I'm Here to Stay, I think

Considering the truck and the mysterious chime that appeared with it, Katsuo slept surprisingly well. He did, however, lose some sleep over it. Initially he had stayed awake, lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room in contemplation. Why am I here? Is there a reason to all this? And why a truck? Not having been one for stoicism, he quickly stopped this line of thinking before he began questioning reality itself. Or was I already? He shook his head, then went downstairs for a glass of water. Once he had returned to bed, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning after breakfast, Katsuo spent his morning laying on his bed looking up information about the festival, what types of food were common, and what games he could expect to see people playing. Aside from the festival itself, he couldn’t really find anything that would stump him in front of anyone who’d expect him to know otherwise. He locked his phone screen and set it on his nightstand. He then grabbed the ball that he usually left sitting there and began the slow task of tossing it up and catching it.

Evidently, it had gone from a baseball to a tennis ball. In his world, he had found it on the ground at the park on his way to school one morning. Presumably someone had forgotten it after playing catch there the day before. Katsuo had picked it up on his way to his usual bench spot, then found himself just tossing it. It seemed to be a good passive action to help him think, so he’d just kept doing it. He wondered what the story behind the tennis ball was. There wasn’t a tennis court any closer than the ones at the school that he was aware of.

He'd never told anyone about finding the baseball in his world, and no one had ever asked. Perhaps no one knows where this tennis ball came from. The great enigma of the mysterious tennis ball. His phone vibrated, the tone indicating a message. He caught the ball one last time and then set it back on his nightstand, swapping it for his phone. It was from Hayami.

‘Hey’

‘What time should I be there?’

‘Now’s good.’

‘Or whenever.’

‘Okay’

It wasn’t long before the rest of the time slipped by, and Katsuo had heard the doorbell. He and his family were already in their yukatas, his mother and sister were adding the finishing touches to their hair. Or something like that. Katsuo got off the couch and headed for the door. Opening it, he greeted Hayami.

“Hey-“

He couldn’t think clearly enough to finish the sentence. There stood Hayami in her yukata. It was purple, with different types of flowers in darker shades of purple and even some black scattered throughout. Her obi was a golden yellow, with a deeper red across the middle. The colors almost gave a sunset to the night that was her yukata. Her hair was put up in the traditional fashion, with some colored flower pins to match. When his eyes finally made it back to her face, he saw that she was glowing red and trying to act as though she wasn’t.

“Are you going to invite me in?”

“What?”

He almost couldn’t process what she had said, and then it clicked.

“Oh right, of course.”

He moved aside and gestured for her to enter. She coolly walked by him, keeping a confident stride as she entered.

“Oh my, you look absolutely stunning Hayami.”

Katsuo closed the door and turned to see his mother standing there, exclaiming at Hayami’s attire, and complementing nearly each individual piece. His sister came down the stairs in the middle of it, then all three of them were complementing and appreciating one another’s design and hair pieces.

“She really is something special, son.”

His father walked over to him, with that huge genuine smile he always seemed to be wearing. He placed his hand on his son’s shoulder and gave him a pat. Katsuo wasn’t really sure how to respond, he felt a little embarrassed but also that he couldn’t disagree. Not many people would go out of their way to help a total stranger figure out how they jumped from one world to the next. She really was a great friend.

It wasn’t long before they departed for the festival. It was only the late afternoon as they approached the entrance, but dozens of people could already be seen making their way into the festivities. Just as they were about to enter, Katsuo heard somebody shout in excitement over the crowd. When he took a look around, he found Kame standing there waving to them. Her yukata was a light pink, pelted in red, pink and even blue flowers. She was with a couple that he presumed were her parents.

Kanna waved excitedly in return, then his family headed in their direction. They greeted Kame’s parents like old friends, and he supposed they might have been. If he and Kame had been childhood friends since they were little, then that would only stand to reason. Kame’s dad gave him a big grin, that alone could have made him and Katsuo’s own father, brothers. He could already see why they and his parents would be friends.

“Ah, Katsuo! I see the girls wrangled you into a yukata this year after all.”

Katsuo gave a short bow and a small shrug.

“Our whole class agreed to wear them, so I didn’t stand much chance.”

He laughed heartily.

“So I heard, Kame tells me she nearly got her entire class to do it as well.”

Kame’s mother smiled warmly.

“We’re so glad to see you kids getting involved. I always love to see the youth taking part in tradition.”

“Mooom…”

Kame looked a little embarrassed. For why, Katsuo couldn’t guess.

