Chapter 13: Till the End of Time

At school, Airi spent the entire time thinking to herself. Makoto’s birthday was coming up soon, and she needed to think of something to buy her. She’d already thought about jewelry, but Makoto wasn’t really into that kind of stuff. She wasn’t a fan of make-up either, and she wasn’t nearly as into phone charms as Airi was. Either that, or there just weren’t as many that she liked.

After school, Makoto and Airi were leaving when Makoto suddenly got a phone call from her mom. She wasn’t on the phone for long, probably just a few seconds is all.

“What’s up?” Airi asked.

“It was my mom. She said I had to come home right now. Said there was something important we needed to talk about in person.”

“Maybe your grades came in and she’s gonna lecture you about them. I know my parents would.”

“Nah, she sounded serious. This is something more than just grades. Whatever, I’ve gotta go. Catch ya later.”

“See ya.”

Makoto made her way to the station while Airi got stopped by Kiyomi.

“Yo, rich kid.” Kiyomi teased.

“Kiki, what’s up?”

“Have you seen Yuri anywhere?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Damnit, guess she went home early.”

“Why, did you need her for something?” Airi asked out of nosiness.

“Ah, well about that. I guess since she’s not here, I’ll take advantage of this situation. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what do you need?”

“How… deep breathes Kiyomi… How do you ask someone out?”

Airi stared blankly at Kiyomi for a moment.

“Don’t give me that look! Come on, I’m being serious.”

“Well, you just… ask?” Airi replied, confused.

“Well gee, that’s helpful. Why didn’t I think of that?” Kiyomi mocked.

“Why are you asking me? And why ask Yuri? She isn’t exactly popular, or the best at socializing for that matter.”

“Airi, you’re one of the smartest girls in our class. Think about it for a second.”

Airi thought before it hit her.

“Oh, I get it now. You like her.”

“Well thanks for stating the obvious, genius.”

“Wait, why Yuri of all people?”

“I dunno. Something about her just clicked with me.”

“But the two of you are completely different. You’re the class president, popular and sociable. She’s the new girl, unpopular and socially awkward.”

“Well you know what they say, opposites attract. I mean, just look at you and Makoto. You two aren’t exactly what I’d call the perfect match.”

“You have a point there. Ok, well if you really want my advice, I’d say just be completely honest with how you feel and ask with your whole heart. Don’t be awkward about it, just go in with full confidence. I know it’s hard to do, but if you don’t act on it first, someone else may get to her first.”

“Not likely, but ok.”

“I’m serious, Kiki. Just bring her aside in private and tell her how you feel. If it goes well, boom, dating. If it doesn’t, you can at least still be friends. It’s a cliche, but there are always other fish in the sea.”

“Alright, got it. Thanks Himura. I’ve gotta get back to my duty as class president. See ya tomorrow.”

“See ya.”

Kiyomi went back into the school building and Airi started making her way home.

On her way through a residential area, Airi noticed a cat sitting on the sidewalk in front of her. As she approached, the cat stood up and walked slightly in front of her. She started to walk away, but the cat ran in front of her, nudging against her leg. Airi was confused, but the cat just stood in front of her.

“What do you want, little buddy?”

The cat started walking before stopping to turn around and see if Airi was following. She did, and the cat led her to a house a few buildings down. As she approached the house, she saw an elderly woman standing outside with a watering can. The woman noticed Airi with the cat and went over to her.

“Ah, I see you’ve found little Rei for me. Thank you dear.” the old lady said.

“Oh, it’s no problem. She sort of led me here actually, like she wanted someone to make sure she got home safely.”

“Well that’s sweet of you to help her like that.”

“Are you gardening?”

“Yes, I am. Care to come see the flowers?”

“Sure, I’d love to.”

Airi and the old lady walked a bit to a small bed of flowers. There were various different colors of lilies.

“Wow, they’re so pretty!”

“Thank you. My granddaughter helped me plant them. She’s about your age too.”

“That’s so sweet. I wish I got to do something like that with my grandpa before he passed.”

