“Tsukiko… Tsukiko…”

From somewhere far, the girl heard a voice calling her name. “What?” she asked, not bothering to take her eyes from her phone.

“Tsukiko!” the voice screamed next to her ear. A second later, a hand grabbed her phone and pulled from her fingers.

“Hey…” Tsukiko blinked and turned her head. When she saw Yui holding the phone, she stretched her arm without leaving her seat. “Give it back.”

Her friend raised her arm, taking the phone out of the owner’s reach. “So you’re finally paying attention, huh? I’ve been calling you for ages.”

Tsukiko pressed her lips and sighed. “Sorry,” she said, lowering hand. “I’m waiting for a text and—”

“From that kid?” Yui handed the phone back. “Taichi-kun?”

“It’s Taiyou-kun, and no. I’m waiting for a text from his aunt,” she said, her eyes already back to the screen. Rin-nee should’ve sent by now, Tsukiko thought. She checked if there was a signal, clicking her tongue when she saw all the bars. What’s taking so long? Did something happen? It’s been days since I talked to him…

Taiyou-kun had gone back to his hometown to spend the rest of the school break with his grandparents. It hadn’t even been a week since he left, but after spending almost the entire recess with him, it was weird not having the boy by her side. Even just reading manga isn’t as fun without him reading something else in the room.

And I wanted to see him in his school uniform. The moment Taiyou-kun told her he would be attending Teikou Private Academy, Tsukiko wanted to see. All because she knew the Teikou’s uniform was a gakuran.

It doesn’t seem like him at all… I’ll bet he’s gonna look super cute wearing it, all out of place and embarrassed, she thought, a sly smile on her lips. Too bad he refused to wear for me. Did he realize I wanted to tease him?

With a smile on her lips and the picture of him wearing the black uniform in her heart, Tsukiko knocked on his door that morning. You’re not gonna leave to school without me seeing you first, she thought, holding her grin.

Rin-nee opened the door. “Morning, Tsukiko-chan. Come in, come in,” the woman said with a yawn, going back inside. “If you’re here for Taiyou, I’m sorry, but he isn’t back.”

“What?” Tsukiko felt all the excitement leaving her body, along with her smile. She followed the woman and sat on the stool. “Wasn’t he supposed to be back yesterday?”

Rin-nee had an awkward smile on her lips as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “Yeah… He and my dad went fishing yesterday, and apparently they lost track of time. Dad called yesterday night saying Taiyou was tired and that he’d be sending him back first thing in the morning.” The doctor chuckled when she saw the girl’s shocked face. “My sister had the same the same expression before she started lecturing dad. I’m telling you, never get on nee-san’s bad side,” she said, a tremor running through her body. “Anyway, she went to get him at the station. I’m gonna meet them at school.”

Tsukiko looked at the floor.

“Oh, come on. Don’t look so down,” Rin-nee said. “It’s only been five days since you saw each other. You can’t be missing him that much.”

The girl sighed and showed a tiny smile. “It’s not that. It’s just that I wanted to…” Tsukiko trailed off, blushing.

“To see him in his uniform?” Rin-nee completed the girl’s sentence, grinning.

Tsukiko opened her mouth and then chuckled. “Yes,” she admitted. “He refused every time I asked him to wear it.”

“Yeah… he did the same with me when I asked. Don’t know why.” They both laughed this time. “Only when sister asked he put it on. I’ll tell you this. He looks super cute and super hard not to tease.”

The girl lied down on the table. “I wanna see him,” she whispered.

“Don’t worry, you’ll see him today. But, in order to tease my nephew, I’ll take many photos and send it to you.”

Tsukiko lifted her head and beamed to the woman.

Rin-nee said that… and there’s nothing so far! Not even a damn text, she thought, unlocking her phone and updating her emails. She had lost count how many times she had done that.

“Taiyou this, Taiyou that,” Yui said, rolling her eyes. “You know you talked about this boy the entire break?”

Tsukiko turned to her and blinked. “I did not,” she protested, though a weak one. She knew deep down her friend was right.

“Yeah, you did. You talked so much that I thought for a second he was your boyfriend or at least you liked him or something.”

Tsukiko paused for a moment to let the idea sunk in her mind. Then laughed and waved her free hand to dismiss the thought. “He’s a friend. A great friend, but he’s just a kid.”

