Chapter 3: The Confession

My heart skipped a few beats as it banged against my chest, exactly where Setsu’s hand touched me.

Could she feel my heart going wild?

Beads of sweat broke out all over my body. The cool, early March temperature skyrocketed. Had someone turned up the world’s thermostat by twenty degrees?

Setsu tapped my chest with a fingertip. “I’m waiting.”

My tongue stumbled over itself as it attempted to form words. “Of… of course… you’re m… my best friend.”

She shook her head. “No, not as a friend.”

“Not as a friend?” I repeated as my brain processed the meaning of her words.

She nodded. “Then let me rephase my question again: Do you love me?”

There was a vast difference between liking Setsu as a friend and loving her as a girl.

This is bad. Did my mom put her up to this?

“I… um…” I stalled for time and glanced around the park again. This had to be my mom’s handywork. Until yesterday, Setsu hadn’t even hinted she liked me as more than a friend. This whole situation smelled like one of my mom’s fully-baked plots. I could see the flowery manga screen tones all around me. She was forcing Setsu and me down a romance route that could only improve her manga sells.

Just the thought of that made me mad. I sat up and grabbed Setsu’s hand. I’d tell her to ignore whatever my mom did to confuse her about her feelings.

She squeezed my hand, stared into my eyes, and smiled at me like I’d never seen before.

The anger in me disappeared as quickly as it came.

I want to kiss her.

The worst-possible thought reared its head once again. I wanted to slap myself, but my hands were firmly in Setsu’s grip.

Setsu looked down at our clasped hands. “Maybe I’m going about this backwards.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I need to tell you first.”

“No,” I pleaded. “You don't need to…”

She raised a finger to my lips. “Let me be very clear. I love you, Hisao. I have for many years.”

“Huh?”

Years? No, that wasn’t right. We’ve been friends for years. How could she love me without me noticing? This had to be my mom’s doing.

“I wanted to tell you before you left. I don't want to be some stupid manga character who never tells their childhood friend her true feelings.”

Why'd she bring up manga characters at a time like this?

“You're not.” I clenched my fingers around hers.

She cocked her head. “Not what?”

“A manga character. You’ll never be a manga character to me.”

She lowered our hands to my lap. “But I am. I've been one ever since your mother started writing that stupid manga. Isn't that, right?”

She read my mom’s manga?

“I told you not to read that!”

She smiled, weakly. “I know I promised not to, but your mother dropped off volumes one through four yesterday as a going away present.”

ARGH! MOM!

I knew it. She really had interfered and pushed Setsu into this.

“I'm Seiko. Aren't I?”

I scrambled for a way out of this and said the three words my mom always used whenever I accused her of using my life as a model for her manga.

“It's purely coincidental.”

Setsu leaned in closer to me. “Okay, then prove it.”

“Prove what?”

“That I'm not Seiko.”

“How exactly am I supposed to do that?”

She pushed me down onto the grass. “Kiss me.”

“Wha… what? How will that prove anything?”

Reading that cursed manga had sent Setsu off the deep end. She wasn’t acting at all like herself.

“You don’t have to go that far.”

Setsu disagreed. “No, I think this is exactly how far I should go. If I'm right, then in the next chapter of Echoes of My Life, Hibiki will kiss Seiko. If I'm wrong, nothing will happen between them.”

“But… mom…”

…might be watching.

“So, are you going to kiss me or am I going to have to kiss you?”

“Hold on a second. You can't be serious. I… I'm moving in a few weeks!”

“Then it shouldn't hurt if I give you a goodbye kiss.”

This is bad. If mom sees this, she'll definitely use it. She's probably recording everything now. I need to stop this scene before it reaches the climatic kiss my mom is hoping for.

“Okay.” I breathed out. “You win. Just give me some space to prepare myself.”

Setsu cheeks blushed pink as she backed off. Her lips curled upward again in a way that made her prettier than ever before.

Sorry, Setsu.

I knew what I was about to do was going to destroy that smile, but I couldn’t let my mom win.

“Why don’t we both get on our knees?”

“Oh, okay.” She did as I asked.

“Do you mind closing your eyes? It’s a bit embarrassing to do this with you looking at me.”

She nodded. “It’s a bit embarrassing for me, too.”

As her eyes closed, I got to my feet, leaned in…

And kissed her forehead. “Sorry, Setsu, but that’s the best I can do.”

I turned around and bolted for home as fast as I could.

“Hey! Where do you think you're going?”

I can't let her catch me.

As I headed out of the park, I finally spotted my mom with a camera behind a bush.

She waved at me with a mischievous grin.

A part of me wanted to confront her then and there, but Setsu was a decent runner and if I slowed down, she’d catch me before I could escape.

I’ll give her a piece of my mind when she gets home.

I turned away from her only to find a rope stretched across the path.

My foot clipped it and I tumbled to the ground.

A trap!

My mom’s two assistants made apologetic gestures at me from their hiding spots on either side of the path. Thankfully, they’d set up a mat for me to fall on. Still, it hurt.

Damn you two flunkies!

“Hisao!”

Setsu’s voice came from right behind me. My doom was sealed as she rolled me over, grabbed my shoulders, and lunged toward me.

Her grip was so strong, I couldn’t dodge her lips and we kissed.

Mmm.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mom giving me a thumbs up.

Why was my first kiss so unfair… and yet so nice?