Plate 3: Kiss

Plate 3:
Kiss

 

Scene 1

 

IT WAS A BRIGHT Sunday morning. In the Jinnais’ living room, Enta’s grandmother sipped her tea as she always did. Across from her sat Otone, decked out in fishing gear, polishing her rod as she yelled, “Entaaa! Breakfast!”

The television behind the old woman was tuned to its usual channel, Asakusa Sara TV. It was almost time for the lucky selfie horoscope segment to begin.

“Morning…”

Enta stifled a yawn as he entered the room, still dressed in his summer pajamas. He hadn’t slept at all the night before. He plopped himself down at the floor table, only to wrinkle his nose in disgust when he caught sight of breakfast. “Ugh, fish again?”

He skillfully snapped up the fish in his chopsticks and dangled it in the air, its body split wide open to reveal the finely cooked meat inside.

Otone said sharply, “Kiss!”

“Kiss?!” he shrieked back, instinctively dropping the fish.

Why—how does she know?!

Otone, having noticed how flustered her brother was, casually added, “Not kiss, I said kisu. You know, the fish? Sillago? We dried it overnight.”

“Huh? O-oh, the fish… I panicked for a second there.” Enta regained his composure and returned the fish to the plate. “Is this another present from that boyfriend of yours?”

“That’s right. My attractive, picture-perfect boyfriend who’s a master at preparing fish. I’m off in a few to go on another fishing date with him!” Despite her tomboyish appearance, Otone lived for romance. Romance, she claimed, gave her energy to get through the day. She seemed to glow as she talked about her boyfriend.

Although Enta was used to her gushing, he found it especially annoying this morning. Annoying enough that he was tempted to take a dig at her. “I just wish your boyfriend worked at a butcher’s instead of the fish market.”

“That’s uncalled for! If this were soccer, I’d give you a yellow card!” Otone huffed.

Enta ignored her and lifted his miso soup bowl to his lips. On the television, Sara’s lucky selfie roulette wheel came to a stop.

“Smooch, smooch! It’s a kiss, dish! ✩”

“Bwah?!” Enta choked, spewing his soup.

“Did you hear that? A kiss! Maybe he’ll kiss me today on our date?! Or maybe I should be the one to initiate it? Hee!”

As Otone prattled and Enta coughed, the girl in the television smiled and said, “Okay then, have a wonderful day, and may lots of luck be dished your way! ✩”

 

While the tunnel beneath the west side of the Azuma Bridge remained unobstructed, the east side tunnel was sealed off completely. This made it an optimal spot for Enta’s training; there was barely any foot traffic, and the area was spacious.

His Sunday schedule was practically a fixed routine by now. After eating breakfast, he would come here, clean up any trash he found, and then begin training with the soccer ball he brought with him. He was normally so engrossed in training that he’d lose track of time juggling the ball on his legs. Today, however, he felt too gloomy to concentrate the way he usually did.

He sighed and glanced back at the sealed tunnel. A picture of a soccer goal had been painted onto the stone wall. He approached, ghosting his fingers over the lines. The painting was four years old now, and was beginning to peel and fade.

I love Kazuki, he thought. I don’t remember when it started, but it’s like I’ve carried these feelings with me forever. I refuse to accept that Kazuki’s quit soccer.

 

At ten years old, Enta stood out in school. He’d spent the better part of his childhood living overseas, thanks to his parents’ jobs. His older sister was so charismatic she could make friends anywhere, regardless of language barriers. Enta, on the other hand, was incredibly shy. He constantly cried to his concerned parents that he wanted to go back home to Japan.

He managed to hitch a ride back a few years later with his sister, who said she wanted to get a teaching license, and they moved to Asakusa to live with their grandmother. Instead of a happy homecoming, Enta’s classmates were reserved and aloof toward him—a familiar situation to most Japanese children returning from abroad. Perhaps they were merely curious about him and his background, and Enta misinterpreted their intentions. Regardless of whether it was a misunderstanding, it broke the introverted boy’s heart.

After school, Enta always sat in a shady spot overlooking the school grounds, where he could read his soccer magazine in peace. The boisterous sounds of his classmates playing soccer carried easily to him. Enta was too shy to approach and ask to play. He was left with no choice but to hug his knees to his chest and watch. He’d always played by himself when he lived abroad, so it wasn’t like he knew how to be part of a team anyway.

