Loss 1: A Battle of Dimwits

Loss 1: A Battle of Dimwits

Loss 1:

A Battle of Dimwits

T HE FOURTH DAY OF FINALS CAME AND WENT. JUST one left. But that was the least of my worries. I was on my way to the club room after school, thinking back on what I’d witnessed yesterday.

Kaju had a crush.

Now, this was no cause for concern in and of itself. But Kaju was still in junior high, and frankly, that was far too young for her to be handing out chocolates to random guys she fancied. I mean, what if it was mutual?

Please. “What if”? Kaju was adorable. Of course it’d be mutual.

I entered the west annex, too absorbed in my thoughts to notice the figure lying in wait among the shadows by the stairs. It snatched my arm and yanked me aside into the dingy dark.

Basori Tiara, student council vice president, backed me into a corner and held me there with her ice-cold gaze. “You’ve been avoiding me, Nukumizu-san.”

“Huh? I don’t know what you…”

I couldn’t finish that sentence. Something about this girl triggered my fight-or-flight response.

She narrowed her eyes, reading the silence, then cast them down. “I knew it.”

“I-I’m not! Really! I’ve just been busy studying for finals. Was there something you needed?”

The tension left her with a breath. Easy as ever. “I was…wondering if you could help me again in that regard. With studying. Not out of the kindness of your heart, rest assured! This would be a proper transaction!”

Bit late for that, what with the last day being literally tomorrow.

Tiara-san’s grades were somewhat of a sore subject, something I learned the hard way during last year’s little kerfuffle. Thing was, she didn’t want anyone to know the truth, thus her asking me for help. This had become a bit of a common occurrence for us lately, though I wished she’d find a better place to ask for favors than beneath staircases.

“So, tomorrow’s mostly social studies,” I recalled. “Right. I’m really not all that good at those subjects. But hey, it’s pretty much all memorization anyway, so I’m sure you’ll manage.”

“Not every exam is social studies! There’s also, um…” She dug in her bag, yanked out a piece of paper, and squinted at it. “Health and anatomy…”

The awkwardness that filled the subsequent silence was palpable.

Tiara-san went red up to her ears, shaking like a leaf. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I’m aware.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, I swear!”

“I’m well aware. On that note, maybe we forget the whole tutoring thing.”

I started to leave when she suddenly threw her arms out wide and blocked my path. “How am I supposed to have something to thank you for then?!”

My brain gears creaked. She wanted me to tutor her… Specifically so she could thank me?

“Uh, no thanks necessary,” I said.

“B-but next week is… You know. You know what next week is.” Tiara-san traced the tip of her indoor slippers over the floor in fidgety circles.

Next week? Next week was Valentine’s, but there was a snowball’s chance in hell that that was what she meant.

“Oh, right. The open house that weekend. The student council gonna help us out?”

Tsuwabuki High School held open houses every so often for prospective junior high students in the city. It was an opportunity for them to get a feel for the culture and the clubs. Which meant our gang had to decide on how best to welcome prospective future members.

The gears stopped creaking. It all made sense now. She wanted help studying, and in exchange she could pull a few strings.

“I’m sorry?” she spat. “The what ?”

Swing and a miss.

“Not that? Then what—”

Suddenly, my mouth turned to cotton. Darkness darker still than our dim nook crept toward us.

“Bad girl…spotted.” Shambling from the void, clad in malice, came the student council secretary, Shikiya Yumeko.

Shikiya-san plopped her barely attached head onto Tiara-san’s shoulder from behind. The aforementioned kerfuffle last year had been heavily centered around her and Tsukinoki-senpai. Ever since, though, she was seeming more lively. Pun unintended.

“Senpai?!” Tiara-san sputtered. “Wh-what are you—”

Her senpai waved languidly at me. “Nukumizu-kun… Long time no see.”

“Three days, actually,” I corrected her with a wave.

“Can you please stop making me into a flirt sandwich?” Tiara-san griped between us.

“We’re not flirting… Are we, Nukumizu-kun?”

“Not in the slightest.” We shared a nod.

This did not please Tiara-san.

Sensing this, Shikiya-san hoisted her arm up and patted her on the head. “I’ll…tutor you.”

“Huh? But—” Tiara-san jolted like she’d been struck by lightning. Shikiya-san was feeling around her back.

She cocked her head, confused. “Tiara-chan…your bra.”

