Whenever she considered having to talk to him, Junko felt the alien twitch of a nervous butterfly in her stomach. The unfortunate truth was that, like Miko, she also never talked to boys

Junko decided to wait until clubs after school before finding him. She thought she had seen Jakku with the other soccer players drooling over the girls in the volleyball club. As the girls' volleyball club manager, once she had seen to the team's equipment, she could easily slip over to the boys' soccer field during practice.

However easy was a relative term. The next day she delayed until the anxiety of waiting became unbearable before approaching the boys. She stopped ten or twelve meters from the practice field with no idea of what to do next.

She certainly couldn't ask him anything in front of the other boys. No matter what he felt, he'd never be able to admit it in front of the others. Junko looked around feeling strangely thwarted. A first-year bearing an armful of soda cans—no doubt for his senpais—hurried past her in the direction of the practice field.

Junko caught his eye. "Oi! Do you know a foreigner named Jakku-san?"

The startled boy stopped and clumsily caught one of the cans as it rolled out of his arms. "Jakku Patoriku? Yeah. He's right over there." He gestured in the direction of the soccer field with the can.

"Could you ask him to come over here? I need to talk to him."

"Sure." The boy's surprised look turned slowly into a knowing grin. He hurried to the practice field, handed the drinks to the senpais and pointed back at her as he spoke. The senpais burst into laughter and one of them, still laughing, ran over to the gaijin. Then a laughing senpai opened his can, spraying himself in the face. He rose up, shouting, and hit the boy who had brought them.

Hearing her message repeated, Jakku and the surrounding first-years' heads swung toward Junko. All the boys laughed except Jakku who just looked confused.

"Kuso!" Junko's face burned with both anger and embarrassment. She realized everyone must think she was going to make a kokuhaku or confession of love to Jakku. As he rose and shuffled toward her, Junko took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. This is for Miko, she reminded herself.

Jakku stopped and looked at her with suspicion. "You wanted to talk to me?"

Burying her irritation deep inside, Junko decided to take the blunt approach. What did she care which reply he gave? In some ways, wouldn't it be better if he rejected Miko? Yeah, like that would ever happen. "Miko-chan and I have noticed you looking at us a lot."

Jakku rocked back in surprise and swallowed nervously. "And?"

"Do you like her?"

It was almost worth the humiliation, seeing the complex mix of emotions that crossed his face. Surprise, fear, embarrassment and something that looked like pain, but was probably longing, bounced back and forth. "Who wants to know? You or her?"

Now it was her turn to be surprised. She almost said she does but that would be as much as admitting Miko liked him and the last thing Miko needed was some boy going around telling everyone that Miko had confessed to him. She thought about saying I do but then she might seem like she was checking out the competition before making her own try for the gaijin. Not knowing what else to say, she said, "Both of us."

The boy gave her an evaluating stare as he considered his reply. "Tell Miyamoto-san that if she would like a favorable reply she must come and ask me herself. Otherwise, she won't get one."

Junko's estimation of the boy rose. His non-answer was nearly Japanese in its ambiguity. He was basically saying that if Miko asked him, he would say yes, but that he'd deny everything otherwise. At least he wasn't a total idiot.

"Very well. I'll tell her that." She walked away thinking, this is going to be interesting.

永 遠

"Miko. It's me, Junko. I have his reply. Answer your phone!" Junko hung up and shook her head. Miko was probably hoping Junko would just leave Jakku's answer in her voice mail. That way she could deal with his reply in private. Junko gave her a few minutes to listen to the message before calling back.

Miko picked up on the third ring, answering in a timid voice. "Moshi moshi."

"I thought you wanted to know how he felt about you."

"I do. I think. Don't I?"

"I don't know. Maybe I won't tell you."

"Jun-chan! You have to! Unless he said no. Did he say no?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes...maybe. I don't know. Do I want to know?"

"I'm not going to tell you his reply unless you say 'please tell me, oh kind and thoughtful Jun-chan'..."

"Jun-chan!"

"...'you are truly the best-est of best friends'..."

"Tell me!"

"OK...if you really want me to..."

"Yes!"

It would be too cruel to drag this out any longer, Junko thought. She took a deep breath and paused as a sense of foreboding crept over her. After this moment, everything could change. If Miko actually started to go out with this guy, even her relationship with Miko would change and Junko feared it wouldn't be for the better.

"Jun-chan?"

"He said yes."

"Kya! He did? Really?"

Kya? Was Miko the sort of girl to squeal like that? Since when? Junko bowed her head and covered her eyes, glad Miko couldn't see her. "Sort of."

"What do you mean sort of?"

"Well, he basically said that he would say yes, but only if you asked him.

"I have to ask him?"

"He won't say it to anyone else."

"So does that mean he likes me?"

"Of course. I told you he did, didn't I?"

"But..."

"You'll just have to ask him yourself if you want to hear him say it."

永 遠

Miko was nervous and distracted all the next day at school. It was very cute. Junko even heard some worried whispers from the other girls in their classroom, wondering if Miko were sick of if something had gone horribly wrong. When Miko's pencil started rolling to the edge of her desk she tried to catch it but flipped it instead across the aisle between her and Ume. Their heads knocked together as they both bent to pick it up. "Gomen, Jun-chan," she muttered not realizing she was talking to Ume.

At lunch, Miko and Junko pushed their desks together to make a table, but Miko hardly touched her food. At the end of the day, the last bell rang, startling her. She lurched in her seat as if it had awakened her and she only then realized where she was. Ashen faced, she slowly helped the girls move the desks aside so the boys could race across the floor with their washcloths.

"I don't know if I can do this," Miko whispered to Junko while she prepared to leave by stuffed random papers in her book bag.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"Would you?"

