Yayoi Can't Hide Her Secrets - 12 - Chapter 12 - A Happy and Embarrassing First Date
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- 12 - Chapter 12 - A Happy and Embarrassing First Date
A Happy and Embarrassing First Date
I decided to go out with Yayoi-chan tomorrow.
I was relieved that she had agreed to go out with me, even though I was acting a little pushy, but I rushed home.
If this is the first step in making Yayoi-chan blend in with the class, I hope she takes it well.
Hm? Going out for fun? On a day off with a girl? No, that’s…
“Hey. Isn’t this what one would call, a date?”
I scowled as if I had faced a very difficult math problem.
I quickly opened the Japanese dictionary on my desk and flipped to the “date” page.
‘A date is a meeting between a man and a woman at a time and place agreed upon in advance.’
I knew it, I had asked her out on a date!
What does a date consist of though!? You need to put that in the dictionary, not just the meaning!
Where do we go on a date? Does a date mean eating dinner or something? What do I talk about on a date? What is a date??
I was in a panic.
The word “date” kept spinning around inside my head, causing my form to collapse.
I had asked her to go out with me without even giving it a second thought, but this was a major problem.
When I looked into the mirror, my face was pale. I looked pretty much like I’m dead. I might be able to view the death of a trillion stars anytime now.
“Shit… I can’t think of anything.”
My eyes roll back in my head and my blood starts to run cold. My body temperature drops to below zero and I start to feel really sleepy. Don’t sleep! If you do, you’ll die!
If I continue to have no plan at all, it will end VERY badly. And so I googled “date ideas for high school students”.
It’s said that theme parks such as amusement parks were recommended for a first date, but we don’t have anything like that in this neighborhood. I had no idea what to expect,
so I decided for us to meet at a train station in the city, and that was the end of my luck. I should have done some more research before asking her out.
“Ughh! What am I going to do? I don’t have an idea of what to do on a date!”
I dive into the bed and scream out at the top of my lungs by instinct. It was obvious from the way I looked that I couldn’t come up with any particular ideas.
Should I talk to Mayama about it? But he’d probably laugh at me, so let’s not do that.
Should I cancel now? No, I don’t know Yayoi-chan’s contact information, and I don’t know how to get in touch with her…
“Yayoi-chan.”
I press my face against the pillow and mumble her name that I couldn’t say to her face.
“Onii-chan, what are you doing?”
As I was rolling around, wriggling about in bed, my sister Sanae peeked into my room to see what was going on.
“…No, nothing much.”
I’m not going to ask my sister how I’m supposed to date someone. I still have some pride as an older brother.
“Didn’t you say something about a ‘date’?”
“I would never yell out such a thing. Look, get out of here already!”
I waved my hand at Sanae, who was looking at me with suspicion.
“Onii-chan, you’re going on a date, aren’t you?”
“Ah, it’s none of your business.”
“You’re worried about that?”
Sanae stares at me without backing down, is she able to read my mind?
“I can tell pretty easily if you have such a pathetic look on your face. Come on, tell me about it.”
Sanae comes into my room and sits down on the cushion as she says that.
“You …….”
On one hand, I wondered why I had to talk to my junior high school sister about dating, but on the other, I also wanted to hang on to her words to see if there was anything she could do to help me out. That’s how desperate I am right now.
“If you don’t want to talk about it, just tell me a story.”
She invites me to speak while being calm and composed ‘Come on, talk to me’. What a classy junior high school student, making it so easy for me to talk!
But since I was prepared to invite Yayoi-chan. I couldn’t fail because of my weird pride. Let’s put aside my shame and grab the spider’s thread.
“Fo-for example. Where should we go on our first date?”
Sitting back on the bed, I was wondering what kind of advice am I asking from my sister?
No, I tell myself, this is all for Yayoi-chan.
“Well… For example, it’d be nice to have lunch or go shopping, but if the guy’s communication skills are catastrophic, there’ll be the problem of not being able to hold a conversation because there’s nothing to talk about. Silence is pretty much hell when you’re all alone!”
Sanae glanced at me and smirked while giving me some appropriate advice.
It was a close call. I didn’t realize that dating and hell were two sides of the same coin!
“…That’s just an example.”
You say “an example,” but that boy is totally supposed to be me, right?
Certainly, if I were to have lunch alone with Yayoi-chan, it’s obvious that we would not be able to continue the conversation for much longer.
In light of our after-school work the other day, it’s unlikely that Yayoi-chan would be the one to initiate the conversation.
