Side Story: A Fine Night, Don't You Agree?

*sigh* It happened again... Almost 3 months without posting a chapter... I really need to get a functioning schedule for once, lol

Anyways, I'm actually extremely happy that I finally managed to find some free time to complete this chapter! It was in the works since September, but October and half of November didn't leave me any chances to even pick up my follows here, and 2 weeks later, I was in a weird loop of getting sick and better every couple days, so the only time I had for it was in those lucky days and this last week... The good news is that I've been brainstorming every single day, so I got to sort out some details on the next couple chapters (and much more than that, of course)!

What this chapter is about is pretty self-explanatory, I think. It's a side story to the main plot, a branch of it that doesn't really affect the main story as is, but could potentially give more meaning to later actions. This particular one is set right after the previous chapter ("Bittersweet Pudding") just so it will be an easy introduction to the new format I'll be using for the novel! Long story short (no pun intended lol), these will focus on the rest of the cast in one way or another, so it will be a great chance to discover more things about them!

There are two things I wanted to achieve with the Side Stories:
#1 is more consistent posting. I feel terrible for working on a chapter of the main story for 2-3 months (writer's block included) and not be able to get anything else out. These side stories will vary in length depending on what's going on, but since they'll be much, much simpler than the main thing to write, I'm confident I'll be able to get them out on a more regular basis for them to complement with the story and keep it alive! xD
#2 is further world-building. One of my goals with this novel was to create a vast and deep world of characters that conveyed a story that could resonate with the reader. Surely, focusing on the main story is one thing, but since that means we only see things from Taichi's POV most of the time, there are a lot of things about the rest of the cast I just couldn't fit in unless Taichi was present (which would probably make it mundane after a certain point), so this format will focus on a 3rd person narrative to better capture these details.

One last thing about them is that they won't always be posted in chronological order (they will be ordered like that, of course). For instance, a holiday special I'm planning will be set in December within the story (currently it's early July) and I doubt the main story will have reached that point by then (It will obviously not affect the main story in any way, even if it's set later). Another one I'm planning to post after it will be set in May, months prior. 

I was debating whether I should post the Side Stories in chronological order alongside the main chapters (eg Story 7 / Side Story / Story 8) or post them all at the end of the respective year they're taking place in (now's the 1st year, so they will all go to the bottom, but once the 2nd year starts, it will be like this: 1st year Epilogue / 1st year Side Stories ... / 2nd year Prologue, etc), so I'd be grateful if you'd let me know which one you think would be best! I might give you a cookie! Or two, I got plenty on my shelves xD

Anyways, sorry for the long read, I don't want to make this as long as the actual chapter xD
Without further ado, I wholeheartedly wish you enjoy reading this chapter despite the long wait! See you around Honeyfeed!
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Date: July 2nd

Time: 9:15 PM

Every now and then, a car or a bus would pass from the road the store was facing. The cars varied in age; a portion were brand-new, with vivid to the eye colors (which would have looked even more vivid under the noon's sunlight); others were showing their old age and their many trips, while the rest were antiques that, surprisingly, could still get their engine to start up. It was as if age did not matter to these veterans.

On the opposite side was the sea coalescing with the dark night's horizon, expanding as far as the human eye could wish to witness. The lulling sounds of the waves oozing onto the beach and ebbing back to the sea harmoniously were always present. Allowing the sedativity of these sounds take your spirit away was too fascinating a sensation.

The sun had already hidden itself, to the point that it could not be seen anymore. The only source of light in the area, as well as the coastal road, were the street lights. The clouds in the sky blocked the half-moon occasionally, but its light passed through them with ease, and thus, shone down the calm, almost unmoving sea.

This little, poetic narrative formed in Taichi's mind. By his words, “when people turn to poetry like this for no reason, it's usually because they want to take their mind off of something.”

Apparently, he was taking his mind off his snatched pudding. His soul had been crushed by this theft. Soon enough, his desire to indulge in a cold and refreshing treat would suffer the same fate as well.

Taichi's friends constantly reminded him that his imagination was quite surrealistic. Cruel too, sometimes.

