Matchmaker

Chapter 5

Murmurs permeated the halls the next day, but luckily, I had nothing to do with them. As I changed my shoes at my compartment, I realized dryly, amused despite my fatigue, that even if I had killed that boy from last night with my bare hands, I wouldn't have been even mentioned in passing. Ah, I had completely forgotten that the crime of the century occurred the previous day: the breakup of Fukui Yuko and whoever her boyfriend was. How could I let slip this vital piece of news, this revelation that would forever transform the world we lived in?

"I heard he did it in front of her whole class—"

"—ripped off the bracelet she gave him and tore it in half right—"
"She started crying, of course. No one could console her—"
"I never liked him. Fukui's better off—"

"—even laughed at her. He always thought he was hilarious."

"You think I've got a chance with her now?"

I just couldn't escape Fukui Yuko, could I? Despite the inconvenience of the student body's collective pity-induced fawning, I still managed to enjoy my first taste of life exonerated from the high likelihood of my own insanity. I looked at the strings around me with satisfaction. As I passed students by, I thought about how they didn't know about the world of strings around them. I was more concordant with reality than them. People can't comprehend what they can't see. That's right, Ai. That's right.

When I reached my classroom, I felt like I had just accidentally walked into a funeral. Fukui was apparently visiting friends in this class and now loomed in the back corner of the room, staring apathetically out the window as a handful of girls softly murmured their condolences. Misami waved me over silently, Taiki and Hana also present, and I sat beside her carefully as to not disturb the solemnity of the space.

"Damn, should have brought my incense," I whispered to her. "At least our uniforms are all black."

She tried and failed to stifle her giggles. "The rumors have been rampant. My information networks are clogged," she replied.

"I'm just glad I'm no longer a part of their clique," Taiki sighed. "I don't think I could have dealt with this atmosphere in and out of school."

"I still feel bad for Fukui and Ueda," Hana said. "It must have been hard."

"I'm sure they'll be okay with time," I responded. Really, though, I couldn't care less.

******

Like a sliding puzzle, my friends and I pushed our desks together for lunch in record time. The familiar maneuvers made the previous night with all its peculiar encounters seem even more like a fantasy. Once Fukui left this morning, the discomfort had finally dissipated. However, Katsu, who had just barely recovered from his near-tardy grand entrance this morning, still pressed his lips together in some apparent frustration, unresponsive to our occasional jab at the situation.

"Now that we can talk somewhat cheerfully without the fear of capital punishment from the Fukui worshippers—except from maybe Katsu, but I'll take my chances—I have a wonderful suggestion," Misami announced as we pulled out our lunches.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katsu feigned ignorance.

"The cherry blossoms!" Misami slammed her fist against her desk to add some dramatic flair. "They are in full bloom, just like our youth! Hana!"

"Yes?" Hana squeaked.

"You said your family picnicked before under the sakura in Nakajima Park, correct?"