Chatting ON the roofTOP

"What do you need?" Asked Sume.

"Is actually somewhat complicated, and I would prefer to discuss it privately." I answered.

"Ok." She said and then hummed softly for a second before saying: "Let's see… There are many private sports in the school yard, however most of them should already be occupied by couples right now, so how about the rooftop? Are you ok talking over there?"

"Sure, I would really appreciate it."

"Ok, let me get my lunch box and then I'll meet you there, go ahead and look for any available bench, I'll return in less than 5 minutes!" Then she turned back and went downstairs rather quickly.

I smiled, yesterday when I met her the last thing I would think about her is that she would agree to listen to my problems, that she would be help me prevent, or I should say aggravate in this occasion, a misunderstanding like she just did with Suli, the girl that was paying close attention to the conversation between me and Rashi. I felt a little regret for misjudging her like that, but at the same time it gave me that sensation of happiness that meeting and talking with an honest person gives you, that feeling of security and the sensation that everything will be fine. I was glad I asked her to help me, somehow, before we even talked about the problem, it felt as if solving it was going to be a piece of cake.

I turned my body to go upstairs, and for my surprise Rashi, who apparently suffered a nearly dead experience just by going upstairs and running a little, was standing in front of me looking like nothing I said before just happened, in fact, he looked more alive than ever.

"I-i-impo…" He said, grabbing my left shoulder. "Y-y-you're going to…"

I assumed he was just surprised because I was going to have lunch with someone other than him or Agatta, so I just replied:

"Yes, you should probably go back to the classroom, I'll go back as soon as we finish."

But then he grabbed my other shoulder and held them with all his strength, which isn't much to be honest, I could barely feel the pressure he was applying, but I could tell by his face that he was putting his all into it.

"You know, you shouldn't do that, Agatta would be very mad if she finds out." He said.

He was probably right, but I really need her help on this, and if I can find a way to solve the problem with her help then I'm sure Agatta will understand.

"So… I won't tell her anything, but…" Rashi continued. "Please let me watch you guys doing it!"

He said the last thing with the same face the girl that was spying on us had, the perversion in both were remarkable and he even had the same heavy breathing as she had, but I don't know how his face looked exponentially worse than hers. You know how they said that there are virgins that anyone can tell they are virgins? Well, he's one of those, I forgot to tell you, but he is a pervert to the core too. Just once I went to his house, his bedroom was locked with a key and a lock so not even his parents would go in, he bought some noise canceling foam and put it all over his door so no sound would ever leak from his room to the rest of the house, the curtains also let no light come inside either and he had 7 body pillows, each one with a different character on them, and a lot of anime figures with swappable clothes. However, he keeps the clothes apart, and not because he likes them better separated.

Ever since I have never gone back there, and if I want to meet with him it has to be in school or in a public place, where he would be too shy to act or talk like he does when he's alone. So I misunderstood what he meant early, he didn't think I was going to talk with Sume, no, he thinks I'm about to smash her on the rooftop.

I want to hit him so badly now, but, you know what? I'm going to trick him a little more.

"Mhm, I don't know, after all you said you don't want to be friends with me anymore, and I would just allow a real friend to watch us do it." I said, pretending to be considering the situation, then I stopped and looked him in the eye. "So I guess you're not really interested, huh?"

He stepped back, he just remembered what said to me early, then he tried to take it back.

"Come on, dude, you know we are total bros!" I don't know why he was speaking like that but whatever. "I was just testing you man! But I have always known that you're the real deal, amirite?"

Ok, now I'm going to punch him.

I threw a jab at his stomach with not much strength, because I know that he's really weak and I don't want to hurt him. I just wanted to let him know I was there.

"You and I are going to discuss that later, right now I'm just going to talk with her because I need her help to solve a problem with Agatta. Now just go, before I punch you again for saying that we can't be friends any more."

"Ok, ok, I'm going out. Later!" He said while going downstairs.

The very moment he disappeared was the moment Sume was just taking the last stairs to meet with me.

"Well, shall we get going?" She said reaching the step I was in.

"Sure, after you." I answered and we went up to the roof.

The view from it was great, all the classrooms face to the opposite side of the beach, but from the rooftop you have an amazing view of it. Since I have been in the swimming team for a long time and gone in competitions with it I have met many people from other cities, mainly from Kyoto, and most of them complain about the heat and how the air in coastal cities seemed to have a salty taste to it, but personally I find those both things to be the most wonderful out of everything that cities like mine have to offer. As soon as we stepped outside the light breeze hit my face and I couldn’t help but close my eyes and enjoy it. The hottest months are to come yet, but there are also high chances of rain too, so it’s going to be another wonderful summer here in Tokoname.

