farther distance than what was walked.

Upon crossing the Tobu bridge and to the other side of the Sumida river to enter Skytree Town, Ume fell to her knees and lifted her hands to the air as though she had been stranded on a deserted island and was just rescued by a passing vessel.

Tani could only crane his neck in a futile attempt to see the very top of the tower, the giant structure glistening in the night sky like a trophy being presented to him for competing a grand task.

He had to fight back tears.

And now, the ice cream is here and ready to be eaten, their final reward for their perilous adventure is within their grasp, and nothing can take it away.

Silently communicating permission to each other, the two take their first bites.

“!!”---“Mm!?”

“It’s good!”---”Delicious!”

The two bellow out their approval simultaneously.

There will be no sulking after this meal, the taste is better than anything they could have hoped for.

Upon finishing their ice cream, the two lean back in their chairs and let a content sigh fizzle from their mouths.

“That was actually worth it.”

“Yeah for real, thank you for coming with me.” Ume says with a smile.

Tani feels like he should be the one to thank her for inviting him, but he doesn’t know how that might come across. Considering his reluctance at the beginning, he’s worried that showing gratitude afterwards might make him look foolish.

“So…” He says, his eyes landing on the many people walking around the mall outside of the foodcourt. “What do we do now?”

“Don’t you have to go home?”

Tani flinches. The question he just asked suggests that he doesn’t want their day to end. He might as well have just told her that he’s happy he came here and moved on from the topic. 

He fumbles with the spoon still in his hands when he replies, “I-I mean, I’m already out anyways…”

Ume shows him a toothy smile and points her index finger up. “How about we go to the top?”

Secretly, Tani was hoping she’d suggest doing that. He’s never seen the night time view from up there. The only problem is that the tickets are somewhat pricey and as a student, he’d be going through a good chunk of this month’s food money to go.

Because of that, he hesitates to agree right away.

“My treat!” Ume responds to his pause.

“No way.” Tani crosses his arms in the shape of an X in front of him. “You’ve bought me enough stuff today, it’s my turn to pay.”

“But the ticket to the top is probably more expensive than the pizza and the ice cream combined.”

“I don’t care, I’m paying.” he says, sticking his nose up at any suggestion otherwise.

Fast forwarding a few minutes later, the two are inside the large elevator heading up tower, joined by about twenty other people, they should be blending in with their surroundings.

But Tani is wearing a face that makes him stand out amongst the other smiling and juvial patrons.

He wears a bitter expression because, he in fact, did not pay for the tickets.

The financial hit would have been too much to shoulder, when it was time to whip out his wallet and pay, he froze and gave Ume the choppiest of glares.

Ume so graciously jumped in and paid without a second thought, and Tani has been in a sour mood ever since.

“It’s nothing to pout over, I knew how much the ticket would cost when I offered to buy them in the first place.”

Ume’s words do nothing to quell his apparent agitation.

She tries again.

“Also, if you knew how much money I’m brining in from social media you really wouldn’t feel bad having me pay for all this stuff!”

Tani pushes his bottom lip towards his nose at tilts his head back before saying with a groan, “That’s even worse… Who would’ve thought that at his point in our lives you’d be the one with a job while I continue to be broke?”

Ume has failed again, so this time she adjusts her tactics.

“To be fair, you’ll be better off in the long run doing what you plan on doing for a living.”

“Just stop, I can’t handle any more adult talk from you. It’s making me sick.”

“But really though, I bet one day you’ll be rich enough to retire and get super into playing golf or something. Better yet, you could be like the old men that spend their days at the free fishing pond in the park we walked through earlier!”

There are entire communities of elderly men who meet every day to catch and release fish at the park, and many others choose to spend their days outside on the golf course with former business partners and friends. To most people that is a wonderful way to spend retirement.

For Tani? He grieves at the very idea of it.

