8.3 KiB
Chapter 1
Kousaku was always a fan of the winter. It usually didn't get too cold in Kyushu, but it was a lot more bearable than the rest of the year. He could wear heavier clothes, which he vastly preferred over more summery options, and would often just wander, enjoying the weather and the sights around town. This was especially the case during breaks, when he had little to do but sit around home and read manga or head to the new-ish arcade with Daisuke.
When the arcade was closed, he and Daisuke would sometimes go hang out at a favorite spot of theirs atop a hill near the school. It was a pretty nice view, and a quiet area. Occasionally they'd sit and play cards or something. Usually, however, they'd just sit, chat about girls, and, more often than not, make stupid bets.
"I'm tellin' ya, man. Nomura was flirting with me! I bet you 500 yen something'll happen with her in the first week we're back in school. She complimented my hair! I told ya that growing it out was the right call!"
This was one of those sometimes.
"I never said it wasn't," Kousaku sighed, "I just don't think it's why every girl you ask turns you down."
Daisuke turned to look at him. "The hell's that supposed to mean?", he asked.
"I'm just saying, maybe you shouldn't keep asking your crushes out a week after you notice them. Get to know one of them first or somethin'", Kousaku answered with a shrug.
Daisuke just stared at him. Then he laughed.
Kousaku frowned. "What?"
Daisuke stopped laughing, but kept grinning, "It's just... remember Hishikawa, from last year? You had the biggest crush on her, and then you weren't even man enough to ask 'er out! And here you are, callin' me out for being, I'll admit, a bit of a skirt chaser, but you won't even give it a shot!"
That... that wasn't right! He's asked out plenty of girls. There was... uh...
Uh oh.
"W-well", Kousaku stammered, "unlike you, I don't find some constant need for a girlfriend, y'know? Sure, it would be nice, but..."
"...you're in no rush." Daisuke finished, a tone of exhaustion in his voice.
"Exactly! It's not like I've been chickening out or anything, I'm just being... uhh... decisive! You wanna be careful about this sorta thing, make sure she's the right girl, get a feel for whether you think she'll say yes, all that."
"..."
"..."
"...you're kidding me."
"...eh?"
".....anyways, did ya do the math assignment yet? I forgot to start it!"
By the time the Kousaku checked his watch and the two boys decided to head home, it had gotten quite dark outside. It wasn't particularly late, yet, but Kousaku's mom had told him to get back home early. Apparently, they were going to have a special guest coming tonight.
"I'm home!" he called out, closing the door behind him.
"Kousaku, come help me finish dinner! Our guest is set to arrive here within the half-hour and I need you to make the salad before he does."
"Okay, mom! Just let me put my stuff in my room real quick."
He yanked off his shoes and ran upstairs to his room, quickly pulling off his jacket and throwing it over his chair while grabbing the sweater he usually wore around the house off his bed. He took a quick glimpse at his mirror to make sure he was presentable, and then hurried back downstairs.
"Hi, mom." he finally said as he walked into the kitchen, kissing her on the cheek and hurriedly grabbing the ingredients for their usual salad, as well as a knife and cutting board, and getting to work. "Who is this guest, anyways?"
Harue Sakamoto was a tall, youthful woman with short, curly hair. Kousaku's father used to talk a lot about how it was what drew his attention when they met. She was dressed comfortably, but nicely, in a fairly typical day dress perfect for working at home. If one looked closely, they could see some faint, dark circles under her eyes from long days working on her next manuscript, but they didn't subtract from her generally welcoming expression and demeanor, nor from her subtle beauty.
"Hello, dear." she began, "We're not exactly being visited by a guest, per se. He's the son of an old friend of your father and myself, and he'll be staying with us for the foreseeable future. I'm not entirely clear on the details, myself, if I'm being perfectly honest. Ibari asked this of me on very short notice but it seemed rather urgent that he come stay with us... and all the way from Tokyo, too..."
Tokyo?, Kousaku thought, That's a far place to suddenly move out here from. Oh! I need to grab a bowl for this...
He turned around to head for the cabinet. "So, do you know anything about our new housemate, mom? Besides that he's the son of some friend of yours up in Tokyo."
"Well," she said, "his name's Hibari Oozora and he's in your year. He'll be going to your school while he's here, actually."
"Really?"
"Yes. You better be nice to him, Kousaku. God knows you need more friends than just Daisuke."
"Mom!"
"Anyways, go set the table. He should be here any minu-"
A loud knocking on the front door cut her off.
"Oh! That must be him!" Mom exclaimed. "Go get the door, I'll finish getting the food ready."
Kousaku quickly finished emptying the cut vegetables into the salad bowl, and walked over to the door. I wonder what kinda guy Hibari will be? He unlocked it and turned the knob, pulling the door open.
His eyes were immediately drawn to the two strands of braided hair on the sides of her face. Each one had three red-orange beads, matching the distinctive color of the lipstick on her cute, pursed lips. Her long, dark eyelashes and brown eyes were about level to his and stood out against her bright, blond hair, the aforementioned braids reaching just past her very visible and attractive collarbone. Her grey sweater swooped low, just wide enough to reveal a sliver of a black bra-strap, but high enough to cover any cleavage, and was tucked into her cream colored pants. They were cuffed on the bottom, exposing bright crimson socks that screamed for his attention.
She looked at him and smiled, and it took almost everything in Kousaku for his heart to not stop right then and there. He could feel the flush creeping up his neck, especially when he noticed the slight blush on her cheeks. Was that part of her makeup?
"Hello." she said, "Is this the household of Harue Sakamoto? I was told this is her address. I just arrived by cab from the train station."
"Um. Uh. Umm-" he tried to form a coherent response, but his brain was too occupied with thoughts of cute and girl. "Uhhh..."
She looked at him expectantly. Kousaku took a deep breath to collect himself.
"Sorry. Ah, yes, this is the Sakamoto household. I'm Kousaku, Harue's my mother. And you are?"
"Hibari Oozora, third daughter of Ibari Oozora."
This is Hibari Oozora? But, she's supposed to be a guy!
The sound of approaching footsteps came down the hall. "Hibari-kun, is that you?" Kousaku's mother called out. She turned the corner and saw the young woman standing just outside the door. "Oh! Sorry, I thought you were a guest we're expecting. Are you looking for a particular house on this block, miss?"
"Uh, mom?" Kousaku began, "That's Hibari Oozora."
The girl in question smiled at Mom. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Sakamoto. My father has spoken much about you."
His mother's surprise was contained entirely in her eyebrows. After a brief pause, she spoke. "Oh, hello, dear. I'm sorry we didn't know it was you. I suppose I may have misheard, but I could've sworn your father had said you were his son when I spoke with him..."
Kousaku wasn't sure if he was seeing things, but it seemed like the girl's smile was slightly more strained, if no less vibrant. She explained, "My father occasionally gets things like that mixed up. He's loath to admit it, but I think he's still a little bitter about having four daughters and no son." Her smile seemed to perk up a bit at the edges, as if she found something mildly amusing.
Mother smiled in kind. "Well, please do come in. I don't want to keep you out in the cold. Kousaku, help her with her bags, please." she said, turning back towards the kitchen.
Only then did Kousaku notice the guitar case she was holding. As if reading his mind, the girl spoke up, "It's a bass. I'll hold this, but I'd appreciate your help with my luggage." She pointed at the fairly large luggage behind her, then winked at him and walked into the house.
Once again, it took almost everything in Kousaku for his heart to not stop right then and there.