Tangled Up

Today was the last day of the school year, their last day as second-years. Come next spring, Tachibana-san would not be here anymore. Come next spring, he would be captain, and Shinji and Ishida, the vice-captains.

He caught sight of An walking towards him, smiling cheerfully. “I’ve something important to tell you!” she shouted ten steps away.

Somehow… He was hoping secretly … praying fervently that… Now that he was going to be captain, now that he had a commendable status, perhaps… An would…?

“Kamio-kun, I am with Momoshiro-kun now!” she said happily.

“Ah, oh, where is he?” Kamio looked towards the direction where An had came from, and indeed the boy was there.

How’s that important? Kamio thought.

An lifted one of her arms and dragged Momoshiro to her side. And she didn’t remove her hands from his.

“We’re dating!” Her face gleamed with pride. “I wanted you to be the first to know, Kamio-kun.” She looked at him with earnest eyes. Momoshiro scratched his left cheek with a finger, embarrassed. “You’re shy, Momoshiro-kunnnn?” An teased, poking her boyfriend’s stomach.

Kamio froze.

“Kamio-kun?” An tilted her head.

Kamio blinked. “Ahhh… Ahahaha…” He forced a laugh. “Congratulations, An-chan!”

She wanted me to be the first to know.

Kamio lowered his head, which the couple took as a sign that he was leaving. He turned his back to them, biting his lips.

~

She wanted him to be the first to know.

The girl behind the fence brushed the bottom of her eyes with her index finger. She had witnessed the whole thing. And now she couldn’t stop her tears from flowing.
 

Spring was here.

“-chan!” Kamio greeted his classmate cheerfully. “We’re in same class again.”

“….Since our first year huh, Kamio-kun,” turned her back to return the greeting. Kamio had always sat behind her too.

“Please take care of me again this year, -chan,” Kamio grinned, and then bowed his head so that his forehead touched the table.

“But of course, you sports baka,” laughed at his antics, but softened her gaze as the boy lifted his head. He met her gaze, and she smiled serenely at him. Leave it to me, she seemed to be saying to him.

Kamio had always been weaker at academic; he was glad he had been assigned to a seat behind , the girl who was so friendly, smart and helpful, and who always wore a bright sweet smile.

was in the literary club, and from the club room window, she would see a strict Kamio shouting at the younger ones. She giggled. Just last year, Kamio himself was being scolded by the captain, Tachibana-san, too.

She resumed her reading.

When she was tired, she’d look out of the window again. Kamio was racing about the courts, looking serious, but she could tell that he enjoyed it.

The session ended with a group discussion, and recommendations of books that everyone should read. walked by the tennis courts, and saw that they were still training. Kamio glanced up at the familiar figure, smiled and waved goodbye to her; and she returned it.

Once or twice in their first and second year, Kamio and she had walked to the cross junction together before parting. They had conversations about tennis, about books, about school, about their interests and hobbies, about their likes and dislikes.

had always known that Kamio was in love with Tachibana An. The heartbreak that Kamio had felt that day stung her too. It pained her to see his dejected face when he looked at her. Her heart ached for him as he forced a smile while she spoke to him.

knew all along that she was in love with him.

Her heart felt heavy. But when she got to class, to a world without An, to a world belonging to just Kamio and herself, she felt better. She was confused, was she sad, or was she happy?

~

“-chan, I’m not too sure about this part.” Kamio scratched his head, biting his pencil. pulled it out of his mouth. “Don’t do that, it’s bad for your teeth,” she said and scribbled some little notes on his textbook.

Kamio thanked her as he read the points she had jotted down for him. “I get it now! Thank you, really, -chan.”

“Glad that I was of help,” she smiled.

“-chan, you don’t get angry easily huh?” he asked out of the blue. “You’re always smiling.”

 

was surprised by his statement. “Well… I didn’t realize…” she answered.

Seeing her slightly thrown-off-balance expression, Kamio just laughed, “Hey! It’s a good thing.” He patted her on her back. “Please continue smiling,” he said with sincerity.

blushed. If it makes you happy, I would smile for you even when I feel like crying.

~

“Penny for your thoughts, Kamio-kun,” said to the boy behind her who was staring blankly into space.

Wait, he was not.

His eyes were focused on a pair at the school gates; a girl with russet-brown hair and a boy with black cropped hair. It was An and Momoshiro.

pinched Kamio’s nose lightly.

“Ouch!” the boy exclaimed, rubbing his nose to soothe the pain.

placed the last of the books into her bag. “Ganbatte ne, Kamio-kun,” she said softly. A pair of arms encircled her neck. She felt a warm weight on her right shoulder. She patted Kamio’s head with her right hand, and then tenderly brushed his hair. He was soothed by her touch and her presence. She could hear him whimper quietly, he was holding something back. just continued to brush her fingers down his hair, and like that day, she cried in his place. Kamio said he liked her smile, he said she didn’t get angry easily, but she was such a crybaby.

~

In the past, when Kamio spent time with , he felt relaxed, he enjoyed her company. But recently, when he was around , he felt calm too. He was usually a very temperamental person, and after that incident with An and Momoshiro, his emotions were constantly at the verge of exploding. But with , he felt more composed; he felt like she was always supporting him.