Sensing his ire, she leans away and mutters, “Actually, you’ll probably end up exiled on a small island in the middle of the Atlantic…”

Her historical quip wasn’t lost on Tani, and the thought of himself as a Napoleonesque figure in his later years lifts the edges of his lips and snatches a chuckle out of his chest.

“Heh, that sounds more like it.”

She hides her clenched fist as she internally celebrates her victory, it looks like she is getting the hang of snapping him out of these little spells he casts onto himself when things don’t go his way. She's quite glad that some knowledge taken from her high school history class has stuck in her brain.

The two file out of the elevator, reaching the Tembo Deck where people can stop for treats at the Cafe and play on the attractions before riding the next elevator up. The giant windows invite a dazzling display of neon lights, from here they stand parallel to Tokyo’s tallest skyscrapers, they can even peer at workers inside the office buildings entire blocks away.

Although impressed by the initial view so far, Tani rushes Ume to the other side of the circular room and into the next elevator that takes patrons to the highest observation deck some 450 meters high.

By doing this, they beat the crowd they arrived with and can enjoy the top with a few less people than they would have had they stayed.

The elevator’s quick ascent serves as a companion to their rising excitement, and upon the doors opening to the Tembo Galleria, they are received by a sight almost unimaginable in its scale. High above even the tallest buildings in all of Tokyo, the dancing lights of cars and streetlights on the ground look more like far away stars trailing off in different directions in the night sky.

The flickering orbs of purple, blue, green, red and orange stretch for miles and miles out into the city’s distance, even past the Furaei and Shikahama bridges towards the open ocean where they sparsely pop up against the backdrop of the dark Pacific Ocean.

It is a clear night, and if straining their eyes hard enough to peer out well past Tokyo itself, the outline of Mt Fuji can be seen.

“So pretty!” Ume says, struck with amazement and unable to contain her joy.

She rushes to the railing by the windows and soaks it all in.

Walking to her side, Tani murmurs in awe, “It’s incredible.”

“Another last second detour that worked out great, huh Tani?”

“I really owe you for this one. This is really cool.”

“Are you having fun now?”

“I am, actually…” He clears his throat and hides half his smile with his hand.

Ume doesn’t celebrate like she has every other time she’s gotten a positive reaction out of him, instead she takes a soft step towards him and asks,

“Do you feel better now?”

“..!”

He had completely forgotten about what has been bringing him down these last few days. Tonight, for the first time since their VR night, he has allowed his mind to break free from any thought of Anita’s secrets that had him chained at the ankles.

Now that he notices the weightlessness upon being released from captivity, he wonders why he ever let Anita’s secrets effect him this much in the first place. She doesn’t owe him anything after all, and he also has more than his fair share of secrets hidden from her.

Why is it only now that he feels he can let it go?

He takes in a sharp breath, looks around at the view towards the ocean, and slides his gaze down into the indigo eyes of Ume that so beautifully collect the lights of the surrounding city and broadcast even more vibrant colors his way.

He has his answer…

“I feel much better, thank you, Ume.”

“Hehe..!”

The way the Galleria is designed, the entire platform it spirals upwards to the Sorakawa Point, marking it the highest spot in Tokyo where one can stand. With a giggle, she races up the platform’s incline before a smooth pirouette turns her body his way.

Taking on the presence of someone larger than life, Tani looks up at her like a shinto priest would gaze upon a goddess in the flesh.

She holds out her thumb to him, sends him a cheeky smile and says,

“Then my mission is accomplished!”

-------------------------

A wise man once said that time flies by when having fun.

At 8:30 at night, Tani has done his best not to think about how little sleep he is going to have tonight after going a full six hours past his original schedule for the day. He’ll have to down an energy drink or two to finish up the day’s work upon making it home, he may even have to pull an all nighter.

As resentful as he is at his upcoming night, that negative emotion is buried away while sitting in the train heading towards Ume’s part of town.

