Day 169

[from Ichinichi]

After first period, Akiko took advantage of the brief break between lessons in order to go to the bathroom. As she exited the stall and headed over towards the sink, her best friend Haruka also entered the bathroom. Being her best friend, Haruka was the only other person who knew of her plan to confess to Takeru that night, and so somehow Akiko doubted that she was just there to use the toilet.

Sure enough, Haruka immediately went over to join Akiko at the sink. "You ready for tonight, then?" she asked.

"I think so," said Akiko, as she started to wash her hands.

"Feeling nervous?" asked Haruka.

"Of course I am," said Akiko. "But I guess… whatever happens tonight, at least I'll know for sure how he really feels about me. I mean, the worst thing that can happen is that he turns me down, and we remain friends, right? So… I might be nervous about it, but I still want to do it."

"That's good," said Haruka. "If you back out now, you'll regret it later. Have you picked out a nice spot to watch the fireworks yet?"

"Not yet," said Akiko. "I was planning on trying to find one during the festival itself, but maybe that's not a good idea…"

"Yeah, if you're not fast enough, all the good spots will be taken," said Haruka. "Hang on, give me a minute." She pulled out her cellphone and began to write a text. "I know someone from Soccer Club who helps run a festival stall with her father. She knows the layout of the whole festival area, maybe she'll know where the best spots are to watch the fireworks."

As Haruka waited for a response, Akiko turned the tap off and started to dry her hands. She had already finished and picked up her bag by the time the response came through. "Ah, here we go," said Haruka. "Apparently, if you turn left at the mask stall, there's a little uphill trail. Head all the way up, and then at the top you'll have a nice clear view of the fireworks, and the festival below, and the town beyond. Sounds pretty good to me."

"Left at the mask stall, you say?" repeated Akiko. "Alright, thanks, Haruka. That's a real help."

"No problem," said Haruka. "And remember, you'll want to time it just right. Too early, and you won't get as much time to enjoy the festival itself. Too late, and you'll miss the start of the fireworks. The fireworks are scheduled for 8:30, so I'd say you'll want to make sure you get there before then." Haruka gave Akiko a warm, friendly smile. "I hope everything goes well for you tonight."

"Thanks," said Akiko. "So do I."

"We'd better get back to class now," said Haruka, "I think the bell's about to-" Sure enough, before Haruka could even finish her sentence, the bell sounded to signal the end of break. Akiko giggled, and Haruka herself couldn't help smiling. "Talk about perfect timing," she remarked. "Come on, let's head back. We don't wanna be late."

Akiko nodded, and the two girls started making their way back towards the classroom. Akiko made sure to commit to memory the directions that she had been given, as they were an integral part of her plan. I really hope everything goes well, she thought.

Day 57

[from Ichinichi]

Having eaten her breakfast, Akiko put on her shoes and got ready to leave for school. "See you later!" she called out as she opened the front door.

"Good luck!" her mother called out after her.

Akiko shut the front door behind her, and with a determined smile on her face she set off for school. Takeru would usually meet up with her about halfway there, and today, she planned to use their time together to discuss their plans for Tanabata. She wanted everything to be just perfect when she confessed to him that night.

Sure enough, when she reached the intersection where he was usually waiting for her, Takeru was there as usual. He was slightly taller than average, with a handsome face and short, rather messy brown hair. Akiko didn't know when she had started falling for him, or even why, but she knew that she wanted him to be hers. Tonight, she would try and make him hers.

Takeru, oblivious as ever to his friend's inner turmoil, waved cheerily to her as she approached. "Hey, Aki-chan," he said. "You ready for Tanabata tonight?"

Akiko nodded. "Yeah," she said. Come what may, she was ready. "It's gonna be a good night, I'm sure of it."

"I hope so," said Takeru. "It'll certainly be better than Tanabata three years ago. You remember that, right?"

"Oh, would you stop bringing that up?" complained Akiko. "You bring that up every year, and it's embarrassing!"

"Which is exactly why I keep bringing it up," said Takeru, smirking. He liked to tease her like this. There was nothing malicious in it; it was just what friends did. Her retaliation was to pretend that he had hurt her feelings to make him feel bad, when in reality she had actually grown to like the teasing a little. That being said, the Tanabata of three years ago was not a fun memory for Akiko. "I'll never forget that guy's face when you fell in the goldfish tank~"

"I'll never forget how cold it was…" Akiko shuddered. "Everyone was laughing at me… it was horrible…"

"I'm sorry," said Takeru, the inevitable apology coming sooner than Akiko had expected. "But like I said, this year will be better than that. Right?"

"I don't really see how it could be worse," said Akiko.

"Then it's guaranteed to be better, right?" said Takeru.

"I guess so," said Akiko.

"So, what are the plans for this evening?" asked Takeru. "What are we actually gonna do at the festival? I assume goldfish scooping is out of the question?"

"You're the worst!" said Akiko, pouting falsely.

Takeru chuckled nervously. "Sorry, Aki-chan," he said. "I'll stop bringing it up, I promise."

"You'd better," said Akiko, "or I might just push you in the goldfish tank and see how you like being laughed at!" She wasn't going to, of course, but if he could tease her, then she could return the favour.

Takeru continued to chuckle. "Sorry, sorry," he said quickly. "A promise is a promise, alright?"

