Kokuhaku: Part 1 of A Tanabata Story

Chapter 1

She strode down Atarachi High School's hallway with confident purpose, her long, straight, shining, black hair flowing out behind her like a samurai's war banner. The other students, gathered along the walls as they waiting for the school bell to ring in the first class period of the day, paused their conversations to watch her pass by.

The Miyamoto's were one of the school's founding families. Her father sat on Atarachi High School's board of directors and ran a successful tech company which was also a major contributor to the prestigious school.

Miyamoto Miko!

Her name wafted down the hall behind her in excited whispers of awe. She didn't seem to notice.

Jack Patrick only caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye, yet that brief sight was enough to hook some unexpected

place deep inside of him and snap his head around to the classroom windows facing the hallway. Class 1-A — the class with the top students of their year — was next door. He leaned after her as she entered it, straining for a better look.

"I see you've noticed Miyamoto-san." Hisakawa Takashi, sitting sideways in his chair at the desk in front of Jack, wore a crooked grin.

He was an average looking boy with rough-chopped hair and a narrow chin that make him look younger than his fifteen years. He struck Jack as the type person who tried too hard to be liked, the kind near the bottom of the social scale who were avoided or even bullied for drawing attention to themselves. Jack cast a quick sideways glance but none of their classmates seemed to take notice.

Yesterday had been the opening ceremony for the new year. That meant that today was the first full day of class. The other students cast anxious glances around the room, comparing their apparent social standing. The biggest fear of the typical first-year high school student was failing to get in with a good social group before all the friendships closed up. 

Ambitious students had come from all over Tokyo's western outskirts to attend the prestigious Atarachi High School. Because of this, few had arrived with the advantage of pre-established friendships from junior high school to serve as a social safety net. This only made the collective anxiety all the greater.

If Jack had been a native Japanese, he would probably have wanted to keep a polite distance from Takashi. But he wasn't. He was a — relatively — tall sandy-haired, hazel-eyed gaijin, an outsider who could never fit in despite having lived half of his life in Japan. If he had only been an exchange student, his exotic transient presence could have made him—if not actually popular—then at least interesting. But as an American ex-patriot living in Japan, he was more like the house guest who didn't know when to leave, who got in the way when the laundry needed washing and the futons needed airing. Instead of the starry-eyed foreigner gasping in wonder at all he saw, he was more like the distant relative who wouldn't leave and who knew too many things best kept private.

Screw them. Jack thought. He was sick of the timid herd-like mentality and having to follow all the obscure unwritten social rules. He knew better than to openly challenge the group and face the — sometimes passive, sometimes aggressive — group wrath that would follow. He had always tried to live his life quietly and avoid drawing attention to himself... but perhaps one friend was better than none.

He reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the windows. "Who?"

"Miyamoto-san. Miyamoto Miko! Everyone knows her."

Jack gave Takashi a wry smile. "Do you?"

Takashi's grin broadened. "I had a friend who went to the same junior high school with Miyamoto-san. He didn't make it into Atarachi, but he told me all about her. You may not know that besides being tall, beautiful and having big boobs, she's also scary smart. She's won a bunch of academic competitions throughout the ward.

Jack nodded toward the classroom next door. "I guess she'd have to be if she's in that class."

"She's also a star volleyball player and I hear she is fun to watch when she plays." Takashi held his cupped hands before his chest and made bouncing motions as he jiggled in his seat.

"So what's she like?" Jack wondered aloud. She was probably one of those shallow, materialistic, status-obsessed girls crowding the school's halls — maybe even the worst of them. "She must be full of herself."

Takashi shrugged. "Don't know. I've never actually talked to her. Few have the courage to try." He followed Jack's gaze as it drifted back toward the neighboring classroom. "You'd have to ask her fan club."

"Fan club?"

Takashi laughed. "Yeah. She already has a bunch of guys and girls who follow her every move. They practically stalk her — though from a distance. Every guy in the school — and even some of the girls — would love to date her. But they know it would only anger their jealous friends, so they've enforced an iron-clad hands-off policy toward her. No guy can date her. They can't even get close to her without facing the group's punishment.

"Is that so?" Jack muttered. Perhaps that's for the best, he thought. Reality so rarely lives up to expectations. Still...

He could imagine how his staring classmates would stumble and crash into each other if they saw him walking down the school hallways with such a beautiful girl at his side. The quiet gaijin who was as insignificant and unnoticed as air. By Japanese standards, he would be considered socially awkward and vaguely embarrassing. Everyone would want to know what a girl like that could see in him.

Jack restrained a slight smile. After all the dismissive looks and snide comments, such a thing would be very... satisfying. He shook his head. Something like that would never happen... and even if it did, it would be disastrous. Once they got over their collective shock, the entire school would hate him.

Better to continue avoiding attention, he thought, hammering nails that stick up and all that.

Takashi watched Jack. A knowing grin spread across his face. "Whatever you're thinking, you can forget it. She's w-a-y out of your league."

"Why? Because I'm a gaijin?" The words came out with unexpected bitterness.

Yes. But don't feel bad. She's out of everyone's league."

Takashi's comments stung. That they were true didn't make them any easier.

Takashi chuckled. "My friend said that a boy in junior high once confessed his love to her and asked her to be his girlfriend in a most embarrassing and public manner."

Omoiyari strikes again. Jack shook his head at the peculiar idea that profound feelings should simply be understood without having to be expressed. "It was probably the first time he had ever spoken to her. What did she do?"

Takashi shrugged. "She simply and politely told him she doesn't date."

"That's not so bad. At least she didn't laugh at him."

"She could have. He was an idiot. He went on to make kokuhaku to every girl in his year." Takashi stared off toward the hallway windows, his forehead pinching into a puzzled crease. He spoke pensively. "It's the way she talks to you. It's intimidating. She speaks like an adult and you can't help but feel like a stupid brat next to her."

Of course she'd live on a different level than the rest of us... But then it doesn't have anything to do with me. Jack let go of a faint and unexpected longing with a regretful sigh. "Some senpai will probably snatch her up."

"He'd have to be a pretty amazing specimen. I doubt even the third-years could impress her."