his eyes slightly to glare at, then ignore, my sister, then watched my happily singing sister as I put the phone to my ear. What had I been thinking about earlier? I wondered.
“Hello?”
“It’s me.”
My junior high classmate Nakagawa couldn’t hide the urgency he was feeling.
“How did it go? What was her answer? You gotta tell me. I don’t care what it was; I’m ready to hear it. C’mon, Kyon, out with it…!”
He sounded like a politician up for reelection, desperately listening to the news of the results.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a favorable answer.”
I looked to my sister and shushed her as I tried to sound grim.
“She said she won’t wait. She said that she can’t imagine what will happen in ten years, that there are no guarantees.”
Since I was just relaying the facts, the words came smoothly. But just as I was wondering what to do about Nagato’s problematic statement that she would see him—
“I see.”
Nakagawa’s voice was surprisingly calm.
“I guess I’m not surprised. I didn’t think she would agree that easily either.”
I kept waving my head, and my strangely singing sister groaned her irritation before hauling Shamisen off the bed and leaving the room. She was probably going to go sleep with him in her own room, but give it an hour and Shamisen would probably come slinking back to my room. Cats didn’t like being given too much attention.
Once my sister left, I put my question to the phone.
“That’s all you have to say after making me read out that humiliating letter?”
If he had anticipated that reply, he shouldn’t have asked me to deliver the message.
“I realize that getting a heartfelt declaration of love from a complete stranger is bound to be difficult,” he said.
If you realized that, then don’t do it! You had to have a pretty obscure hobby indeed to go around knowingly stepping on land mines.
“But this should have at least piqued her interest a bit.”
You have to be at least a little impressed at Nakagawa’s plan. It was true that he was the first one to get Nagato to say she was interested. His message had had enough power to do that much, anyway. It’s enough to make me want to guarantee that he’s currently the most shameless guy on the planet.
“So about that, Kyon. I have another favor to ask.”
What was it now? My spirit of community service was at low ebb.
“Did you know I joined the football team when I started high school? I mean American football, not soccer.”
“That is the first I’ve heard of it,” I said.
“Ah. Well, I did. And that’s the favor I need. My team is going to host another school’s team for a game. I want you to bring Nagato to watch. I’m a first-stringer, of course.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
I really didn’t need another person like Haruhi in my life. Why were their schedules always so cramped?
“If Nagato won’t wait ten years for me, there’s nothing I can do about that. If it’s come to this, I’ll have to show off some heroics and get her attention that way.”
Such a simplistic notion. He could’ve given a little thought to my position, at least—or at least thought about how busy the end of the year was.
“Is it not convenient for you?”
It wasn’t inconvenient. I had no plans tomorrow at all. Nagato probably didn’t either. It wasn’t inconvenient at all, so at this rate I was probably going to get sucked into watching his “heroics” or whatever. I told him as much.
“Great. Please come. It’s a friendly game, but we’re going to play for keeps. Our football team plays the school from the next town over every year. The outcome of the game is going todetermine whether or not we have a pleasant new year. If we lose, it’s going to be the winter vacation from hell. There won’t be a break for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. It’ll just be more practice.”
Nakagawa sounded serious, even pathetic, but it wasn’t my problem. I told him that
“Hello?”
“It’s me.”
My junior high classmate Nakagawa couldn’t hide the urgency he was feeling.
“How did it go? What was her answer? You gotta tell me. I don’t care what it was; I’m ready to hear it. C’mon, Kyon, out with it…!”
He sounded like a politician up for reelection, desperately listening to the news of the results.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a favorable answer.”
I looked to my sister and shushed her as I tried to sound grim.
“She said she won’t wait. She said that she can’t imagine what will happen in ten years, that there are no guarantees.”
Since I was just relaying the facts, the words came smoothly. But just as I was wondering what to do about Nagato’s problematic statement that she would see him—
“I see.”
Nakagawa’s voice was surprisingly calm.
“I guess I’m not surprised. I didn’t think she would agree that easily either.”
I kept waving my head, and my strangely singing sister groaned her irritation before hauling Shamisen off the bed and leaving the room. She was probably going to go sleep with him in her own room, but give it an hour and Shamisen would probably come slinking back to my room. Cats didn’t like being given too much attention.
Once my sister left, I put my question to the phone.
“That’s all you have to say after making me read out that humiliating letter?”
If he had anticipated that reply, he shouldn’t have asked me to deliver the message.
“I realize that getting a heartfelt declaration of love from a complete stranger is bound to be difficult,” he said.
If you realized that, then don’t do it! You had to have a pretty obscure hobby indeed to go around knowingly stepping on land mines.
“But this should have at least piqued her interest a bit.”
You have to be at least a little impressed at Nakagawa’s plan. It was true that he was the first one to get Nagato to say she was interested. His message had had enough power to do that much, anyway. It’s enough to make me want to guarantee that he’s currently the most shameless guy on the planet.
“So about that, Kyon. I have another favor to ask.”
What was it now? My spirit of community service was at low ebb.
“Did you know I joined the football team when I started high school? I mean American football, not soccer.”
“That is the first I’ve heard of it,” I said.
“Ah. Well, I did. And that’s the favor I need. My team is going to host another school’s team for a game. I want you to bring Nagato to watch. I’m a first-stringer, of course.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
I really didn’t need another person like Haruhi in my life. Why were their schedules always so cramped?
“If Nagato won’t wait ten years for me, there’s nothing I can do about that. If it’s come to this, I’ll have to show off some heroics and get her attention that way.”
Such a simplistic notion. He could’ve given a little thought to my position, at least—or at least thought about how busy the end of the year was.
“Is it not convenient for you?”
It wasn’t inconvenient. I had no plans tomorrow at all. Nagato probably didn’t either. It wasn’t inconvenient at all, so at this rate I was probably going to get sucked into watching his “heroics” or whatever. I told him as much.
“Great. Please come. It’s a friendly game, but we’re going to play for keeps. Our football team plays the school from the next town over every year. The outcome of the game is going todetermine whether or not we have a pleasant new year. If we lose, it’s going to be the winter vacation from hell. There won’t be a break for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. It’ll just be more practice.”
Nakagawa sounded serious, even pathetic, but it wasn’t my problem. I told him that
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