Cheers to Love

There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere of two teenagers trying to look their best before a big date. The tension is lost on me though as I relax on the floor on Mayumi’s room while she goes through each one of her outfits. They all look good to me; I don’t know what she’s looking for. Probably some kind of sign from the gods knowing her.

Even Yutaka looked nervous. Judging by the last time I saw him, I bet he is still messing with his hair. Just a while ago we were all watching more old programs on the television, but now there is only about an hour left before we planned to meet for the group date. I think about watching more television shows while I wait; they were pretty funny.

“You’re not nervous at all, Runa?” Mayumi asks me while holding two different dresses.

“No, why would I be? I’m hungrier than anything.” I put my hand on my stomach. Their mom didn’t set dinner out for us since we’re going out soon. All I’ve had recently are Hiroshi’s sandwiches and some rice crackers when we got home.

“Tonight you’re going to confess your love to that boy!”

I’m shaken to the core at the mere thought. “No, I’m just going for your moral support really. It’s you and Yutaka that are the ones doing any confessing tonight! I’m not in love with Hayahiko. He’s just been really nice to me!” I shouldn’t be anyway, I tell myself.

“Hm, you can deny it all you want, but I feel the fate between you two is strong.”

“How can you tell something like that? Did the lucky gods speak to you?”

“Anyone could see just by looking at you two! The face you made when you saw him was really cute, too.” How embarrassing, please forget about that.

“Whatever. It wouldn’t work out between me and him anyway. It’s just not in the stars.” I shrug.

“Well, if that’s how you really feel. It would be hard to date when he’s graduated without you being a year older and all. I just don’t want you to live with any regrets.” She’s really just being a good friend and looking out for me. I wish I could talk about my problems with her more.

Mayumi eventually picks out her outfit for tonight. It’s a plain green dress with a dress shirt collar and a large white tie. I like the look. There’s only thirty minutes left now. We grab Yutaka and head out the door. The sun has mostly gone behind the buildings by now and the temperature has cooled off enough to be bearable.

I feel a bit bad. I’m now a third wheel to two of the Ichikawa family members, but Mayumi assures me it’ll be ok. Hayahiko will be there for me to chat with after all. Yutaka doesn’t say anything. I silently apologize to him. The building lights start to come on one by one. I try to take in the sights on our walk. This is probably going to be the last time I get to see Shibuya in 1973.

The restaurant was only a short train ride away so we arrived before I knew it. It’s a step up from the usual small bar places I imagine when I think about adult group dates. It’s not too shabby on the inside either. It seems like every table is packed but Mayumi’s dad had reserved a private table for our group. I wonder how much it cost him to do that on such short notice. We are led by the waitress to the back.

The table is already half full of college aged girls and boys having a good time chatting. They are separated by gender on each side. Takashi and Hiroshi are already here sitting next to each other. We take our seats as more people trickle in. Hayahiko being the last one. Poor guy, he looks completely out of his element again. He takes a seat at the end of the table across from me. We exchange smiles.

With everyone present, we go around the table for self-introductions. Mayumi volunteers to go first since she is the organizer of the event.

“Hello! I’m Mayumi and I’m already taken! I’m just trying to decide between the two men tonight.” Everyone looks to the only two adult men in the group. Talk about getting called out. The rest of the girls go after her.

“Hi, I’m Junko and, um, I’m an only child from a dairy farm out in the country. It was my dream to go to school here in Tokyo.” That’s a surprisingly cute backstory.

After a few more introductions, I’m suddenly the last girl and I don’t know what to say! I quickly think of something on the fly. “H-hi. I’m Runa and I’m in middle school. I like Helmet Rider and reading romance stories.” Ah! I sound like such a little kid!

The boys take turns with their introductions going around the table. “Hi, I’m Yutaka and I’m a university student on the roller derby team.”

Most of the group laughs. “We already know that, man! We’re all on the same team!”

He adds to his introduction. “Ok then, also, my teammates are jerks and my favorite food is seaweed.” His friends playfully punch his shoulder.

Hayahiko goes at the end. “Hello, I’m Hayahiko. I’m a middle schooler from outside of town but I plan to move to Tokyo and become a doctor.” Everyone seems really impressed by that. I hope this means he decided to go for his dream without uncertainties after all.

People start placing their orders for food and drinks. We do one big cheer with our glasses before people break off into their own conversations. I notice Hiroshi and Takashi never talk to each other despite Mayumi talking to the both of them. They must take their rivalry seriously. It must be hard being a guy in love sometimes.

I look to Hayahiko. It seems he’s still popular with the ladies. This is in spite of his nervous demeanor; no, maybe because of it? He’s polite, nice, and easy to talk to. He’s just a perfect man, of course every girl would fall for his charms. Hm. I have conflicted emotions about this.

The others are distracted playing games together now. He turns to me and talks in a quiet voice. “Talking to university students is exhausting. I don’t know how much more I can handle.”

“What? You look like a natural to me. I told you. You’re a ladies man. Must be nice to be so lucky.”

“No, I’m not lucky at all. This is only a dream-like world where I’m popular. In my normal life, I barely talk to anyone and go straight home to study, remember? I only got to learn this side of myself because a cute girl from the future appeared before me one day and gave me some confidence.”

“W-what? Me?” Did he just say “cute”? “Hmph. I seem to remember it was you who approached and encouraged me in the beginning. You’re just saying stuff to flatter me. Do you think you can just get away with saying things like that because this isn’t real to you?”

