Wingman

"Man... I'm exhausted. How can you be fine?" Souma wiped the sweat off his forehead, trying to catch his breath.

"I guess I'm used to it." Although I was tired, I wasn't panting like Souma.

Physical Education class had just ended, and it was the last one before the lunch break. Aoki finished up what she was doing with the other girls, and went ahead with them to the female changing room.

I was ready to follow them inside the school building when Souma leaned against a wall in the shade and called for me to wait. I didn't want to linger outside in the heat for another minute, but I couldn't just leave my friend there. I turned back and stood by his side, mimicking the way he rested his weight against the wall. The coolness against my back was refreshing, but I knew I'd regret it later when I saw the dust it would leave on my clothes.

"I wanted to talk to you. It needs to be now that Yuina isn't here."

Oh, right. I had been so focused on my own little world that I completely forgot about his situation. It was oddly similar to mine, now that I thought about it.

He continued, stumbling over his words. "I want to ask her out today. Not go out today, but ask... You know what I mean."

It was almost endearing to see Souma struggle to articulate his thoughts. Now that I was merely the friend giving advice, I didn't feel any anxiety. I had become his inexperienced mentor, an interesting position to be in.

"Mhm."

"Can you help me? Like, pretend that you have to go home early, or something?"

That's a funny idea, and Aoki was probably much more clever than that. She would see through me, and then I would be caught in the crossfire. Not a good situation. The most surprising thing, however, was that Souma didn't seem to have much experience in this department.

"I'll figure something out." I pushed myself away from the wall with a grunt and extended my hand to him. "Let's go freshen up already, I'm starving."

Back in the classroom, Souma and I started eating by ourselves while Aoki was absorbed in her bubble with the same girls from before – the same ones from the other week, too. If we were gonna be friends, maybe it would be a good idea to introduce us.

"I've actually been thinking... How do you know if you like a girl?" I stared down at my food, playing with the chopsticks.

"I don't know, that's a hard one to answer... Every time it happened to me, it just... did, you know what I mean? It's like, there's no way you can say 'no'."

"I wish it were easier." I whispered, and Souma placed his hand on my shoulder.

"What's on your mind, Haruto?"

"I think I like Sakurai." I confessed, my voice as low as a whisper. Souma leaned in closer, urging me to continue. "You know how it goes... She's pretty, funny, and cool to hang out with..." Okay, Souma, you can stop staring at me now. Thankfully, he did.

"You guys went out again, right?" I nodded. "How was it?"

As I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts and memories, I felt a heavy weight looming over me.

"Hi." It was Aoki. "Were you about to start talking about your date without me?" Her tone carried a hint of sadness, although I knew it was just an act. She walked over and grabbed a chair, sitting down with her elbows on the desk, looking at me with the excitement of a child spotting Santa at the mall.

"I'm ready."

Wasn't I the one supposed to be ready? In any case, I began recounting the important details, trying to keep it concise. Souma actually didn't know much if at all about Sakurai, except a few things here and there that Aoki apparently told him in regards to our date and myself. Aoki, on the other hand, was pure joy. The impression I got was that she was more interested in her cousin's side of the story rather than me, but that's understandable considering how long we've known each other for. So, if I followed that line of thought, did it mean she was viewing the situation from Sakurai's point of view, where I was just one guy among many? That would make me the best candidate, right? There was always a way to look at things optimistically, no matter what.

After I finished my story, Aoki appeared to be processing everything until she finally spoke up.

"It sounds like you two had a great time, then."

"I think so too, she's a great girl."

"So..." Oh god, here comes those sly eyes of hers. "Are you calling it a date yet?"

"..."

"Come on, Haruto... Are you?"

"Yes." I mumbled, and Aoki got exactly what she wanted to hear. Her face instantly lit up with a big smile.

"Good! Keep doing whatever you're doing. Look, I'm not gonna pretend otherwise. I'm rooting for you two. Just don't hurt my little Kaede or else." That sounded like a real warning under the joking tone. Of course, I would never intentionally do that. I might, however, be too stupid to realize I'm being hurtful, which I hoped to avoid.

