CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE – A COLD NIGHT OUT

The announcement of having the next batch of exams arriving one week late for December had provided a wholly different chill upon the backs of the majority of Koizumi Academy's students, even as the season drew ever closer to winter and made the weather too cold for everyone's liking. Akihiro was one of those who heaved an indignant, resigned sigh upon hearing the news, though he knew that they would simply have to shoulder the weight of it eventually. Because December offered a bit of respite for everyone with the holiday season, it often meant that their second exams came some time before the holiday vacations start, giving students enough time to enjoy the stress-free days that followed. Holding the exams late, while keeping anticipation sharp for the arrival of the holiday season, would mean that students would have to wait with dread for the inevitable a little while longer.

Akihiro glanced over at his cellphone's calendar to gauge the possibilities as his friends debated silently around him. "Third week of December 'at best,' they say? They can't be serious!" one of them hissed. "My folks have already made plans for that time! I'm not staying behind while they go off to Tokyo!"

"They did have a legit reason for the exam delay, though," said another. "Besides, if they said 'at best,' that means there's still the possibility that the exams might happen on the usual schedule."

"Nah, if they announced it this early already, it means it's more or less official now. Damn. I just wish they'd extend the Christmas Bazaar if we're gonna miss out on the first few days of it."

Akihiro looked up at that, but he said nothing yet. The annual Christmas Bazaar at downtown Eishima was one of the biggest highlights of the holiday season that the teenagers around town looked forward to; though Christmas was not as big of a religious holiday in Japan as it was abroad, it did provide the best time for families, couples and friends to get together, and the city capitalized on such a prospect with the bazaar. For students who didn't leave the city to go on vacations to the other prefectures, it was a truly nice way to spend most of the holidays, whether through a romantic date with boyfriends or girlfriends or through a festive jaunt with their comrades.

Naturally, in Akihiro's case, the holiday season would be the perfect time to make Sayori happy, with the bazaar providing the proverbial cherry on top. He had made the decision in the wake of her recent hiccup with her monthly allowance from her parents—a problem that had luckily been addressed by none other than Monika—and the resulting hit it made on Sayori's overall happiness; Akihiro had been ready to do the unthinkable as a gamer and sacrifice his well-tended online game accounts to make enough money for Sayori's problem. This particular idea had come from his recent dealings with his friends, where their talk of item raids had turned towards the topic of just how much money other gamers would pay for said items and other things in-game such as cosmetic bundles. However, before Akihiro had taken any final steps in his plans, Sayori had quickly notified him with the news that after a brief meeting with her, Monika had graciously offered to give her the money she needed. Though Akihiro was just as thankful as she was about Monika's save, it had not stopped him from guessing at the other possibilities brought by his idea of selling his game accounts.

All things considered, it wasn't a bad idea. Having accumulated quite a few accounts consisting of various player builds from different popular online games—Arclight, Dungeon Delvers, Huntsman's Dusk and Skies of Justice, to name a few—Akihiro was somewhat curious with just how much money he could get from selling a particular game character build that was already decked out with high-level gear, skills and attributes. Admittedly, he had never dabbled in such trades, but the fact that it could help get enough money to treat Sayori to a nice and romantic time for a few days and nights was a good reason for him to consider trying it out. If an account matched a player's fancy, he knew that they could fetch at least seven thousand yen each, judging from what he had seen in posts before; certain forums that he had browsed even had prices going up to almost twice as much with players abroad, though he knew that in spite of the many hours he had devoted into creating his character builds, he was nowhere near a position to demand such a price. Still worth a shot, though.