The reality of this, however, made a little more sense.

After spending a handful of time enjoying his long-deserved break, he was ready to go back to working the counter like never before. His mother and younger sister were covering for him during that time, and because the former was doing statistics since lunch, he felt a flake of guilt for slacking around.

To his eyes, their cooperation was flawless. Sharing a really strong mother-daughter bond, Mihoko and Saki always maintained a cheerful atmosphere around each other, which gave them motivation and all the more reason to work hard for each other's sake. This resulted in the customers being served in practically no time and leaving the store satisfied thanks to their excellent service.

Working hard like they did, though, meant that they easily felt the exhaustion of giving it their all, right? That was what Taichi bore in mind the most.

But Mihoko turned him down. She wanted to keep working, despite him trying to talk her into taking a break.

While she did tell him that she would let him work again after he had dinner, Taichi did not even try to make sense out of her tenacity to not take even a short rest, splash her face with water, grab something to eat... A reason for her decision could probably not exist at all, according to his experiences. It was not uncommon for the logic behind his mother's decisions to go over his head, so the easiest thing was to just avoid thinking about it.

The usual dinner time when he was at the store was a little after 9. Most of the time, it was refrigerated food from a previous meal they had at home or something from their line of products that could be enjoyed on the spot, but Taichi never minded either option. Having a microwave in the break room meant going through almost no trouble warming up appetizing food. This time, it was leftovers from the previous night's dinner: Omelet rice.

He decided to eat his dinner outside; gazing at the sea at night always calmed him down, after all.

As he stepped outside, the difference in temperature inside the store and outside it was extraordinary. While the sun was still in the sky, it was an extremely warm day with weak to no winds. Had Taichi exited the store at noon and let the sun embrace him, he would get sweat on him faster than a frozen ice cube melting to the ground alongside. It goes without saying, but the worst case scenario for him was a heatstroke, the blessing of which fell upon Satoru just the day before.

Fortunately, his favorite seating spot was not taken. On the other side of the break room's wall, a couple of benches were placed for long travelers to take a break. With nothing obstructing the view to the sea there, though, it was the perfect spot for anyone to sit down, clear their mind, and relax to the lullaby of the waves.

An equally peaceful spot were the rocks on the small beach right below the store. The experience was a little more enjoyable there, but in any case, Taichi always had somewhere to go.

A little over two minutes had passed since he started eating his dinner, and the coolness of the store brought back nostalgic memories to him. He was sure that he felt drops of sweat on his body. He remembered reading on his weather app that the temperature was going to be 25 degrees at night, but in reality, it was closer to 28 than that, most likely because the asphalt had trapped a lot of heat during the day.

Nothing bothered him, though; neither the heat, nor his sweat from it. The tranquility around him was more than enough to make up for these. Quietly enjoying his meal was his favorite time of the day. Under the now turned on lights of the parking lot, he spent every moment appreciating it.

That was the ideal scenario for him.

'Was'.

"Why so grumpy, Taichiiiiiiiiiiii? You had a smile over your ears before we came here! Don't make me sad~, Taichi~!" His female classmate felt the urge to shake him to get an answer, but she felt sorry that such a delicious dish would go to waste if she did.

"Why are you three here...?" Taichi sighed as slowly wiped the area around his mouth with a tissue, and put the one-use dish to his side.

These “three” referred to a certain iconic trio in his class, who were walking across the beach and met him by pure chance: The Irisu twins, Midori and Shigenobu, and Ichijou Maria.

"It feels like it's been over a year since we took our time to talk like classmates do, and that's how you react?" Midori complained, though more playfully than angrily.

"Where did that 'year' come from?!"

The girl shrugged. "It just feels like it, dude, I dunno."

Even if they actually knew each other for less than 3 months by that time, she had already gotten quite casual with him. The fact that they were in the same class and seat neighbors made it all the more easier for them to strengthen their bonds.

Their conversation resumed: "So, why the frown?"

"So,” Taichi pondered, “you're just going to keep asking that until I answer...?"

