Once we were finished at Shiroi Koibito Park, we headed back to Sapporo Station. It was only 4:00 p.m., so we had another hour left until we were supposed to meet back up with the rest of the sophomore class. That was fine; we’d already planned to do some sightseeing around the station if we had any time left. There was probably enough to go check out the old clock tower and Odori Park, at least.
More than enough, it turned out, as thirty minutes later we’d taken all the photos we possibly could at both locations and still had another half hour to kill before free time ended at five. We couldn’t wander too far, and we were already tired from walking, so we found a nearby fast-food place to have a quick bite at. We went up to the counter and ordered three buttered potatoes (a quintessential Hokkaido treat), then went to sit down. Luckily, we managed to find a few open seats, as most of the tables in the cramped little dining area were already occupied.
“Man, I’m beat,” said Hoshihara. “We sure did a lot of walking today, huh?”
“I know,” said Ushio with a yawn. “I’m going to sleep like a baby tonight…”
I was feeling pretty tuckered out myself.
“Hey, I know!” said Hoshihara. “We should all play cards tonight. I’ll come to your room after dinner, Ushio-chan.”
“Er, sorry… You’re not allowed in my room, Natsuki. None of the girls are, I should say.”
“What?! How come?”
“It’s just what the teachers decided. Said they just want to ‘avoid any potential mishaps’ or whatever.”
“Huh?! That’s so messed up! It wasn’t Ms. Iyo who said that, was it?”
“No, she tried to fight them on it, apparently. But I guess they felt like there were too many potential problems. It’s fine, though. I’m used to it at this point.”
“If you say so… Oh well! S’pose we’ll just have to save it for my graduation trip instead!”
“I didn’t realize I was coming along.”
These plans were becoming more and more concrete by the hour. And I could tell Hoshihara wasn’t just joking around either. I wasn’t sure if I’d get an invite too, but the thought of the three of us getting to enjoy those sashimi bowls together again was definitely an enticing one.
“Hey, there’s a spot over here!” cried a spirited voice.
I turned toward the source and saw a girl about our age waving two of her female friends over to the table beside ours. She had a buttered potato in one hand and a steamed pork bun in the other. For a moment, I thought she might be a local, but then I realized that today was a weekday; they were probably on a class trip like us. The three girls sat down on the bench next to Hoshihara, though there was only really enough space for two to sit comfortably, so they had to really cram themselves in.
“Hey, can you two scoot down a little bit?” Hoshihara asked me and Ushio.
She was trying to be considerate, it seemed. Once we’d all scooted down, there was a bit more room for the three girls to share—and one of them picked up on this.
“Oh, hey! Thanks!” she said.
“Don’t mention it!” Hoshihara replied with a friendly smile. This good-faith gesture broke the ice, and the three girls turned their full attention on us.
“Are you here on a field trip?” asked one.
“Yep, we sure are!” said Hoshihara.
“Us too! Flew all the way up from Tokyo. Where are you guys from?”
“Oh, you might not have heard of it! It’s—”
My hunch about them being on a high school trip was right. Now that they’d found some common ground, the conversation really started rolling. As I sat there marveling at Hoshihara’s exemplary social skills, I noticed one of the girls craning her neck to look at Ushio.
“Also, who’s your friend back there?!” said the girl. “She’s freaking gorgeous! Hey, are you mixed? Let me guess: You’re probably a model too, aren’t you?”
Ushio forced a polite smile but was clearly on her guard a little bit. “Yes, I’m mixed,” she said. “But no, I’ve never done any modeling…”
“Dang, you totally could, though! I mean, just look at you!” The girl stared at Ushio for a few seconds, and then her eyes went wide as if in realization. “Wait, are you a guy?”
My stomach dropped.
When it came to passing as a girl, Ushio most definitely looked the part, but those with a more discerning eye could probably still pick up on her voice or physique being a bit more masculine than the average girl’s. And these girls were total strangers, so of course they had no way of knowing about Ushio’s circumstances. But how were you supposed to succinctly explain all that to someone you’d only just met in a way they could empathize with? Regardless, I knew it wasn’t my place to interject on Ushio’s behalf, so all I could do was watch nervously to see how she handled it.
“No, I—”
“Oh my god, your voice!” said the girl sitting farthest away, leaning over to get a better look. “You totally are, aren’t you?! What are you doing going around town dressed like a girl, then? That’s so funny!”
The girl laughed, and not even in a derisive way. It was the same high-pitched laughter you might hear from any group of high school girls at the mall, or in the hall between classes, or at a café. Sure, it was at Ushio’s expense, but there probably wasn’t any discriminatory intent behind it. Yet even so, it still seemed to hit Ushio pretty hard, as she hung her head in embarrassment. Now I had to say something.
“Hey, you really shouldn’t—”
“QUIT IT!”
My words were drowned out by an ear-piercing reprimand.
All the other customers, the restaurant employees, and even a few pedestrians outside stopped what they were doing and whipped toward Hoshihara. Meanwhile, the girl she’d yelled at just sat there wide-eyed in disbelief, as if shell-shocked by this sudden change in Hoshihara’s demeanor.
“I would appreciate it…if you didn’t laugh at my friend, please,” said Hoshihara, still glaring fiercely but attempting to keep her voice down as she trembled with rage.
“Oh, no, I wasn’t trying to make fun of him, or…or…” said the other girl, scrambling to explain herself. But she clearly still didn’t understand what she’d done wrong, so in the end she bit her lip and shut up entirely.
A very awkward, very uncomfortable silence fell for a time, and the people around us went back to whatever it was they were doing. Eventually, the girl who’d first started the conversation with Hoshihara opened her mouth. “S-sorry about that,” she said. “I guess we’re just not really familiar with that sort of thing, is all.”
“It’s okay,” said Ushio, brows creasing apologetically despite her being the one who’d been wronged in all this. “No harm done.”
“Okay… Well, let us get out of your hair now, at least.”
Apparently, the awkwardness had become too much for her to bear; she rose from her seat, and the other two girls quickly followed suit. As they passed by, the girl who’d laughed at Ushio turned in our direction—her frivolous smile now replaced by a confused blend of shame, discomfiture, and the slightest hint of discontent.
“Sorry for bothering you,” she said.
The three girls took their leave, vanishing into the crowd of pedestrians out on the sidewalk. There was no need for us to huddle so close together anymore, yet Hoshihara made no move to occupy the newly opened space on the bench.
“Thanks, Natsuki,” said Ushio.
“No need to thank me,” said Hoshihara. “Just…kinda ticked me off, that’s all.”
The interaction had obviously left Hoshihara with a sour taste in her mouth—and although Ushio was smiling at her pleasantly enough, I sensed some lingering unhappiness hidden beneath her expression as well. What a depressing way to end our free time in Sapporo; it had been such a good day up to this point too.