Chapter 3: Two Bonded Again
[Scene: School Hallway - After School]
(Kenta and Sui are walking together toward the library. Sui is chattering happily while Kenta reads his textbook while walking.)
Sui: "...and then Hana said I was being too loud AGAIN, but I told her, 'Hana, being loud is my BRAND!' and she just—"
Kenta: (not looking up) "Mm."
Sui: "Kenta-kun! Are you even listening?!"
Kenta: "You were talking about Hana. And being loud. And your brand."
Sui: (grinning) "Okay, maybe you ARE listening!"
(They turn a corner. Sui suddenly stops.)
Sui: "Oh! Kenta-kun, wait here for a second! I forgot something in my classroom!"
Kenta: "What?"
Sui: (already running) "BE RIGHT BACK! DON'T MOVE!"
(Kenta sighs and leans against the wall, continuing to read.)
---
[Scene: Nearby Classroom Door]
(A door is slightly ajar. Kenta hears rustling sounds.)
Kenta: (thinking) "Probably just cleaning staff..."
(Without thinking, he glances toward the open door—and freezes.)
(A girl is inside. Changing. Her uniform is halfway off. Her skirt is on the desk. Her blouse is undone. She's wearing a very lacy bra that leaves little to the imagination.)
Kenta: (eyes widening, face instantly red) "..."
Girl: (noticing him) (screaming) "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
(She grabs her uniform and holds it against her chest.)
Girl: "P-PERVERT! PERVERT! PERVERT!"
(Kenta immediately turns away, face burning.)
Kenta: (thinking) "Oh no. Oh no no no no no."
Girl: (still screaming) "GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!"
(Kenta stumbles back from the door, his back hitting the opposite wall.)
Kenta: "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
---
[Scene: The Same Spot - Seconds Later]
(Sui comes running back at the sound of the scream.)
Sui: "KENTA-KUN?! WHAT HAPPENED?!"
(She sees his beet-red face. Sees the open door. Hears the girl inside panicking.)
Sui: (gasping) "OH MY GOD. DID YOU—"
Kenta: (frantically whispering) "I just looked for a SECOND! I didn't know someone was changing!"
Sui: (face reddening too) "KENTA-KUN! You're turning into a serial offender!"
Kenta: "OFFENDER?! It was an accident!"
Sui: "First me, now some random girl?!"
Kenta: "THAT WAS DIFFERENT AND YOU KNOW IT!"
---
[Scene: Inside the Classroom - Moments Later]
(The girl finishes fixing her uniform—badly. Her shirt is buttoned wrong. She storms out, face bright red, eyes watery.)
Girl: (pointing at Kenta) "HEY! I don't know who you are, but I'm going outta here!"
(Kenta turns to leave immediately.)
Sui: (grabbing his arm with surprising strength) "Don't you dare!"
Kenta: "What?!"
Sui: "You saw her and you need to apologize to her NOW!"
Kenta: (panicking) "I—she called me a pervert!"
Sui: "Because you WERE being a pervert!"
Kenta: "ACCIDENTALLY!"
Girl: (covering her face with both hands) "AH! I'M SO EMBARRASSED! I'M WEARING MY FAVORITE UNDERWEAR AND EVERYTHING!"
Sui: (blinking) "Wait, you're worried about your underwear specifically?"
Girl: (still covering face) "IT WAS MY FAVORITE SET!"
Sui: (to Kenta) "Dude. You saw her favorite underwear."
Kenta: (dying inside) "I didn't MEAN to!"
Sui: (looking at the girl) "Ah... okay. Let her calm down first."
(They stand there awkwardly for a few minutes. The girl keeps her face covered, occasionally peeking through her fingers at Kenta.)
Sui: (whispering to Kenta) "You're in SO much trouble, mister."
Kenta: (whispering back, ears red) "It was an accident."
Sui: (whispering) "I know. But she's really embarrassed. Look at her."
Kenta: (glancing) "I'm not looking!"
Sui: (suppressing a laugh) "Your face is SO red right now."
Kenta: "SHUT UP."
---
[Scene: A Few Minutes Later]
(The girl finally lowers her hands. She's still red, but calmer. Her shirt is still buttoned wrong, revealing a bit of her shoulder.)
