ai | s. manjiro & m. takashi

よんじゅうなな

AN: The ending is inspired by Epik High's Happen Ending MV

"Hakkai and Chifuyu, go buy drinks in the convenient store"

"WHO THE HELL INVITED HINA, EMMA, AI, YUMI, YUZUHA AND SENJU? THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A BOYS' NIGHT"

"Huh? Everyone's invited, dumbass."

"But what about our manly activities?"

"...What kind of activities are you thinking about?" 

D & D motor shop was closed for today as Toman is celebrating their victory of last night. When the afternoon sun started to set in the sky, Hakkai and Chifuyu went to the convenient store to buy drinks, four of Mizo Mid came back with grocery bags filled with snacks, Takemichi went to the rental store to get movies, Baji and Draken set up the electric blankets while the rest were just sitting down and waiting for the others to arrive.

"We've arrived!" Emma announces, a bright smile painting her face as Hina stood besides her.

"Huh? Takemichi isn't here?" Hina asks, her eyes scanning the room.

"Left to get dvd's." Peh yan responded, slipping his legs underneath the heating blanket besides Pah chin.

"No one asked but I came with beer." Taiju arrives, arriving with a white plastic filled with beer cans. Removing his shoes by the doorway before turning his head both left and right. "Huh? Hakkai and Ai aren't here?" He asks.

"Hakkai went to the convenient store. About Ai...we aren't even sure if she's coming." Kazutora responded. And in one corner of the room, an eighteen year old boy with long blond hair eating dorayaki suddenly chimed into the conversation.

"But she has to come!" Mikey cried.

"Huh? Ai did say she's coming." Emma said, scrolling her phone and looking into her messages with Ai. "See? Here. She said she's coming."

"...Why is Mitsuya not here too?" Mikey asks, his black beaded eyes roamed around the room.

"Taka chan did say he was going to make arrangements for Mikey's uniform." Hakkai's voice suddenly spoke, startling everyone.

"When did you arrive?!"

"Just now!" Hakkai smiles, the sounds of clinking cans of juices bumping against each other inside the plastic bag he and Chifuyu brought with them.

"Didn't Ai leave with you?" Taiju asks, his eyebrows furrowing at Hakkai. 

Immediately Hakkai shook his head. "Not sure what she's up to. But she did say she was going to be late." Hakkai spoke, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe she's baking with Yuzuha? Who knows."

"I'll go fetch her!" An excited Mikey announces, raising a hand in the air while the tail of the taiyaki stuck between his lips. Immediately, Mikey got up from his spot and ran out of the motor shop. The sounds of his CB250T echoing outside before slowly fading away in the distance.

With Mikey gone, everyone inside the motor shop began to look nervously at each other.

"He doesn't know, does he?" Draken asks, popping a can of beer. Everyone inside the motor shop slowly shook their heads.

"I didn't have the heart to tell him. Not when he just returned to us." Emma says, hanging her head low.

"Ai doesn't know too, does she?" Again, everyone shook their heads as a response.

"Sano is in for surprise if he sees the two of them together." Kokonoi spoke.

. . . . . . . . . . ♡

Slowly down his bike's tracks as the highway stop lights turned red, a wide, bright smile paints Mikey's lips. The thought of picking up Ai used to feel nostalgic and a distant dream to him, but now, he can finally do it.

A plethora of overwhelming emotions bubbled inside his chest. Mikey couldn't stop himself from smiling like an idiot, lifting the sleeve of his black sweater, there rests the old pink hair tie that he took from her. Never not once did he took it off.

With the stop light still red, people began to cross the pedestrian crossing. Call center agents wearing blazers and suits sighing merrily to themselves with the thought of finally resting and various individuals going on with their lives. Mikey sighed softly to himself, but just as the people crossing the lane were about to end, two familiar figures crossed the lane.

It was a smiling Ai, fingers intertwined with Mitsuya's.

Ai slowly turned her head to the other side and found Mikey staring right at her. A look blank and sullen clouding his face. The once smile that painted her lips vanished and was replaced by a frown. Ai could only right back at Mikey before turning her head away, smiling again at Mitsuya while his free hand held on the straps of a paper bag that possibly contained his 2nd generation uniform.

When the stop light turned green, Mikey didn't move and cars began to honk at him from behind. He could only grip the handle of his bike while tears started to stream down his face. It didn't mattered to Mikey if the night will end and the sun will rise up again, he could only hold onto the memories that he wishes to go back to.

Fin