Akihiro pored over his calendar again and matched up their prospective exam schedule with the bazaar, and soon he saw that there would only be around four days for him to take Sayori out on dates, and more than a month to spend trying to get just enough money for those four dates. And other than these technical developments, there was still the possible problem involving Sayori's recent emotional state. He pocketed his cellphone and began to think, ignoring his friends' ongoing grievances about their own plans for the holidays. Ever since she had lost her parents' money, Sayori had started keeping her distance from him all over again, communicating only through text and telling him that she was doing just fine. Of course, where Sayori was concerned, Akihiro sensed that she might be hiding more inner turmoil than she was letting on, which had greatly influenced his decision to plan the bazaar dates in the first place. With the recent announcement, Akihiro sensed that the worry and stress brought by the upcoming exams would exacerbate Sayori's emotional state even further. It was a callback to the tumultuous time they had during the weeks leading up to their preliminary exams, a time that he no longer wanted to come back to.

When classes ended later in the afternoon, Akihiro made his way towards one of the convenience stores near the school and sent her a quick text, intending to wait around in case Sayori would reply.

"hey, where u at? wanna grab a quick bite?" Even as he sent the text message, Akihiro was aware of how awkward it might sound, but sometimes there was no other way to entice Sayori than an invitation to eat somewhere. Still, to reduce the informal nature of his message, Akihiro added, "i'm downtown rn, if ur up 2 it, just tell me!"

But even after half an hour had passed, Sayori sent him neither a text nor a call. Akihiro finished the bottle of root beer that he had bought and left the store to go home. He passed a few of his friends along the way, and while their invitation to go eat downtown was a welcome one, Akihiro turned them down, not wanting to commit himself to anything in case Sayori suddenly texted him and accepted his invite. As such, he also slowed down his pace as he walked, delaying as much as he could.

As he dilly-dallied on his way home, he passed by one of the first streets that connected Eishima's residential areas to the downtown complex. The city seemed to grow more vibrant as the evening came, as if its lights and buzzing night life stood out in defiance against the onset of the dreary cold. Come November, the streets, buildings and establishments would already be adorned with additional decorations to add to the festive air of the coming holidays, from sparkling lights to Christmas trees and even a little bit of snow should the air grow cold enough, returning to the city the colors it had lost and more after the majority of its trees had shed their leaves for the coming of winter. The prospect of it filled Akihiro with a bit of excitement, belying the anxiety that he should be feeling with their exams coming in first.

No text message came from Sayori even after he had arrived at his apartment unit. Akihiro booted up his computer and made his way to the bathroom for a quick wash, wondering if he should keep trying with her all the while. Though he was no stranger to eating alone, there was now an empty feeling nudging at him whenever he would have dinner by himself without hearing from Sayori. It made him think of the times that they had eaten dinner together, more frequently back in middle school, and even less so now in high school. He remembered the times she would shyly ask to taste the food he was eating, or when she would invite him for dessert at some convenience store only to find out that she had forgotten to bring some extra money along. Those were indeed happier days, and Akihiro was sorry that he had taken them for granted when they happened, failing to realize just how much warmth he and Sayori had shared in their antics and jaunts long before they had chosen to become a couple.

When he had finished changing out of his school uniform and into a warmer set of clothes, he took a quick peek at the Arclight forum he had been visiting recently to distract himself for a while. After he had picked up the idea of selling his accounts, he had tested the waters somewhat by browsing the forum for any posts about prospective buyers, or for confirmation from other users who were planning to sell like him. True enough, there were quite a number of them, giving him a bit of hope, but he also saw how tricky it could be to find the right buyer. In popular games like Arclight, any buyers appraised everything closely, from a character's skillset to the rarity and value of their equipped gear to their viability when going up against other players with characters of equal strength. Skeptics would indeed be surprised at just how serious some gamers were about their favorite games to consider actually spending good money for a specific build that they wish to acquire. Naturally, the forums also came with reminders about being diligent with any prospective buyers as well as the occasional uncertainty from a random user about the legality of buying and selling, but Akihiro already had an idea on how to go about things—with the added insight and experience of his fellow gamers in school—should he choose to sell for real.

Once he had browsed what he could, Akihiro closed his internet browser and contemplated playing a short game before having dinner. But the silence in his apartment unit seemed to be magnified to an extra degree, making him realize once again how alone—and lonely—he felt, drowning out any motivation he had about playing a game. For a moment, he could only stare at his desktop wallpaper, waiting for both something and nothing in particular.

