Even Though I Loved You First

After I finished paying for my items at the supermarket, I walked down the late night road with a plastic bag in one hand. Today was the last day of summer vacation, tomorrow was the opening ceremony of course.

I was also informed about the changes in the club presidents and the council itself. With Tomokazu no longer on the school’s roster, we were informed about the upcoming elections for the new student body president.

A position that my older sister Kotone wanted to apply to this year.

“Hmm?” As I approached a playground which was supposed to be devoid of people, a single girl sat on one of the swings.

Her hair, who grew down to a few centimeters below her shoulder, blended with the late night. However, her cerulean eyes clearly shone within the darkness… or that’s how I usually described my childhood friend to embarrass her…

“Sup, Shizuka.” Startled by my calling, Shizuka Sakurajima choked on the bun she was eating. “S-Shizuka?!” (Kei)

“Kuh… I-I’m okay… you just surprised me that’s all…” (Shizuka)

I proceeded to sit down on the swing next to her, the brief sound of the chains quickly stopped as I stabilized my posture. “So… what’re you doing out here so late?” I asked her.

“Right… Well, tomorrow’s the entrance ceremony, yeah? Well, I wanted to take a moment to organize my thoughts over something to bite. So I bought something at the nearby supermarket and came here. You?” (Shizuka)

I chuckled and lifted the plastic bag I had on my hands with a smile, “Same here. Mind if I join you?” (Kei)

“Hm? Sure.” Shizuka said as she wiped her hands and took a can of tea. She took a sip and in the meantime, I took something I bought for myself and ate it, while maintaining small talk.

“How has your summer been?” (Kei)

“Pretty good, my mental battery is drained though… That’s why for the last day I decided to do the opposite of the first day, relax.” (Shizuka)

“Same as always, then?” (Kei)

“Hey!” Shizuka pouted, I only laughed and took a sup from the coffee I bought.

“What about Kei? Did you have a good summer with Arisa?” (Shizuka)

“…” (Kei)

“Hmm? Why are you looking away?” Shizuka asked as she tried to take a peek at my face. “N-no, it’s nothing!” (Kei)

It’s been a week and that image it’s still living rent-free in my head…!

“…suspicious!” She said with a tone of total confidence. I dismissed whatever suspicion she had with an annoyed ‘Shut up’ and answered her like normal.

“It was fun. We went to a lot of places and saw many things,” I said with a smile as I continued, “We even baked a cake together, it wasn’t exactly master-quality but it was fun.” (Kei)

“…the hell, you two are basically married by now…” Shizuka said with a distant gaze as she placed her drink on the floor. I decided to return the question and asked her about her summer with Hayato.

“Well… some things did happen that kind of affected Hayato, but we both managed to get through it. If anything, it made our relationship stronger.” She said with such a happy smile.

“Do you remember?” Probably due to this familiar set-up, I found myself reminiscing about the past. “One summer night just like this, we went to a park near our houses and sat down on a swing just talking happily. We had all the facilities for ourselves, so we took advantage of it.” (Kei)

“I think I remember, I was being shushed by you all night because you didn’t want us to get in trouble. We even went inside one of those big pipes at the corner of the park, right? It was like a little house.” (Shizuka)

“A little base of operations mind you!” (Kei)

“Hehe, sure sure, ‘a little base of operations’.” (Shizuka)

After all, the conversation died down and Shizuka and I were both completely silent. In the past, we could maintain conversations naturally, we both had so much in common… and now, it’s like we’re from different worlds.

“Have you ever wondered why the sky is black at night?” (Shizuka)

“Isn’t it because there’s no lightsource like the sun around?” (Kei)

“…party pooper.” (Shizuka)

“Huh?” (Kei)

Party pooper? I just told her the truth didn’t I?

“I think it’s getting late, let me accompany you home.” I said as I got up from the swing I was sitting on. Shizuka also seemed to agree, as she nodded while getting up herself.

“Kei, do you think this year will go well? Somehow, I feel scared just from the thought that something might happen, something that might divide us…” She softly spoke, clear hints of uncomfort around her face.

“It won’t go bad, but it won’t be good either. At the end of the day, life is full of ups and downs.” (Kei)

“I see.” (Shizuka)

“But don’t fret, if something that jeopardizes the balance of the group shows up, I’m sure we can all deal with it.” This was no longer something I alone could resolve, I had to trust that all those who are with me today will be with me tomorrow. So when an incident happens again, I won’t be alone in finding a solution.

We walked a while and finally reached the Sakurajima Household, the two of us said our goodbyes to each other, promising to see each other tomorrow.

And just before Shizuka entered her home.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Shizu.” (Kei)

“E-eh?! U-uhm… Yes!” (Shizuka)

I called her by a name I haven’t called her in a while.