The Finals

"I am Kagawa Aoto, the boy who lives with you," I said.

Silence.

Then —

"WHAAAAAAATTTT!!"

Sara's scream was so loud I thought the neighbors on the first floor heard it.

She took a step closer, her eyes wide open, scanning me from head to toe like she was trying to solve a puzzle. "What happened to your face?!" she shouted.

I scratched the back of my head, suddenly embarrassed. "Nothing. Just changed a little, hehe."

She didn't listen. Before I could step back, she placed her cold hands on my chin. Her fingers were freezing from the outside air, and I flinched.

She tilted my face to the left. Then to the right. Then she leaned in so close I could smell her shampoo.

"You really are my Aoto!" she said, finally exhaling.

"Your??" My heart skipped a beat. "Oh yeah, your Aoto!" I said, while making a weird, stupid smile that I thought would make her laugh.

It didn't. She just stared.

"Why did you change this much in my absence?" she asked, her hands still on my face.

"The reason is you. You are the one who told me to ask Ikkun to come over to my home."

She blinked. "Oh. Hajihime. Right, he is a fashion student, so he changed your looks. I see, wait.. wait!!!"

Her eyes dropped from my hair to my ear. Her expression changed in a second.

She shouted, "Why did you pierce your ear!!!!????"

I freaked out. That was the one part I was hoping she wouldn't notice.

"It's all Ikkun! It's not my fault! He tricked me! He told me to sit on a chair and then—" I was talking too fast, like a criminal caught red-handed.

She narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. "Show me all places where you pierced yourself."

"What? No! I only pierced my one ear, nothing else!" I said with a nervous smile, turning both my ears towards her.

She stared at the tiny silver stud for a long time, then let out a sigh.

After that, we both sat on the sofa. It had been two weeks since this sofa had both of us. It felt strange and familiar at the same time.

She didn't say anything for a while. She just started watching my whole face like she was searching for something. For the old Aoto, maybe.

"I wonder how he convinced you to pierce your ears," she said quietly. "You are a guy who is afraid of needles.

I sighed. "He told me that he wants to get a piercing but he wants me to get pierced with him so he doesn't feel lonely. Then I got betrayed by my best friend. Classic Ikkun."

She laughed. That laugh. I had missed that laugh for two weeks, and hearing it now made all the vegetable dinners and 10 p.m. bedtimes worth it.

"Well, it doesn't matter how you look like," she said, leaning back. "You will still be my Idiot!"

I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll be able to rest for a while now because you are finally here."

She looked around the apartment. It was clean. Too clean.

"Does Hajihime make you do all the work?" she asked.

"Yeah. Still, cooking food for two people is the worst. My back is always in pain and it's still hurting. I had to be the mom and dad of this house."

She giggled. "Ohh, but you have to cook something for me now."

I stared at her. "But why? You can cook for yourself and for me too? You are the one who is good at it."

She said, "Yes, I can, but I am so tired right now, so I can't make anything. I traveled for six hours."

It was an excuse. I knew it was an excuse. But I was too tired to argue.

After saying that, she did something I didn't expect.

She placed her head into my lap and held my hands and put them on her hair.

My whole body froze. My brain stopped working.

Her hair was soft. She was looking up at me from my lap, her long eyelashes, her tired eyes. The same Sara who calls me Idiot every day was lying on my lap like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Do you know something, Idiot?" she said softly.

"What?" My voice was barely a whisper.

"I really missed you in these two weeks."

My heart was beating so fast I was sure she could hear it.

"I can smell it's a lie," I said, trying to sound cool.

She pouted. "I don't lie to you until it's necessary, hehe!"

"If you really were missing me then you would have returned in a week instead of staying there for 2 weeks."

Her expression changed a little.

"I had no options left instead of staying there for 2 weeks!" she said.

"What options?"

"The day I went there, I heard that the date of the wedding was postponed for a week because the bride had a fever. That's why I had to stay there for one more week."

"Ohh, but you told me that your all cousins are there, that's why you don't wanna return?"

She looked away. "Yeah, that's the reason too, but the first one is the main reason."

I didn't reply. I just kept playing with her hair, because if I stopped, she might get up.

Then she looked at me again, her eyes narrowing.

"You know, you look more idiot now."

"How?" I asked, genuinely hurt.

"When you had long hair, you did look cute. But now you are not cute anymore."

"Means I shouldn't have cut my hairs?" I felt a little panic. Did I make a mistake? Did she hate it?

"I am not saying that you look ugly or something, I just... saying that now probably girls will try to approach you," she said while blushing, her cheeks turning pink.

"And why would they try to approach me?"

"You look a little handsome now and I don't like that."

I froze. "Handsome????"

She sat up suddenly, as if she realized what she had just said.

"You were better cute rather than being handsome. Probably you will be able to get a girlfriend now!"

"Ohh, really?" I said.

"Yes, chances are high that you will get a girlfriend now," she said, trying to sound cheerful, but her voice was a little off.

"Oh, I see."

She looked down at her hands. "You probably start ignoring me after getting a girlfriend and maybe you will try to not talk with me."

I thought, *How can I ignore you?? You are the only one whose attention is most precious to me.*

But I didn't say it. What I thought was, *Well, the thing she is saying might happen, but not with her, but with me. Finals are going to start after 2 weeks, and after the exam Ren might confess to you, and then you both will be together, and you will end up ignoring me!*

So I just smiled at her and said, "Who knows?"

Her face fell for a second, but she quickly hid it.

Then she went to sleep in her room.

I sat alone on the sofa for a long time.

Maybe this month will be the last month of our friendship. I shouldn't be depressed because if Sara ends up with me, still she wouldn't be happy, so better if she ends up with Ren. I hope they both stay happy!

**Next Day at Night.**

"Where is your mind up to??" Sara asked.

We were studying together for the Finals. Her notes were perfect, as always. My mind, however, was not on formulas.

I was only thinking about spending some good times with her in this last month. Every second felt like a countdown.

I replied, "Nothing, I was just thinking about something unnecessary!"

She hit my head lightly with her notebook. "Focus on your studies. You have a whole day to think about your thoughts."

I nodded and said, "Sure!"

**After 2 Weeks.**

Today was the first exam of our Finals. Sara had already left for school. I was still at home, holding my bag, when I remembered the thing that she had said to me yesterday.

Last night.

"I didn't realize when we spent a year together," Sara had said, looking out the window.

I said, "Hmm, me too."

She said, "This year is gonna be the last year of us. After that, we will get separated, hehe."

I asked, "You would be happy, right? After the graduation?"

She said, "Yeah, I will. I will live my life without you. It will be so peaceful!"

She said it with a laugh, but her eyes were not laughing.

After thinking all that stuff, I went to school and took my exam. The exam was good, of course, because the smartest girl in our class was my tutor.

I started heading home, hoping Sara would walk with her friends like usual. I didn't want to walk with her today. I wanted to give her space.

But then I heard the voice of Ren.

I went there and saw Ren and Sara standing together under the cherry blossom tree near the school gate. The place where I had heard that most students confess their feelings to another person. The legendary confession spot.

I was shocked.

I was thinking that Ren was going to confess to Sara. My legs stopped moving.

But I didn't want to hear it. I didn't have the courage to hear her answer.

That's why I started heading home again, like nothing had happened. Like I didn't see them. Like my heart wasn't breaking a little with every step I took away from that tree.