Sui: "She's... already finished calming down?"
Girl: (taking a shaky deep breath) "OKAY."
Sui: (pushing Kenta forward) "Go on! Apologize! Properly!"
Kenta: (stumbling forward) "I—uh—"
(He stops. Looks at her face properly for the first time.)
Kenta: (clearing his throat) "Hey... I'm really sorry. That was completely unintentional. I didn't know anyone was in there. I wasn't trying to—you know—see anything. Hope you don't mind too much."
Girl: (ears perked up) "Wait... did you just say 'hope you don't mind'?"
Kenta: "Yes?"
Girl: (staring at him intensely) "Say that again."
Kenta: (confused) "Hope... you don't mind?"
Girl: (eyes widening) "Wait. Are you... Kenta-kun?!"
Kenta: (blinking) "Yes... I am Kenta Morik."
Girl: (gasping loudly) "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT WAS YOU!"
Sui: (confused) "Wait, you two know each other?!"
Girl: (ignoring Sui completely, grabbing Kenta's shoulders) "Kenta-kun! Look at me! REALLY look at me!"
Kenta: (staring at her face) "...Should I know you?"
Girl: (desperately) "Think! Elementary school! The park near the river! The sandbox! We played together EVERY DAY for TWO YEARS!"
(Kenta's eyes slowly widen as memories surface.)
Kenta: "Wait... are you that girl who played with me all day? Until she was transferred in fourth grade?"
Girl: (tearing up, nodding vigorously) "YES! YES THAT'S ME!"
Sui: (jaw dropping) "WHAT?!"
Girl: "I'm Misu Yui! We built sandcastles together! We raced across the park! You gave me your ice cream when I dropped mine on the ground!"
Kenta: (memories flooding back) "Misu... Yui..."
Yui: (nodding, crying now) "You called me Yui-chan! And I called you Kenta-kun! We promised to be friends forever and then my dad's job transferred him and I never got to say goodbye!"
Kenta: (quietly) "I remember. You cried. A lot."
Yui: (laughing through tears) "I cried for WEEKS! I wrote you letters but never got to send them!"
Sui: (watching this unfold, forgotten) (thinking) "NOT ANOTHER GIRL?! AND A CHILDHOOD FRIEND?!"
Yui: (still holding his shoulders) "I've been looking for you for YEARS! I transferred to this school hoping I'd find you! And then—" (she laughs hysterically) "—and then you saw me in my FAVORITE BRA!"
Kenta: (face red again) "I really am sorry about that part."
Yui: (wiping her eyes) "It's okay! It's MORE than okay! I found you!"
(Without warning, she throws her arms around his neck and pulls him into a tight hug. Her body presses against his.)
Yui: "I FOUND YOU, KENTA-KUN!"
Kenta: (stiffening completely) "You're... hugging me. Very tightly."
Yui: "I DON'T CARE! I'M SO HAPPY!"
(She's on her tiptoes, arms wrapped around him. Kenta doesn't know where to put his hands.)
Sui: (standing there, forgotten, watching Yui's body pressed against Kenta) (thinking) "This is how it feels? This is how other girls feel when I'm around Kenta-kun? I don't like this. I don't like this AT ALL."
(Yui finally pulls back slightly. She looks up at his face, still holding onto him.)
Yui: (softly) "Kenta-kun... I never got to say goodbye properly back then."
Kenta: "You didn't."
Yui: "So let me say hello properly now."
(She rises on her tiptoes again, cups his face with her hands, and presses her lips gently against his cheek.)
Yui: (pulling back, smiling) "Hello, Kenta-kun."
Kenta: (frozen, face completely red) "..."
Sui: (eyes wide, mouth open) "SHE JUST—THAT WAS—ON THE—"
Yui: (beaming) "I've wanted to do that for years!"
Sui: (sputtering) "YOU CAN'T JUST—WITH LIPS—ON THE CHEEK—"
Yui: (tilting her head innocently) "Why not? We're childhood friends!"
Sui: "THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS!"
Kenta: (touching his cheek where she kissed) "...Did you just kiss me?"
Yui: (giggling) "Yes! Was it okay?"
