Have a Good Night

Later that night... Or rather, at the turn of the next morning, I stepped out into the dormitory courtyard. I exhaled, watching a cloud of vapor drift from my lips.

It's only the tail end of fall, and the air is already this cold. If it keeps up like this, we might actually get some snow this year. I can only hope.

Following the same path I always take, I reached the intersection. From there, I could see the bench — the same one where I'd found a certain someone every other time. Tonight was no different.

Sitting under the light of a lamp post with a cherry blossom tree towering behind her was Chihara Ouka. Her hair, long and straight, was tied into a ponytail. She was sitting with her two legs up, using them as a table for whatever assignment she was working on.

I went over and plopped down next to her, making sure to keep a large gap between us.

"Kinoshita! You're here!" she said, flashing a blinding smile at me.

"Yeah. Hey, Chihara. How are you?"

"I'm doing well. Just finishing up my homework."

"So I noticed. Do you come out here every night?"

She poked her chin with her pen.

"Hmm... Maybe not every night. More like most nights. Remember when I told you that napping after my classes became a part of my schedule? I wasn't kidding about that. And besides, after midnight is the best time to come out here. It's nice and quiet."

"That's one way of putting it. But, um... I don't mean to be overbearing, but you should be careful wandering alone in the dark. It can be dangerous."

"I know what you mean. And don't worry."

She began rummaging through the upper component of her school bag, then pulled out a pepper spray.

"That's why I have this!"

"Whoa," I said, lifting my arms. "My hands are up. Don't shoot."

"Pfft... Haha~!"

My body froze. It was so simple — something that everyone does almost every day. A laugh...

I caught myself admiring her and quickly turned away.

What the hell? My last relationship came to an end only a week ago. Why am I thinking about something like this all of a sudden?

"And besides," Chihara said. "I have a midnight buddy now."

"What the... I'm glad you think so highly of me, but don't forget, Chihara. I'm still somewhat of a stranger to you. People like me are the ones you should be cautious about the most."

"Hmm? You mean someone who, instead of taking advantage of me in the middle of a stormy night where no one would hear me even if I screamed, lent me his umbrella and promptly walked away to not come off like a creep?"

"H-huh...? How did you..."

"Hehe."

Chihara lowered her homework and pulled off her hair tie. The brown strands cascaded, hanging loosely along the backrest of the bench. Then, she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her legs and smiling at me.

"You know, Kinoshita... I'm not as oblivious as you think I am."

"...Is that... so?"

"Mhm! When it comes to reading guys and their intentions, I like to think that I'm pretty intuitive. Whether it's to date me or... something else... I'll know. You, on the other hand, Kinoshita Kazuha... It doesn't seem like you want either. And by the way, we aren't strangers anymore, right? We're more like... acquaintances. Friendly acquaintances."

Just like that, every delicate image I had of her shattered. Or rather... It molded with something else. Her voice was still soft, and her eyes even more so. At the same time, her confidence somehow skyrocketed. It almost seemed like I was talking to a different shade of the same person.

"You're something else, Chihara."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Make no mistake, though. If you try something, I will pepper-spray you, and I'm gonna make it a point to render you blind forever."

"...N-noted."

Chihara went back to doing her homework, humming to herself, while I just sat there, resting my eyes. At least, that was how I made it seem. In reality, I was trying my best to rationalize what had just happened.

Nope. I can't do this.

With a sigh, I grabbed a cigarette box from my pocket, slid one out, and stuck it between my lips.

"Kinoshita..."

I glanced over to see her frowning slightly.

"What's up?"

"You smoke?"

"Yeah, I do. Oh... Does it bother you? Should I go somewhere else?"

"No. Here's fine."

From her school bag, she pulled out a lighter and hovered it next to me.

"Oh. Thanks."

I leaned in, but the moment I did, she yanked the cigarette out. Before I could say anything, she replaced it with something else — something... sweet.

"A... lollipop?"

"Mhm! Smoking is bad for you. If you keep it up, you're gonna grow up with lung cancer. A lollipop is way better. Sure, it's got some added sugar, but at least it won't kill you like a cigarette will."

"Uh-huh... That certainly explains why you carry around a lighter."

"Oh, that? It's in case I need it to light my candle."

This time, she whipped out a small candle jar.

"See?" she said, wearing a grin that was way too proud of something like this.

"...You carry the most random things. Anyway, I've been sitting for too long. I'm gonna walk around for a bit."

"Sure thing!"

For a while, I paced around the entire courtyard with nothing on my mind.

That's a lie, because there is something on my mind. Or rather, someone.

Chihara Ouka.

Now that I've seen a whole different side of her, I'm confident. She's certainly an interesting person. Whimsical and admirable, so much so that it's hard to believe someone cheated on her.

I'm a bit curious about how it went, but I won't ask. It's none of my business.

When I got back, Chihara was leaning her head on her legs.

"Hey, you good over there?" I asked as I approached her.

No response.

"Chihara? Are you—"

That was when I realized. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing slowly.

"...Asleep. Seriously? Hey, Chihara,"—I lightly tapped her shoulder—"Come on, wake up. If you're gonna fall asleep, at least do it in your dorm room instead of out here."

"Mm..."

I waited a bit longer, but it didn't seem like she was gonna wake up anytime soon.

"Hah. Falling asleep with a total stranger roaming around. I can't tell if you're stupid or brave."

Just then, I paused, because what Chihara had said earlier replayed itself in my head.

"And by the way, we aren't strangers anymore, right? We're more like... acquaintances. Friendly acquaintances."

"...Tch. Godammit."

With that, I dropped onto the bench, planting my elbow on the armrest and leaning over it.

I was gonna call it a night when I got back, but after seeing Chihara asleep, I couldn't bring myself to just leave her like this. What if something happened to her? Then I'd feel responsible.

Yeah, that's all there is to it. Nothing else.

At some point, I lost track of time. It was only after I pulled out my phone that I realized two whole hours had passed. I didn't mind, though. Something about sitting in a nice park at night was oddly relaxing, even though I was getting just slightly drowsy.

Suddenly, Chihara shifted. She inhaled sharply, then cracked open her eyes upon exhaling. And the first thing she saw was me.

"...Kino... shita?"

"Took you a while," I scoffed. "Good morning, Chihara."

In that moment, she jolted up, eyes wide.

"W-what time is it?!" she exclaimed.

"We're coming up on just about three in the morning."

"Three...? So that means... Did you wait out here for me the whole time?"

"Well, yeah. It's not like I can leave a sleeping girl defenseless in a public place."

"Oh... Oh no. Kinoshita, I'm... sorry."

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"How many times have you apologized to me today, Chihara? And every single time, I always tell you the same thing. This time's no different. It's not a big deal, so you don't need to worry about it."

She seemed reluctant to take that for an answer, so I decided to play around.

"If you're still feeling bad about it even after I told you not to, then you can return the favor by buying me boba."

"H-huh?"

"Anyway, now that you're awake, I'm gonna head to bed. Have a good night, Chihara."

It was just a lighthearted joke meant to make her feel better. What I didn't expect was that she took it quite literally. The next Monday, right after our last class, she stood beside me in the aisle of the lecture hall.

"Well, Kinoshita?" she said with that shiny smile. "If you're free today, I'd like to return the favor."