Little Dreams

(Shin's PoV)

—

And then, Akane and I kept walking towards our home, and she clung to me more tightly than usual.

I could even feel her body trembling and her fingers occasionally tapping my bicep.

"What's wrong, Akane?" I asked, stopping for an instant.

"Nothing, why?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well... you're trembling." I pointed out.

"I know... I'm just feeling cold today. We need to get home as soon as possible and eat something ultra spicy to warm us up." She sighed.

"Okay—" In the blink of an eye, I pulled away from her, removed my school jacket, and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Here." 

My jacket looked more like a coat on her, and she looked very adorable.

"Oh, you're finally acting like a boyfriend. Good boy. You just gained lots of points." She teased, adjusting the jacket and then clinging to me again. "I feel muuuch better now. Thaaanks~."

"What if I die because of frostbite, Akane? Wouldn't you feel guilty about that?" I asked, pinching her cheek.

"Well... mmmh..." She really thought about it. "No. I wouldn't. Because you'd be dead for a good reason. I mean, I'd miss you, but... mh... nah." She even smiled.

"Okay, I'll pretend I didn't hear this." I looked away for an instant, but my gaze was still searching for her.

"Stupid. Of course I'd miss you. I literally count seconds whenever you're not with me." She squeezed my arm.

"You're forgiven." I kissed her forehead.

"Asshole. You already know how much I love you; there's no need to act lovey-dovey all the time. I prefer to show my affection through insults and death threats. Moreover, the way I literally act like a mussel with you should speak more than words, right?" Her voice became lighter.

"Mussel? Well. Guess I found a new nickname for you. Mussel Takanashi. What do you think about it?" I joked.

"Cringe. Don't you ever dare call me that. I'll kill you for real." 

"Okay, Akane Takamussel." 

Instead of replying with words, she bit my arm, and this time it stung more than usual.

"Don't. Or next time I'll eat you for real." Her voice sharpened.

"Fine... but I really liked it, to be honest."

 "I don't care, Ishikawa. Just don't do it." Her mouth was dangerously close to my arm once again.

"Okaaaay," I sighed. "Let's just go home then."

"Good boy!" She smiled warmly.

And, after her joyful sentence, we started walking again, through the quieter streets toward home, past the park where someone was walking a dog that was significantly larger than its owner, and past the row of shuttered shops that came alive on weekends and slept through weekdays.

And then, I saw it.

A small stall, set up against the wall of a closed pharmacy, with a folding table and a velvet display cloth, with two battery-powered lamps illuminating the jewelry. An old woman sat behind it with a camping stool, reading a paperback, not looking up.

I didn't know why I slowed down.

Actually, I knew exactly why. Just not yet.

"What's wrong, Shin?" Akane asked, confused.

"I want to see..." I replied.

I looked at the stall in front of me, and my eyes automatically landed on the rings.

There were three rows of them, arranged on small velvet ridges. Some of them were simple bands, polished to a mirror finish. Some had stones, and some were twisted. A lot of different styles.

And at the far end were a few rings that were wider, heavier, clearly meant for a different kind of hand.

My feet stopped, and Akane's arm, still threaded through mine, gave me a small tug.

"What?" Akane looked at me, then at the stall, and then back at me. "Jewelry? Since when do you care about jewelry? I've never seen you wearing a ring or a necklace in 8 years!" 

"I don't," I said. "I just..."

I didn't finish the sentence. I just stood there, looking at the rings, and a very 'strange' thought began forming in my head.

It started with her hands, specifically. The way they looked when she held a mug, the way they looked on the frets of a guitar... I was thinking about everything, until the image shifted without my permission.

I was seeing one specific finger on one specific hand, and there was something on it that wasn't there during those moments.

'What would she look like if...'

My brain couldn't stop thinking, and before I could stop all those intrusive thoughts, I was seeing Akane. Somewhere else. 

Somewhere bright and warm, wearing something white. Her hair was different, pulled back from her face in a way that showed the line of her jaw and all the piercings on her ears. She was looking at me with that beautiful smile she had reserved for me since the first time I chose her during our first time together.

Akane had that smile, wearing a white dress and a ring.

"Shin." 

I blinked, snapping back to reality.

I turned my gaze to her and saw that she was looking at me with one eyebrow raised and a suspicious expression.

"You've been staring at that table for thirty seconds, and your ears are turning pink." She tilted her head. "What's happening in your stupid head?"

"Nothing at all," I replied, looking at the rings again.

"Your body says otherwise, idiot." Akane touched my cheek.

"I'm just feeling cold. Nothing else."

Akane then leaned close to my ear.

"No. You're not. You were just staring at the rings thinking about something dirty, weren't you?" She whispered.

"No. I was just choosing which one to take." I said, rubbing my chin.

