Intermission: Friends at Dusk

Intermission: Friends at Dusk

Intermission:

Friends at Dusk

A N OLD AND BUZZING FLUORESCENT BULB ILLUMINATED Momozono’s greenhouse. It was after hours now, but the gardening club hadn’t gone. Not everyone. Gondou Asami, second-year, class one, still lingered, facing a small potted tree.

A pair of pruning shears in hand, she was calm as a lake. Unmoving. Without taking her eyes off her work, she muttered, “You know no one’s allowed in here, Nuku-chan.”

Nukumizu Kaju’s long dark hair swayed. She smiled. “Not unless they have reason to be. Here’s this month’s newsletter, Gon-chan. Courtesy of the student council.”

Gon-chan emptied her lungs and set the shears aside. “Thanks. Late again, eh?”

“Being vice president’s a lot harder than I thought, I’ll admit, but it’s for a good cause. I want to see our graduating students off right.” Once her friend had the newsletter, she leaned in for a closer look. Little, handlike branches jutted this way and that. “Another bonsai tree?”

“Our old supervisor, Takamatsu-sensei, retired last year. Left this behind.” She took up the shears again and examined the branches.

Kaju watched in silence for a while, gathering her courage. “You’re sure about this?”

“About what?”

Another moment for courage. “Tachibana-kun. You’re close, aren’t you?”

“Went to the same youth club. We’re close, I guess. Friends. Family. Hard to describe.” For an instant, she seemed to remember something fondly, but the instant passed and stoicism ruled her expression again.

“You’re my best friend, Gon-chan. That’s why I came to you when he told me how he felt. I didn’t know how to process it on my own.”

Kaju waited for a response. And waited some more.

When it was clear she wouldn’t get one, she gathered yet more courage and continued, “You’re seriously, genuinely okay with it if things work out?”

The shears cut air. “They haven’t already?”

Kaju faced her friend. She was a hard nut to crack, that was for sure. “I think he’s going to confess. The day after tomorrow. The fourteenth.”

“And the world’ll keep turning. For me and Satoshi both.”

Kaju nodded. She had a point sometimes.