ai | s. manjiro & m. takashi

よんじゅういち

Whenever Ai visited the Home Economics room to see Mitsuya, she would at the same time, finish the red scarf that she started. When she was done sewing her first fabric, she folded it neatly before wrapping it up in a pretty wrapping paper, saving it for the holidays to give it to Mitsuya.

"What are you gonna do during after final exams?" Nami asks, lifting her head up from her cubicle inside the juku.

"Mom said she wanted to visit Yufuin. So we might be spending the holidays there." Kairi spoke, shrugging her shoulders while her elbow rests on top of her desk, cheek resting on top of her palm.

"What about you, Ai?" Nami asks, turning her head to look at Ai.

"Nothing much, I guess? I mean it would just be me and my siblings at home." Ai says, dusting away the dirt from her eraser.

"Huh? You're not going on a date with the guy we saw last time?" Kairi asks, turning her head to look at Ai as well.

A flush blush crept into Ai's cheek. "There is nothing going on between us." She said.

"You say that but why are your cheeks all red?" Nami teases, standing up from her desk. "Anyway, I'm hungry." she announced, stretching her arms above her head.

"Same." Kairi chimes, rummaging through her backpack to fish her wallet out. "Want anything?"

Ai shook her head before resuming reading her Math Textbook. As Nami and Kairi stepped out of the study hall, Ai was left alone and only the sounds of the air conditioning could be heard. Yawning to herself, she took out her mechanical pencil from her backpack to answer a few drill questions from her book when all of a sudden a brown teddy bear was placed on top of her cubicle desk.

"Are you lonely?"

Ai blinks as looks at the brown bear before the ends of her lips curl into a small smile. "No I'm not." she replies, "Are you?" 

The brown bear moved left and right. "I'm not lonely because I have you!"

"Really?" Ai asks, leaning more closely to her desk.

"Really!" The brown bear moved up and down. "May I ask you to go on a date then?"

"As much as I want to, I can't." Ai smiles apologetically. "I have to study."

"I'll help you study!" The brown bear moved up and down again. "I think that's what they call a study date?"

"How can I be sure that I'll really be able to study with you?" Ai teases, slowly getting up from her seat to yank the small brown bear from the person's hand. "I didn't know you could make stuffed toys too, Taka." Ai says, smiling as she holds the bear in her hands. "Your hands are a miracle." she compliments him.

Mitsuya stands up straight before letting out a cough. "That's not the only thing my hands can do." he says, looking away.

Ai stops and stares at the ground with half wide eyes as she realizes what she just told him. Clearing her throat, she places the bear on top of her desk. "Will you be able to help me study fractions and statistics?"

"Not the best in class but I'll try to be of help." Mitsuya smiles.

That was all it took for Ai to stuff her belongings inside her bag and leave the cram school building with Mitsuya.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Nami and Kairi were hiding behind the lockers of cram school, secretly listening to Ai talking while leaving the building with the same guy they saw her with from before.

"She says there's nothing going on between them but look at them!" Kairi whispers, smiling as they follow them with their eyes. "Where do you think they're going?"

"Probably Harajuku or something?" Nami shrugs. "Harajuku is always Ai's go to place!"

. . . . . . . . . . ♡

Two months later

The year is 2007 and long, silvery lilac strands of his hair starts to rest on top of his shoulders.

He knows it's lunch time already, but Mitsuya's invested on the sketch he's coloring to even get up and eat. But at least, the still and quietness in the room gave him solace to think and brainstorm which colors would blend well with one another. He needed to finish this or else he'll never be able to give it to her in time.

"Knock knock!"

A small smile begins to paint his lips as he knew to which person belonged that voice; a voice he loves to hear. Without lifting his head up and right hand still coloring the skirt on his sketch pad, Mitsuya opens his mouth to speak.

"You can get inside, Ai." He spoke. And just like that, the white wooden sliding door opens to reveal the now fifteen year old Ai, a smile painting on her lips while her hands held something wrapped in a white cloth.

"There's only thirty minutes left in your break." Ai says, taking a chair in her free hand so she could sit down in front of Mitsuya's desk, placing the item on top of the table. "This one's for you!" She beams.

Stopping his feet from stepping on the sewing machine, he drags the item away to hold onto the warmth of Ai's gift. And by the scent of it, he already knew what it contains.

"You didn't have to do this." He spoke to her, a lazy grin painting the corner of his lips as he unwraps it, removing the lid to uncover everything Ai made for him.

"Hakkai nii told me you skip eating when you get busy. But I can't have that, you need to eat!" She reminds him, crossing her arms over her chest.

All Mitsuya's life, it was always him taking care of others. It wasn't a bother, he loved helping others out of instinct. But it was the first time someone's taking care of him. The feeling felt foreign - it made his chest feel overwhelming and his insides melting.

"Thank you for this. I'll eat well!" Mitsuya says, picking up the chopsticks in his right hand before digging in.

Dark under eye bags hollow under his eyes as the feelings of emptiness consume him. Does he deserve this? Probably. Will he ever get back to the old life he once lived? It's possible, but rather difficult. He didn't even know where to start if he ever gets back into his old life.

Mikey sat on the edge of the abandoned building with half of his legs swinging dangerously down. A plastic bag filled with cold drinks and dorayaki sitting beside him. With nothing but the city lights to admire, he's reminded of how he spent one night with Ai like this. He would have loved to spend a night like this with her again. But that idea was long gone and Mikey knew that he can never get her back.

Ai probably hates him, he thought to himself. Hates him for suddenly leaving her, hates him for not giving her a moment to say anything in their relationship. Nights like this are nothing new to him. Day and night, he yearned to be loved again. To be loved again by her.

Taking one dorayaki out of the plastic bag, Mikey stabs the middle of the baked good with a pink candle before lighting it up. He stared at the lit candle before pocketing the lighter.

"Happy birthday to you...Happy birthday to you...Happy birthday, happy birthday...happy birthday...to you..."

Hot tears started to prick his eyes before slowly cascading down his cheeks. Weakly, he brought the candle a little close to his mouth before blowing out the candles.