Return to Everyday Life / 普通の人生の戻る

Monday. Normally synonym of a despondent return to work or classes and, even worse, waking up early. Luckily for us, we were having none of that. Without the looming threats from either of those pesky obstacles awaiting us on the other side, those were a thing of the past, enabling us to sleep until 10 AM. However, we were indeed returning somewhere—to Fukuoka.

The sunrise was long gone when I opened my eyes. Next to me stood my best friend. A small side note: the seven of us slept in three different rooms. On both nights, Natsuko stayed with the adult couple, Kimura with her pet—I mean her precious Yoko-chan, and me with Naoto.

“Ah, what a great day we got ahead of us!”, I joyfully spouted as I got up.

“Something good happen to you, Ishida?”

“Not really.”

“So something did happen, huh,” he thought to himself, "I wonder what it was. Hoping Kimura’s spirit didn’t possess him.”

“We’re leaving after breakfast, so I frankly can’t see where that excitement comes from.”

He abruptly switched facial expressions.

“Aaaahhh,” it finally hit him, “I’m going to have to ditch Kyoto for a second time, it hurts!”, Naoto continued.

“You’re very much correct, but—you got to look beyond that! There’s more to life than occasional leisure trips!”

“You were undoubtedly possessed by Kimura’s spirit.”

“Huh? Where’d that come from?”

In spite of my immediate retort, a certain irony lay within his words. She and I weren’t that different. The similarities were undeniably present. One could even say the stark contrast between our personalities ended at surface level. We both put up acts and nonchalantly paraded our masks in an everlasting masquerade ball, swiftly traversing the many corners of the boundless immensity that was life’s extravagant hall. All to achieve our own goals. But he certainly wasn't referring to that.

“You’re not really good at hiding things, are you.”

“Either way, not telling you.”

“So something did happen!”

“…”

“Fine, I won’t pester you about this. I’m going to the kitchen for breakfast. Are you coming or are you going to keep reveling in your newfound happiness?”

“I’ll go. Just let me dress up appropriately.”

When we arrived downstairs, everyone was already eating.

“Oh, was starting to think you two wouldn’t wake up. We had already found a solution and all. You’d start to live here with them, in this peaceful city,” the athlete observed.

“If you meant to offend me with that, you failed,” I retorted.

“Ah, so it was nothing, he already went back to his normal self. What a relief,” Naoto noted in his inner thoughts.

“Well, he’s not wrong, Sakurai. Staying here longer would be infinitely better than returning.”

“You really think so, Yoko-chan? Don’t you miss your home? School?”

“Mhm. Still, I like it here. All my friends are here too. Plus, it makes me forget the entrance exams I’ll have to take next year.”

“Can’t really disagree with you there. Kyoto really was amazing! Wish I could stay. Now that I think of it, it would actually be really nice. Oh, how I envy you, alternate timeline me.”

“Then why don’t you? You can always stay with them.”

“Because we have a train to catch, idiot.”

Lacking the required patience to carry on, I stopped arguing and sat down.

A while later, after a lot of unnecessary chatter, we had reached the place where it all began, our entry point to Kyoto—the station of the same name. Alongside the five of us were Haruka and Akari. The train had just arrived.

“Well, it seems your ride is here.”

“Mhm,” her little sister confirmed.

“It was fun having you all around.”

“Yeah,” Haruka added.

“Oh, you’re on your last high school year, isn’t that right?”

“Yes… Is there anything you want to say, Akari?”, Natsuko asked.

“Of course there is! Second term is starting next month and soon you’ll be in exam season. So, I want to wish you all the best of luck with your careers! Wherever and whatever you may go on studying, give it your best!”

“Akari, aren’t you playing too much into the teacher role?”, her lover wondered.

“You’re probably right… but, having been through what they are about to enter, I simply want them to do well. University life is tough, and so is the period that precedes it.”

“I think you’re worried for nothing,” Haruka reassured her.

“You think so?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Who knows? Maybe one of them will land here at Kyoto University!”

“Really? That’d be wonderful, especially if it was Sakurai!”

“Akari,” she voiced, emphasizing all the syllables, “Weren’t you the one who said their ride was here? I think it’s about time we say our goodbyes.”

“No, it’s okay, we still got a bit of time before… the train leaves,” Kimura uttered, shedding a few tears.

“Ummm, Sakurai, are you ok?”

“Yeah,” she wiped the tears off her face, “this time I won’t lose you.”

“Absolutely not! I’ll pay you a visit or two before your school year ends, it’s a promise!”

She rushed to hug her.

“Oh?”, she was slightly surprised by her course of action, “Yes, yes.”

“It’s time to go, Kimura,” I gently remarked.

“Mhm.”

She detached herself from her sister and waved at them. Everyone else followed suit, waving at each other.

Goodbye, Haruka. Goodbye, Akari. Goodbye, Kyoto.

The most exciting event of our Summer holidays reached the end of the line.

Natsuko and I were greeted by my mother when we got home.

“Oh, Natsuko, Yuki, you’re back! Take your things upstairs!”

“I know!”

After replying in unison, we rushed to our bedrooms and locked the door instantly.

My period of euphoria had expired. Lying on my bed, gazing deeply at the ceiling, I harked back to the night she confessed her love to me, “Screw God’s punishment, I’d search every corner of the universe to find my lover”.

“Aaaahhhh, that was so embarrassing! Why did I even say that? It’s so cliché!!! What in the hell was I thinking?”, I shamefully admitted, twisting myself atop that very bed, as if I was being gently tickled by an invisible being.

“At least now we’re both on the same page. I wonder how she’s feeling…”

Meanwhile, in the room next to mine, someone else was equally as embarrassed.

Also on top of her own bed, reminiscing those same memories, with her face drowning in the immenseness of her pillow, kicking the bedsheets with her legs akin to a swimmer practicing crawl stroke.

“‘My Hikoboshi’? That was so humiliating! She wasn’t even expecting it! What if she doesn’t feel the same way I do?”, she threw the pillow to the ground and took a deep breath, “Chin up, Akira. I got to deal with this the way an adult would. She knows I like her, it’s not like she can keep ignoring me forever.”

I can, due to how embarrassed I am.

“And there’s no way she doesn’t like me back, right?”

I absolutely do, you’re right on the money on that one.

“All I’ve got to do is get up, go to his room, and—”

She definitely couldn’t. Not in her current state.

“No no no, I can’t! I must think this through first!”

She was making up excuses.

While she drowned in her own embarrassment, I also did the same, in a different manner.

“Alright, Yuki, you’re seventeen. It’s not like you’re afraid of the girl you like, right?”

I undoubtedly was.

“She proved it’s mutual, so all I need to do is reassure her she did the right thing! Gather up some courage, Yuki Ishida!”, I confidently pronounced, now standing up.

Back in Natsuko’s room.

Getting on her feet, decided to make contact once and for all, she declared:

“If she doesn’t, then I must take the lead!”, walking to the door, she added, “Ok! Here I go!”

In the end, all of that confidence amounted to nothing and things remained static. In the days that remained from this school-less time period, nothing else of note took place. Kimura kept doing her daily morning runs. Yokoyama kept feeding her manga and light novel addiction. Naoto travelled the known world some more. Natsuko and I kept ignoring each other systematically.

Hence, we made no progress whatsoever in our relationship until it started—the not-so-fabled second term. With August now past us, that’s what lied ahead of all high school students.