Junko chuckled. "I was joking. Who would bring a friend along to a kokuhaku?"

"At least come with me to the practice field."

"I'll come part-way." Junko grumbled, following Miko from the school. They walked around behind the school and Junko stopped at the corner of the field house.

Two steps later, noticed Miko noticed Junko was no longer beside her and looked back in alarm. "You're not coming with me?"

Junko waved her on. "You'll have to do the rest on your own. But don't worry, you'll do fine."

Miko shuffled away, tossing plaintive looks over her shoulder. She stopped at the other side of the field house and stood a minute, staring off in the boys' direction. Junko sighted the gaijin among them but neither he nor any of the others happened to so much as look her way.

Junko waited as long as she could before scurrying over to Miko. "What are you doing?"

"He won't look this way. I can't get his attention."

"Then go over there and ask him to come talk to you."

"I couldn't do that!"

"Miko..." She looked around and noticed that the first-year boy who had been sent off to get his senpais drinks the other day was returning with another armful. Junko was surprised they trusted him to get their drinks, but she was confident they had found ways to make his life miserable. "Oi!" she called out and he jerked to a stop. He looked at Junko, then at Miko and his forehead wrinkled in confusion. "We need you to go get that guy again."

"Patoriku-san?"

"Yes. Tell him someone wants to talk to him."

The boy looked back and forth between Junko and Miko. "Someone?"

"Yes." Junko waited for the frowning boy to leave before turning away with a parting "good luck."

Her eyes wide with panic, Miko gave a small frightened squeak as she found herself, once again, alone.

Who is this girl? Junko shook her head, her own heart pounding as she hid around the corner of the field house. The boy run back to the practice field, droped his drinks and run straight to Jakku. He slapped him on the shoulder, and everyone turned to look at Miko standing alone and clutching her hands together in frightened attention. There was no laughter this time, only many confused looks as Jakku got up and stumbled toward her.

Jakku stopped an arm's length away. They talked a moment then Jakku stepped forward and Miko backed up against the wall. Junko struggled with the urge to get closer so she could hear but remained in hiding. Jakku continued talking. Miko mostly listened.

What could he be saying? Junko wondered, How long does it take to say a simple yes or no?

As he spoke, Miko's head slowly lowered. Was he actually rejecting her? Was that even possible? While Miko's shoulders sagged. The boy leaned over her, one hand braced against the wall. Was this a rejection or not?

Junko strained to hear his words. She considered racing around the building to the far corner in an attempt to get closer while remaining unnoticed. As she wavered between running and staying, Jakku lifted her head by the chin to look at him. They exchanged a few more words...then kissed. Right there. In public. In front of everyone. It wasn't a peck on the lips either. It was a full face-mashing lunge that one often sees in movies but not in real life.

An invisible hammer smashed into Junko's chest. She couldn't breathe. Her heart stumbled and stuttered as it tried to beat. The first-year boys along the edge of the soccer field cried out in surprise. They got up and ran toward the pair, shouting. Junko was too stunned to move.

Miko and Jakku separated and Junko, having held her breath the whole time, gasped for air and panted heavily. They spoke to each other again and Miko lunged at Jakku, wrapping her arms around him as if she were terrified that he might somehow slip away. The senpais in the soccer club ran to join the first-years who all howled in surprise. Daisuke, who was in her homeroom, stood up from behind the short hedge where he'd been crouched, recording the scene on his phone.

Jakku and Miko spoke, then kissed again. The boys all roared in response. Miko definitely rose to meet him this time. She was kissing him as much as he was kissing her. Junko's cheeks flushed and heart raced so fast she didn't think she could ever keep up.

The kiss seemed to last forever. When they finally came up for air, Jakku turned and said something to the boys before the two of them walked away, arms wrapped around each other.

What have I done? Junko wondered. Her body felt numb.

She had always walked Miko to the school's front gate and helped her pass the time until her driver brought the car. Half of the time, when Miko wasn't headed off to a juku or some other private lessons, they'd give Junko a ride home. She watched the pair head toward the front gate. I guess that's over now, Junko thought. Miko wasn't just her's anymore.

What have I done? What have I done?

That night, during dinner, Junko kept forgetting to eat. Afterward, she sat at her desk in her room, staring at her homework, but couldn't make sense of the words or remember what she was supposed to do with them.

What have I done. What have I done. What have I done?

Junko finally realized that pretending to study was pointless and went to bed. She was just drifting off to sleep when a thought jolted her awake with paranoid certainty. Daisuke had recorded the whole thing. There was no way he could keep it to itself.

She leaped out of bed and turned on her computer. If it would be anywhere, it would be on the video sharing site Niconico. Junko searched on Miko's name and found it right away. Miyamoto's first kiss. It had been uploaded several hours ago. She watched the whole video, listening to Jakku tease her with the meaning of the word 'suki' when she asked if he liked her. Then he declared that he thought he might come to love her more than anyone else in the world. He asked her if anyone had ever kissed her and if he could. Miko had said no and yes.

Watching the video, Junko's heart raced just as hard as it had when she had been there. She paused the video on the third viewing, staring at Miko's upturned face as she gazed into Jakku's eyes. Her delirious joy completely transformed her face. In her entire life, Junko had never seen that expression on her. She wasn't entirely sure she had ever seen it on anyone.

Junko shut down the computer. She could only hope that no one at school would find out before she could get to Daisuke and force him to take it down. What might happen to Miko if the school found out? What might happen if her parents found out?

Drained by her anxiety, Junko managed to collapse into sleep. She dreamed she was back in the park surrounding that fateful shrine. Miko and that boy walked ahead of her holding hands. They weren't walking fast, but somehow she couldn't keep up. She spent the rest of the night chasing after Miko and watching her get farther and farther away.