Hanging her head ominously, Tiara-san let out a confident chuckle. “You thought I’d just lay down and let you keep up your antics, didn’t you?” She spun around and thrust her chest out. “Well, guess what? I switched to front hooks! Just try undoing them now!”

Uh, they knew I was still here, right?

“Oh? This…is not unwelcome.” Shikiya-san’s hand glided forward, and between Tiara-san’s ribbons, through the gaps in her shirt, she slipped her fingers.

“Can I help you, Senpai? Er, wait.”

“Done.”

Tiara-san threw her arms over her chest. “No, you didn’t—you actually did it?!” She froze like a statue and turned to look at me with all the grace of one. “W-were you looking?”

That I was. I nodded thusly. “Not sure what I’m looking at exactly, but you might wanna keep your fetishes to yourselves.”

“That’s not what this is! And stop looking!”

Well, that was kind of out of my control, now, wasn’t it?

Shikiya-san beckoned to her and whispered in her ear, “Your size is off…”

“Huh?! I-I know my size! I’m not delusional!”

That was some hole she was digging for herself. And all without a shovel.

I started to sidle my way out. Clearly, I wasn’t wanted here. “I’ll just excuse myself. You two enjoy yourselves.”

“Mm,” Shikiya-san grunted. “Bye.”

“Nukumizu-san! You’ve got the wrong idea!” Tiara-san pleaded. “That’s not what this is!”

“Mm-hmm. Not at all. I totally get it.”

I hurried off. I knew the rules. Men had no place in yuri.

If that wasn’t what I’d just witnessed, then I had a few questions.

***

I took a deep breath. There, in a lonely corner of the west annex, was the club room, and just beyond it was an emergency meeting waiting to be held. The timing might not have been the best, seeing as we all had finals, but this took priority.

Kaju was more important than some test.

“Sorry. I’m here,” I announced as I entered.

I found Yanami Anna and Komari Chika inside, side by side, facing the wall, mouths stuffed with huge sushi rolls.

But why, though?

Komari started hacking and placed her half-eaten roll onto a paper plate. “N-no way. I-it’s too big.” She downed some tea and wiped some tears before finally deigning to glare at me. “T-took you long enough. Yours is there.”

Mine? I followed her eyes to another massive roll. Just rolling around.

“One for each of us? Those things are huge.”

“Sh-shut up and swallow. Like a noodle.”

She had to be joking. That thing belonged in its own size class. Yanami-class. Heck, I doubted that even she could—

“Whew. Sheesh, you’re slow. We ate without you.”

I whipped around toward the voice just as Yanami was crossing her legs and dabbing her lips with a handkerchief. She’d inhaled her entire roll during the span of my short altercation with Komari.

Fearfully, I went to sit across from her, but as soon as I sat, Yanami pointed her finger at the wall behind me. “This year’s ehou is backwards. Chop chop.”

So these were ehou-maki. I thought the whole point of those was not to chop. It explained them eating them facing the wall like freaks, though. Good luck and all that.

“Wasn’t Setsubun yesterday?”

“Yep. Made too much, so figured I’d share.” She peeled away the cellophane on the remaining ehou-maki and thrust it at me. “Now less talking, more eating. I stuffed yours with extra sakura denbu.”

I hated sakura denbu.

Komari regarded my hesitation with detest. “D-down the hatch.”

There was at least half of hers that was visibly not in her hatch.

“Maybe when we’re, uh, done here,” I said. “Yakishio still missing?”

“Lemon-chan’s in remedials,” Yanami chimed in.

“Remedials? Exams aren’t even over.”

Frowning, Yanami started nibbling on Komari’s half-eaten roll. Was that bad luck? “The teachers saw her grades for the first round, and now she’s got a special task force. They think she might get held back if she doesn’t get serious.”

Things were that bad, huh?

“All right, well, we’ll leave her to her ‘task force.’ There’s an important reason I asked you all to be here.”

While I did my best to keep from manifesting a future wherein I had to hear Yakishio call me “Senpai,” I took a box out of my bag.

“What’s all that?” Yanami chirped.

“Less talking, more eating.”

I lifted the lid, and she squealed in delight. Inside, neatly displayed, was a colorful assortment of chocolates. The Kaju Special (attempt number three).