“Alright, alright. You kids have fun now!”

Their parents walked away together, Katsuo’s mother dragging along a protesting Kanna. He heard her mention something about meeting one of her friends soon which seemed to distract and excite his younger sister.

“So, what should we do first?”

Katsuo turned back to the girls, and without hesitation answered Kame’s question.

“How about some food?”

Before either of the girls answered, Katsuo’s stomach growled loud enough for them both to hear. They shared a laugh and then started walking towards the food stalls. The smells of roasting, frying, and sweet treats, began wafting over them as they neared. Each new smell more tantalizing than the last. It wasn’t long before Katsuo had wandered over to a stand selling anago on a stick. As he took his first bite of the sweet and salty goodness, he caught Kame looking at him like he had gone completely mad.

“What? Oh, did you want some?”

He extended the small paper food boat with another skewer in it. She shook her head and waved her hands in front of her.

“No, no. I just can’t believe you’re eating eel.”

Katsuo swallowed and looked at his snack. Then he remembered her having been surprised about this before.

“Oh, right. I told you, I kind of like it now.”

She rolled her eyes at him.

“I’ll say. It was the first thing you went for once we got here.”

Katsuo just shrugged and took another bite of the perfectly cooked eel. Hayami pointed further down the path.

“I think I see ikayaki down there.”

“Oh, I love ikayaki!”

“Me too!”

Katsuo followed the girls to the stand, where the stall worker was just pulling the skewered squid off the open flame grill and brushing them again with a savory looking sauce. Meanwhile, a second person was rotating another batch of the ikayaki and brushing them with the same sauce. The squid sizzled and started to brown lightly, making Katsuo’s mouth water once again. Food might be the best part of a festival. The girls paid, received their food, and rejoined him.

They slowly made their way past more of the food stalls, taking note of all there was to eat if they were hungry again later. They passed one food stall where a guy was wearing a full squid costume, insisting they had the best Japan had to offer. Kame giggled and pointed at him, then Hayami laughed as well and pointed further down. There was another man dressed as an eel, he looked ridiculous. The three of them shared another laugh at the poor guy’s expense. At least he’s getting paid to do it.

Eventually they found their way to where most of the festival games seemed to be located. It wasn’t dark yet, but all of the stalls were brightly lit and already busy with customers. Kame grew excited at the sight of yo-yo fishing, so they stopped, and she made her attempt at it. Her paper dissolved before she could manage to get her hook on any of the rubber strings.

“Aww, I usually manage to get at least one of them.”

She sounded a bit defeated, so Katsuo made an attempt to keep her spirits up.

“Maybe it’s just too early? You need to warm up first.”

“Yeah! That’s probably it! I’ll get them next time! What are you looking at Hayami-san?”

“Huh, oh nothing. Just the games.”

“Oh! The shooting game! Let’s play that next!”

It was subtle, but Katsuo felt like Kame had chosen it because it had been what Hayami was looking at.

“Come on, let’s all play!”

Katsuo quickly discovered that he wasn’t very good. Not only could he not hit very many of his targets with the cork, but the ones he did hit, didn’t seem to take enough of a hit to go down. Kame was definitely doing better than he was, but not by much. Hayami, on the other hand, was practically a perfect shot. Kame seemed to be as surprised by this as Katsuo was.

“That’s amazing Hayami-san! You’re an expert shot!”

“It’s my favorite game, so I usually play it… A lot.”

She sounded a little embarrassed to admit it. Kame just laughed and took Hayami by the arm, leading the way onto whatever was next. After a few more games, Katsuo felt nature calling.

“I’m going to find a bathroom.”

The girls waved him off and he went searching. The bathrooms were relatively easy to find, and he was thankful. Now where did I-

“Oof!”

“Oof!”

Katsuo collided with something hard, sending him to the ground. But once he shook himself out of his daze, he recalled having heard another person.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t- Wait, Katsuo-san?”

Of course, the person he ran into was Harui Kimura. She wore a black yukata, with large bright pink and white flowers with red accents printed all over it. Her obi was an excellent matching red, and she was also sitting on the ground.

“Harui-san?”

“Why don’t you watch where you’re going!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t-“

“Never mind that. Ouch!”

She tried to stand up but grabbed her ankle in protest.

“Are you okay? Here let me help you.”

“I can do it myself, thank you.”

After another failed attempt she made a pouty face and avoided meeting his gaze. Katsuo stuck out his hand but said nothing. She begrudgingly took it, and he helped her to her feet. She wobbled a little, trying to keep her weight on one foot.

