�Good morning, Hikki!� Ayumi greeted her best friend who was walking swiftly, books in her arms. Utada smiled and waved back. In a merry mood, she joined her as they walked through the hallway to homeroom. The bell had not yet rung, so the students already in the classroom were in their separate conversations, catching up on summer events and happenings. The delightful sound of mild chattering was music to Ayumi�s ears, as she was finally absorbed into school life once again. She had heard that sophomore year would be hard, so she was trying to be as optimistic as possible about it, and do whatever was possible to excel personally. They sat down into adjacent desks.
�There�s a new boy this year! He�s from the Kanto region. I saw him in the main office early this morning. He looks very cute! Hmm, I don�t think he is my type though.� Utada verbalized her thoughts. Ayumi, unlike her boy-crazy friend, was unmoved. She dreamed of true love and serious relationships, not crushes and small high school romances.
�Oh, that�s nice�� She twirled a pink pen between her fingers. �Come on, Ayumi! Don�t tell me you aren�t even A LITTLE curious,� Utada said. Ayumi shook her head forcefully to convey her point. At that moment, the door slid open and Mr. Kazuki walked in, his steps echoed across the hard, wooden, floorboards.
�Good morning, everybody. Welcome back to school. I�m sure you are all happy to be here.� Groans saturated the air. �Okay, before we take attendance, I want to introduce to you our new student, Shinobu Miyara. You can come in now.� A boy about 5�9 walked in. He had teddy bear brown spiked hair with cute, pouty bangs dyed blonde. His warm eyes seemed to hug, aquamarine moons with animated souls at the core. Ayumi could not take her eyes off of him. Her pupils dilated.
�Ayu!� Utada hissed as quietly as possible, looking around to make sure nobody was looking. Ayumi remained stationary. �Ayu!�
�Huh�Huh�?� Focus returned to Ayumi�s eyes. Utada smiled devishly. �I know you want him,� She extended a bit of her tongue out between her teeth teasingly. Ayumi�s eyes widened again, this time, in horror.
�So, uh, Shinobu, why don�t you tell a little about yourself,� Mr. Kazuki said without looking up from his desk. Shinobu�s lips rounded into an adorable, boyish smile. So cute, Ayumi thought.
�Umm, well my name is Shinobu Miyara. I�m 15 years old. I�m really into sports, especially lacrosse, soccer, and baseball, yeah. I guess that�s pretty much it.� He grinned again. �Oh yeah, and I�m currently single,� He added jokingly. All the guys laughed, and some girls giggled uncontrollably.
�And so, why did you move to Johto?� Mr. Kazuki asked, cutting through the uproar.
�Oh, uh my dad�s work got transferred, so yeah.�
�I see. You may take a seat anywhere. We haven�t assigned seats yet.� Mr. Kazuki sat down to look over the attendance sheet. Shinobu started to walk towards the only empty seat, which was conveniently located behind Ayumi. Utada, sitting in the desk right beside her, beamed. Ayumi was horrified.
�Hamasaki Ayumi!� The teacher called out.
�Hai�� Ayumi said just above a whisper.
�Hikaru Utada!�
�Hai!�
�That�s alright, Hikaru, no need to shout.� She smiled mischievously as the class chuckled.
�Takahashi Arata!�
�Hai!� And the list went on.
* * *
�Ew, I wish it were still summer. School is finally catching up to me!� Utada said as she opened the bento she had packed the night before. A pleasant aroma emerged, filling the air around them with a scent that could send anyone drooling. Vinegar rice, strips of cold beef, and slices of yellow melon. She picked up her pair of chopsticks to prepare for her meal.
�Oh, come on! Half the time you were trying to catch up to school!� Ayumi picked up her pair of chopsticks and aimed them towards Utada�s lunch.
�Oh, no you don�t,� Utada blocked Ayumi�s utensils with her own.
�Ugh!� Ayumi drew back and opened her own bento. Inside were mini sushis, hand-rolled by her mother. The nori tightly held the rice, carrots, and avocado together.
�Mmm, okay let�s share,� Utada reached for a roll. They laughed harmoniously.
* * *
�I have to go pick up my little brother from school so we can�t walk home together. Is that okay?� Utada asked as the bell rang, signaling their dismissal.
�Sure,� Ayumi picked up her knapsack. They walked through the hallway and, upon exiting the double doors, parted ways.
�I�ll call you later!� Utada yelled.
�Okay!� Ayumi said. She started walking along the cement path that led to town. The sun was still a few hours from setting and no clouds were blocking its rays. The tree-lined streets were almost empty. The trunks� shadows were cast upon the sidewalk, and she marked her walking distance by them. Soon she reached the convenience store. Ding Dong! The bells that hung from the door shook as she stepped in. A blast of cold air from the dingy air conditioner met her by surprise. She walked through aisles and aisles of sweets and toiletries until she reached the cash registers. A seventeen year old boy stood behind one of them, smoking and reading hentai. His hair was jet black, slick as a polished rock. Wild, sweeping bangs stuck out of the front of his head. They were dyed indigo. He wore a black wifebeater and oversized baggy jeans. A shabby leather belt supposedly held it up, but it seemed to do no good. His plaid blue boxers were a spectacle. Every now and then, he flipped a page, inhaled smoke.
