Da Capo [7]

Junichi: I'm home

Nemu: Oh, you're home. You came straight home?

Nemu was sitting on the sofa, and waved her hand to me in such a good mood.

Junichi: You're watching TV in your uniform?

Nemu: Ha ha.

Junichi: Don't laugh it off.

Nemu: Well, the show's starting right now.

Nemu: I just love how they rerun the good shows at thie time of the day. They're making the sequel to this soon.

The show she's talking about is a school love comedy with an idol starring at it, who happens to be a bad actor.

I think I've seen the show with Nemu before, but I don't remember the story.

Junichi: Here's the typical example of the network's target audience.

Nemu: Leave me alone. This is the only thing I look forward to.

She talked back at me, while staring at the TV.

Junichi: You're too easy.

I sat down next to Nemu and looked at the TV.

It was a typical situation of a boy and a girl in school uniforms, on a rooftop at dusk.

School girl: "Is it true that you were walking by the hotel with Saito-sensei last Sunday?"

Kamiya: "........."

School girl: "I suppose you met her coincidentally, right?"

Kamiya: "........."

Kamiya: "...I'm sorry."

Junichi: What an ass. He's totally indecisive.

I hate this kind of man.

Nemu: That's not true!

Nemu stood up suddenly with her fist clenched.

Nemu: It just looks like that, but Kamiya-kun's played by the teacher because of her!

Junichi: ...Hey, don't get so upset. It's just a TV show.

Nemu: I know it's just a TV show. But don't you wish that you have these moments like that?

Junichi: They call it a living hell, why would you wish for that?

Nemu: Yeah... You're right. But if it has a happy ending, then it should be fine. Don't you think?

Junichi: If it has a happy ending. How did this show end anyway?

Nemu: Let's see. They become close and they end up on the roof top of the schoold building again, and then...

She was trying to act out the scene, and her hand touched my cheek.

Nemu: .........

Nemu: .........

I felt her breath close to me, and my heart starts to pound faster.

Junichi: Nemu?

Nemu: ...Oh. Hahaha...

She pressed her chest with her hand and stood up from the sofa.

Junichi: Don't laugh it off.

Nemu: Sorry, I have to go do my homework!

She waved her hand and rushed out of the room to go upstairs.

Junichi: Well...

I sat down deep in the sofa stroking the cheek Nemu touched.

Maybe we can welcome Sakura now we're in this kind of mood.

Junichi: ...Huh? Did we have homework today?

In the TV show, the man and the woman who supposed to have a happy ending were leaving each other as I watched.

~

Nemu: ...Ah, it's so delicious!

Nemu was taking her time, happily eating the chowmein.

Junichi: It is delicious, but I'm getting tired of Chinese food.

I stuffed my mouth with fried rice, and sighed.

Nemu: That's true. We've a choice of pizza, combination meal, and the deli... and what other options are there?

Junichi: That's not what I meant, I think we should stop buying ready made food all the time.

Nemu: Well, then can you cook?

She gave me a look, but still served me the after meal tea.

Junichi: You always complain that my cooking costs a lot, but doesn't taste so good.

Nemu: That's because you spend too much money for the ingredients... so, I'll cook!

She pointed at herself.

Junichi: ...Let's wait till we finish our final exam.

I can't eat her cooking, her cooking sucks.

Nemu: Teehee. Count on me!

She tilted her head adorably almost as if she had been practicing it.

I better train my stomach before then...

Junichi: It's kind of bad that the convenience store's the one with the most variety of food...

Nemu: I'm done.

Nemu put her chopsticks down.

Nemu: You can leave the dishes to me.

Junichi: Ok. Thanks.

I exhald deeply, and headed up tp the bedroom as there were no good TV shows on tonight.

~

Sakura: Hello!

----Slam!

Junichi: Nemu! Nemu!

Nemu: What's the matter with you? Is there a cockroach?

Nemu's head poked out from the kitchen.

Junichi: Do we have any garlic or holy water!?

Nemu: ...Huh?

Junichi: Is this a dream?

Nemu: ...What?

Junichi: Never mind!

I ran up the stairs.

Sakura: What are you doing?

Junichi: ...That's my line.

I picked up Sakura by her shirt and dragged her down to the floor cushion in front of my desk.

Sakura: Ahhh.

Junichi: Sigh... how did you get in?

Sakura: The regular way.

Junichi: Was the door unlocked?

Sakura: I climbed up the cherry blossom tree, and entered through that window. I even knocked.

She pointed at the window above my bed.

Junichi: ...That's considered breaking in.

Sakura: You gave me permission.

Junichi: What? ...That was when we were kids.

I sat down on the chair and sighed.

There was a cherry blossom tree in her garden which had one branch that reached close to my window, and I think I used to let her come in through that route.

