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pg. 147

Picture of Hina standing under an umbrella, smiling.

pg. 148

[Narration.]

The "liking" for a friend.
The "liking" for a close friend.

But what I want is a different kind of "liking"?

pg. 149

[From the picture book Hina bought.]

Story:

Once upon a time, in a certain forest, there lived a group of white bears and a group of black bears.

The white bears and the black bears lived apart from each other in the forest. Only white bears lived in the white bear village, and only black bears lived in the black bear village. They never met each other or spoke face-to-face. The white bears and the black bears had been living in this way for a long, long time. Surely, all the bears thought, creatures of different colors couldn't get along as friends.

pg. 150

Story:

Then one day, one of the youngest white bears went to the edge of the forest to pick berries. A few days ago he had tied a ribbon to the branch of a tree with berries that looked almost ripe. But when the white bear arrived, in front of the branch with the ribbon tied to it, a black bear was standing.

"This is the tree that I tied the ribbon to because I wanted to pick its berries, but I bet that black bear has already picked them all," the white bear thought. He was disappointed, because he had been looking forward to eating the berries. With a sigh the white bear turned and went to look for another berry tree.

pg. 151

Story:

Then the black bear called out to the white bear.

"Excuse me--"

As the white bear turned back, the black bear smiled and said,

"Are you the one who tied the ribbon to this branch?"

"Yes, I am," said the white bear. He could not imagine why the black bear would ask such a thing. Could it be that the black bear had planned to steal all the berries and then laugh at him? the white bear wondered sadly.

But the black bear kept smiling gently, and continued:

"Oh, good. Here, go ahead. They're perfectly ripe!"

The white bear was very surprised. When he looked closely, he found that not a single berry had been taken since the day before.

"What's the matter?" The black bear tilted his head at the white bear.

pg. 152

Story:

"Why didn't you pick them?"

"Well, because there was a ribbon tied there, and I thought that someone else must be planning to pick them."

"But even if somebody was, they'd never know that you had done it."

"Yes, but--" Smiling, the black bear said to the white bear, "If I took the berries that someone else had been especially looking forward to picking, that person would be sad, don't you think? That's why I guarded the tree."

The white bear was ashamed of himself then, for assuming that the black bear would have picked the berries. He felt awful for thinking that the black bear had meant to laugh at him.

Because they were of different colors, black bears and white bears couldn't get along. That was what the white bear had always thought. But in meeting the black bear, the white bear understood.

pg. 153

Story:

It didn't matter that they were of different colors. If they could meet and talk like this, why couldn't they be friends? the white bear thought.

"What's wrong?"

Because the white bear had been thinking silently for so long, the black bear had gotten worried. "Do you have a headache? A fever?"

"Oh, no. I'm just fine." The white bear flushed. "If it's all right with you, let's pick the berries together and share them."

"But these berries are yours!"

"But you guarded them for me. ...So let's share."

Then, smiling, the white bear said to the black bear:

"Will you be my friend?"

The black bear looked a little bit surprised, but he quickly smiled and answered:

"Of course."

THE END

pg. 154

Hina is lying on a picnic blanket beneath a tree, her book spread open before her.

Hina: *smiling* "Will you be my friend?" "Of course."

She picks up the book and hugs it.

Hina: I'm so glad the white bear and the black bear made friends!

pg. 155

She flops backward and stares up at the sky.

Hina [thinking]: I want to be friends with Asou-sensei, too.

She tries the phrase aloud.

Hina: "Will you be my friend?" (....No, that's not quite it...)

She closes her eyes.

Hina [thinking]: Being friends with Sensei would be nice, but what I want to be is something different.

pg. 156

Hina: (Hm?) I want to be Sensei's... what?

A shadow falls on her.

Voice: My... what did you say?

She hops upright, sprouting ears and tail.

Hina: It's SENSEI--! Are you out for a walk, too? (It's so warm and the weather's so nice, isn't it?)

pg. 157

Hina: I'm so glad to see you--!

Asou: Why?

Hina: Because...!

She pauses.

Hina: ...That's a good question.

Asou: *looking down at her* (What the...) You don't even know yourself?

Hina: (?) Huh-uh.

She considers.

Hina [thinking]: Sensei does a lot of things that I like, but right now he just happened to be passing by. Why am I so happy about it? Because he stopped to talk to me? Yeah, I'm glad about that. But is that all?

pg. 158

Asou: What?

She shakes her head vigorously.

Hina: N-nothing. (I was just thinking about something.) Sensei, are you in a hurry?

Asou: Not really.

She holds up a couple of bento boxes wrapped in cloth.

