How to be Happy Segment #1

Chapter 8: Festivities

I woke up the next day, to a doorbell that had been ringing for what felt like all of yesterday. I lifted myself up and checked the time: it was 5 in the morning. I had gone downstairs, unknowingly in my sleeping clothes, to answer the door. After opening the door, it was Okawa.

"Okawa? Why are you here?" I asked him, sniffing around and smelling smoke.

"Hi Yuki. I think it'd be better if we walked and talked." Okawa said, looking like he had fallen down a chimney.

"Uh.. sure." I said, as I ran up the stairs and decided to wear what I would bring if what I was going to bring if the day was going to be really long.

As I came back down and he was sitting on the bench outside of my house, I noticed he looked like he was falling asleep on the bench right there. He had a small bag, but it looked packed to the brim. He looked like a leper covered in as. It actually made me a bit sad, so I went outside.

"Why don't you come inside and maybe take a shower? You look like a homeless person." I told him, with intent to politely insult him.  

"Well, let me explain why first. Then I'll go ahead and shower, this is embarrassing for me as well." Okawa said, standing up and trying to widen his eyes.

After walking for a while, he eventually began to speak.

"My house was burned down by, who I'm guessing by the facts, Kokoru." He said, looking straight forward.

"..wait, does that mean in your bag-"

"Yes, it's anything I could've salvaged. Clothes and thoughtful memories in the same bag, squished together." He said, as we walked away from my house.

"..whoa." That's all I could've said. If that happened to me, I would be in pieces. How can one's mental resolve be so.. set? 

After a little bit of recollection the two of us began walking home. Okawa entered the house and he went into the shower. I began searching for a place to let him sleep, and then he came out of the shower.

..he came out without a towel.

I saw him and we locked eyes for 1 second. Then our eyes widened.

"OH CRAP SORRY-"

"NO NO I'M REALLY SORR-"

He ran away, but I couldn't see him, for I averted my eyes. The house was silent from there. 

At 7 o'clock Okawa had settled down on the couch. Because of the Festival taking place today, me and Okawa don't have class today. I just don't want to think about.. that.

I laid in my room. I know he's downstairs in the living room, but my heart urges me to confront him. Should I ask him to go with me to the Festival? 

I decided to check on him one more time before I go back to sleep. I descended the stairs to see him sitting there, so clean and with his eyes closed. Instantly, I flooded with questions. How does he sleep upright? How is he so stoic about his house being burnt down? Why was he hiding a giant sausage in the shower with him?  What is he fighting for? Why did he.. How is.. When....

I woke up on the stairs, falling asleep while watching him. I hadn't known why I woke up until Tanoshi shook me awake. He looked scared, and he pointed on the couch, to Okawa.

"Why is your friend Okawa here?" He asked me, reaching for something in the kitchen.

"He's my- WAIT DON'T TOUCH THAT." I told him, as he dropped the kitchen knife he was trying to pick up.

"Don't worry about him, he's a friend of mine. His house was uh.. broken into." I said, but Tanoshi just looked at me. He wasn't buying it.

"I'm 14 now, don't give me that. I saw the smoke, Yuki. That was his house, wasn't it?" He asked me, but it confused me.

"Well then WHY DID YOU SHAKE ME AWAKE?" I asked him quietly, as to not wake up Okawa.

"I wanted to ask you if we could go to the festival later today." Tanoshi asked. 

"Oh? Well get ready, because we're gonna be out all day!" I told him, pushing him into his room. 

I began ascending the stairs, and after changing for a few minutes, went down the stairs to see Tanoshi ready to leave.

"Ready?" I asked him, as he nodded.

We stepped outside.

After a train ride, we decided to ride a bus to where The Festival is going to be. I decided to ask Tanoshi:

"What's the Festival even for?" 

"I dunno. It's gonna be fun though." Tanoshi said, as we kept walking. 

On the bus i saw someone familiar. I decided to sit close to them to get a closer look. 

Kokoru?

Tanoshi was asleep in the seat in front of me, which gave me ample time to talk to Kokoru about what had happened. Kokoru had a kid sleeping in the seat next to Tanoshi. The kid looked dirty, like Okawa was, so I guess Kokoru's helping him. 

"About what I had said to-"

"Why don't you like me-"

"Please don't interrupt me, I'm trying to be nice." He said, rebutting my rebuttal. 

"Listen to me. I am sorry for saying things that would've made you want to die. It wasn't my intention, but you asking to be my friend, it off-put me. I wasn't ready to be a friend then." Kokoru said, keeping that stoic look as always.

"It wasn't you, the girls picked up after you. They always thought what you did was so cool, so they did it to me." I said, as he looked over at me.

"I'm sorry. But I need you to tell Okawa it wasn't me that started his house fire." He said, standing up and picking up the sleeping kid.

"Wait!-" 

He had gone off the bus at his stop, but the Festival was the next stop. 

We stepped out of the bus and decided to go get snacks at a nearby grocery store while waiting for the carnival to start.

"Hey Yuki, can we get this?" As he threw down 3 giant chip bags into the cart.

"HAHA, no!" As I threw the chip bags into the shelf next to us.

"OH COME ON! Don't you love your brother?" 

"I love you enough, not enough for those three bags." I said.

"Just one bag then? PLEEEASE????" 

"Fine." I said, grabbing the bag and throwing it at his stupid puppy eyes.

Night came and the Festival began. Cheering and joyful children flooded the games and everyone wanted to go somewhere, but Tanoshi brought me to a game that looked easy.

"You try! I really want that froggy!" He said, giving me the baseball. I took it from him and threw the ball lightly to the milk jugs, missing.

"Hm?" I asked. I know I hit them.

I got another ball and threw it as hard as I could, missing again. The game has to be rigged, I hit the milk jugs at full force, the air should've at least moved it. 

I got one more, and this time I threw it to the right of the jugs, and as I expected, it hit them. But they didn't fall over nor were they knocked down. They stood upright. The game is rigged, but I know Tanoshi wanted a frog plushie from the counter. 

"Too bad! Those jugs stand taller than my family tree!" The owner said, laughing his head off.

"Give them the frog plush or I'll find your inbred family and feed them to the dog you sold off of the black market to get those plushies, you cheap balding inbred fatass." Said a voice behind the carnival tent. I recognized that voice. He stepped out from the shadows and immediately the owner gave us 3 frog plushies and cowered behind the desk.

I saw a glimpse of his face.

Fruity?