Chapter 4: Aozameru’s Memory #2: Spring

The strong wind blew up a storm of cherry blossoms. Regardless if it had just bloomed or fallen or are already on the ground, the wind picked it up and played with the pink petals, passing it around through the air.

Honestly, it took me back. I come to this park annually during the spring season, but I’d never usually be accompanied with someone. Someone especially with her, who reminds me of the reason why I watch the cherry blossoms bloom annually, going here every day since the day of march, waiting for the trees to bloom into a light red color.

“”…………””

“Natsumi, let’s call it a day. I’m getting bored doing nothing.”

“Hm? eh? Well, I suppose I can agree.”

 

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Kuroji Aozameru’s parents were a rather wealthy and busy bunch. Particularly Kuroji’s father—Hyotan Aozameru—whom had been the heir of his family’s business. Even though he’s not around during the holiday-less seasons, whenever he would return to Japan, he’d want to spend the most of it with his wife and only son. And for business reasons, they seemed to be moving house to house often around the country.

Moving their home to another place often had been something Aozameru relatively disliked until he eventually got used to it. He always resented the idea since it would mean he’d leave his friends behind and try to make new ones. He eventually grew to just give up on his social life early on in his childhood, as his main goal started being to impress his parents.

However, one day Kuroji didn’t have to worry about moving to another home anymore when his parents miraculously decided to settle. His father, Hyotan, caught wind from observing his only son’s rather anti-social development. And he figured out that moving from home to home must’ve been difficult for him to make and stick with friends. So, from the last time the Aozameru moved to one last house and settled, Kuroji’s father decided to make things right for his only son.

Hyotan went door to door to greet their new neighbors. Socializing with them and asking if they had any children whom would want to become friends with his son. It took a while, and it was rather tiresome since he had been so busy with everything else. Just arrived from his overseas family business, spending time with his family, and checking on the development of raising a new house.

Eventually, he spotted a couple of children playing with a rubber ball on the street. He approached them, introduced himself and went straight to the point. He asked the children if they wanted to be friends with his son and he began describing his distinctive details as well as introducing his name for them to remember.

“You see, my son is just about your age.” He began to explain. “His name is Kuroji Aozameru. But I’m sure you can call him by Kuroji.”

“Kuro…?” The young girl asked, if she heard Hyotan correctly.

“Mhm…! That’s right. He’s a little anti-social, and a little pale skinned with a rather scary glare on his face. But I’m sure you’ll get along well. After all he does need friends…” He trailed off. “Ah, that’s right. He gets cold easily. So when you play outside with him, I hope you kids will be able to warm him up. Or else… well… How should I put this…? he has a rather odd condition where his ink-black hair would turn as white as his mother’s… well, his hair would turn as white as snow, I suppose, if that’s easier for you to understand.”

“His black hair would turn as white as snow?! That sounds unbelievable. It sounds like magic, and I don’t believe in magic anymore hmph.” The young boy pouted with his arms crossed. Trying to act grown up and mature saying he doesn’t believe in anything a normal child his age would easily believe in.

“It sounds like your son came straight from a cartoon.” The young girl described.

All of the sudden, Aozameru’s father felt the hand tap on his shoulder.

“Umm… who might you be?” An adult lady asked him.

“Oh, are you looking after these children? Sorry to worry you. My name is Hyotan Aozameru. If you’re around here, I’ll be your new neighbor. I had just been asking them if they would like to be friends with my only son, Kuroji Aozameru.”

“Oh, is that so?” The lady said, clenching her chest and taking a deep breath. “That’s a relief. Nice to meet you. I’m Shinsetsu Sumi. I live right over there” She introduced. “And actually, I’m looking after the girl.”

“Hmm… come to think of it, I haven’t asked them what their names were. How rude of me.” Hyotan stated. “But it’s still nice to meet you, Ms. Shinsetsu.” He greeted to the lady and the girl she was looking after.

 

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Shinsetsu Rinoa had been the name of Kuroji Aozameru’s childhood friend, and he had developed a little crush on her. She had been a sweet and kind girl whom were warming up to him. During the winter season, she offered to hold his hand to warm him up. And she would usually invite Aozameru to a particular park with her occasionally to hang out with him.

She felt like someone Aozameru had known for years, when really, it only lasted for three years or so.

Three years isn’t a rather short time to spend with someone. But to Aozameru, those three years of his childhood felt like how everyone else perceived time. One year is a lot of time, let alone three, yet it felt as though it wasn’t enough for him.