“Would you like to help me plant a few flowers? I have some sitting in pots inside that I’d like to move out here so they can grow better.”

“Sure, I’d love to help.”

“Wonderful. I’ll go get them.”

The old lady went inside to retrieve the plants. Airi crouched down and started petting the cat. Footsteps approached before suddenly stopping behind her.

“Airi? What are you doing here?”

Airi turned around and saw Yuri standing over her and the cat.

“Yuri, funny seeing you here.”

“Well it shouldn’t be, I live here.”

Just then, the old lady came back outside carrying a few potted flowers.

“Ah, Yuri. Did you get the things for dinner tonight?”

“Yeah grandma, I did. I’ll go set them inside real quick.”

“Well hold on young lady, let me introduce you to our guest.”

“It’s fine grandma, we already know each other. She’s one of the friends from school I told you about.”

“Oh, so you must be Airi then. She mentioned having a friend with glasses, but I didn’t think it was you.”

“Yep, that’s me.”

“Ok, I really have to go put some of these things in the fridge now.” Yuri said, rushing inside.

“I didn’t know you were Yuri’s grandma. How come she’s living here?”

“Well, that’s not a story for me to tell. Oh, and just between the two of us, thank you, for being her friend I mean.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. She’s such a nice girl.”

“You have a kind heart.”

Yuri returned from the house and stood next to her grandma.

“So, what are you two up to?”

“I was just about to help your grandma plant these flowers.”

“Oh, mind if I help?”

“Not at all.”

“I’ll let you kids take care of the flowers. I’ll go inside and get some snacks ready. Please come inside when you’re done. You’re our guest Airi.”

“Thank you.”

Airi and Yuri planted the flowers carefully next to the other ones, afterwards heading inside for a snack.

“So, what brings you here anyway?” Yuri asked.

“Oh, the cat, I mean Rei, led me here.”

“Good girl, Rei.” Yuri said, petting the cat who had just jumped onto her chair next to her.

“It’s so exciting, having a friend over for once. Sorry if this isn’t exactly what you expected.”

“No, it’s fine. You’ve really never had friends over to your house before?”

“Well, no. I’ve never had friends before.”

“Huh?”

“It’s kind of a sad story, so I understand if you don’t want to hear it.”

“No no, I’ll listen. Please share.”

“Alright, well it all started at my old school. I was never exactly what you’d call popular. Sure, there were the socially awkward kids who were outcasts, but they always seemed to make friends with each other. I didn’t though. I don’t know why nobody seemed to want to be my friend, but I have my suspicions.”

“And those would be?”

“Well, one day I told a girl that I liked her, and she just looked at me disgusted before leaving. Just my luck, she happened to be the most popular girl at our school. She told her friends, and they told their friends, and it spiraled from there. None of the boys wanted to hang out with me because they knew they wouldn’t have a shot with me, and the girls stayed away because they didn’t want me to hit on them, or at least that’s what one of them told me when I finally worked up the courage to ask.”

“Oh, I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“It’s fine. I liked being alone anyway. I knew that if they didn’t want to be my friend over something so trivial like that, then they weren’t worth having as friends anyway.”

“So, have you always lived with your grandma?”

“No, I just moved here not too long ago. I ended up transferring schools, and my parents couldn’t move houses. The train ride here would have been too long for me to reasonably use, so the best option was to just move in with my grandma since she lives so much closer. Besides, I came here a lot growing up, so it’s like a second home to me anyway.”

“Man, that’s crazy. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened that made you transfer?”

“Oh, that. Well, I didn’t exactly live in the best area, and the school wasn’t much better. After the word got around about me liking girls, I was bullied relentlessly by a group of a few girls. They’d always come to make fun of me and kick me while I was down, figuratively and literally. It didn’t help that they were the toughest girls in school, since they were part of a local girl gang. I think I still have a few cuts from a few times when things got pretty serious.” Yuri said, lifting the side of her shirt to reveal several cuts on her side.”

“Oh my gosh, I don’t even know what to say to that. That’s seriously messed up. That’s why I’ve seen you walk slowly with your arms close to your side. I thought you were just really shy.”