"Tch— Okay," Akane slowly unwrapped herself from me. "Choose one, and I'll buy it. You deserve to be spoiled too."

I had no choice but to play along.

"Oh, what a lovely couple you are! I also used to buy gifts for my old husband back in my youth, you know?" The old woman spoke.

Akane smiled. "This is such a lovely thing."

The old woman nodded and then spoke again. "Yes. It was." She sighed. "Do you accept a suggestion from someone who could be your grandma?"

Akane's smile softened even more. "Of course, I do." 

And then, the old woman picked up a small ring. It was a simple band with some kanji engraved on it. 

They were the kanji for "Love(愛), Freedom(自由), Respect(尊敬), Eternity( 永遠), Devotion(献身)." 

"This is the last ring my husband made before he passed away. I've been trying to sell this for years, but nobody liked it. He always said that 'One day the right owner will arrive.' She smiled at us. "I think that this would suit your boyfriend." The old woman then held out the ring to Akane, and she took it.

Akane's eyes widened as she inspected it. 

"Oh. This is... art," Akane then looked at the old lady. "I take it. How much for this?" 

"For you, it will only be 900 yen." The old woman said.  

"I take it." Without thinking, Akane took out her wallet, grabbed some bills, and gave them to the old lady. "Keep the change, please." 

"Thank you. You're too kind, young lady... I wish I had a niece like you..." The old woman replied, putting the money into a small bag.

I kept staying silent, but for some reason, I felt her words right into my heart, and Akane too.

"Don't thank me. I should be the one thanking you for this little piece of art," She smiled, before turning her gaze to me. "Now..." 

Then, Akane knelt down. 

"Will you marry me, Ishibaka?" She said, holding out the ring to me.

I stared at her in disbelief and confusion for a few instants before bursting into a big laugh with the old woman.

"Ah... youngsters..." The seller said.

"Are you serious right now, Akane?" I asked.

"Oh damn... You were supposed to say 'yes'! Tch—" she then stood up with a soft smile. "Come on, ghost boy, give me your hand."

And so I did, and then Akane gently put the ring on my marriage finger. For some reason, the measure was perfect.

After that, I looked at my hand and at every side of the ring. It was indeed beautiful, and I couldn't help but stare at it for a few moments.

I then shifted my gaze to Akane, who wore a warm, beautiful smile.

"Thank you, Akane," I said. "I really appreciate it." 

"I know you do, Ghost Boy." 

And then, after that little embarrassing scene, we said 'goodbye' to the old woman and started to walk again.

I kept looking at the ring while we walked. I couldn't help it. 

Every time my hand swung forward with the step, the ring caught whatever light was nearby.

Love. Freedom. Respect. Eternity. Devotion. 

Five words on a ring, sitting on my finger like they'd been waiting for it.

"You're doing it again," Akane said.

"Doing what, exactly?"

"Looking at your hand every three seconds like you discovered you had fingers." She squeezed my arm. "It's just a ring, Ishikawa, don't get too emotional. Give some attention to me, or I'll take it back."

"You just proposed to me in front of a stranger, Akane. Not even in a million years I'd expected something like that." 

"Nah. That was a joke to embarrass you. There's a difference." She said, squeezing me again.

"You knelt. You literally knelt." 

"Oh, it's because I'm dramatic. It's part of my charm." She looked away, but she couldn't hide the pink on the tip of her ears. "Besides, you didn't say yes. So you ruined everything. I expect you to be the one who'll kneel next time." 

"Suuuuuuure. How am I supposed to propose to someone who calls me 'Ishibaka'?" 

"Ah, that was a plus. There are many people with 'Ishikawa' as a surname. But nobody gets called 'Ishibaka.' Proposing using a normal name is boring." She sniffed. "But if you won't propose, then you'll have to earn my next and real proposal, and the bar is extremely high. I'm taking fireworks, a live orchestra, and at least three people crying. Minimum." 

"And what about the ring, Akane?" I asked.

"What about it?" 

"If that was a joke... should I give it back?" 

In that moment, she stopped walking.

She turned to me, and her face was flat. Deadly flat.

"If you take that ring off," she said, "I will bury you in the garden we don't have, and then I'll plant flowers on top. And they'll be ugly flowers. On purpose."

"Okay. So I must keep it." 

"You'll keep it forever. That old woman's husband made it. It's the last thing he ever created, and it waited years to find us. If you lose it, I'll never forgive you." Then, her voice had gotten quieter. "It chose you, Shin. Things like that don't happen by accident." 

I stared at her for a few instants and noticed how serious she was.

"Don't worry. I won't take it off until our wedding." I said.

"Good boy!" She smiled, and then grabbed my arm and started walking again. "Now stop being sentimental. I'm starving, and I want to get home before my toes freeze and fall off..."