The following years had been filled with Aozameru, missing and reminiscing to those childhood friends and specific events he had with them.

As for the events he had with his childhood friend Rinoa….

 

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“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Rinoa thought out loud in awe.

The wind swept the cherry blossom petals once again, storming around her and Kuroji Aozameru who tagged along.

“Has this happened before…?” Aozameru trailed off, thinking out loud. For some reason he felt this sense of familiarity as though he’s experienced this before or will experience it again someday in the future.

“Of course, it has! Dummy!” Rinoa answered to Aozameru’s spilling thoughts. “This had been the third year you’ve accompanied me to this park. It’s a shame Julian wasn’t able to tag along this year.”

“Ah, right. He just got a new pet, a shiba inu, and wanted to spend the day with it.”

“Yep. I’m thankful you were able to accompany me today though.” Rinoa kindly showed her gratitude. “We were actually able to see the cherry blossoms the moment it bloomed! It’s a miracle, isn’t it?”

 “Well, I wouldn’t say it’s a miracle, considering how many days it took to see it. I mean, you invited me yesterday, and the day before, and following several days before that……” Aozameru trailed off. “Now that I think of it, I can see why Julian didn’t want to go with us today.”

“Eh??? You don’t have to put it THAT way. Dream a little will ya?”

“Right…” Aozameru responded, averting his gaze.

However, once Rinoa shifted her focus on the raining pink petals, Aozameru glanced over her shoulder to get a good look at what her face was expressing. She had her eyes enthusiastically open, with her mouth smiling contently wide.

Aozameru couldn’t help but have his face stretch into a little smirk with a warm feeling behind it.

“You know, when you first suggested the idea and kept inviting me for days and for years. I never stopped thinking once that this would eventually become boring as hell.” Aozameru thought out loud. “But y’know what, this is actually pretty nice once in a while… However, of course that doesn’t really go to say I want this moment to last forever.”

“Hm…? Did you say something Kuroji?”

“Nothing.” He responded, putting the both of his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “Hm?”

At the time, Rinoa was just about Aozameru’s height if not taller even though she was younger by eleven months. It was natural like that since the both of them were children. Then when Aozameru would hit his growth spurt, he’d triumph over her.

Aozameru averted his eyes, ignorantly and sarcastically responding to Rinoa’s question, however, when he turned his gaze back, she was nowhere in sight of his eye level. Instead, a pair of bunny ears took her place. Aozameru turned his head lower, expecting to see a rabbit as tall as his waist, however, he found Rinoa instead, wearing brown bunny ears, turning her back on him and crouching down as though she were picking something up. She also seemed to be mumbling some sort of baby talk.

“Pspspspspspsps”

“The hell are you doing?” Aozameru asked.

Rinoa stood up, wrapping her arms around something, and when she turned around, she introduced a stray cat she had picked up and showed it to Aozameru.

“Isn’t he cute?” She said, referring to the stray feline she’s embracing in her arms.

The cat meowed in response.

“He…?” Aozameru thought out loud almost seemingly in envy. “I’m pretty sure it’s a girl.”

“Oh, you could tell…?”

“Yeah, if you look at its… ahem. Nether regions.”

“Ooh! Well, I stand corrected. Let me rephrase that. Ahem! Don’t you think she’s cute?” She stated with a wide warm grin on her face.

Aozameru paused for a bit. Furrowing his eyebrows at the both of them. Comparing the two. He crossed his arms, and his face looked a little flushed without him realizing it.

“Well, I think you’re cuter….” Is what he wanted to say, but it was so unlike him. “I… I suppose so. Mhm.” He answered instead, averting his gaze again, closing his eyes and nodding.

“Hmmph, you don’t look too convinced.” Rinoa protested. “How bout this…”

She crouched down to put the cat down as the feline sat down diligently, grooming its own fur. When the cat raised its head again, staring at the crouching girl in front of it, the girl removed her brown bunny ear headband and tried to put it on the cat.

“Hold still” Rinoa said to the cat as she tied the straps of the fluffy headband around the head of the cat.

“So, what do you think of it now…?”

“……………”

Aozameru then just stood there, thinking with this stoic expression on his face once again, except this time, blander than the last. It was almost as if the cat wearing bunny ears looked underwhelming to him.

Just as I thought. Rinoa looked cuter than the cat wearing the bunny ear headband after all. Or perhaps I just don’t have a good taste in what people may consider is cute.

