Da Capo [2]

Junichi: (Oh shoot!)

I screamed inside and ran out of the house.

Nemu left me behind, so here I was sprinting my way to school on the verge of being late.

I jaywalked the intersection, passed the bicycles, and turned the corner in a hurry.

Every tenth of a second was crucial for me now.

I felt like a non stop action hero!

Junichi: Huh?

I heard a sound of an instrument up ahead.

As I look forward, I can see a girl wandering around, wearing my school's uniform.

Junichi: ...She's not even in a hurry.

Perhaps she already gave up?

While trying not to startle her by keeping a little distance between us, I pass by her.

The moment I passed her, I gave a glance...

For some reason, she was walking with her eyes closed and playing a small xylophone.

Junichi: (...What?)

I wanted to look back and take a closer look at her, but I had no time for that.

~

I continued to run, and made it in the nick of time before the bell rang. Then I collapsed onto the floor.

Junichi: (What's the time?)

I looked up at the clock on the wall.

8:15am (5min. 48.29sec.)

Junichi: (.........)

A universal record?

There are still 5 minutes before the bell rings.

Nemu: Good mirning, niisan.

Nemu walked closer to me witha prim smile.

Junichi: Hah haha... hah... hah...?

Nemu: The early bird gets the worm! You better wake up early from now on.

Junichi: Hah... Ne-Nemu... hah, hah...?

Suginami: Hey Asakura. You look exhausted!

Suginami also came by after Nemu, without my welcome.

Junichi: Hah hah... hah... ha...

Suginami: You still have 5 more minutes before the bell rings. Why were you in such a hurry?

Junichi: Hah hah... Yeah... but...

Suginami: Huh?

Junichi: When I left home... I thought I was in big trouble...

Nemu: Umm, niisan?

Suginami: Hmm? What is it, Asakura's sister?

Nemu: The clock in your room was 5 minutes early, so you might want to fix it!

Junichi: .........

Suginami: .........

Nemu: Got it?

She smiled at me and went back to her seat.

Suginami: She's your sister!

...

Junichi: ...Good grief.

Suginami: My God bless you...

Leave me alone.

Suginami: It's nothing new, right?

I can't take this kind of trick every day.

I can't get over the fact that Suginami's at the top of the class, despite his shallow personality.

On top of that, he's also good at all sports.

Suginami: By the way, do you want to be a part of this wonderful plan of mine?

Junichi: Are you sure it's not a stupid plan?

With him, it must be.

Suginami: Of course not! The plan's to hold a competition to guess 'How many guys will ask Kotori Shirakawa out for a date before her graduation?'

Junichi: .........

Junichi: ...Do you mean betting?

Suginami: No. This is a proper competition. There's even a prize for the winner.

Junichi: (Dividend, is it...?)

Suginami: The most popular guess right now's 50 to 60 guys.

Junichi: Wow, that's a lot.

Suginami: It's Kotori Shirakawa. I'm guessing it'll be over 100.

Junichi: 100...

It's quite a lot of people, but it may be possible with Kotori's popularity.

Mako: Boys are so pathetic...

I saw Mako Mizukoshi looking at us from the other side of the class room.

Junichi: Don't put me in the same category as Suginami.

Suginami: What are you saying, my partner, Asakura. We used to fight together side by side.

Junichi: When? Where? What? How? Whom? Why?

Suginami: Last week. At the arcade. Zombies. With a gun. You and me. To prevent the Dr's crazy plan.

Junichi: .........

Suginami: .........

Junichi & Suginami: Comrades.

We gave each other a hug.

Mako: ...They are both idiots.

Koyomi: Okay, everyone have a seat.

Our homeroom teacher, Koyomi Shirakawa, came into the room at the sound of the bell.

~

Junichi: This is such a pain...

I sighed several times as I waled up the stairs.

Right when I was getting ready to go back home, Koyomi-sensei stopped me to ask for a favor.

Junichi: Why do I have to return the book that she borrowed?

Koyomi-sensei gave me the book and left in a hurry.

Junichi: ...And why is it that the library has to be on the top floor?

...

...

Junichi: ...puff.

I'm exhausted.

My legs seem to be carrying me up the stairs under their own momentum, I open the steel door that said 'Do not open'. ...What?

...

...

Where am I?

Mako: Could you oass me the soy sauce, oneechan?

Moe: Here you go.

Mako: Thanks.

Moe: You want some grated radish too?

Mako: No thank you.

Moe: Okay. Here's the Napa cabbage.

Mako: Okay.

Junichi: .........

...

...

What in the world...?

I see two girls relaxing in this strange place.

Junichi: .........

1. This is actually a dream.

2. The door I just opened was a 'magical door' that takes you to strange places.

3. Two girls are actually really eating hot pot on the rooftop.

...

...2?

Junichi: No way...

As I joked with myself, I felt a cold wind blow past me.

I saw my classmate Mako and an unfamiliar girl eating on the rooftop. By her uniform, I can tell that the other girl's from our school.

They had a table that looked like something you might take camping, and on top of that, there was a portable stove in which they were cooking chunks of meat and vegetables in a hot pot.

I've seen people eating lunch on the rooftop before... but this is different...

Junichi: (Eating hot pot... on the rooftop...?)

Why hot pot?

----BANG!

Mako: Kyaah!