Kazuki was the one who finally outstretched a hand to him. When he told Kazuki that he loved soccer but was only a beginner, the other boy smiled and responded that he just started playing too.

“I’m sure we can become a golden duo someday, just like the characters from that manga!” Kazuki said. The other boy wore a blue friendship bracelet tied around his right ankle, the same kind worn by Enta’s favorite soccer player.

Enta accepted his outstretched hand and from there, they began practicing daily, just the two of them. Soon after, they discovered this empty area near the base of the Azuma Bridge. The two young boys painted a small soccer goal on the stone, and it became their secret practice field.

They were recognized (by both themselves and others) as the “Golden Duo,” in part thanks to Otone’s influence as she had trained to become a junior high P.E. teacher. They even had a special pose they would both strike during matches after Enta passed the ball and Kazuki scored. It was the pose their favorite soccer player always used. Their motto was, “Dishing it out!”

 

Several months ago, however, Kazuki decided to leave soccer behind. The blue friendship bracelet on his right ankle disappeared at the same time. Enta, wanting to respect his friend’s feelings, watched and said nothing as Kazuki stopped participating in the club. He was sure that Kazuki just needed a break, and would come back to the club eventually.

Kazuki and I have been the Golden Duo ever since we were little, he thought. I know him better than anyone else. I want to pass to him and watch him score again.

Enta produced a small box from his pocket. It was a new friendship bracelet he bought for Kazuki. Just when he planned to gift it to his friend, Kazuki submitted his club withdrawal form.

“Once Kazuki fulfills his wish using the Wishing Plates, I can give him this and we can go back to being the Golden Duo again. I don’t need anything else but that.”

Images from his kiss with Kazuki the night before popped into his mind. Kazuki awoke right after but had no memory of what Enta had done. Enta should’ve been relieved that he hadn’t been caught, but a part of him felt disappointed. That was probably why he’d taken out his frustration on Otone this morning.

Looking at his sister—the way she loved unapologetically and faced everything head on—was like looking straight at the sun. She was too bright. Of course, that often led her to flat-out rejection, but she never carried the pain for long. Instead, that hurt fueled her determination to make the next relationship succeed.

Enta always believed he could never do that—until he realized how much he wished Kazuki had caught him in the act of kissing him. Now he just felt utterly pathetic.

“Why the heck did I have to go and kiss him? Ugh!”

 

“I-It’s closed!”

Kazuki was back at work searching for the lucky selfie item of the day. Decked out in his Sara outfit, he was currently standing in front of a specialty kisu fish store called Markiss’s Riverside Fish Market. The owner of the store, Markiss Gimmemore, was said to be unrivaled in his ability to cut and handle kisu fish. A huge sign hung over his store with the slogan, “Eat a kisu and improve your ability to kiss-u too!”

Incidentally, there were rumors that the man was so incredibly handsome that he offered an additional service at his shop—women could take pictures with him as he hugged them from behind. He was basically an idol at this point, his business booming with female customers barging in daily.

“Sara’s an idol, so I can’t take a selfie of her kissing. I hoped I could take a joke selfie with a kisu since the name sounds similar, but… Now what am I going to do about today’s mission?” For now, the only alternative he could think of was checking other fish markets around town.

Sara-Kazuki broke into a run, ignoring his skirt as it flapped up. Right now, he was only focused on one thing. He had to complete this mission—for Haruka.

Scene 2

 

ENTA AND HARUKA sat on a bench by a pond, entertaining themselves with a game of Old Maid.

“Um, let’s see…this one!” Haruka plucked one of the two cards Enta held out in his hand.

Left with only the joker, Enta shouted, “Argh, I lost again!”

“Lucky! I win!”

“You really are way too good at this, Haruka. I’m convinced Lady Luck is on your side.”

“Ehehe, maybe that’s thanks to Sara-chan?” His smartphone chimed. “Oh, a message!”

“From Kazuki?” asked Enta.

“It’s a secret!”

There was a message in the chat window from Sara.

Sara: A plateful of apologies! It looks like today’s lucky selfie is going to be a little late, dish!

Harukappa: Don’t worry! Good luck!

The young boy quickly typed out his response before replying to Enta, “Kazu-chan and I don’t message each other.”

