Melon Love - Chapter Three
“Chieko~!” Akiyo, her older sister, sang. “I’ve heard that you went to visit some guy.”
Chieko was at her desk in her room, doing her homework. She pouted and mumbled, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Her older sister smirked. “Is he your boyfriend?”
Chieko went back to her homework which made her sister ruffle her hair. “Don’t worry, I don’t really care… But if he hurts you, tell me, and I’ll beat the crap out of him.”
Chieko’s head shot up, and she turned around but Akiyo had already left. “Beat the crap out of him…” she murmured. She then tried to imagine how her sister would do that…
“Oi, you!” she would yell out, stomping towards Daisuke who would be reading a book.
He would then look up from his book and stare at her. “Who are you?” he’d ask.
“I’m gonna kill you.” Akiyo would reply.
He would then make a face. “Why? I haven’t done anything to you.”
“Well,” Akiyo would start. “Maybe not to me, but you broke my sister’s heart.”
He would then blink. “Sister… You’re Chieko’s sister?”
“That’s right!” She’d point to her chest with her thumb. “And I’m here to kill you because of that!”
Chieko sighed. “That probably wouldn’t happen, but something close to it would.” She muttered. As she returned to her homework, she made a face. “I can’t believe that Shintani’s mother looks like a high schooler…” She then grinned. “Maybe… that means when Shintani’s 50, he’ll look like a middle school student!”
The next day at school, Yuri asked Daisuke if he wanted to come as well.
“Ne, Shintani-kun~!” she said in her most polite voice. “Want to come to the movies with us?”
He looked at her. “Who’s ‘us’?” he asked, eyeing Chieko who was standing next to her.
“Oh, just Hayato, Chieko and me.”
He studied Yuri’s face and shrugged. “I’m not busy, when?”
His answer made Chieko’s jaw drop. She stared at him, dumbfounded, which only made him snicker.
“Tomorrow, at the movie theatre in the city. We’re gonna meet at 5.30, okay?” Yuri explained.
He nodded.
“Umm… do you need to be picked up?” She asked.
He shook his head. “5.30, Tomorrow, huh?” he repeated.
Yuri nodded and said, “Well, we’ll see you then, ‘kay?” And she grabbed onto Chieko’s hand and pulled her away.
When they were safe out of Daisuke’s sight, Chieko whispered, “I thought you didn’t like him.”
Yuri smiled. “Well, he’s okay. But it seems as though you like him~!” She pranced away, leaving Chieko to stare at her.
When Saturday came, Chieko decided not to go to school in the morning. When her mother asked her why, she replied that she was tired.
“Even if you’re tired, you still go to school!” Her mother retorted.
“But…” Chieko then pointed to the clock. “Look! It’s already the afternoon! I can’t go to school now!”
Her mother sighed in defeat. “Fine.” She exhaled.
Her youngest child looked up at her. “Can I still go to the movies?” She asked in a sweet voice.
Chieko’s mother couldn’t help but smile. “Sure, why not.”
Chieko hugged her tightly, and then skipped back to her room. When she got inside, she closed the door and collapsed onto her bed. “I wonder if Shintani goes to school on Saturdays.” She looked up at her ceiling. “Most likely, ne…”
And then, she drifted off into a deep, asleep.
“Ne, Shintani-kun!” A small, young Chieko cried out as she ran towards a young boy who was standing on a grassy cliff. She puffed as she bent down, trying to catch her breath. “When will you come back?” She asked, looking up at him.
The boy looked down at her and he had a solemn look on his face. “I’m not coming back… ever…”
Chieko lifted her head up in a sudden motion, eyes wide. She blinked a few times, and tried to remember what she had just dreamt. “Shintani… was standing on a cliff, and I was a small little girl… And I asked him when he would come back…” She furrowed her brows as she tried to think back. “And… and he said he wouldn’t come back…”
She glanced at her clock and saw that it was almost 5 pm. She slipped off her bed and yawned. “I’ve got to get ready.”
She quickly changed into a pair of three-quarter jeans and into a white T-shirt. She wore a striped blue and black hooded jumper over it. While she was putting on her watch, Akiyo walked in and sat on the side of her bed. “You going to the movies?” she asked, slumping forward.