"What else is there to do~?" a hand went over his shoulder.

It was bail or bait: Either he avoided answering the question by making a run for it, or he sat down to properly explain what she wanted explained.

However, his biggest concern was about his food. Run and save himself while abandoning his half-finished food, or...

Just thinking about abandoning his only source of energy held him back. Maybe he was bothered by the fact that his friendly peer could actually eat it exactly because she would not want to see it go to waste; thus, having to hang around hunger until breakfast.

By process of elimination, his only choice was to succumb.

“You came and disturbed my meditation here, of course I'd put on a frown. You can't pull off proper meditation with noise ringing in your ears."

Although his words could have sounded harsh, Midori noticed the humorous spice that loitered behind them.

She scorned at that, but her smirk had not left her lips. "How funny!" she said in a loud voice, resembling a yakuza member, and her hand slammed the wall in front of her, trapping his body below hers. Taichi was a bit startled by that. "What now, smart guy?"

There were no escape routes. To Taichi's right was a short fence and beyond that was the sea; to his left, her hand was placed so low as his ribs, so he could not even wish to have a chance to crouch and get away.

The one thing about her that Taichi found hard to get used to was the somewhat narrow look of her eyes. He just could not imagine her without that unique and irreplaceable trait at that point.

Andif they wanted to be creepy, they would be creepy.

At the corners of their eyes, however, stood two familiar figures watching the entire scene take place. One stood there shocked, while the other with a slightly unamused look.

"We'll slowly excuse ourselves...” said Shigenobu as he dragged himself and Maria behind the corner in light, backwards steps.

Taichi helplessly shouted “IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!”, knowing these two were his last chance to save his innocence.

Amused by this turn of events, Midori snickered as she noticed them, her smirk widening. “SHIGE!” she took cue right after him, as if she wanted the misunderstanding to continue.

Not to anyone's surprise, he stopped immediately at his sister's call: “What is it?”

“SWITCH PLACES WITH ME!”

So much for a quiet resolution...!, cried Taichi in his thoughts.

Wait, switch places? She was cornering Taichi against the wall, so...

“You mean you want me to be the one doing what you're doing?”

“YES! KABEDON THE HELL OUT OF HIM!” Her nose was ready to cry blood from her excitement.

“PLEASE DON'T!” Taichi urged him.

Confused as to who he should be listening to, Shigenobu was driven to the edge. His head was definitely full of questions about this situation, but the dilemma was slowly consuming him.

Taichi's last resort was now Maria. She had been sitting idle, albeit with a look that did not fancy getting too warped up in just another day of the Twins-Pulling-Pranks tour.

Nevertheless, despite the low chances of success, he knew that doing nothing would also help achieve nothing.

“ICHIJOU-SAN, DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!”

The long-haired girl tilted her head in question: “But why would I do anything when I also want to see that act out?”

“ARE YOU GUYS PLOTTING AGAINST ME OR SOMETHING?!”

He not only fell for another successful prank by the twins, but their companion actually took no ground this time.

Thus, Taichi's despair had gotten the best of him.

***

Before the line was crossed, Maria had, of course, stopped the twins.

After attempting to comfort Taichi, the latter actually came to a rather funny conclusion: That Ichijou Maria loved to joke about the twins and their over-the-top pranks, even though she was so disapproving of them.

Which actually meant that, 3 months earlier, when Midori and Shigenobu had pulled the doppelgänger prank on him, her 'Precisely, have some fun, not traumatize him.' was actually an effort to cheer Taichi up by overexaggerating about the terrifying outcomes of the twins' craving for a fun experience.

Sitting on the benches, they gracefully admired the beauty of Kawazu's sea at night.

"So how come you're in Kawazu at this time?" Taichi asked. "I'm sure there are better places to enjoy the night."

"Maria-chan wanted to check out the beach here. She kept telling me over and over that it's one of the best for a dive in the peninsula, apparently."

"You haven't been to the beach here before?” his curiosity is directly headed towards Maria.

“Not even once... My family doesn't have a lot of time for these things anymore...”