“I guess you do live together, so you can talk to each other as much as you want,” Enta mused. Granted, the two were actually messaging each other all the time, albeit with Kazuki disguised as Sara, but Enta wasn’t about to reveal that. But when he looked up, he noticed Haruka’s face clouded over.

“He doesn’t smile for me like he used to anymore,” said the younger boy. “And he loved soccer so much, but he quit playing it. He even threw away his friendship bracelet.”

“Yeah…” Enta, who was well aware of the situation, could say nothing in return. The friendship bracelet he stuffed inside his pocket felt heavier than ever.

“I actually really loved watching him play soccer,” said Haruka.

“Me too. I loved playing with him more than anything.”

“I’d like him to play again, but I’m not sure he’d listen to me. It’s not up to me, anyway.” Young as he was, Haruka really tried to be considerate about his older brother’s feelings.

That just means I have to do what I can to help, Enta thought to himself.

“Don’t worry! I’ll have Kazuki smiling and playing soccer again! Trust me!” He stood and pounded a fist against his puffed-out chest.

“Ehehe! That’s right, you two are the Golden Duo after all!”

“Yeah!”

 

A houseboat motored by as Otone stood next to the Sumida River, waiting in vain for her date.

She finally sighed and said, “Markiss sure is late. Normally he contacts me when he can’t make it on time.” She whipped out her phone and dialed his number.

Brrrrring…brrrrrrrring…

Back at Markiss’s Riverside Fish Market, a smartphone lying on the floor began to vibrate, its owner nowhere to be seen. The screen read “Jinnai Otone,” with a picture of Markiss hugging the girl in question from behind—until it was suddenly replaced by a bright red symbol of a heart, surrounded by static.

 

After parting ways with Haruka, Enta sat alone on the west side of the Azuma Bridge.

“So Kazuki doesn’t even smile in front of Haruka anymore…not that it’s any of my business,” he mumbled self-deprecatingly.

Almost immediately, a voice shouted back, “It absolutely is your business!”

“Huh?” Enta glanced back to see Kazuki sprinting across the Azuma Bridge toward him. He was wearing his favorite windbreaker, the one he always wore for soccer. “Kazuki? What are you doing here?”

Kazuki stopped in front of him, an unusually serious expression on his face. “Enta, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Wha…?” Enta’s heart was about to jump out of his chest, with Kazuki gazing straight into his eyes. His intensity made Enta wonder if this was a love confession.

“I think I’m going to return to soccer.”

“Huh?!”

Kazuki’s proclamation was more astounding than any confession.

“Sorry to make you worry so much, Enta. I know I’ve put you through a lot, but will you join me in reforming our Golden Duo again?”

Enta’s heart flooded with emotion. “Eep!” he squeaked. “You better not take this off again!” He adoringly tied the new friendship bracelet around Kazuki’s ankle.

“I promise. We’ll be the Golden Duo ’til death do us part.”

“Kazukiii!”

For the first time in a very long time, the two of them did their signature pose.

“Dishing it out!” they shouted.

Ah, this is exactly what I’ve been wishing for, and at last it’s become realit—

A voice cut through his reverie, dispelling the daydream. “Oh? You’re going to give me this bracelet?”

“Huh?”

Kazuki had disappeared from his side and been replaced by Otone. She was wearing the bracelet around her ankle instead.

“S-sis?! Why are you here?!”

“I was on my way to go pick up my boyfriend. See ya!” She dashed off, leaving a dazed Enta behind.

“Wait! That’s for Kazuki!” Enta returned to his senses and desperately scrambled after her. But when he made his way across the Azuma Bridge, he was greeted by an entirely different shocking sight.

 

“What are you guys doing?!” Enta flew down to his and Kazuki’s secret training area.

Students from another school were there, practicing soccer. They turned and looked back when they heard his voice. “Hey, if it isn’t Jinnai from Sara Junior High.”

“Heya! What’s up?” another called over to him.

Enta recognized the two. They were soccer players from a team he’d faced in competition last year. “This is our spot—mine and Kazuki’s! You can’t just use it without asking!”

“What the…? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Kazuki, that’s the other forward, right? I heard he quit soccer.”

“Seriously? Then what’s wrong with us using this spot?”

“Kazuki will be playing again soon!” swore Enta.

“You sure about that? He quit and left you hanging, didn’t he? Kinda pathetic to get your hopes up over someone who ditched you like that.”

“Shut up! I don’t care what you say!” Contrary to what he said, he leaped on one of them and started throwing punches.