“Are you hurt?”

“Yes, I think I twisted my ankle. No thanks to you.”

He sighed, then lowered himself to the ground.

“Here, hop on.”

“What? No way am I climbing on your back, why would I-“

“Just get on.”

She hesitated for a moment and just when he thought she was going to refuse him once again, she put a hand on his shoulder.

“Fine, but only because it would probably be less embarrassing than hopping around.”

Whatever you have to tell yourself. She climbed on his back with a bit of help from Katsuo. Giving a piggyback ride to someone in a yukata was difficult enough, but they managed. She puffed out her cheeks a bit in a pout and avoided looking at him. Once she realized that no one seemed to be making a spectacle of them, she relaxed. She let her head rest against his back as he carried her out of the crowds toward some benches.

“Thank you.”

“What?”

“Nothing, just- never mind.”

He made it to an empty bench and helped her down. Once seated she looked over her ankle, which Katsuo had to admit, even in the dim lighting looked a little red. Harui groaned audibly.

“Now what am I going to do?”

“I have an idea; I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?”

“Just wait here.”

“It’s not like I’ll be going anywhere like this.”

Katsuo headed back into the stalls and wandered a bit until he found what he was looking for. After a quick conversation with the lady working the table, he got what he needed and headed back for Harui.

“Here, maybe this will help.”

“Ice?”

He nodded, handing her the bag of shaved ice. She gently placed it on her ankle and winced as it made contact.

“It’s cold.”

She spoke softly, as if to herself. Katsuo sat down beside her, putting his elbows up on the back of the bench. They sat there with the sounds of the festival going on nearby. Harui adjusted the ice pack slightly and sighed.

“Thank you.”

“What? Oh, sure. You’re welcome. I mean it was my fault anyway.”

“No, it was both of us. I walked into you too.”

Katsuo didn’t argue with her, he didn’t really know, and he doubted she did either.

“I also want to apologize.”

“Huh, what for?”

“You know, after school. I was a bit unfair to you. And you know…”

“Oh, right. That’s okay, I’m sorry I bothered you about it.”

“Why do you keep doing that?”

“Doing what?”

“Pretending it doesn’t bother you.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Don’t play dumb with me! There’s no way that it doesn’t!”

She almost yelled it. Katsuo looked at her, she appeared to be genuinely upset, maybe even angry. But he didn’t know what to say, he honestly didn’t understand what she was getting at. She sighed.

“Look, I really appreciate you saving me the embarrassment and all that, but you really didn’t have to.”

He just stared at her blankly. She blinked at him.

“Are you really going to make me spell it out for you?”

“Uhh…”

“Okay, fine then. Katsuo Nakajima, I’m sorry that I let everyone believe it was you who asked me out and not the other way around. I’m also sorry that I didn’t apologize sooner. I, uh- Well I feel terrible. And I know that’s not a good excuse but, well I-“

Was she starting to cry? Holy crap. Katsuo could hardly believe what he was hearing. Harui had asked him out? He just kept staring at her, at a complete loss for words. She was sniffling now.

“Well say something won’t you.”

“I, uh. Well, I forgive you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I mean it was over a year ago after all. And besides, I don’t think anyone really remembers anyway.”

“Some of them do, but only because I treated you so poorly.”

He shrugged and put his hands in his lap. She wiped her tears away, then set the ice pack on the bench beside her. Gently, she set her foot on the ground.

“Thank you, Katsuo-san. I think I’m good to walk now.”

“Would you like to join us?”

“Well, I was with Tasou-san and Toshihiro-san.”

“Then let’s go find them. Come on, we can look together.”

He stood up and offered her his hand, she took it and stood. She winced a little but tried her weight and smiled in confirmation. They set off back into the crowds to look for their friends. Katsuo kept a slower pace in case she needed it. A short way back into the game area, they heard cheering. There was a group of kids their age gathered around one stall, all watching someone else. Katsuo thought he recognized him.

“Is that Haruto-san?”

“What?”

Harui walked up beside him, looking on after the same crowd Katsuo was watching.

“Katsuo-san! There you are, where have you been? Oh, Kimura-san! It’s good to see you.”

Kame had emerged from the group, followed closely by Hayami. She paused when she saw who Katsuo was with. Harui gave a placating gesture to Kame.

“No, please. Call me Harui.”

“Okay, then please, call me Kame.”