Akiko nodded, the false look of hurt disappearing from her face. "Alright. I'll hold you to it."

"So, in all seriousness," asked Takeru, "what is the plan for tonight?"

"I didn't have much in mind, really," said Akiko. "I just wanted us to have a look around the stalls, maybe try a few of the games, and then find somewhere nice and quiet to watch the fireworks together." She tried to hide her blush at the thought of being alone with Takeru for the fireworks display. Every year until now they had watched it as part of the crowd, but this year she wanted to be alone with him so she could confess during the display. She hadn't been sure what Takeru would say, but to her pleasant surprise, he seemed to like the idea.

"That sounds good," he said. "Sometimes it can be a bit hard to see with all the people around, so finding a nice, quiet spot to watch it would be nice."

"Really?" she said, her excitement surfacing for a moment. "Alright, then it's settled. We'll be watching the fireworks together, and alone…" The thought made her a little giddy. Just me, Taki-chan, and the fireworks…

 "You alright, Aki-chan?" asked Takeru. "You seem kinda spaced out."

Akiko forced herself to return to reality. "Oh… no, I'm fine," she said quickly. "It's nothing, don't worry."

Day 39

[from Ichinichi]

Usually, like most teenagers, Akiko Anzai struggled to get out of bed in the mornings. Today, however, she sat bolt upright almost the instant her alarm went off. "Today's the big day!" she exclaimed excitedly, throwing off the covers.

Today was indeed a big day for her. It was Tanabata, and as usual, she had arranged to go to the festival with her male best friend, Takeru. But this year would going to be different. Over the last couple of years, gradually and almost inexplicably, Akiko had found herself falling in love with Takeru, and tonight, during the firework display, she was going to tell him her feelings. She had no idea how he was going to react to it, whether he would accept her feelings or not. But keeping her love bottled up inside her for so long, without knowing how Takeru felt in return, was slowly eating away at her. No matter what the outcome, she had to tell him.

The worst that could happen, as far as she could see, was that he would reject her, and at least then she would know that her love was unrequited, rather than spending her whole life wondering. That the confession might jeopardize their friendship never even crossed her mind: she refused to believe that there was even a possibility of Takeru saying they could no longer be friends, unless he followed it up by saying they had to be lovers instead. She had lost count of the number of times she had dizzily played out that very scenario in her head, sometimes even while Takeru was with her, oblivious to her feelings and her inner turmoil. But Akiko had resolved to make sure that by the end of today, he would be oblivious no longer.

Akiko had a quick shower, then got dressed into her school uniform, making sure she looked her absolute best. She decided to put on her lucky pair of pink underwear - she wasn't planning on showing them to Takeru, but they would make her feel that much more confident. She brushed her long brown hair, making sure not a single strand was out of place, and applied a subtle coat of lipstick before rushing downstairs for breakfast.

"Morning, Akiko," said her mother. Noticing the effort she had put into dressing herself, she teasingly added, "My~ Whose eye are you trying to catch?"

Akiko blushed a little. "No-one in particular," she said. Her closest friends knew about her crush, but her parents did not. Her mother, however, quickly connected the dots.

"It couldn't possibly be Takeru, could it?" asked her mother, looking a little surprised.

Akiko blushed harder, trying to hide it, but knew she had been rumbled. Deciding it would be best to come clean, she nodded. "Yeah," she said, looking away and smiling shyly. "It's Takeru."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck with that, dear," said her mother. Much to Akiko's surprise, she then continued, "You know, to be honest, I always thought the two of you would make a nice couple. You get along so well. So, how long have you liked him as more than just a friend?"

"I don't know," admitted Akiko. "Maybe a year or two. I just found myself realising that I was slowly falling in love with him."

"Does he feel the same way?"

"I don't know," said Akiko again. "That's what I'm going to find out tonight."

"So he doesn't know how you feel about him?" asked her mother.

"No," admitted Akiko. "But I'm going to confess to him tonight, at the festival. I can't hide it any more. I can’t take not knowing how he feels any longer. Even if he rejects me, at least we'll both know how the other feels."

"I see. Well, I hope it doesn’t come to that," said Akiko's mother. "Like I said, the two of you would make a great couple. Now, how about getting some breakfast in you? You'll need your energy, if it's going to be such an important day for you."

Akiko nodded, sitting down at the table as her mother put some slices of bread in the toaster. "You'd better hurry up and eat, too," said her mother suddenly, glancing at her watch, "you don't want to be late for school."

Akiko nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. "I guess I took too long getting ready, huh…"

"Oh, I was the same at your age," said Akiko's mother. "One time I even had to run to school while eating breakfast, like in those old romance anime."

"Really?" said Akiko, chuckling a little. "I can't imagine you doing that!"

"It's not like how it is in the anime," said her mother, looking a little embarrassed. "If you try running with a piece of toast in your mouth, it'll fall out before you're even past the gate. I was so hungry that day…" The smile froze on her face, creeping Akiko out somewhat.

The awkward moment was interrupted by the sound of the toaster popping up. Akiko's mother took the toasted slices out of the machine, buttered them and put them on a plate for Akiko. "Here you go~" she said. "Eat up, but try not to get any crumbs on you. You'll want to look your best for Takeru, right?"

Akiko nodded, and hungrily tucked into her buttered toast, very much looking forward to the day ahead.