A beep from his cellphone made him scramble for a moment, but he soon saw that it was only a message from Kenta. Still, ever ready for company from anyone in their group, Akihiro opened the message to take a look.

"yo bro, u busy? just need someone 2 talk 2…"

"hello there! waddup?" he replied, adding a bit of lightness to his reply as he felt eager for some company. But even after ten minutes had passed, Kenta did not follow up his first message with another; Akihiro sensed that he might be thinking twice about potentially bothering him, and it reminded him some more of Sayori. As he waited for Kenta to reply, he stared at Sayori's number right below his last message to him in his phone's inbox. He found himself smiling fondly, missing her all over again and feeling hopeful that Christmas would make up for the distance that seemed to be forming between them again. Whatever you're doing right now, whatever you're thinking of, I hope you're doing just fine, Sayori.

Kenta finally replied after a few more minutes. "just lost rn, sorry for txting outta nowhere. mom went out and sis ain't home yet, so i just went out 4 a walk. u out too?"

"not rly, at home rn. where u at?"

"night market. i txted daisuke and naoki, asked them if they wanted 2 come along, eat somewhere and stuff. they haven't replied yet"

Akihiro read the message again, sensing that Kenta was looking for company for tonight like he was—and that there was more to this than he was letting on. Begrudgingly, he wondered if the announcement earlier about the coming exams had anything to do with the lethargy, loneliness and downhill slide that he and the others were feeling. Whatever the case, though, Akihiro was more than ready to acquiesce to an invite; apart from a desire to distract himself from the isolation around him, he had not forgotten the times when Kenta had been there to give him reassurance and advice when he had been the one in need.

An idea popped up in his head. "wanna visit daisuke instead at their diner?" he told Kenta through text. "we can just eat dinner there, if the boys r up 2 it"

Again, Kenta's reply took a while before it rolled in. "haven't thought of that TBH. sounds good. alright, imma tell daisuke we're coming over"

"alright, OMW 2 downtown rn. let's meet up at big tom's. see ya in a few!"

As he had instructed, he found Kenta waiting for him next to Big Tom's around ten minutes later. Like him, Kenta was wearing a haphazard mix of house clothes with a jacket thrown on top to ward off the evening's cold. From a distance, he looked somewhat put out, his tall and athletic frame ostensibly diminished against the light of the store he was standing in front of. When he spotted Akihiro walking towards him, though, his face brightened up with relief.

"How's it going, man?" he asked, clapping him hard on the shoulder as soon as he was within reach.

"Just fine, brother. Just fine," said Akihiro with a smile, feeling his loneliness from earlier fading a little. "How about you? You alright?"

Kenta shifted where he stood, his opal eyes gleaming as he grinned back. "Doing okay, I guess," he replied with a shrug. "I'm just pretty tired from earlier, and I figured a little stroll will do me some good. Only made me hungry as heck, though."

"Tell me about it," said Akihiro, laughing a little. But in spite of Kenta's smile and his attempt to lighten things up further, however, he could sense again that something was troubling him. Since the festival, he had been unable to spend more time with him and the rest of the quartet, busy as he was with his own group of friends from 3-B. Even so, he had always assumed that Kenta, Daisuke and Naoki were doing just fine, given how he still saw the three of them banding together every day for lunch. But now, as he looked in Kenta's face and saw an air of heaviness beneath the wisecracking, jolly gleam of his opal eyes, Akihiro wondered if there was more that was getting to his redheaded comrade other the early mental and emotional burdens of the upcoming exams.

Instead of putting him on the spot instantly, however, Akihiro decided to tackle their planned excursion for the evening. "Did Daisuke reply yet?" he asked.

"Not yet. I called his cell a few times, but he's not picking up. He might be busy or something," said Kenta, taking a look at his cellphone. "As for Naoki, he can't come along. He told me that he's busy helping his mom with something."

"Ah, that's a shame. But there's always next time," said Akihiro.

"Yep, hopefully." Kenta frowned, pocketing his cellphone. "Maybe we should just go to the diner already. If we wait around longer, it might be closing time already."

