Foreshadowing Change

The bus in the shopping district was on time for what seemed like the first time in years. It was too soon for Chie, who was already wracked with nerves as it was. Her legs felt like jelly as she mounted the steps and flashed her pass at the driver, who gave a grunt of acknowledgment and customarily sped away before she’d even had time to take her seat. Collapsing in to a seat halfway down the bus, she chanced a glance backwards and noticed Souji-kun sat at the back, luckily too immersed in a book to notice her. She could say hi, but though comfortable with him in the group, and despite her sunny disposition, she wasn’t confident enough yet. Being the bolshy young teenager she was she preferred to tell herself she had enough to concentrate on already, which in any case was probably true. In fact she practically forgot he was there as the bus sped down the usual straights and rounded the usual series of corners to the Amagi Inn. Chie knew the route like she knew her best friend: like the back of her very own hand. How strange then that she felt as though she was going to meet a stranger for the very first time, someone she knew through words, images and history, and yet somehow not at all. They were better friends than ever, their respective revelations had brought a greater level of understanding...but there was something on the edge of their friendship also. It was something begging to be voiced but which never made itself heard, and Chie knew, given the right atmosphere, that tonight may be that time. She had to stop dwelling on it. A voice in her head reminded her: ‘Don’t think...feel.’

As the brakes hissed she was shocked from her thoughts. She had forgotten all about her friend at the back of the bus, on his way to Inaba hospital for part-time work, and who cocked his head to one side watching her leave. A highly uncharacteristic smile spread across his lips. Maybe there was something in what Yosuke had said after all...

Chie tried vainly to balance the butterflies as she walked the short distance to the Amagi Inn. Along the way, she felt a vibration in the left pocket of her shorts. She took her phone out and read the text from Yukiko:

‘Hey, you on your way? Mum and Dad have both left on emergency business trips. Don’t worry, I’m not in charge. Actually it’s worked out really well. I’ll let you know when you get here!’

Now Chie was intrigued. There were numerous staff who could deputise for Yukiko’s parents, and Yukiko had finished her shift anyway. Yukiko’s parents were kind and warm, and having known Chie since her early childhood, they were very at ease with her. This was good except for the times when Yukiko’s mother would burst in to her room late in the evening with cookies and lemonade, interrupting whatever Chie and Yukiko were doing, whether it was playing cards, talking about boys, or watching an adult rated kung-fu film drawn from Chie’s vast collection. Chie winced as she recalled the time Yukiko’s mum had walked in during the particularly graphic decapitation of a samurai. There would be no such risks this time... whatever they got up to. She breathed in deeply as she rounded the final corner and made her way round to the back of the Inn, where the family’s living quarters were located. The car park was packed, and Chie wondered how many of these people were here in relation to the serial murder case. She still couldn’t believe it.

The cooks all knew her, and waved as she passed by the kitchen window. She wondered how Yukiko had been getting on with her cooking. Judging by what passed for the meal they shared the day after she returned to school, she could still do with some practise. And suddenly there her Yuki-chan was, polishing a plate and adding it to the pile before glancing up and catching sight of Chie. She beamed and waved and...could it be she blushed a little? The cook dismissed her with a wave and a smile, and Chie’s heart was pounding as the door swung open revealing a most unorthodox Yukiko: still dressed in her school clothes, sleeves rolled up, sweating from the heat of the kitchen. Judging from her appearance she hadn’t stopped since she got back from school.

‘H-Hi! Sorry I didn’t have time to change.’
‘That’s fine. Look at you working hard!’
‘Snrk...’ Yukiko tried vainly to hide her blushes. ‘Oh...c-come in!