Hina: Then do you wanna have lunch together!? I made box lunches! I thought I'd come out here and read this!

She whips out her copy of "White Bear, Black Bear" and displays it proudly.

pg. 159

Asou: (Oh my g...) That's...

Hina: Do you know this author!?

Asou: *sweatdrop* Do I... know him...?

Hina: Do you?

Asou: *sweatdrop*

Hina: (Do you? Do you?)

He puts a hand on her head and turns it away from him.

Asou: Anyway, we're having lunch, aren't we?

Hina: (Huh?) *thrilled* You'll eat with me!?

Asou: ...Hurry up and get it out.

pg. 160

He sits down on the blanket next to her as she obeys.

Hina: (All right! I made really good fried eggs today.)

She blushes.

Hina [thinking]: Eating lunch with Asou-sensei-- I'M SO HAPPY!]

She blinks, startled by her own thoughts.

Hina [thinking]: I always like to eat lunch with people. (Yep, yep.)

pg. 161

She holds out the bento box toward Asou.

Hina [thinking]: But to eat with Sensei-- (SWOON~~) [out loud] I LOVE IT!!

Asou pauses, fork in mid-air.

Asou: (What, eating meatballs?)

Hina: *shaking her head* (Oh, no, not that. You go ahead and eat them!)

pg. 162

He chews industriously.

Hina: Sensei, were you hungry? (It sure looks like it, but...)

Asou: I was, but it wasn't going to kill me.

Hina: That's no good!

She grabs his shirt sleeve, startling him.

Hina: If you're hungry, you won't be happy! Even if you think that you're okay, you'll feel sad, and you won't be able to think yourself out of it, and in the end you'll wind up crying!

pg. 163

Hina: *earnestly* When you cry, even if you think, "I have to stop now," the tears just keep going! You'll get sadder and sadder! That's why....!

Asou: Why I should eat, so I won't cry?

There is no mockery in his face. Hina smiles.

Hina: Yeah!

Asou: *turning away* ...Alone, right?

Hina: What?

He spears another egg with his fork.

pg. 164

Asou: These fried eggs are sweet.

She blinks at the change in subject.

Hina: Yeah, that's how we learned to make them in Home Ec, so I made them that way. Don't you like it?

Asou: Fried eggs are supposed to go with soy sauce.

Hina: I like them with salt.

Asou: (Salt goes on sunny-side-up fried eggs.)

Hina: (I put ketchup on those.)

Asou: *sweatdrop* (Your tastes are weird.)

Hina: (You think so?) *smiling* Oh, but my dad's just like you! He puts soy on his fried eggs, too!

pg. 165

Hina: Although now that I think about it, I don't really know if he still likes them that way.

She claps her hands together.

Hina: Say! Sensei-! If it's all right, why don't you come eat at my house from now on!? It looks like you don't eat properly at all! And if you don't eat--!

Asou: I'll be unhappy?

Hina: RIGHT!

pg. 166

Her heart beats loudly.

Hina: Is it all right? Is it all right?

He reaches out to ruffle her hair.

Asou: If you fix good food.

Hina: ALL RIGHT--!! *bouncing* (I'll work really hard in Home Ec class! Sensei, what do you like to eat?)

Asou: *to himself* ...That'll make things easier.

pg. 167

The next day at school, in the Home Economics classroom. The girls are cooking.

Emi: Jeez, Hina, you look like you're having the time of your life.

Hina: Do I?

Students in background: (This plate's not big enough!) (Aaack, it's boiling over--!)

Emi: (You do.) I mean, you've always liked Home Ec, but today you're acting like you're on cloud nine.

Hina: *smiling* Maybe I am. [thinking] I do like Home Ec, but somehow today it's even more fun. Because Asou-sensei said he'd eat with me.

pg. 168

Hina [thinking]: I like having anybody eat what I cook, and I like eating with other people. But somehow this feeling is different. I'm happier than ever before.

Emi: *handing over a leek* (Hinata-- will you chop this up?)

Hina: (Okaaay.)

Touko: (I'll help.)

Hina: (Thanks.)

They chop.

Touko: ...Hina. How is it? Living by yourself, I mean.

Hina: Well, there's lots of different stuff I have to do, so that's kind of hard, but it's fun.

Touko: You don't ever want to go back home?

Hina: ? I do go home. Every day.

pg. 169

Touko: ...To your real home.

Hina: *smiling* I promised Dad. I said I'd live by myself, so it's all right.

Touko: If there's anything I can do, tell me, okay? Please.

Hina: I will. Thanks!

Emi: *agitated* Hurry up and get that chopped stuff over here--! The pot's boiling--!

Hina and Touko: COMING!

pg. 170

On the way home from school.

