Kabedon: Part 2 of A Tanabata Story

Chapter 10

Whenever she thought about having to talk to Jack, Junko felt the alien twitch of a nervous butterfly in her stomach. The unfortunate truth was that, like Miko, she had never had a private conversation with a boy—at least not the kind she'd soon be forced to have with Jack.

"Have you talked to him?" Miko asked the very next morning.

"When would I have done that?"

"I suppose you could have called him."

"You're right... except I don't have his number." Junko added sarcastically.

"Ah! Yes." Miko looked confused and disappointed as if wondering why she hadn't thought of that.

"Perhaps you can ask him for his number so I can call him?"

"Yes!" Miko said excitedly, then realized that asking a boy for his number was nearly as embarrassing as asking him out. She blushed and covered her face. "Er, no."

Surprised that, for a moment at least, Miko had nearly fallen for her trick, Junko laughed. Her sense of humor, however, was stretched thin over the following days by Miko's continual reminders of her promise. Fortunately, the elections and Miko's new duties as the student council vice president distracted her for a while. But then the dreaded night came when Miko resumed her calling.

"OK! I'll do it tomorrow!" Junko sighed in exasperation and hung up. Miko would not be put off any longer.

The next morning, Junko met Miko at school as usual. The car pulled up to the curb and Miko's began firing questions before her foot hit the ground. "When are you going to do it? And where? Do you know what you're going to say?"

Junko waited until Miko ran out of breath. She had given the subject more thought than she had wanted to give. To her surprised frustration, it had kept her up late last night. "I'll ask him during clubs. I usually see him out by the soccer practice field or drooling by the volleyball courts."

Miko's voice quavered. "Ah, yes. Good idea."

"I'll help get volleyball practice started then slip off to talk to him." Junko made it sound easy, but now that she had committed to doing it, she was feeling nervous as well.

"I won't be going to practice today," Miko said breathlessly. "I can't be there when you— I just— I couldn't bear to watch." She whipped out her phone.

"What are you doing?" Junko asked.

"Telling the driver I need to be picked up."

"Now? At least wait until classes are over."

Miko made it as far as lunchtime before she ran off to the nearest bathroom to throw up. Their teacher excused her without hesitation and Miko called her driver and left.

Leaving me to deal with the gaijin alone, Junko thought as she walked out to the soccer practice field.

She stopped a dozen meters from the field's edge with no idea of what to do next. She certainly couldn't walk up and ask Jack in front of the other boys. No matter what he felt, he'd never admit it in front of them. Junko chewed on the problem for a minute or two while looking around and feeling strangely thwarted. A first-year bearing an armful of soda cans—meant no doubt for his senpais—hurried past her in the direction of the practice field.

Junko caught his eye. "Oi! Do you know a foreigner named Jakku-san?"

The startled boy lurched to stop, catching one of the cans as it rolled out of his arms. "Jakku Patoriku? Yeah. He's right over there." He gestured in the direction of the soccer field with one of the cans.

"Could you ask him to come over here? I need to talk to him."

"Sure." The boy's look of surprise slowly changed into a knowing grin. He ran back to the others, handed them the drinks, and turned to point back at her as he spoke. The senpais roared with laughter and one of them, still laughing, ran over to the gaijin. Another senpai, laughing, opened his can which sprayed him in the face. He rose, shouting, and hit the boy who had brought them.

The heads of all the first-years jerked up toward her as her message was repeated. The boys howled and pointing her out to the gaijin who only reacted with a puzzled frown.

"Kuso!" Junko's face burned with anger and embarrassment at the realization that everyone must think she was going to make a kokuhaku or—confession of love—to the boy. 

He got up and reluctantly shuffled toward her. "Would it really be so bad?" Junko muttered sourly. She took a long deep breath and tried to force herself to calm down. This is for Miko.

The gaijin stopped and looked at her suspiciously. "You wanted to talk to me?"

Junko struggled to suppress her rising irritation. What did she care about which reply he gave? Wouldn't it be better if he rejected Miko? ...Yeah, like that would ever happen. Junko decided to take the blunt approach. "Miko-chan and I have noticed you looking at us a lot."

The boy rocked back in surprise and swallowed nervously. "And?"

"Do you like her?"

Watching the complex mix of emotions that crossed his face was almost worth the humiliation of asking. Surprise, fear, embarrassment and something that looked like pain, but was probably longing, bounced back and forth. "Who wants to know? You or her?"

Now it was her turn to be surprised. She almost said she does but that would be as much as admitting that Miko liked him and the last thing Miko needed was some boy going around telling everyone that Miko had confessed to him. She thought about saying I do but then she might seem to be checking out the competition before making her own try for the gaijin. Not knowing what else to say, she said, "Both of us."

The boy gave her an evaluating stare as he considered his reply. "Tell Miyamoto-san that if she would like a favorable reply, she must come and ask me herself. Otherwise, she won't get one."

Junko's estimation of Jack rose. His non-answer was nearly Japanese in its ambiguity. He was basically saying that if Miko asked him, he would say yes, but that he'd deny everything otherwise. At least he wasn't a total idiot.

With a slow wry grin, she said, "Very well. I'll tell her that." She turned and walked away thingking This is going to be interesting.