Pay It Forward

‘You don’t need to pay anything,’ said the girl behind the counter, when Toko went for her wallet at the cafe. ‘The last customer paid for it. You know, “pay it forward.”’

‘What?’ Toko said. ‘Who does that?’ But she’d seen the girl when they’d come in – some bleached-hair airhead who probably had people buy things for her all the time. She probably felt sorry for Toko.

‘You are, of course, welcome to pay for the next customer in turn.’

‘That’s me!’ Komaru said.

‘I’m sure she’d rather pay for your drink,’ Toko muttered. ‘But she won’t! I’ll just take this one.’

‘Aw,’ Komaru said, but she wasn’t bothered. She made her own order, and they went to sit down. The airhead waved at them on the way. Komaru smiled back – birds of a feather, Toko thought resentfully.

‘I hate people like that,’ Toko said.

‘People who do nice things for you?’

‘It’s not for me,’ Toko said. ‘They just want to make themselves feel good.’

‘Maybe she recognised you,’ Komaru said. ‘You’re half the heroine of Towa City; surely that’s enough for a free drink.’

‘You think she wants something from me?’ They’d taken a table across the café from the girl, and Toko swivelled her head to eye her up. ‘Why’s a bimbo like that out on her own anyway? Shouldn’t she have a guy to hang off her every word?’

‘Toko-chan,’ Komaru said, in that tone that meant Toko was going too far. ‘I’m going to talk to her.’

‘You’re what?’

‘Someone should say thank you.’

‘Don’t do that,’ Toko hissed. ‘Komaru!’

But Komaru was already getting up. Determinedly, she approached the other girl; they chatted briefly, and then – dammit, Komaru – the other girl stood up, and Komaru brought her back with her. Toko could feel herself bristling. She would get Komaru for this later. But for now …

‘This is Akamatsu-san,’ Komaru said. ‘I invited her to join us.’ She looked at Toko hopefully, and Toko bit her tongue on what she wanted to say.

‘Akamatsu. Right.’

‘I didn’t recognise you when you first came in,’ Akamatsu said, ‘but you’re Fukawa Toko, right?’

Toko’s mind stopped short. ‘H-how do you know me?’

‘I remember when you won the award for your first novel!’ Akamatsu said. ‘And you were so young! I really loved that book.’

‘Oh.’ Toko couldn’t be tetchy in the face of so sincere a compliment. ‘Th-thanks, I guess.’

‘“I guess,”’ Komaru echoed. ‘Really, Toko-chan.’ She sat back down, gesturing for Akamatsu to pull up a seat too. Which she did, next to Toko.

Akamatsu smelt of something floral, which made Toko want to hate her more. Girls who smothered themselves in scent; who took care when they chose their outfits – it was exactly that sort of girl that Toko hated. She didn’t even have any regrowth, and there was no way that colour was natural!

Except if she knew Toko’s work …

‘Are you writing anything at the moment?’ Akamatsu said. ‘Am I allowed to ask that?’

‘Of course you’re allowed!’ Komaru said, and kicked Toko under the table.

‘I am,’ Toko said. ‘It’s quite different from my earlier work, though. Y-you might not like it.’ She said it like a dare, but Akamatsu’s eyes only lit up.

‘I’m sure it will be amazing!’ she said. Which was exactly the kind of thing a girl like her would say. She was so predictable that Toko almost laughed. ‘After everything that’s happened, it’s only natural that you’d want to write something different from before.’

‘Y-yeah.’

If she knew Toko’s name, her face, she probably knew about Hope’s Peak too. But she didn’t sound like she was referring to that in particular. Of course, the Tragedy had happened to everyone, hadn’t it? Even pretty airheads who obviously couldn’t have been that airheaded …

But then what had Toko been like, when she’d written her first book? She hadn’t known anything back then. This was why her next work was going to transcend the writer she had been.

‘There’s this scene I’m working on at the moment,’ Toko said, holding back a smile, ‘where the protagonist has to have her eye gouged out –’

‘Toko-chan! You can’t talk about something like that at the table!’

‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ Akamatsu said. ‘I have a strong stomach.’

‘See?’ Toko said. ‘Akamatsu doesn’t mind.’

Komaru’s brows drew in, and she kicked Toko again. This time, Toko kicked her back.

‘You said, “has to have her eye gouged out,”’ Akamatsu went on. ‘Does she have to make someone do it?’

‘That’s right,’ Toko said. ‘It’s all so she can reel in the person who’s the real serial killer …’

‘Wow,’ Akamatsu said. She didn’t look disgusted at all, which was disappointing, but also made Toko respect her a little more. ‘I can’t wait to read it.’

‘Well, it still isn’t finished …’ She wasn’t sure her previous publisher would take it either, once they saw what it was like. That was, if her previous publisher was even still around …

‘You could send Akamatsu-san the draft once it’s done, couldn’t you?’ Komaru said. She wore an innocent expression, as if she wasn’t up to something.

‘Oh, you should!’ Akamatsu said. ‘I’ll give you my email.’

‘That’s not …’

Akamatsu looked at her with those big eyes that probably meant guys would do anything for her, even fall on their knees and let her –

‘Alright,’ Toko said. ‘I’ll let you put it in yourself.’ And she presented Akamatsu with her phone, to let her add the contact.

Komaru beamed.

---

Later, after Akamatsu had left – she’d been filling in time before an audition, apparently – Toko asked Komaru, ‘What was that about?’

‘I just thought,’ Komaru said, ‘you needed a reminder not to judge people on appearances.’

‘You –’ Toko clicked her tongue. ‘But why’d you say I’d send her my draft?

‘I thought you might like an excuse to be in touch.’

‘Why would I want to be in touch with a girl like that?’

Komaru sighed. ‘You say “girl like that,”’ she said, ‘but you’re the one who couldn’t stop looking at her.’

‘What’s that meant to mean?’

‘I was trying to do you a favour!’

‘I don’t need that kind of favour.’

‘But you are going to message her, right?’

Toko took a breath. Held it. ‘Not yet,’ she said. ‘I need to think of something even grosser first.’

‘Grosser than eye-gouging?’ Komaru’s eyebrows went up. ‘Never mind, you don’t have to tell me.’

She could think of something, Toko was sure. Something that would really make that girl’s stomach turn.

She already wanted to get started.