SuNNY-ShO-ShUN 黒潮

*Suki desu*

"Damatté Yuta [shut up]."

Madoka patted Sunny on the patted Sunny on her back, "why all of a sudden?"

"I don't know. I keep thinking to myself; I should have told him how much I liked him."

"When was it?" Yuta asked.

The boy couldn't conceive the idea of having his Sunny in love with someone else after having fought so hard to get rid of the Matsumoto heir.

"I was five, maybe six."

Yuta burst into laughter. Are you serious? You are telling us that the 17-year-old you are reminiscing on its Hatsukoi [first love].

"YUTA, let her speak."

"I feel so sorry, I can't tell him, and it's killing me because he'll never know."

The tears dropped down on their own; Sunny couldn't contain the overwhelming sadness.

"Oh, come on, Sunny, you're not going to cry takoyakis for your childhood love. It's not like he's dead or something."

The raw silence that followed sent chills up Yuta and Madoka's spine. Even if they knew Sunny, there were things about her past they weren't aware of. And they had always been intrigued by her phobia of water. Now they sensed she could open up to them; they dared not ask.

Yuta's lips burned as he refrained himself from committing the irreparable.

Sunny opened her mouth to speak. Yuta and Madoka leaned forward to welcome the revelation, "do you know what one of the worst things you can do in life is?"

Yuta and Madoka shook their heads in no motion.

"To not tell someone you care or that you love them when you have the chance."

The sentence was Sunny's last for the lunch break, and it left space for reflection.

Sunny sailed through the afternoon lessons lost in translation until it was time to go home.

She was heading down the stairs to join Madoka and Yuta when Asano's minions stopped her.

"Sunny, I hope you aren't planning on coming on the school trip because we don't want any bullies.

"Please step out of my way," Sunny didn't want or have the strength to argue.

"Step out your way, or else you'll do what?"

"You heard her step out of her way," said the familiar voice of Junpei.

It was strange how the boy always appeared when she was in dire straits.

"Senpai, we were justㅡ."

"Bullying, because that's how it seemed to me. Perhaps I should call one of the student council patrols. Sunny, come on."

Sunny slid through the girls and joined Junpei at the bottom of the stairs.

"Arigato."

The boy didn't say a word till they were outside the building, "ano, Watanabe, will you come on the school trip?"

Sunny expected anything except this question, but she already had a ready-made answer.

"My grandmother won't let me."

"Why?"

"Because I can't swim."

The boy couldn't contain his chuckle, "sorry, but that's ridiculous. With all the respect I have for your grandmother, she can't make you miss the trip because of that. The school won't accept it."

Sunny kicked a stone at her feet as they stopped a few meters from where her friends waited, "I don't think anyone here wants me to go."

"I want you to be there, and I'm sure," Junpei glanced at Yuta, "I'm sure they want you to go too. Anyway, I hope your gran changes her mind. See you."

The boy hurried along to practice leaving Sunny to join her friends.

°°°

"What was that? Yuta asked.

"I don't know; he just asked me if I was going on the trip."

"Are you?"

"Iie, my grandmother still refuses."

"We have to do something; you can't miss out on the trip," Madoka added.

They stopped at the konbini before taking the bus, "Sunny about what you said at lunchtime," I Madoka stopped speaking as the laughter of students from another school getting on the bus drowned the conversation. The noise generated from the group prevented Madoka from pursuing it. She patiently waited until they got to their destination.

Once off the bus and ready to go separate ways, Madoka suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong, Madoka?" Sunny asked.

Madoka pointed her index in her friend's direction, "Sunny 勝負だ！[I challenge you.]

"Nani?"

The redness on Madoka's face went up like the mercury in a thermometer.

"Watashi Yuta ga suki."

"Nan-ni-ni-ni? Yuta yelled as though he was falling from a clive, and his voice echoed as he fell, and his spirit floated to the heavens.

Madoka, whose face was now as crimson as crayfish turned to face Yuta, " わたしは まけない" [watashi makénai=I won't lose.]

Sunny's words played in Madoka's mind throughout the day; they had one year left in high school, after which they would probably go separate ways. It was now or never to be honest about her feelings, Madoka thought, even if she was aware Yuta's emotions swam in Sunny's direction.

Sunny smiled and nodded in approval, "Madoka gambatté né!"

Sunny was not surprised; she even felt relieved. At least there, Madoka did not pass up her chance. Somehow Sunny felt as though for once, the piece of the puzzle was going where it fit.

"Oy, oy, don't I have a say in this, Madoka, are you serious youㅡyou like me?" Yuta interrupted.

"Yeah, baka, you're an idiot, but I like you."

"You're crazy. Is this how you seduce people, you call them stupid, and you hope to win their hearts that way. You should read some shoujo and teen mags because I assure you it's not how it works," Yuta said.

"Do you want to die, Yuta?"

"Nani and you threaten me, cho kowai [how frigthening]."

Sunny burst into laughter; it was one of those moments she knew she would remember for life.

Madoka's first love and the declaration would always be a beautiful memory which she would keep afloat.