One In A Thousand; Yamaguchi Tadashi

epilogue

A whole year has passed since he asked her.

And their relationship is thriving.

"Want to go out for lunch?" Kawakami asks Yamaguchi through the phone; she knows it's been one year but he hasn't brought it up. She got him matching bracelets and a collage of pictures of them together, as cheesy as it is.

"U-Um, sorry I have to go to Tsukki's house to study..." She stops in her tracks on her way to his house.
"Eh?"
"Wait, but-"
"S-Sorry, Natsumi, I need to g-go. Love you, bye."
"I love you-"

He hung up.

Sadness builds up in her and she grows worried. He has nevet acted like this in the last year, he basically had time for her all the time, let alone on their one-year.

She tightens the grip on her phone as she stares at the screen

"Did I do something wrong?"

She sighs and looks up; she's only a street away from his home but she wasted time walking here. Maybe her mother will pick her up and they can go to lunch somewhere.

Her mother's number is dialed and she puts it by her ear.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Mom, want to go to lunch?"
"Aren't you going with Yamaguchi-San?"
"He's busy..."
"Ohhhh... Sorry, Hun, but I was just called in for work. They needed some extra help. I'm sure he will ask you out later."
"Oh, okay. I guess. I'll talk to you later I guess."
"Alright, love you!"
"Love you too..."

This time she's the one to hang up and she puts the device in her pocket. She can't ask Tamura because she's out of town for the weekend.

Time to go home and sulk on the day she's been waiting for.
.
.
She sighs and flops on her bed. The bag that contains her gifts is dropped to the floor. Her eyes close as she's deep in thought.

Did he forget about today?

Her hand grabs the closest thing to her and it's the stuffed animal of Samson Tamura bought for her. Her friend ordered it from online and it's been on her bed ever since. It's also been a year since she dog she treasered passed away. Yamaguchi helped so much the next few days after that.

"This is her?"
"Yes, she's only a few months old."
Tadashi lets the puppy in front of him and he can't wait to give her to his favorite girl later. He feels guilty that he hung up on Kawakami, but he had to meet up with the seller. The breed is the same exact one as Samson, except this one's a girl.

"This is the food, and a few of her toys. She doesn't have a proper name yet." The freckled boy picks up the small puppy and it playfully bites his fingers. He takes the bag from the man and they thank each other. Tsukishima's waiting outside for his friend and he straightens from sitting against the wall.

"Thanks for waiting, Tsukki." He hums and they continue walking.
"Isn't she cute? Want to pet her?" The dog is brought closer to the blonde and he makes a face.
"Puppies are gross." Actually, he really wants to pet the animal but he needs to act cool and tough.

Natsumi's eyes are getting heavy but her ringer makes her jump. She processes what's happening and she reaches her phone that's beside her. Her best friend is calling her.

"Hello?"
"Kami! Whatchya doing? Are you with lover boy?"
"...no..."
"Why not! Did he call you or anything?"
"...no..."
"Eh? He better soon or chase after him!"
"You're not intimidating."
"Are you kidding me? That kid is scared of everything."
"How is the trip?"

She sits up and tries to change topic.
"It's okay. We arrived yesterday and I arrived on time for my cousin's practice match! Did I tell you he also plays volleyball?"