This means that I have to take the lead, but I’m not at all confident in my ability to do so. At this rate, it would be game over within the first minute itself. Welcome to hell!
“Then, for example, what kind of person are you dealing with?”
“I don’t know.”
“What are their hobbies?”
“I don’t know.”
“Indoorsy? Outdoorsy?”
“I don’t know.”
“Onii-chan, are you going on a date with an alien by chance?”
“Th-that’s just a myth!”
Sanae sighs loudly, and I start to feel dizzy too.
I don’t know anything about what Yayoi-chan likes, to be honest. On the contrary, all I know is that she thinks I’m cool and that she’s an agent, which is some pretty solid information.
If it just happens to be, we’ll just see Hiroshima Castle and maybe go to Miyajima…
If we go around the various tourist spots, won’t the topics follow us even if we don’t want them to? And there are deer on Miyajima too!
“So, is that a field trip for elementary school students? Girls don’t expect a kind of date with historical sites and tourist attractions.”
Sanae objects to me within just a second. No but, the deer? Aren’t they cute?
“Yocchan, Fumi-chan, Rei-chan…. There are plenty of candidates for lunch places!”
“These aren’t okonomiyaki restaurants! You’re on a date, so this restaurant has to be more fashionable.”
“Yes! She’ll like sweets! We’re going to visit the Momiji Manjuu factory at…”
“In your mind, momiji manjuu is in the category of sweets? And a factory tour is the wrong direction for a date. Rejected!”
My date plans are rejected at every turn by Sanae. Isn’t dating too difficult?
“Go see a movie already! With a movie, you don’t have to talk for two hours, and you have something to talk about if you discuss your impressions of the movie. For example…”
Sanae waved her palm as if to throw a warning to me.
“I-I see…”
I was rather impressed with such a goofy date plan. There is a movie theater nearby. It’s the best location I’d say.
“Make sure you check the movie timings though. If it’s a top-ranked movie, you can’t go wrong. And have you thought about what you’re going to wear?”
Sanae raised her index finger and gave me advice one by one. It’s like having a top-notch dating instructor right in front of you. You can really count on her for help…
“C-clothes….”
I looked inside my wardrobe, but couldn’t think of anything fashionable to show off to her.
I give up, I guess I’ll have to go in uniform if that’s the case.
“You don’t really think you’re going to wear a uniform tomorrow, do you?”
Scary
She knows everything about her brother, doesn’t she?
“I don’t think so. I’m talking about, for example….”
I think it’s most fashionable to wear what you want to wear without being influenced by trends, but you don’t have too much experience…
Sanae looks at me with a jealous look.
Don’t take my track record into account without my permission!
I’m your older brother, remember?
I don’t know what she likes, and it’s dangerous to show off my sense of style.
Sanae took the liberty of opening the wardrobe and began rummaging through it with a huff.
It’s not just for example anymore, it’s a concrete strategy, isn’t it?
“I only have sneakers and shoes anyway, so I’m going to prioritize cleanliness, so I’m going to wear jeans and this white shirt.”
Sanae takes the initiative to pull out clothes from my closet and decide on a coordinated outfit for the date.
“Going on a date with a girl you don’t know very well is like a baby who just learnt to crawl and began driving a big bus. First of all, be safe and stick to the basics. Understand?”
I left everything to Sanae, but she seemed to have settled on a date plan for me.
The baby will be able to walk by himself now, yes.
“Then, I’m going back to my room. I don’t want to stay here forever talking about something like that.”
She put her hands on her hips and looked a bit annoyed.
“…Thank you, Sanae.”
I thank Sanae as she leaves the room. I think she was only half stunned, but it helped out.
“You’re talking about my examples, right? A brother’s shame is also a sister’s shame, so get a grip!”
Sanae closes the door with a slam.
What a dependable little sister. Now I won’t have to be embarrassed in front of Yayoi-chan.
Okay, I’ll definitely make tomorrow’s date a huge success so that Yayoi-chan can see me smile!
The next day.
I put on the outfit that Sanae had decided for me, checked the movie times, and chose about five restaurants for lunch that were not okonomiyaki restaurants on the Internet.
We were supposed to meet at 11:00 a.m., but I arrived at Hondori Station at 9:00 a.m. I didn’t want to be late.
I arrived too early, not wanting to be late. I am not being fickle, I’m just very cautious.
I have some time, so while I’m at it, I’ll review the topics of conversation I thought about last night. School life, dogs, and sweets…
The topics I had prepared were surprisingly few. One of the topics was about the same as the one I had prepared for last night.