“And so, we decided on the midground!” Midori then stretched out her imaginary microphone towards Taichi: "What's your opinion on it, local?"

“Well... It's normal, I guess," replied Taichi in the most Taichi-like way possible.

“Hmm... An interesting viewpoint, if I say so myself.” Midori had probably gotten a bit too passionately in her role. "But I would definitely appreciate 400 words at the very least!”

“For some grains of sand?!”

That was when Shigenobu decided to throw a bit of oil in Taichi's fire. "Anything less than that and I'm calling Yukino-senpai to scold you, Taichi."

"ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

It was the same old story for him: A senpai who is excessively fond of a certain youngster at school that teases said student every time they meet; that was a reality Taichi lived with on an almost daily basis.

Taichi was very well aware how much Yukino loved messing around with him, but he was sure that his fatigue from the day would get in the way of her overly hotbloodeed mood to speak to him. Drumming ears and a headache were the last thing Taichi wanted to sleep to.

“Okay, I give up. You said 400 words, you'll be getting 400 words by midnight, okay?”

The twins had just gotten the answer they desired, but...

...something seemed off to them.

Of all people on the planet, Yanagisawa Taichi, the person who conserved more energy than the entire planet in total, was willing to do something so tedious as to write 400 words on what he called “some grains of sand”? Was the end of times nigh, perhaps?

The fact that their worry were transmitted to Taichi's with the exact same tone in their voices of reason was really fascinating to him.

“You'd better be serious about this, Taichi,” Shigenobu told him in a serious tone.

“I don't go back on my word. I wouldn't have promised if I knew I couldn't do it.”

“He's got a point, you know,” Midori poked her brother.

Maria's lips moved a bit upwards as soon as she heard that. She probably had already gotten onto Taichi's scheme, something which fell no short of what he would expect from a perceptive person like her.

“You already know what kind of person Yanagisawa-kun is, don't you, Shigenobu?”

“A guy who is bored almost all of the time, and acts snarky when he is in a good mood?”

“Apart from that.” Maria's laugh barely stayed inside her.

Cruel, but true, Taichi concurred with them.

“I know I know!” Midori enthustiacally joined, a surge of passion radiating from her voice. “A guy who always keeps his word no matter how sarcastic he sounds!”

Much to Maria's surprise, which was all over her, it seems Midori had said exactly what she wanted to hear from the twins.

“That what you wanted to hear, right?”

In a single second, Ichijou Maria's proud smile was shattered like delicate glass being hit with a hammer.

Equipped with spikes for maximum results.

Spikes of diamond, nonetheless.

Her palm went over her forehead, dipped in hopelessness. “I should have known you would never say anything like that without a punchline...”

“But that's why it's fun!”

“Does it have to be fun?”

“How else am I going to make you crack a smile then?”

“I'm perfectly happy right now, so you got what you wanted. The problem lies in me though, I'm just bad at showing my mood.”

“Shall I help you get better at it?”

“Only once you manage to prank me and actually make me fall for it.”

“But that's impossible! You're always on your guard! Even when you sleep!”

“Being gullible is a weakness.” Taichi felt a little...offended hearing that. “Which means you're both naive enough for not finding my weakness yet.”

Slapping Midori with that kind of backtalk was probably all the fun she needed. Even if she did not show any signs of it, Taichi could understand it.

Speaking of Taichi, he and Shigenobu were quietly watching things unfold in front of their eyes. Shigenobu was rather enjoying it, and for all he could see, so did he.

“...you sure you're not a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiitle pissed off? That's what I get from you.”

“This conversation isn't getting anywhere...” A grand sigh escaped Maria, before turning her back to her three friends. “I'm going to buy something I forgot real quick. I'll be right back.”

A moment of silence was spread among the remaining 3 as Maria headed back in the Yanagisawa convenience store.

“Give her a break, Midori,” Shigenobu stood up from the bench to look his sister in the eye. “She even went out of her way to meet up here. Who else do you think would agree to spend even a little time with us because of a sudden whim?”

An inch of hesitation was all it took for her to not answer immediately. It was plain obvious to the two boys that the answer was just one, but even someone as open as Midori was having trouble getting it out.

