My Future: Chihayafuru

Ch13: Kiss her

It was a rainy day. Drizzle fell from the grey clouds and streamed down my window. Why did it have to rain today, of all days?

Two weeks had passed since I'd run away from Taichi at school. As it turned out, he had to postpone our outing due to his evil Mom who made him visit a college all the way across Japan.

We would meet up next Saturday he said...which happened to be today. Hopefully the rain wouldn't impact his plans.

I quickly heaved all of the items on my shelves into a box, as I had been doing all morning. Each item landed with an alarming crash.

My floor was flooded with boxes and scattered clothes. I tried not to think about it. It was too upsetting and no doubt I would weep.

My door flung open.

"Do you have any extra boxes?" Chitose asked, her hair pulled up in a messy bun. She wore an oversized T-shirt and loose pants. For the first time in a long time, she wasn't wearing any makeup, which almost made her look like a different person.

"Over there," I gestured to a pile of unused boxes in the corner.

In a matter two weeks and after many screaming matches, Mom and Dad finally agreed to move into an apartment instead of "refinancing" or "short-selling", two terms I knew nothing about.

It was such a sudden decision and I was unsure how they had already found a place to rent. I didn't realize that our financial circumstance was so terrible that losing a job meant leaving our home of five years. More than anything, it felt like they were quitting too soon, almost expecting Dad never to get another good job.

"How's the packing coming along?" She asked, her hand grasping two boxes.

"Easy. All I care about are my Karuta cards. The rest of this stuff could burn for all I care," I said, stunned by my honest words.

"It might have to, considering we'll have to share a room and I'll need more space for my clothes."

Was that her attempt at making a joke? It wasn't funny.

I glared at her.

"This is so stupid. It just doesn't make sense we're leaving."

"Kinda Dad's fault for taking on so much debt to pay the mortgage without telling Mom."

"It's just not fair."

"Life's not fair, Chihaya."

She lingered in the doorway, pausing as if she remembered something happy.

"Hey, aren't you going on a date with Taichi today?" She grinned.

Why did she act like me being with Taichi would somehow help her? Why did she care so much? There was no way that it was only for my wellbeing.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's not a date! He's just helping me."

"Helping you," She repeated sarcastically, "sure if that's what you gotta tell yourself."

"Why do you care so much anyway?"

She bashed her eyelashes at me, "if you marry him and move out, then I get our new room to myself."

Even I knew she was lying. There had to be another reason. Some other, more significant benefit.

"Are you going to tell him about our impending poverty?"

"No! I don't want any of my friends to know," I shoved a stuffed Daddy Bear into a box.

Her eyes darted to the window and a devious smile was plastered on her face.