Chieko nodded.
“Who with?”
“Some friends.”
“Like that guy whose house you visited?” Akiyo sneered.
Chieko frowned. “Not that again,” she groaned.
Akiyo chuckled. “I’m just teasing!”
Chieko got off her chair and walked out of the room. Akiyo jumped off the bed and followed her. “Need a chaperone?”
Chieko turned around and wore a confused look on her face. “Chaperone?”
Akiyo nodded. “Umm… chaperone. They’re like someone who goes with younger people to make sure they don’t get into trouble.”
Chieko smiled her lopsided grin. “Nah, no thanks.”
“ You sure?”
Chieko nodded her head. “Yeah, we’ve got Yuri.”
Akiyo laughed. “Ah, I forgot!”
She walked with her younger sister to the front of their house, where a dark green Toyota Camry was parked in front of it. The front passenger window was rolling down and Chieko could see Yuri. “Come on, hurry up!” she called out.
Chieko ran down the pathway and opened the back passenger door. She bent down and climbed inside, closing the door behind her. Chieko looked to her right, but Hayato wasn’t there. “Where’s Hayato?” she asked, bending forward so that Yuri could hear her over the radio.
Yuri glanced back. “Dad doesn’t want to pick him up,” she whispered.
Chieko grinned. “That’s understandable.”
Soon they were turning into the parking lot next to the cinema building. Chieko thanked Yuri’s father before opening the door and getting out. Yuri kissed her father on his cheek and was soon outside as well. She waved to him goodbye as the car was reversing out of the parking spot.
As she turned around, she saw Daisuke sitting on the stone guard surrounding a statue of a man and a woman who had their arms linked. Hayato, meanwhile, was standing on top of the guard and was waving energetically at her. Chieko was walking towards them and Yuri hurried after her.
While they were walking inside, they all looked around. “It’s kinda busy, don’t cha think?” Hayato muttered as a big group of high schoolers passed them.
“Wanna watch in gold class?” Daisuke suggested.
The other three looked at him.
“Gold class?” Yuri repeated in a whisper.
He shrugged. “I’m just suggesting.”
“Okay!” Hayato grinned.
They all watched Daisuke walk in the line and Hayato tried to find somewhere to sit down while they waited. He and Yuri went walking off, leaving Chieko by herself. A few minutes later, Yuri came back and clutched her hand. “Hey, we found a spot.” she said.
“What about Shintani-kun?” Chieko asked.
“Don’t worry, I already told him.” Yuri reassured her.
“Okay.”
They pushed through the crowd of people and saw Hayato sitting by himself on a long divan. “Is Shintani gonna be long?” he asked, pulling Yuri so that she could sit on his lap.
“He was close to the booths when I saw him,” Yuri told him, wrapping his arms around her.
“I see…” he murmured.
Chieko didn’t feel uneasy next to her friends when they did this; instead she couldn’t help but smile. She thought it was cute. They didn’t have to wait long for Daisuke. He was holding out four tickets in his right hand, with his left hand in his pocket, when he walked up to them. Yuri jumped off her boyfriend’s lap and snatched them from him. “Cool!” she cried out.
Then she made a face and looked at him. “What movie did you pick?”
He shrugged. “Some love movie.”
Hayato patted him on the head. “You a lovesick teenager?” he teased.
Daisuke looked away, annoyed. Chieko giggled.
The couple walked together first, with Chieko and Daisuke trailing uncomfortably behind. The two of them avoided each other’s gaze. When they arrived in the theatre, they went up to the middle of the rows of seats and sat in the middle. Hayato was on the next to Yuri, and Chieko sat next to her with Daisuke on her left.
Yuri then sat up, gasping and lifting her head off Hayato’s shoulder.
“What?” he pouted, missing the warmth of her head.
“We forgot to get food!”
“I’ll go get them…” Chieko offered.
Yuri shook her head before standing up. “I will… we came early, and the ads are showing so I will.”
Hayato stood up as well. “I’ll go with you~!” he sang.
The people behind them shushed him and he pulled a face. The two of them shuffled out of the row and were soon walking down the steps. Chieko decided that she should talk to Daisuke.
“Hey… I guess I shouldn’t have come to your house the other day,” she murmured.
