Do you want to go to the supermarket with me after you’re done? I want to pick up more ingredients for tomorrow’s breakfast.
I had no objections, so I told her when my class was over, and we arranged to meet in front of the prep school. I was already looking forward to it.
As I opened the door to my classroom, a familiar, tall girl caught my eye. It was Fujinami. The desk next to hers was the only one available, so I gave her a casual bow and sat down.
Classes at the prep school were about three hours long and ran from 6:30 to 9:20. But on this particular day, I’d only selected two sections, so I’d be done in only two hours.
Sometime later, I looked at the clock and saw it was 8:20. I was meeting Ayase in ten minutes.
I hadn’t talked to Fujinami during class, but she approached me after the bell rang.
“You’ve changed a bit, haven’t you?” she said.
I put my pens, pencils, and study materials back into my bag and turned to face her. “I have?”
“Uh-huh. Have you found yourself a girlfriend or something?”
“Yes and no. I’m not sure how to explain it.”
“I see. Congratulations.”
“You’re awfully accepting, considering how vague my answer was.”
“You must have a reason for being vague.” Fujinami took off her glasses and used a microfiber cloth to wipe the lenses. The classroom was heated, and they’d started to fog up. “If your relationship with the person you love has changed for the better, then that’s great—whether you’ve started a relationship or you’re just friends with benefits.”
“I really appreciate your encouragement, Fujinami. It’s thanks to you that I was able to move forward.”
“I’m glad to hear it. But is it okay for you to be having a friendly exchange with another girl?” she asked teasingly, a smile on her face.
“Uh… Yeah, because I consider you a friend.”
“I see. So you and I are friends. There shouldn’t be a problem, then.”
I was glad she seemed happy with that. But just then, something crossed my mind.
“Fujinami, you’re really familiar with Shibuya, right?” I was too, since I lived nearby. I could draw a map of bookstores near the station, but I wasn’t as knowledgeable about the nightlife. “You probably know a lot about Halloween, too.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Are you going to join in the festivities?”
“Yes. I quite like the energy.”
What a surprise. She didn’t strike me as the type to enjoy that kind of partying.
“I guess I didn’t expect that.”
“Oh yeah? I find the way everyone starts acting incredibly stupid reassuring. It’s nice to be reminded that humans are fundamentally silly creatures.” She flashed me an archaic smile. Her opinion of people’s idiotic behavior was the exact opposite of Maru’s, but I got the sense they were somehow similar.
“‘Fundamentally silly,’ huh?”
“Yes. When you get right down to it, we’re all animals, only a little different from apes.”
“So I guess that means you normally have high expectations of other people.”
Fujinami blinked once as if I had surprised her. “You think so?”
“Because you expect a lot out of people, they disappoint you. So now and then, you remind yourself of how people really are as a warning not to expect too much. That’s how you keep a sort of balance.”
“Oh… I never thought of that.”
The phone in my bag began to vibrate. I’d set it to silent and tucked it away. Now I quickly pulled it out. I had a text from Ayase.
I’m standing in front of your prep school now.
I put my phone in my pocket and slung my bag over my shoulder.
I was only tagging along while she went shopping—it wasn’t really a date—but my heart fluttered to think that I’d be doing something with Ayase, spending our time together.
“Is it your girl?” Fujinami asked.
“Yep. We’re supposed to meet outside, and she texted me… Oops. It wasn’t polite to check my phone while we were talking. Sorry.”
“Oh, don’t worry about stuff like that.” It was just like Fujinami to say that. Much like Ayase, she didn’t like to constrain other people’s actions. “Okay, then—I’m off.”
“Right. See you.”
“Bye.” Fujinami promptly left the classroom.
A bell sounded over the loudspeaker, announcing the start of the third class, and I headed out, too.
Outside the building, I saw that the sky was already dark. Ayase was leaning against a streetlight. I immediately spotted her bright hair and her face under the light.
Our eyes met, and she smiled. We’d only been away from each other for half a day, but it somehow seemed longer, and I felt a thrill at being reunited.
“Did you wait long?” I asked, walking toward her.
She shook her head and said, “I just got here.” She was out of uniform, wearing a cardigan.
It was to be expected at this hour. She must have gone home and gotten changed. We were only going shopping, but she was dressed as stylishly as ever.
On the other hand, I’d gone straight to prep school after class and was still in my school uniform. Maybe it was self-conscious of me, but I felt a little embarrassed walking next to her.
As planned, before heading home, we made our way to the supermarket.
I hadn’t really noticed before, but it seemed the whole world was gearing up for Halloween. The display shelves inside the supermarket were stacked with seasonal snacks.
“Halloween’s sure tough on the eyes,” I said.
Ayase thought for a moment. “Because there’s so much orange?”
“Yeah.”
Many items were wrapped in bright orange packages.
Orange was the color of pumpkins in the West. I’d heard that they originally used turnips, meaning jack-o’-lanterns were once white. But when the tradition migrated to America, they began using the orange pumpkin, which was more common there. From America, Halloween had found its way to Japan, and now the orange-colored pumpkin was its standard symbol.