the girl in the corner.

episode 9: are we only friends?

today, suzuki and i had planned to go to the neighborhood park and take a late night stroll.

it was friday, or perhaps saturday morning, so we didn't worry about school tomorrow.

she told me to wait by the park's entrance and she'll meet me there. both of us had agreed to sneak out, but suzuki was extremely anxious about it. i told her if she wanted to take a walk at times like these, she has no choice but to sneak out, and besides, she has to live her life as a teen. with a wary sigh, she agreed, and she texted me she was buying snacks then she'll come meet me.

in a few moments, i saw the dark haired girl appear under the streetlight with a plastic bag full of snacks. she smiled at me then trotted up to me, then we entered the park together.

"riki, do you like momoko?" was the first thing she asked me. momoko hatanaka was the popular girl who'd given me the box of taiyaki some days ago. the question surely caught me off guard, so i took a moment to answer.

"no?" unfortunately for me, my reply came out more a question than an answer. i saw suzuki side-eye me with her naturally sharp eyes, not buying my answer. i shook my head and continued.

"no, suzuki. i don't like her. she's not as nice as you." i smiled as i said the last part. suzuki hung her head and fiddled with her fingers.

"but she's way prettier than me..." she mumbled, her voice so low that if it wasn't for the tranquility of the night, i wouldn't have heard her. i kept quiet and let her continue. "she's...way more talkative, not shy.. she has good grades.. and she's popular, just like you. everyone likes her."

i pursed my lips at suzuki's last sentence. i am not everyone, and i certainly do not like momoko. my arm found its way on her shoulder and i pulled her closer to me.

"suzuki, i don't like her, there's nothing to like about her," i said firmly, rubbing her shoulder up and down in a reassuring manner. "she might be everything you said, but i seriously don't like her."

suzuki remained silent.

"but you ate the taiyaki she made you."

her last statement made me chuckle. "no i didn't!" i exclaimed quietly. suzuki looked at me with a surprised and somewhat relieved expression. "i gave it to my sisters. i was too shy to tell momoko that i didn't want it."

i heard suzuki release an airy sigh as i led her to a bench i spotted and we sat eating our snacks in silence. suzuki rested her head on my shoulder as she munched on her chips, and i let her be as i was used to the action by now. i discovered that suzuki was a very intimate person, and she'd be very touchy with people she likes, if she's comfortable. i'm glad she's comfortable with me, despite the short time we've known each other.

the silence we were engulfed in wasn't at all awkward. instead, we were just enjoying each other's presence and the tranquility of the night. suzuki and i are both reserved people, though i'm more outgoing and she's more introverted. nevertheless, we both enjoy solitude. i could use some alone time to rest a little from the chaos of my home and the students surrounding me at school.

"here," suzuki suddenly spoke, looking at me from underneath her lashes as she extended a hand which held my favorite gummies. my eyes flickered from the candy to her own, and she smiled and put them in my lap.

"for you," she said. "i know you like these. they were the last ones i found."

"then let's eat them together," i said quickly. her eyes turned from the empty park to me, and i smiled. "let's share them. we both like this brand."

suzuki chuckled lightly as i ripped open the plastic pack, giving her the first candy. she mumbled a "thank you" as she put it in her mouth.

for the next moments, we sat eating our favorite gummies in silence, with suzuki's head still on my shoulder and our bag of unfinished snacks at our feet. i had a hand on my knee as i ate the candy with the other and handed suzuki her share, and in some time i felt her small fingers hesitantly brush over the back of my hand. i flipped my palm over and held her hand, taking her by surprise as i felt her flinch on my shoulder. she soon relaxed and slowly closed her fingers around my hand.

i admit, i'm rather flustered by the situation i'm in.

the place was very silent right now. the only sound was that of the trees rustling against each other as a soft breeze blew through. suzuki was the one who broke the silence by asking me a question. i think her voice didn't break the silence at all, it just fit into it.

"hey riki," she began, and i hummed in response. "are we friends?"

i answered her within a heartbeat. "of course. we're friends."

suzuki kept quiet for a second, contemplating her next words. "are we only friends?"

her second question caught me off guard, and i remained silent. in about two seconds, though, i spoke again.

"we're the closest of friends. no one is closer friends than me and you."

i guess that wasn't the answer she expected. her hand left mine.