With a sigh, Kai lifted his phone and turned it on. Kanon had already disappeared behind the gate and he was already on his bike. He glanced at the missed calls for a moment before calling Matt back. Before it even rang, he was already on the road.
'How many laws will I be breaking right now?' He asked himself while weaving through traffic.
He was riding without a helmet, holding his phone, and performing stunts that bordered on recklessness. At least he didn't run any red lights, for now… People stared at him from the sidewalk as if he were crazy, though Kai couldn't make out their faces—just blurs where faces should be. Maybe he should slow down, but then he'd never get there.
"Are you going to be much longer?" He heard on the phone. Matt sounded really impatient.
"Who, me? Nah, I'm just pulling up now."
Of course, it was a lie. Kai wasn't even remotely close. Matt sighed.
"You know? It wouldn't be the first time you've said that without even leaving your house… I can hear the traffic on the call. And your breathing it's so ragged. You're not calling from your bike, are you?"
Kai put on his best indignant tone:
"Me? You think I'm capable of that? Me?"
"It wouldn't surprise me much, to be honest," Matt replied in a tone so flat it hurt.
"Unbelievable… This is… outrageous! I'm hanging up."
And so he did. He ended the call, but his speed didn't decrease. In fact, it just increased. Besides having been the one who convinced his friends to do this, he was going to be the last to arrive.
'Once again, I ended up rushing.'
Kai was no longer even consistent with his own beliefs about unpunctuality.
***
After a minute leaning on his bike catching his breath and thanking God he hadn't seen any patrol cars, Kai approached the plaza little by little. He was less than fifty meters left, so he had no reason to keep pedaling like a madman.
As he walked with his bike beside him, he turned on his phone and saw a couple of vague messages from Shun and Gon. None from Matt, apart from missed calls. He raised his gaze a few inches. thirty minutes late.
"Only half an hour? Pfft, that's not even in my top five worst times," he murmured to himself with a dry laugh.
With heavy steps, Kai entered the plaza. As he walked, his gaze momentarily lingered on the large fountain that dominated its center. It was the most distinctive feature of the otherwise simple plaza, surrounded by benches and strategically placed flowerpots that filled the empty spaces.
In the center of the fountain, a majestic statue of a serpent seemed to watch over him. The work was impressive, almost hypnotic. The scales were so detailed you could count every single one, and the stony eyes seemed to follow him as he walked. It almost seemed as if the serpent was observing him—just like his friends.
Shun sat on the edge of the fountain, Matt was by his side. Gon approached from a shop with an energy drink in his hand.
'Hopefully they're not mad...'
The three of them stared at him for a moment without saying a word. Shun was the first to speak.
"Seriously... how do you do it?"
Gon continued.
"It's incredible. You're a master at this."
Matt was the last to join in.
"No way. I honestly don't believe it."
Kai laughed nervously.
"What's with the coordinated dialogue? Do you think you're the villains in some B-movie?"
Shun studied him for a few moments.
"Is this the right time to point that out?"
Matt spoke, raising his voice, his tone marked with disbelief.
"Twenty minutes! We literally gave you a twenty-minute head start! We agreed to meet way after the actual time just to account for your lateness, and you still blew past it! You're not just late, Kai, you're late for the backup plan!"
Kai raised both hands in surrender.
"I'm sorry?"
Before Matt could vent any further, Gon interrupted.
"He's been doing this forever. It's not even that big of a deal anymore, is it? Besides, if you do the math, he was only ten minutes late."
Kai looked away.
'Technically not right, but I appreciate your support.'
Kai slowly lowered his arms. They were getting tired, and it didn't seem like he'd accomplish much with them raised. Then, he felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone while Gon continued trying to defend him from Matt.
[Hi Kai :)]
'What the…?'
[Turns out the interview was on a different day… I got the date wrong. What are you doing? When you have time, we could talk about the sky thing, if you want.]
'Is it Kanon? What do I tell her now? What was her interview about? University? Yeah, that's what it said on the gate… Still, all that effort getting her there, and it's on a different day? What a waste of time…'
"You're not helping me. No one's going to defend you like this," Gon's voice pulled Kai from his thoughts.
Kai looked up from his phone. Shun and Matt were staring at him in a way that hurt. Gon, on the other hand, just seemed disappointed. Shun was the first to break the silence.