“Oh my gosh, these are so cute. They’re for us? For the record, I’m pretty picky when it comes to chocolate.” She was picky. Full stop. “These are dark, and I’m guessing these are milk? Oh, these have caramel inside! Come on, Komari-chan, have some before they’re gone!”

A truly unpreventable tragedy that would be.

Timidly, Komari tried one. “P-pistachio. Are these h-handmade?”

“By my sister,” I replied. “They’re samples for Valentine’s Day. And this,” I picked up a red heart-shaped one, “is what she intends to give to someone who isn’t me.”

Yanami and Komari froze in place, arms still outstretched.

I glanced between them. “She won’t tell me who. What I want you two to help me with is to understand. Understand what a junior high school girl could possibly be thinking, giving chocolate like this to some mystery individual behind her brother’s back.”

Silence.

“There’s stuff in this one, Komari-chan.”

“H-hm. Almonds, maybe?”

Chewing.

“Uh, hello? Did you guys hear me?” I asked.

Yanami and Komari exchanged glances.

“She’s prob’ly got a crush,” Yanami replied flippantly.

“D-definitely a boy,” Komari agreed.

They weren’t processing the gravity of this situation. I cleared my throat. “Context: She’s apparently got plans to meet a boy on the fourteenth, but I think that’s a front. That’s just not the meta anymore for chocolate-giving. Too overdone. I’m worried this guy might be bad news. What if he’s tricking her? What if he gets her wrapped up in some kinda, I dunno, death game or something? She needs to introduce me. I’m her brother. That’s just—”

“Yeah, that’s crazy.” Yanami and Komari started digging out textbooks and notebooks. “Komari-chan, I’ve got last year’s questions for tomorrow’s tests. Want ’em?”

Komari croaked. “Wh-where’d you get those?”

And now this was a study sesh.

“Can either of you two take this even a little bit seriously?” I begged.

Yanami sighed hard and heavy, twirling a red ballpoint pen in her fingers. “What do you want from us that you haven’t figured out yourself? Look, dude. She’s probably just a mess of nerves right now. That happens when you’re in the early stages. Just leave her alone.”

Komari bobbed her head in agreement. “B-be understanding. She’ll just d-double down if her family starts c-coming down on her.”

“But she was making that chocolate right in front of me,” I argued. “What if it was a cry for help, or—”

“It wasn’t. You seriously don’t know the first thing about romance, Nukumizu-kun.”

“N-nope. And he should f-feel bad about it.”

Like they had any more experience than I did.

Still, the experts had spoken. If two high school girls thought Kaju had a crush, then objectively speaking, she probably did. And suspect number one was none other than the enigmatic “Tachibana-kun.”

But on the other hand, what was objectivity but the subjective consensus? This was the lit club. Were a couple of feasters of fiction a statistically significant sample size? And what if I was overcomplicating this whole thing? So what if she was handing out handmade chocolate on Valentine’s Day. That didn’t necessarily mean anything romantic. Was there not a crass saying about assumptions and what they make of you and me?

I went back and forth in my head endlessly. Minutes flew by. I lost track of how many.

Komari glanced at the clock on the wall, stuffed her things in her bag, and stood.

“Heading out?” Yanami asked.

“I-I’m on library duty.”

“Ah, today’s your day, huh?” The club had a close relationship with the library. They weren’t lending books during exam season, but students still used it as a study spot. “Sure you don’t need to prep more? Nukumizu-kun can go instead.”

I didn’t recall volunteering myself.

“I-I can still study. I’ll o-only be sitting at a desk.”

Komari went on her way. Yanami, meanwhile, reached for more chocolate, turning her eyes back down to her textbook. “What about you? Tests going all right? You been kinda antsy all day.”

“I’m not thinking about tests. Kaju could be in trouble. If this guy’s dangerous, I need to be ready to step in.”

Yanami shook her head wearily, as if I were crazy or something. “Okay. So when’s she actually handing over the chocolate?”

“Uh, Valentine’s Day, obviously.”

“Okay. And Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday this year. So she’s going out of her way to see this guy on a day off. Which means they’re either already dating or they’re about to be real soon.” Yanami flipped a page.

“What? But she’s never mentioned being interested in anyone before, or even acted like she was. She’s at home with me pretty much all the time.”

“Then they got close at school or something, I dunno. It’s probably been a long time coming, so don’t butt in and ruin it.”

Impossible. I shook my head. “What if they’re meeting up as a group? Kaju’s not like me. She’s got tons of friends.”

