Chapter 5.6
Seems like Kurokawa-san was being serious about studying harder, so the rest of the study session passes relatively peacefully.
Well, on the outside, at least.
On the inside, my brain is still orbiting the latest Envelope From The FujimurasTM.
Ugh.
I have a problem.
It was addressed to the whole family (all two of us), so I didn’t open it or anything. Mom usually takes a breather after climbing all those stairs to our apartment every day, so I set the envelope on her usual couch cushion where she’s sure to see it and I don’t have to.
Now I’m back at the table.
A whole room between me and… that thing.
It’s so far away. Looks tiny.
Or, it would. If I looked at it.
Which I’m not.
Of course.
Hell, I’ve barely even thought about it.
Oh. Shit. I’m trying to be more honest.
Hell, I’ve barely… not always thought about it?
I’ve thought about it some. An appropriate amount.
I’m just not gonna actually do anything until Mom gets home.
“I'm home!” she calls, and I’m dumped immediately back into my body. Whoa. Trippy.
Hina-chan is already up from the table, so she kind of bounces towards the entry hall, already chirping out a greeting.
Her friends trail after her, leaving the three boys lollygagging in the table area.
Mizuno-kun packing up his books.
Me freshly un-dazed.
And Kawabe-kun…
Oh no. I know that face.
I shoot him an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture.
He points at himself, feigning a look of innocent confusion.
I glare.
He winks at me.
I flip him off.
He walks away.
Asshole.
“Coach!” Kawabe-kun calls out, stepping up beside my girlfriend and cutting her off. “Coach!”
“Hello, Kawabe-kun,” Mom says through a tired smile. “I see you’ve survived.”
“Barely,” he says. “In fact I was just—”
“About to leave?” I supply, cutting him off. See how he likes it.
“Wowww,” Kawabe-kun says in feigned offense. Lot of fucking feigning with this guy. “That is not in fact what I was about to say, but it is, alas, an undeniable fact. Mizuno-kun’s parents were nice enough to invite me over for dinner, and—”
“And we’re going to be late if you don’t hurry it up!” Mizuno-kun calls from the entryway, already putting on his shoes.
“I had to thank the lady of the house for her hospitality!” Kawabe-kun calls back.
“Well… I wasn’t really around to be very hospitable,” Mom points out. “But I’m glad you had a good time.” Then louder. “And you too, Mizuno-kun.”
Mizuno-kun calls over his thanks. Kawabe-kun gives a little bow and rushes after his friend.
And soon they’re gone.
Phew. All the drama, those two.
“Sorry about that,” Mom mutters conspiratorially to Hina-chan. “Kawabe-kun can be… kind of a lot.”
Hina-chan laughs. “It’s okay. Our Toji always did have questionable taste in friends.”
The ‘look who’s talking’ is on the tip of my tongue until Hina-chan shoots me a wink and I suddenly forget to be offended. Surprising no one, getting winked at hits differently when it’s a cute girl doing it.
Morita-san whispers something to Kurokawa-san.
Kurokawa-san grins and nods.
My cheeks heat.
I ignore them.
“Toji,” Mom says, gesturing to the two girls who are now back in ‘best behavior’ mode. “I’m assuming you’ve already met… Kurokawa Miu and Morita Nanami, was it?”
Hina-chan smiles and nods at Mom, then shoots me a quick ‘see?’ look.
“Yeah, we’ve met a couple times before,” I say. “Plus today, obviously.”
Mom nods. “Well, it’s definitely nice I can finally put a face to the names—Hina-chan speaks so fondly of both of you.”
“Hina-chan speaks fondly of you, too,” Kurokawa-san says through a bright smile, and… has she been fucking body-snatched? ‘Best behavior’ Kurokawa-san is like a completely different person.
“Oh?” Mom says, glancing at Hina-chan.
Hina-chan’s face pinks. “Miu-tan…”
“What? It’s true!”
Morita-san laughs softly. “It’s true, she does.”
Mom smiles at that, and for a minute the conversation settles into intergenerational small talk—school, family, that sort of thing.
This lasts for a few minutes before Mom shifts her weight against her cane.
“Sorry, girls,” she says. “Would you mind if I sat down? My leg is starting to complain.”
“Of course not,” Hina-chan says to a chorus of agreement. She offers Mom her arm, Mom accepts with a grateful smile, and the two of them slowly make their way towards the couch.
It… still feels a little weird. This isn’t Hina-chan’s first time helping her—not by a long shot—but still. That used to always be my job.
Hina-chan moves The EnvelopeTM aside at the last minute, which brings it to Mom’s attention just as she’s lowering herself down.
“Is that for me?” Mom asks, shooting Hina-chan one last smile of gratitude as the younger woman rejoins the group.
“It came in the mail today,” I say. “Says it’s for ‘the Sakuragi family’.”