“Yeah, that’s what most people thought. One time things got so bad that I was knocked out cold for an hour. My parents thought I was dead for a bit. After that though, they put in a transfer request and explained my situation. I got approved, and here I am.”

“Wow, that’s intense. I’m so sorry all of that happened, but at least you’re here now. And you have all of us, me, Makoto, and Kiyomi too.”

“Are you sure? I don’t really think Kiyomi likes me.”

“What makes you say that?”

“She just seems so annoyed by me all of the time. I don’t want to make anyone else hate me.”

“Yuri, believe me, she doesn’t hate you.”

Yuri looked up at Airi and smiled. Airi smiled back.

“Thank you for listening to me ramble on about my past. I never really had anyone to vent to about it. Getting that off of my chest really helped me out.”

“Of course, that’s what friends are for.”

“Well, in return, I’ll help you with something. Is there anything you want to talk about?”

“Well, there is actually. Makoto’s birthday is coming up soon, but I can’t think of what to get her.”

“Seriously? You’ve known her for so long, AND you’re dating her, and you still don’t know what to get her?”

“Buying presents is hard. You’re always thinking ‘what if they already have this,’ or ‘what if they don’t like what I bought?’ It’s stressful stuff.”

“Well, think of something she’s always wanted, but could have never gotten reasonably.”

“I guess she’s always wanted a motorcycle, but she doesn’t have a license, and that’s a bit too expensive.”

“Just a bit?! How rich are you?” Yuri exclaimed.

“I seriously can’t think of anything.”

“Well, how about instead of giving her something physical, you give her a memory?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Take her on a really special date. Make it something she’ll never forget. Maybe take her to a movie, wait, no, that’s too cliche. How about you take her somewhere the two of you have never been before?”

“Where do you suggest we go then?”

“Hmm…” Yuri thought for a moment. “How about an observatory? People go on dates and look up at the stars at night, but how about you get an even closer view of them?”

“That’s actually not a bad idea. If you’ve never had much social interaction before, how did you come up with such a good idea?”

“I watch a lot of anime and play a lot of visual novels. I’m sort of a sucker for the romance genre.”

“People long for that which they can’t have I guess.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just messing with you.”

Later that night at home, Airi texts Makoto.

“Hey, clear your calendar for the day before your birthday. I’ve got something super special planned.”

“I don’t know about that, Airi.”

“What do you mean? Are you busy that day?”

“No.”

“Then why can’t we do something that day?”

“I don’t know how easy it’ll be.”

“What’s up with that? We go places all of the time.”

“Not anymore. I’m moving soon.”

Airi’s eyes widened in both surprise and horror.

“Call me right now.”

Airi’s phone rang a few seconds later.

“Makoto, what’s going on? Why are you moving? Did something happen?”

“Relax. My parents are getting divorced, and I’m moving to Hokkaido with my mom.”

“Hokkaido?! That far away?”

“Yeah. She’s got family up there and she’s gonna work at the family business.”

“Wait, why the divorce?”

“My mom said it’s getting too dangerous for the two of us here because of my dad. He just keeps getting into trouble with the wrong people, and my mom said it’s only a matter of time before they come after us too if we stay with him.”

“That’s insane! I mean, The police should do something about them, right?”

“Airi, trust me, we’ve tried. They don’t want anything to do with those guys.”

“Then… Then how about we use the Timeagotchi to keep making him money so he can pay them off?”

“Airi…”

“Or, or maybe we can try to hack into the thing to go back to before your dad got involved with them in the first place. I’m sure with enough time we can-”

“Airi! Give it up. What’s done is done.”

“But, what about us? What’ll happen to us?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m sure we can make things work, right?”

“I don’t know. Airi, I’m really not in the mood to think about that right now.”

“Then… When are you moving?”

“Next weekend, after we get out of school for winter break.”

“That’s so soon…”

“Yeah… I’m gonna go to bed. I need to rest.”

