Bitter-Sweet Summer

A lot of people said that summer is the most annoying season.

That statement might not universally valid, but for those who live in Yamanashi, it holds some more significant. Especially if you're a resident of Kofu which is surrounded by mountains. The temperatures can hit 35 degrees Celsius in summer, turning the earth into a boiling cauldron.

But on the flip side, you can't deny that summer would also brings tons of fun stuffs. Firework festivals, Tanabata, the beach, the orchestra of cicada colonies, and of course, long vacation—which is the most important one for me.

One more thing, if you're in high school and got a girlfriend, summer will be the perfect time to create those bubbly memories of youth.

Wrapped in the burning magic of summer, the cocoon of love grows and expands, then slowly blooms into a mesmerising butterfly of romance. What a sight to be graced upon.

Or so they say. I wouldn't know, though. I've never had a girlfriend before. Unlike the guy who was standing with sad expression next to me. Although too bad for him, it seems that summer magic isn't actually working this time.

"You got something, Kobayashi?" The guy next to me—my friend from middle school—Taniguchi Minoru, asked in a hushed voice.

His big frame looked timid for some reason. As if the summer sun had melted his whole bones into jello.

Served him right for choosing the rooftop instead of a room with cooler for our meeting. Heartbreak must had taken over his ability to think straight, making him lost track of how logic works. But as a good friend, I didn't want to grumble too much about it. So I immediately agreed to his wish, and rushed up here right after we finished lunch.

"Yeah, there are more than something, actually," I answered while watching a group of girls playing badminton down in the schoolyard.

Hearing my answer, Taniguchi slowly dropped his head onto the railing. He looked almost gonna burst into tears. But a moment later, he lifted his face and said, "Spill it out."

"Alright. But I warn you, this ain't gonna be good."

Taniguchi noded, acknowledging my warning.

Seeing him like that made me a bit uneasy. But a client's request is a command. So, I couldn't really do much about it.

I pulled my phone out of my pants pocket, opened a folder full of photos and videos, then handed it to Taniguchi. His breath heaved as he examined the evidence I showed him. After finished torturing his eyes, Taniguchi erupted.

"Dammit!" he grunted, swinging a fist through the air.

One more inch and he would smash my phone to the ground. Luckily, he managed to control himself and stopped just in time.

"You okay, Buddy?" I asked, making sure.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. Yeah.... It's nothing...."

There were clearly more than nothing.

"Are these real?" Taniguchi posed that question while staring at me, demanding confirmation—which he already got.

I answered bluntly, "You think I'm lying?"

"I'm not saying you're lying. It's just... unbelievable."

Taniguchi shook his head over and over, as if trying to throw away his disappointment as far as possible.

"Either you believe it or not, the fact is, I collected all this evidence myself. I tailed them from the station all the way to their final stop. I didn't wait for them to come out, though. Since I thought the footage of them going in was enough as a hard cash."

Taniguchi clenched his fist at my explanation. His face is red with anger. I just watched him with a worried expression, not wanting to provoke him further.

"But, why, though...? Mio....?"

Taniguchi directed that question through the still air.

In the end, he vented out to the sky. After letting out a painful scream, he smashed his head onto the railing once again. A clang echoed as his forehead hit the iron bar. He hugged himself in silence, crushed.

A bit dramatic, in my scope. But I guess that's a natural reaction when you knew about your girlfriend cheating on you.

Yesterday afternoon, Tanaka Mio—Taniguchi's girlfriend—went on a date with a guy who was definitely not Taniguchi. They ate at a cafe, shopped for clothes, got lovey-dovey at the park, and various coupleish activities. Things that clearly made Taniguchi's blood boiled. But the final straw that broke him was definitely about the fact that those two illicit lovers went into a love hotel. A place Taniguchi would never even crossed his mind to visit.

"What did I do wrong? We were doing fine. We never fight— Well, we did sometimes. But we'd always make up and return back to normal quickly. So why would she do something like this? I don't get it."

Taniguchi muttered restlessly, throwing all those questions into the air. His voice, though, was no louder than the shouts of the girls playing badminton down on the field. One of them executed a fierce smash that hit her friend. That's a clean head-shot right there.

"If you could read someone's mind as easily as knowing the filling of an onigiri, then the world definitely wouldn't be such a vague place like this. It's hard to understand what girls were thinking in the first place, no? Sometimes logic matters less to them than their mood."