Though I have to admit I’d like to see his reaction during his first kiss. I bet he’ll be all red and trembling. She closed her eyes and tried imagining for a moment. Taiyou-kun, with his entire face an alarming shade of red and eyes wide, leaning in to kiss a shadow with his lips puckered. But when Tsukiko’s mind placed a cute girl’s face on the shadow, it annoyed her. Then her mind turned to her and Taiyou-kun kissing. She shook her head to dismiss the image, her cheeks slightly hot and a shade of pink.

“Isn’t he a middle schooler like us starting today?”

“What?” It took a moment for the girl to understand her friend’s words. When she did, Tsukiko waved her hand again. “Two different things. He’s pure, innocent and must remain like that.”

Her friend rolled her eyes again. “If you say so. I still think you’re in denial though.” Yui turned her head around a few times. “Instead of talking about that boy, we should be talking about the people in our class. Did you see who’s in our class?”

Tsukiko thought for a moment. “We are…” She remembered seeing her name and her closest friends’ name. She also remembered the relief she felt for staying in the same class as them. That was all.

Yui sighed, closed her eyes and shook her head. “There’s no saving for you, is there?” She placed both hands on Tsukiko’s head and forced the girl to look at the opposite side. “He’s in our class too.”

Tsukiko blinked and looked, but on the crowded gymnasium where the opening ceremony would happen, she only saw the rest of the students, and no face stood out among the masses. The girl had no idea who her friend was talking about in particular.

“Ah… so he’s in our class, huh? That’s good,” she said, pretending to understand. Yui let go of her head, but the girl didn’t turn to face her. “Things gonna be fun and interesting this year. Yay.” Her voice contained so little enthusiasm even Tsukiko felt an urge to laugh.

“You really suck at lying, you know that?” Yui sighed loudly. “I’m talking about Kobayashi.”

“Oh…” Tsukiko said, now it was for real, turning her head again. The boy in question was two rows behind them, talking with a friend.

Everyone in school knew Kobayashi. Despite his grades far from the best, the ace of the soccer club had a charisma even the teachers liked. And with his impish charm, most girls had a crush on him. Even Tsukiko thought he was cute on a few occasions, though she would rather never admit to her friends.

As she watched the boy laughing with his friends, Tsukiko remember who else was in their class, and couldn’t help but smile. “Hey… Isn’t Uihara in our class too?” she asked to confirm, turning back to Yui.

“Yeah,’ the girl said, also smiling. “There’ll be lots of drama with them in the same class. I heard their breakup was ugly. Something about him caring more about soccer than her.”

“Was that the reason? For real?” Tsukiko had forgotten about most gossips during the school break, but she faintly remembered some. If memory serves me, it was just before the end of the semester. “He always said soccer was the priority for him. He’s aiming a sports scholarship since the first year.”

“Yeah, and everyone thinks he’ll get one. Thanks to Kobayashi, our soccer team made it to the nationals. Though they lost on the first match, it was the best result our school had in years.”

Tsukiko hummed impressed, sneaking a glance at the boy again. Suddenly something popped into her mind. “Hey, is Teikou strong?”

Yui rubbed her temples. “Could you stop thinking about that kid for a while? You should be thinking about Kobayashi”

“Huh? Why should I?”

Her friend looked around. When she made sure no one was listening to them, she leaned in closer and covered her mouth with a hand. “Because I know he’s interested in you,” she whispered and then pressed her lips together, her face full of enthusiasm.

Tsukiko opened her mouth and closed it, turning around to look at the boy again. “For real?” Yui nodded her head, still pressing her lips to hide the smile. Tsukiko couldn’t suppress hers though, her cheeks a shade of pink. “How do you know?”

“Kobayashi was talking with his friends and his little sister overheard. She’s in the literature club with me and told me everything.” Yui had a smug someone telling the biggest secret of the century.

Tsukiko turned around to look at the boy again. Kobayashi-kun was looking forward, and suddenly their eyes met. Time moved slower to the girl as the boy smiled to her. Tsukiko smiled back, and before she realized, she was waving her hand, her cheeks a shade of red.

“See? I told you!” Yui’s voice brought her back. “You should talk to him before homeroom.”

Tsukiko opened and closed her mouth, finally lowering her hands. She played with her fingers. “I don’t even know what to say,” she mumbled.

“Ask him about soccer. You can even ask about Teikou’s soccer club or whatever, but you have to take the opportunity right away. Otherwise you’ll lose him to the club, just like Uihara.”

