90 Chapter One: Full Speed Ahead

Standing in front of a mirror, the girl looked herself over one last time. She had just gotten home and changed, part of her preparations for a new resolution she had just created. The calendar read January 1 after all, so there was no better time to act on one.

Her outfit was nothing fancy. Without the assistance of a certain local gal, it was impossible for her to do anything extravagant. Regardless, she still had enough fashion sense to put together something nice. Wearing a white but slim sweater that helped to emphasis her modest breasts and jeans that were a slightly lighter blue than average, the girl finished the ensemble off by adding a pair of medium-sized hoop earrings, a bold touch for one such as herself. With her hair tied in a classic ponytail (which had gotten a bit of styling done for this occasion), the girl nodded once to herself before beginning to march out down the stairs and to her front door.

Kanako Nakatomi, a second-year student at Iwanai Municipal High School, was preparing to do something she had never once done before. Twice in her life she had fallen in love, and in both instances, both people had come to her. She had just been able to sit back and let them do the hard work. Now however, her mindset had changed, and for the first time, Kanako was going on the offense for love.

"Here we go," she thought to herself as her hand reached for the handle. For so long, it had felt like lingering worries and doubts had plagued her. Along the way, she had continuously tripped over her own feet, ultimately causing her own problems. All of that damage done had led to a terrible misunderstanding. Haruna believed she had been rejected by Kanako, but the girl herself had been planning on doing nothing of the sort.

Kanako had been so shocked by that failure that she had been able to do nothing and had nearly given up on even trying to love. Thanks to Hinami, that didn't happen, and now Kanako was armed with a new mindset and felt more determined than ever.

"Hm? Kanako, are you going out again?" her mother asked just before she opened the door. "Yeah, I'm going to go see Haruna," Kanako answered. "So you'll get dressed well enough to see a friend but not a shrine visit?" her mother asked idly, but she didn't expect an answer. Earlier, Kanako had gone out in the bare minimum required to be socially acceptable when going to a shrine, but now she was dressed in a much more presentable fashion. "Well, at least you seem to be in a better mood. Looks like getting some fresh air did you some good after all," her mother said, nodding to herself, apparently satisfied.

Truthfully, Kanako's mother wasn't entirely wrong. Going out had done Kanako some good, but it wasn't so much being out in the fresh air that had helped as much as it had been what had happened. Although, Kanako didn't find the need to point that out. "I'm going," she said, then with a click, the door opened and she stepped outside once more.

It felt vastly different than only a couple of hours ago. Of course, the temperature had risen, so it was technically warmer, but to Kanako, she could hardly feel the cold at all. Her head felt so much clearer than it had over the last week, and perhaps even further back than that. With one step forward and then two, she felt light.

Was she being too optimistic? Possibly. The thought did cross Kanako's mind. She wondered if she'd actually succeed on the first try. Considering how her last interaction with Haruna had gone, it seemed unlikely. To go from assuming you're being rejected to accepting a person's feelings seemed like too big of a switch at the moment. But, the way Kanako saw it, it didn't matter if this first try succeeded or not. All that mattered was that she was actually trying.

If Kanako could at least get Haruna to talk to her, that'd be a step in the right direction. They didn't have to become a couple right this minute. If that happened, then Kanako would be all the happier, but chances were that it wouldn't be that easy.

With the two girls being next door neighbors for all their lives, going to one or the other's house was a pretty easy task (although, there had been times in the past where they both felt much farther apart than that). Going down her own walkway, turning to go around the fence that divided the two properties, and then walking back up a near-identical walkway, Kanako arrived at the door. On a sign next to it, the last name Endo was written in a decorative style.

Taking in a deep breath, Kanako held it for a moment before letting it out as she tried to steady her nerves. Even if her mind was determined, her body still plainly displayed her emotions. The last time the two girls had spoken, Haruna had ran away, nearly on the verge of tears, and Kanako had sat in the snow, crying. Facing the prospective of seeing Haruna again after that was nerve-wracking no matter what Kanako told herself. "It'll be okay," she thought.

