"What are we buying?" Takiyo asked, as Yuko dragged him to the shopping district.

"Stuff." Yuko replied cheerfully.

They passed stores, and Takiyo tried to guess by looking at the window displays. Yuko occasionally stopped to take a look at the displays.

"Cakes?"

"No~"

"Kiminos?"

(Note: A kimino is a traditional Japanese garment. It is a T-shaped, wrapped-front garment and is worn left over right, usually worn with an obi belt.)

"Nope."

"Yukatas, then?"

(Note: A yukata is a more casual form of a kimino.)

"Wrong again! Ooh! Wanna go there?" Yuko asked, pointing at a stall where a man was serving up okonomiyaki.

(Note: Okonomiyaki are savory Japanese pancakes.)

"Aren't you getting side-tracked?"

"Please? I'm hungry." Yuko pleaded.

"Didn't you say we'd get lunch after shopping?" Takiyo inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Change of plans!" Yuko insisted. "Let's have a lunch of okonomiyaki! Please!"

"That's street food!" Takiyo said. "Why don't you get some proper lunch? Like ramen or something?"

(Note: Ramen  is a Japanese dish which consists of Chinese wheat noodles served in a meat or occasionally fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork, dried seaweed, menma, and scallions.)

"Can we get okonomiyaki first?" Yuko asked.

"To the ramen shop!" Takiyo yelled, dragging Yuko along with him.

"Noooooooo!"

"If I had a little sister, this is totally what she would be like." Takiyo sighed. "Actually, my little cousin sister is like this."

"Really? Is she cute?" Yuko asked eagerly.

"Thousand times more than you."

"How rude." Yuko pouted as they entered the ramen shop.

"What do you want Nishikawa?" Takiyo asked.

"Shoyu ramen!" Yuko said.

(Note: Shoyu ramen is soy sauce ramen.)

"Fine then, two shoyu ramen please." Takiyo said to the man.

"Coming right up." the man said in a gruff voice.

Yuko immediately toned down, avoiding eye contact with everyone. She stared at her lap as she waited. So this was what she was like when she was in public. They finished their meal silence.

"Thanks for the food." Takiyo said when he finished, clapping his hands together.

"Thanks for the food." Yuko mumbled, and they got up and walked out.

The walked quietly, then Yuko said, "Hey, Takiyo-kun. Did you know? Ren's bad at using chopsticks."

"What?" Takiyo asked disbelievingly. "I've never heard of a Japanese who's bad at using chopsticks."

"It's true. He's kind of fine with big stuff, but he's got a real problem when it comes to noodles and rice and stuff." Yuko giggled.

"That's kind of sad." Takiyo commented. "Rice is staple food."

"Honestly, it's funny most of the time." Yuko said. "His little sister, Aya, is better at it than him. Aya-chan feeds him sometimes. It's really funny."

"I wanna see." Takiyo said.

"Ha, I've got a picture." Yuko laughed, showing him. He saw Ren, and a small girl, black-haired girl feeding him some rice. He could see some similarity in their features. "This is Aya-chan." Yuko said, pointing at the girl. "She's eleven."

"Send that to me." Takiyo said, observing the picture, determined to burn it permanently into his memory.

"Okay!" Yuko said, tapping away on her phone, snickering a little. Then suddenly, a voice called out to them.

"Yu-chan?! Takin?!"

They both looked up and saw Arisu bounding towards them. She collided with Yuko and gave her a big hug. Letting go, she asked, "What are you two doing here?"

"Nishikawa wanted to go shopping." Takiyo explained.

"I didn't know you were here, Arisu-chan!" Yuko said, smiling.

"Yup. I was here with Eri-chan and Hikarin." Arisu said, indicating a tall black-haired girl and short, brown-haired girl standing behind her.

"Hey, Arisu, are we going?" The shorter girl asked irritably.

"Yes, yes." Arisu sighed. "Well, have fun you two! See you around!" Arisu waved, and she and the shorter girl started to walk away, but the tall girl held her ground. She stepped forward.

"Um, Hamasaki-kun!" she said suddenly, making Takiyo jump. "I realised that what we were saying about you that day was not very nice. It wasn't our place to judge Arisu's friends. For that," She suddenly bowed deeply. "I very deeply and humbly apologise!"

"Um..." Takiyo didn't know how to react. He glanced at Yuko, and then at Arisu and the short girl. He looked back at the bowing girl in front of him. All he came up with, "...you are?"

"Sakura Hikari!" the girl replied promptly. "I'm in your class! I'm Arisu's friend!"

Takiyo thought for a minute. Then he remembered the two girls who were talking behind him on the last day of school. He recognised her voice as the second one, who said that he was Arisu's friend and said that Arisu was amazing.

"Oh...." he looked back down at the girl. "You're 'Hikarin', right?"

Hikari nodded.

"Oh, okay then. It's fine." Takiyo said dismissively. "It didn't bother me. I'd say your friend was the one who was doing most of the talking."

"I apologize for Erika as well!" Hikari said, bowing again. The people around them started whispering.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Takiyo said quickly, waving his hands. "It's all fine! Don't worry about it!"

"Thank you very much." She bowed yet again, and then joined Arisu and Erika. He heard Erika say, "What are you doing?"

Takiyo exhaled deeply. Then...

"Pfft–!"

"ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME RIGHT NOW?!!" Takiyo bellowed.

"Sorry, sorry!" Yuko said, stifling her laugh. "Let's go. I didn't say anything. Just... you called her 'Hikarin'."

"Kaneshiro effect." Takiyo insisted.

They ended up in front of a flower shop, and Yuko looked up and said, "Let's go in."

"We're buying flowers?" Takiyo asked following her in. The scents of various flowers instantly flooded his nose. It was soothing.