He is tired, and in any other situation he’d be able to fall asleep the moment he gave himself the chance. He’s not in a normal situation however, because leaning against him is the sleeping form of Ume.

He stiffly plays the role of her pillow, not wanting to allow himself to get too comfortable. It isn't for the sake of waking her, but for the sake of his racing heart. What little contact her tiny shoulder has on his is a burden more than enough to bare, if any more of her were to sink into him he just might panic.

Watching the moniker above the door inch closer to the next station, he awaits their arrival with baited breath. He manages to move just enough to wake her up without making it seem obvious that she has been sleeping on him.

She stirs from her slumber and a few slow blinks gathers her senses.

“Next stop is ours.” Tani says.

With a yawn, Ume replies, “Aw I dozed off, sorry about leaving you alone for the long ride back.”

“No problem.”

The two sit in silence, Tani again watches the ETA moniker and Ume rubs her eyes. He can almost allow himself to remain this way, but there has been a lingering question in his mind that has steadily built throughout the night.

He now has the courage to ask it.

“Hey Ume, there’s something I’ve been wondering…”

“Hm?”

“What made you decide to become a model? No offense, but in middle school you weren’t the type of person who would ever put themselves out there like that.”

“Are you saying I was ugly??” Ume clasps at her face and feigns devastation. “Uwa, I don’t know how I’ll ever mentally recover from this.”

Tani had a feeling she’d reply like that, which is why he didn’t ask earlier in the day.

“I’m being serious.”

“Just because I used to wear thick glasses and braided my hair doesn’t mean there wasn’t a fair maiden hidden beneath bad style!”

“Don’t put words in my mouth.”

“My poor, poor heart...”

Ume’s insistence on making Tani work hard for an answer pushes him away from prying any further. Folding his arms across his chest, he puffs.

“Fine then, I shouldn’t have even bothered.”

Ume chuckles and asks, “You really wanna know?”

He sends her a side eyed glance. “As the leader of our Club, it’s important to know as much about my members as possible. I’d be able to tailor assignments and teaching techniques to your interests and passions.”

“Ehhh, that’s why?” She couldn’t look any more disappointed.

Tani doesn't catch on.

“Yeah, I know a good amount about pretty much everyone in my Club except you. I’ve done a lot of digging into their pasts and I’m now able to use it to their benefit.”

Ume is not aware to how much effort he’s put into finding out the deep and dark secrets of everyone around him. His prying is not just limited to those in his Club either, he has a long list of blackmail-able offenses from fellow students to teachers written down and ready to be put to good use if needed.

The fact that Tani is asking her in person means that he hasn’t gotten around to exploring what Ume has been up to since middle school, some of that has to do with not having the time to do it, but most of it has to do with him choosing not to. Now he is using his position as an excuse to get what he wants out of her.

“As the Club leader?” She tucks her chin between her thumb and index finger. “If you put it that way…”

It’s right then that the train comes to a stop and the doors to their station open. Ume is the first to rise up off of her seat and Tani follows her out onto the platform. Making their way through the station and onto the street, Ume seems to be contemplating her answer to him, which serves as a tension builder for Tani.

“It’s kind of a long story, actually.” she says upon reaching a streetlight and waiting their turn to cross.

“I don’t really need details, I’m just curious.”

“Is it my Club leader that is curious or is it my friend? Depending on who I’m talking to my story might differ.”

“...”

The light turns green and they make their way to the other side.

“Can’t it be both?” Tani asks.

“Nope.”

He finds himself feeling nervous about his choice. Truth be told, he’s been hesitant to find out what was happening in the missing time since they were once inseparable parts of each other’s lives. She’s seemed to change so much that the idea of stalking her records has intimidated him.

If he asks her as Club leader, will she give him a simplified explanation that doesn’t reveal enough to satiate his curiosity? If he asks her as a friend, he’s worried that her honesty will isolate him even further away from her.