"I'm cool with that," said Akihiro. "Let's bounce."

The dynamic air of downtown Eishima belied the subdued feeling in Kenta's being. Granted, such lethargy had been prevailing over him for days now. The burden of his choice to steer clear of Monika continued to take its toll, making him question many times over if he was doing the right thing. Every time he imagined himself accompanying her after school, whether to ask her out on a brief jaunt downtown or to check if she was doing just fine, her mother's shadow lurked at the back of his mind like a warning, almost as ominous as her words to him during that fateful day in front of the Cocoa Connection. Holding back seemed like the right thing to do, he mused, but he also remembered Monika's own sentiments—of how she sought him out precisely because she felt more at ease and relieved from her stress when she was with him. Almost painfully, he remembered that one time she surprised him along with Akihiro and Sayori, telling him more of just how much Monika valued his company just as much as he valued hers.

And yet, here he was. The more Kenta chose to distance himself from Monika, the more painful it felt, especially compared to the times when he valued her opinion of him more than what the hecklers and naysayers said about their relationship. Burdened by these musings, his mood was exacerbated further when he had arrived home earlier to find that his sister and mother were not around. Though Kenta wanted to relish the chance of being alone by playing loud music and eating what he wanted from their refrigerator like what he would usually do, the feeling of loneliness and heaviness in him soon grew as the minutes passed inside the empty Yamaguchi residence. That was when he had decided to drag himself to a small walk downtown, hoping to clear his head even for just one evening straight. Akihiro's company was definitely a welcome surprise, and Kenta could not privately thank him enough for choosing to accompany him so readily.

"How's Sayori doing?" he asked as they walked along the sidewalk.

"She's doing better, I think," Akihiro replied. "Remember that time when I was looking for her at the festival? Well, I paid her a visit after you suggested it, and . . . she got into a bit of a pickle."

"Oh, I hope it wasn't anything too serious," said Kenta.

"It almost was, if it wasn't for Monika's help," said Akihiro with a small laugh.

"Wait, Monika?" Her name sent another stab of longing in Kenta's heart, but he shook it off for now, intending to focus on having a proper conversation with Akihiro instead. "She didn't tell me about this yet. What happened, exactly?"

Akihiro sighed, as if the severity of Sayori's problem returned to linger around him now that it was brought up again. "Sayori misplaced the money she was supposed to use as her monthly allowance and to pay for her rent," he replied as they rounded a street corner. "That, or someone pickpocketed her when she wasn't aware. Anyway, we were trying to figure out where we could get money for her and whether we should tell her mom straightaway."

"Damn. Good thing that was taken care of quickly, then."

"Yes, thankfully. Sayori met up with Monika, and she told her about what happened. Monika just straight up offered to give her the money she needed to replace what she lost."

Kenta smiled fondly. "Monika's really something, eh?"

"Yeah, that was really nice of her," said Akihiro, smiling as well. "I'm sure Sayori's thinking of a way to repay her, even though Monika said that she didn't have to."

"Well, that's Monika for ya! She really likes looking out for her friends and helping them out however she can. That's one of her best qualities, if you ask me."

"I can vouch for that. She helped out a lot of our classmates back in sophomore year, those who needed help with academics and all. Small wonder she's really popular."

"Yeah, small wonder." Kenta sighed, knowing all too well just how popular Monika was from all the resentment and jeering he had received from most of the male students who fancied her in secret. That Monika had chosen to be with him of all people was still something that he had not fully grown used to, but it was a comforting fact nonetheless.

The walk to Daisuke's place took them around ten more minutes. The diner's lights were still on, making them quicken their pace as they hoped to see other patrons still being served at this hour. Granted, they had thirty more minutes before closing time, but given that Daisuke had not replied at all to his texts, Kenta did not want to bank on any guarantees.

In a timely manner, the front doors of the diner opened as they approached, and they saw Daisuke coming out with a cardboard box in his arms. "Oy, Daisuke!" Kenta immediately yelled, his loud voice reverberating at the dimly lit street around them.

