Sunday: 29th November: 14:49:59

Ayase

Arakawa Riverbank

The sun was low, but still bright.

“What’s with you?” The girl exasperated. “Why won’t you just take it?”

“Because…”

In truth, Naoki couldn’t explain. Several times now the girl had insisted with a wad of bills in hand, and each of them he’d declined.

“—This is the right thing to do!” She exclaimed.

“The thing is, this is the right thing for me to do!” Naoki replied.

“Well…!”

They had reached a stalemate.

“Gah. Why don’t we split it?” Hana wanted to suggest. “Fifty-fifty.”

She didn’t know how, or why, but the look in his eyes refuted it the moment that idea came to her.
Pride, maybe? Was he just that kind of all-or-nothing person?

She shook her head. “Well… You better take it, or these frogs are about to be rich.”

The man stared at her. The skyline of Kita-senju was hardly the most domineering thing to darken the sky filtering its light over the river. Despite the chill, the ochre-amber of the day making progress ever closer to night was enough to feel untouched by the air.

To her surprise, maybe to his, he laughed. Spat out just a little wheeze, at first.

“Pfft.”

But then he really laughed. It was like the sculpture had cracked apart. Not that he felt unwelcoming, or even false, which was strange enough given the city they were in, but the sound escaping gave off something like warmth.

She retreated. “What? Why’re you— What?”

“It’s— Sorry.” The man slowed his roll, way quicker than she would’ve expected.
It was like a lid came back on, and clunk, the sculpture was back.
“It was just… Funny.” The sculpture explained.

“Pfft.” Hana shook for a moment, as she watched the young man’s expressions dart from one to another. He tried confidence. She watched him sink back to self-consciousness, and rise halfway out again.

“W-what?” He asked.

It seemed the sculpture wasn’t all the way back.

“No, I’m just hilarious.” Hana shook her head.

“D-don’t say that.”

Then, she blinked. “Why not?”

“The frogs will be disappointed.”

“Pfffft—” She covered her mouth. “—Okayhhahh shut—hah— Up!”

This was getting absurd. They were stood out on the riverside like lemmings, while the world watched the two of them nothing-to-dos go by with likely incredulity, and likelier bemusement.
She hated the very thought of checking her watch, so she didn’t. Instead, she raised a finger.

“Okay. One thing.”

“What’s that?”

Naoki was recovering from the trepidatious effort with which he’d made his joke, although it hadn’t seemed to land. Even so, it felt good to make. Good enough that the sensation of her moving the conversation along was as if she’d jabbed her soft, slender finger straight into his chest.
He cleared his throat.

“Ask for one thing. We’re getting nowhere like this, otherwise. If you’re going to make me do this, then I’ll consider it payment for… Services rendered.”

Now, everything about that sounded just about wrong.

“Sounds… Fair enough.” Naoki said. “I guess.”

She was serious. He almost regretted how, but he was eerily familiar with the glint of dark focus in her eyes.

And, considering how he did know that look…

He cleared his throat again.

All he could do was wrack his brain. If he centered himself on his quest once more, it wasn’t like the options on what a man should rightfully do were short.

The problem, of course, he could only choose one.

Turn her request aside entirely? There wasn’t a single quote or code of honour telling him that was a good idea.

Say something like “smile!”?

He’d rather go on a workout sabbatical for fifteen— No, twenty years, than do that.

A kiss?

Brother. Brother, get your damn mind out of the gutter!

Naoki’s sunglasses were long-gone. There was no way he’d get away with that request, even with himself. Where had that even come from, anyway?

“I suppose…” Naoki’s brain was thoroughly wracked, and no more functional for it. He looked around, as if there was a single clue on the empty riverfront.
A… Drink?
A…
“I could take you out for a meal somewhere?” He thought out loud, scratching the side of the device that was starting to warm up with some ideas.
It wasn’t the worst time in the world for lunch, and there had to be somewhere close by.

“Oh?” The girl replied.

Hana’s finger trembled, as she offered it. She wondered just how much the man’s eyes took in, and how much they didn’t.

She wondered if this was just a repeat of last time.
She wondered if she’d ever get away from wondering if it was just a repeat of last time.

But that was all he knew of her. Did she really want to make an offer like this? Why wouldn’t his mind go straight there?
Of course. As far as he was concerned, she was street trash, worth far less than the 100,000 he was so desperate to usher her way so he could save precious seconds on his precious schedule. He—

“—A meal somewhere?”

And just like that the stormcloud of thoughts vanished, into a small, welcome sigh.

“Yeah.” She said. “That would be nice.”

Naoki blinked.

That was… Quick.

“Where do you want to go?” The girl inquired. “I have a shift in… Shinjuku, soon. I know a few places that stay open late.”

“Oh.” Naoki blinked. “Oh…”

…Dinner?

“You have a shift?” He asked.

“Yeah.” She said shiftily. “Sooner than I’d like, actually. So maybe just get back to me when you’ve decided.”

“And… How might I do that?” Naoki attempted a small, sheepish smile.

The girl dug into her pocket, scribbling out a hasty note on a piece of scrap paper.

“Here,” she handed him an address. “I wouldn’t recommend eating here, but it’s as good a rendezvous point as any.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“I— It’s nothing.” Naoki cleared his throat. “But… You’re sure it’s not a problem if I’m… Seen?”

“Oh my god, it’s not like that!”

Suddenly, there was an acute pressure on Naoki’s back, as two small hands pushed him up the hill at speed.

“Shift finishes at nine!” She fumed. “And starts at three-thirty! I’m gonna be freakin’— Anyway! Bye!”

And just like that, she was a whisper down the asphalt track covering the bend away from the upper path of the riverbank. Her hair fountained out of her hood, leaving a darkened trace on the glittering edge of the Arakawa, before there was only the slow sunset and Naoki.

He winced. Getting to Shinjuku so quickly was going to be rough. Checking his phone put a pause on that, however.

“Huh.”

A lot less time had passed than he’d thought.

“Maybe she will make it.” He smiled.

¥¥¥

Sunday

29th November

14:54:49

Crap, crap, crap, crap—

Naoki hadn’t the time to be thinking about others’.

No time to get back to Ayase, either.

He became a cardio howl down the very same asphalt of the riverbend, only hoping he would have a plan churned up by the time he arrived at the station connecting to the bridge ahead - the one hope that lay in sight close enough to continue running.

Well… Not the only hope ahead. A strange, too-feel-good thought bubbled up from the depths of Naoki’s mind, before it was drowned in gasps and wheezes.

“F— Focus!”

If he could’ve shaped those torrential breaths into a word, that one was as good as any, but he was far too busy gasping for air.

“F— F-aaaah!”