He glanced at her. “I don’t care.”
She looked back at the huge movie screen. “Your mother’s really pretty.”
“You think so?”
She nodded. “Don’t you?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really notice.”
“Umm… I’m just wondering, but how old is your mum?”
“33.”
“Thirty-three?” Chieko repeated. She then calculated their two ages in her head. “Thirty-three take away fourteen…” she mumbled.
“18.” Daisuke sighed.
“Eighteen?!” Chieko gasped loudly.
The people behind them shushed her.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized before turning back to Daisuke. “Really?”
He nodded. “Is that a huge surprise?”
She looked away. “Umm… no, not really…”
There was silence, and then she said:
“What does she do?”
“She’s the president of the ‘Tanni’ make-up company.” he answered straightforwardly.
“T-Tanni?!” Chieko gasped again.
The people behind them shushed her again, annoyed. She looked back at them and apologized again.
“Yeah.”
He thought carefully before he told her more about his mother. “And she’s remarried a lot of times.”
Chieko blinked. “Remarried?”
He nodded.
He took a deep breath before continuing. “And… she has an interest in your older brother.”
“Hiyoshi-nii?” Chieko asked.
He looked at her. “Don’t worry, I won’t let her do anything.”
Chieko laughed. “It’s not that… she likes Hiyoshi-nii? That’s hilarious.”
“W-why?” Daisuke asked, curious. “He’s not gay, is he?”
Chieko looked at him, astonished. “Umm… no. He’s a big womanizer, is all.”
Daisuke looked to his left and saw Yuri and Hayato with their snacks. “I see.” he murmured.
Soon the movie started.
It was about a man and a woman. They worked at the same place, and had also been very close friends when they were younger. The two of them do not realize this until they bump into each other outside their primary school. At the end of the movie, the two are walking along a grassy cliff, where they parted ways years before.
They then see the spirits of their younger selves, the woman’s spirit running towards the man’s who is standing at the point, looking out at the sea. When she stops behind him, she bends down and tries to catch her breath. She then looks up at him and says, “When will you come back?”
The boy looks down at her with a sad face and replies, “I’m not coming back… ever…”
As the credits rolled, Hayato pulled Yuri up and they stretched. Chieko stretched her arms out and yawned. “Uwaa~~~! That was a good movie.” She commented, and turned to smile at Daisuke. “I never knew you had good taste in movies!” she added.
He looked at her. “I didn’t even know what it was about.”
She shrugged as they both stood up. “Well, I liked it. When it comes out, I’m gonna buy it!”
Yuri giggled. “It’s a great title, ne? Our Story…” she said the title in an overdramatized way.
The four companions walked out of their row and down the steps, out the corridor and into the main walkway. “So, Yuri-chan~!” Hayato sang with his arm around her waist. “When are we going on our next date?”
Yuri smiled. “This wasn’t a date! This was just a get together with friends!” She was about to say that it was a double date, but since Chieko and Daisuke were so close to them, she decided not to.
“Well, whatever!” he grinned, teeth showing. “When’s the next ‘get together’?”
Yuri sighed. “It won’t be anytime soon…”
Before long, they were out in the crisp, cold night air. Yuri shivered. “Well, us two are going now! Catch ya later!” she called out as she and Hayato turned away from them.
Chieko was leaning against the wall, and Daisuke was standing in fornt of her.
She watched them walk away. “Those two are getting along, ne…” she mumbled. When she turned around, Daisuke was facing her.
Her eyes widened, and just before she was about to bow, he leant quickly towards her, eyes closed. Chieko squeezed her eyes shut. She felt her heart race and her face flush. What is he doing…? She asked herself.
Then, she could feel his breath from his nose on hers, and she could tell that they were that far away… She opened her eyes as she realized he wouldn’t do it. He slowly opened his and looked at her. His right hand had stretched out and was on the wall, right next to her head. He swallowed, and backed away from her.
“What the hell am I doing…?” he muttered to himself.
She blinked and opened her mouth to say something but he sighed. He uttered ‘goodbye’ under his breath and walked away.
“Shintani-kun…” she murmured.
She turned around and bumped into someone.
“Sorry,” they said in unison.
She looked up and gasped. “Y-Yuya-kun?”
