The One that Was, and the One that is Here Now

Sweet mother of you-know-who, I think this booth is being run by the photography club. Think about the price...think about the price instead...think about the price...

"One order of takoyaki, please..."

Act like you don't know the girl taking orders, even though you once thought you'd confess to her...

"Sakuta? It's you, right? And that girl who was with you that day?"

Crap. I can't turn tail and run again. Not in front of Hashigami.

"It's nice to see you, Manago..."

"You too! I'm glad you decided to stop by! I was wondering when I was going to see you again."

"Ah...no...sorry about that-"

"It's no big deal. One order of takoyaki, right?"

"Yes."

"That'll be ¥550."

Poor 500 yen coin. That's my dinner budget for an entire night that I'm reluctantly handing over. Guess I’m stuck with rice and natto only for all of next week.

"One squid!" Manago yells to the three or four guys working away on the griddles, who acknowledge with hearty shouts and raises of their spatulas. At least she's the only person I recognize. These guys must be new freshmen. If Yusei and Hiro were here, too, I might honestly melt into a puddle and get carried away into the storm drain.

"By the way..." Manago turns back toward me, casting a curious glance at Hashigami. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"No-"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Wha-" Hashigami just said that so casually. "She's joking-"

"Don't be shy about it." Manago smiles broadly. "You're cute together. Here's your order."

The takoyaki she's offering look divine. I know I said I wasn't hungry- that was a lie to avoid spending money. I could absolutely eat all of these in one second flat. But I'm not going to. I have restraint. Ladies first.

"Thanks." I take the piping-hot batter balls, pointing them in Hashigami's direction.

"No problem. Hope you come back next year!"

"Yeah, haha..."

Surprisingly, the crowd around the indoor food stalls is not as large as I would have expected. That’s a relief, at least. I don’t like crowds. Even though it doesn’t make much sense that the dining area has quite a few empty seats, I’ve gotta take what life gives me.

We haven't even found a place to sit before Hashigami spears one of the takoyaki with the toothpick and basically swallows it whole, and then her face lights up with an expression of pure joy. Seriously, today's been the happiest I've ever seen her. It's so cute.

"These are so good! Try one!"

"Nah, I'm okay for now..." That's the polite thing to do. Let her eat her fill, and take what's left. My stomach is gonna hate me for it, but it's the right thing to do.

"No, seriously. You bought them."

"I really don't want any."

"You want to eat this one yourself, or do you want me to 'here comes the airplane' you? Five seconds. Make your choice."

She's holding one of the takoyaki, speared on a toothpick, out toward me- clearly, I have no choice in this situation. Well, guess I have to eat it. Wouldn't want to hurt her feelings.

A mixed group of guys and girls about my age walk by us, wearing jackets dusted by snow, chattering excitedly, not paying attention to anything other than themselves. I feel a twinge of sadness. If I had been slightly more lucky, I would have been enjoying myself like them this year. Having fun, not caring about if I’m going to have enough money to eat tomorrow.

…But if I had been slightly more lucky, I wouldn’t have met Hashigami.

“The outdoor stalls packed up really quickly!” one of the girls chatters.

“I know, right?” A male voice responds to her. “It let loose all of the sudden.”

“Aww, man, I hate living in Aomori…” another of the girls moans.

“Sakuuuuuuuuta-kun.” Now the fried ball is close enough to my face that I can feel the steam hitting my cheek while Hashigami glowers at me. “You’d better eat it.”

Obviously, I oblige.

Hashigami's right. The Photography Club's takoyaki is the best takoyaki I've had all year. Not like I've had any takoyaki this year before now, but still.

I'm just thinking...we're on a date, right? If you don't know Hashigami or myself, and you just saw us as passing, you must think we're a couple on a date. It's a Christmas market, and we're doing everything together, and she nearly fed me. Manago thought we were dating. I don't blame her.

But I don't think Hashigami thinks that way. I think she's just having fun with her friend that she met online. And I'm not sure how to feel myself. I'm happy seeing her have so much fun, even if, realistically, there's no way that she would ever seriously consider being the girlfriend of someone like me.