Moe: Wow...

The door slipped out from my hand and closed with a banging noise behind me.

The two girls realized I was there, and there was a moment of silence.

Mako: Don't scare us...

Mako spoke with her surprised expression still on her face.

Junichi: ...What the heck ate you doing here?

I asked her the obvious question.

Mako: We're eating lunch.

It's winter! Why are they eating lunch here?

Junichi: .........

Mako: What is it?

As I stared at them, Mako gave me a suspicious look.

Junichi: I mean, it's so cold out here. You guys are crazy...

Mako: What did you say?

Mako: Just for your information, this wasn't my idea. I'm just joining my sister here.

Junichi: She's your sister?

I thought she was a sempai from her club or something, but she's actually a family member...

Mako: Yup. She's my sister.

She spoke and pointed at the girl sitting next to her.

Moe: Hi, I'm Moe Mizukoshi. It's nice to meet you.

The girl sitting next to Mako politely bowed at me.

Junichi: Oh, hi. I'm Junichi Asakura.

I also lightly bowed at her.

Junichi: I've seen you several times before.

Actually, I may have spoken with her somewhere before...

Moe: What? Oh really?

Moe: ...I'm sorry... I don't really recognize you.

Moe: Umm... Sorry.

She apologized and bowed at me.

Junichi: Oh, you don't need to feel bad.

Her politeness made me feel bad.

Mako: Are you trying to hit on her?

Junichi: Based on the conversation we just had, what makes you think that I was trying to hit on her?

Anyway, it's surprising to discover that Mako had a sister. I always thought she was an only child.

Mako: So, why are you here?

Junichi: Well, I just accidentally passed by.

Mako: How can you accidentally pass by the rooftop?

Junichi: .........

Junichi: Things happen. Let's just leave it at that.

Mako: Hah... You always drive me crazy...

Mako shrugged her shoulders. People seem to get tired when they talk to me.

Well, except for a handful of people... Maybe.

Moe: So you're Mako-chan's friend, huh?

Junichi: Y-Yeah...

Moe: I was so scared when I heard the door close.

She said shee was scared, but her face was smiling and she spoke calmly.

...She's a mysterious person.

Junichi: Anyway, why are you eating hot pot out here?

Moe: Mako told me that we couldn't do it in the classroom.

Mako: Of course not! We can't eat this in the classroom!

Mako spoke with a loud voice.

Junichi: (They're weird sisters...)

An older sister who does crazy things and a younger sister who tries to cover them up for her...

...

Junichi: (Their relationship seems familiar to me.)

Junichi: But why are you out here in the cold? Couldn't you guys do it in your club room?

It makes more sense to do this in a club room.

Mako: I'm in the music club. I can't do this in the music room.

Junichi: What about you, Moe-sempai?

Moe: I'm also in the music club.

Junichi: Oh, you're in the music club too?

Moe: Yes.

Junichi: You play flute, right, Mako?

Mako: Yeah.

I've heard her perform before, and it was pretty good. Although I can only play castanet and triangle.

Even girls were saying that she looks so elegant when she's playing.

Junichi: What do you play, Moe-sempai?

Moe: I play xylophone.

Junichi: Oh, xylophone, huh?

I guess they don't play the same instruments...

I don't know how well she plays, but she might be good since she's Mako's sister.

At that moment, my stomach rumbled.

Junichi: .........

Simmer simmer...

An appetizing smell was coming out from the pot on the table.

I was pretty hungry.

Mako: ...Pathetic.

Junichi: What can I do? After all, it's lunch time.

Moe: Would you like to join us?

Junichi: are you sure?

Moe: Yes. Hot pot's fun to eat with more people.

She smiled at me with a sofft look in her eyes. I can tell that she has a warm heart.

Junichi: Well then, thank you.

Moe: Here you go.

She passed me a bowl and some chopsticks.

Junichi: (They had extras?)

I wonder how many extra utensils they brough here...

There was a boiling pot, soy sauce, grated radish, and a bottle of pills on the table.

Junichi: What are those pills? Do you have a cold or something?

Moe: What?

Moe: Oh, those are vitamins.

Junichi: Vitamins?

Their lunch seems to be nutricious enough... Why would she need vitamins?

Junichi: (Maybe they're secret drugs or something...)

Perhaps it's a drug for menstrual cramps, or constipation... I don't know, but I guess girls go through a lot...

.........

Junichi: Well, thank you for offering me this food.

I reached my chopsticks inside of the pot.

Moe: Sure.

Moe: We eat out here all the time, so feel free to come here again.

Junichi; Are you sure?

Moe: Yes.

Junichi: Thank you!

I gladly accepted her invitation.

Goodbye mass produced food! Hello warm hand cooked meals!

I smiled while holding the empty bowl, thinking about my bright lunch time with two girls.

Mako: Hah...

Mako's sigh was covered up by the sound of the boiling pot.

~

Junichi: I'm full up...

I joined Moe-sempai for hot pot, returned my books to the library, and then returned to the classroom.

Half of the students had gone home already, but both Nemu and Suginami were still there.

Junichi: Stretch...

I stretched out my arms, then grabbed my bag from the side of my desk.

Junichi: Okay...

What shall I do today?

[Choice]
- Head home with Nemu.
- Head home alone.
- Go with Suginami.