Chapter 9: Stand by Me

"Mmm, from what I see, the medications we prescribed have controlled the tumor's growth. If your body continues to respond adequately as it has been, we can most likely begin chemotherapy treatment in two more weeks." The smile on the doctor's face as she reviewed my lab results gave me hope. Thanks to the unconditional support of my uncle and Mariko, who haven't abandoned me, I can see a small light at the end of the dark tunnel I find myself in.

Today is August 10th, there are only 3 days left until the fireworks festival, and on my cell phone, the messages I wrote to Hana-chan have not had any response.

I know she asked for time to think things through, but I never really expected even a text message to be answered.

Trying not to think about it, with the doctor's approval, I began my regular physical activities; however, I had to maintain a strict diet and exercise limit.

As I run along the riverbank near my apartment, I put on my headphones and start playing a song recommendation Mariko shared with me from her MP3 player.

Contrary to my expectations, the playlist I expected to be anime opening songs turned out to be a mix of Anglo-Saxon pop and rock music. Although I got good grades in English, some parts of the songs were difficult to follow, and for brief moments I found myself lost in the flow of the instrumentals.

- "Oh, I think I was wrong. She really has good taste in music, maybe I should ask her to recommend another playlist." Panting for breath, I lay down on the grass and let the gentle breeze cool my sweat-soaked body.

The sun shining in the sky was barely tolerable due to its immense brightness, making me close my eyelids to the point that I fell asleep for a brief moment.

- "Jinta-kun, don't say anything and just go with the flow" – Standing in front of me was a girl with her hair waving in the air holding my hands, wearing a red one-piece dress and her face covered by the brim of a hat, that woman made me walk barefoot along a beach that seemed unknown to me.

"Come on, Jinta, let's go dip our toes in the sea; the water's a little chilly, but it's pleasant all the same." Laughing happily, the young woman dragged me along the shore, whistling a familiar song.

From the depths of my nostalgic memories, that melody turned out to be a lullaby my mother used to sing to me to lull me to sleep. Feeling a heavy feeling in my chest, I stopped dead in my tracks and let go of that girl's hand.

- "Who are you? How do you know this song?"

- "Oh, my sweet Jinta-kun. Don't you remember? You hummed this very song a while back, and I asked you about it. That was our first time having a conversation as friends." With a strong gust of wind that blew her hat off and shook her long hair, the girl's smiling face was completely exposed.

That smile I knew so well, the same smile she gave me every time her heart felt joyful over every little thing. If it weren't for that detail, I would have had a hard time recognizing her at first glance.

With her slender silhouette, Mariko danced in the waves breaking on the shore. Stretching her arms and legs like a ballet dancer, her graceful movements captivated me to the point of slowly drawing me into the deep end.

Without realizing that my body was gradually sinking too deep, the water reached my chest and I began to struggle to stay afloat, while she continued to advance dangerously against the white foam of the waves.

- "Mariko, it's dangerous! Come back right now, you can't go any further!" – Even though I screamed at the top of my lungs, she just turned to look at me with a melancholic expression on her face and continued advancing further and further into the vast blue ocean.

Feeling the strength leaving my body, I swam desperately against the current, while I watched that red dress ripple across the water as if it were a bloodstain.

"Mariko!" When I finally took her hand, the slippery feeling on her skin prevented me from holding it firmly. With each passing second, my fingers, which had been clumsily gripping the delicate skin of her arm, grew numb, preventing me from bringing her to me.

- "Jinta-kun. Just let me go, will you?" – With tears in her eyes, Mariko smiled once more and after the strong waves, her body moved away from me until she was lost from my sight.

- "Hey, Jinta-san. Are you okay?" – When I opened my eyes, a mysterious figure was squatting next to my head, holding an umbrella while eating a popsicle. He was wearing overly exaggerated sunglasses, a bandana covering his hair, and dressed in a denim jumper with a floral pattern embroidered on the legs. Akira-kun, Mariko's friend I had seen a few days ago, was lifting his sunglasses and looking at me with a hint of concern.

- "Akira-kun?"

- "Yes, that's me" – Making a love and peace gesture with his hand near his eyes, Akira smiled gently while holding his umbrella at the level of my face.

- "Thanks for waking me up, but what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just walking Togo around the neighborhood and happened to see you lying in the grass. So I got curious and came to see if you were okay." That boy's temperament struck me as pleasant, to the point that for a few brief moments I began to forget the anxiety that nightmare had caused me. After a few minutes of talking with him, I was able to understand why he was Mariko's friend.

