I nearly rammed into a boy when I rushed around the hallway corner. Forcing my feet to come to a quick stop had been a bad idea.
“Ack!” The boy I was trying not to run into caught me just as I was about to fall on my face. “I-I’m so sorry!”
I-I’m saved! Scratching up my face didn’t bother me, but it’d be terrible if I banged up my hands or arms.
“Thank you very much! I am really sorry!” I deeply bowed my head and took off in search of my phone. The boy called out to me from behind after I’d gone no more than a few steps.
“Hey, you.”
“Yes?”
“Are you possibly looking for your cell phone?” The boy held up my pink cell phone in his right hand.
“AH! That’s mine!”
The cute panda charm hanging from the phone was something I’d made. There was no mistaking that the phone was mine.
I’m so glad I found it! Overcome with relief, I felt like squatting on the ground when I finally took a good look at the boy’s face. K-Kakeru T-Tominaga?!
“Here you go. Also, sorry if this is meddlesome, but you should really lock your phone. Then again, it’s only thanks to you not locking it that I knew it was yours right away,” Kakeru said, handing me my cell phone.
The heat rushed to my cheeks. He had seen my wallpaper screen! I’d recently switched my wallpaper to the selfie I took with Sawa and Mako when we went to see the fireworks display during summer break. It was a crazy shot we had drawn heart marks and weird faces on. It was so embarrassing to have that seen!
“Sorry again. And thank you very much for picking it up for me.” I took a full ninety-degree angle bow and tried to make my way back to the lobby.
“Wait up,” Kakeru called out to me, stopping me for the second time. “We still have time until the results are announced. If you don’t mind, want to chat for a bit?”
Hostility was absent from his tone. I could sense he just wanted to talk to another participant in the same competition. More than happy to oblige, I agreed on the spot. I was dying to know what kind of lesson plan he followed to be capable of producing that passionate, powerful sound.
“There’s a vending machine in the lobby. Let’s go there,” Kakeru suggested.
The eyes of the other participants and the audience members followed us as we walked side by side. They were scrutinizing us hard. I instinctively looked myself over. My stockings weren’t ripped and my skirt wasn’t flipped up.
Why are they staring so much?
Contrary to my anxiety, Kakeru was the picture of calm. “Don’t worry. You look fine.”
“Uh?” I uttered stupidly from the sheer shock of him reading my thoughts. If I was Kakeru, I would’ve been a little put off by how weird the girl I was with was acting.
Kakeru, however, simply shrugged and explained, “They’re probably curious why the two sure picks for finalist are walking together.” He searched my dumbfounded face with great interest.
“Sure pick for finalist?” I repeated.
“You really have no self-awareness after putting on such a groundbreaking performance, huh? Top off your performance with the fact that your mentor is the Ayumi Matsushima, and it’s no wonder you were marked as a sure pick for finalist from the beginning.”
“Hah. If you say so,” was all I managed to say in response.
Miss Ayumi is even more famous than I thought, I mused while trying to come up with a more intelligent answer.
Kakeru stood in front of the vending machine and asked, “What will you have?”
“Oh, warm tea for me.”
Kakeru held out his left hand, stopping me from pulling my wallet out of my bag, and purchased both of our drinks. “Don’t worry about it. You’re a second year, right? Let your elders treat you.” There was nothing pushy about his eloquent smile. This was one of those occasions where firmly refusing was ruder than accepting.
“Thank you. You’ve done so much for me since the moment we met.”
He returned my cell phone to me and even treated me to tea. He’s a good guy. Now that I think about it, he even matched his pace to mine when we were walking. I don’t think there are many boys our age who are conscientious enough to walk in step with a girl. Does he have an older sister? Or maybe a girlfriend?
Then again…maybe every student at Seio is like this. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me that they have a class on “how to escort a lady” as a part of their main curriculum.
At the gentlemanly Kakeru’s suggestion, I sat across from him on the couch next to the vending machine.
“I was shocked when I saw your profile. You attend a normal public school, right?”
“Yeah. I’m from a normal household that can’t afford to pay for a private school,” I answered honestly. Pretending otherwise wouldn’t do anything for me.
Kakeru smiled broadly. His difficult to approach, stalwart image crumbled before my eyes, giving way to a cute boy. “You’re funny, Mashiro.”
I don’t get rich people humor, I thought, sighing aloud in response to his comment.
He quickly rushed to amend his statement. “I wasn’t making fun of you. I’m sorry if it sounded that way.”
“Nah, it’s okay,” I laughed this time.
He actually seems like the type who cares. We looked at each other and smiled, creating a sudden openness between us.
“Um, is it all right if I ask you some questions?” I asked, fully aware of how rude my frankness was.
“I’d be happy to answer if it’s something I know,” Kakeru gladly assented.
“How much do you practice on average?”
“Hmm. I practice the basics for about thirty minutes, then go on for a total of two hours or so playing songs I like and studying sheet music for new songs, I’d say.”
“That’s it?!”
He only plays two hours a day?! He can play that well with that little practice?! Isn’t he a little too amazing?!
“Yup. I struggle with concentrating for long periods of time. It’s a bad habit, I know. You heard the few mistakes I made today, right? My teacher always nags on me about that part, but I still failed to pull it off when it counts.” He gave a roguish smile.
“Wow,” I breathed in awe.
I wanted the mindset that allowed him to laugh off screwing up the same part when it counts out of lack of practice instead of just nerves getting the better of him.
Just try messing up a section Miss Ayumi points out to you. She doesn’t give second chances… I shivered.