“Then just ask her. If it’s not a date or something personal, she should open right up.”

Now she was talking sense. I took my phone out. “Might be something in the calendar. I’ll check.”

Yanami looked up from her textbook, scrunching her nose. “Why are your sister’s plans in your phone?”

“I dunno. We share storage or something.”

She scooched her chair away from me. “You’re giving me the ick, Nukumizu-kun.”

“Hey, she’s the one who set it up! And I can’t change it ’cause it’s password locked.”

I pulled up February in the calendar app, then checked next weekend. Valentine’s Day was empty.

Well, it’d been worth a shot. I started to close the app, when I noticed something on the weekend before. This Saturday.

‹Toyokawa Inari with Tachibana-kun ♡ ›

I set my phone face down on the table. Couldn’t jump to conclusions. Had to think about this rationally…

Rationally…

…

Yeah, no. Date. A thousand percent, that was a date.

Tachibana-kun was that guy Kaju had been on the phone with. Assuming, of course, they were a guy from the whole “-kun” thing. And you didn’t call your senpai that, so he had to be either the same year or one below. Unless he was just weird like that, but assuming he wasn’t…

Tachibana. Tachibana-kun. I knew the kanji in your name now, Tachibana-kun.

“Who the hell is Tachibana-kun?!” I clutched my head in my hands.

Yanami tapped the table. “Hi, hello, some of us are trying to study here. Would you get a grip? You’re freaking out over nothing.”

“It’s the exact opposite of nothing! Kaju has a date this weekend!”

I thrust my phone at her. She squinted at it. “A what? How’s a study session a date?”

Oh, so we were doing riddles again? I turned the screen back to me, and the previous entry was gone. Replaced with something else.

‹Studying with friends›

What? No. What?

“Hang on a sec, I swear this said ‘Toyokawa Inari with Tachibana-kun’ literally seconds ago! It had a friggin’ heart emoji and everything!”

She must have changed it to keep me from finding out. Which meant she had some kind of reason she didn’t want her family to know. Which meant they were up to no good. That was the final straw. Time for Big Brother to step in.

Just then, Yanami’s hand came down on my shoulder. How long had she been standing there? “You need a nap, my friend.”

“No, I’m serious. She’s got a date this weekend, and she’s trying to hide it from—” She stuffed my mouth full of chocolate. Black currant.

“Better? Here, have some tea.”

“Thanks. Yeah. You’re right. Maybe it is just a study group.” It had to be. Yeah, that made way more sense. “I had to have been seeing things.”

“Yes, sir.” Yanami nodded gently.

“I mean, she’s only a second-year in junior high. Boyfriends? Dates? She’s way too young for any of that.”

“For sure.”

“Right? Kaju doesn’t have a crush. My Kaju is a good, hardworking student. She’s on the student council, for crying out loud. You know, I think maybe you and Komari might have had your heads in the clouds a bit.” I nodded, convinced with myself.

Someone muttered something along the lines of, “Cheeky little…”

“Hm? You say something, Yanami-san?”

“You know what, Nukumizu-kun, I take it back. I think you were right the first time. She’s totally going on a date.”

Was she on my side or not?

“It literally says ‘studying’ on the calendar, though.”

Yanami dropped back into her chair and threw one leg over the other. “That’s a front if I’ve ever heard one. You know what your sister’s actually gonna be doing? Going on a date at Toyokawa Inari with that Tachibana-kun fella. She’s gotta feel things out before the big day. It’s the oldest trick in the book.”

“No. I was seeing things. It’s not a date.”

Yanami had no proof. It was all in my head now. And synapses wouldn’t hold up in a court of law.

“Sure, tell yourself that. But fact is your sister’s a pretty girl and crazy popular. Popular girls go on dates.”

And there went my entire argument.

“Fine, yeah, that day will come eventually, but not anytime soon. And you’re seriously telling me that I somehow, coincidentally, happened to hallucinate the exact time and place she’s going to be? Please. Kaju’s not you, Yanami-san. She’s an honest girl. She wouldn’t do something like that behind my back.”

Yanami’s brow twitched. “Oh yeah? Wanna bet?” I flinched. She didn’t. “If your sister’s on a date this Saturday, I win. If she’s not, you do.”

“Sure, all right. But how do we even figure that out?”

