Chapter 15: 2.9

Chapter 2: Great things are not done by impulse, but a series of small things brought together.

 

Part 9

 

 

[Today, that scary physics teacher was elated. He wasn’t even angry when the boys joked about his attitude, he even started telling how the kitten he adopted had finally taken to him. He said he was going crazy from how cute it is. We wasted more than half of the class. (lol)]

 

Reading her cheerful and ebullient message, I pondered. What Yuri and Seino said stuck in my mind. It was February 24th, Utako’s birthday was coming up tomorrow, every second counted. If I were to give her a gift, it was now or never.

 

Determined, I headed to the shopping mall, in my wallet were my life’s worth of savings.

 

It was Saturday, and naturally, being one of the few shopping malls in Maimori, it was crowded. With all these friends, lovers, and families, a lone man shopping seemed out of place. I wanted to be done with this and go home already, but a gift to Utako wasn’t something to be taken lightly. With conflicted feelings, I checked out the first store.

 

As I looked through the featured items in a certain brand-name store, I noticed a pair of star-shaped, sparkling earrings. Looking at it, I was sure that she would like something like this, an accessory with a star motif. Remembering that Utako hadn’t pierced her ear yet, I put it down and went in search of a similar necklace instead.

 

But after scouring the store, the unit of the price just simply had one more digit of zero than my budget. As I twitched my mouth in grimmance–

 

“Earlier today, my boyfriend was like, ‘What would you like for your birthday?’. Could you believe that? Isn’t it already next week? Aren’t you supposed to prepare earlier? Duh, just look at how rushed he is, super lame.”

 

“Yeah, what a turn-off–. Can’t he do this properly? I mean I understand that it’s hard to do a surprise birthday. But just plain out ask your partner? That’s definitely out of the question. If you’re going to ask like this, then why don’t you just go on a shopping date.”

 

“I know, right? I said that I’d be happy with anything from Haru-kun, but depending on the gift, I might break up with him.”

 

College students? Working adults? It didn’t matter, the conversation between two women trailing accented perfume made me rise to panic. Being called lame despite being a week early?! Could women be any scarier?!

 

The shock was unbearable, but then I remember her gentle smile. The girl I fell in love with wouldn’t think that way, I reassured myself, straightening my back. Anyway, the price here was too high. I should go somewhere else.

 

After a long while, I finally found a general store that was affordable for a highschool student. There, I finally found a cute star-shaped hairpin that didn’t look cheap. 

 

The star-shaped light sapphire was carved elaborately. Even though it sat on a simple, slender pedestal, it looked sparkling. By Utako’s standard, it might be a bit showy, but the more I look, the more I want to buy it.

 

The only problem was, it was a hairpin. 

 

Of course, there were many ways of using a hairpin, but the most prominent was to keep bangs in place. I just didn’t think Utako, who always kept her bangs long to avoid being seen, would want to wear them. 

 

However, I want her to show her face with pride.

[TN:Isn’t this her birthday present?? Lol]

 

Utako was not only cute, but she also seemed fleeting. With those frightened eyes, she looked fragile, but she had the strength to challenge her dreams despite the difficulties. 

 

My own desire won over and I brought the pin. I asked the clerk to wrap it as a gift, and left the store in high spirits. 

 

As I waited for the bus, being with all these couples didn’t seem as bad as before. Then my cell phone buzzed

 

“Yeah? What’s up?”

 

–“Huh? Sousuke, you’re outside? I forgot to tell you that the Fishermen was airing, the one at the snow festival!”

 

“Really?! What time?”

 

–“From 17:30 to 18:00… Haha! We’re on screen! Man! That’s my national debut!” she shrieked.

You are reading story Blue Outline at novel35.com

 

“Did they make any cuts? Well, they might have edited it well, but… why don’t you record it?! No, please record it!”

 

But Yuri went silent. No matter how many times I called her name she didn’t reply, leaving me alone with a sense of foreboding.

 

–“…Ha–, It ‘s over! Recording? I didn’t. Let’s hope Marina took one.”

 

My shoulders slumped in disappointment. I was the one who hadn’t been expecting the review to be aired, I deserved this. But it was still frustrating that I couldn’t see the precious experience of being on screen with my own eyes. In the end, I’m just another country bumpkin.

 

Well, I guess I now have one more topic to talk about with Utako. 

 

“Yuri, if it were you, what would you want for your birthday present?” I decided to ask the opinion of the woman(technically) on the other side.

 

–“What? You’re giving me one? Then I want a 4D pocket”

 

“Something human of the present can provide…”

 

–“Then, enough money to live the rest of my life without working, a piece of land , and–”

 

“All right, got it. Somehow, I’m relieved.” I sighed.

 

It wasn’t helpful in the slightest, but it made me realize that there was no such gift that could satisfy everyone. Yuri was Yuri, Utako was Utako. If she was happy with the gift, then that was it.

 

–“That was about Utako’s present, wasn’t it? Relax, even if you give her some rock from the side of a footpath, I’m sure she’d cherish it like a diamond.”

 

“Hmm… I’m not trying to be smug, but… Yeah, I agree with you”

 

–“No, you’re a stubborn smug. Listen, don’t get stuck-up with that, Sousuke. Spend your life chewing on the fact that you’re a crazy lucky bastard who happened to meet a girl who shares your feelings. You’re superrr lucky.”

 

I didn’t need Yuri to tell me that. I was already trying to cherish this miracle, to cherish Utako.

 

We continued the chat for a bit after that, then hung up just as the bus arrived. On the bus, I sent a message to Utako.

 

[A bit sudden, but could you tell me your current address? I’m going to mail you a birthday present.]

 

Realizing that I couldn’t surprise people, and that I was not sure what her current address was, asking her address to ensure she would receive the present was the best option. After sending the message, my blood thrummed. I took slow deep breaths while gazing at the outside view.

 

Would that delight her? Or would she be turned off? With my heart filled to the brim with anticipation and anxiety, I waited for her reply. The wait appeared to be a bit long, it was a bit tormenting, but it wasn’t bad.

 

Yet, the date changed and there was still no response. I could no longer feel that way as worry kicked in. It was two in the morning. I wondered what happened, what had I done wrong? Had she taken an interest in another guy? Thoughts swarmed my head, each of them more excruciating than the last.

 

In the end, no response from Utako came.

 

***

 

It was now March but there was still no response from her. I sent her a follow-up message once. Both messages were marked as read, but not a single sticker returned. I even gathered the courage to call her on the phone, but of course, she didn’t pick up. 

 

For a while I was depressed, thinking that she hated me. But when her silence went on, I was worried that something happened to her, this fear grew stronger with each passing day.

 

I also asked Yuri, but she too couldn’t contact Utako. My anxiety had reached its peak when Yuri admitted that, “By the way, I also sent her a congratulatory message, no response though.”. There is no way on earth that Utako would ignore Yuri’s message.

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