Day Six

Day Six.

Unlike before, Tanaka didn’t drag me away that afternoon. She had already been whisked away by a friend the moment the final homeroom bell rang.

She seemed busy today. I guess that meant there was no room for me to squeeze in, right? Which is how it should be, really.

What exactly was I expecting? I asked myself.

I covered my face, ashamed of the secretly, shameless hope I’d been nursing. It was a nauseating feeling.

I tried to scrub those pointless thoughts from my brain, left the classroom and headed toward my club room. I sat there in silence, reading. But for some reason, no matter how many books I opened, not a single sentence brought me any joy.

What’s happening? Since when did I get bored of reading?

My heart was pumping heavily, in a manner that made me uneasy. I got distracted and angry for the reason I did not know. As if there was an emotion that feel like a loose end.

In the end, I tucked every book back into its place on the shelves. It was probably for the best if I just call it a day and went straight home. I wanna sleep and try to forget all these anoying feeling in my heart—as soon as possible.

So I left the Club Building, returned the keys, and hurried to the shoe lockers.

Just as I was about to pull my uwabaki from the locker, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I whirled around by reflex. A hannya was suddenly showed and outstretched her arms, ready to pounce me.

"Waaaah!!!" I shrieked, stumbling back against the lockers.

"Hahaha!"

A laugh erupted from behind that demon mask. It was Tanaka after all.

"You really scared of a little thing like this? What a chicken. Huuu."

She laughed freely, clearly getting a kick out of her little mischief.

I tried to calm myself, ignored that prank of her. I then picked up my uwabaki—that I dropped a moment ago—tucked them into the locker, and pulled on my beat-up shoes.

"Hey, what’s up? Why so quiet?"

Tanaka, still holding the demon mask beside her face, tilted her head. The smile on her face hadn't faded one bit.

"It’s nothing," I said flatly.

"Hmm? Then why do you look so grumpy?"

Tanaka leaned in close. Her eyes locked onto mine like a pair of sniper scopes. I felt like a bullet was about to go off if I didn't answer.

"I'm not grumpy."

"For real?"

"Yeah."

Besides, what did I have to be mad about? She hadn't done anything wrong. Yeah, she was innocent. If anyone was in the wrong, it was me for having such stray thoughts.

I tried to clear the clutter from my head and went back to being "Tree A".

"Where were you been?"

"Hm? Where was I, indeed. Why? Were you looking for me?"

A mischievous glint flashed across her pale face. She really was an expert at depleting people's patience bar.

"I was at the Drama Club. A friend of mine asked me to help her making costumes for their play next week."

"Oh."

Right. I’d seen them leaving the classroom together.

"Though I mostly just sat around and doing nothing but small stuffs. They're pretty dull of a work."

"I see."

"Yep."

"And the mask?"

"Hm? From the Drama Club. I borrowed it just to mess with you."

Couldn't you use your time for something more sensical?

"I think my friend just wanted to be accompanied. I haven't hung out with her much lately."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. She also kinda grumbled about us."

About us?

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know... there are rumors flying around about the two of us."

I didn't know. And I didn't wish to know.

"I told her we were just friends, but she didn't buy it."

"Oh. Okay."

Friends, huh. That had a nice ring to it. Though I had no idea when we’d moved into that relationship.

"Well, that’s just how she is. You know how girls are—so sensitive. It's not like I'm cheating on her or anything, but she still caught an attitude. Like I'm not allowed to have my own time? So possessive. Hmph!"

Tanaka ended her rant by puffing out her cheeks. She looked incredibly cute. A cute little demon.

"Anyway, forget about that. Let's go!" Tanaka said, grabbing my hand.

"Where are we going to?" I asked, letting her drag me along like a lost sheep.

"The carnival!" she proclaimed with a wide grin.

*** 

There was a carnival set up on the outskirts of town. They usually happen in mid-summer. There were all sorts of rides and food stalls. Tanaka ordered takoyaki, yakisoba, candy apples, and more. She ate like a whale breaking a fast.

"Aren't you afraid of your weight hitting double digits?"

"Don't worry. All these calories are about to get burned off."

And she was right—her energy was entirely being put in use after that.