“Aren’t you worried that the cat might get flees on the fluff of your headband…? And besides, it doesn’t look natural at all since the fur of the cat is white, let alone cute.”

“What?! You’re being mean!!”

“Don’t yell for f…— goddammit! You’re going to scare the cat away.”

“Ah! Aozameru, you were about to say a bad word again!”

“Am not!!”

“I’m going to tell your mom!”

And as the two children bickered, the cat found itself startled and in an uncomfortable situation to be in between.

So, the feline with the bunny ears skedaddled. It made a run with it.

“Ah, wait, no! Kitty come back!!” Rinoa cried out to the runaway cat. “Those are my favorite pair of brown bunny ears!!”

Rinoa then sat down in the middle of the park, wrapping her arms around her legs and sulking.

“Stupid Kuroji.”

“Huuh? Why the f… why are you blaming me? what did I do?”

“You should’ve chased after the cat!!”

“Eh…? Well, I can’t do that now that it’s gone.”

Rinoa hide her face with her face behind her hands and began crying.

“Maybe the cat could’ve stayed and liked you, if, if it wouldn’t have run away if you had just complimented it.” Rinoa cried, stuttering and stammering in her words and sentences. “Why is it so difficult for you to call a cat cute?” She asked, sniffling. “It was freaking adorable, wasn’t it?”

“That’s….”

IT’s because I thought you looked cuter in comparison to that filthy mut. Aozameru thought to himself.

Even Aozameru as a child has some selfish and childish thoughts.

“Let’s just go home, okay?” Aozameru insisted. “Your crying is spoiling my mood.”

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

Emerging from Aozameru’s rude comment was Rinoacrying even louder.

“I’M NOT GOING HOME WITHOUT MY BUNNY EAR HEADBAND!!”

“Urk—!”

Aozameru was then startled. He disliked witnessing his childhood crush in that state. After all, it only pains him to see a pretty girl cry before his very eyes.

In response to Rinoa’s childish whining and tangents. Aozameru closed his eyes, turned his head down and scratched the back of his head in frustration, then he decided to approach Rinoa in attempt to actually console her. He crouched, sitting beside her, patting her head and gently stroking her silky hair.

“Ughmm… do you want some gelato on the way home?” Aozameru offered.

In response to his offer, Rinoa raised her head, cleared her throat, and wiped the tears from her face.

“What’s that? Is it like gelatin?”

 

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“Mmm! It’s a sweet soft, cold and yummy delight!!” Rinoa happily exclaimed, recovering from her tantrum. ”I didn’t know you meant that you were treating me to a cone of ice cream, Kuroji. You did say gelatine after all.”

“I did not say gelatine, I said gelato.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Gelato is Italian ice cream.”

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“Eh?! It’s Italian?? Then what is it doing all the way here in Japan??”

“……..”

Aozameru got tired of making sense to her. Just because you’re a little cute, it doesn’t mean I won’t get tired of your child-like wonder.

However, in the end, the both of them were childish children anyways.

“Well, whatever, it seems that I don’t have to ask whether you like it, since it’s all over your face… literally.”

“Of course, I like it! it’s my favorite after all, strawberries! …Hey!”

Rinoa was interrupted by Aozameru wiping off the reddish-pink strawberry-scented cold confectionary on her face with a table napkin.

“Hold still” Aozameru instructed. You’re really making it weird for me to like you when you act like a little sister I have to take care of like this.

“Now, c’mon and finish your cone already. I’ll walk you home.”

“Oh, okay! –… hm…? aren’t you gong to have some Kuroji? You didn’t buy a cone of ice cream for yourself.”

“I’ll be ffine. You should know me better. I already felt freezing from the air conditioner of the gelato shop.”

“Hmph…” Rinoa pouted. “Then have this!!—” She then thrusted her arm forward, sticking her cone of ice-cream into Aozameru’s face.

“Ack—! No…!! …Hm…? Yo’w w’ight” Aozameru affirmed with a mouthful of strawberry ice cream. “It’sh shweet and co—”

“Hm…?”

All of the sudden, Aozameru trailed off in an instant. He stopped talking as though something interrupted him. While he didn’t exactly shut his mouth all of the sudden as it was left open for Rinoa to keep feeding him her cone of strawberry ice-cream.

“Kuroji, are you okay? Are you already having a brain freeze?” Rinoa asked in concern. “Your hair is turning white like an old man all of the sudden, you’re scaring me a little.”