"Well? You didn't give us your excuse."
Kai opened his mouth, but Matt went ahead.
"I don't want excuses, only the truth."
Kai blinked twice.
"You… sure?"
Matt nodded, crossing his arms. Shun and Gon were watching expectantly; well, Shun more than Gon; the latter was more focused on his drink.
Kai took a deep breath.
'It'll be better not to mention the sky's rift.' He sighed mentally. 'All that time thinking up excuses for nothing...'
"The truth is, I left home with plenty of time, but one thing led to another; in the end, I ended up driving a girl to her interview, going out of my way for her."
The three of them looked at him as if he had just told them he was the Messiah. Then they burst out laughing.
"Yeah, right, and the sky broke along the way, didn't it?" Shun replied.
"Wait… You saw it too or are you messing with me?"
The three of them looked at each other, Gon's voice suddenly answered.
"Honestly? The sky thing seems more realistic than you talking to a stranger—especially a girl." Matt and Shun nodded in agreement upon hearing that.
Kai felt something inside him crack.
"Is that what you find strange, really?"
He let out a frustrated sigh
"It's even weirder to me that you said you left your home with plenty of time," said Matt.
'In fact, that was a lie.'
"And when will we meet the lucky lady? Will you introduce us?" Shun asked mockingly.
Kai's lip curled into a crooked smile.
"As you wish, gentlemen, I'll ask her right now."
The three exchanged skeptical glances. Shun still wore a mocking grin, Gon seemed somewhat uncomfortable, and Matt crossed his arms, sighing.
"No need to wallow in self-pity, Kai. We don't care that you were late," Matt pointed out.
'Damn Matt… Wallow in self-pity? Well, you'll see.'
Kai unlocked his phone and typed quickly.
[Hey Kanon, about that… would it be okay for you to meet up now?]
As soon as he hit send, he felt his stomach clench. What was he doing? Why was he asking this from a girl he barely knew? But it was too late. Kanon had seen the message.
The reply came quickly.
[You're so eager to see me? I guess I could drop by for a bit… Where should we meet?]
'Is that a yes? Really?'
[We're at the fountain plaza with the snake statue, you know the one?]
[We?]
Kai blinked. Suddenly, the whole situation seemed to become real.
[Oh, sorry. I'm with a couple of friends. I forgot to mention it. We can meet up another day if you want.]
'Another day? What am I doing? Am I inviting her and then backing out?'
The reply came so fast he almost dropped his phone.
[Well, I guess it's fine as long as you don't try anything weird. I'll have a police escort just in case. I know which plaza you mean. I'll be there in about 10 minutes.]
'Ten minutes. Ten? That's not enough time to mentally prepare myself!'
Kai looked up from his phone. His friends were watching him expectantly.
"Um… she says she'll be here in about ten minutes," Kai announced, his voice trembling.
Shun raised an eyebrow.
"Are you going to keep this up?"
Kai nodded.
"Okay. I guess we'll wait then," Matt said, letting out a long sigh.
Shun shrugged, and Gon looked like he was about to say something, but he held it in.
Kai slumped to the edge of the fountain, phone still in hand. Ten minutes. They could be the longest ten minutes of his life.
***
His heel drummed against the stone, tapping at an exaggerated speed as he balanced on the ball of his foot against the fountain's edge. His arms were crossed, his brow furrowed. He turned on his phone and opened a game. By the time it loaded, he'd already opened another app, which he closed two seconds later to open yet another game… only to immediately turn off his phone in despair.
He buried his face in his hands, pressing his palms to his cheeks, staring at the ground.
'What have I done? What the hell have I done?!'
He'd just invited a stranger to hang out with his friends at an abandoned building... Who would do that? He hadn't even told her where they were going!
'What will she think when she finds out? That we're morons, at the very least.'
He had condemned them all to unbearable awkwardness… and the real situation hadn't even begun.
Sneaking a glance, Kai checked on his friends. Gon was calmly playing on his phone, Matt was rereading old conversations with a girl, and Shun kept checking his watch. Only six minutes had passed since Kai announced Kanon's imminent arrival. He looked back down at the ground.
This time it was Matt who broke the silence. Kai flinched at the sudden interruption that rattled his nerves. Gon happened to finish his drink and his game at that very moment. As if the universe wanted to synchronize everything to increase the pressure on him.
