maintaining a five-year relationship
"And here is the project I've been working on recently." I open the door to my bedroom, which was originally the garage, though I've been sleeping here more often since I would stay up late working on my different projects. Because of this, my parents just decided to turn this into my room. I gesture Nene over to the big hunk of metal sitting near my workbench.
The 'big hunk of metal' in particular is the robot I'm currently working on. A replica of Nene. Robo-Nene, if you will. "I originally started building this so you could pursue your dream of performing on stage." Nene reaches out and runs her fingers along the cold green metal of what's supposed to be her hair. "But…why?" she asks as her hand falls back to her side.
"Because you like performing…you just...y'know…" I trail off. I know what I'm trying to say, I just started to word the sentence weird and I just don't feel like correcting myself. Thankfully, Nene nods in understanding. "Well, it's…" she pauses and kneels in front of her robot replica. "...something." Something? Just something? "If you don't like it, you can tell me." "No, no. It's not that…it's just…wouldn't I be judged just as hard for having a robot perform for me?"
Crap. I didn’t think about that. “I’ll just twist this concept in some way so that I seem to be in the wrong for the robot instead of you. That way, people will judge me instead of you.” Nene stands up and replies, “…thanks…but…no, thanks. Maybe in the future.”
Well, I’m not even done with building Robo-Nene anyway. “D’you want some candy?” I change the subject while going to my closet where I’ve stowed away multiple grocery bags of candy. I don’t really eat it unless I’m severely craving sugar or if I have a friend over—which is almost never—so I have ample amounts of sugar.
“Anything is fine. Just no mint,” comes Nene’s voice from behind me. I grab down a grocery bag and drop it on the floor between me and Nene. I sit on the floor and gesture for her to follow suit. “Take whatever you want…except for these.” I reach into the bag and take out any soda candies I see.
The two of us talk on and on about whatever. I eventually bring up Mizuki and how I'm happy I have someone to talk to at school and how they make me feel extremely happy inside despite how I've been feeling recently. Nene tells me that I might be in love. What? There's no way I'm in love with Mizuki. They're just a really nice friend-slash-classmate to talk to during lunch and after school.
I'm not in love with them.
…am I?
The next day, I bring some candies to school for Mizuki and I to eat on the rooftop. I sit in the same spot as always. Mizuki comes over right on time and sits next to me. "What's in the bag?" they ask me. "One of your freaky lab experiments you're always rambling on about?" I frown. "Firstly, they're robots, not 'freaky lab experiments'. Secondly, it's just candy. Want some?" I hold the bag out for them to look inside and take whatever candy they want. "I have a lot at home and I feel like I should be getting rid of it."
"Really? Thanks!" Mizuki eagerly reaches into the bag and grabs a handful of candy as though they were some kid on Halloween going trick or treating. They pop a sucker into their mouth and don't say anything for a moment. I'm about to think the rest of this lunch period will be spent in comfortable silence, but Mizuki suddenly speaks up again.
"Hey, Rui?" I glance up from the concrete of the rooftop and turn my attention to them. "Hm?"
"I need to tell you something."
"...about what?"
"About me. It's a secret, okay? So don't tell anyone. Promise?"
"...promise."
"Pinky promise?"
They hold their hand out, their pinky finger outstretched.
"Pinky promise."
I reach out and lock my own pinky finger with theirs.
"Excellent."
"So, the secret is-"
…
…
Ah.
Makes sense.