Unscene #2

UnScene #2: It was Valentine's Day in Japan. 

I thought I'd try to write something about it.

Boxes of Chocolate

 “Shouei-sempai, Happy Valentine’s Day!” the unknown girl said with a big smile as she shoved a fancily wrapped box of chocolates under Shouei’s nose.

“Err... thanks...” he managed to murmur as the girl turned to walk away all a-giggle.

That was the fourth box today.  Shouei sighed.

“At least it’s not as bad as it was last year,” he thought to himself, remembering the dozen boxes he received the previous year.

He heard a familiar voice calling him from behind.  He turned and saw Anri-chan weaving through the loitering seniors in the corridor on her way toward him.

“Whew!  Found you at last, Sho-niichan” she recovered a breath before she dumped the contents of her arms into his. Six fancily wrapped boxes of chocolates.  “You sure are popular.  Some girls from my class were too shy to give these to you themselves, so they asked me to do it.”

Ten boxes now.  Shouei sighed.

Anri laughed.  It was low and had a touch of irony to it.  It made Shouei smile as well.

“That’s better,” commented Anri.  “You should be glad so many girls like you. Smile at them like that and make them happy!”

Shouei wanted only one girl to like him.  Right now, she was waving good-bye as she turned to go back through the crowd of noisy students exchanging Valentine presents and waving each other good-bye for the day.

“Gotta run, Sho-niichan.  The teachers might leave soon!”

Shouei had shrugged off his backpack and was trying to stuff all the boxes in when someone tapped his shoulder. 

“Yo, Shouei.  That wasn’t my sister, was it?” asked Genta.  Shouei nodded.

“Where’s she going?  I told her to meet me here as soon as the bell rang.  Dad will pick us up any minute now,” Genta muttered.  “It’s Dad’s turn tonight, he said he’d take us out to dinner somewhere,” he explained at Shouei’s bewildered look.

Shouei had never met Genta and Anri’s father, even though they had been close friends since elementary school.  But he simply nodded in understanding.  He knew the circumstances of their parents’ divorce were tough on his friends, especially for Anri-chan.

“I think she was headed for the faculty office,” he told Genta.

“Dammit.  So she really is gonna give that thing to Inoue-sensei,” lamented Genta.  “That girl is hopeless.”

“Inoue-sensei?!” blurted Shouei.  “Anri’s got a crush on Inoue-sensei?  He’s at least thirteen years older than us!  And isn’t there a rumor that he and Suzuki-sensei are dating?”

His best friend just shook his head, saying, “She says Inoue-sensei reminds her of Dad, in some ways.  I tried to tell her off, but...”

Genta left Shouei behind, asking him that if Anri comes back, to tell her to head straight for the school gates.   Shouei was still trying to fit all the boxes into his bag when he saw Anri walking slowly back down the emptying hallway.  Her face had a distant, bewildered look on it.

“Anri-chan, Genta said he’d wait for you at the school gate... Are you alright?  You seem pale all of a sudden...” Shouei held her arm.

“Married,” Anri mumbled.  “Inoue-sensei and Suzuki-sensei are gonna get married.  He said it himself.  He didn’t even look at my present for him...”

Her eyes glazed over and her face reddened for a moment, but she didn’t let a single tear fall.  She blinked a few times, squared her shoulders, and took a deep breath.  She looked down at the fancily wrapped box in her hand, as if wondering what it was still doing there.  She held out the box to Shouei.

“Here, Sho-niichan.  You can have it.  I baked them myself,” she said proudly. “They’re really tasty, too.  Oniichan did the taste-test for me.  He’s probably fuming out there by now.  Gotta go, see you later.”

Shouei stared at her rapidly retreating back.  When she disappeared around the building corner, he walked straight to the nearest garbage can and threw the box in with a vengeance.  Then he opened his bag and threw in the rest of the boxes as well.

“I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY!!!” he yelled out.

His voice echoed back to him in the now-empty corridor.