There was even a time when we would play very late into the night...

Junichi: We're not children any more. It's not appropriate to visit a guy's room like that.

Sakura: Oh, ha-ha. You're recognizing me as a lady.

She lifted her skirt slightly with a smile.

Junichi: No, it's a matter of politeness.

My eyes drifted to her lifted skirt, and then I shook my head quickly.

Sakura: What's up? You're turning red.

Junichi: ...A real lady wouldn't lift her skirt.

Sakura: No worries, I've got exercis shorts on underneath. Do you want to see?

Junichi: .........

Junichi: .........

Junichi: There's no way I want to see...

I said it cheerfully -- but crying inside.

Sakura: You know, it could have been even better if we were in the same class.

Junichi: ...Don't say such scary things.

Sakura: What? Scary?

Junichi: Never mind. Anyway, why are you here now?

I pointed at the window with the cherry blossom tree shining in the moonlight, to make her recognize what kind of entrance she had just made.

Sakura: Just to greet you after my return!

Junichi: You already greeted me enough at school, didn't you...?

Sakura: Boo! I've not greeted you properly since moving back in next door to you yet.

She made a serious face, dropping her left knee onto the floor, and putting her right palm up in front of me.

Sakura: Could I have your attention, please? My name's Sakura Yoshino and I came all the way from the United States.

Sakura: I came today to ask for yout blessing as I'll be your comrade in the same organization from now on.

Junichi: .........

Junichi: Excuse me?

What organization's she talking about? ...the neighborhood watch?

Sakura: Damn, this doesn't seem complete without some noodles to celebrate the moving!

Junichi: I don't think that matters.

Sakura: Of course it does. It's traditionally said that -- one of society's rules is to pick loyalty over humanity!

I'm getting dizzy.

Junichi: Hey... can you even list some things that represent Japan?

Sakura: What? That's an insult to a real Japanese person like me!

Junichi: Try it anyway.

I asked her again. She looked full of confidence.

Sakura: Sushi, Tempura, and Fujiyama!

Junichi: Are you mocking Japan...?

I was too tired to explain, so I just sighed.

I knew she was weird since we were little kids, but she's even weirder after living overseas.

Sushi, Tempura, and Fujiyama... She sounds like a typical American who doesn't know Japan.

Junichi: Um... are you done now?

Sakura: Yeah, I guess. I just wanted to greet you properly.

She sat up on the floor cushion, and bowed.

Junichi: That's more like it. You just need to...

Make an entrance through the front door like normal person would do, and greet me without kneeling with one leg, also like a normal person would do.

...She has no chance.

Sakura: Heehee. By the way, you left the lock broken for me for all this time.

Junichi: What?

Sakura: That window's lock has been broken since six years ago.

Now she pointed the window.

Junichi: .........

I somehow left it broken even though Nemy asked me to fix it many times.

I stared at it blankly.

Junichi: ...I was just too lazy to fix it.

Sakura: Okay, okay. I'll leave it as that.

Junichi: Do as you like.

Sakura: Yes. I will. I'll come to visit you again too...

She stood up to open the window, and turned around with a peaceful smile.

The cold wind blew in with a scent of cherry blossom flowers -- not bad.

Sakura: Hey, can you still do that thing?

She opened and closed her hands repeatedly.

Junichi: Do you mean this?

I closed my hands, and imagined a Japanese sweet -- a sweet bun with red bean paste inside.

Then I felt a little weight on my palm.

----This is my other wicked power... to produce Japanese sweets, in addition to the power to see other people's dreams----

It was like a crazy fantasy.

I hadn't even revealed it to Nemu as this power was too silly, but Sakura knew about it.

Junichi: Here. I made it with extra bean paste.

Sakura: Wow.

She caught the sweet bun that I threw into the air.

Junichi: Brush your teeth before bed if you're going to eat that now.

Sakura: Don't talk to me like I'm a small child!

She stuck out her tongue childishly, and then climbed out of my room through the window.

Junichi: Hey, Sakura.

Sakura: Yeah?

I spoke towards the darkness outside the window.

Junichi: Welcome back.

Sakura: Oh...  Teehee! It's good to be back.

.........

I walked to the window after a pause, but Sakura was already gone.

I stretched out my arm to reach the branch of the cherry blossom tree.

The branch appeared to be not strong enough to hold my current weight.

Junichi: She... has not changed at all.

I knocked the branch to scatter some petals, and then closed the window.

~

Junichi: Okay...

I put down the comic book that I was reading onto the side, and sunk my head into the pillow. The voice of Sakura playing around next door had stopped now.

How could she play so loudly like that bu herself?

Junichi: Oh, well.

It's time for bed.

I reaached over to the alarm clock, and set the wake up time.

[Choices]
- 6:30AM
- 7:00AM
- 7:50AM