Daisuke looked around, his eyes lighting up in surprise as he saw him and Akihiro approaching. "Whoa, what're you guys doing here?" he called out, setting down his box and walking over to them.

"I've been texting and calling you for the past hour, ya dolt!" said Kenta as Daisuke bumped fists with him and Akihiro. "I was asking if anyone in the group was up for a short night out, to eat and have fun and stuff. Naoki couldn't make it, but luckily Akihiro was free."

"That's nice," said Daisuke, grinning. "Anyway, I'm sorry for not picking up. I left my phone at my room all evening, been helping Mom finish these orders for a friend. I was just about to wait for them to pick it up when you two showed up."

"Ah, no wonder you weren't answering," said Kenta. "Luckily, we thought that we should just try going to your place and eat here instead. Are you guys still open?"

"Yeah, Mom managed to find extra help a couple of weeks back, so the diner's able to close at nine now instead of eight," replied Daisuke. "Anyway, come on in and I'll get you two some seats!"

The interior of the Matsuda Eatery provided them with a fresh feeling of warmth and coziness, especially given the place's rustic feel. Three of the tables were still occupied by customers, no doubt taking their time to eat in order to avoid having to go out early in the evening's chill. Daisuke led Kenta and Akihiro to one of the tables near the diner's front windows.

"I'll just wait for Mom's friend to pick things up, and then I'll get back to you two," he told them as they sat down. "See you in a bit!"

"Sure thing, man," said Kenta. When Daisuke had left, he turned to Akihiro. "You wanna order now, or should we wait for him?"

"Let's just wait," replied Akihiro. He glanced around at the diner's sights, nodding appreciatively. "I should eat here more often. Why I never invited Sayori on a date here is beyond me."

Kenta grinned in approval, basking in the diner's ambience as well. Privately, he wondered if Monika would also be up for a date here. Maybe after the nationals, he mused with a bit of hope, though Mrs. Steinbeck kept popping up like an unwanted guest as he tried dwelling on the prospect.

"Why don't you ask her to come over here, too?" he asked Akihiro, trying to distract himself. "I mean, if she's okay having me and Daisuke around."

"To be honest, my original plan was to ask her out tonight. Go eat dinner somewhere, have fun after, the usual," said Akihiro. "But she didn't reply to any of my texts. I thought that maybe she's just busy, or that she's . . . you know, still shook up and bothered by her recent problem.

"I see. Maybe she's just busy for tonight?"

"I hope that's the case. I mean, you know what happened before, right?"

"Ah, yeah, I remember. . ."

Daisuke returned around five minutes later, prompting the two of them to begin ordering at the counter. Daisuke helped them choose between some of the diner's new additions, including a serving of kakuni that Kenta decided to try out. Daisuke's mother, who had shown up from the kitchen to ask for help from one of her workers at the front counter, greeted the two of them warmly as soon as she caught sight of them.

When the orders had been punched, Daisuke finally joined them as they returned to their table. "Really wish we had Naoki with us," he said as they sat down. "It's always lacking when one's not around."

"Yeah, real shame," said Kenta. "I'm sure he's available tomorrow, so maybe we can just invite him to go out then."

"If it's not gonna be too busy around here, I'm down with that," said Daisuke. "It's just that the diner's been on a bit of a roll lately. Most of Mom's acquaintances and best customers usually have their celebrations during this season, before and during the holidays, as you might've guessed earlier. The diner needs all hands on deck to take care of everything, so I help out as soon as I get home from school."

"Then we'll just come over here like we did tonight," Akihiro suggested. "Besides, it's getting more and more crowded at the venues downtown. It'd be better if we had a go-to place just for ourselves, like here. If you'll have us, that is."

"Yeah, Mom would definitely like that," said Daisuke lightly. "A few of our other classmates know about the place, but she'd be delighted if you also came in every so often."

"What about Natsuki? I'm sure she's been here many times before, right?" Kenta quipped.

