She slowed, a puzzled frown curling onto her lips. The frown vanished as soon as I noticed it, but I was sure it had been there. “You’re not going back?” She smiled. “I’m glad! I was so sad to not even meet you after we talked on the phone that time.” She squeezed my hand, and my insecurity evaporated. She really means it, I thought. She is really clueless about the awkwardness between us.
“You two talked on the phone?” Tomohiro asked.
“The time you decided to be an idiot,” she laughed. Shiori pointed her finger at him, poking him in the chest. I didn’t like it, but I pushed the feeling down. It was petty and dumb.
“Oi,” he stuttered, annoyed.
Shiori smiled. “Katie, are you hungry? We could get some yakitori before the fireworks start.”
“Oh, um...”
“Fried chicken,” she said in English. “It’s fried chicken.” As if that’s what had made me stumble over my words.
“Shiori,” Tomohiro said. The seriousness of his voice made me shiver a little.
“Hmm, Tomo-kun?”
“She knows what yakitori is. And I’ve just discovered my girlfriend is staying in Shizuoka, permanently. Do you think maybe we could...you know, meet up in a bit?” The words hit me like a wall. Did he actually just ask that?
“Oh...oh, no problem. I’ll get something to eat and meet you after, okay?”
“Are you sure?” Tomo said. “I just...” Shiori tried to smile and nod, but I could see the hurt on her face.
“Shiori,” I said, reaching my hand out. “It’s fine. You can stay with us.”
She waved it away and shook her head. “No, no, it’s okay.” Her voice was way too cheerful. There was no way it was okay. “I’ll catch up in a bit. This baby is always hungry.” She circled her stomach with her fingers, smiling too widely. Then she turned, and she was gone.
Living in Japan meant reading between the lines, in this case even more than when Yuki wanted time with Tanaka. No one ever said what they meant. I wasn’t sure how mad Shiori was, but she definitely wasn’t happy.
Tomo reached for my shoulders, wrapping his arms around them from behind, but I sidestepped his embrace.
“That was totally rude, Tomo.”
“I know,” he said. “I know. It was too much. I’ll make it up to her. But I just want to be with you right now. I need to be with you.” He leaned in, and this kiss wasn’t fragile at all. His lips pressed against mine sent my heart racing and heat prickling up my arms. He pulled back, his eyes gleaming. “You look cute in that yukata.”
I felt my cheeks go hot. “It’s Yuki’s.”
“I didn’t want to come here with Shiori, Katie. She showed up at my house the same time my dad came back from Kyoto. He pretty much ordered me to take her.”
“Please, like you wouldn’t have taken her anyway.” He would’ve, too. He was that kind of friend. But I was glad he wanted to explain. Things were the same between us, and Shiori hadn’t replaced me. “It’s not like you looked bored catching goldfish,” I joked.
He grinned, the happiness on his face so rare that I was flooded with the desire to always make him smile like that. “No one grows out of festivals.”
“So you’re childish, is what you’re saying.”
“Oi,” he protested, but his eyes lit up with amusement. “Come on.” He squeezed my hand. “Fireworks start soon, and I know a great spot.” He took off running and dragged me along for a couple paces until my feet started working. I let him pull me around the side streets, Tomo laughing when we almost crashed into some serious-looking lantern carriers on their way to the shrine. It was a nice change—running, but not for our lives. I hoped the Yakuza had given up if they’d stopped calling Tomo. I hoped things could be normal for us someday.
We rounded another corner, where a cast-iron bridge loomed over the Abe River. There wasn’t much in the way of a river—even in the darkness I could see the large banks of gravel with pockets of water where it had once run deeply. The early moonlight gleamed off the pools like a trail of pale white lanterns. Tomohiro pushed his way through the crowds near the metal stairs down to the rocky beach and grabbed a spot against the railing.
“Well?”
“Beautiful,” I breathed, looking out at the kaleidoscope of lights glinting around us. Lanterns in a rainbow of colors hung from the railings and rooftops, and the opposite shore gleamed with matching strands of lights. On the gravel banks, groups of kids lit small fireworks that sparked and fizzed with golden hues. The humidity of the air and the close-pressing crowds weren’t so bad here by the freshness of the river—police had been stationed along the street to make sure things stayed orderly, though I doubted it would be a problem. And the sky was wrapped in clouds, waiting for the fireworks to light the darkness above us.
“Too muddy on the beach, but you’ll get a great view up here. Do you want a drink?”
“I’m okay.” I could just drink in the feeling of being there with him.
“You sure? There’s a vending machine over there. Iced coffee? Milk tea? Melon soda?” With each suggestion he pressed his lips closer and closer to my neck until I laughed nervously.
“Okay, okay,” I relented. “Milk tea.”
“Got it.” And then he was gone, and the humid air felt cooler.
I looked out at the lights across the river as I listened to the quiet lapping of water, nearly drowned out by the crowds. Everyone was chatting and laughing, waiting for the fireworks to start. I hoped Yuki and Tanaka had managed to get a good spot, too, and Shiori—she’d made me feel awkward, but I hadn’t wished that on her. Watching the fireworks alone, feeling forgotten by the only friend she had. I know he hadn’t really meant it. It wasn’t even about her—it was about us. But that was selfish. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Tomo could call her and—
“Katie?”
My name, deep and velvet on a familiar voice, except it wasn’t Tomo’s.
I clasped my hands tightly around the railing, clinging to the cool metal as I turned my head slowly. Black T-shirt, black jeans—he almost faded into the darkness. Blue lantern light glinted on his silver earring as he moved forward.
“Katie,” he said again.
My whole body seized up with fear. I stepped backward, pressing against the railing. “Jun,” I whispered. The Kami had found us. I looked up for Tomo, but didn’t see him in the crowd. One of the policemen stood nearby. Maybe I should— But I couldn’t, right? They couldn’t know about the Kami. My mind reeled.
“It’s okay,” Jun said, lifting a hand to calm me. “I’m not going to hurt you, remember?” And then I saw his other hand, wrapped in a ghostly pale cast at his side—his broken wrist, the one Tomohiro had shattered with the ink shinai. I stared at it, trying to figure out if I should run. “I’m on your side,” he said.
“Look, I don’t want to be friends with you,” I said. “I don’t want anything to do with your little group.”
He took a deep breath. “You’re right. I didn’t mean for everything to happen like that. When you called me from the truck, I wasn’t sure what kind of showdown we’d have with the Yakuza. I just called a few friends in case we needed the help. I only wanted to be prepared, not to frighten you.”
That gave me pause. I’d been so wrapped up in his weird Kami cult that I’d forgotten how he’d saved Tomo and me. That without his help, we might have been—
One of the blond streaks in his hair fell forward and swung against his cheek. He lifted his good hand to tuck the highlight behind his ear. The motion brought back the memory of him lifting the cherry-blossom petal from my hair. And then the way he’d protected me from Ishikawa on the bridge to Sunpu Park. I felt so confused. Jun was the enemy—right?