Raising her hand, she knocked. One moment passed. Two moments. It felt odd that Kanako would be waiting this long. "I'm pretty sure they don't do anything for New Year's, so shouldn't they be home?" she wondered. Usually by this point, Haruna's mother would've answered the door. For a moment, Kanako wondered if she should keep waiting. If they weren't home, there was nothing she could do. However, just as she thought that, a motion caught her eye.

To the right of the door was a window, just like for Kanako's house. The window led into a small dining room area, and in the case of the Endo house, the curtains were usually closed. From what Haruna had told her, they normally didn't eat in the dining room, instead using a table near the kitchen. With the curtains closed and nobody home, it made sense that they wouldn't move. Or at least, they shouldn't have.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kanako swore she had seen the fabric waver. Taking a quick glance, it seemed like it had just finished moving, giving one last flicker of motion before coming to a standstill. Knowing the Endos had no pets, and combining that with Kanako's assumption that no one had been home, she began to develop theories.

"Is someone inside? What if someone broke in?" she thought, but quickly threw the idea out. "No, that's actually pretty unlikely around here…" Moving on from the worst-case scenario, Kanako could really only seem to think of one other possibility. "If they look like they're not home, but someone moved the curtain, then maybe…" Staring at the window covering, Kanako uttered the name that came to mind.

"Haruna…"

It was possible that only Haruna's parents had left, leaving their daughter home alone. Hearing a knock at the door, she'd go to see who it is from a distance. But, if that was the case, and Haruna had actually seen Kanako, why hadn't she opened the door yet?

"Is she…" Kanako began to wonder, but she shook her head. Instead of finishing that thought, she knocked again. "H-Haruna?" she called. "Are you home?" Her only response was silence. Kanako let out a small sigh. "Maybe I was just seeing things..."

As she turned to leave, Kanako stopped midway. Taking out her phone, she scrolled through her contacts until she reached Haruna's name. Tapping it, she began calling her. The phone on the other end rang and rang, but as the seconds ticked by, it became obvious no one would answer. When the message played telling Kanako as much, she hung up, choosing not to leave a message of her own. "…I guess I'll just try again later," she thought.

This time, Kanako completed her turn, walking away from the front door of the Endo house and heading back. As she did, she couldn't help but think on the movement she thought she had seen, "I might've just imagined it, but I'm pretty sure someone moved that curtain." It had only been for a moment, but the bit of motion that Kanako had seen was enough. "If that really was Haruna, then…" she began to think, coming back to the thought she didn't finish earlier. However, again she shook her head. "No, I don't want to think that," she thought. "I'll just come back again, and I'm sure that we'll make progress next time."

Arriving back at her house, Kanako came in through the door and greeted her parents. "Back so soon?" her mother asked. "Yeah, they weren't home," Kanako said, not really sure if that was the truth or a lie. "That's a shame. Guess you'll just have to go over there some other day," her mother said, echoing similar ideas to what Kanako had just been thinking about.

After talking with her mother for a little longer, Kanako went back upstairs and took out the earrings she had put on. Honestly, part of her was glad she hadn't been seen with them on. She rarely wore jewelry as it was, and on the off-chance she did, she preferred to keep it simple. Anything flashy that she had worn in the past was usually the suggestion of someone else. "Next time, I think I'll go without these on," Kanako thought as she put the earrings away.

*****

It was a couple of days later when Kanako tried again. Just like last time, she dressed in a similar fashion, minus the jewelry, and prepared herself emotionally. When she went out the door, she took in the cold air, but she could feel its chill more strongly this time. Then she made her way to the house next to her own.

Reaching the door, Kanako rose her hand to knock. A few seconds later, a woman opened the door. "Oh, Kana-chan," she said. Naturally, it was Haruna's mother. "Are you looking for Haruna?" "Y-Yes," Kanako said. "I think she's upstairs. Come in," her mother said, stepping aside.

