Mako steps closer, her blue eyes shining with a sudden, brilliant spark of confidence. She clutches the handle of her suitcase tightly.
"I know the answer," she says, a triumphant smile breaking across her face.
Renjiro frowns slightly, genuinely confused by her statement. "Answer to what?"
"If a guy asks me out," Mako replies proudly.
Renjiro stops breathing for a second. His brain stalls.
What the heck? Renjior thinks, staring at her smiling face. That question was asked a long time ago. Was she seriously thinking about that specific scenario for the entire bus ride? No wonder she became miraculously silent. Her brain was probably overheating trying to solve a theoretical social problem.
Mako leans in a little closer.
The surrounding area is completely empty. The other passengers have already walked through the gates and disappeared down the long concrete paths. Only the two of them remain standing near the street.
"Before any guy could ask me out," Mako explains, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "I will make a story that I've had an unrequited love for a long time."
Renjiro stares at her. "What?"
"And Renji," Mako continues, stepping even closer, her eyes pleading with him. "If someone asks you about me, tell them that I've had this unrequited crush for almost four years now."
Renjiro blinks twice. His logical mind rapidly analyzes the parameters of her new plan.
I see, Renjiro deduces instantly, watching the proud look on Mako's face. This is a purely defensive measure. If she openly states she has an unrequited love for a long time, any guy who attempts to confess to her will definitely have second thoughts. They will most likely expect a rejection on the spot if they confess to a girl who already has someone she deeply likes.
Renjiro analyzes the timeline she provided.
And by saying she likes the guy for more than four years, she is establishing a timeline that predates middle school. She is explicitly saying that the person she likes is not a student in this new high school. So she can lie all she wants without fear of being caught, because no one here could ever verify the veracity of her invented unrequited love.
A strange feeling settles in Renjiro's chest. He looks at his cheerful, innocent childhood friend.
I never thought she was capable of lying, Renjiro thought, blinking twice. Mako is the most honest and loyal person I've ever known. She never lied to her friends in middle school. I guess people do change when they enter high school.
"Can you do that, Renji?" Mako asks, tilting her head to the side.
Renjiro and Mako haven't entered the gate of the school yet. They are still outside the campus.
"Wait!" a girl's sharp, commanding voice echoes from the other side.
Renjiro does not shift his gaze. He just watches Mako wait for his response.
"You were looking at me. Why?" the girl demands.
Footsteps hit the concrete. "Sorry. I guess I was just interested, is all. I mean, you didn't think about giving up your seat to the old woman, did you?" a boy replies, his tone incredibly flat and deadpan.
Renjiro and Mako ignore the students who came from the newly arrived bus. He tunes out their petty argument entirely, keeping his deadpan stare locked on Mako as she waits for his agreement.
But Renjiro does not give her an answer.
He turns entirely around, grabbing his suitcase handle, and starts walking toward the big steel gates without saying a single word. His shoes squeak softly against the pavement.
"Hey, wait up!" Mako calls out, her footsteps pattering rapidly against the concrete as she runs to catch up with him.
Renjiro ignores her. He keeps his eyes focused dead ahead and lets his arm hang limp as the heavy suitcase rolls behind him.
Mako matches his pace, walking right beside his shoulder. The energetic bounce returns to her step. Her ponytail whips around wildly in the morning breeze.
"We are going to tour this whole place later!" she announces happily, her voice ringing loud in his ear.
Renjiro closes his eyes for a brief second.
Damn!