Noriko
stared at the stall.
They’d
stayed another night and three more meals. She shared a
bed with Urufu, hugged him
throughout the night, but nothing more than
that apart from a short peck
of a kiss she received in the
morning.
She
stared at the stall again.
Urufu
was right.
She
hadn’t.
No
restaurant could compete with rice polished an hour before it was
eaten. Especially not when, as Urufu’s aunt told them, it had grown
on the best paddy in the village. The same was true of the tea as
well, and Urufu, well
he must really have trained just as much as he said.
The
first of three meals. A cup of green tea and a bowl of rice. Nothing
more.
She
stared, no glared, at the stall. It would be a while before she could
buy train station bento again. Or a convenience store one for that
matter.
In
a few minutes their train would arrive and they’d leave this
backwater town which still was the centre sustaining
that small village. Suzuka
lay not too far away, Urufu had told her, but that city was a jumble
of random buildings smeared across the plains without a semblance of
planning.
A
few days
more filled with a mix of work and finishing their summer homework,
or in this case verifying that their already finished homework
displayed signs of independent thinking.
Hers
did. Noriko knew for a certain. A year ago it hadn’t. Not really.
Urufu designed the workshops for the freshmen so that they at least
tweaked their expected canned results a little. Not so for the
juniors. Applying critique he said.
They
had no seniors. Not any longer.
When
she threw the stall another look Noriko smiled. Nao had long since
stopped hurting in her chest. Would
she have stayed with him if he didn’t run away the way he did?
Noriko would like to think so. He
might not be the brightest of guys, but then neither was her brother,
and she still behaved in an almost civil way around him.
“Hungry,
but not that hungry?”
Noriko
smiled at Kyoko’s words. “Something like that.”
Both
girls glanced at the stall and started giggling.
“Should
I call Urufu over here?”
Noriko
looked at the station building where he stood chatting with Yukio,
then she looked at Kyoko. You left your boyfriend there. I
should probably take that advice to heart.
“Let them be.”
Of
course Noriko wanted Urufu by her side, but she had promised, and
she’d go nuts if he
didn’t give her any time for herself.
Kyoko
glared at her.
“What
is it?”
“Don’t!”
“Don’t
what?”
“Don’t
copy Yukio and me. We’re us, and we’ve been together for a year
now.”
“So
what?”
“You
asked for it.” Something hard reached Kyoko’s mouth. “You
remember how Yukio and I were all over each other a year ago, and
Kuri-chan
and Urufu as well?”
Now
that hurt. Noriko
looked at
Urufu. While Kyoko’s words hit home there was
no menace in them. “Yes, I
do.” In fact she remembered how she and Nao had been all over each
other. At least for the duration of the school festival. “Kyoko,
it’s the third time.”
“Third
time?”
“It’s
the third time I’ve fallen for Urufu. I guess some of the madness
must have burned away.”
“Don’t!”
Kyoko said again.
Noriko
never turned to face her friend. She let her eyes rest on Urufu
instead. “At least tell me why!”
To
Noriko’s surprise Kyoko didn’t hesitate a moment. “Find out how
he loves. Ask him about his wife. Is his a fiery love, or a calm
one?”
How could I
ever believe I was older than you?
She’d seen him with Kuri. There was no need to ask. Gods!
He even biked to Kyushu after they broke up.
She didn’t know if her own
love was of the burning kind or not, but she did know she allowed
herself to be pulled into Nao’s pace.
“Urufu,
I want a hug!” Noriko surprised herself with that outburst.
Around
her people stared at her with smiles or smirks.
He
came walking. There was something pained about his smile, but he came
walking. Behind him Yukio followed with a huge grin on his face.
“A
hug you said?”
Noriko
nodded. This was a bad idea.
He
swept her up in a bear hug as if she was a grade schooler. Then he
swung her around.
“Down!
Down this instant!”
“I
refuse,” he said and swung her around.
Noriko
recalled how she had demanded her brother let her down ages and ages
ago, just moments before she realised she had fallen in love with the
same boy for the second time. This time Kuri wouldn’t come to her
help, and Kyoko, well Kyoko was certain to help Urufu rather than the
other way around.
“You
arrogant...” She didn’t make it any longer. She was interrupted
by bubbles of laughter leaving her throat. “Down,
or face the consequences!”
She
swirled around another full circle.
Noriko
climbed up Urufu’s arms until she was close enough to grab his head
with both hands. His face was
so close.
“I
warned you.” She pulled
once more and opened her mouth.
He
met her, and she felt his tongue inside her mouth.
Another
full circle, and another.
If
he never let go it was too soon. She hungrily tasted more of him.
Surprised by her own greed she twisted so she could get even more.
The fiery
kind. I knew that.
And
she kissed him some more.
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