Once again, Kanako couldn't help but notice just how similar their houses were. Stairs on the left and a hallway to the right with two separate entryways. The floors were wooden, and the near-white walls were decorated simplistically, although the décor did differ from what was on Kanako's walls.

"I came by a couple of days ago, but no one answered," Kanako mentioned. "Oh? That's odd," Haruna's mother said. "Haruna's father and I were away, but she should've been here. Maybe she went out with Chiyo to celebrate New Year's?" Upon hearing that suggestion, Kanako considered it briefly. "I suppose that's possible…" she thought, but there was still what she had seen (or thought she had seen). "If that really was Haruna, then…"

Before Kanako could give it much more thought, the elder Endo was shouting up the stairs for her daughter. "Haruna, Kana-chan is here!" she called, but there was no response. "Honestly…" she sighed. "The least she could do is come out and greet her guests properly." Looking at Kanako with a bit of an awkward smile, she told her to just go up anyways. "I'm sure Haruna won't mind."

Accepting the invitation, Kanako made her way up the stairs, then went down the hall a bit before stopping in front of a door. It was plain and wooden, with nothing on it to denote that the room belonged to someone specifically. Raising her hand once more, Kanako knocked. "H-Haruna?" she said, but there was only silence.

Pausing for a moment, Kanako wondered if she should just go in. "It's a little rude, but… then again, she's done the same thing to me…" Staring at the knob, Kanako moved her hand down and wrapped her fingers around the cold metal. "I-I'm coming in!" she announced, but as she turned the knob, it stopped itself. "Huh?" she let out. Trying to twist it a few more times, all Kanako got was a little click indicating that it would turn no farther.

"Is it locked?" Kanako wondered. She tried knocking again. "Haruna? You in there?" she asked. Of course, if she wasn't inside, that would beg the question of why the door was locked at all (or how), so perhaps it was dumb of Kanako to even ask. As she stood there pondering such things, very faintly she heard a noise. "Haruna?" she said again. In response, all she heard was a very slight thump on the other side of the wood. What it was, Kanako had no idea, but it was clear something, or maybe someone, had made contact with the door.

She wasn't really sure what to make of such an action. "If Haruna is standing on the other side of this door, then… what?" Kanako didn't know. Should she demand that Haruna open the door? "No, that wouldn't work. Haruna would be more likely to yell at me for something like that then follow a demand." Should she just wait? "...I could end up being here a while. Plus, I doubt her parents would want be camping out in front of their daughter's room. Even I think that would be pretty weird."

So then what? "Should I… just try talking?" she wondered. The question was how much should she say? Giving a full-fledged confession was out of the question. "If she wouldn't listen to me when she could see my face and I was standing right in front of her, why would she believe me if I told her through a door?" Kanako reasoned. So she kept trying to think, but ultimately, she came up with nothing. There were no planned words, confession or otherwise, that Kanako could think of that felt like they'd achieve what she was trying to achieve. But, she wasn't about to give up. Instead, she simply opened her mouth, allowing words to flow freely.

"Haruna…" she began. "I don't know if you're listening, but if you are… I want to talk to you. I know things have been pretty awkward between us since Christmas, but… I don't want to lose you. So please, open the door. Let's talk about what happened. Let me… let me finish what I was saying…"

Kanako waited. And waited. And waited more. "...Haruna, I…" she started to say, but stopped. "...love you," would've been the rest, but Kanako didn't allow those words to slip out. If she said them now, what good would they do? Sure, there was the possibility that Haruna would hear her, fling open the door and say that she loved her too, but to Kanako, that seemed pretty unlikely. It felt more like something straight out of a movie than reality.