Tsukiko opened her mouth, but before she could think of anything, the stage’s lights turned on. As the gymnasium grew quiet, the principal walked to the center of the stage and the opening ceremony started.

“So that’s all the information you need for now,” the teacher said, his voice full of enthusiasm. As he organized his papers, his eyes swept the classroom. “Remember you’re in the third year now and should all be thinking about the future. Discuss with your families and bring those papers by the end of the week. We need to direct your studies from now on.”

The moment their math teacher left the room, Tsukiko laid on her desk and let out a sigh. “I could swear Fujiwara-sensei would be different with the baby and all. But I think his enthusiasm has gotten worse.”

“What did you expect? He’s being talking about the baby ever since he knew his wife was pregnant. There’s no way he’d be down or something.”

“Maybe. But shouldn’t he at least be a little tired? I mean, taking care of a baby must be tiresome, let alone twins. How much energy does that man have?”

“The day that man gets tired, it will be a cold day in this school,” Yui said, nodding her head.

Tsukiko couldn’t help but wince as she imagined. Yeah… that would be weird, she thought, turning her attention to the paper Fujiwara-sensei mentioned. Breathing out a few times, the girl put her hands inside the desk and pulled the sheet out, taking her time before turning it around.

The first blank spaces Tsukiko could fill without giving much thought; her name, class, clubs and other school activities the student participated. But the biggest one, almost thrice the size of the others, she had no idea what to write. What are your goals for the future? Has it changed from last year? she read in her mind. Guess I can’t write nothing in particular this time… can I? It’s the truth…

“Still no idea what to write?” Yui asked in a low voice.

Tsukiko stared her friend and sighed. “No.” She buried her head in her arms. “How about you?”

“I…” Her friend’s hesitation made Tsukiko raised her head. Yui looked everywhere but at her. “I wanna go to Endou High,” she mumbled, her cheeks bright red.

Tsukiko opened her mouth, but closed it, the smile on her lips. “The famous literary high school?” Even if she had no interested in the famous schools, even she knew about Endou High.

A few authors I like studied there, she thought, remembering the author’s corner on the magazines. She kept that part to herself though. Yui nodded her head slightly, her cheeks somehow reddening a bit more.

“So you wanna be a writer, huh?” It was more of an affirmation than a question.

“Yeah…”

“That’s the first time I hear about this,” Tsukiko said, raising her enthusiasm. “I knew you liked reading, but you never told me you wrote.”

“Actually I’ve been writing only for a year. But I never had the courage to tell anyone…not until now…”

“When you finish, let me read it,” Tsukiko said beaming. “I wanna be your first fan!”

“Okay…” Yui said, finally looking Tsukiko on the eyes despite her embarrassment.

“I’m so jealous,” she said, closing her eyes and placing a hand on her chin. “You know what you want. You can fill the paper easily. ”

“Tsukiko.” The sudden change in her friend’s voice made the girl open her eyes. Yui had stopped smiling, her face back to its normal color. “You should talk with your dad. In person.”

Tsukiko pressed her lips. I knew she’d say that, she thought, scratching her cheek with a finger. Her best friend was probably the only person, apart from Taiyou-kun, who knew about her circumstances. Though Tsukiko and her father talked a lot, it was mostly phone call and text messages, and superficial. But this is a serious and face to face conversation, she thought, staring the paper.

“You already know what you have to do about this,” Yui said after a while, taking the paper from Tsukiko’s hand. “Now you should be thinking about him.”

Tsukiko didn’t need to turn her head to know whom her friend was talking. The paper might have taken Kobayashi-kun from her head for a moment, but thanks to Yui, the boy was back to her mind. “Why did you have to bring him now?” she asked, her cheeks flushing.

“Because he’s coming this way right now,” she whispered in a hurry and threw the paper back to Tsukiko. “Hi, Kobayashi-kun.”

“Hey, Shirosaki,” the boy greeted them.

“Hey, Kobayashi-kun, I have to go now, but could you do me a favor? Tsukiko’s feeling down because of the orientation paper. Could you cheer her up?”

The boy looked between the girls, a surprised expression on his face. It only lasted for a second though, the impish smile popping on his lips the next instant. “Sure, no problem.”

Tsukiko stared Yui, her eyes wide and her cheeks blushing. Her friend smiled and mouthed the words talk to him as she grabbed her bag on her way out of the classroom.