"So? What's the lucky lady like?"
Kai gave him a skeptical look, one eyebrow raised and his brow slightly furrowed, scrutinizing his face suspiciously.
'Is he serious, or does he just want to keep laughing at me? No… How could he be serious?'
"You'll see her in two minutes. Can't you wait?"
Matt returned his calm smile.
"Oh, of course. It's just that… I want to picture it in my mind."
"Me too," said Shun, joining the conversation.
Gon still said nothing, but there was something in his expression that made Kai think he was also paying attention.
Kai let out a long, resigned sigh.
"Well… she's tall, taller than Shun, I'd say about the same height as Matt… I don't know how to put this, she's… radiant? But the most striking thing about her appearance is probably her ashy hair and her blue-gray eyes, which seemed to match perfectly. Oh, but I didn't really notice much…"
Kai looked away, while Matt and Shun exchanged glances. After a few small nods, as if deciding who should speak, it was Matt who made the first move.
"Kai… she wouldn't happen to be going to our high school, by any chance?"
'How…?'
He nodded cautiously.
Shun continued: "And her name isn't Kanon, is it?"
Kai nodded again, even more slowly.
Then Matt stood up. He walked over to Kai with a serious expression, placed a hand on his shoulder, and looked at him silently, with a gaze that seemed to pity him.
"I'm sorry, Kai. I didn't mean to push you this far. Making up a story about our class representative… the student council president… the most popular girl in the whole school…" Matt's voice trailed off, his pity for Kai only growing as he listed the titles.
Kai frowned and rolled his eyes. He didn't even know how to feel. Did his friend think he was crazy before believing him? Seriously? Was his taste in friends really this bad?
But something had thrown him off.
'Is Kanon really that influential? Is she some kind of perfect girl cliché?'
He turned his head toward Shun, searching for some common sense, but it was no use. Shun was looking at him with pity as well.
"Although… you know what? I'm proud," Shun added. "I thought you didn't pay attention to anyone. But to describe her like that, that takes some skill. Even so, making up stories about her…" Shun added with the same mournful look.
Kai looked at him incredulously, but he was already exhausted from trying to defend himself. He sighed in resignation before turning to Gon and doing what he did best: changing the subject.
"Want to play a game?" Kai said, pointing to his phone.
"Sure," Gon replied, nodding.
About five minutes into the game, Kai's heart sank.
'It's only a minute late. It's okay... she'll probably show up right now.'
He turned around, hoping to see her magically appear... but there was no sign of her.
'Should I text her? No... it's only been a minute. Wouldn't that seem desperate? I don't want to put any pressure on her...'
Suddenly, a voice beside him startled him.
"Kai?"
Caught off guard, he blurted out: "I'm Kai!" Surprising even himself.
He turned quickly, but only Shun was beside him.
"If you want, we can go now. Seriously, we won't be mad that you're late. But it's getting late, we should start moving."
"I-I have an idea… I'll ask her where she is."
He did. He sent her a message. And got no reply. His heart rate increased dangerously.
Five minutes later, Gon got up.
"You and that friend of yours are definitely a perfect match. I'm thirsty, I'll be right back."
He walked away toward one of the shops in the plaza, leaving Kai alone with Matt and Shun, who were staring at him, saying nothing.
Then, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out so fast he almost dropped it while trying to unlock it. It was a photo. A shot from the back seat of a car, showing the expensive leather interior and the dark frame of a tinted window. Through the glass, the view of the plaza was perfectly sharp, a clear sign the car had already come to a stop.
[Sorry, I had some complications and lost track of time, but I'm already here. I'll be there in a minute.]
Kai felt his soul return to his body. He thought he'd messed up with the message, that it had been too weird or insistent. But no. There it was. A reply with a photo included.
Then, the exaggerated sound of his friends clearing their throats in unison brought him back to reality. They were still there, and they wanted him to know it.
"Fear not, gentlemen. She'll be here shortly. I guarantee it," Kai said with a haughty smirk, trying to salvage some dignity.
Shun sighed, and Matt was about to reply, but at that precise moment, through the bustle of the plaza, the noise of children playing and adults on various calls, and even the sound of the fountain itself, a sweet and melodious female voice interrupted them from afar.
Kai turned his head toward the sound, his heart racing.