Sleeping Bunny

Chapter 1

  It all started with one letter. It all started with the letter that he had sent as a joke.

The letter was lying around on top of the kitchen table. On the surface, an unknown script neatly spelled out, "Satomi Kouichi-sama". Kouichi flipped over the envelope, a piece of bread left over from the morning's breakfast dangling from his mouth. He couldn't find the sender's name. Thinking that it was a suspicious DM(Direct Mail), he carelessly ripped the letter open.

< Greetings,
Pardon me. Thank you for your letter. >

Kouichi cocked his head curiously. For the last few years, he had written nothing but seasonal greetings and get-well-soon letters.

< I'd like to meet you. >

He couldn't tear his eyes away. It was as if his gaze was nailed to the spot. Confused, he ran up to his room on the second floor, tightly clutching the letter in his hands.

"Stop running in the house; it's noisy!"

His mother's angry voice, which was louder than his stompings, rang throughout the house. He locked his room's door and spread the letter open, the tips of his fingers trembling.

< I will wait for you this week Sunday, 2 PM at coffee shop "Malrene", located at 2nd floor of Haruka building, next to Kase Station's main street. >

The corners of his mouth loosened up and his face became a bright red. He was sick and tired of hearing about other guys who received "love letters", but Kouichi himself never received a love confession, much less a love letter, even though he was already a high school sophomore.
This was the first time in his life. He read up to the last line (meanwhile, Kouichi's mind quickly went through the faces of all the girls he have met up til now, concentrating on the cute ones) and then he thought something was wrong with his eyes.

< Itou Hirokazu >

No matter how many times he stared at it, it didn't change from "Itou Hirokazu". There was a slight problem... actually, a huge problem with it being a girl's name.
He started to read the letter all over again.

< I like you. I'd like to meet you. >

Words that made him happy to the verge of tears were written there.
But it's Itou Hirokazu.

"Hey, that's not even funny..."

His masculine pride that had bloated up sank down to the ground in a matter of seconds. Of course, he knew himself better than anyone else did. He was nearly 180 centimeters and his face was okay, but somehow girls didn't really like him. It may be because of his relaxed personality. He wasn't popular at all.

"Something is different about Satomi. Like, he doesn't push a girl to the edge... He's boring."

Girls seemed to think that guys' hearts are made out of steel. The carelessly tossed comment hurted Kouichi's feelings deeply.
Thanks to the letter, he was reminded of his short-comings. He was beyond getting pissed off. It was at a point where he became depressed, so he harshly wrinkled up the letter.

*

The sun sets quickly in winter. After school, while he was being lectured by his homeroom teacher Iwamoto, the surroundings became completely dark. Kouichi returned to his classroom to retrieve his coat and bookbag. Seeing the cold classroom devoid of all other students, he sighed heavily.
Why the hell did mathematics exist? He knew there was no point in continuing to angst about it, but... Since he was little, Kouichi and math totally didn't get along. But they had always been careful around each other and up til now their relationship wasn't that bad, but with yesterday's pop quiz, they completely broke up. At his score that was way below the passing grade, his homeroom teacher clutched his head, too upset to even get mad.
Not only was he not into math to start with, but he didn't feel like studying at all that day. It was the day that he received theletter.

"Hey, there you are, Satomi."

His classmate, Endou Minori, suddenly popped her head in at the other end of the exit door.

"What were you doing all this time?"

He uneasily laughed and changed the topic. He was too embarrassed to admit that he had to see the teacher because his quiz grade was so horrible.
Endou walked up to Kouichi's desk and looked up at her classmate, who was at least a head taller than her, with huge eyes.
Her long hair was neatly braided into two braids. Her small and thin body looked good in their school uniform, which was checkered coat. Her face, rather than being beautiful, was cute. More than anything else, she had pretty eyes.
But she was called the weird girl by their classmates. She liked reptiles, so it seemed that she had lots of pets of that sort.

"So, I heard a letter came?"

Who the hell went around, babbling that?! He shuddered at the question he heard again and again since yesterday and answered.

"Yeah, it came."

"Then let me see."

With her eyes full of interest, she held out a hand.

"No way."

"Can't you at least give me a little peak?"

She puffed up her cheeks.

"I threw it away."

"Huh? No way! Why?"

"I talked it over with Kakimoto and decided. We were just having some fun, but that other guy was probably for real. You can't mess around with other people's feelings."

"I know that, but... You didn't really throw it way, did you?"

She looked at Kouichi, looking like she couldn't just let it go. Come to think of it, the reason why he got the love letter from a man was because of "Endou". Kouichi lightly sighed so that the little devil wouldn't notice.
A month ago, Tanaka brought a homosexual magazine to their school. At that time homosexualism was the hottest issue both in TV shows and newspapers, so everyone had fun with the magazine that Tanaka said he picked up from the train station.
The book contained photos of half-naked macho man in different poses. To a healthy male high school student, it was just about as helpful to his life as a health textbook. Endou was mixed in with the boys, reading the book with them.
What really cracked them up was the pen pal section.
-Wanted: Sweet Older Man-
-I'm looking for a ○○ who can really show my cute ★★ a good time-
The obviously seductive lines like those were so funny that they laughed their asses off.

"Guys, do you want to try writing a letter?"

Endou was the one who spoke up.

"We can't do long distances. He won't write back if we're not close enough."

"This guy's close to us. He's right next town."

"But he's just normal. He's not funny."

『I am a 27-year-old office worker. I'm looking for a hard-working, kind person. My hobby is reading, so I will be happy if we can discuss books together. -Itou- 』

They wrote the letter while laughing. They wrote all kinds of crap, like I'm a 22-year-old college student, I love reading, if you're interested in someone like me I'd like to go out with you, etc.
On the way back home, Endou asked for Kouichi's address.

"Can I send it using Satomi's address?"

"Sure, whatever."

That's what he sid, but he had completely forgotten about it.

He never thought in a million years that Endou would really send the letter, not to mention the guy would actually answer back to him.

"No way, no way, totally no way."

Her prettily-shaped eyebrows became wrinkled, which made her look a little angry.

"I already said you can't."

"But I'm the one who sent the letter."

Kouichi glanced down at Endou.

"I have no problems showing it to you, but I know you're going to ask to go see him next."

"I've never seen a real gay guy before, so I want to go see him."

"Well, I don't."

"Oh, boo hoo."

When Endou clung to Kouichi's arm, it felt like he brushed against the swelling of her breasts, so he didn't know what to do. His heart started to beat rapidly.

"Pretty please? Let me see just once."

She gazed at him with her huge eyes. When she asked if she could send the letter under his name, Endou was looking at him just like this. So without thinking about it, he told her to do whatever she wanted. Kouichi loudly sighed.

"...You can't tell the other guys."

Endou's face brightened right away.

"I mean it."

She tightly grabbed Kouichi's hand. Her hand was small and cold.

"I'll take you out to go see him. But just for a little while, and from far away."

"Okay."

"You can't tell other people."

"I get it."

"I'm supposed to meet him at two at a coffee shop, so let's meet up somewhere else before that."

"Okay."

Endou smiled. He was doing great. He was going to say carelessly, "Let's go home together", but she looked at her watch and gave a small cry.

"I made Miyuki wait at the entrance and I completely forgot about her..."

Before he had a chance to call her back, she left the classroom.
At the door she turned back and waved, so Kouichi hurriedly raised his right hand. Endou was a weird girl. She liked reptiles and wanted to see gays. But Kouichi was growing quite fond of that weird girl.