He laughs at me. “Maybe that’s it. Maybe I feel bold since I won’t remember much of this. Hota said it himself; meeting twice like this has never happened. This will probably be the last time I see you, so I didn’t want to leave anything unspoken this time.”

“T-this time? What do you mean?” What’s going on with him today? How much do guys mature after just one year? I can’t even pretend to get upset again. I fidget with the rim of my cold glass.

“I just want you to know, I regret not being born in the same time as you but I’m glad to have met you. I think you feel the same way, right?” He looks directly at me with an awkward smile. I can’t do anything but blush. I think I’m happy, but I can’t think of any way to show it. Even my words fail me.

“Um…I…You…” My hands tremble against the glass.

Mayumi’s voice shatters the mood, she sounds distraught. “Takashi, why do you have the lucky charm I gave Hiroshi?”

Hiroshi also confronts him. “It must have been you who stole the tarot card books from my backpack, wasn’t it? I knew I didn’t forget them.”

Takashi looks caught. All eyes are on him. There are two scraps of paper in his hand. He seems to have been trying to pull out his lucky charm that Mayumi gave him yesterday but pulled out both. Was he trying to sabotage Hiroshi’s chance with Mayumi by stealing those things from him? That’s low. He fumbles some excuse.

The ground shakes below our feet, cutting him off. An earthquake? The girls all scream in unison as the glasses fall and shatter. Even I feel scared. The shaking knocks me off my chair. I hear Hayahiko call my name. The lights flicker and soon go dark.

The tremors continue as I cover my head. There’s so much noise and shrieks in the darkness, it’s terrifying. I feel someone wrap their arms around me; their warmth surrounds me. It’s probably Hayahiko. I grab onto his chest for comfort and his grip tightens. The shaking resides after a few long seconds. The lights flicker back on one by one.

“Are you alright, Runa?” Hayahiko asks me, still crouched above me. There’s dust on his arm but that’s all. I’m so glad he’s ok.

“I think so. Thank you, Hayahiko…” I scoot back out of extreme embarrassment. He didn’t have to do that for me but… it makes me really happy he did.

I look around the room. Luckily, it seems like it was a small earthquake as no one is hurt. Mayumi looks star-struck at Hiroshi who also seems to have covered for her and her friends as much as he could. He looks practically fallen over on the table himself, in a very un-heroic pose. This is definitely the fateful encounter she was looking for. The suspension bridge effect strikes again.

“Runa, Takashi is gone. He’s ran away.” I look to confirm and see neither hide nor hair of him.

“He’s guilty.”

“You should hurry and catch him. He’s probably the fake.”

“Ok…” I pause before getting up, locking eyes with him. Emboldened by the adrenaline I confess. “I liked you, Hayahiko.”

“I liked you too, Runa.” He pats my shoulder and grants me one last gentle smile. “Goodbye. Live a full life for me.”

A strong feeling wells up inside me. As much as I want to stay, there’s no time for long goodbyes. I get up without another word. I have to be able to see the person I choose so Hota’s magic can reach them. I run out the door of the private room. I notice the back door is closer than the entrance of the restaurant. People don’t notice me run out the back in the commotion. It leads to a narrow alleyway. Oh no, I don’t see anyone down either way.

“Ah! Which way should I go?! Left or right?”

Hota yells from my bag. “Left!”

“How do you know?!”

“I’m a lucky rabbit!” It’s better than anything I’ve got so I start running left.

I turn the corner and spot someone that looks like Takashi trying to run through a crowd.

“The fake is Takashi, Hota!!” I shout to my bag as I point. The world freezes expect for him. I see him turn towards my direction. I see a scared expression with red eyes.

Light glows from my bag and onto my arm. Hota appears as his watch form on my wrist. Light and sparkles almost blind my vision. My sleeves grow down my arms, ruffles form on my dress, and a bow appears in my hair. I try to strike a pose again with my legs outstretched and say a powerful line.

“I’m Time Traveler Runa and my dream is to be a housewife! I vow to clean up all trash like you, Dust Bunny!” I say with deep pride.

The sparkles by my watch fly out and strike him in the chest, slowly engulfing him. He raises his arms in front of him but it doesn’t help, his form is already changing. A dark bunny with deep black ears and white spots down the arms is left but something is different. This bunny is still standing and looking at me. Its ruby-like eyes stare holes in me.

I step back in confusion. The world is already turning white and the clouds appear out of the corners. This memory world is collapsing and the real one is fading into existence again. The bunny says nothing and hops away from me. Hota tells me it’s going back to its owner, it must have been a strong one. I try to follow it but I’m exhausted.

I find myself back at the café in my own time. I quickly find my bearings and look around, maybe the Dust Bunny is still around. The two old ladies are now quietly enjoying their time together. I hope they live the rest of their lives in peace. I catch a glimpse of the dark bunny outside the window. I quickly pay for my food and run out the door. Hota tells me it’s not safe to follow it but I can’t let it get away. What kind of person would mess with a person’s memories like that?

I chase it through the busy street. It’s too fast and I’m slowed down by the crowds. It’s getting further and further from me. Suddenly, I’m forced to stop. It runs right through a crosswalk full of passing cars. I see far on the other side is a boy around my age, his hair falls around his face. The bunny leaps into his arms. The boy gives me a quick glance and flashes me a smile. It’s not warm and gentle like Hayahiko’s; it’s almost cold. The crosswalk sign turns green and the gathered crowd moves on without me. He’s already out of my sight.