Diminished Shine

"Human emotion is the core in all of us, they transform us as human beings, they make us exist, but human thought is just as important, because it combats and contrasts the emotion in us. All of us do things either based on emotion or thought, but of course it all depends on the person."

Some teacher was speaking this, flailing her arms around to make it seem like it was theater. To Tetsudo's ears, it's all a mush of incoherent sentences. It was Wednesday, after all. He was totally sick of this school at this point. 

"Soon summer vacation will come. I wonder what I'll do during the summer..." Tetsudo's thoughts raced a bit, but his mind only had Yai's face at the forefront and nothing else in the background. Tetsu scratched his head a bit. "That's what a girl staying over for a week does to you, huh..." It's all he could think about. 

"Hiraya is also coming to the house today immediately after school, so Yai will stay at the cafe for a little longer. God, so much to worry about..." Tetsu kept scratching his head and his worried his kept looking left, out the window and somewhere, where there was only the sky and the trees.

"I wonder what Yai does when I'm at school, does she just stay where I drop her off?" Tetsu's train of thought kept going. "What was up with that pinky promise? What will she ask me to?" Yai's actions are always throwing him off. He never knows what to think of them.

But she was going away soon no matter what. So, no point in trying to worry too much. He went back to listening to the teacher as best as he could. But the bell rang before he could focus on her words. The class erupted from boredom, but Tetsu remained at his seat.

"Man, this lesson sure was boring! I gotta go and get something to drink - Tetsu, come with me!" a boy with blond hair yelled from behind him. Tetsu turned around and frowned.

"Don't want to. Go with someone else," and he turned away.

"Aww, come on! Recently we haven't even been talking! Don't you miss going out with your friend Yamada?" The boy put hands on Tetsu's shoulder and leaned to the left of his face.

Yamada was a boy, who was loved by the whole class and he loved them back. A talkative person, sometimes too talkative, but he was always nice company. Yet Tetsudo hadn't really gone out with him in a month, instead opting to go and hang out at the railways alone. Yamada was tall, around 6ft 1 and had short blond hair with a forelock going down to his right eye.

Tetsudo looked at him with disgust and reluctance, but he succumbed.

"Alright, let's go," and he stood up. "Lead the way."

"Thanks, Tetsu!" Yamada smiled.

They went to the nearest vending machine, and both got lemonade. Then they sat down on the floor and started talking. About stupid things. At least that's how Tetsudo felt about the conversation - just pure small talk and not a real conversation between "friends". "How have you been?" or "What have you done this month?", it all felt so vague and not close at all. Like he put an invisible wall between himself and the others, which they were now trying to climb.

But then, Yamada struck with a question even he felt uncomfortable asking:

"So... Do ya have a girlfriend?"

Tetsu choked on his lemonade.

"W-what?"

"C'mon man! You go out all the time, but it's not with any of us, so with who?! It has to be a girlfriend! Or..." Yamada thought for a bit and asked with a straight face: "Perhaps you're gay?..."

"AM NOT! HOW DID YOU COME TO THAT CONCLUSION?!" 

It took Tetsudo a few seconds and a couple of inhales-exhales to regain his composure. 

"I just hadn't really been enjoying going out with you all. And it has nothing to do with you, either. It was just all the same, every day. And I hate stagnation. So that's why I stopped."

Yamada looked at him for a few seconds. He then pointed at Tetsu like he was guilty of a crime.

"So, you got a girlfriend to change up your status quo?"

"I don't have a girlfriend, Yamada. I go out mostly alone."

"Mostly?..." Yamada raised his eyebrow.

"Well..." Tetsu got red in the face. "I made a plan to go out today with Hiraya, but that's about it..."

"Ohhhh, how exciting!" Yamada leaned forward towards him.

"I don't plan on asking her out or anything! Would you stop with these stupid poses?!" and Tetsu sighed.

Yamada looked at him and took a sip out of his lemonade.

"You know... Even if you decide to not go out with us anymore, I hope this summer you live to the fullest."

"To hope isn't much but thank you."

"Hey, hey! In the end, hope is all we've got!" Yamada smiled. Tetsu smiled at him too and nodded. Just then, the school bell rang.

"Oh, shit!" Yamada exclaimed. "C'mon, let's go!"

And they ran to their classroom. They were still late.

*

School came to a close. Two more days until summer vacation. Tetsu was a bit anxious about that, but he decided to not think too much. He met up with Hiraya and they went together to his house. 

It was 4 PM, so the sun was blazing as usual. But this time the green trees looked more alive than ever. While walking Tetsu could notice their leaves stick out much more to him. Some trees had wild plums still on their branches, under their shadows it looked like a lot more had fallen during the rain that came Monday. Now some flies and wasps battled out to see to who belonged the juices on the hot pavement.

The wires above Hiraya and Tetsu's heads were quietly buzzing with a warm, but invisible glow. Clouds were visible in the sky, but they quickly dispersed, because the wind took them away - maybe somewhere, where rain was needed more. Over the green mountains surrounding the town, you could see the storm earlier this week and where it went. Probably causing more trouble for the people.

Hiraya and Tetsu got to his house. For a minute they didn't know what to do exactly, but once they realized they were hungry, they agreed they should cook something. They had no idea what, but they wanted something sweet and a little bitter. So, they decided on a lemon cake.

They found a recipe on the internet and so began the cooking phase. They made mistakes and the kitchen soon looked hazardous, but eventually they managed to make something in the shape of a cake. They put it in the furnace for 45 mins and now they had 45 mins to kill. So, they just decided to read some books in the meantime.