Aozameru became completely frozen.

And while Rinoa is distracted by Aozameru being completely immobilized from the cold sweets she’s treating him, Aozameru’s eyes widened as he noticed the motion of a familiar four-legged furball with long fluffy brown ears protruding from the top of its head. It was the cat that ran away with Rinoa’s bunny ear headband.

“MMMMPHH!!!” Aozameru spoke, however it was muffled by the scoop of strawberry ice cream in his mouth.

“Kuroji, can’t you talk properly?”

Does it sound like I can?! You idiot!! Aozameru thought but couldn’t speak out loud. Get this strawberry gelato out of my face! The cat is getting away!!

 Aozameru was stupefied, maybe even paralized. Whatever it was, he’s just frozen from the cold. He couldn’t move his body other than twitching his eyes, and making muffled noises with his voice.

The pupils of his eyes followed the bunny-eared stray feline as it walked across the street and around the next corner of the sidewalk.

As long as any part of his body is cold, he’s frozen, or at the very least, he would be weakened enough to barely move. For him to regain his mobility and his regular human abilities, he would simply have to warm himself up first to raise his body temperature. And to do that, he must have his body embrace the warmth of some sort of heat source somewhere…

And fortunately, there is in fact a heat source in front of Aozameru from where he’s standing.

“Eh? Kuro… Aozameru?”

Rinoa was caught off-guard. She stopped paying attention to the cone of strawberry gelato she was holding out, and her ignorance costed the scoop of ice ream to slip out of its cone and drop to the pave of the sidewalk. It came to a surprise to Rinoa that the person she was feeding the ice cream to isn’t frozen still in the same place anymore.

Aozameru stepped forward to embrace her.

“Ah… Aozameru… my ice cream—”

“—what of it?”

Rinoa paused before she answered, and when she did, she shook her head and hummed in response.

“It’s nothing, nevermind.”

Rinoa preferred the little warmth of Aozameru’s body rather than the low temperature of the ice treat.

It was one of those cliché moments where either one of the party preferred if time would stop and stay like that forever, but to Aozameru, it wasn’t long until he regained his body heat and came to his senses.

After a moment, Aozameru gently pushed Rinoa away, looking at the street from left to right, then decided to rush on his own to find the stray cat.

“Kuroji, where are you going?!” Rinoa asked, yelling a little due to the distance between them and still holding the empty waffle cone that used to contain a scoop of ice cream.

Aozameru turned around to answer, however he cut himself off right after he realized something.

“It was right here!! the ca—”

“…? The what??!”

Aozameru realized that he had just successfully calmed Rinoa down, and that she’s forgotten about the cat of which ran off with her favorite head accessory. Before continuing his sentence, he searched around the corner once more. If the thieving feline wasn’t there, then him mentioning it would be fruitless if not counterproductive by making Rinoa remember and cry all over again.

“…It’s nothing” Aozameru concluded, failing to find the bunny-eared cat.

“You said there was a ca…?”

“Ah, about that I meant… Catherine.”

“Who’s Catherine?!” Rinoa asked, pouting a little as though she were jealous that Aozameru mentioned a girl’s name of which was unfamiliar to her.

“………”

“………”

Aozameru failed to find the feline with his childhood crush’s favorite headband, however, he instead a certain flashy store caught his eye. It was really pink, and the contents of the store displayed through the glass walls clearly displayed what would advertise to the audience of younger girls rather than older women. It was filled with childish outfits, bead necklaces and bracelets, plastic dolls, plastic earrings, small purses with a pink cat mascot, headbands, and small pink glittery shoes with ribbons on them of which would only attract little girls.

He may have failed to find Rinoa’s accessory, but a new idea came to mind.

 

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“Kuro, why did you bring me here?” Rinoa asked as she followed Aozameru into the girls accessory shop.

“Hm…? Aren’t you interested in these kinds of things?” Aozameru responded, picking up a boxed plastic doll on a shelf and flaunting it at her.

“Well, I guess so, but what about you, are you interested in this kind of thing—” just as Rinoa asked that, Rinoa noticed this awkward stare with Aozameru squinting at her, making the expression of what do you think? with his face alone “I thought not.”

“I just thought I’d gift my mother something from here, that’s all.” Aozameru said as an excuse. “You can window shop if you want, or you can wait outside of the store, or even better, you can just go home—”

“How MEAN!!” Rinoa exclaimed, pouting and stomping her feet. “Then maybe I will just wait outside of the store. Don’t take too long, okay?”