"Just a few times," Daisuke confessed, laughing. "That one time was when we baked those cupcakes for the festival. As for the other times, well . . ." He paused for a moment, glancing over at Kenta before turning to Akihiro.

"I'll tell you more when Kenta's not around," he joked in an undertone.

"Now that's just rude!" Kenta grumbled as the two of them began to laugh. "You and Naoki like pulling off stuff like this even though I share my stories with you!"

"Sorry, sorry," said Daisuke, still chortling. "Anyway, it was just simple stuff, when Natsuki was here. It wasn't like we had a date here or something. Besides, if we had a date, Hiroko would just be there all the time to tease me about it. Natsuki's cool with her and all, but I don't want her feeling too awkward with all the teasing and jokes."

"Ah, tell me about it," said Kenta. "Kanae picks on me the first chance she gets ever since she learned about Monika."

"Just wait for her to start dating, and you can get back at her," said Akihiro, laughing again.

"Can't wait for that, to be honest," Kenta said with a chuckle.

By the time their food arrived, the streets had grown even darker outside the diner's windows, with the cold keeping their appetites sharp. As always, the food was absolutely divine, with the pork kakuni proving to be a worthy addition to the diner's simple but delectable menu items. Kenta ate eagerly, only noticing then how his preoccupation with his dilemma with Monika had kept him from feeling hungry. Daisuke watched them eat instead, reasoning that he would be eating at a later time with his mother and sister. Fewer customers were starting to show up, with most ordering take-outs instead of dining in as the hour passed. As he ate alongside Akihiro and chatted with him and Daisuke, Kenta began to feel more at ease, especially after the weariness that had been plaguing him earlier. The conversations took various turns, from recent developments at school to the big announcement about the exams, with the three of them taking turns airing their grievances about the announcement and expressing hope of the holidays that will come afterwards. But the warmth of the interactions around him and the sense of companionship made Kenta think of Monika as well, filling him once again with a desire to invite her out on a night like this, to eat and enjoy each other's company and plan for future excursions with enthusiasm and gusto.

"Kenta? You there, man?"

Kenta snapped to, looking up from his bowl of kakuni. The conversations had stopped, and Akihiro and Daisuke were both looking at him from their seats.

"What is it?" he asked them.

"You just became quiet all of a sudden," said Akihiro, mixing up his bowl of katsudon some more. "You alright?"

"Oh." Kenta straightened up, only realizing then that he had drifted off with his thoughts about Monika. "Y-Yeah, I'm alright. I was just thinking about something."

"Hey, man, you know I was just joking about not telling you stuff earlier, right?" said Daisuke, looking a little concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, no worries about that," said Kenta, waving his hand airily with a grin. "Jeez, it's not like me to feel so down after just one joke. I'm just . . ."

He let out a sigh, poking at a piece of pork with his chopsticks. "I just miss Monika, that's all," he admitted. "I know it's kinda mushy and all, but it's just one of those days, I guess."

Akihiro and Daisuke kept staring at him for a moment, as if they had no idea how to respond. Kenta couldn't blame them; even after their last meaningful encounter at the festival, he had told them and Naoki nothing about what was transpiring between him and Monika.

"Did you two have, like . . . a fight or something?" Daisuke asked with an air of reluctance.

"Not really," said Kenta. "It's something that happened before the festival."

Akihiro gazed upon him with brotherly concern. "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked. "We're right here, man. We'll listen and help you if we can."

"Yeah, definitely," added Daisuke.

Kenta heaved a sigh, tapping his chopsticks silently against his bowl of kakuni. "As long as you guys promise not to let Monika know," he said heavily.

Daisuke and Akihiro looked at each other for a moment, as if exchanging wordless confirmations about how grave the matter was. "Yes, of course," said Akihiro readily, while Daisuke echoed his words with a nod.

