Fikush-ON!

Ch. 36: Tea Stains in The Notebook

It was a rainy afternoon. Hirasawa's living room was dimly lit, creating a nice atmosphere. Only the two of us – Ui and I – were there. I decided to skip today's club activities in favor of coming here. Classes having ended only half an hour ago, our uniforms were slightly dampened by the rain, and we both had hung our coats to dry. Ui had luckily prepared for the rain by bringing an umbrella to the school. I had no such luck, so I had to resort to 'borrowing' a random umbrella from my school's umbrella stand. There's no problem with a bit of borrowing, since I'll bring it back tomorrow... if I remember to.

Anyway, Ui and I stood facing each other. Sure, usually we'd be having tea by now, but I had something else in mind, which I wasn't afraid to suggest. Ui was stupefied by my suggestion, nervously clasping her hands and keeping her eyes on the floor.

"I-I don't think we should..." she said quietly, her voice almost mumbling.

Yeah, I kinda saw that reaction coming. It was just something I suggested on a whim. However, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it.

"Come on, there's no harm in it," I tried to convince her.

Ui rubbed her palm slightly. "But, isn't it inappropriate?"

"So what? It's not illegal," I reasoned.

She still insisted on coming up with objections: "A-And, what if it hurts?"

I slowly shook my head. "It won't, I promise."

Ui raised her head slightly, giving me a quick glance, before turning to look at the balcony door. "...W-What if someone sees us? They might think... that..."

Letting out a quiet sigh, I took a step towards her. I raised my hand, bringing it close to her face. Straightening my finger, I used it to play with her hair a bit. Carefully, I brought my palm to her cheek in an attempt to soothe her. As she turned to look at me, our eyes met.

"Listen, Ui. It's something I want to do with you," I told her, keeping my voice low. "...But, if you really don't want to do it, then no problem, I understand. I just thought it'd be... an experience."

We stayed like that for a short moment as we stared into each other's eyes, my palm gently stroking her cheek all the while. Our eye contact was broken when Ui suddenly glanced at the floor, as if thinking. It wasn't long before her eyes returned to look at mine. After a bit of what seemed like hesitation, she nodded.

"...Okay. We... We can do it. If you really want to."

A faint chuckle escaped my mouth as I broke into a small smile. Giving her cheek one last stroke, I retracted my hand, taking a step backwards.

"Alright, then..." I muttered to myself.

I crouched down to pick up a pillow from the floor. I held it chest-high in front of me, using it as a shield.

"Okay, fists up!" I shouted like some coach.

Ui raised her clenched fists, quickly getting in a fighting pose. It didn't look too optimal, but whatever.

"Gimme right!"

After a second of hesitation, Ui threw her right fist at the pillow. The impact wasn't impressive, just a small thump. I could barely even feel it.

"Use your knuckles, not the bottom of your fist!" I instructed her. "Again!"

Nodding, Ui punched the pillow again. I still couldn't feel the impact, though I'm sure I knew why.

"Don't let your wrist bend, keep your arm straight!" I gave another instruction. "Again!"

Ui was frowning a bit as she concentrated. There was the slightest flash of determination in her eyes. I guess she was getting into this, huh?