Shigenobu was not mad at his sister for that, he was perfectly calm when he talked to her. He was the person who knew her better than everyone else in the entire world, and understood that making sure everyone was having fun was what she cared about the most. All he thought of it was that she could have crossed the line unconsciously a bit.

Puzzled about what to say in that kind of situation, an earnest smile came from her after some thought.

With that, the atmosphere toned down a little. You could say it was a bit more relaxed now, but it was not tensed up to begin with; it just felt more peaceful and calming this way.

“She isn't mad at you, Midori-san. Talking back to you like that was just her acting like herself. And she has fun being herself, you know? Getting a little irritated is part of her caring side too. Anyone would be happy to feel free to open up like that. It's hard for someone with her personality to express her feelings, so I think it's impressive that you can bring her personality out.”

In that tranquil moment, Taichi's words had led him to realize the reason that attracted Ichijou-san to the twins. Maybe this was what made their company so upbeat and energetic, yet openhearted and accepting for her.

“Ooohhhhhhh!” the twins stood in awe, clapping in perfect sync.

“Why are you clapping...?”

“You've known her for so little, but it's like you understand her as much as we do!”

“Maybe this is what he does while he's sleeping in class.”

"That would be such a waste of energy, get it out of your heads!”

Perhaps it was just the mood of the moment, but the three just could not resist a good laugh at Taichi's response.

But that was exactly what started to worry Taichi.

This upbeat mood set off serious alarms inside him. Being between the twins when they were so energetic meant that a prank could be pulled at any moment, and he would be at the center of it. Even worse, when he least expected it.

“I've been wondering though,” Shigenobu put a curious hand on his chin, “why are you here, Taichi?”

Much to his surprise, the topic had already changed. The danger of a prank had been alleviated, most likely.

“...Trying to dispose of me already?”

“Dude, I'm in a good mood today, I don't want to cross that line.”

Despite their earlier prank.

“Let's see...” the twins started contemplating simultaneously. “You aren't holding anything, you're just here sitting on the bench looking at the sea.”

“Doesn't that seem like something I would do?”

“...if you say it that way, probably.”

“But he was eating omelet rice earlier,” Midori pointed out. “Where did you get it, Taichi? Do they sell packed omelet rices here and you just had them microwave it for you?”

“It seemed quite fresh though, like it was homemade...”

The twins kept exchanging their theories on the mysterious origins of Taichi's dinner, while the center of the conversation silently indulged in those speculations.

Moments later, the three got a little scare up their spines when Maria asked them what they were doing, as she had come back while the twins and Taichi were too absorbed in their own talk.

However, their attention quickly shifted towards what she was holding in her grip.

“...a box of Pocky?” muttered all three.

“Yes, that's a box of Pocky,” the girl confirmed with a rhetorical tune. “It's a nice snack, you know. I never forget to eat one or two before dinner.” It was not long until she started sharing them with everyone.

No one dared ask her why she would go back inside just for a box of Pocky though.

"By the way, Yanagisawa-kun, can I ask you something?"

"I'm all ears." He had no idea what Maria wanted to ask, especially when he never remembered seeing her so curious before.

"I thought I was seeing things the first time I went in, but the saleslady looked a lot like you. Is she your relative or something?" The twins instantly turned sceptical once that theory arised.

A small snicker resonated in Taichi's head, as he had just heard his mother being called a
lady when he knew that her age was a bit far off that range.

Nevertheless, in his mind, Taichi had mapped the ideal scenario to approach this. A scenario that created a bit of a fun mystery, which he knew he would enjoy a lot if everything fell into place just right.

On the exterior though, he seemed as neutral as always.

"Moderately long light brown hair and a charming smile on her face?" Midori asked in quite the detail. From her short-term memory, Maria nodded positively.

It then dawned on her: Midori had not even taken a step inside the store to see this saleslady she spoke of; how could she even know what she looked like, then?

A glimpse with Taichi's eyes whispered to him that they were in for a treat.

