"Yeah, coming," Tatsuya called as he opened the front door.
Hayato was standing outside, hands in his pockets.
"Get ready, we're going out," Hayato said.
Tatsuya looked him up and down, raising one eyebrow. "Yeah… I know we're friends and all, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now."
"Shut up and get dressed," Hayato insisted, rolling his eyes.
"I wish I could come, but I'm a little busy with something right now," Tatsuya said.
"What?" Hayato asked.
"Believe me, dude, you don't wanna know," Tatsuya replied with a low chuckle.
"Yes I do. I just asked, duh," Hayato shot back.
"Arghh! Okay, wait here," Tatsuya muttered and disappeared back inside to change.
A minute later he came out, pulling his shirt straight. "So where are we going?"
"Ice cream," Hayato said, already walking ahead.
"Interesting," Tatsuya replied, falling into step beside him.
They walked down the sidewalk in the blazing heat, chatting about nothing important, when a tiny puppy on a leash came into view.
Hayato wandered over. "Hey, cute little puppy you have there."
"Ah, thank you. Her name is Cupcake," the owner lady said with a friendly smile.
"That's a cute name. Hi, Cupcake," Tatsuya said, waving at the little dog.
"Does she bite? Can I pet her?" Hayato asked.
"Yeah, go ahead. She's friendly," the lady said.
Hayato crouched down slowly and gently patted the puppy's head. He glanced back at Tatsuya. "Hey, you try too."
Tatsuya sighed, crouched down with a small smile, and reached out. "Hey there, doggo." The moment his fingers got close, the puppy snapped its mouth open. Tatsuya yanked his hand back and jumped away, heart pounding.
"I thought you said Cupcake doesn't bite," Tatsuya said, still catching his breath.
"Well, that's not Cupcake," the lady replied calmly.
"Huh?" Tatsuya squinted.
"This is Cupcake," the lady said, pointing at her puppy a few steps away.
Tatsuya looked back and forth between the two dogs, completely lost. "Bro, how did you even mix those two up?" Hayato asked, trying not to laugh.
"Maybe I'm not feeling good. I should go home and rest," Tatsuya mumbled.
"Woah woah, hold your horse, mate," Hayato said.
"I am," Tatsuya replied, holding the lead rope of a horse that had appeared out of nowhere. The horse snorted loudly right into Hayato's face, blasting his hair back.
Hayato raised a finger, stunned. "Where the fuck did that horse come from?"
Tatsuya tilted his head slightly, looking innocent.
"Never mind. Let's just keep walking," Hayato said, rubbing his forehead in disbelief.
They continued on. "So how was your weekend?" Hayato asked.
"Never mind. You'll just make fun of me," Tatsuya said.
"Oh come on, dude. We're friends. I'm not gonna make fun of you," Hayato said, throwing an arm around Tatsuya's shoulder.
"I don't believe you," Tatsuya replied.
"Come on, man," Hayato insisted, poking
Tatsuya's arm.
Tatsuya sighed. "Okay… I bought a new book. I was reading it."
"Thought so. Nerd," Hayato said, bursting out laughing.
Tatsuya's eye twitched.
"Boo… tatsu nerd," Hayato took off running, still mocking him. Tatsuya chased after him. "Stop, you asshole!" They sprinted all the way to the convenience store, laughing the whole time.
Both of them stopped in front of the door, gasping. "Ye- yeah maybe we shouldn't have… ran all the way… here," Hayato wheezed, hands on his knees.
Tatsuya knelt beside him, chest heaving. "Uh… yeah too far."
After a few minutes they caught their breath and walked inside. The store's air conditioning felt like heaven. Hayato turned to Tatsuya. "How about we check out the items in the store before buying ice cream?"
Tatsuya gave a thumbs-up right away.
They wandered the aisles, enjoying the cool breeze, and finally reached the ice-cream machine. They each grabbed one and headed back home, eating as they walked.
They stopped in front of the old playground and stood there for a moment, looking at it. "This is where everything changed," Hayato said quietly.
"Yeah. Looking back, it wasn't that bad," Tatsuya replied.
They noticed an old lady with a heavy grocery bag waiting to cross the road. "What do you think?" Tatsuya asked, nodding toward her.
"Yup. Let's help her," Hayato said with a smile.
They walked over and offered to help. Tatsuya carried her bag while Hayato held her hand to cross.