“Ah!” the older boy answered. “Long time no see.”
Chieko was at her desk in her room, doing her homework. She pouted and mumbled, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Her older sister smirked. “Is he your boyfriend?”
Chieko went back to her homework which made her sister ruffle her hair. “Don’t worry, I don’t really care… But if he hurts you, tell me, and I’ll beat the crap out of him.”
Chieko’s head shot up, and she turned around but Akiyo had already left. “Beat the crap out of him…” she murmured. She then tried to imagine how her sister would do that…
“Oi, you!” she would yell out, stomping towards Daisuke who would be reading a book.
He would then look up from his book and stare at her. “Who are you?” he’d ask.
“I’m gonna kill you.” Akiyo would reply.
He would then make a face. “Why? I haven’t done anything to you.”
“Well,” Akiyo would start. “Maybe not to me, but you broke my sister’s heart.”
He would then blink. “Sister… You’re Chieko’s sister?”
“That’s right!” She’d point to her chest with her thumb. “And I’m here to kill you because of that!”
Chieko sighed. “That probably wouldn’t happen, but something close to it would.” She muttered. As she returned to her homework, she made a face. “I can’t believe that Shintani’s mother looks like a high schooler…” She then grinned. “Maybe… that means when Shintani’s 50, he’ll look like a middle school student!”
The next day at school, Yuri asked Daisuke if he wanted to come as well.
“Ne, Shintani-kun~!” she said in her most polite voice. “Want to come to the movies with us?”
He looked at her. “Who’s ‘us’?” he asked, eyeing Chieko who was standing next to her.
“Oh, just Hayato, Chieko and me.”
He studied Yuri’s face and shrugged. “I’m not busy, when?”
His answer made Chieko’s jaw drop. She stared at him, dumbfounded, which only made him snicker.
“Tomorrow, at the movie theatre in the city. We’re gonna meet at 5.30, okay?” Yuri explained.
He nodded.
“Umm… do you need to be picked up?” She asked.
He shook his head. “5.30, Tomorrow, huh?” he repeated.
Yuri nodded and said, “Well, we’ll see you then, ‘kay?” And she grabbed onto Chieko’s hand and pulled her away.
When they were safe out of Daisuke’s sight, Chieko whispered, “I thought you didn’t like him.”
Yuri smiled. “Well, he’s okay. But it seems as though you like him~!” She pranced away, leaving Chieko to stare at her.
When Saturday came, Chieko decided not to go to school in the morning. When her mother asked her why, she replied that she was tired.
“Even if you’re tired, you still go to school!” Her mother retorted.
“But…” Chieko then pointed to the clock. “Look! It’s already the afternoon! I can’t go to school now!”
Her mother sighed in defeat. “Fine.” She exhaled.
Her youngest child looked up at her. “Can I still go to the movies?” She asked in a sweet voice.
Chieko’s mother couldn’t help but smile. “Sure, why not.”
Chieko hugged her tightly, and then skipped back to her room. When she got inside, she closed the door and collapsed onto her bed. “I wonder if Shintani goes to school on Saturdays.” She looked up at her ceiling. “Most likely, ne…”
And then, she drifted off into a deep, asleep.
“Ne, Shintani-kun!” A small, young Chieko cried out as she ran towards a young boy who was standing on a grassy cliff. She puffed as she bent down, trying to catch her breath. “When will you come back?” She asked, looking up at him.
The boy looked down at her and he had a solemn look on his face. “I’m not coming back… ever…”
Chieko lifted her head up in a sudden motion, eyes wide. She blinked a few times, and tried to remember what she had just dreamt. “Shintani… was standing on a cliff, and I was a small little girl… And I asked him when he would come back…” She furrowed her brows as she tried to think back. “And… and he said he wouldn’t come back…”
She glanced at her clock and saw that it was almost 5 pm. She slipped off her bed and yawned. “I’ve got to get ready.”
She quickly changed into a pair of three-quarter jeans and into a white T-shirt. She wore a striped blue and black hooded jumper over it. While she was putting on her watch, Akiyo walked in and sat on the side of her bed. “You going to the movies?” she asked, slumping forward.
Chieko nodded.
“Who with?”
“Some friends.”
