Taiyou opened his mouth, but closed it the next second. Because of her mother, Tsukiko hates this kind of event… Even though she hates it, she’s here for me, he thought, raising his eyes to look at the girl twirling her hair with a finger.

“Thank you,” he whispered. When Tsukiko heard his words, she beamed at him, with the same smile that made his heart skip a beat. “It-it’s okay for you to be here? What about your school?” he added quickly to hide his embarrassment.

Tsukiko poked him on the cheek. “I know you had your head preoccupied with Parents’ day and all, but to not pay attention to what I said…” She shook her head, her face full of triumph.

The boy narrowed his eyes and forced his mind to work. Though it was true he thought about this day the entire week, he should remember the time they spent together. Since school term began, it had shortened considerably, and even though he cared about it a lot, it still took him a while to remember. “Ah, today’s your school’s anniversary…”

“Yep,” she said, clapping her hands together. “Since there’s no school for me today, it’s no trouble at all.” The girl beamed.

Taiyou opened his mouth, but then closed it, chuckling. “What coincidence,” he mumbled.

Tsukiko shook her finger. “It’s the inevitable masquerading as coincidence,” she said, suddenly serious. She kept her face straight, but it only lasted for a second and they both laughed at the same time.

“Kazama Kenichi-kun?” Kaminashi-sensei opened the door and called his friend’s name.

His teacher’s voice brought his attention back. Though Taiyou hadn’t noticed, the hallway was full now; the parent and student from every class were waiting for their turn to have the meeting with the teachers in charge.

Most students tried to hide how nervous they were. They talked and laughed, but even from distance, Taiyou could tell their minds weren’t there. Others seemed excited about the meeting. Some just closed their eyes and waited in silence.

Kazama-kun was one of them. He looked calm and walked beside his mother to the classroom when Kaminashi-sensei called his name. Taiyou could tell his friend was one of the most nervous there right away. He had the same expression during the first practice, the boy thought, remembering how clumsily he missed the ball right next to him.

Taiyou had no idea how much time had passed when the door opened again. While his mother thanked the teacher, Kazama-kun met his eyes. His friend nodded his head and flashed his confident smile before walking away with his mother.

“So nothing went wrong with your friend, huh?” Tsukiko asked by his side while the teacher called the next student.

“No,” Taiyou whispered as he watched Kazama-kun’ mother talking rather heatedly, thought he couldn’t hear it. “That was his I’m screwed smile.”

“Hum… What do you think the teacher said?”

“Maybe Kaminashi-sensei said he talks too much during class,” Taiyou said. “Or that he plays with a soccer ball everywhere. Or that he’s sometimes late to the first afternoon class because he plays too much.”

“hum…” Tsukiko mumbled again. “Could the teacher say the same things about you?”

“Maybe,” Taiyou answered before he noticed, still staring his friend’s back. He sensed Tsukiko looking at him and only then he realized what he had said. “No… I mean… I…” he trailed off under her sly smile.

“Fuyuzora Taiyou-kun?” Kaminashi-sensei suddenly call his name, turning her head around the hallway.

“Yes!” Taiyou said, his cheeks red.

She put a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up at her, her smile back to the normal one and it made him blush even more. “Let’s go.”

“Good morning,” Tsukiko said, bowing to the teacher the moment Kaminashi-sensei closed the door. “I’m—”

“You’re Aozora Tsukiko-chan, right?” The teacher replied before the girl could finish asking. The woman gestured to the two chairs in front of her desk.

Taiyou looked at Tsukiko. Though he would never say to her, her surprised face was cute. The boy widened his eyes with his own thought and sat down on the chair staring at the floor.

“Ah, yes.” Tsukiko recovered from her surprise. “How did—”

“Fuyuzora-san called me and explained what happened,” Kaminashi-sensei explained, sat on her seat and smiled to them both. “She apologized for the inconvenient and promised she’d come and meet me as soon as she can. You have a really caring mother, Taiyou-kun.”

Before he realized, the boy had a smile on his lips, his cheeks warm.

“Now that is out of the way,” Tsukiko said, putting a hand on his head. “Is there anything I should tell to his mother?

“Nothing in particular,” Kaminashi-sensei said. “Sometimes he talks in class, but no teacher complained about him. And from time to time, he comes late after lunch because he’s playing soccer with his friends. But other than that, the teachers say he’s a great student to have in class.”

Taiyou felt their gaze over him. He shrunk himself on the seat, not daring to look up at Tsukiko, though he could imagine what kind of face she was making without looking.