She is always smiling - she’s a little like An-chan.

No. Kamio shook his head. She’s different, is different from An.

He was confused - did he like , or was she just a substitute?

~

Kamio had requested that she wait for him after his club activities today. chose a bench close to the tennis courts, where she could see him. As always, he played in his style, sprinting and rushing across the tennis court fiercely, but smiling confidently.

She felt proud of him all of a sudden. Her heart beat hard inside of her. Thump thump thump. She could hear it so clearly, and she could see how clearly she admired him.

~

“Oi!” Kamio called. , who had been enjoying the breeze, opened her eyes and stretched a little. “Sorry I made you wait,” Kamio scratched the back of his head. “Let’s go now.” He adjusted his racket bag, coughed a little, and his hand reached out for ’s. could see a light tinge of pink spread across the boy’s cheeks as he pulled her up from her seat.

~

“I didn’t know Kamio-kun liked sweet stuff,” said as she placed a piece of her strawberry shortcake into her mouth. Kamio had ordered a piece of fig cake.

was surprised that Kamio had brought her to a nice café like that, he didn’t seem the kind to do that; he was more of the fast-food restaurant kind of boy.

Thankfully the fig cake wasn’t too sweet; it was just fine for his taste buds. Though Kamio didn’t really like this sort of place, seeing enjoying herself so much made him glad he had brought her there.

~

“Thank you, Kamio-kun,” said as the two were leaving the store, “for the treat, and for bringing me here.” Kamio just nodded and smiled.

“But, let’s go somewhere you like now, Kamio-kun!” laughed, dragging Kamio along.

~

“You were really good!” Kamio exclaimed. “Ahah, wasn’t Kamio-kun better with his A-plus grade?” joked. The girl had brought Kamio to an arcade where both of them played a rhythm game.

Kamio blushed. “But of course, rhythm ni noruze~” he said carelessly. giggled.

The skies were drenched with orange, red and yellow hues. The two reached the cross junction where they were supposed to part. “Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow, Kamio-kun,” it was a pity the day and fun had ended, but that was only for today.

Kamio just stood there. He looked at her, “No, I’ll send you home today.” was again surprised, something was wrong with Kamio-kun today. He was… strangely affectionate, was happy, but worried at the same time.

“If you’re worried that it’s getting dark, don’t. I will be fine, Kamio-kun.”

“…I have something to say,” he looked up at her, “Will you listen to me, -chan?”
nodded.

“I am confused.” Kamio confessed.

“About…?” was afraid of the reply to come.

“My feelings,” he said. “I like you, -chan,” he continued, “but… I wonder if I’m treating you as a substitute for An-chan!”

heaved a sigh of relief, earning a puzzled look from Kamio as he waited for her explanation.

“I was worried that… you would say you didn’t know if you’ve gotten over Tachibana or not. I was worried that you still had feelings for her. But instead, you said you were concerned over whether I’ve been treated as a substitute for Tachibana,” she said, calmly. “That means you care more about my feelings, right?” she smiled.

Kamio didn’t really understand, but after listening to what had to say, his heart felt lighter, like a burden had been lifted off.

He pulled her into an embrace, placing one hand on the back of her head, and the other round her waist. “I love you, -chan.” He hugged her even tighter. “I may not be sure if I’ve completely forgotten An-chan, but I know for certain that being with you makes me happy. You make the things I dislike so much better; you make the things I like even better than they were. I feel calm when I’m around you.”

cupped his face with her small hands. “If you’d already forgotten about Tachibana whom you loved for two years so easily, I would have been disappointed. I know your brand of love isn’t that weak.” She smiled. “I love you, Kamio-kun. So let’s try it out. If we’re for real, we’ll last, and you’ll forget Tachibana eventually.”

~

Despite telling him that it was alright to meet at the usual cross junction, Kamio had insisted on picking her up at her house. The couple walked hand in hand. It had been almost two years since the two confessed their feelings for each other, and they were still going strong. Soon it would be time to decide their future paths. wanted to attend university, while Kamio wanted to start working. Ever since he entered high school, tennis and running became more of an interest and a hobby to him. But, he still loved sports, and hoped to be a sports instructor.

“Kamio-kun!” a familiar voice called. It was An; she had chosen to attend the same high school as Momoshiro, which meant that she was separated from most of the former Fudoumine students and tennis club regulars, but she looked happy. Kamio was surprised that they were still together since they had only known each other for a year before dating. He laughed thinking about it. Though and he had known each other since their first year, they had only got much closer in their third year, hadn’t they?

Time was not a factor, he decided.

“Akira?” nudged her boyfriend.

“Oi!” he retorted. The two looked at each other and laughed, their fingers intertwined further.

“Ohhhh, lovely dovey early in the morning~” An teased while Momoshiro wolf-whistled.

Kamio smiled at , and leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the lips, ignoring the eyes that were upon them.

If you lost your love, you find a new one.

And if that love is true, it will last forever.

//Summer. 29^th October 2008.

Edited by Elenniel