“Ouch!”

“Jerk, what are you doing?!” The other grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and shoved him away.

For Enta, who was quick to pick a fight in spite of being weak, the odds of winning a two-versus-one fight were practically zero.

“Graaaaaaah!”

That didn’t stop Enta from charging toward them.

 

An imposing hush settled over the large conference room at the Asakusa Police Station, where a meeting was presently underway. A sign on the outside of the door read: Asakusa Suspicious Death Investigation HQ.

The chief’s voice echoed inside the dimly lit room. “We identified the body we found early this morning as twenty-seven-year-old Markiss Gimmemore, owner of the kisu specialty store Markiss’s Riverside Fish Market. Six months ago, he entered into a relationship with a woman for the purpose of committing marriage fraud. When she committed suicide, we suspected that he drove her to it. However, we failed to bring charges against him, and he was released. We’ll be investigating his death as a homicide.”

There was an audible ka-chik as the projector flipped through photo after photo of Markiss cozying up to different women. Honestly, what was with all these cutesy romantic pictures anyway? To the gathered officers, Markiss’s life looked more like a movie than reality. What did those girls see in this man? His face? Scam artist or not, being that popular was enough of a crime that he deserved to be behind bars. At least, that seemed to be the prevailing mood in the room.

Among those seated, two abruptly stood—Reo and Mabu.

“We’re the ones who reeled him in!”

“It was yesterday’s kiss!”

 

Yesterday evening, to be precise. The incident took place at the police box where the two worked.

“We’ve talked enough, haven’t we?” Markiss asked. “I have to get up early tomorrow to go fishing with my honey.”

“For those souls without beginnings or ends, those unable to connect…” Mabu held up a photo of Markiss out partying. A group of girls were hanging on his every word.

“Now, let us open a door…” Reo suddenly aimed the barrel of his gun at the man. “Is it desire?”

“Or love?”

A large taiko drum appeared above Markiss’s head.

“Desire Extraction!”

In the next instant, Markiss was absorbed into the drum and disappeared completely.

Scene 3

 

EVENING FELL on their practice spot. Enta was sprawled out on the ground. His face and body were covered in scratches, his training clothes ripped and torn.

“Whoa, hey, you jerks!”

“Ouch! Now you’ve done it!”

He could hear the faint sound of people quarreling. Someone else jumped in to fight in his place. Enta summoned the willpower to open his eyes. As he cracked them open, he spotted someone’s right foot…with a friendship bracelet tied around their ankle.

“Kazuki…?”

The other students yelled bitterly at the interruption. “Don’t get involved, this has nothing to do with you!”

After knocking one opponent to the ground, Kazuki stood protectively in front of Enta and said, “It absolutely does have something to do with me! Don’t lay a hand on our Golden Duo!” Kazuki then landed a beautiful roundhouse kick on the boy that was still standing.

And with that, the fight was over.

“Enta, are you okay?”

Enta struggled to his feet, his voice heavy with frustration as he said, “Kazuki…don’t put yourself in danger for my sake. If something happened to you, even death wouldn’t bring me peace!”

Kazuki smoothly extended his hand toward Enta. “Don’t worry. No matter what happens, we’ll be the Golden Duo ’til death do us part.”

The two of them immediately performed their signature pose.

“Dishing it out!”

Ahh, I could die happy right now.

“Nah, you’re not gonna die,” a voice interrupted.

“Huh?”

Enta was still splayed out on the ground when he came to. Toi hovered above him, looking down. “K-Kuji?! Why are you here?!”

“You suck at fighting.”

“Wh-where’d they go?! Don’t tell me you chased them off?”

“Nah. I just asked what they were doing, and they took off running,” said Toi as he began juggling the soccer ball they abandoned.

Enta could see the athletes from the other school in the distance, looking battered and worn-out as they ran off. “Damn it!”

“You know those guys?” Toi asked.

“They’re from a team we beat last year.”

“Aha.”

Toi didn’t express the slightest interest, but Enta continued anyway. Some of his wariness toward the other boy left him, perhaps because he’d just been utterly humiliated in front of Toi. “Our soccer team went pretty far in the competition, you know. Because…Kazuki was on our team last year. The day you transferred, Kazuki quit the team. But I still haven’t accepted it.”

“Not going to do you any good to obsess over someone who quit.” Toi was completely right.