Maria's thoughts became fuzzy, with explanations trying to pop up all over her head, but none could connect the dots right. She even felt a small headache getting close from her overwhelming thoughts.

That was until a small poke on her shoulder threw her out of her bullettrain of thoughts. The elegant-looking girl quickly realized she had lost sight of her surroundings for a few moments, and it took her a few more to get back to reality.

The hand that poked her was holding a small glass bottle containing orange juice. From the looks of it, it was not the typical kind of bottled juice; the bottle itself seemed more like the ones fruit pickers use to store instant, natural juice from their own fruits. Given that Kawazu and the surrounding areas were home to plenty of farms, getting fruit juice straight from them made a lot of sense.

Still, it was thanks to her neverending stream of thoughts that she even thought all of these, which only slowed down after she took a couple breaths.

"Thanks, Shigenobu, I got kind of thirsty after eating a couple Pockies so fast," she gently took the glass bottle in her hands. It was not exactly freezingly cold, so it did not come out straight out of a fridge or freezer; instead, it felt cool enough in her hands to know that a single sip would rejuvenate her and take away her thirst immediately.

"It wasn't me."

These 3 words shocked Maria so much that it was like she could not decide whether she knew how to gulp a drink or not.

What did Shigenobu even mean by that? If it was not him, then it could not be Taichi or Midori either, since they were sitting right in front of her.

Scared to her feet, she slowly turned her eyes to where Shigenobu's voice from; he certainly was not standing behind her. In fact, she had forgotten he had stood up after giving him a Pocky, and was on her left now.

The lights above projected a shadow just behind hers only a little taller than hers. At first, her eyes are fixated on that inexplicable fifth figure that had appeared next to her shadow, probably wondering if she was seeing double, which she was not. That was because it seemed to have its legs completely covered, unlike her, who was wearing a summer dress that fell just below her knees.

The extra shadow suggested a different person altogether.

Dread saturated her eyes. Shivers ran up and down her spine. Cold sweat was dripping on her head and back. Because it was still warm outside, the sweat evaporated fast, and she felt even colder than before. She started trembling, despite trying to think sanely.

If I were in danger, wouldn't they at least be a little scared?, Maria tried to rationalize their lack of worry.

But her fear won her over once more. Her eyes were saying “Should I turn around?” in repeat.

Unfortunately, the shadow behind could not wait for the dreaded girl to make up her mind, and thus, leaned a bit forward to be in her field of view.

A wide, beautiful smile greeted her, along with a voice full of cheer: "Hi again!" Maria had been left completely confused, and her utterly boggled expression was just priceless for her friends.

"You almost spilled it," the woman stopped Maria from tilting the bottle any more. Her shaking hands could have emptied it of its contents in no time.

Surprisingly, those hands appeared warm to her. Warm, tender and...motherly.

Yes, motherly. She knew such a sensation could make her feel reassured and safe as long as she was embraced by it.

A weak "Thank you..." came out of her, completely unconsciously.

After coming back to her senses, Maria found herself looking at the familiar face once more: The saleslady she was asking Taichi about just seconds ago.

Little did she know that she would be getting her answer from someone other than Taichi.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.”

“I-It's alright, really... I was spacing out, of course I'd be startled...”

For the first time ever, Taichi's eyes witnessed Maria's humble and timid side. Mihoko, on the other hand, had kind of grasped what Maria's personality was like in that short amount of time, so she proceeded to make her feel a little more relaxed around her.

“Don't be so shy, it's on the store,” she kept talking to Maria despite walking towards the twins to give them each a bottle of that same orange juice. The twins were more open with how much they appreciated her kind gesture. “Think of it as a token of gratitude for being such good friends to my baffling son.”

Everything made perfect sense to all 3 until that final word was uttered. “SON?!” The twins exaggerated their reactions, but Maria was plenty surprised by that as well.

“You can see why we look so much alike now," Taichi added. “And who are you calling baffling? You are the one person no one can get!” Her son's remark was enough to get a giggle out of her.

Even to her own family, Mihoko remained a bit of a small mystery that no one ever attempted to solve; neither her own children, nor her husband of more than 20 years.