“It’ll be at Toyokawa Inari, yeah? We’ll be done with exams by the weekend. We can just go see for ourselves.”

“All right. Yeah. But I hope you’re ready to lose, because Kaju’s not going to be there,” I taunted.

“Oh yeah? How about you put your money where your mouth is.” The corners of her lips curled up. “There’s a ton of stalls and food places around that area. Loser pays.”

“That sounds—” I nearly said “reasonable.” I was simple to please. As far as food stalls went, an inarizushi or two was enough to satisfy me. “Wait a minute, that sounds way better for you than it does for me.”

“What’re you afraid of? I thought you were confident. Heck, I’m the one at the disadvantage, since we could totally just miss her entirely.”

“True. That does even things out.”

Yanami went back to her notes, humming happily. “There’s this place that makes their own inarizushi, and they come in all sorts. I’m thinkin’ I could run the gauntlet. I mean, you can pretty much eat ’em in one bite. Oh, hey, you want last year’s world history questions?”

“Uh, sure, might as well take a look.” I took the papers from her, and then I had a thought. How even were these odds, really? “You know, on second thought, I don’t really wanna tail my—”

“Don’t forget. This is yours.” Yanami thrust the forgotten sushi roll at me.

“But I’m not—”

She beamed. “For luck.”

I took it, for lack of another option. And I ate. Facing the wall.

***

Saturday morning. Finals were behind us.

Kaju did a twirl in front of the mirror by the front door and patted her collar down. She wore a light brown coat hemmed with white fluff at the ends, a pair of booties, and a flower ornament adorning her hair. Quite the ensemble for a study session.

Noticing me, she turned and smiled. “Lunch is in the fridge. All you need to do is heat it up.”

“Gotcha. Be safe.”

She stayed. It took me a few seconds to realize she was waiting for something.

I patted her on the head.

She giggled. “Off I go!”

I saw her off with a wave and, when she was gone, checked my watch. Ten o’clock exactly. I took out my phone and made a call.

It rang only twice. “So?” There was a seriousness to Yanami’s tone that infected me.

“Yeah. She went out. And awfully dressed up too, but other than that, she was the same as always. I’m still thinking it’s a study session.”

“What kinda bag did she have?” she asked for reasons unknown.

“Small one. Hung from a strap on her shoulder.”

“Not on your life is it a study session. How’s she gonna fit a textbook in that?”

That was awfully observant for Yanami of all people. And here I was deluding myself. I didn’t like being on this end of the dynamic.

“Maybe,” I admitted. “Or maybe they’re just going out to have fun.”

“Maybe,” she humored me. My argument was as wet tissue paper to her. “But that’s what we’re about to find out. Get ready to move.”

“Why do we even need to do this together? I could just go on my own.”

“And say what when your sister finds you stalking her?” I choked on my pitiful words. Yanami went for the kill. “Let’s go gambling, Nukumizu-kun.”

***

My watch read just past eleven. I stepped outside Toyokawa Station and shuddered against the chilly wind that greeted me. It was a biting, dry cold, typical of eastern Mikawa.

“Shoulda worn a scarf,” I mumbled. Tiara-san had given me one last Christmas. I’d decided not to bring it. For reasons.

Yanami shivered, tightening her coat around her body. “Where do you think you’re going, Nukumizu-kun?” She skipped down the stairs after me, then nudged me with her elbow.

“You were looking at the map. Didn’t wanna bug you.”

“We’re going to the same place, dude. You coulda looked with me.” She whacked me on the back. “You’re so rude sometimes.”

I was starting to regret letting her tag along.

“I’m sorry, okay? Can we go now? It’s freezing. I think it’s that way.” I pointed past some fox statues at a big, torii-esque gate that read “Toyokawa Inari Omotesando,” skillfully ending the current topic of conversation. There was a cozy shopping street just past it leading straight to the temple.

As I passed through it, Yanami whipped her finger at me. “You ready for this? Don’t forget our bet.”

“I know. If Kaju’s on a date, you win. If she isn’t, I win.”

The street was bustling, which I might have anticipated given it was a weekend. I caught myself eyeing couples and scoffed inwardly. What was I so worried about? Kaju? On a date with some guy? Yeah, right. As if she cared about anyone as much as she cared about her Oniisama.

“Hey,” Yanami said, “why’d that bookstore we passed earlier have all those masks?” I started to turn to her when she suddenly yanked me by the arm. Was she gonna let me answer her? “Hang on, this drugstore’s sign is so cute! Get my picture!”