"I know, I know..."

She winked at me and swiftly turned around, heading back to her friends from earlier.

"Don't hurt her, you hear?" This time I could tell for sure it was purely a joke.

"Thanks, man, will do." Souma laughed at my reply before his excitement took over, and he changed the topic. "I hope everything goes well for me today. And, you know, I hope I can have as much fun with it as you seem to be having. Wish me luck, I hope I can catch up to you."

"Shut up." I couldn't hide my smug smile, taking it as a huge compliment. "And yeah, good luck. Just... Let me know, I guess?"

So, I was supposed to help him ask Aoki out by not existing. Run the hell away before she can say a word, and leave those two alone. That was the plan. Still, no idea what excuse I would come up with, no matter how much I fidgeted with my pencil during the class that followed lunch. When the day ended, I cursed Souma for turning the best moment of my day into some unwarranted anxiety.

"Uhm, sorry I can't walk with you guys, I'm super hungry and wanna catch my favorite restaurant before it closes, so, I'll see you tomorrow!"

That was my excuse. I didn't say around to see if it worked, but I still caught a glimpse of Aoki and Souma exchanging some words.

I couldn't believe that I was going to walk almost an hour just to have that happen. At least I could say that was a new experience. Maybe I'd find new places to see and explore. Surely, right?

After a few minutes of walking, I messaged my mom, letting her know that I would be home later than usual. Before locking the phone, I stopped and looked at Sakurai's name in the chat. She was probably not home yet, and wouldn't be for a while, just like me.

Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound echoed in my head while I waited for her to pick up. I just hoped that it wasn't being loud inside public transport, which I should've thought about beforehand.

"Hi. Sasaki! Did something happen?"

Her voice sounded even softer on the phone, but what startled me was the question.

"Hi. And no, why?"

"Oh..." She giggled. "I was just not expecting a call. A message, maybe."

"I'm... That's... Sorry."

She giggled again.

"No, no. It's fine. So?"

"It's a long story, but I'm walking all the way home today so I figured I would try to find someone to keep me company."

"That's sweet. But why walk?" She sounded excited like she remembered something. "Oh! And where are you?"

"Hmm..." I looked around, but there was nothing. So I tried to give her a point of reference from memory. I knew where she lived, but not where her school was to help with direction.

We couldn't figure it out together, so we kept the call going, talking about mundane school things until I reached a four-lane road that crossed the city from the north where we lived all the way to downtown and then the beach in the south. That was much more useful, and the conversation quickly came back to where I was.

"Oh, even I know where that is! I think I'm actually going down the same street. Stay there and wait for me!"

Wait, what?

"Don't worry, it's fine. Alright, I'll hang up now. Don't go anywhere."

That was a wild turn of events, but I waited for her in front of a big convenience chain. It occurred to me that it would be the first time I'd see her in person after I recognized my feelings and admitted to myself that I liked her, so I had no idea how I would react. Or if she would be any different, for that matter. After a few minutes, I finally saw the lone girl coming in the distance, riding her bicycle.

"Hey." She waved to me with one hand and held down the brakes with the other. Of course, she wore her school uniform, and she didn't look any different from the time we went out for ice cream. Of course, that was more than good enough, and seeing her smile already made the detour worth it.

"I have too many questions..." I joked, and she shrugged playfully.

"Me too, so that makes us even, no? Anyway, let's get out of here first, it's too crowded to ride."

So I guided us to a side street – something I felt like I'd done recently – and became her passenger.

"I didn't know you came by bicycle to school. I hope you don't get lost on your way home."

"Not anymore! And yeah, it's more fun. I get to see the scenery and feel the wind. And I like that I don't have to wait for specific times, I can just come and go whenever. It's nice."

"I haven't had a bike since mine broke when I was 8... I don't even know if I could still keep myself from falling."

"Oh?" She turned right into some deserted tiny street and stopped. "Let's test it." She shook her shoulders, urging me to get off. Uh oh.

"I don't know if that's a goo-"

"Come on, no harm in trying." I finally got off and stood beside her. "Grab the handle, it's yours."

