Last Summer Whisper [END]

06:00 PM.

"Second day, now..." 

"Complete!"

Tanaka let out a joyful shout, as his happiness, echoed, throughout the room.

"Tenma-chan!"

"Tenma-chan, I'm coming."

"Please don't cry." 

"Gyuu..."

Yamamoto expressed his pain of separation, separation from his anime doll, which awaited his return home. 

"Well, I guess that wraps up for the day." 

"The paperwork wasn't as bad as I thought."

The pile of folders Head Manager had given us this morning, were mostly filled in already, and all we had to do was, finish it. Otherwise, it might have kept us behind for a few more hours. 

And that would be, a total nightmare. 

"Looked very deceiving at first though!"

"But this still will not make me forgive Head Manager!"

Tanaka pouted, reminiscent of a disgruntled child, upset with their parents for not getting what they wanted. It seems the disruption from the morning still lingered inside Tanaka's mind. 

"Let it go already Tanaka."

"Never!"

"What are you, a child?"

"Hmmph!"

SIGH.

"What about you, Sato-san?"

"Are you finished?"

"Yes, today I am hehe."

"We won't be staying behind today!"

Sato-san clenched her fists in confidence. 

"Haha, that's good then. Shall we get rea-?"

"Hoho, hot scoop!"

"What's this I am hearing Mr Kobayashi?"

Tanaka interrupted, while his demeanour, suddenly changed. 

"You guys stayed behind?"

"Yeah, Sato-san had a few more things to finish. So I thought I'd help out."

"Hmmm. Although, Kobayashi-kun was awfully persistent, even though I pleaded no many times."

"Very stubborn."

"Sato-san, you meanie!"

"Ehehe."

"But I am happy you help-."

"Mr Kobayashi! I didn't know you were the type to force things on girls!"

"How could you!"

Tanaka looked away, shedding tears of disbelief, like I was some sort of criminal.

"You idiot! You really need to fix that weird mind of yours!"

"Sato-san, tell him."

"Oh."

"Was that not the case, Ko~ba~ya~shi~kun?"

Sato-san displayed a playful grin.

"I knew it, Mr Kobayashi you leecher!"

"Sato-san!"

"Ehehe."

A warm and fun atmosphere, I wonder how long will it last.

"..."

We all exited the building, ready to head home. 

"I guess we all going to, Shibuya Station then?"

I posed the question.

"Even you too, Ms Sato?"

Tanaka questioned.

"Yes, Tanaka-kun."

Tanaka stood in stillness for a moment, almost like he was planning something mischievous. 

"..."

"Say, Yamamoto, didn't you say we were gonna visit a shop."

"Huh, what are you talking about Tanaka-dono?"

"Oh you forgetting again, alright let's go."

"Wait but Tenma-chan is waiting..."

"She can wait, don't worry."

"Well see you guys."

"No, help me Kobayashi-dono!"

"Tenma-chan!"

Tanaka forcefully grabbed Yamamoto and dashed off towards the Shibuya Broadway, leaving Sato and I, all alone to ourselves.

"..."

"Well then, shall we walk to the station."

"Yes, lets go Kobayashi-kun."

We began our walk in the busy streets of Shibuya.

"No rain today I guess."

"Yes, hehe."

"How'd you find your second day? Good?"

"It was not bad, I slowly starting to understand the system more now."

"Ah, that's great."

"I mean it took me a month, but for you, it shouldn't take that long."

"You think, Kobayashi-kun?"

"Yes, after all, you are a genius, aren't you?"

"Just like in middle school, topping the exam rankings." 

Ah.

I mentioned the forbidden word...

Middle school.

I am now, officially finished.

"..."

"Middle school."

"You really like poking out old feelings and memories from me, don't you Kobayashi-kun?"

Sato-san looked at me with hollow eyes. Her face was cool and composed. The shy and cheerful girl that I once knew before, had suddenly disappeared, right in front of my very eyes. 

I pondered the question.

Who was it, that I was talking to now?

"Ah! I didn't mean to Sato-san."

"I'm really sorry!"

"What are you apologising for, Kobayashi-kun?"

"Well... Uhm..."

"Ah. You must be thinking about that."

"Let me you tell this clearly Kobayashi-kun, so please listen well."

GULP.

"The confession from many years ago, it still..."

"It still..."

"Hurts me." 

"It hurts me very much."

"I'm sorry Sa-..."

"Again, Kobayashi-kun, what are you appologising for?"

"I'm sure you had your reasons."

"But the pain of rejection, haunted me. I was too afraid, to even face you in school. I did my best to keep a straight face, in front of everyone, but inside, I was weeping, weeping from the pain. And every confession I received after, I rejected it all coldheartedly."

"..."

"You know Kobayashi-kun, after middle school, I decided to go to an all-girls school. Why you may ask? Well, I did have plans, to go to the same high school as you, as everyone."

"But..."

"The pain was unbearable, I wanted to subdue that pain, and not experience it ever again."

"There were times, when I pondered the question, what is love?"

"And even wondered, if this all, was the pain of separation."

"..."

"It was only until University, that I realised how foolish I was. These feelings of love were only temporary products of life, once we all die, it's gone, and we take none of it to the afterlife. So why ponder over it so much?"

"I realised, there was no better love than, self-love. It helped me treasure myself a bit more, and I realised, how funny it was, to fall in love with a person like you, for a silly reason."

Ouch.

"Despite all that, I still, sometimes, feel a gap in my heart, yearning for companionship."

"So, please don't feel uncomfortable talking about the past with me, Kobayashi-kun."

"After all, isn't better to just talk it out and get over your past?"

"..."

Yes.

That's correct.

It is better to talk it out and get over your past.

But it's not, easy.

And hearing all this from Sato-san, I realised, it wasn't just me, lost in this journey of, love. 

She, herself, was lost too. 

"..."

"Sato-san!"

"I know you'll hate me for saying this but..."

"I apologise again!"

"But let me tell you this."

We make a hasty stop in the middle of the busy streets of Shibuya. 

A small crowd formed around. 

"This is something I should've said to you a long time ago, but I couldn't."

"The answer to your confession from many years ago..."

"It wasn't that I rejected your confession."

"I was unsure, unsure of what to say."

"And without a doubt, I wanted to go out with you that day."

"But..."

"But somewhere in my heart, I felt a sense of imperfection." 

"And don't get me wrong!"

"It wasn't you, that was the problem. 

"It was me."

"Always, always throughout my life, I strived for perfection, no matter what it was."

"It affected, every decision I made."

"In high school, I wondered if I ever would find the perfect someone that I longed for, and how wrong I was." 

"Three years, wasted."

"Just like you, it was only until I was in University, that I realised that this perfection I was striving for, did not and will never, exist in this material world."

"I needed to accept, accept that there will always be an imperfection in this world, and the only thing perfect, would be something or someone beyond the scope of this world."

"That of course, would be no other than the creator who created this imperfection in the first place, yet they are perfect themselves."

"And once I had fully grown to accept this fact, I regretted every moment, every moment of my life. I began creating, hypothetical scenarios, day after day, wondering how my life would be, had I given you my answer back then."

"If I could only travel back in time, to make things right."

"But here we are, talking side by side." 

"A beginning of an end to this hilariously strange story."

"And the gap, the gap in your heart, the companionship you yearn for, that is something, that only the creator can fulfil."

"But until you realise that..."

"Would you let me..." 

"Fill that gap for you...?"

What starts in summer, ends in summer.

finito