Whatever her problem was today, she was doing a good job at making it mine. She struck a pose, so I quickly snapped her oh-so important picture.

“You get my good side?” she asked.

The sign’s, yeah. She was a little out of frame, but eh.

“It’s a sizzler. I’ll send it to you later. Can we go now?”

The crowd only thickened as we neared the end of the street and came closer to the temple. How would we find Kaju in this?

We wouldn’t. We wouldn’t , of course. Because she wasn’t here. But if she was…

“Hey, Yanami-san—”

But Yanami was gone. I scanned the area until I spotted her trotting back with her hands full of senbei.

“Here, for you. It’s fresh.”

I accepted, but sheesh, that cracker was huge. Bigger than Kaju’s face. “Why for me?”

“I told you we were gonna do the rounds. Better finish that before we get to the next one.”

I would have liked to have even a little say in the matter, but sure. She was already more than halfway done with hers.

“Remind me why we didn’t invite Komari or Yakishio,” I said.

“What? Am I not good enough for you?” Yanami shot me a glare, her senbei already mere crumbs. She said it, not me.

“It’s just, y’know, exams are over. Would’ve been nice to unwind with everyone.”

“We’re trying to be discreet here. We’d scare your sister off if she saw all four of us bumbling around together.” She fiddled with her hair, shyly twirling a lock around her finger. “And I was sorta looking forward to today.”

“What? You…”

Yanami had been looking forward to…today? To going out with me?

She nodded. “Toyokawa Inari has a branch in Akasaka, in Tokyo. It’s big for people looking to cut ties.”

There was the plot twist.

“I’m sorry? What? Whose ties?”

“Keep up. It’s like, you go and pray for new beginnings. And since this is the main branch and all, I figured it must work even better, right?”

Was that how the temple hierarchy worked?

“So you’re looking to, uh, cut ties with something? Some one ? Feel free to not answer that.”

She exercised that right and simply smiled, wandering off toward an inarizushi place.

Not a chance in hell was I touching that, so I people-watched instead. A wide demographic had come out here looking for their own divine something-or-other. From old folks, to families, to young couples.

And then I remembered how Kaju had begged our mom to paint her nails this morning. She’d forgone makeup, but still, even I could tell she’d put some real effort into her appearance today.

“Uh, Yanami-san?”

She’d vanished on me again. I decided to sit still and nibble on my senbei until she chose to show herself again. It was my first time having a rice cracker this freshly baked, and I had to say, I was impressed. Aromatic. Toasty. Delicious.

Large. Very large.

Yanami’d swallowed the thing like it was made of paper. It took a little more effort on my part.

By the time I finished, I spied her hurrying over with another armful of stuff. Between her teeth, longways, she held a length of chikuwa with a tube of bamboo shoved through the hollow center. The sight reminded me of a dog from some old anime.

“Nuhmzuhn,” she garbled, “hakhis.”

Based on the way she was jutting her jaw out at me, I could only assume she was asking me to take the chikuwa out of her mouth.

I did, and she exhaled. “You back on planet Earth? I had to get your stuff myself, ’cause you were all spaced. It’s a good thing I’m nice.”

And yet I hadn’t asked.

“Who are you feeding? A village? We supposed to eat all of that at once?”

“I said what I said. We’re doin’ the rounds.” How many, exactly? “I’ve got lots. Warabimochi, fried inari, tsukune inari—oh, and this is an Okitsune Burger.”

“An ‘Okitsune Burger’?”

It did indeed look like a burger, but with fried tofu for buns and pork cutlet for the meat. Which was also fried. Never had there been such a perfectly Yanami piece of cuisine since meat-wrapped onigiri.

“I also got this,” she said. “It has ten different types of handmade inarizushi. Figured we could go halfsies.”

I managed to find a box somewhere in the mountain that looked like it probably held what she was talking about. “There’s only five in here.”

“They were real good. Can confirm.” Halfsies it was, then. “Hey, don’t let me keep you. Go on. You can have that chikuwa.”

There was no way she’d carried that thing in her mouth and assumed I would eat it. “I’m good, thanks. It’s all you, Yanami-san.” I held it out for her.

“Sideways, please. Little up. There. That’s good.”