I reached out and grabbed the handle to prevent the bicycle from tipping over, causing her to take a step back. The rubber on the handle felt warm, almost as if she had been holding it for a while. It was a bit sweaty, too, like indirectly holding hands. Anyway...

I kept one foot firmly planted on the ground, trying to find a comfortable position, preparing myself to pedal away without embarrassing myself.

"You were 8, weren't you? The last time."

I nodded, recalling those distant memories.

"So you still got it! Let's see it."

I started pedaling and lifted my foot off the ground, trying not to lose my balance. But as I did so, the front wheel abruptly swerved from left to right, nearly toppling me over. Oh, right, I need a certain speed to stay steady. I couldn't bring myself to look, fearing that I might fall, but I sensed Sakurai's unease as she jumped beside me. I hoped she was concerned about my well-being, but deep down, I suspected she was more worried about her precious possession being damaged.

I managed to move forward several meters, turning back in a wide arc before going back. From a distance, I heard her voice.

"See? You're doing great."

That wasn't so bad. I suppose some things we just really hard to forget. I stopped where we had begun, and as soon as I showed signs of dismounting, she rushed over and firmly grasped my shoulders.

I wasn't a fan of where this was going, even if it was admittedly funny.

"I don't think..." It was too late. She had already climbed onto the back.

"It'll be fun." Sakurai sounded like she was having fun with this situation, and wasn't worried for her safety, somehow. She tapped my shoulder as if urging me to start moving. Wasn't that what people did to horses?

On the flip side, that meant that she was now holding onto me.

Even if riding the bicycle alone was just as easy as I remembered, I never practiced having someone else in the back. I awkwardly maneuvered around the corner, being mindful of the added weight (in a good way).

Which way was my house, again? I was completely lost in the novelty of the situation. Over the next few minutes, I slowly swept it all aside and grew more comfortable, reaching a point of actually enjoying the sensation. Sakurai couldn't see my face, or she would notice the blush creeping across my cheeks as I reveled in being this close to her. Her hands firmly gripping my shoulders, their presence subtly reminding me of her touch. Her voice coming from right above my right ear... Especially considering that she wasn't one to speak very loudly.

"How safe do you feel back there?" I asked as we started descending down a hill. My grip on the brakes tightened like never before.

"Enough to enjoy it. This is kind of a first, you know?"

"Yeah, me too." I was yelling against the wind, hoping she would hear me. If anything, people inside the houses we zoomed past probably heard me loud and clear. "We're almost there, though. Do you remember this place?" I attempted glancing to my right, but instantly realized it was a bad idea as I maintained my balance through sheer luck. Sakurai's nails dug into my shoulder as she tried to hold on.

"Okay, guide man, please keep your eyes on the road. I'll feel a lot safer that way."

The conversation ended there, with the adrenaline keeping us silent for a while. Soon, we at my house, and it was time to say goodbye.

"So, yeah, uhm. Thank you." I never knew what to say in these situations, and every time I winged it in a different direction.

"Yeah, of course. It was fun." She slipped out a faint smile towards the ground. I tightened my grip on the strap of my backpack.

"Fun enough to do it more often?" I suggested, in what sounded like an awkward joke, but she entertained my idea.

"Why not? Not every day, of course, but if we plan it ahead it could be good." She replied, her words slightly rushed and blending together before becoming silent. I couldn't think anything of it other than adorable.

"So... are you streaming today?" I asked.

"As soon as I get home." She nodded.

"Are you going to be late because of me?"

She widened her eyes and looked at me directly, negatively shaking her hands in front of her face.

"Of course not! It was fun, I came all the way because I wanted to, don't worry about it!" Her words were still rushed, and I didn't want to enjoy this at her expense, so I waved bye, and she did the same. We smiled and stood there for a moment.

"Thank you again."

"Don't mention it."

"Bye..."

"See you."

I smiled again, and she mirrored me. Reluctantly, I turned my back to her and unlocked the door. Before closing it, I looked back. She was still there, waving at me one final time. I did the same, and finally closed the door.