Intermission: It’s Never What You Think It’ll Be
Intermission: It’s Never What You Think It’ll Be
Intermission: It’s Never What You Think It’ll Be
Intermission:
It’s Never What You Think It’ll Be
M OMOZONO JUNIOR HIGH’S CLASS THREE WAS buzzing with second-years, classmates reuniting with classmates. One of them, however, found herself in a less jovial mood.
“Oh, Oniisama,” Nukumizu Kaju sighed, gazing wistfully out the window. “How far apart we’ve grown.”
A taller girl came over to her. “What’s up, Nuku-chan?”
“Ah. Gon-chan.”
Kaju languidly lifted her chin from her hands. Gondou Asami was her closest friend in class, and certainly the tallest and most mature.
“Go on,” she urged with gentle concern. “Hit me with whatcha got.”
“Do you remember me saying my brother dearest made his first friend?”
“Oh, yeah. You were over the moon ’bout that.”
“And I still am. Honest. But this girl—she’s so pretty.” Kaju slumped over her desk like a ragdoll. “And it’s not just her. There’s another. Just recently, in fact, he let them both into his room without informing me, and it was a veritable war zone!”
“Sounds like the guy’s got moves,” said her friend. “He handsome or what?”
Kaju lurched up off her desk. “Of course he is! My Oniisama is the most wonderful and—” The fire in her eyes dimmed a little, snuffed by doubt. “You’d best watch yourself. I refuse to call you Oneesan one day.”
“Oneesan?” Gon-chan seemed to think this over. “I could get down with a girl like you for a little sister.”
“Gon-chan!” Kaju blurted.
“Kidding, kidding! But it’s a good thing he’s popular, yeah? Doesn’t that make you proud?”
“I know, it’s just…two? At once? And I haven’t even interviewed either of them!”
“Just the other day you were chattin’ my ear off about how you wanted him to have the best girlfriend in the world.”
“It’s just not what I thought it’d be,” Kaju whined. “I thought that when he promised his heart to someone, I would simply watch fondly from afar while the magic happened, but now he’s got one on each arm doing God knows what. Agh, there’s tragedy afoot, I just know it!” She collapsed onto her face once more, kicking and flailing her legs.
Gon-chan consoled her with a pat on the head. “There, there. You’ve always got me as a backup.”
“I don’t want you, I want Oniisama,” she moaned.
“Ouch. Rejected.”
Kaju sat back up. “You are my best friend, though, just so you know.”
“Gosh, you’re cute, y’know that? Just marry me already.”
“Nuh-uh.”
Kaju slumped back to her desk, comforted by Gon-chan’s head pats.
How the poor, hapless fourteen-year-old wished she could be happy for her dear, no-longer-friendless Oniisama, and for that to be the end of it. Unfortunately, emotions were complicated. Much unlike the soothing sensations of the comforting head pat.