Kenta: (still processing) "I... don't know what to say."
Yui: "You don't have to say anything! Just let me be happy!"
(She hugs him again.)
Sui: (steam practically coming out of her ears) (thinking) "KENTA-KUN JUST GOT KISSED AND I'M STANDING HERE LIKE AN IDIOT!"
---
[Scene: Same Classroom - A Few Minutes Later]
(They're all sitting on desks. Yui has fixed her shirt properly. She hasn't stopped smiling at Kenta. Kenta still looks slightly dazed. Sui looks like she's plotting something.)
Yui: "I can't believe it's really you! You look different but also the same! Still reading books all the time, I bet!"
Kenta: "...Yes."
Yui: "Still bad with people?"
Kenta: "...Yes."
Yui: (giggling) "Still don't know how to talk to girls?"
Kenta: "...Unfortunately yes."
Yui: "Still a gentleman even when you accidentally see their underwear?"
Kenta: (face red) "Can we not—"
Yui: (laughing) "Sorry sorry! I'm just teasing!"
Sui: (clearing throat loudly) "AHEM. So. Yui-chan. What's your FULL name? For... record keeping."
Yui: "Misu Yui! What's YOUR name?"
Sui: (smiling tightly) "That's classified!"
Yui: (confused) "Classified?"
Kenta: "She refuses to tell anyone her name. Don't ask why."
Yui: (blinking) "That's... weird."
Sui: (offended) "It's INTRIGUING! Mystery builds character!"
Yui: (turning back to Kenta) "Anyway! Kenta-kun, we have SO much to catch up on! Do you still live in the same place? Are your parents okay? Do you still eat those weird fish-shaped snacks?"
Kenta: "Taiyaki? Yes."
Yui: (clapping) "You remember! I loved those!"
Sui: (muttering) "Great. Snack memories. Wonderful."
Yui: (leaning toward Kenta) "Hey... do you still have that matching keychain we bought at the festival?"
Kenta: (pausing) "...I do. It's on my bag."
Yui: (eyes lighting up) "YOU KEPT IT?!"
Kenta: "It was a gift. I don't throw away gifts."
Yui: (tearing up again) "Kenta-kun..."
(She reaches out and holds his hand.)
Yui: "I kept mine too. I've had it for years."
Sui: (staring at their joined hands) (thinking) "Hand holding now?! First kiss, now hand holding?! What's next?!"
---
[Scene: School Gate - Evening]
(The three of them walk out together. Yui is holding Kenta's hand. Sui walks on his other side, pouting noticeably.)
Yui: "So you study in the library every day? Can I join?"
Kenta: "I don't see why not."
Yui: (squeezing his hand) "Yay! It'll be just like old times!"
(She presses against his arm. Her chest makes contact. Kenta stiffens slightly.)
Kenta: "Yui... your—"
Yui: (innocently) "My what?"
Kenta: (looking away) "...Never mind."
Sui: (eyeing the arm situation) (thinking) "That should be ME."
Yui: "Old times where we did EVERYTHING together! Kenta-kun was my very best friend!"
Sui: (thinking) "Best friend?! That's MY spot now!"
Kenta: (noticing Sui's intense expression) "You okay? You're making a weird face."
Sui: "I'M FINE! TOTALLY FINE! NEVER BEEN FINER!"
Yui: (giggling) "She's really expressive!"
Sui: (twitching) "I'm a JOY to be around."
(They reach the gate.)
Yui: (still holding his hand) "Same time tomorrow? Library?"
Kenta: "I'll be there."
Yui: (standing on tiptoes) "One more?"
Kenta: "One more what—"
(She kisses his other cheek this time.)
Yui: (pulling back with a smile) "For good luck! See you tomorrow, Kenta-kun!"
(She runs off happily, waving.)
Sui: (staring at the new kiss spot) "She... she did it AGAIN."
Kenta: (touching his other cheek) "...She did."
Sui: "TWO KISSES! IN ONE DAY!"
Kenta: "I counted."
Sui: (sputtering) "I—she—that's—TWO!"
Kenta: (almost smiling) "You're cute when you're flustered."