“And here we are!” she says, sliding her thumb under the flap of the envelope.
“Technically we’re not the entire Sakuragi family,” I point out.
“Technically it’s our address on the envelope,” Mom counters as she flashes the envelope at me. “So I’d say we’re the ones who count.”
“Or could someday count,” she adds, shooting Hina-chan a not-so-subtle wink.
Hina-chan blushes. I scowl and blush.
Hina-chan’s friends laugh quietly, and I’m suddenly reminded we have an audience.
“Maybe we should just open it later,” I suggest, but Mom is already tearing it open.
She pulls out a small greeting card with a stylized “You’re Invited!” printed on the front and holds it up to read it.
Mom goes quiet for a moment as her eyes scan over the page.
Apparently too long a moment by Kurokawa-san’s standards.
“Well?” she prods. “Don’t leave us in suspense!”
“It’s not even for you,” I glower.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t be nosy,” Kurokawa-san taunts and sticks her tongue out at me.
Hina-chan she is not.
Also, is it fucking ‘National Winking Day’ and I just missed a memo somewhere? Jeezus.
“Don’t be rude, Miu-tan,” Morita-san scolds, but Mom waves her off.
“It’s okay, Morita-san, it’s not a secret or anything,” Mom soothes. “It’s from the Fujimuras.”
My stomach immediately remembers that it has opinions on the concepts of ‘Fujimuras’ and ‘secrets’.
“Miyako-san’s birthday party is next Saturday,” Mom continues, “and ‘the Sakuragi family’ is invited. Including you, Hina-chan.”
I half-expect another wink, but nope. Mom passes the card to Hina-chan, who seems to see the same thing Mom did. Not sure how I feel about that.
“Wow,” Kurokawa-san inserts herself again. “And they invite your whole family to birthdays? You must be pretty close.”
I glance at her.
Her voice is casual. Perfectly casual.
Mom doesn’t seem to notice anything strange about it, but there is nothing not strange about Kurokawa Miu.
“The boys practically grew up together,” Mom says. “We lost contact for a while, but then we just… wound up in the same city again by sheer dumb luck. So it’s been nice to reconnect a bit.”
Mom’s been ‘reconnecting’ with Fujimura’s parents?
“Aww, that’s really sweet,” Kurokawa-san says through a saccharine little smile. “Fujimura… Ren-kun, right? Isn’t he the baseball player who got hit?”
Kurokawa-san’s eyes flick to me. I don’t like it.
Mom’s face crumples a bit.
“Yeah,” she says. “That’s him. First time in years one of my players has gotten injured like that.”
Kurokawa-san nods sympathetically.
“Wow. That must’ve been really scary.”
“It was,” Mom says. “I’m just glad he’s doing okay now.”
Is he doing okay now? I can’t tell if she’s giving them the brush-off or if his parents really told her something I don’t know.
God, I hate feeling in the dark.
“We don’t have to keep talking about it,” Morita-san says, half to reassure Mom and half to shut down Kurokawa-san.
Kurokawa-san’s eyes widen.
“I’m so sorry!” she says. “I didn’t realize I was making you uncomfortable!”
“It’s okay,” Mom waves her off again, and is that how Kurokawa-san gets away with things? “But honestly, Toji would probably know more than me. He’s the one who took Fujimura-kun to the hospital.”
Kurokawa-san glances at me.
“I guess that makes sense,” she says. “Hina-chan said you and Fujimura-kun used to be really close.”
Hina-chan talks about me withKurokawa-san?
“…Something like that,” I say. “I don’t really like to talk about it, though.”
“You don’t like to talk about your friends?” Kurokawa-san grimaces. “That’s, like, really sad.”
“Well, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“How did you mean it?”
I glare at her.
“I talk about my friends,” I say. “I don’t talk about them on demand.”
“Toji!” Mom scolds. “You’re being very rude.”
“How am I the one being rude? She’s the one who just launched into Twenty Questions!”
“She’s making small talk!”
“She’s not making small talk, she’s—”
“No. Apologize.”
My jaw clenches.
I turn to Kurokawa-san.
She looks up at me.
“I’m… sorry,” I force out. “For being rude.”
“It’s okay, Sakuragi-kun!” She gives me two little thumbs-up. “I get it. Sometimes people think I’m rude, too. Can you believe that?”
Mom is still watching.
“…Hard to believe,” I say. I sound like I’m in pain.
“Anyways,” Kurokawa-san says, hanging her head a bit. “Sorry I made things weird. I won’t ask about your friendship with Fujimura-kun anymore.”
“We’re not friends,” I snap. Then, before I can think better of it: “We haven’t even spoken in weeks.”
Kurokawa-san freezes for a split second.
Then looks back up at me.
Stifles a grin.
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”