Hayato looked left and right. No cars in sight.
He stepped onto the road first. A sudden horn blared and a car shot past. He jumped straight into the old lady's arms. She held him, trembling. "Where the hell did that come from?" Hayato said, jumping down.
He checked again and stepped forward.
Another vehicle zoomed by. He stepped back, then tried once more. Every single time his foot touched the road, a car or bike appeared out of nowhere. "Hmm… interesting," he muttered.
He asked Tatsuya to check both sides. Tatsuya looked, stepped forward, and a bike whipped past. Hayato threw his hands up. "I saw that asshole three times already!" He pulled a bat out of his pocket, stepped onto the road, and as the next bike sped toward him he swung hard. The bat connected with a loud crack, sending the rider flying into the sky. The vehicles waiting for their turn in the corner slowly reversed and drove away.
They finally crossed safely with the old lady. She smiled, reached into her bag, and gave each of them a candy.
"Well, I didn't expect a reward," Hayato said as he unwrapped his candy.
They walked back home and stopped in front of Tatsuya's house.
"What?" Tatsuya asked, noticing Hayato still standing there.
"Aren't you gonna invite me inside? I even bought ice cream for you," Hayato asked.
Tatsuya thought for a moment, then opened the door and let him in. They stepped inside and closed the door behind them. "Can I get some water?" Hayato asked.
"Yeah, there's cold water in the fridge. Let's get it," Tatsuya said.
They walked towards the kitchen. Tatsuya opened the door.
Suddenly a bright light flashed in his face. Confetti exploded everywhere, glitter raining down.
"SURPRISE!"
Everyone shouted from behind the door — Tatsuya's parents, Hayato's parents, Takashi's parents, and Takashi himself, all jumping out from hiding.
Tatsuya froze, completely shocked.
A hand tapped his shoulder from behind. "Happy birthday, mate," Hayato said lightly and walked in.
A small smile spread across Tatsuya's face. He stepped into the room filled with glitter and balloons. His parents rushed over and hugged him tight. "Happy birthday, son."
They lit the candle on the cake and sang happy birthday. "Hey, make a wish and blow the candle," Takashi said excitedly.
Tatsuya smiled, leaned in, and blew. The flame didn't go out. He blew again. Still nothing.
"I think… I got the wrong one," Takashi said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Everyone burst out laughing at him.
"Well, good for you. I was wishing to see you trip and fall on your ass," Tatsuya whispered.
He cut the cake, gave pieces to his mom and dad, and they gave him their gifts.
Hayato covered his mouth with his hand, a small tear welling up in the corner of his eye.
"Hey, don't cry, dude. You'll get gifts on your birthday party too," Takashi said.
Hayato put his hand on Takashi's shoulder. "That's not it, you asshole. You're standing on my fucking feet."
"Ah… sorry," Takashi said, stepping aside quickly.
The room quickly filled with chatter and laughter.
"Hey, we also bought gifts for you. It's in your room," Takashi said, dragging Tatsuya toward the stairs. Hayato covered Tatsuya's eyes. "Hey, no peeking, okay?"
"Yeah yeah… but you guys better not be naked when I open them," Tatsuya replied.
They entered the room and Hayato slowly removed his hands covering Tatsuya's eyes. On the bed lay a new book and a remote-control car.
"Do you like it?" Takashi asked, grinning.
"Yeah, thanks," Tatsuya said.
"You bought the book, right?" Tatsuya whispered to Hayato.
"Yeah. Kinda obvious, isn't it?" Hayato asked.
"Yeah. Thanks," Tatsuya replied softly.
"Kids, come down! Food is ready!" Tatsuya's mom shouted.
Everyone gathered around the table to eat.
"Vacation is coming to an end. It would've been fun if we were in the same school, right?" Takashi said.
"Uh… yeah," both Hayato and Tatsuya replied with forced smiles.
At the end of the table the dads desperately tried to hide their smirks. "They're gonna love us when they find out about our little surprise," they whispered, tapping their drinks together.
The vacation ended.
It was the first day of school, a day of new beginnings, and the three friends stood together again in front of the gate.
"What the fuck are you both doing here?" Hayato asked, staring at them.
"So this is why Dad was suddenly talking about changing school," Takashi said excitedly.
Tatsuya sighed, hands on his head. "That damn geezer."