Sui: (face exploding red) "I'M NOT FLUSTERED! I'M CONCERNED! AS A FRIEND! ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL SPACE BOUNDARIES!"
Kenta: "Sure."
---
[Scene: Empty Street - Moments Later]
(They walk in silence for a moment.)
Sui: "...So."
Kenta: "So."
Sui: "Childhood friend, huh?"
Kenta: "Apparently."
Sui: "She seems... affectionate."
Kenta: "She always was."
Sui: "Really happy to see you."
Kenta: "She seemed that way."
Sui: (stopping) "Kenta-kun."
Kenta: (stopping too) "What?"
Sui: "Are you... happy she's back?"
Kenta: (thinking) "I don't know. It's a lot to process. But... it's not bad. She was important to me."
Sui: (small smile) "Good. You deserve important people."
Kenta: (looking at her) "You're being weirdly nice again."
Sui: "I'm ALWAYS nice!"
Kenta: "You're usually loud and chaotic. Not the same thing."
Sui: (laughing) "Rude!"
(They start walking again.)
Sui: (quietly) "For the record... I'm not going anywhere. Even with a childhood friend back in the picture who kisses you on the cheek TWICE."
Kenta: "I didn't ask you to."
Sui: "I know. But I'm telling you anyway."
Kenta: (almost smiling) "...Okay."
Sui: (grinning) "Okay!"
(She casually loops her arm through his.)
Kenta: "What are you doing?"
Sui: "Walking! This is how friends walk!"
Kenta: "Since when?"
Sui: "Since RIGHT NOW! If she gets hand holding and cheek kisses, I get arm loops!"
Kenta: "That's not how competition works."
Sui: "IT IS NOW!"
(He doesn't pull away.)
---
[Scene: Kenta's Room - Night]
(Kenta lies on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He touches his right cheek. Then his left cheek.)
Kenta: (thinking) "Misu Yui. The girl from the sandbox. She's back. And she... kissed me. Twice."
(He closes his eyes. Memories flash—laughing, running, sharing ice cream. And today. Her body pressed against his. Her lips on his cheek. Twice.)
Kenta: (thinking) "And Sui. The name-refuser. She looped her arm through mine. She said she's not going anywhere."
(He opens his eyes.)
Kenta: (muttering) "My life was simple before. Study. Eat. Sleep. Now..."
(He almost smiles.)
Kenta: "...Now I have two girls fighting over me, I accidentally saw one's favorite underwear, and I got kissed on both cheeks in one day."
(He covers his face with his pillow.)
Kenta: (muffled) "What is my life."
(But he's smiling under the pillow.)
---
[Scene: School Library - Next Day]
(Kenta arrives at the library. Sui is already there, waving. And Yui is there too, sitting RIGHT next to where Kenta usually sits—closer than necessary.)
Yui: (waving enthusiastically) "KENTA-KUN! OVER HERE! I saved your seat!"
Sui: (grumbling) "She got here an HOUR early. And she's sitting in MY spot."
Kenta: (sitting down between them—but Yui immediately scoots closer) "You both came."
Yui: (leaning against his shoulder) "Of course! I told you I would!"
Sui: (leaning in from the other side) "I'm always here!"
(Kenta is now sandwiched between two girls. Both are touching him.)
Kenta: (thinking) "This is... a lot of body heat. Again."
Yui: (looking up at him) "Kenta-kun? Did you sleep well?"
Kenta: "...Yes."
Yui: (smiling) "Good! I dreamed about you!"
Sui: (choking) "You WHAT?!"
Yui: (innocently) "Dreamed about him! We were building sandcastles again!"
Sui: (relieved but still suspicious) "Oh. Sandcastles. Right."
Yui: "What did YOU dream about, mysterious name girl?"
Sui: (caught off guard) "I—that's—PRIVATE!"
Yui: (giggling) "Okay okay!"
Kenta: (trying to read) "Can we focus?"
Yui: (snuggling closer) "We ARE focusing! On you!"
Sui: (leaning closer too) "Yeah! On Kenta-kun!"
(Kenta's ears are bright red.)
Kenta: (thinking) "This is my life now. And I don't hate it."
(He hides his smile behind his book.)
End of Chapter 3
Ready for Chapter 4?