Spring is the beginning of everything. Soon, the freshness of the air will turn into the crispiness of Summer and then the withering Autumn that heralds the coming of Winter, and once again it would be Spring, a never-ending cycle.
Out of all the seasons, it was Spring in which Chiharu looked forward the most. It was the perfect time to start new things. The only downside was, it was also the start of a new school year, her last year in fact, which will start in a few days. But after spring was summer and there's only one thing that comes to mind when thinking of summer: summer vacation.
Everyone would be busy on outdoor activities and summer vacations and she, well, she would also be on a summer vacation. It would be fun too; the problem was she doesn't like their destination this time.
"Aichi-chan! Why are you protesting so much! It's a nice place to spend our summer and we'll do a lot of activities. There's nothing wrong with those, right?"
Aikawa Chiharu, or rather, Aichi as her friend fondly called her sighed in exasperation. They've been having this conversation countless times already and she's starting to get annoyed.
"I know it's a nice place but I still don't want to," she said. Chiharu glanced at her laptop and at her friend, Sato Megumi, whose face became even more crunched up with frustration. The girl on the other side moved closer to the camera.
"And I've been asking you, why?" Megumi cried while she plastered her face so close to her camera that her whole face was the only thing Chiharu could see.
"She's probably waving her hands around in indignation," Chiharu guessed and returned her attention to her current project, a sketch of a thousand or more Sakura petals as they fell on a river. She had been sketching that scene when Megumi called, saying she wanted to persuade Chiharu, again, to concede with her plans.
"I don't want to talk about the 'why', I'd rather talk about the alternative Gumi," she said while arranging her desk. She's done for now since her mood to draw that particular scene had been ruined when Megumi opened the topic again. She closed her sketchbook and placed it in her drawer while she put her materials in their proper places. She doesn't have to worry about forgetting the details, it would always be at the back of her mind. Such is the advantage of having a photographic memory, easily remembering an image or anything that her eyes see.
"But it's the only place I want to go to!" Gumi pouted. The camera shook when Megumi threw herself on her chair and crossed her arms.
Chiharu gave Megumi her full attention. She wanted this to be over, the sooner the better. Which was why she was giving the problem a minute of deliberation.
Why indeed?
While deep in thought, she unconsciously noticed the silence on the other side.
"Patiently waiting for a response, eh? Typical Gumi'," Chiharu thought then she took a deep breath, faced her monitor and into Megumi's big eyes. She held a single finger directly to her own camera.
"There is one reason why okay?"
A quick nod. Ready to listen. Chiharu smiled. Being able to talk like this without interference, voicing out opinions, and reaching a compromise are the reasons their friendship lasted this long.
"There is no signal," Chiharu declared with a heated gaze, willing Megumi to understand the gravity of the situation.
Megumi blinked once and then another.
"Aichi-chan, you're so…" Gumi trailed with a frown. Chiharu sat there in silence, waiting for that word she always said when Chiharu would say something stupid.
"Petty," Gumi finished with a huff.
"No, I'm not. It's just that our time there coincides with the rerun of the FIVB1Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (English: International Volleyball Federation), commonly known by the acronym FIVB, is the international governing body for all forms of volleyball. Volleyball World Championship last year!" Chiharu exclaimed and waved her hands. "And I can't watch it when there is no cable, and having a cable means having a transmission tower and that place has no transmission tower!"
Megumi opened her mouth to speak.
"Before you tell me that I don't know for sure, I checked and according to the reviews I've read and I quote: it's a nice place to rest and an escape from the busy life," Chiharu recited.
Megumi opened her mouth again to assert an opinion.
"And from another review, there's a customer that said that, ahem, staying there for a week and being one with nature is such a refreshing venture. The modern conveniences of the city are totally absent on this island, I'm glad for that because those that had once distracted me for..blah blah blah," Chiharu finished and gave Megumi a pointed look.
"But I thought you quit volleyball already! That you don't want any association with it again," Megumi growled.
Chiharu sighed. Explaining is so troublesome, especially when you've done it so many times before.
"I told you already. I quit playing volleyball but that doesn't mean that I hate it and when I said that I don't want any association with it, it means coaching or training or anything related to even within touching distance of it. But watching it is a whole different matter."
A moment of silence.
Megumi sighed.
"Fine."
Chiharu barely suppressed the grin from her face. She won.
"I'll find another place that had what you're looking for but—," Chiharu groaned.
"But," Megumi gave her a mischievous smile.
"A punishment, I will not tell you the place. The only thing you'll be privy of are the things you will bring. Now, is that agreeable enough?"
"Fine," Chiharu muttered and heard Megumi's delighted laugh.
With that out of the way, the two chatted until dinnertime. They said their goodbyes and logged out after Megumi promised to update her with the new change in plans.
Chiharu laid on her bed that night, lost in thought. Megumi was her only childhood friend and a sister in everything but blood. Through the years, their relationship remained strong even after Megumi's family moved to Tokyo permanently. Truth be told, the only reason it remained as strong as it was today was because of the yearly summer escapades they've been doing which was originally a joke between them one summer afternoon, a few days before Megumi and her family had moved out.
Although both their parents knew about this, the two friends had decided not to rely on them too much. Choosing instead to save money for the whole year or reaching a certain quota for their budget. Planning was purely up to them but they had come to an agreement that only one person should decide where and when it will be. This year it's Megumi's, the next will be hers.
"Ah, last year was boring, nothing unusual, same old, same old. What should I talk about when I meet up with her?" Chiharu thought as she drifted into sleep.
"I wish there's something interesting that would happen."
