SOBA, DUMPLINGS AND CONFESSIONS

"Wow! Kyoto is so nice!" Chiyo chirped.

"Yeah! I can't wait to visit the shrines." Remi squealed.

"Uh...yeah." Tatsume said in a tired voice.

'Great! I'm stuck with two energetic girls who won't stop squealing like pigs!' The blackette thought. "Though, it would have been worse if Miyamura-san (Yura) was here.'

He imagined Yura shouting at the top of her lungs in the midst of tons of people.

"That would be embarrassing." The blackette muttered.

"Tatsume-kun, do you want some dumplings?" Chiyo asked while chewing on a dumpling. "There's sweet buns too."

"Let's get soba!" Remi shouted.

"We're visiting the shrines first." Tatsume said.

"Buuut-" Remi whined. "I'm hungry!"

Suddenly, Tatsume found Remi's whining cute.

. . .

"Itadakimasu! (Thank you for the food!)" Remi and Chiyo exclaimed while clapping their hands.

They broke their chopsticks apart and started eating.

"Mmm! Oishii! (Tasty!)" Chiyo sighed in content.

"Stop talking with your mouth full." Tatsume scolded.

"Urusai! (Shut up!) You idiot," Remi said. "We're eating right now."

A vein popped up on Tatsume's head. "You're embarrassing the name of the school."

"Oh? I didn't know you actually cared about that stuff." Remi said in amusement and slurped some noodles into her mouth.

"Well, now ya know!" Tatsume hissed. "So stop that." He pointed an accusing finger at Chiyo, who was using her hand to try to pick up the grilled pork on the inbuilt grill.

"Liar! You think we're embarrassing you instead." The brunette exclaimed.

"Exactly! You know exactly what you're doing so why won't you stop?!" The blackette groaned.

"Fufufu! Don't worry. Let's just have fun! The day is young!" Chiyo giggled.

"Did you...did you just...?" Tatsume's eye twitched.

"Yep! Now, Ikuzo!" The pinkette said.

"Okay!"

"UGH!"

. . .

It was evening. In the bamboo woods in Kyoto, Tatsume was standing with a certain pinkette in front of him.

"So...what did you want to tell me?" He asked and put his hand in his pockets.

"I-uh...I wanted to tell you something really important. S-so here it goes." Chiyo exhaled. "I've liked you for the longest time, and I hope you feel the same way about me!"

Tatsume stood with wide eyes and a blushing face. Sure he had a lot of confessions in middle school, but this was different. She was his very close friend.

"Uh. I-I'm sorry, but I like someone else." Tatsume said.

"Oh. I see." It was silent for a few moments. "I hope we can still be friends, though." The pinkette smiled wryly.

"O-of course! You're one of my best friends. I don't want our friendship to end like that." Tatsume exclaimed

" I'm glad." Chiyo smiled again. "By the way, is this person you like Remi-San by any chance?"

"I guess you caught me." The blackette blushed.

"Let's go back." Chiyo suggested.

"Yeah."