Yanami started nibbling on it like it was corn on the cob. The cob being the bamboo in the center. I was reminded of an experience feeding chickens in elementary school. But feeding a human girl in the middle of the street was an altogether much more humiliating scenario to find oneself in. People were staring.

“Not that I’m against sampling the local specialties, Yanami-san, but can we please go pay our respects yet?”

“The quicker we eat, the quicker we can go.” Bits of fishcake rose on her cheeks as she smirked. “Hope you’re hungry, Nukumizu-kun.”

I took it my involvement was nonnegotiable.

***

Yanami gawked at the grand, stone torii gate as we passed through along the approach to the temple. “Holy jeez, that’s huge. Guess that’s what you get when you’re the biggest shrine in Mikawa.”

“Toyokawa Inari is a temple, Yanami-san.”

“It…it is?”

“Yes.”

Might have been good to know if she was gonna be begging gods for favors.

“So we don’t need to do the money offering thing.”

“Yes, we do.”

Was this girl born yesterday?

Ignoring her, I tossed a coin into the box and put my hands together. I already knew what to pray for. It’d been the same thing for as long as I could remember: my family.

I glanced aside at Yanami and caught her quietly yet fervently chattering to herself. Part of me wanted to know what in the world she was wishing for, but a much more pragmatic part told me I absolutely didn’t.

When she’d finished her curse—ahem, prayer , she opened her eyes again.

“So what’d you wish for?” I dared to ask. “Feel free to not answer that.”

She exercised the right yet again, evasively spinning around on her heels. That was answer enough for me.

I scanned the grounds from my vantage point at the top of the steps leading to the temple proper. No Kaju.

“What’re you all antsy for all of a sudden?” Yanami asked.

“We came here to see if Kaju was on a date, and all we’ve done is goof off.”

Yanami peered at me, amusement in her eyes. “Oh, didn’t you say we wouldn’t find her here? Having second thoughts?”

“There’s always a one-in-a-million chance. You can never be too careful. And if she is here, I ought to know. She’s too young for dates.”

“Look,” she said, shrugging, “it’s really not that big a deal. You’re in over your head, buddy.”

And you’ve never had a boyfriend, I quipped in my head.

“Okay, then what sort of deal is a date, professor?”

“Not much, when you get down to it. Just a guy and a girl spending time together, doing stuff together, thinking about how they feel about each other. Figuring out if they click.” Yanami started bouncing down the stairs.

I followed. “There’s no way it’s that simple.”

“It literally is. Heck, the way you walk together can tell you a lot, just by how fast they go or how their pace matches yours. It’s all one big dance, Nukumizu-kun.”

She suddenly stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs. I had to lurch to the side to keep from ramming into her. “Like how guys are supposed to walk on the street side of the sidewalk?”

“Sorta, but not exactly. Not to say being considerate doesn’t go a long way.” She gave me an oddly accusatory look then. “But also you’ve got folks like Kawasaki-chan. Some people prefer headstrong types who don’t go out of their way for you. Different strokes and all that.”

Kawasaki-chan? Who the heck was Kawasaki-chan? Someone who liked headstrong types, apparently.

I thought about this “Kawasaki-chan” while we walked, until Yanami tugged my hand. “Look! Reikozuka! Let’s check it out!”

I vaguely recalled there being a hill or something with that name. It was supposed to have like, hundreds of fox statues.

“All right, you don’t have to pull me.”

We continued down a side path that led to the mound, with Yanami leading the way.

Somehow, we were alone.

About a million nobori flags—long, vertical banners attached to thin poles—flanked us on both sides. It gave the path a surreal, almost otherworldly atmosphere. Like it was a long portal to another world.

I turned to look at the girl now walking at my side. It was easy to forget amidst all the, well, everything, but Yanami Anna was a seriously pretty girl.

Joining the literature club had only been an escape for her. A way to get away from her childhood friend, Hakamada Sousuke, after he broke her heart. But she was spending more and more time with him again these days, and even with his new girl, Himemiya-san. Far as I could tell, she didn’t need an escape anymore.

So what was she still doing here, keeping up with our boring little club? Wasting her day off humoring my worries about Kaju?

“Need something, Nukumizu-kun?”

“Huh?” I realized I’d been staring.

Yanami returned the favor. “I know I’m irresistible, but you could at least pretend to control yourself.”

“I was—I was just looking at your face,” I blurted. To my demise.