Even disregarding the Hollywood-like feel of it, Kanako just simply knew it wouldn't happen. Through her shock, she had had Haruna's expression on Christmas seared into her mind. It was an expression of feigned acceptance, suffering, and complete heartbreak. Kanako knew that she could stand in front of that door all day telling Haruna she loved her, and the words would probably never reach her heart. The pain had been too much for Haruna. It's what had driven her to run away. Kanako understood that, and so all she could do was stand in silence, hoping for any sort of response.

Seconds passed, then minutes. After about five, Haruna's mother looked up the stairs. "Huh? Why are you just standing there Kana-chan?" she asked. Hearing her voice, Kanako looked down. "I guess… Haruna doesn't feel like talking today," she said with a weak smile. "What?" Haruna's mother said. "Hang on. I'll get her to come out." "N-No, that's fine!" Kanako said, waving her hands in a panic. "I'll see her at school in a few days, so I'll just talk to her then!" "Are you sure?" Haruna's mother asked, to which Kanako quickly nodded. "Alright, well… sorry you came over here for nothing then." "It's okay. It's not like it's a long walk anyway," Kanako said.

After saying her goodbyes, Kanako went back outside. Despite what she had said, the walk actually did feel quite long. "Two tries, two misses…" she thought somberly. After making a resolution to herself with so much passion and determination, it was certainly somewhat deflating to have had two failures right at the start. "I didn't think this would be super easy or anything, but still," she thought.

Arriving back at home again, Kanako flopped down on the couch. "I thought you were going to Haruna's?" her mother asked. "I did. She… was busy," Kanako lied. "Oh, that's too bad," her mother said, not even stopping to question it. Kanako was grateful for that. It wasn't like she had a good way to explain what had really happened.

"I guess… I'll just have to wait and see her when school starts again."

*****

On the eighth of January, which was a Friday, the students of Iwanai Municipal High School (and all other students of the area, for that matter), began reorienting themselves for their school routines. Along the way, complaints could be heard all over about how the school should've just given them the full week off instead of making them come for just one day.

When Kanako had awoken that morning, she had also gone through her routine. She put on her school's uniform, a sailor-type with a classic navy blue hue, and for this time of year, long sleeves. She tied on the big forest green bow that went over her chest, marking that she was a second-year. Finally, she put her hair up in a ponytail like always before going to the bathroom to put on a small bit of makeup.

After a simple breakfast, Kanako left for school. She had managed to go through her routine somewhat quickly, most likely for two reasons. The first was that it was the beginning of a new term. It was always easier to feel more motivated to be on time at the start. Then second reason however, had to do with Haruna. Part of that was the usual routine of Haruna coming to pick up/wake up Kanako, so she had become used to actually being on time instead of late. The other part though was something that Kanako had set her mind on entirely on her own.

Before the events of Christmas night, Kanako and Haruna had been walking to school together. Before that, Haruna had been the one out of the two that arrived early to school. Considering how she had been ignored the other day, Kanako was pretty sure they wouldn't get to walk together, so she thought she'd go for the next best thing. "Maybe Haruna went back to her old routine. If that's the case, then I can catch her on the way," Kanako thought. It felt a little sneaky, but if Haruna wasn't going to talk to her at home, then Kanako felt like she had no other choice but to ambush her. "It doesn't help that she's ignoring my calls and texts too."

Truly, within the scope of reasonable possibility, Kanako had tried everything. She called, but got sent to voice mail. She left messages, but she was sure they went unchecked. She sent texts, but none of them were marked as read. She had gone over next door and been ignored. Aside from throwing rocks at Haruna's window, Kanako was out of ideas. The only hope she had left was to meet Haruna at school. "At least she can't avoid me there," she thought. "I mean, it's school. Where is she going to go?"

"…"

How wrong Kanako had been. Along the way to school, there had been no sign of Haruna. They were in different classes, so Kanako checked there too, but no luck. "Is she just running late?" However, as she had been wondering that, a very loud presence greeted her. "Morning Kana-chan!"