With that, Kenta narrated to the two of them what had transpired between him, Monika and her mother during their last real date at the Cocoa Connection. Somehow, it felt even heavier for Kenta to share everything to them, including his approximation of Mrs. Steinbeck's veiled warning to him and the gist that she wanted to get across. Kenta shared as well the stress that seemed to be plaguing Monika more and more, and how she sought out his company to alleviate it, emphasizing how bad it felt to deny her that solidarity even if it was in accordance to her mother's wishes.

"—haven't really talked to Monika about this, not even at the festival. I just . . . I dunno how she'd react, to be honest. I mean, she might get disappointed and all, with how I lied about what her mom told me or how I kept quiet about it. That's why it's been messing me up pretty bad."

Kenta let out a sigh and turned away for a moment, staring at his downtrodden reflection in the diner's windows. "Can't even text her about it, because I'm worried that her mom might find out, and she'd be in more trouble," he went on dejectedly, turning to face his friends again. "Maybe I can talk to her at school, but I might end up distracting her too much. Or maybe Wonder Boy Takeo will find out and spill more beans to her parents about it, I don't know. It's all just a big mess, and I have no idea what to do about it."

Silence prevailed following his words. All around them, the diner's other patrons and occupants merely carried on with their business, unmindful of the serious discussion that was taking place between the three of them. Daisuke and Akihiro, who had asked or said nothing as he told them of his plight, still bore those looks of concern and sympathy on their faces. Teenage romance might seem like a trivial matter to some, especially when it came to boys of their age, but in their tight-knit group one member's predicament was always worth discussing and addressing, and Kenta was glad that Daisuke and Akihiro seemed to think so.

"That's a bit tough, not gonna lie," said Daisuke after a while. "But I think that your best bet here is to just come clean to Monika about it."

"Yeah, I think that's the only real choice I can make," Kenta acknowledged with difficulty. "To come clean before it gets any worse. It's just that . . . I'm scared of letting her down again, you know? I don't wanna mess things up like I did last time when I got suspended."

"But you might mess things up anyway if you keep hiding this from her," Daisuke pointed out. "Monika's the kind of person who appreciates it if people are honest with her. That's one of the reasons she liked you in the first place, man. She knows you're not the kind of person who'd hide anything from her, including how you feel about her and all. You two need each other right now, especially with the stress she's been going through, like you said."

Kenta sighed. "But what if her mom finds out?"

"Dude, you got this far simply because you chose to listen to Monika instead of giving in to the things people said about you two behind your back," said Akihiro. "No matter what you heard, you stuck with her. Besides, her mom doesn't have to know that you two still see each other after school or whenever. If she needs time to focus for her debate competition, give her that. But don't forget to give her your company when she needs it, too."

"Exactly," Daisuke echoed.

Kenta leaned back against his seat, the conflict in him raging on. Everywhere he looked, he could only see Monika's tired visage, as if at this very moment she was brought low by sadness and loneliness from the growing distance between them, though she had yet to notice it to the point of confronting him about it. Listening to his friends' advice, Kenta found himself agreeing reluctantly with them, even daring to once again defy circumstances in order to prove that yes, he would not—could not—let his doubt and reluctance drown out how he truly felt. But there was one last snag that would send his determination crashing down to earth in a fiery blaze.

"Even if I do change my mind and start trying to be with her again," he said with an air of resigned misery, "it won't change the fact that she's gonna move to Osaka in the end. If her mom said so herself, it means it's a done deal. She'll be gone one way or another, and I won't be able to do anything about it."

A hush descended once again upon their table, which Kenta took as a signal that Daisuke and Akihiro had forgotten about Monika moving out at some point in the future. Granted, even Kenta himself often forgot about it, buried as it was underneath all his other conflicted thoughts. But every time it brushed his mind, it always deflated his hopes before they could even take off.

Daisuke looked defeated now as he drummed his fingers on their table. Akihiro bore the same reaction on his face as well, even as he opened his mouth a few times in an attempt to say something. Kenta sensed more of their persistence and drive to find a way to give him what comfort or help they could; while he was immensely grateful for their determination to help him in whatever way they can find, he did not want to ruin their mood any further with his problems.