“Ok. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

The two hung up their phones and laid down. Both girls silently cried themselves to sleep, uncertain of what the future held for them.

The next week at school, things were quiet. School was getting ready to get out for break, and everyone was watching the time pass. At lunch, Airi went up to the roof to meet Makoto.

“Hey.” Airi said quietly.

“Hey.”

The two stood next to each other staring out over the courtyard. Suddenly, Makoto started tearing up. Airi looked at her in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“You know what’s wrong. After this week, we won’t see each other anymore.”

“I know, but we can still enjoy our time together, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s gonna be hard knowing that it won’t last.”

Makoto looked down before walking over to a wall and punching it violently.

“Damn it! If it wasn’t for my good-for-nothing dad getting mixed up with the wrong people, none of this would be happening. I wouldn’t have had to lose my childhood, I would have had both parents there for me, and I wouldn’t have to move away from the one person who showed me kindness back then.”

“Makoto…”

“All I wanted was to live a normal life, to be happy for once. I was FINALLY starting to be happy with you around, but now that’s all being ripped away from me.”

Airi couldn’t respond with words. Instead, she ran up to Makoto and hugged her. The two started crying together.

“I’m scared, Ai-Ai. I don’t know what’ll happen after I move, or if I’ll ever get to see you again. What if you forget about me and move on? What if things at my new home don’t go well?”

“I’ll never forget you Makoto, I could never. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll always be here for you, no matter how far away you are.”

From the doorway to the stairs, Yuri and Kiyomi watched, with Yuri clinging to Kiyomi’s arm.

A few days later, it was finally time to say goodbye. Everyone had gathered to send Makoto and her mom off. Kiyomi, Yuri, and of course, Airi.

“We’re really gonna miss you around here. You kept things interesting.” Kiyomi said.

“I’ll miss you too, class pres. Even if we butted heads a few times, I’m glad you were there to keep me in check.” Makoto replied.

“I didn’t get to know you for long, but I hope we can still be friends if we ever see each other again.” Yuri added.

“Don’t worry, we’ll still be friends. You’re one of us now.” Makoto said, ruffling up Yuri’s hair playfully.

Airi walked up to Makoto slowly, her hands clenched together at her chest.

“Here, I wanted to give you this before you go.”

Airi reached out her hands and opened them to reveal the Timeagotchi.

“Seriously? You can’t give me this Airi.”

“Yes I can. My grandpa passed this on to me to remember him, and now I’m passing it to you so you always remember me. Plus, if you get into trouble, think of this as my way of helping you, like old times.”

“Airi…”

“Take it, please. I insist.”

“Alright, I will.” Makoto said, grabbing the device.

“The train will be here any second now. Make sure you get all of your goodbyes out soon.” Makoto’s mom said before walking closer to the platform.

“I guess… this is finally goodbye then.” Makoto said.

“We’ll see each other again though, right?” Airi asked nervously.

“Of course you will! I mean, there’s always vacations, and once you two graduate, you can go to the same school again, or get an apartment together.” Yuri blurted out.

“She’s right. This might be the end for now, but it isn’t the end for forever.” Kiyomi added.

At that moment, they heard the train approaching the station.

“Crap, already? I was hoping we could be here together for a bit longer.” Makoto muttered.

“See you some other time, troublemaker.” Kiyomi said teasingly.

“Bye for now!” Yuri cheered.

Airi and Makoto looked at each other and smiled.

“You aren’t gonna just send me off with a goodbye, now are you?” Makoto asked.

“Of course not. I’ve got one more gift for you.”

Airi leaned in and gave Makoto her sweetest kiss. Yuri and Kiyomi smiled at the sight.

“Well, I’m definitely never gonna forget that. Take care of yourself, Ai-Ai.”

“I will. See you soon, Mako-chan.”

Makoto and her mom boarded the train, Makoto giving one last look back as the doors closed.

Airi, Yuri, and Kiyomi all watched as the train pulled out of the station, and Makoto with it.

A tear rolled down Makoto’s cheek as she looked down at the Timeagotchi in her hand, before she gently wrapped her fingers around it.