�Yuki!� Ayumi cried affectionately. He looked up in an instant, throwing the book on the ground behind the counter and sticking the cigarette in his pocket.
�Hey!� He came out from behind the counter and they hugged tightly.
�You know, you can smoke if you want to.� She smiled reassuringly, looking up at him.
�Nah, I can deal. Secondhand smoke is bad for you anyway. Come up!� He indicated for her to sit on the counter. She placed her hands on the edge and jumped up. �So, how was your day?�
�Oh, it was all right. The teachers are all good. Hikki, perky as usual. And there�s this new kid, Shinobu Miyara. He says he�s really into sports and stuff.�
�Sounds like an okay guy. Haha, Hikki. Where is she anyway?�
�She went to get her brother. So I decided to go visit my brother!� She joked playfully.
�Haha, yeah I am kinda like your brother, huh?�
�Actually, you are more than that, onii-chan!�
�I think you�re giving me too much credit!� He laughed.
�Of course not! I owe you much more than what you think.�
�Oh, well hurry up and give me what you owe! I�ve been broke for a while.� He grinned eagerly.
�Yeah right! I changed my mind! I don�t owe you anything!� Ayumi smiled mischievously. He looked surprised by her refusal to give him anything, and sought revenge by tickling her sides.
�Ahh�heehee�Stop it!�heehee�Stop-hahahahaha,� She wriggled, trying to get out of harm�s way.
�White Flag!� She yelled between giggles. �White Flag� was a term they had made up when they were children that meant truce or giving up. He stopped indignantly.
�Aww, I was having fun! See, I always win and there�s nothing you can do about it.�
�Gosh, that really reminds me of when we were little, remember? But I did win, once!�
�That�s because I was sick that day and I ran out of breath coughing!�
�Excuses, excuses,� Ayumi shook her head.
�Aw, come on. You gonna hold that against me now?� He stuck out his lower lip and pretended to start watering at the eyes.
�That won�t work on me! Nah, I won�t do that.�
�That�s the Yumi I know and love!� He rustled her hair.
�Okay, I have to go now if I ever want to finish my first day of school homework!�
�Aw, don�t leave.�
�Okay, do my homework for me!�
�Leave!� He waved his arms wildly toward the door.
�That�s what I thought!� She smiled and waved.
�You coming over tomorrow?�
�Don�t I always?�
�Oh yeah, heh.�
�Aishiteru!�
�Aishiteru baka!�
Ding Dong! The door signaled her departure.
She walked back the way she had come, sighing in contentment.
�I�m home!� She yelled through the door, and bounded into her room, leaving one sliding door open for air circulation.
�How was school?� Mrs. Hamasaki said from the kitchen, chopping carrots, clad in a work suit and apron. She wiped her short, brown hair out of her eyes. She was a busy woman, multitasking constantly.
�Oh, it was okay,� she said, concealed behind the fixed door.
�That�s nice.�
�When�s daddy coming home?�
�Late. And tomorrow he�s going to Hong Kong.�
�Oh, okay.� Ayumi sighed and flopped onto the tatami mat, pale blue knapsack in her arms. School was off to an okay start. The new boy� What was it that attracted her to Miyara anyway? She couldn�t help but think. True love was in her destiny, she was sure of it. But, so soon? She got up, walked to her small, wooden desk and retrieved a brown leather-bound book. The title Constellation Horoscopes was engraved in gold. With a look of concentration on her face, she flipped through endless pages and suddenly, paused. She was at the page.
Virgo
Venus will rule over your romance aura and grant you something you think is too good to be true. But, be warned, when Mercury goes out of phase, your heart will be split between the dream and truth. Optimism will pull you through hard times of deception, as will patience and understanding. What you want is right there in front of you.
Ayumi could not help but smile. Too good to be true? She grinned into her pillow and kicked her feet out of excitement. Mercury always went out of phase, it was nothing special. Anyway, what she wanted was right in front of her. Destiny had never been so kind before!
* * *
There he was again! She sighed. How could anyone be so cute?
�Ayumi! Whatcha looking at?!� Hikki yelled from behind her. �Haha, it�s that boy isn�t it? I knew it! You like him! Aw, what a cute couple!�
�What?! Are you serious? You keep on jumping into conclusions.�
�I�m not jumping into them. It�s just so obvious. And, come on. There�s nothing wrong with it. Love is love. You either feel it or you don�t.�
�Aiya, I don�t need your philosophies.� She stuck her tongue out at her. �I know what I feel and what I don�t.�
�And that would be��
Ayu paused. �Uh�I don�t know�it�s just that, I feel�different�when I�m around him, you know? It�s�actually�kind of weird.�
Hikki beamed. �WHAT�D I TELL YOU? Hah, who says I jump into conclusions? I was right all along. That is definitely love right there. Definitely.� Ayu blushed a deep pink. �As for me, I always know love when I feel it.�
�You have someone in mind?� Ayu asked, happy for another subject.
�Eh, no, not really. Not now. It�d be pretty cool if we were in love at the same time, huh?�
�Uh�� She wanted to tell Hikki that she wasn�t even sure it was love, even though she had never felt this way before. As goodhearted as Hikki was, Ayu didn�t want her to do anything unexpected, like setting them up or something like that.
* * *