“Ever since we were kids, this is where we practiced. But now that Kazuki’s gone, it doesn’t have any meaning anymore.”

After a pause, Toi said, “You guys are like brothers, then.”

“Yeah, I guess. And I know if things keep going like this, Kazuki’s never going to play soccer again.”

“Then—”

“If I give up our spot, it’s like accepting that it’s over. I want to be a team again, to pass the ball to Kazuki again. That’s why I need those Wishing Plates!”

Toi silently approached. Enta instinctively drew away as the other boy slipped past him. Then Toi glanced back and said, “I’m the one who’s going to nab those plates. I’m not handing them over to either one of you.”

It seemed that coming to an understanding with Toi would be impossible, after all. Enta focused on that instead of the guilt of not thanking Toi for helping him.

 

By the time the sun had set, Kazuki was out of his Sara outfit and sitting in the Kappa Plaza, pleading his case to Keppi.

“What am I going to do? There’s no kisu anywhere. All the fish markets in the city are sold out.”

“It’s the work of the Kappa Zombies, ribbit,” Keppi said, as if his answer were prerecorded. The plate on the top of his head spun around and lowered, revealing a mechanical arm that hoisted a TV into the air. A video of the Azuma Bridge was being streamed live on the screen. Since it was Keppi’s device, Kazuki could plainly see the Kappa Zombie, despite remaining in his human form.

In the middle of the bridge was a Kappa Zombie with the head of a kisu. Women lined up in front of it, each wearing a bridal gown. As they came up to plant a kiss on his lips, they too were turned into fish. He spotted a familiar figure among those girls still waiting for their turn—Otone!

“Sis?!” Enta exclaimed, rushing up in time to catch a glimpse of her. Toi followed just a few steps behind him.

On the monitor, Otone wore Enta’s friendship bracelet tightly around her ankle.

That was supposed to be for Kazuki, Enta thought as he demanded, “Keppi! Turn us into kappa!” He leaped forward without thinking.

“Desiiiire…Extractioooon!!”

Keppi slammed into Enta’s proffered butt.

 

“The object of this Kappa Zombie’s desire is kisses, ribbit.”

A little embarrassed by the word and its implications, Toi bashfully commented, “Well, my brother did say KISS is the devil.”

“It doesn’t matter, I need a kisu for Haruka!”

“And I need to get that friendship bracelet back!”

With a fire lit in all of their hearts, the curtain opened on the night’s battle.

 

“Kappature it!” Keppi cried as the three of them flew toward the creature.

“Quantity over quality! All that matters is how many kisses I’ve stolen!” said the zombie.

Disgusted, Enta replied, “You value the number of kisses over the quality?”

“I want to be loved by all the women of the world!”

“What the heck is this guy going on about?” Enta’s anger rose as he listened to the zombie’s assertions. “Kissing has no point if you do it with anyone! A kiss is how you express a love for someone that’s too strong to contain anymore!” With Kappa-Enta’s cry, the Kappa Zombie’s body began to fracture.

 

“Saraaa!”

“Saraaa!”

“Saraaa!”

And then all together, “Sarazanmai!”

As the transfer of the zombie’s shirikodama began, Enta realized for the first time just what he’d done. Plucking out the marble of energy meant that it would be his secret revealed next. It was too late to regret his actions now. Enta trembled with fear, anticipating what was to come as his vision blurred and transformed.

 

“Leaking.”

 

The first scene they witnessed was of the soccer team’s locker room. Enta snuck away during one of their breaks and was now standing in front of a locker with “Yasaka” written on the nameplate. Enta swiftly swung the door open and grabbed for Kazuki’s training clothes. He squeezed them against his chest and breathed out, pushing all the air out of his lungs. Then he buried his face in the fabric, drawing in the smell.

“Stop! Don’t waaaaatch!!”

He didn’t want this. Yes, he had wanted Kazuki to know how he felt, but this went above and beyond confessing his love to Kazuki. This was the one thing that he absolutely wanted to take to his grave!

Toi took the shirikodama from Enta. As he drifted in the seas of their shared consciousness, he felt conflicted. Was it appropriate for him to see whatever was about to be shown to him? But once begun, the “leak” couldn’t be stopped, and their consciousnesses began to combine.