Hina [singing]: (Today was another good day-- Gotta go home and eat dinner and go to bed-- Gotta go to sleep and dream so tomorrow will be good, too-- If I overeat I'll have bad dreams--)

She swings her grocery bag as she walks.

Hina [thinking]: Even though I stopped to get groceries for dinner, I'm still early. I'll go home, fix dinner, and go get Sensei when it's done. (I wonder when Sensei will get home?)

She glances through the window of the nearby Piffle Princess cafe, and is startled to recognize the man sitting there.

Hina: Hey! [thinking] It's the person Sensei was talking with at the bookstore!

pg. 171

Tomoaki is sitting in the window booth, innocently typing on his Sony laptop, when Hina suddenly plasters herself against the glass in front of him. He jerks; she smiles with obscene cuteness.

pg. 172

He smiles faintly and sweats as she sits down across the table from him.

Hina: Sorry to interrupt! You were busy, weren't you! (Typing away like that.)

Tomoaki: Oh, no, that's no problem, but...

Hina: But?

Tomoaki: *muttering* If Shirou knew...

Hina: If?

He smiles. She smiles.

Tomoaki: Never mind. We still haven't been introduced, have we? I'm Namiya Tomoaki.

He types the name on his laptop and tilts it to show her.

pg. 173

Hina: (Can I borrow that for a second?)

She follows suit.

Hina: I'm Asahi Hinata!

Tomoaki: That's a cute name.

Hina: My mom gave it to me! My dad wanted "Hinata" to be in kanji, but my mom said that if the kanji were hard, I'd have trouble writing my name when I got to kindergarten, so she made it hiragana instead.

Tomoaki: What kind parents.

Hina: (You think?) Thanks.

She glances back down at the screen. Above their names, the following is written:

Then, from beneath the hem of her vast, disarrayed skirt, he glimpsed two delectable white legs.

"No, stop!" she cried.

As he grabbed the struggling woman's ankles, he

pg. 174

Hina: *pointing* Hey, is this a story?

Tomoaki: *pleasantly* Well, I suppose you could call it that.

Hina: Oh, wow--! You're an author--!

Tomoaki: *pleasantly* I specialize in porn.

Hina: Porn?

Tomoaki: *pleasantly* Dirty stories.

Hina: (Woah...) Dirty, huh--? (That IS amazing.) Emi-chan always laughs at me because I never understand dirty jokes.

Her eyes light up.

Hina: WOULD YOU TEACH ME ABOUT DIRTY STUFF SOMETIME?

pg. 175

He stares for a moment, then recovers.

Tomoaki: *pleasantly* I'd be honored, but is that really all right with you?

Hina: Shouldn't it be?

Tomoaki: Don't you think you ought to ask the person you love to do that for you?

Hina: Is dirty stuff something that the person you love is supposed to teach you?

Tomoaki: Well, it depends on the person, but--

Hina: Oh, I see. [thinking] The person I love?

Her eyes fly open wide.

Hina [thinking]: Why am I thinking of Asou-sensei?

pg. 176

Hina: ACK! (That reminds me!) I have to go make dinner! (I'm sorry to have interrupted you!)

Tomoaki: *smiling* (Not at all.)

Hina: Can I visit you again sometime?

Tomoaki: ...If it's all right with Shirou.

Hina: With Asou-sensei? (How come?)

Tomoaki: Because he's your homeroom teacher.

Hina: (Oh, okay.) (See you later!)

She waves at him as she leaves the cafe.

pg. 177

A moment later, a tall, dark-haired man in a suit walks over and sits down in the seat Hina has just vacated. He looks remarkably similar to Asou. {Coincidence? Hmmm...}

Tomoaki: *glancing up at him* ...Kizu. How long have you been here?

pg. 178

Kizu: Since that girl first sat down.

Tomoaki: She's Shirou's new job associate.

Kizu: *looking downward* It would seem so.

Tomoaki: She's a good kid. Enthusiastic, genuine, cute... just like the rumors said.

pg. 179

He lifts a hand to his chin and narrows his eyes.

Tomoaki: I hope she'll be able to change Shirou, but...

Outside, Hina is dashing down the street toward home.

Hina [singing]: (Dinner, dinner-- When rice is cooking the white steam billows up-- Whoosh, whoosh--! I wonder, is that happiness? When you eat a lot, your stomach gets full, and you feel full of happiness-- You get so happy it makes you sleepy--)

pg. 180

Hina [thinking]: The things that make me happy make me even happier because of Asou-sensei. The things that I like, I like even better because of him. Is this what people call "love"? Thinking about Asou-sensei like this-- I love that, too.

To be continued.

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