“Like that guy whose house you visited?” Akiyo sneered.
Chieko frowned. “Not that again,” she groaned.
Akiyo chuckled. “I’m just teasing!”
Chieko got off her chair and walked out of the room. Akiyo jumped off the bed and followed her. “Need a chaperone?”
Chieko turned around and wore a confused look on her face. “Chaperone?”
Akiyo nodded. “Umm… chaperone. They’re like someone who goes with younger people to make sure they don’t get into trouble.”
Chieko smiled her lopsided grin. “Nah, no thanks.”
“ You sure?”
Chieko nodded her head. “Yeah, we’ve got Yuri.”
Akiyo laughed. “Ah, I forgot!”
She walked with her younger sister to the front of their house, where a dark green Toyota Camry was parked in front of it. The front passenger window was rolling down and Chieko could see Yuri. “Come on, hurry up!” she called out.
Chieko ran down the pathway and opened the back passenger door. She bent down and climbed inside, closing the door behind her. Chieko looked to her right, but Hayato wasn’t there. “Where’s Hayato?” she asked, bending forward so that Yuri could hear her over the radio.
Yuri glanced back. “Dad doesn’t want to pick him up,” she whispered.
Chieko grinned. “That’s understandable.”
Soon they were turning into the parking lot next to the cinema building. Chieko thanked Yuri’s father before opening the door and getting out. Yuri kissed her father on his cheek and was soon outside as well. She waved to him goodbye as the car was reversing out of the parking spot.
As she turned around, she saw Daisuke sitting on the stone guard surrounding a statue of a man and a woman who had their arms linked. Hayato, meanwhile, was standing on top of the guard and was waving energetically at her. Chieko was walking towards them and Yuri hurried after her.
While they were walking inside, they all looked around. “It’s kinda busy, don’t cha think?” Hayato muttered as a big group of high schoolers passed them.
“Wanna watch in gold class?” Daisuke suggested.
The other three looked at him.
“Gold class?” Yuri repeated in a whisper.
He shrugged. “I’m just suggesting.”
“Okay!” Hayato grinned.
They all watched Daisuke walk in the line and Hayato tried to find somewhere to sit down while they waited. He and Yuri went walking off, leaving Chieko by herself. A few minutes later, Yuri came back and clutched her hand. “Hey, we found a spot.” she said.
“What about Shintani-kun?” Chieko asked.
“Don’t worry, I already told him.” Yuri reassured her.
“Okay.”
They pushed through the crowd of people and saw Hayato sitting by himself on a long divan. “Is Shintani gonna be long?” he asked, pulling Yuri so that she could sit on his lap.
“He was close to the booths when I saw him,” Yuri told him, wrapping his arms around her.
“I see…” he murmured.
Chieko didn’t feel uneasy next to her friends when they did this; instead she couldn’t help but smile. She thought it was cute. They didn’t have to wait long for Daisuke. He was holding out four tickets in his right hand, with his left hand in his pocket, when he walked up to them. Yuri jumped off her boyfriend’s lap and snatched them from him. “Cool!” she cried out.
Then she made a face and looked at him. “What movie did you pick?”
He shrugged. “Some love movie.”
Hayato patted him on the head. “You a lovesick teenager?” he teased.
Daisuke looked away, annoyed. Chieko giggled.
The couple walked together first, with Chieko and Daisuke trailing uncomfortably behind. The two of them avoided each other’s gaze. When they arrived in the theatre, they went up to the middle of the rows of seats and sat in the middle. Hayato was on the next to Yuri, and Chieko sat next to her with Daisuke on her left.
Yuri then sat up, gasping and lifting her head off Hayato’s shoulder.
“What?” he pouted, missing the warmth of her head.
“We forgot to get food!”
“I’ll go get them…” Chieko offered.
Yuri shook her head before standing up. “I will… we came early, and the ads are showing so I will.”
Hayato stood up as well. “I’ll go with you~!” he sang.
The people behind them shushed him and he pulled a face. The two of them shuffled out of the row and were soon walking down the steps. Chieko decided that she should talk to Daisuke.
“Hey… I guess I shouldn’t have come to your house the other day,” she murmured.
He glanced at her. “I don’t care.”