We spent the rest of the night hitting every rides, including the most terrifying one: the Haunted House.

"In a scale of 1 to 5, how brave are you?" Tanaka asked in a cocky tone.

"Braver than you, at the very least," I replied, matching her energy.

"Heh. You jumped just looking at a hannya mask. There’s no way you’re brave enough to face a haunted house."

I was ambushed that time. So it wasn't count.

"I’m a horror fan. I'm not afraid of ghosts," I defended myself, throwing the challenge back at her.

"Oh, really? Then let’s make a bet. Let's see who screams more."

"You have no idea who you're dealing with."

We stepped inside. And it only took ten seconds for Tanaka to shriek. Her terrorized screams could be heard throughout the entire attraction. She was scared out of her mind. Her hands never left my arm, grabbing me as if I was a talisman. I was nearly deafened by her over-the-top shrieking every time a ghost jumped out.

***

"Haaaa—" Tanaka let out a massive sigh of relief once we made it out.

After exhaling all her fear, she stood up straight again and flashed a peace sign with a wide grin.

"Totally not scary."

This girl really hates losing, doesn't she? So annoying.

"In fact, that was surprisingly fun. Wanna go again?"

"Are you a masochist?"

"I love a challenge!"

Is that so? She really did love to be tormented, huh.

If that was the case, then surely she’d appreciate a bigger challenge. The heaviest of all. One that she wanna run from.

"About that bet, I won, right?"

"Eh? What bet?"

"Don't play dumb. You’re the one who started it."

Tanaka hid behind the red hannya mask, ducking out of her responsibility.

"You screamed the whole time. So, you lost."

"But you screamed too!"

"I only screamed twice."

And that was only because you pinched my arm.

"So, statistically, I got more points, hence the winner."

"Who decided that?"

I ignored that remark of her and kept going with my cause.

"Since I won, I get to ask for something, right?"

"Hmm. Fine, fine. As long as it’s nothing weird."

Nothing weird, huh.

"It’s not weird. Just a simple request."

I reached out and pulled the mask away from her face—a move I didn't even reaslize I had the guts to commit.

"I want you to not commit suicide."

I made the request bluntly.

"You said you like a challenge, right? So, this should be a challenging one, and obviously really fun."

Tanaka stared at me, her large, big black eyes shimmering. For once, her face went completely blank. For some reason, I felt like she hated what I’d just said. But I didn't care and pushed on with my selfishness.

"I don't know what you've been through. I don't know anything about your life. But..."

Why am I asking this to a girl I barely know?

"But... I like seeing you smile. I like watching you eat, or when you laugh because you’ve messed with me. All of it... it makes me happy. So, please..."

Did I really have to say it?

"I’ll keep staying by your side. Anytime, anywhere. So, please, don't kill yourself. Just keep living as the cheerful Tanaka Asuka everyday."

It was a selfish request. Embarrassing, even. But I said it with total sincerity. In front of me, Tanaka smiled. It was the same smile she always wore. It might be the most honest she ever look.

"Do you really care about me that much?"

Her question left me stunned, at a loss for words. Without waiting for a response, Tanaka started walking. I automatically followed her.

The carnival was still buzzing with joy. Every visitor seemed wrapped up in their own happiness. While we took in our surroundings, we unconsciously drifted back toward the sidewalk. The noise that had surrounded us finally faded, replaced by the serene, empty atmosphere of the street.

"Thanks for tonight. I really enjoyed it. The food was great, and that haunted house was a blast." Tanaka said, coming to a halt.

She turned to face me and continued, "I never knew being scared could be so much fun."

"Right."

It might sound weird, but plenty of people love being scared—especially horror buffs. Although there are also things we rather not see either, because it's too psychologically demanding.

"I hope we can come back here again sometime."

"Yeah. They're open every summer. We can visit again together next year."

She smiled, showing an emotion that was hard to read. "I hope you don't forget me by then."

"I won't." I answered instantly.

Tanaka nodded. Her smile widened—it was beautiful and pleasant. But at the same time, it terrified me.

"Well, guess I head home now."

"Yeah. Take care. See you tomorrow."

"...."

And as it turned out, that was also the last smile I ever saw from her.

***