“A’ight, let's find a good spot to talk.” Said Sume.

There was no one on the roof except for us, so we could choose anywhere, however Sume went ahead of me and took a seat at one of the benches, but there was something she didn’t like about it, so she immediately stood up and went to another one to inspect it. She repeated the same process with other three benches and finally she happily exclaimed:

“Now, this one is just perfect.” Then she gave me a sign to come and have a seat next to her. “C’mon, this is the perfect spot for a chat.”

I obeyed and sat next to her. Indeed, the view of the ocean was even more beautiful there, and even if the sun was all over our heads, the salty breeze just started to blow again, as if it knew we needed it.

She opened her lunch box and thanked for the food, I decided to do the same. She caught a glimpse at mine and asked:

“Cool, rolled eggs, can I have one?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Thank you.” She ate it and made that weird noise women made whenever they taste something delicious. “Mmmmmmm, delicious, your mother’s such a great cook.”

“Thank you, but this wasn’t made by my mother, my girlfriend actually made it.” I replied smiling, it felt weird, not many people compliment Agatta outside from the swimming club.

“F’real? She is great at it!”

“Yeah…” Then my smile disappeared and I continued: “Actually, I wanted to talk with you because right now I have a problem with her.”

“Really? What happened?”

“The thing is that after that stream happened she told me that we couldn’t go out anymore, however, she stood up for me when you picked on me on the stairs, and she did it again when the coach of the women swimming club got too close to me during the stretches, however when I later asked her if she really didn’t want to be my girlfriend anymore she didn’t want to talk about it, she just told me that we were going to talk about it at another time. And I honestly don’t know what is going to happen, I’m scared and this situation is making me uncomfortable.”

“How long have you been dating?” She asked me.

“About 3 years now, we started almost immediately after we entered middle school.”

Then she patted my head.

“Listen, I don’t want you to take this the bad way, but it has only been a day since all that happened, right? I understand that you are uneasy with all that but give her a little more time. I’m sure she doesn’t want to leave you, she is just afraid of the public opinion.”

“Public opinion?”

“Indeed, all the school and many other people were watching that stream, and there is no way that somebody missed the part in which you stole the show.” Then she intentionally stopped for me to assimilate what she just said. She tried to disguise it by grabbing some of her food, but it was all part of her plan. “So all of them know exactly what you are carrying around, and since she is your girlfriend, and she has been for that it is obvious that she has been getting all that by herself. And some people are just mean. If they find out she is your girlfriend they would be bullying her saying that she is a glutton, or even worse.”

I get it, it is basically the same reason why Rashi also told me we can’t be friends anymore, she too is concerned by how other people would look at her because of me.

“But there is nothing wrong with it, I mean, she probably didn’t know what she was signing for when she became your girlfriend, for me she is just the luckiest girl in the world.” She continued. Then grabbed some more of her food. “So, how many times have you guys done it?”

I turned bright red, I wasn’t expecting that question at all.

“Eh, we, we have never done that…”

“Ah , c’mon, you can tell me, we are friends, right?”

“I-it’s true, we have never done it.”

“Oh, so you just use your mouths right?”

“No no no, we have never done that!”

“Then what is the farthest you have gone? Has she ever jack you?”

I thought that what Suki was saying was embarrassing, oh no, this is way worse than that.

“No, she hasn’t?”

“Then what have you done in 3 whole years? Just kiss?”

I tried to escape by looking the other way and just answered quietly.

“We haven’t done that yet either…”

“YOU HAVEN’T KISSED YET?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!” She was really mad, I don’t fully understand why, but it was bad, I was in trouble if this conversation went on for any longer. However, she wasn’t just going to let me go that easy. “So in 3 years all you have done is go around holding hands?”

I was about to say something else, but I couldn’t, I don’t know what could happen to me if I told her that today was the first time we held hands in public.

However, predators know exactly what their prey is thinking once they have it cornered. So she continued:

“What were you going to say?”

“N-n-nothing!”

“Say it.”

“I said is no-”

“If you don’t say it is going to be worse for you.”

I was looking the opposite direction from her but I could feel her intense stare, that murderous gaze that was piercing my soul, feeding on my fear.

“I-it’s just that… this morning was the first time… that we held hands in public.”

And she lost it. I can hear the gnashing of her teeth and the bones of her fingers cracking, ready to deliver a lethal blow. She stood up the bench and ordered me:

“Wrap the bento box and leave it on the side. Now.”

“Yes ma’am.” I answered.

I did what she said as quick as possible, I wrapped the bento really well and then out it to my left, but before I could return my head to its natural position her palm smack me with all her might, then she yelled at me:

“IIIIIIIIDIOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!”