Bounding toward her was a girl like no other. In just appearance alone, she stood out in more ways than one. Her hair was dyed auburn and kept in a very fluffy looking side, high ponytail, of which had highlights of gold. Her makeup was perfect, drawing attention to her lips, cheeks and eyelashes specifically. On her ears were flashy earrings that dangled from her lobes.

Her clothes, despite them allegedly being the same uniform as everyone else, stood out as well. The top part was stretched, exposing a fair amount of the cleavage her ample breasts had to offer. Below, the skirt was rolled up quite high, barely covering what was necessary with the hem resting closer to the top of her thighs than the bottom. Going down her bare legs, a pair of loose socks covered the lower half of her shins and then her ankles, before finally stopping at a surprisingly basic pair of indoor shoes.

If her appearance wasn't enough, there was also her personality. Bright and bubbly, yet at the same time, gentle and caring. A big-sister type one moment, a flippant, bonafide gyaru the next. Truly, there was no other person in all of Iwanai quite like Chiyo Wakabayashi.

"G-Good morning Chiyo," Kanako said. She was a little surprised to see how early she was. Seeing her look of confusion, Chiyo puffed out her chest with pride. "I made sure to be up bright and early today! Let's finish the year strong Kana-chan!" "Um, r-right…" Kanako said, although personally she doubted anyone's motivation (her and Chiyo included) would last beyond the next week.

"Hey, have you seen Haruna?" Kanako asked. "Haru-chi? Hmm, now that you mention it, I haven't. Is she like, staying home or something?" Chiyo said. "I don't know," Kanako said with a small sigh. She really hoped that wasn't the case. "If she's skipping school on the first day of the term though, she would probably have to have a pretty good reason," Kanako added to herself.

With Haruna not around and the warning bell ringing, Kanako had no choice but to head back to her own classroom. Not that hers was any better. A new term meant a new seating arrangement, so she was saved slightly, but there was really no avoiding the fact that she and Michi were in the same class.

Last time they had spoken, it could hardly have been called a conversation or a fair argument. Kanako had essentially just bombarded Michi with one verbal shot after the other before leaving. Now that she was more clear-headed, Kanako wanted to do something to make up for her behavior. Even if they weren't as good of friends as they used to be, it was still inexcusable to act that way toward someone.

The question was how was she supposed to go about it? Just walking up to Michi and saying she was sorry felt a little insincere, but offering a gesture of goodwill or something of the sort would probably come off more awkward than anything. "Ugh…" Kanako groaned. "When did my life get so complicated?"

A best friend that had become nearly impossible to approach. A boy that had toyed with her feelings. A girl she was in love with seemingly ignoring her. Really, it felt like things couldn't get much worse for Kanako. "I'm not going to give up though," she thought. During the second half of her holiday, she had gained a stronger will. After facing so much adversity, Kanako was sure she could handle any problems thrown her way.

Of course, that was only true if one could actually face their problems.

The next opportunity Kanako got to try to talk to Haruna was at lunch, but when she went to the cafeteria in search of her, the girl was nowhere to be found. Instead, all Kanako saw was Chiyo eating with the other resident gyaru of the school.

Though not nearly as flashy, the half-American, half-Japanese Jasmine Hiraoka certainly drew attention. Her uniform was worn nearly identically to Chiyo's although she didn't have the addition of loose socks. As for her looks, her hair was a faint light pink and wavy, coming down to the bottom of her face. Personality-wise, she was practically Chiyo's exact opposite, but what she lacked in energy she made up for in allure. Her eyelids were in a constant drooping state, creating a seductive gaze at all times. Her eyelashes were long, batting each time she blinked, and her makeup was done in a way that didn't stand out, but if you looked, you'd have a hard time looking away.

