School Girls' Stories - Year 2

Chapter 32 – Confessions

“You know, sometimes this is a bit weird,” Shai said suddenly. She was sitting at the counter in Kyoei’s kitchen, picking at the pasta that Kyoei had tried to prepare, and pushing through the burnt cheese that layered the top. She did not have the heart to tell him how awful it was.

Sitting at the couch, watching television, was Amatsu, looking the grungiest he had ever looked. Kyoei was looking at his pasta with equal amounts of disgust and trying to convince Amatsu that he should try some, and doing so miserably when he did not feel it himself.

“Why?” Kyoei asked, dumping his pasta into the garbage and going to the fridge looking for something edible. Shai slowly pushed her own plate away, ready to abandon it after only a few bites.

“Well, Fuji probably sat here once, with both of you, and somewhere I believe she still misses it,” Shai said, making a point to talk to the back of Amatsu’s head. Amatsu felt the eyes on the back of his head, but only grunted in response. Kyoei was trying to give Shai every signal in the world that she should not continue, but Shai was determined, and for once she was not going to let someone else’s feelings sway her in any way.

“Amatsu, you wanted her to have more fun, to not take life so seriously,” Shai pointed out, “Devilin is just that. Do you know he worships her, for all of her seriousness, and yet he forces her to do the things she’s too afraid to do?”

“He sounds perfect for her,” Amatsu grumbled. “Are you going to tell me about how Shinwa and Yuki are a perfect couple, or about how great you two are?” Amatsu stood from the couch and gave Shai a glaring look she had never seen come from such kind, cool eyes before. “I have to get dressed, I have to work tonight, you two continue your romantic, if very disgusting, dinner.” The door slammed behind him to his bedroom and he left Kyoei and Shai alone.

“You went too far,” Kyoei admitted bluntly, pulling a frozen pizza from the freezer and preparing to throw it in the oven. “He’s touchy about it; he’s upset he lost her.”

“Then he should fight for her,” Shai said defiantly.

“Where’s Shu today?” Kyoei asked, ignoring her plea for Amatsu’s love life. It did not interest him today.

“Fuji has him,” Shai said quietly. “Kyoei, are you still mad at me for not telling you that Teiyoku had him?”

“Among other things,” Kyoei grumbled, slamming the door to the oven.

“Kyoei…”

“Just say it,” Kyoei snapped, not turning to face her. “Just tell me the truth and stop trying to pretend your concern is for Amatsu and Fuji. You want Amatsu to fight for her because you want to believe a man will fight for a woman. You want me to fight for you, but you are giving me every reason not to.”

“Kyoei, what are you…?”

“I know what happened with you and Teiyoku the other night,” Kyoei snapped, turning on her as he said it. Shai slid back in the chair against the counter and just watched his eyes contort, not with hurt, or sorrow, but rage. If his eyes could change color they would be flaming red, and he had those eyes turned on her with eager anticipation of the lies she would tell.

“How…?”

“Does it matter how?” Kyoei snapped. “The fact is you did not even try denying it. You just look hurt that you were caught in your lies.”

“Kyoei…” she said quietly, “it was an accident.”

“Oops, your panties slid off, and oops, he accidentally fell on top of you with no pants on, and oops…”

“Enough!” Shai screamed in a voice of utter terror and stricken horror. She raised her hands to her ears, as if trying to block out the sound of Kyoei’s voice. “I know you find it hard to believe, but it truly was an accident. It was the worst mistake I could have made, and I regret it, but I had every intention of telling you.”

“Why would you want to tell me something like that?” Kyoei screamed, being absolutely sure she could hear him through the covering of her ears. “Why would you tell me about your infidelity, to hurt me like I’m hurt now?”

“Because I hate lying to you,” Shai cried. Hot tears burned her eyes and slid down her cheeks, soaking the silken shirt she wore, the beauty of it tragically dying under the burning tears. “I know you find that hard to believe, I’ve lied to you a few times, but I truly hate lying to you. I don’t want things to be like this, I just don’t know how to get things back to normal.”

Kyoei’s arms itched with the need to wrap them around Shai, pull her close, and make those tears go away, but she put herself into a situation where she was forced to act like an adult and still trying her hardest not to grow up. She needed to mature, and fast, if she was going to be a mother, a lover, a student, a tennis player, a woman of the future. There was too much at stake for her to just give up now and cry over her mistakes. She needed to learn how to stop making those mistakes.

And Kyoei wanted to be the one to help her.

Despite his shredded heart he went to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him and keeping her there. She clung to him, to his shirt, and apologized profusely for all of the things she had done wrong. She apologized for not being who she should have been for him, and for hurting him. He cared about none of it. Shai was his life, he did not know when it happened, or even how, but she and Shu meant more to him than anything else. He wanted them to be his future, and his future was much closer than hers was.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized again.

“We’ll work through it,” he told her. “We’ll find a way.”

In his bedroom Amatsu leaned again the door that lead to the living room and sighed. Love could conquer all, if put to the right tests.