"Alright, that's enough of that," he said matter-of-factly, as if he had just finished sharing something trivial and not a personal dilemma. "We should just carry on eating before the food gets stone cold."

Next to him, Daisuke and Akihiro glanced at each other again, obviously struck by his sudden insistence to move on. "Kenta . . ." Daisuke began, but Kenta cut across him with a grin and a wave of his hand.

"I'm fine, my bros," he said affably, looking at both him and Akihiro. "I mean, I'm not exactly at a hundred percent, but just sitting here with you two, eating and talking about stuff, it made me feel a bit better compared to before. At least I managed to vent about my problems, let out a bit of what's been bothering me, so that I won't go crazy carrying it all by myself. Of course, I still dunno what I can do about it, but . . . at least I'll have you guys to go to if I need some advice or a pair of ears again."

Akihiro beseeched him worriedly. "Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent," Kenta insisted. "Listen, if we keep this up, we're just gonna go back and forth like a bunch of dolts. We can discuss this again in the future, alright? And hopefully at a better time, when everything's all okay. Until then, I just wanna thank you two for sticking around and listening to an old pal when he's down in the dumps. I really appreciate it."

"Any time, man," said Daisuke, clapping his shoulder. "That's what bros are for."

"Yeah, and we're glad that you trusted us enough to share stuff with us," added Akihiro.

"Of course I trust you guys—except for Naoki 'cuz he decided to be absent," Kenta joked, eliciting some laughs from them. "But seriously, he did miss out big time, though. If we're gonna do this again, I'm gonna make sure he gets to tag along."

"Hopefully he can," said Daisuke. "Knowing him, he might just bunker down and start studying for the upcoming exams right after this week. Can't blame him, though. I'd rather get things over with as soon as possible."

"Oh, man, no. Not the exams, please. I don't wanna hear about those just yet," Kenta lamented, shaking his head. "I've got enough stuff to worry about, thanks!"

Once again, laughter rang out across their small table, and soon the talk turned to the idea of looking forward to Christmas instead of dwelling on the shade of the approaching exams. As he listened to his friends speak with enthusiasm about what might come at December for them all, Kenta listened on in silence. The warmth from their lighthearted eagerness made him formulate the beginnings of his own plans for the holidays; but his thoughts were soon drowned out as he remembered Monika again, and the fact that unlike them, her ordeal would last until January. Briefly, he imagined everyone else having fun and enjoying the rest of December while she was still training and practicing for January. A small stab of pain shot through his heart as he imagined once again that same burdened look that she had during their last date at the Cocoa Connection.

Ah, screw it.

Gritting his teeth, Kenta took out his cellphone from his pocket and sent Monika a text—the first real one he had sent to her in the past few days. Inwardly, he hoped that he had made the right choice, even as Mrs. Steinbeck's words drifted back into his mind as if to dissuade him of the domino effect this could bring. And indeed his fingers faltered a little as the worries began to surface. Would it distract Monika from her duties at school or her dealings at home? Would it end up with them going out and being discovered by her mother all over again? Would it even mean anything given how Monika would end up in Osaka regardless? Kenta had no way of knowing what would happen from now on, but then again, if one simple and meaningful message meant making Monika feel less stressed and lonely, if it meant brightening up her days the same way it did for him whenever she graced him with her company, then heaven be damned, it would all be worth it.

A/N: Time check as of this upload: five in the morning. Totally worth it!

Somehow, I'm starting to wonder if my writer's block now follows a set schedule because every time I think I have things under control, it just waltzes in out of nowhere and tap dances on the graves of my ideas. Either way, I'm glad I finally managed to overcome it and turn in this chapter. As you might've seen, instead of having it centered on one of the four pairings in the story, it now follows different perspectives like it did in the festival chapters. I decided that this was a good time to start doing this in order to advance the storytelling even faster, especially with what's coming.

I hope this turned out to be a good read for you guys. With the new POV format I stated above, I might be able to plan out what happens in the next chapters a bit faster, so hopefully the next one will be written and finished a lot sooner than the last few. See you until then, and as always, take care and stay safe wherever you are!