Yuko walked along a rack, looking at some gladiolas. He walked over next to her. Yuko's eyes landed on some carnations. She picked up a bouquet, and muttered, "He liked these flowers."

"Who?" Takiyo asked.

Yuko looked at him. "Yuuki. He always forgot their name, though."

"Oh." That was all he could say. Yuko kept the bouquet of carnations, and asked Takiyo, "Which ones will you get, Takiyo-kun?"

"Huh? Why me?" Takiyo asked.

"Tell me." Yuko said. "Lilies, roses, chrysanthemums, gladiolas, or would you like carnations too?"

"For what?" Takiyo asked, confused. Seeing the look on Yuko's face, he said, "Um... lilies."

Yuko picked up a pretty-looking bouquet of lilies, then walked over to the counter. The florist looked at the bouquets, thought for some time, then asked, "Are you going for a grave visit?"

"Um..." Yuko shuffled her feet. Realisation hit Takiyo, and he started, "Are we–?" But Yuko shoved the bouquets in the direction of the florist, who smiled.

"I'll pay." Takiyo interjected. Yuko looked at him unsurely, but he payed, and they walked out of the store.

Takiyo had a strong guess of where they were headed, as they had now left the shopping district. He wanted to say something, but Yuko walked silently ahead of him, so he silently followed.

The next time Yuko spoke was when they had arrived at their destination. As Takiyo had predicted, it was the cemetery. Yuko bowed and said, "I deeply apologize for bringing you here!"

Takiyo was taken aback, but the first thing his brain registered was that this was the second girl who was apologizing to him in one day. Yuko slowly straightened up, and spoke while partially hiding her face in her bouquet.

"It may make you uncomfortable or something, or you may think I'm weird for bringing you here in such a roundabout way. But!" Yuko looked up determinedly. "I had to bring you here! It was...an obligation! A ritual to me! So please!"

It had been a while since Takiyo had seen Yuko being so nervous towards him. He sighed, and said, "It's okay, Nishikawa. Really."

"Really?" Yuko asked.

"Yes." Takiyo replied. "In fact, I'm a little glad that you decided to open up to me more."

Yuko looked at her feet smiled. After standing like that for some time, Yuko said, "Come on."

Takiyo followed Yuko into the cemetery. It really did make him relieved to think that Yuko had decided to open up to him more. He actually respected her for being so open about her past. That was one of the many things about Yuko he admired. They stopped in front of grave that had way too many flowers, some wilted, some not very fresh. Clearly, someone came here regularly.

"Majority of these are from Ren." Yuko explained. "He comes here way more than I do or my parents do."

"I see." Takiyo said, looking at the mass of flowers on the grave. There were so many, the name could only just be seen. Suddenly, he saw Yuko bending down and placing the flowers with the many other ones, and he promptly did the same. When he straightened up, he saw Yuko with her hands clasped together and eyes closed, praying.

Takiyo patted her shoulder, then prayed too. Feeling his pat, Yuko smiled a little.

***

"Onee-chan?"

(Note: 'Onee-chan' refers to 'older sister' in Japanese.)

"What is it, Yuuki?" Yuko (age 14) asked.

"Why hasn't Ren-nii come to visit me yet?" Yuuki (age 12) asked from his hospital bed.

(Note: '-nii' is a Japanese honorific that is added in a reference to 'older brother', which in Japanese means 'onii-san')

Yuko gritted her teeth uncomfortably. Then she forced a smile and said, "He's busy, Yuuki."

"Oh, okay." Yuuki said, then coughed a little, covering his mouth.

"You need something?" Yuko asked quickly.

"Um, no." Yuuki replied, looking at his hand, which had some blood on it. He stared at it for some time. Then he said, "Onee-chan, I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Yuko gasped. "Don't say that!" she yelled.

"I am, right?" Yuuki continued. "Oka-san and Oto-san don't have enough money, right?"

"No!" Yuko cried.

"How unfair." Yuuki said quietly.

"Huh?" Yuko asked, looking up at him.

Yuuki turned in her direction and said, "I wanted Onee-chan to make many friends. I wanted you to make many friends and I wanted to meet all of them."

Yuko's lips started trembling, and she could sense a wave of tears coming.

Yuuki continued. "I want Onee-chan to make many friends and I want to meet all of them. So that's why, Onee-chan," Yuuki smiled at her. "Even if I die, make friends and make me meet all of your friends, okay?"

***

Meet my new friend, Yuuki. This is Takiyo. He's my friend.

***

Takiyo was lost in his own thoughts as they rode the train home. It was much less crowded this time, and they were able to get seats.

Nishikawa really has a lot of things going on, Takiyo thought. Her life is kind of messed up. On top of all that, she has to face unrequited love. That's just sad.

He felt something brush against his shoulder. He turned to see that Yuko had fallen asleep, and her head was drooping onto his shoulder.

I've been wondering for sometime, he thought, looking at her. Does it really happen the way they show it in manga and anime? If all this stuff with Michi and Anzai-senpai don't work out, will Nishikawa really go out with me?

He sighed to himself.

Nope. For now, all I can see her as is my friend. To me, that's all she is.

Obviously love wouldn't choose the easy way.

He still liked Michi. Even after learning so much about Yuko, after becoming so close to her, to the point of admiring her, he still liked Michi.

Author's note
Again, after writing this chapter, I spent excessive time researching different Japanese foods. Some of them really make my mouth water. And their names are so pretty. My favourite is okonomiyaki.  ^_^
Also, I love Takiyo's cousin sisters, but they don't really appear at any point in the story, cause they have no real significance. But that didn't stop me from creating them XD
They're named Leiko and Mizuki, 14 and 4 respectively. I guess I'll write an extra about them some time...