Katsuo worked his way into the conversation. He thought he recognized several people in the small crowd.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, you have to come see! Haruto-san is goldfish scooping! He’s really really good! He’s catching fish for everyone!”

They joined the rest of the group, Katsuo saw Tasou and Toshihiro amongst the group. He and Tasou made eye contact and he smiled at Katsuo in approval. Katsuo looked to see Harui was still next to him, fixed on Haruto just like everyone else. He had a bowl, completely full of small goldfish and he was still scooping more with the poi. Somehow scooping and rescoping more fish, without ever ripping the thin paper. The crowd of students, nearly all in yukatas, cheered after each successful catch. The stall worker, on the other hand, seemed to be growing less and less pleased with every scoop. But after about the third one since Katsuo and Harui’s arrival, the paper finally tore through. Everyone groaned and gave audible signs of disapproval.

Many of the group dispersed, but all of the ones Katsuo recognized from their class seemed to linger, many congratulating Haruto on his huge catch. Someone spoke over the rest of them.

“Did you guys hear? They said there’s going to be fireworks this year?”

‘Woah, no way!”

“This early in the summer?”

“That’s awesome!”

Haruto seemed to get everyone’s attention.

“I know, why don’t we all go watch them together?”

“Yeah! That seems like a great idea!”

“Come on, let’s go!”

As a group they all made their way to an outer part of the festival, closer to the harbor. Haruto led them to a clear spot in the grass where they all settled in. Harui smiled at Katsuo before joining back up with Toshihiro and Tasou. Hayami and Kame walked up on either side of Katsuo. Hayami asked the question first.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, we’re good.”

Kame smiled at him.

“Good, we’re glad to hear it. Now let’s watch some fireworks.”

They all sat down together, a few more of their classmates found and joined them. They made for a pretty large group all in all. It wasn’t long before the first shrill of a firework broke the chatter of the audience. It exploded into color across the sky, lighting up all of their faces. Soon, more joined the first. It wasn’t a very big show, being this early in the season, but it was still a good one. Once the last blasts had died out and the onlookers had given their approval, Katsuo could hear a few of the others discussing going to a café not far from here that apparently stayed open pretty late. Haruto seemed to be convincing everyone to get on board with the idea.

“Katsuo-san, are you guys coming?”

Katsuo looked at Kame and Hayami who seemed to have approving looks, Kame almost looked pleading.

“Uh, yeah. Sure.”

A few members of the group cheered. They gathered themselves and started following Haruto, carrying his large bag of goldfish, back through the throng of people. Haruto raised his voice above the noise.

“Class 2 – 1 friend squad coming through!”

Katsuo just shook his head. An odd guy for sure. But definitely a good guy. They made their way through the crowd and out onto the other side of the festival. Now on the sidewalk, they thinned their line out a bit to better fit the path. Katsuo let himself drift to the back of the group, with Kame and Hayami just ahead of him. They’d made it a block or two from the festival, when Katsuo heard it.

He stopped and listened. Nothing. He started walking again when he heard it once more, a little louder this time. The chime sounded. He heard it a third time, and it was definitely louder this time. He looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Then he saw it, a box truck coming down the road, still a fair distance away, but there was no mistaking it. He looked back to his classmates, most of which had made the turn of the street corner. The chime sounded again; the truck was getting closer. He turned to it, wondering what might happen. He found himself taking a step, and then another.

He looked back again, to see Hayami standing there on the corner. She looked at him sadly, almost knowingly. The chime sounded, louder still. He could hear the truck now. She just stood there; hair caught in the breeze. Then Kame turned, just as she was about to make the turn. She looked at him confused.

“Katsuo-san! What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

The truck drove past him, the chime was slightly quieter this time. He watched the truck turn the opposite way that his classmates had and kept rumbling down the road.

“Yeah, I am. Wait for me!”

He jogged to catch up. He caught Hayami’s smile as he approached. Kame turned to follow the rest of the group.

“Honestly, you’re so easily distracted sometimes.”

He couldn’t help but laugh a little at Kame’s retort. He walked alongside Hayami, just behind Kame. He could see Haruto up ahead, holding the door open, waving at them. Katsuo felt Hayami’s fingers brush his.

“Good, you’re still here.”

It was almost a whisper, or a thought spoken out loud.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

She smiled and walked up alongside Kame, heading into the café. Haruto grinned at them as they entered.

“Glad you could join us, Katsuo-san, I almost thought you weren’t coming.”

“Who me? Nah, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Haruto clapped him on the shoulder, and they walked in to join their friends.