- "Tell me Jinta-san, do you live around here?"

- "Yes, in fact, I live on the second floor above the bakery."

- "Oh, great! I really love the bread from that bakery! My sister usually buys me some for breakfast. In fact, my favorite is the chicken curry-filled bread. Although lately I've started liking the raspberry jam-filled buns with custard."

- "Hey, hey, hey. I see at least someone likes my experiment."

"Wait. Are you telling me you make that bread?" With his puppy-dog eyes shining brightly, Akira listened to me explain how I proposed to my uncle about adding that variety to the menu. Meanwhile, the little poodle accompanying him glued himself effusively to my leg.

- "No, Togo! Togo, you bad boy! You shouldn't do that to Jinta-san." Completely flustered and embarrassed, Akira picked up the little French poodle and held it against his chest while apologizing to me. When I looked closely at him in that scene, his androgynous appearance gave the impression of a girl.

- "Pffff, don't worry. It's just a little dog playing around, it's not that big a deal." Seeing the smile on my face, Akira-kun breathed a sigh of relief and then smiled thanking me.

- "Hey Jinta-san, are you done exercising?"

- "Yes, in fact, I should go home now. The doctor recommended that I not overdo it and get some rest."

- "I see, so how about I walk you? I live a couple of blocks from your house, so it's on my way. I mean, just to make sure you don't get sick again. Is that okay with you?" Feeling that there was no problem with walking alongside Akira, we wandered down the street, joking around and making casual conversation.

He told me that he had lived his entire life in Nagoya, in a small rural town where almost everyone knew each other. When he was about to enter high school, he begged his parents to let him live in Tokyo with his sister, a university student in her junior year of business administration.

Since he was a child, he told me that he had not felt comfortable with the clothing he had to wear according to his gender, since many boys teased him for his androgynous appearance, sometimes mistaking him for a girl.

For a long time, he suffered from a serious complex about his appearance, until one morning, while watching the news, he saw a fashion show broadcast in Milan. The moment his eyes were captivated by the shapes and colors, as well as the appearance of the models, he determined in his heart to one day be there, either as a model or as a designer.

- "Jinta-san, do you find my behavior strange?" – Turning to look at my face with a dubious expression at my response, Akira hugged the dog to his chest as if it were a stuffed animal. For a brief moment I swear I almost fell at this behavior, my face blushing slightly to the point where I had to look away and clear my throat.

- "Mmmm, I really don't see anything wrong with you, Akira-kun. I think that if your dream can make you happy and fill your life with fulfillment, what others say shouldn't matter. You only need one person to believe in you without the slightest doubt, and that can only be you." – Stopping in his tracks, Akira ducked his face and nervously brought his toes together. He grabbed the flap of his umbrella in an attempt to hide the expression on his face.

- "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"No, you didn't offend me, Jinta-kun. In fact, thank you. You saying those words makes me very happy." Cautiously approaching him, I lifted the umbrella and saw his eyes moistened with tears as he smiled at me in a friendly way.

- "Why are you crying? I'm sorry, I really think I went too far!"

- "I'm not crying because of this sad Jinta-kun, it's quite the opposite. Ever since I arrived in Tokyo to study high school, most of the boys made fun of my appearance and even though I had decided not to let it affect me, it really hurt me a lot. I always kept to myself and didn't want to talk to anyone in class, so I would go to the stairs during recess to eat my lunch or lock myself in the library while I did my sketches.

It wasn't until I joined the craft club that I was able to interact with other people, and eventually they became my friends. I thought only they could understand me, so I kept distancing myself from others out of fear.

In fact, believe it or not, I've known you for a long time, Jinta-kun. I've been watching you run on the track since before you joined the track club. When I watched you smile while you gave your all on the track, you motivated me so much. I think you were the first person I wanted to talk to. But I didn't dare. I foolishly thought you'd be like the rest of the athletic guys who look down on otakus like me.

But the moment I saw you interacting with Mariko-chan, I finally realized my mistake, but I was still too stupid to make the first move.

And now that you have said these beautiful words to me, you really moved me and I couldn't control myself, so forgive me Jinta-kun" – Wiping her tears with the sleeve of her blouse, Akira continued to hold the poodle that whimpered at seeing him in that state.

In a brief impulse of remorse, I hugged Akira in an attempt to ease his tension, hearing him sigh lightly as passersby looked at us with curious eyes.

- "Look at him, making his girlfriend cry. These young men these days aren't gentlemen anymore." An old woman passing by reprimanded me, causing me to release Akira from my arms. Akira laughed out loud upon realizing the situation.