He knows these fears are unreasonable, but he can’t help but be overwhelmed by them.

“I'm asking you... as a Club leader.”

The easy way out slips from his lips with the pressure of a leaking faucet.

Ume doesn’t turn to him as she explains, “Our middle school friends all got accepted into different high schools. So I felt like I needed to start fresh if I wanted to make new ones. I had to leave the days of broadcasting my nerdiness behind me, so I bought some fashion magazines and started copying whatever style was popular in there.”

“...I see.”

“Keeping my actual interests hidden away at home, luckily I was able to make new friends super fast. One of them suggested I start an Instergram* page to post on that eventually blew up. I got offers from some clothing companies to do shoots and that boosted my profile even more. Every weekend through middle school was spent doing something for social media views or brand sponsors, and that’s how I got to where I am now.”

Tani said he didn’t need details, yet she pretty much gave him a step by step process of how she became a model.

So why does it still feel empty?

As the Club leader, he should not need to ask anything else; as a friend, he’d really like to know more.

He chooses not to ask as either.

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“You think?”

“Sure I do, so many people know who you are out there. And here I am wanting to be head of the UN and no one outside my school even knows I exist. I’m really quite a ways behind you after all.”

Ume chuckles and pulls her hat down her fringe, after a rightward turn onto a street, she stops in front of Tani.

“My house is just around the corner, I can go alone from here.”

“O-Oh…”

It’s a sudden end to their night that comes as a bit of a crushing blow to him.

“Unless you'd dare want to show your face to my parents, I'm sure they would love to talk your ear off after so much time.”

The thought of that sends a chill down his spine.

“No thanks!”

“Hehehe I thought so.”

“Well then…” Tani takes a deep breath and awkwardly looks away. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah…”

He gives her a little wave and turns away to head back to the station.

“Wait...” Ume says.

Tani turns towards her, and is surprised to see that she’s closed the distance and is proffering her arms out towards him.

“..?”

“Tani… can I give you a hug?”

“A hug?? Why?”

Despite such a bold request, Ume’s face is barely flushed, she looks at him intently when she answers, “Because today was the best day ever... I want to hug you now.”

Tani is flabbergasted. His temperature skyrockets and he wants to back away from the scorching flames causing his distress.

But his instincts keep him firmly in place.

“Okay… sure.”

He has lost control of every part of his body, he didn’t want to say that either.

Ume steps forward, presses her head onto his collar and wraps her arms around his lower back.

Even if he had control of his arms, he wouldn’t know what to do with them; thankfully they move on their own and throw themselves over her shoulders to return her embrace.

From this close, he can take in every last sensation of her contact with him. The scent of her hair, the softness of her chest pressing against his, her tiny fingertips pressed onto his back, her entire essence flows into him with the gentle sensation of water breaking against the shore.

This is what his very first hug feels like.

After a moment that stretched on, Ume releases her grip on him and looks up to greet him with a flushed smile.

“Now you’ve caught up to me, Tani.”

She frolics away from him, leaving him frozen in place.

“Thanks for a wonderful date! I’ll see you at school!” she says before disappearing around the corner towards her house.

“Y-Yeah, at school, s-sounds good.”

And just like that, his day with her has come to an abrupt, albeit climactic end.

He never would have seen any of this coming.

Shoddily making his way back to the station, his mind blankly reflects on what just happened. She said he has caught up to her now, just what did she mean by that? How is it that she is able to send this massive tidal wave crashing into his heart? 

Kimura Ume, his childhood friend for so long, has very suddenly become a person he can’t distinguish from the very pretty girl that has just hugged him.

Is he allowed to view her differently now?

There’s so many questions in his fuzzy mind.

“Wait a second…” he says to himself as though struck by lightning.

One question has aggressively pulled him from his stupor.

“That was a date!?”

Today’s UN Training Result: Tani is completely unable to stick to his Schedule if a pretty girl is involved!!

The Date --- End