Good, this buys me time. Aozameru thought to himself.

The young ice-king then casually goes over to the isle where it held headband accessories with all sorts of animal ears.

“Hmm…”

 

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After purchasing an item, Aozameru hurriedly left the accessory store with a flashy white and pink paper bag and met up with Rinoa. For a boy with any sort of young manly pride, he wasn’t too unconscious about his appearance at what may be considered a girly store without any other company.

“Ah, Kuro, you exited the shop faster than I thought.” Rinoa expressed. “Did you even give your gift some thought…?”

“Well, of course I did. I already had things planned in mind after all.” Aozameru stated. “As soon as I saw what I had in mind, I got my hands on it and brought it to the cashier.”

“So, you had experience going into this kind of store before?”

“What?! of course not!! This would be my first and probably last time I’ll ever visit the store, so I specifically made the visit swift enough so that no one else would see me.”

 “I see… well, I’ll ask again, did you actually give your gift some thought…? This is a gift for your mother, isn’t it?”

“Er… well of course I did!! …and of course… it’s for my mother…”

Aozameru purchased two items in that store. One was a bracelet he actually planned to give to his mother, while the other was a new, white bunny-eared headband. He bought the bunny ear head band first as he intended to originally gift it to Rinoa, however, he since he told her that he was going to buy something for his mother, he purchased another item so he technically wouldn’t be lying.

However, there was but one flaw in his paltering plan.

“What did you buy?!” Rinoa asked jumping in enthusiasm. “Let me see! Let me see!!”

“Urk—!!”

I shouldn’t have put it in the two items in the same paper bag!! Aozameru thought.

Rinoa got her hands Aozameru’s paper bag as he was caught off guard, and she hastily opened it without considering her rudeness. Naturally, what stuck out between the two items was the pair of bunny ears from the headband.

“Ooh! Is your mother also into bunny-ear headbands?” Rinoa asked out of excitement and curiosity.

“Err… no.”

“Is that so? Then can I have it? Pretty please!”

That was my intention in the first place! Aozameru thought to himself. Ugh, but now I kind of feel weird about it.

“No!” Aozameru denied.

“Ehh?? But didn’t you plan to gift it to me in the first place?”

Your bold accusations are oddly right on the mark! Tsk, but now that I’ve gone out and straight up denied it……

“I’m not going to gift it to you either.” Aozameru denied, shifting to a different kind of plan.

“Oh, I see… so you bought it for yourself? I didn’t know you were into this sort of thing Kuroji, I should’ve lent you some of my bunny-ear headbands.”

“No, you misunderstand again!” Aozameru rejected the idea, letting out a hefty sigh afterwards. “You said that the brown bunny ear headband was your favorite right…? The one you just lost. This one I bought is a headband with a pair of white ears. Surely I’m not giving this to you as a replacement.”

“Then what did you have in mind when you bought it? What are you gonna do with it?”

“I… well… I realized that I could use this more than just for myself, or gifting it to my mother, or gifting it to you of all people.” Aozameru excused himself. “Like… uh… hm…… huh…? That!!” he pointed, though not as loud as to not disturb what he saw in the distance.

“Huh… is that—?!”

In the horizon of the street, a familiar pair of brown bunny ears popped out, and its wearer was a white cat just sitting complacently in the sidewalk, staring at them.

Aozameru approached the cat, he removed the pair of brown bunny ears and replaced it with the white ones he bought. The cat then responded by running away. Rinoa approached them in hopes to pet the cat, but by that time, the cat had already escaped.

Aozameru stood up and faced Rinoa.

“Here.” he said handing her the brown bunny ear headband.

Rinoa stared at it, and was filled with glee. Her eyes lit up and a wide warm child-like smile stretched on her face.

“Thank you Aozameru!!” She yelled.

“No problem.” Aozameru stated, averting his gaze again. “And not so loud goddammit.”

“I love you!!” Rinoa added running towards Aozameru with the both of her arms wide open going to hug him.

“Eh?! Ew!! What the hell are you saying all of the sudden?!” He said startled and flustered raising the both of his arms in front of his face as though he were protecting himself from combat.

 

It’s a given that this would eventually grow into a archetypical childhood romance, of which they would end up as romantic partners when they grow up. However, as the course of life always changes, so did Aozameru and his childhood friends throughout the later years.

 

Unfortunately, that happened to be the last spring season Aozameru had with her.

 

 

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