You would never know which OS was running in their heads. Their words and decisions could change faster than their heartbeat. These species were so irrational that logic mostly left to find milk rather than dealing with them.

Obviously I was speaking in my own experience. So don't take it for granted.

"But at the very least from those evidence we knew just how clingy Tanaka was to that guy," I continued. "I'd supposed they've known each other for a while. Or maybe even more than a while, considering they went into that hotel."

Taniguchi's ears turned red at that last detail. If we were in a video game, a red exclamation mark would definitely be flashing above his head now. But instead of raging and spewing fire of wrath, he just shook his head and groan in pain.

"She's not even like that with me. Forget a hotel, we haven't even kissed yet after dating for four years."

My condolences.

"Is this really the end of everything? After all this time?" Taniguchi wondered, gazing at the distant summer sky, trying to find answeres in the uncaring clouds. "We also had planned to go to Tokyo together after graduation."

"Tokyo?"

"Yeah," Taniguchi said with a nod. "Mio wanted to study medicine at Todai."

Oh, University of Tokyo, huh. What an ambition. But if it's Tanaka, I guess she could pull it off. Couldn't say the same for Taniguchi, though.

"Since when you were interested in medical field?"

"Do I look like someone who could heal people?"

"Well, you could take people to the hospital I guess, in some other way."

Taniguchi laughed a bit at my unintentional joke.

"Nothing's impossible if you're willing to try, you know."

"Maybe. But sometimes a guy's gotta face reality. Fact is, my IQ's pretty low. I don't think I would ever get into Todai, let alone average university."

There was a trace of sadness that coated with acceptance in his sentence. I wasn't sure if he's too humble, or just don't want to try enough. But I didn't dare to pry too far neither.

"So, instead of reaching for something I couldn't grasp, I'd rather do something I'm capable of."

That's a bold statement—manly. It kinda make me feel proud of him. Not that he's my kid or anything, though.

"I'm going to Tokyo, but not for college. I'm gonna find a job and live with Mio. I'll support her until she graduates, and save up money for our future."

Once again, he dropped a bold confession. So bold it almost made me doubt myself.

"That's hell of a plot you got. I don't even know what I'm having for dinner tonight, but you're already planning to start a family? You're gonna make every high school students jealous, you know."

"Well, it's still just a plan, unfortunately."

"Still impressive nonetheless."

"Maybe. But I seem the only one who thinks so. Mio... on the other hand, might have other plans already set. Something she doesn't want to share with me."

Taniguchi slipped back into heartbreak mode. He stared blankly into the distance, mute. I did the same, shutting my mouth. Down on the field, the badminton girls laughed cheerfully. Another smash hit someone's head―again. They burst into laughter, looking absolutely thrilled, really enjoying their youth.

"I don't know what I did wrong. I don't know why Mio's doing something like this neither. Guess whatever the reason, it won't be pleasant to hear."

Taniguchi muttered next to me with soft note. I shifted my attention from the field to him. That guy was standing up straight at last. His gaze fixed ahead with determination.

"I will talk to Mio and discuss this through. If she truly had lost interest on me and prefers that guy instead, then I guess I'll walk off from this relationship."

"What if she only did it in a whim, and asked for a forgiveness?" I asked out of curiosity.

Taniguchi paused for a moment, then answered, "I would forgive her. But, I don't think I can see her as her old self anymore."

Once ag, Taniguchi showed his quality as a man. Do you really have to aura farm this often? If I were a girl, I'd definitely be falling for him right now. Tanaka Mio was clearly throwing away gold for a pebble. Such a shame.

"Well, whatever your decision is I hope you can settle everything peacefully. No one should end up at the hospital over this kind of matter, right?"

My remark made Taniguchi laugh a bit.

"Don't worry. I'm not a brute as I used to be."

"I believe that." I do.

Taniguchi's worked hard to become a better man, far away from street fighting and the such. It'd be a waste of effort if he'd resorted back to his delinquent ways after crawling this far—all because of an ungrateful girl's betrayal.

"Thanks for everything, Kobayashi. Sorry for putting you through all this trouble," Taniguchi said, handing back my phone to me.

I took that phone and slipped it into my pocket, answered casually, "Don't sweat it. Not a big deal."

He smiled. This time, it looked more relieved.

"You're a good friend. Drop by the shop sometime. I'll treat you unagi―all you can eat buffet."

"I'm not that into eel, honestly. But if it's free, I'm wouldn't say no."

And with that, Taniguchi's case is closed. Another mission accomplished.

***