“So, aren't we forgetting something important, honey?” a rhetorical question came Taichi's way.

Haven't I told you to not call me that in public?!, said Taichi with his mildly annoyed eyes, staring right into his mother's. Typically, she was wearing the smile she always had around Taichi, even after his glare.

Alas, it was too late for her affection to go back, so all the poor son had (and could) do was accept his defeat to her.

“Yes, there is. Mother, allow me to introduce you to―”

“Boring.”

“Can you not interrupt me when I'm talking?”

Acting as if she was completely ignorant of the situation, Mihoko took a small detour in their talk: “Call me 'Mama' like you always do!” she asked him fervently.

And that, obviously, did not fascinate his ears. “I've never called you that, not once in my life. Did you come out here to embarrass me or something?”

“I just wanted to say hi to your friends.”

“A noble cause,” he shrugged. “Except it's you we're talking about.”

“Why don't you trust me? I didn't do anything bad.”

“Oh, really?”

“Really.”

“I'm sure you have better things to do than drown me in embarrassment then.”

“I'm just showing my love for you, nothing to be embarrassed about!”

“That's 'showing off' for you. And it's nothing if I'm not the target of your 'love'. WHICH I HAPPEN TO BE!”

“...I-Is that bad?”

“For my social reputation, yes.”

“My, I didn't know you had that, sorry.”

“Saying you're sorry and meaning it are two different things.”

“So you're doubting your mother?”

“I'm doubting her sense of reading between her son's lines.”

“My job begs to differ.”

“So do I.”

Without even realizing it, Taichi and Mihoko kept their exchanges going for a while, leaving their audience unable to even find an opening to take a turn. Had they attempted that, though, it would have been completely pointless for the trio to even follow what was going on. Taichi and and his mother seemed like they were in their own world from that point on.

It was an entertaining watch for them. The exchanges were short but precise, as if they urged the other side to answer quickly and on point, or admit defeat; all signs of a flawless argument. When no side seemed eager to pull their words back, the only conclusion to be drawn from the twins and Maria was that Taichi had probably taken his occasional stubborness to persist to the end after a certain someone in the scene.

All three felt the same vibe from their 'quarrel'; their expressions, their reactions, their responses, just seeing them talk to each other, they felt a really strong dynamic was emitting from them.

Maria started thinking why she could easily pick up that these two got so much along. It was not a lot unlike the twins' chemistry, but it still felt fundamentally different. Remembering how the twins just never stopped finding ways to talk, always striving to find a single chance to interact with each other, she was sure she was getting closer to the answer. The problem was, how did both parties get to that point in their relationship?

In the background of her thinking, the dynamic duo was still keeping a strong game.

“Say that you love me.”

“I won't.”

Mihoko let out a small giggle, baffling her son. “Why are you laughing?!” he said irritatedly.

“I knew you'd say 'I won't' without giving it a second thought.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

Mihoko gently stood up from the bench, almost mesmerizingly, and eyed her son once more with her characteristic, motherly smile. “Feelings tend to slip out if you're talking on impulse. Right, sweetie?”

Whatever it was, it made Maria feel...fuzzy. The fact that this kind of situation instantly clicked in her as something unique and heartwarming just by observing it, meant that she kind of knew what she was seeing, but could not put her finger on the name.

The comically cheeky son that does not like his parents acting so bold with him when he is with friends, the smiling mother who is purely overjoyed that she can talk to her beloved child... She felt her eyes getting a tiny bit teary, but she could not hold back her smile from it.

On the other side of the happiness spectrum, Taichi had just realized his gigantic blunder seconds ago. Leading himself to his ultimate demise, the overly embarrassed boy shut his eyes off and buried his face deep inside his hands' comfort.

“You got what you wanted, the shame is killing me...!”

“Come on, don't kill the mood.”

“You can't say I'm killing the mood when they're all laughing like that!”

“That's a thing you always do though,” Shigenobu pointed out instantly.

Having the fun of your life, aren't you...?, Taichi groaned in his thoughts. His mother had just found an accomplice, it seems.