Surprisingly, the two gals weren't the only two in the group. Next to Chiyo was Michi, which Kanako thought was odd. It was possible Chiyo had dragged Michi over to her table, but Kanako didn't remember seeing them interact before she had gotten to the cafeteria. Then, there was also the group of girls Kanako didn't know. Upon careful inspection, she was pretty sure they were the girls Michi had been grouped with on the school trip, but having never been formally introduced to them, Kanako couldn't really say for sure.

And yet, for as many people as there were in that group, none of them were Haruna. Kanako was hesitant to go over there, as she was afraid to interact with Michi and her seemingly "new" friends, but Kanako also had a question for Chiyo. Steeling herself, she marched over to the table.

"Oh hey, it's Kana-chan!" Chiyo said happily. Next to her, Michi looked away, although her actions didn't seem like they gave off an angry vibe. While Kanako wanted to dwell on that, she instead refocused herself. "W-Was Haruna in class this morning?" "Uh, yeah," Chiyo said, sounding dumbfounded. "Actually, didn't she say she was gonna go eat with you?" "What?" Kanako let out. "Hey, wait a minute," Chiyo said, having a realization. "Come to think of it, you totally never texted me back all break! What the hell girl?!" she cried in dismay.

"Huh?" Kanako uttered. She wasn't sure what that really had to do with what Chiyo had just said about Haruna, but either way, she checked her phone. It was true. Chiyo had messaged her several times asking for updates about how things had gone, but Kanako had never responded. Thanks to the emotional roller coaster she had been on recently, the only person that had really gotten Kanako's attention over break was Haruna. "Oops…" she said sheepishly.

"So? You gonna give me an update?" Chiyo pressed. "I-I'll tell you later!" Kanako panicked. With Michi around, there was no way she could give a satisfactory explanation to Chiyo. "I'm going to go look for Haruna, bye!" As she dashed off, she could hear Chiyo yelling behind her. "You better tell meee!"

While Kanako quickly went through the halls, she looked everywhere for Haruna. "She told Chiyo she was eating lunch with me?" she thought. "That was obviously a lie. I haven't seen her all day!" From the stairs to the corners of the school, Kanako search in every spot she could think of, but thanks to the limited time span of lunch, she had to stop before she could cover the entire building. "Where did she go?"

Once the end of the school day came, Kanako moved as fast as she could to get to Haruna's classroom. "Looking for Haru-chi?" Chiyo asked in a serious tone. "Y-Yeah… Where is she?" Kanako asked. "Already left. Said she had something to do," Chiyo said quietly, but then even quieter still, she added, "What a liar…"

That comment caught Kanako's attention, but before she could ask, Chiyo asked a question of her own. "Did something happen between you two? You've both been acting weird. A gal doesn't like being ignored you know." "That makes two of us…" Kanako muttered. "Huh?" Chiyo let out, surprised by Kanako's comment. "Hey, Kana-chan, what-" "I'm going to go look for Haruna," she said quickly, then left the room. Alone, all Chiyo could do was stare after her.

"Haruna… where are you?" Kanako wondered as she marched through the halls. She didn't even understand how Haruna had left so fast. Could she suddenly teleport? "Now I'm just being stupid…" Kanako admonished herself. Regardless, her search proved to be fruitless. Haruna was nowhere to be found.

Going to the lockers at the front entrance, Kanako changed out her shoes. Once she had, she walked out of the doors, went ahead several more feet, and then stopped and stared up at the sky.

Calls sent to voice message. Texts not even read. Locked bedroom doors. Changing routine. Dodging her at school. No matter how Kanako looked at it, or how much she hadn't wanted to think about it earlier, it was clear: Haruna was avoiding her. To a degree, she had expected this, but Kanako had thought that it would be pretty difficult for Haruna to escape her once they were at school. Quickly, her frustration had mounted. "Mmmmrgh…!" she groaned as she faced to look down at the ground. Then, she immediately went back to staring, or perhaps glaring at the sky. Loosing her lips, she let out an angry shout.

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"

End of Chapter One.