Summer Brought By The Girl From Those Dreams - Part 2

July 24/2013 — Dream World

After my promise that day, I avoided going to Kamizo’s home until I completed ‘The-New-Method-of-Communication’.

Also, going there would have weakened my will to beat her in the test.

Luckily enough, in 2nd grade too, she was in my class.
It would’ve been lame not to get to compete after declaring a war.
I thought I would start my new beginning in 2nd grade by taking the number one spot.

I studied throughout the whole semester, but… reality hit harder.

“Hey, Hiyura.” Papa called.

A shockwave of fear ran through my body.
I feared the wounds that this man’s words carried.

I turned around.

“Did you beat Kamizo this time?” he asked with a big smile on his face.

I was about to answer.

“He got beaten again, puh-puhh.” Mumma peeked in and answered instead.

That imaginary arrow was about to pierce my heart, but Papa stopped it with his bare hands.

“Ohh, don’t mind.”
“Let’s go, somewhere.”

Tilting my head with a gloomy expression, I made a question mark face.

Me and Papa on the bike—maybe this time the usual ‘so-so-heart-warming-ride’.

Wasn’t he going to tease me to death?
What’s with that smile of a Pokémon Master, he’d end up looking cool, hmphh?

“Well, I knew you wouldn’t have beaten her. My blood is running in you.”

What exactly did he mean by that?

“Actually, Hana-chan and I went to the same high school.”

“WHAT!! Really?!”

“Yup.”

Okay, now this is getting interesting.

“I challenged your mom a number of times, but I was never able to defeat her.”

“Hehh, really… How many times did you challenge her?”

“I don’t remember, but at least I wasn’t able to defeat her for the whole year.”

“WHAT!! Really?!”

“Why are you saying that with a smiling face?” I asked.

“Well, now I’m married to her, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”

“Hmm… I guess that makes sense.”

“But didn’t you feel frustrated?”

“Yup, I did.”

“So then what did you do?”

Papa stopped the bike and said, “I would come to places like these.”

It was a café.

We went inside, me not understanding what to do.
This was the place Mumma would never take me, saying it wasn’t good for my health.

As I thought, this man was up to no good.
What was he planning by bringing me here?

But… I had always wanted to try the cream soda in a café. Mumma would never buy it for me.

We sat at the table.

“So then, so then, Papa—tell me more about you and Mumma.”

“Hehhh… leave that for some other time.”

“Ehh… why?”

“Here is your order, sir.”

My eyes widened.

It was cream soda.

A drop of saliva ran through my mouth.

“But Papa… is this really fine?”

“It’s fine as long as you keep this a secret,” he said, winking.

SO COOLLL!!!
The number one in my heart was switching back and forth.

“So… what I was saying is, you’ll end up losing many times in your life. But rather than crying and feeling frustrated, just come here and let the time be with the Cream Soda.”

I bet Papa said something really good, but I didn’t pay much attention—I was busy letting my time be.

I wanted to complain, throw tantrums, say this and that, but I guess it was fine now.

“Once we’re finished, let’s go to Kamizo’s place. I believe you’ve completed the thing you were making for her.”

“Yup.”

After thinking and recreating my idea, I finally completed it.
I had thought about it for quite a while, but I was a little nervous that she might think, ‘You took this much time just to think of this?’

Anyway, now was the time to just be with the cream soda.

“Also, Papa… I think I understand a little about why you love anime so much.”

Papa stood up from his seat in excitement.

“Really?”

Folding his hands, a drop of proud tears forming, he said,
“I guess my blood is surely running in you.”

Normally, I would’ve told him not to be so loud and stop embarrassing me, but I guess it was fine.

“Also, Dad… that time when Goku got Super Saiyan Three—”

I went on talking.

Like never before, this was the first time I felt tired from talking so much.
Maybe sometimes it’s good to let out your talkative version.

Anyway, now I’m going to compensate for it by having a no-talk conversation with Kamizo.

Ting–tong.
Bark! Bark!

My heart pounded loudly as we reached Kamizo’s home.
It had been so long since we last met.

I didn’t know what to do—how to start.

Yukki was in the living room. I looked at him… with my telepathy.

“Hey, Arcanine. Where is she?”

“Bark! Bark! …She’s in her room.”
“Bark! Bark! …Calm down a little. You look too nervous.”

He said that his own legs shaking.

For some reason, the situation felt too tense.
I didn’t know why—but even Arcanine was nervous.

I stood in front of her door.

“Bark! Bark! …You can do it, Hiyura.”

It felt as if time—or maybe the world around me—was moving too fast.
My heart beat louder and louder.

It felt like it would explode, yet my hand moved on its own.

I knocked.

Without a pause, the door opened.

Kamizo stood there.

Time—or the world—regained its original speed.

She wore the same big smile she had that day.
With that face, she said,

“Welcome back.”

My heart felt light, as if the pounding a second ago was a lie.

An unfamiliar joy rushed in like a wildcard entry.
I felt stupid for being so nervous.

That feeling burst out as laughter.

“Yo, Kamizo-chan. I’m back.”

“Yosh, Kamizo! What should we play today?”
I said, swinging my arm as if shaking off rust.

“Today, we’ll play a new game,” Kamizo said.
“We’ll pretend one of our classmates is an alien.”

Oh—that was a good idea.

I did a double nod in reply.

“Who will be the alien?” I asked.

“Yukki,” she said, pointing at him.

I looked at Arcanine.

He was making that familiar face.

You know—the ‘don’t-you-think-you’re-forgetting-something?’ face.

I didn’t care much.

Together with Arcanine, we played and had fun.

After a while, we lay resting on the floor.

Then I remembered Arcanine’s face—and finally understood.

I stood up and asked Kamizo with an awkward smile, with that drop of sweat on my forehead you usually see in anime.

“Hey, Kamizo… aren’t you forgetting something?”

She stood up too and tilted her head in question.

Not related to the situation going on, but I think Kamizo has started copying my ‘Tilt head question’ too.

I took out my ‘Kahiwa holder’.

Smiling, I said,
“The New Method of Communication.”

I held it up.
“Kahiwa holder.”

Kamizo’s eyes sparkled as she clapped.

Without saying anything, she just looked at me—eyes shining.

I was used to her silence by now.

I understood what her eyes meant: How do we use this?

I looked at Arcanine for confirmation.
Yukki nodded.

It was a board, or say a little thick card, of palm size. With different shades of colour on it.

I explained
“It has ten columns and five rows. Each column has a colour, and each row has different shades.”

“Each shade represents a letter,” I continued.

“And the colours are…”

“The back side shows moods… since neither of us is very expressive.”

I went on explaining in detail.

It’s actually fun to explain something you are quite knowledgeable about.

She listened patiently till the end—hands folded, face serious.

“Hiyura! Your mom called. We have to leave for today,” Papa said from the other room.

I wanted to explain more—and try it out—but reality hit harder.

I turned and walked toward the door.

“Bye-bye, Kamizo.”

Just as I was about to leave—

“Wait!”

She came closer, holding the Kahiwa holder in my hand.
She pointed at the colour shades.

[T – H – A – N – K – Y – O – U]

Thank you.

My eyes filled with joy.

With my biggest smile, I said,
“I’ll come back again. This summer vacation, we’ll thoroughly learn how to talk using this.”

She smiled, her hands tucked behind her back.
She did a double nod.