- "Pffff, ha, ha, ha. I'm so sorry, Jinta-kun. It's my fault you were misunderstood. Let me explain to the lady."

- "No, just leave it like that, Akira-kun. I'm afraid the misunderstanding will only deepen if you try to explain yourself." Completely embarrassed, I continued walking alongside Akira until we finally reached the bakery. As I said goodbye to him, I checked the pockets of my sweatshirt and realized I had forgotten my keys inside the bakery.

- "Jinta-kun, what's wrong?"

- "I think I made a mistake and left my keys inside the bakery. But now my uncle's out making deliveries, and everything's closed."

- "What about your phone?"

"Anyway, I left it on the counter. How could I have been so stupid?" Feeling overwhelmed by the stress and the heat, I took off my sweatshirt and tied it around my waist, leaning against the glass of the display case, hoping to see if the windows in the employee break area were open.

- "Hey, Jinta-kun. If you're in a hurry, why don't you come to my house? It's only two blocks away, and if you want, I can lend you my phone so you can make a call. What do you say?" – Pulling at the hem of my shirt, Akira looked somewhat worried when he realized I was feeling suffocated.

- "Is it okay if I come to your house? What about your sister?"

- "Mmmmm, no. She's not usually home at this time, and she told me she was having a barbecue party with her friends from campus. So don't worry, come here, follow me." Giving me the umbrella to protect me from the sun, Akira took my hand and carefully led me down the street to her house.

- "Well, we've arrived. Welcome to my home." – A traditional-looking, one-story house, it felt like something from the late 1950s. With a small garden planted with wildflowers, the entrance gave the impression of a warm and welcoming place.

- "This house used to belong to my grandparents before they passed away. When my sister went to college, my parents asked her to live there and take care of the maintenance. But when I moved in with her, I think it became a bit chaotic. So excuse the mess." – In the main living room, there were mannequins and rolls of various types of fabric, a sewing machine, and some delivery boxes stacked in towers.

Even though the room was crowded, everything was perfectly organized and arranged for easy access and finding of things.

- "I see you weren't lying about your biggest dream. In fact, I'm speechless; it even looks like a professional sewing workshop."

- "Yes, indeed, this is one of my greatest prides! So feel honored to be the first friend I've brought here."

- "Wait, what about Mariko, Ayumi, or Kaede?"

- "Jinta-kun! How could you possibly think I would bring a girl into a house where there's only one man around most of the time?" Akira looked genuinely embarrassed, clutching his face. He hurried into the kitchen to pour us some iced barley tea.

- "Jinta-kun, please come with me." – Walking down a long hallway where the wooden floor creaked slightly, the walls had pictures of those who at one time were the original tenants of that home.

- "Akira-kun, what are we doing in your sister's room? She's probably going to be upset because two boys walked in out of nowhere."

- "My sister's? Hey, hey, hey. Jinta-kun, you're funny. This is my room." – A room where the light of day streamed in, illuminating the pastel pink of the wall paint. A Western-style bed with a kitten-patterned comforter and a few stuffed animals on it gave the impression of a high school girl's room; but if I looked around further, there were bookshelves with mangas and some anime figures.

- "So, is this your room?"

"Yes, this is my beloved personal space. I love beautiful things, and I try to gather everything I like to delight myself. Don't you like it?" Extending his arms, his face brightening, Akira seemed happy to show me this place that was important to him. To which, I could only give him a slight smile and nod as I sat down on a cushion on the floor.

- "I'm going to turn on the air conditioning."

- "Okay, just sit down, Akira-kun." – After a few brief seconds in which I was starting to feel better, Akira gave me the glass of barley tea while lying down on the carpet, stretching his body out like a starfish.

- "You know, Jinta, I'm so glad we met today. It feels like fate has allowed us to grow closer and granted me one of my wishes."

- "Seriously, what do I wish?" – Turning around, lying on his chest, Akira rested his head on his hands while slowly shaking his legs. With a grin from ear to ear, the innocent-looking boy tilted his head slightly.

- "Wanting to be your friend. That was my wish since the first time I saw you during my first year of high school." – Despite always finding myself surrounded by people in the track and field club and in the classroom, there were few people I could have ever considered friends. Except for Mariko, I only saw them as mere acquaintances or classmates. Shamefully, I must admit that I was a person who could barely count my friends on the fingers of my hands, and they ended up being unnecessary. So Akira's sincere declaration made my chest lighten a little more after the anguish that the nightmare had caused me.