Tetsu and Hiraya, who both picked up a manga volume to read, were on the couch - Tetsu was sitting in the left corner, while Hiraya was laying down with her head in the right corner of the couch. 25 minutes had passed. Hiraya looked up from the manga she was reading and gazed at Tetsu, who was completely invested in his book.

"Should I ask him about that girl he was with?... I wonder if he'll just deny it..." Hiraya thought.

"Hey, Tetsu..."

"Yeah?" he said, without looking away from the manga.

"I met a girl yesterday... She looked like the girl you met at the cafe you entered on Monday, when we went home..." Tetsu froze. "She had a black ponytail and home clothes... Do you know her?"

Tetsu didn't know how to respond.

"Um, I... I don't know, maybe..." he muttered.

"I think her name was, uh..." Tetsu's stone face turned slowly to Hiraya. "Ah! Her name was Yai! Does that ring a bell?"

He looked at her with a despondent look. He was scared of what consequences of his words might be.

"What if I tell her the truth? Will she hate me for it? Will that put Yai in danger? Will that put me or my mom or even Hiraya in danger?" hundreds of thoughts raced through his head in a second. "Maybe... I should trust her..."

"Hiraya?"

"Hm?"

"Do you promise to not repeat to anyone what I am about to tell you?" Tetsu glanced at her with the most serious look she'd ever seen him put on.

"S-sure..."

"I know Yai,... because she lives with me."

Hiraya stood there frozen for a minute. Then Tetsu explained Yai's situation to her. She stood frozen for a few more minutes. She had to take it all in before she could speak. To her it felt like forever until she was able to ask a question.

"So, on Saturday she will leave?" she finally spoke.

"Yes." Tetsu answered, his head was drooped to his legs.

"Do... Do you want her to leave?"

"I... It's the best for her, so she should."

"Do you want her to leave?" Hiraya asked again. An awkward silence.

"No." Tetsu said with his head still down.

"Then... why would you let her leave?"

"Because it's the best for her. She must go home. She can't stay here, because she's a minor so my mom could get in trouble. I only did this out of courtesy." Awkward silence again.

 Then suddenly he felt the weight of Hiraya on his shoulders. She hugged him with all her might and sobbing quietly in his left ear:

"You know, that's what I told myself, when you stopped going out with the class. I thought it was better for you to just have some time for yourself, but after seeing you with her... It was clear to me that the whole time you wanted someone else to come. A... A change in course." Her throat felt more and more dry the more she spoke.

"Were we... Not good enough for you as friends?" She looked at him with red eyes and pale skin.

"No! You were... you were always going over the board, doing too much for me..." Tetsu's voice started breaking up. "It made me feel overwhelmed, but... It was never your fault... It was just me, not being able... to handle these situations..." his sobbing got louder and to hide it, he started biting his shirt.

Hiraya looked at him with widen eyes.

"I'm sorry... If I knew, I would've let you have space and time to breathe."

"Like I said, it's not your fault, no need to apologize."

A more welcomed silence came and the two smiled at each other without talking.

Soon the lemon cake was done. They tasted it and well... It wasn't the best. But it was their first time making it, so they thought it was okay. They sat down to eat it.

"Tetsu, say 'ah!'" Hiraya shoved her fork, full of cake, in front of his face.

"I can eat myself, you know..."

"I know, but it's cuter that way," Hiraya smiled slyly.

"Not gonna bite it."

"Aw, come on Tetsu, play into it a bit!" Hiraya got embarrassed.

They soon finished eating, but they left some cake for Yai and Fuuka for when they come back. Tetsu saw Hiraya off a few blocks away and they parted ways - Tetsu returned home to wait for Yai to come back.

*

Hiraya was walking down the street after saying goodbye to Tetsu, when she saw Yai at the cafe she usually waited for him. It was now almost 7PM, she should be going back to him.

"Yai!" She waved at her from afar. Hiraya could see Yai's smile in the distance.

"Hiraya! Good to see you again!"

"You too! What are you doing here, aren't you gonna go home?" Hiraya asked.

"Ah... I was wandering around and decided to stop by..." Yai mumbled. To Hiraya it was obvious that was a lie.

"Okay, I don't much time to chat right now, but I do have time for one thing." She took Yai's hands into hers. "Remember our pinky promise?"

"I... do."

"So, will you tell me now?"

"Yeah, um..." Yai got red in the face.

"There is a boy I like... His name is..." Yai closed her eyes for a moment and breathed to control herself.

"His name is Tetsudo."

They stood motionless for a moment, basking in the sunlight. Finally, Yai smiled and said:

"Now, will you tell me who you like? We have to be even."

Hiraya stayed silent for a couple of seconds. When she finally opened her mouth to say what she wanted to say, she hesitated. At the last moment, she decided to say something else.

"I'll tell you when we see each other again, I promise!" and smiled. Yai could tell her smile wasn't honest as it was yesterday. Hiraya walked a bit, turned around and waved goodbye to Yai. Yai said goodbye back.

As Hiraya went on her way, she sat on a bench at a park next to the school. Heavy tears started rolling again and again. Her pale face was slowly turning pink, and her eyes were going red again. She tried hide her face, but every time she did, her eyes went black and all she saw was Yai and Tetsu, how they were fading into the sunset together.

"Hiraya? Are you crying?" a voice came from above the darkness. Hiraya lifted her head and through her wet eyes she only saw a tall figure with blonde hair.

"Yamada?" she said through her crying and sniffling.

"The same. Mind telling me what happened?"

She told him the story, without mentioning Yai or Tetsu's names. Yamada hugged her throughout the entire story. He didn't know what to do in a situation like this. They sat on that bench until the clock hit 8 PM. There was no one around, the park was empty.