The next scene was of a classroom, bathed in the light of a sunset. Once again, Enta ducked away from the soccer club to go rifling through Kazuki’s desk. What he pulled out was a recorder case. It was easy to imagine where this was going to lead.

Even though Toi wasn’t the one getting exposed by this leak, he still found himself wanting to scream, No more!

In the red glow of the classroom stood Enta, gripping Kazuki’s recorder in his hands. He stared unblinkingly at the tip before resolutely popping his mouth over it. Toi could feel the pleasure—the satisfaction that Enta felt at this almost-kiss—as if it were Toi’s own, though he wished he didn’t.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” he muttered.

The shirikodama shifted from Toi’s hands to Kazuki’s, and at last, the final scene began to play. It was from the night before, by the riverbank, when Enta planted a kiss on the sleeping Sara-Kazuki.

“Enta…kissed me?”

Since they were linked, Enta could feel Kazuki’s confusion directly. It was all he could do to scream, “It’s all ooooooooover!”

 

As the Desire Field over the Azuma Bridge dissipated, Otone regained consciousness.

“Where am I…?”

Despite the late hour, there were many other women walking around on the bridge. Otone saw her fishing equipment by her side and remembered the date she had planned.

“That’s right! I was supposed to meet up with him!” Panicked, she pulled out her cellphone, intending to apologize for being late, but then… “Huh? Hold on, who was I waiting for?”

In the image on her phone’s home screen, she now stood alone. The man who had been hugging her from behind disappeared from the picture.

 

Elsewhere in the city, Reo was riding on an underground elevator, a picture in his hand, as the image of Markiss slowly faded from the frame. “Humans sure are foolish. Their ties to one another are so fragile, but they cling to them anyway.”

Mabu listened quietly as a robotic voice announced, “Call incoming from the Empire. Call incoming from the Empire.”

The two immediately took a knee as they faced a pillar with a heart symbol on it.

“How otterly strange. There’s been a sharp decline in the amount of Desire Energy you’ve been sending us lately. I don’t doubt your loyalty, but I must remind you that betraying the Empire means death.”

Mabu kept his expression obedient and regretful as he replied, “Our most humble apologies. Meddlers have appeared.”

“Otterly unbelievable. I don’t want to hear your excuses. Endeavor to provide more.”

“As you say,” Reo replied with superficial courtesy, and the transmission ended.

Scene 4

 

“UNFORTUNATELY, today’s Wishing Plate is silver once again, ribbit.”

Enta accepted the dish, a cold sweat beading on his skin.

“Hey, Enta,” Kazuki called over, “about that kiss…”

“Huh?! U-uh, about that…!”

As Enta scrambled desperately to form a coherent reply, Toi stood in the background, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Considering the price Enta paid for their victory, he didn’t even entertain the idea of stealing the plate from him.

Kazuki, on the other hand, seemed completely indifferent. “I’m not really bothered by it. I’m guessing you lost a bet with someone on the team, right? That’s why you did all those things? It’s got nothing to do with me since I’m not on the team anymore anyway.”

Those words triggered something in Enta. “It absolutely does have something to do with you!” Once the words had been spoken, they couldn’t be taken back. Enta felt his stomach tie itself in knots. “You’re all I think about. I know the reason that you quit the soccer club and stopped smiling isn’t something I can fix. But the two of us playing soccer together meant everything to me! That’s why I thought it was my turn to finally… Aw, shoot!”

If he said any more, he might burst into tears. Enta decided to stop resisting and just get it over with. He put the friendship bracelet on top of the silver plate and held it out toward the other boy. “I love you! Be my partner—be a part of the Golden Duo with me for life!” He bent his head down, but he could still hear Kazuki gulp.

Finally, it’ll all be over. I can cut off my feelings and be rid of them once and for all…!

Kazuki reached out his hand and gently took the plate from him. “I understand how you feel now.”

Enta lifted his chin, shocked to find Kazuki smiling as he only ever did in Enta’s dreams.

“We’ll be the Golden Duo ’til death do us part.”

“K-Kazuki…!”

Kazuki inched forward toward Enta, the new friendship bracelet now tied around his foot. Enta mirrored his movement and took a step closer as well. Everything around them seemed to fade away, as if a spotlight had fallen on just the two of them. Kazuki reached out and placed a hand on Enta’s shoulder, gripping it tightly. Enta softly closed his eyes, lifting himself up on the balls of his feet to get closer. Their lips inched closer, closer—

“Kiss, kiss, ribbit~! ♡”

His eyes flew open to the sight of Keppi’s face. It was so close it was swallowing up his vision.