She looked back at the huge movie screen. “Your mother’s really pretty.”
“You think so?”
She nodded. “Don’t you?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really notice.”
“Umm… I’m just wondering, but how old is your mum?”
“33.”
“Thirty-three?” Chieko repeated. She then calculated their two ages in her head. “Thirty-three take away fourteen…” she mumbled.
“18.” Daisuke sighed.
“Eighteen?!” Chieko gasped loudly.
The people behind them shushed her.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized before turning back to Daisuke. “Really?”
He nodded. “Is that a huge surprise?”
She looked away. “Umm… no, not really…”
There was silence, and then she said:
“What does she do?”
“She’s the president of the ‘Tanni’ make-up company.” he answered straightforwardly.
“T-Tanni?!” Chieko gasped again.
The people behind them shushed her again, annoyed. She looked back at them and apologized again.
“Yeah.”
He thought carefully before he told her more about his mother. “And she’s remarried a lot of times.”
Chieko blinked. “Remarried?”
He nodded.
He took a deep breath before continuing. “And… she has an interest in your older brother.”
“Hiyoshi-nii?” Chieko asked.
He looked at her. “Don’t worry, I won’t let her do anything.”
Chieko laughed. “It’s not that… she likes Hiyoshi-nii? That’s hilarious.”
“W-why?” Daisuke asked, curious. “He’s not gay, is he?”
Chieko looked at him, astonished. “Umm… no. He’s a big womanizer, is all.”
Daisuke looked to his left and saw Yuri and Hayato with their snacks. “I see.” he murmured.
Soon the movie started.
It was about a man and a woman. They worked at the same place, and had also been very close friends when they were younger. The two of them do not realize this until they bump into each other outside their primary school. At the end of the movie, the two are walking along a grassy cliff, where they parted ways years before.
They then see the spirits of their younger selves, the woman’s spirit running towards the man’s who is standing at the point, looking out at the sea. When she stops behind him, she bends down and tries to catch her breath. She then looks up at him and says, “When will you come back?”
The boy looks down at her with a sad face and replies, “I’m not coming back… ever…”
As the credits rolled, Hayato pulled Yuri up and they stretched. Chieko stretched her arms out and yawned. “Uwaa~~~! That was a good movie.” She commented, and turned to smile at Daisuke. “I never knew you had good taste in movies!” she added.
He looked at her. “I didn’t even know what it was about.”
She shrugged as they both stood up. “Well, I liked it. When it comes out, I’m gonna buy it!”
Yuri giggled. “It’s a great title, ne? Our Story…” she said the title in an overdramatized way.
The four companions walked out of their row and down the steps, out the corridor and into the main walkway. “So, Yuri-chan~!” Hayato sang with his arm around her waist. “When are we going on our next date?”
Yuri smiled. “This wasn’t a date! This was just a get together with friends!” She was about to say that it was a double date, but since Chieko and Daisuke were so close to them, she decided not to.
“Well, whatever!” he grinned, teeth showing. “When’s the next ‘get together’?”
Yuri sighed. “It won’t be anytime soon…”
Before long, they were out in the crisp, cold night air. Yuri shivered. “Well, us two are going now! Catch ya later!” she called out as she and Hayato turned away from them.
Chieko was leaning against the wall, and Daisuke was standing in fornt of her.
She watched them walk away. “Those two are getting along, ne…” she mumbled. When she turned around, Daisuke was facing her.
Her eyes widened, and just before she was about to bow, he leant quickly towards her, eyes closed. Chieko squeezed her eyes shut. She felt her heart race and her face flush. What is he doing…? She asked herself.
Then, she could feel his breath from his nose on hers, and she could tell that they were that far away… She opened her eyes as she realized he wouldn’t do it. He slowly opened his and looked at her. His right hand had stretched out and was on the wall, right next to her head. He swallowed, and backed away from her.
“What the hell am I doing…?” he muttered to himself.
She blinked and opened her mouth to say something but he sighed. He uttered ‘goodbye’ under his breath and walked away.
“Shintani-kun…” she murmured.
She turned around and bumped into someone.
“Sorry,” they said in unison.
She looked up and gasped. “Y-Yuya-kun?”
“Ah!” the older boy answered. “Long time no see.”