...I want to spend another day like this.

Does that mean I'm in love with her?

Why does it matter if I am or I'm not? I have no chance with her. It's better to enjoy the moment as it is right now.

That's what I do. We roam around the liberal arts building, visiting the arts and crafts club selling pottery, listening to a lecture about the history of Santa Claus, and even viewing an impromptu play version of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter put on by the drama club in the middle of the hallway until campus security come by and they all grab their costumes and scramble.

As we're waiting in line for the "Decorate Your Own Haniwa Phone Strap" booth, presented by the Japanese History Research Circle, the intercom chimes to life with the familiar bell I'd last heard last year.

"Attention all visitors. It is six o'clock P.M. and the Aomori University Christmas Market and Festival is now closed. Please exit the campus in an orderly fashion. We thank you for your patronage, and a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."

Hashigami sighs as we climb down the stairs in the old five-story building, following the sparse crowd of others who had stayed until closing time. I didn't even realize that we stayed so late. It felt like we were here for barely an hour, if that.

"I really wanted to make my own phone strap..." she moans.

To be honest, I'm glad we got cut off. I didn't want to part with another 500. "There's always next year-"

The door to the building opens, and we're greeted by a wall of white. I blink again, and then I realize that it's not fog. It's snow, blowing so fast and so heavy that it looks like a cloud. Through the blizzard, I can just barely see the orange glow of streetlights, illuminating what looks like an entire meter of fresh snow, piled on the grass and sidewalks around the campus.

Everyone is packing into the vestibule, murmuring with concern as no one dares to venture outside.

"This wasn't in the forecast this morning..." Hashigami mutters, looking out into the raging blizzard with a concerned expression. "They said it was gonna miss us..."

Crap. I didn't even check the forecast. I quickly pull my phone out of my pocket. Winter Storm Warning for northern Aomori Prefecture, City of Aomori, southern Hokkaido, City of Hakodate and surrounding locations...of course. Just my luck. Just my luck.

"Can you get home okay?" Frantically, I look over to Hashigami, who's still staring into the distance with a concerned expression. "There's a bus stop right around the corner, in front of the front gate. Can you make it?"

"They canceled the buses..." Hashigami replies, a slight tremor in her voice.

Frantically, I check Googol. There it is, a Tw**t from the City of Aomori Public Transportation, clear as day. Due to the inclement weather, the City of Aomori Public Bus Service has canceled all routes departing after 4:30 PM Saturday, December 17, 2022. Service will resume at 8:00 AM Sunday, December 18, 2022. We sincerely apologize for the reduction of service and encourage you to be safe in any travel required this evening.

Both of us were having so much fun, neither of us ever bothered to check the weather or even look outside to make sure that there wasn't going to be a sudden arctic blizzard. I mean, who can blame us? There were blue skies this morning!

It's like the gods have decided to punch me in the face. We were having a great time and now it's gonna be ruined because Hashigami will be stuck in this crumbling brutalist nightmare of a school building with no way to get home for a whole night.

Unless...

I really didn't know what came over me until the words left my mouth. It was like I spoke first and thought second.

"Do you want to spend the night at my place? It's right up the street."

Hashigami's eyes widen a little bit and she stares for a second. Suddenly, it dawns on me what I just said. Oh, hell no. What am I doing, trying to invite her back to the bug-infested dump I call home? I was just trying to help, and I thought of the first thing that came to my mind, but she's gonna think I'm trying to take advantage of her, and then- protect your junk, Kou, the boot is coming...

It doesn't come.

Instead, she says, flustered, "If you don't mind me imposing."

We stand there in the vestibule, like racehorses raring to be let out of the gate, waiting for the snow to let up and the wind to calm down so that we can make a break for it. Finally, the blowing snow starts to calm, turning into a sprinkle. This may legitimately be the end of it- or it might be a lull in the storm. I'm not waiting around to find out.

"Hashigami-san, let's hurry!"