“Mmmwaah! I stole your kiss, ribbit!”

“Agh! Gyehhh!” Enta ran from the blushing Keppi and began emptying the contents of his stomach onto the ground.

Toi, who watched the whole thing from beginning to end, wore an expression on his face that almost seemed to say, See? I told you that KISS is the devil.

“Enta? What’s wrong?” The real Kazuki was preoccupied with writing a message to Haruka and completely missed the whole thing.

“Huh?! Uh, er, it’s nothing!” I knew it, Enta thought. I knew it was just another one of my delusions!

“Your clothes are all torn up too,” Kazuki noticed. “Did something happen?”

“Huh? Oh, this? I just took a bad fall, that’s all!”

“You really are a klutz, aren’t you, Enta?”

“Yeah, I sure am! Aha, ha ha ha!” he exclaimed with a dry laugh. Kazuki’s indifference both saved him and brought him crashing back down to reality countless times before. This time was no exception, and Enta elected to take advantage of his friend’s obliviousness to drop the matter.

Toi stared at Enta’s face and noticed something. Out of nowhere, a rat appeared on top of the silver plate Enta was holding.

“Meep, meep, meep!” It chomped down on the friendship bracelet and scurried away at a blinding speed, jetting into one of the drainage ducts that lined the streets.

A few seconds too late, Enta pathetically shouted into the duct after the little thief. “Wait! Aaah!!”

Scene 5

 

AS HARUKA SAT on a bench waiting, Enta approached.

It was a Sunday. Normally, Enta would do his morning practice at their secret spot before going to meet Haruka. This time, however, he had a glum look on his face. He plopped down on the bench and spat out, “Ugh, it’s no use. It’s pointless! Nothing I say seems to reach Kazuki at all.”

Haruka watched anxiously as the older boy raged on. “I mean, I’ve always known that, I just pretended I didn’t. But now I feel like a sumo wrestler doing a match all by myself—pathetic!” Enta lifted himself back to his feet, raising his arms up in the air as if he were about to stretch, the expression on his face no longer visible to Haruka. “I give up. I can’t do this. I’m not going to bother trying to get him back, and I’m not going to expect anything from him—”

“Enta?”

“Hm?” Enta glanced back to find Haruka holding his palm out toward him. Resting in the boy’s tiny hand was a slightly worn-out friendship bracelet.

“That bracelet…”

“I snuck it out of the trash. It’s the one Kazu-chan tried to throw away.” Haruka reached out and tucked the friendship bracelet into Enta’s hand. “I can’t keep up with him anymore, so…would you be the one to return it to him someday?”

“Huh, wait, no! I don’t have…” The right to, he intended to say, but he hesitated as he dropped himself back onto the bench. His feelings for Kazuki hadn’t changed; they were strong and impossible to get rid of. But Enta just proclaimed he was giving up his position as Kazuki’s best friend, and it made him anxious to consider accepting this bracelet and everything that went along with it.

“Everything will be okay!” Haruka said with a grin. “You two are the Golden Duo, right?”

Ever since Kazuki rejected him using those same words, Enta had been waiting for someone to say that to him. He closed his fist tight around the bracelet. Is it really okay for me to keep trying? he wondered. No, there’s no way I could ever really give up. After all, we are the Golden Duo!

“Thanks, Haruka!”

“Ehehe!”

As the two of them smiled at each other, a voice called in the distance. “Haruka! It’s time to come in!” They looked up to see Haruka’s mother waving her hand.

“Okay!” Enta called back energetically, lifting himself back off the bench.

“I had a really good dream today,” said Haruka.

“Really?” Enta asked as he unfolded the wheelchair propped up behind the bench. He helped Haruka settle onto it.

“Thanks for always doing this, Enta-kun,” said the boy’s mother.

Ever since Haruka lost his ability to walk, Enta unfailingly showed up every Sunday to accompany him to physical therapy.

“It’s my pleasure,” Enta replied to her before turning back to Haruka. “So, what kind of dream was it?”

“I hopped onto a huge Nyantaro and rode her all the way out to space. Then I met the prince of the stars!”

“Ha ha ha, what kind of dream is that?!”

And so that Sunday afternoon went by quietly like all the others before it.