And indeed, the trio mutually felt their sides hurting from seeing that hilarious undiscovered side of Taichi's. The twins could already feel their imaginations overbrimming with ideas for new pranks on him about it, and Taichi put all of his power into thinking how he could keep up a poker face just in case such scenarios had crossed their minds.

Not even trying to lift his red face, he finally got to the point he originally aimed for. “Just to formally get this over with, this is my mother, Mihoko.” His voice just could not get any less flat-toned. “Next to me is Irisu Midori, her twin brother Shigenobu is over there, and the one you scared off earlier is Ichijou Maria. All of them are my classmates. Now leave me out here to reconsider my life for a second.”

This time, the mother was eager to let her son have his way. In any case, it was already carved in stone that the trio's impression of Taichi took a rather fascinating turn.

***

After the formal introductions and a little casual talk, Mihoko returned inside the store to continue her shift.

Outside the store, the four classmates continued their conversations. About the store, about Mihoko herself and Taichi's family in general, about the upcoming Tanabata festival in Shimoda...they probably would have lost track of time, had they not had a time limit on their shoulders.

Unfortunately, as Midori had mentioned, they had only come for a quick look at the sea. Their time together was short, if anything, but it felt a lot longer than they imagined. The twins took their bus home to Shimoda, and in the opposite direction, to Higashiizu, so did Maria. Taichi was now free of all 'disturbances'...except he started missing them about right away.

The time was almost 9:30, and he felt it was the best opportunity for him to help out his mother and sister a little more before the store closed for the day. The condition his mother had set for him, the one that said that he could not get back to the register unless he had finished lunch, was long fulfilled, after all.

But before that, he had to take a thing away from his to-do list: An essay of at least 400 words on Kawazu's beach. The twins were expecting Taichi to send it by midnight, as he himself had promised, but his eagerness to actually get into the trouble to do it worried them that he might have had something else in mind.

Maria's hunch was, unsurprisingly, completely right to expect Taichi to take a shortcut to this.

“Aaaaaaaaand send.”

“Tai-nii, that's low...”

“But I did keep my word, right?”

Saki could not even find the right words to respond to her brother's logic. Sometimes, she was ready to convince herself that her brother and mother were just too similarly mysterious for their own good.

On Shigenobu's side, the beep from receiving the text almost startled him. He was actually expecting Taichi to take a rain check on his promise, or delay it indefinitely. Midori scolded his lack of trust in their friend, but she understood where it came from. Definitely, Taichi was not a person who would take up any responsibility of his own volition so easily, and his mildly sarcastic attitude was only adding to Shigenobu's concern, but it was not like he or his sister had not seen his good points at all.

Anxiously sitting in his desk, he and Midori started anticipating what their cynical friend could have thought out for them.

Still, Shigenobu did have his doubts about the text, but trusting his own sister came first. Maybe he was just too prejudiced because, to his knowledge, Taichi had never volunteered to do something so arduous for this beliefs before. After all, they only knew each other for 3 months, maybe this being the first time would actually change that impression of his.

The boy unlocked his phone, and tapped the Messages icon.

And there it was. The long-awaited essay was sitting right on the top of his unread texts, and the first dozen words were showing in the preview. It definitely seemed like a review of some sort.

His fingers were shaking, so Midori did the honors for him.

“I'm going to kill him so hard tomorrow.”

But sometimes, his gut was the side he knew he should have chosen to trust instead.

Midori could barely hold her laughter back after seeing her twin react like that. In fact, Maria had told her beforehand; they should get what they asked for, no doubt about it, but not exactly what they had in mind. Keeping it a secret from her brother proved to make for a hilarious resolution.

What Taichi had sent was a compilation of reviews from tourist sites. To not leave anyone complaining, he actually read them all first to make sure they were helpful and accurate. He also took the time to arrange them in a way that seemed cohesive and would keep that wall of text captivating, at the very least. By the by, these were all mentioned at the bottom of the message, in his afterword.

In a sense, the twins got what they had bargained for. They never specifically asked for an original production anyway.