“That’s great!” she said. The boy could tell the relief in her voice was genuine, and looked up before he could stop himself. The gentle expression she had made his heart thump louder. “I was worried he’d have trouble making friends due to his shyness.”

“I had that worry at the beginning too, since he came from the countryside and all. But Taiyou-kun had no trouble making friends. Not only in class, but at the soccer club too. It may not look like it, but he’s popular.”

“He’s popular?” Tsukiko’s gentle expression turned into surprise. “I’d never expect it.”

“I told you I had friends,” Taiyou said. “You just don’t listen to me.”

“Oh, come on. You’re so shy and quiet there was no way I wouldn’t worry,” she said, smiling and blushing at the same time. “And you’re so polite I was afraid you wouldn’t fit in.”

“You make sound like I have no social skills,” he replied, sighing.

Kaminashi-sensei chuckled. Taiyou widened his eyes a bit and turned to his teacher. For a moment, he had forgotten about her and that they were on a meeting. “You two get along pretty well. How long do you two know each other?”

They exchanged looks.

“A few months,” she said. “Since March,” he answered at the same time.

“It’s amazing you’re this close in such short time,” Kaminashi-sensei said. “But seeing you two now makes me relief. That was the only concern amongst the teachers. Though they have nothing to complain about Taiyou-kun, most said that sometimes he doesn’t act like a kid. It’s almost as if he’s trying not bothering the people around him.”

Taiyou looked down, part of him afraid to see Tsukiko’s reaction for some reason. The girl placed an arm around him and pulled him closer. “He’s like that alright. Always thinking of others first. But he can be a kid when he wants to.” Her words made his cheek feel hot, and the warm coming from her felt nice.

Kaminashi-sensei smiled. “That great. Let’s see… is there anything else?” she asked herself, running through the pile of paper on the desk. “Ah, yes. The history teacher said, and I agree, that it’s a pleasure having Taiyou-kun in class. In history and in math, you seem to be ahead of the subject. Overall, Taiyou-kun is adapting very well to middle school.”

“I kinda expected something like that,” Tsukiko said after they said goodbye to the teacher and left the classroom. “But I’m really glad I confirm it. It put my worries at ease.” She placed her hand on his head and messed his hair. “And to think the teachers loved you.”

The hallway was still somewhat full with parents and students waiting for their turn. Some of his classmates looked at them and some girls even whispered amongst themselves, but it didn’t bother him. “Don’t make it sound like it’s something huge,” Taiyou said, blushing and looking away as they turned around the corner.

“It is. My teachers never had any compliment to say about me. Actually, they never had anything to complain either. I guess the only thing they could say is that I doze off too much,” she said, averting her eyes.

“For some reason, I don’t have any trouble imagining it,” he said and they both laughed.

“You’re making fun of me? Even though I came all the way here on my day off just for you?” Tsukiko pinched his cheek while walking. She pulled her hand and hummed happily, but turned back when Taiyou halted and held her dress. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re right. You came here just for me,” he whispered, not looking her in the eyes. “Thank you again.”

“Oh, come on,” she said, waving a hand to hide her red cheeks. “It wasn’t a big deal. Don’t go saying something embarrassing now…”

“It was a big deal to me. And especially since you hate this kind of event…”

They both fell in silence for a while. After sometime, Tsukiko forced him to look at her. “Yeah, I hate it. This kind of events were among the worst days in my life,” she whispered. Her words contain a sadness that filled him with guilt. Even without looking her in the eyes, he knew how much just saying it pained her. “But for you, I don’t mind doing this. In fact, this is the best memory I have in a Parents day. Thanks for this,” she said, wrapping him in her arms.

Before Taiyou could stop himself, the silent tears fell and he buried his face on her chest. This time it didn’t take as long to stop. When the boy leaned back, he hurriedly cleaned his face, looking around and hoping no one besides Tsukiko saw him crying. When he saw they were alone, he breathed out in relief and turned back to her.

“I’m sorry for messing your dress,” Taiyou said.

She flicked him on the forehead before he could react. “You don’t have to worry about something like this,” she said, suddenly serious. When he nodded, the girl smiled. “Good. Now I want you to promise me something.”

“What?” he asked, rubbing the place where she flicked him.

“You’ll never hide your true feelings from me,” she said and blushed the next moment. “In return, I’ll do the same.”

Slowly, he nodded his head. “Good.” She pulled her phone. “We still have some time before lunch. How about showing me your school?” She suggested with a huge smile, offering a hand. “I want to see where you work hard every day.”

Taiyou grabbed her hand without thinking twice. “Yeah. Let me show you where we practice,” he said, a smile on his lips too.