- "Do you really consider me your friend? We've barely exchanged a few words. How are you sure I'm someone you can trust?" - With a bit of disbelief, I asked those questions, not knowing the outcome of my concern, which made my hands start to sweat from nervousness, even though the air in the room was much colder than outside.

- "When you defended Mariko-chan from the bullies, it was a hot topic at school. Many said you must be crazy for getting involved in a problem that wasn't your concern; but seeing how you sided with poor Mariko, I knew you were a good person."

"Also, what you said to me a little while ago while we were walking truly warmed my heart. You, whom I considered so distant, gave me the words I longed to hear. How could I not consider such a noble person a friend? Don't you like the idea?" Giving me a puppy-dog look again, Akira had his eyes fixed on me with pure excitement.

- "I don't dislike it at all, in fact, I'm honored that you want to be my friend Akira-kun. Please, I'll be in your care." – After saying those words, Akira rushed towards me and gave me a hug while thanking me for becoming his friend.

Ever since our encounter on the riverbank, I felt somewhat uncomfortable with his way of showing affection, despite us being men. But after interacting with him, I couldn't find any malice in his behavior, so I let it go. He was like a little boy seeking affection, which made me want to indulge him.

- "Hey Jinta-kun, now that we're friends, I want to give you something. Give me a moment." Heading towards the bookshelf in front of us, Akira stood on tiptoe, trying to reach a small anime figure keychain shaped like a tiny hamster.

Watching him hop around trying to reach it reminded me of a little cat struggling to steal a piece of fish from the store.

"Almost there… Finally, I've got it…" Sliding dangerously on the carpet, Akira's head was about to hit the table. In a reflex, I pushed the piece of furniture and placed myself in the path of his fall, catching him against my body.

A subtle floral scent emanated from his clothes that I hadn't noticed, the smell of the shampoo in his hair had the essence of citrus fruits and my hands that held his slender waist could feel the delicacy of his body making me forget for a moment that he was a man.

- "Jinta-kun, I'm sorry! Did you hurt yourself?" – Quickly getting up, Akira was blushing completely as he realized the position we were in. Quickly crawling against the edge of his bed, he tried to stand up.

- "I'm sorry, it's not what you think, Jinta-kun! I wasn't trying to take advantage of the situation. Even if it doesn't seem like it, I like women. In fact, I have a girlfriend." Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he opened his photo gallery and began showing me all the photos he had with his girlfriend.

- "She's pretty."

- "Yes, she is beautiful! Her name is Kana. We were friends in our hometown for many years. In fact, she was the first person who accepted me for who I am. She's a year older than me, so she came to Tokyo early to attend high school. Although she doesn't attend the same school as us, we usually see each other on weekends and holidays." Smiling and cheerful, Akira slowly relaxed as he showed me the photos, until he gradually regained his composure and extended his hand to me.

- "Well, now that we've cleared things up, here's a gift.

- "It's certainly nice, but it's something that seems valuable to you. Is it okay for me to have it?"

- "Sure, no doubt! I want you to have a memento of our first day as friends. Besides, it's striking enough that you'll forget your keys again, don't you think?"

- "Pfff. You're right, thanks Akira-kun" – Laughing with each other, we continued talking calmly after he allowed me to use his phone to call my uncle.

As the minutes passed, time slipped away, and as night fell, her sister returned home. Upon meeting her, I could see that she was just as pleasant as her younger brother, but despite her youthful appearance, her manner was as much like that of an adult.

- "Thank you very much for having me, next time I'll bring a gift."

- "Eeeeeh, I hope it's those custard buns Jinta-kun."

"Yes, you can be sure it will be." As I waved goodbye at the entrance to his house, Akira smiled and waved, and I walked down the street under the intermittent flickering streetlights. Feeling refreshed, I put my headphones back on and listened to a song on the player.

It was a ballad about friendship and belonging; a song as old and warm as the home he'd left behind.

- "Jinta-kun" – Standing at the side of the apartment stairs, Mariko-chan held a plastic bag of ingredients. Her expression looked somewhat dull, as if she'd just had a heated argument. But upon closer inspection, I could see that her right cheek bore the mark of a slap.

"Mariko, was it Hana who did this to you?" Without saying a word, Mariko shook her head and struggled to grasp the plastic bag. That's when I noticed the index finger of her right hand was immobilized in a splint.

"Jinta-kun, can I spend the night with you?" Mariko leaned her head against my chest, her voice almost on the verge of tears, as she moaned softly. It wasn't raining that night, but delicate drops of soul fell at my feet like a plea for salvation.