It highlights the fact that I don’t know anything about Yayoi-chan, and I’m afraid she won’t like it if I ask her this or that…
First of all, would she really come in the first place? I was a little too aggressive in inviting her after all.
As I was feeling a little uneasy, the train seemed to have just arrived and many people came out of the ticket gate. There was still quite a bit of time before the meeting time,
and I tried to move out of the way of the wave of people, but…
“Fu-Fukase-kun!
I heard a voice calling out to me and I turned around to look at the ticket gate.
There was a girl in a white blouse and blue skirt standing there, looking at me.
For a moment, I didn’t know who she was.
I couldn’t have mistaken her for anyone at school, because she was way beyond my imagination.
I couldn’t even blink my eyes.
The girl who was approaching me with a fluttering little run was Yayoi-chan.
“Kinoshita-san!”
I’m a bit surprised to see Yayoi-chan show up after having arranged to meet up with her. I checked my watch again. It was still just past nine o’clock.
“Kinoshita-san, aren’t you a little too early?”
“I didn’t want to be late…”
Yayoi-chan bites her pink lips and turns away with a flush.
Her face was already quite red, but she didn’t look at me as if she was embarrassed.
“I didn’t notice you at first because you’re not in uniform.”
“Do I look weird…?”
Yayoi-chan wraps her hands tightly around her body.
“It’s not weird at all! It looks good on you! I love it! It’s great!”
I lack the vocabulary and experience to compliment a girl’s casual wear, so I exaggerate a bit.
Yayoi-chan is a stylish girl, so it’s no surprise that she looks good no matter what she wears, but that blue skirt emphasizes the freshness of spring and makes her look even more glamorous than usual. To be honest, I didn’t think she was this stylish. I was about to wear my school uniform. That was a close call.
“Um, what shall we do now?”
It was unexpected for us to get together so early, and I was immediately in a bit of trouble.
I had planned to go see a movie, but there was still quite a bit of time before the screening. What should we do until then…?
“……”
Despite this predicament, Yayoi-chan was as expressionless as ever and didn’t seem to be interested in conversation. The only thing different from usual was her attire, and her attitude was as salty as it was at school.
Is hell arriving already?
No, I have to be firm here. I’m the one who asked her out, and this date is meaningless unless I can get Yayoi-chan to open up to me, even if it’s just a little.
Don’t be negative, don’t run away, don’t give up!
“In the meantime, let’s go somewhere else, shall we?”
Yayoi-chan nodded her head silently.
We walked out of the station and headed to the ground level. The morning air felt a little cooler.
The street was deserted as we entered the main street arcade. As I started walking aimlessly, Yayoi-chan followed me at a slight distance.
I glanced at her and she noticed and looked away.
She doesn’t make eye contact with me any more than usual. I wonder what’s wrong?
Maybe it’s because I forcefully asked her out, but even though she came on a date with me, she didn’t look like she was having fun at all. It was like she was going out with me because she had no choice, and it made me feel awkward too.
The many plans I had made since last night fell through from the start, and I just kept walking through the arcade in silence.
I think about going into a store somewhere, but it is still 9:00 in the morning and not many stores are open at this time.
Finally, I walk through the arcade from one end to the other and stop without anything happening.
“What are we going to do now? I was planning to watch a movie or something, but there’s still some time left…”
I ask Yayoi-chan, worrying myself into a state of self-pity.
“Is there anywhere you want to go?”
“I…”
Suddenly, Yayoi-chan was in a fidgety state as she was asked to decide where she wanted to go.
The meet-up was fine, but the rest of the trip was a complete disaster. It’s my inability to deal with unexpected events. My lack of dating experience had been completely exposed.
The silent time that followed felt like an eternity, and the words “failure” began to appear in my mind.
I was too young to go on a date with someone I could barely converse with.
This is just like playing the piano. I was just spinning my wheels again, feeling good about myself. I was just satisfied with asking Yayoi-chan out without thinking about the other person, wasn’t I?
“I’m sorry, I suddenly asked you out of the blue, it was a dumb move.”
Filled with regret, I apologize.
I’m sure my face looked miserable and depressed.
“No…”
Yayoi-chan just phases it out, too. It’s not enough to get her to open up.
At the exit of the arcade, we both have an awkward air of uncertainty about each other, and here we finally make eye contact for a brief moment.
Our expressions were clouded as we momentarily crossed paths, and I’m sure we didn’t look very much like a man and woman on a date to those around us.
” Should we go home for the rest of the day?”
I was afraid that the silence would only continue.
I thought I was prepared to open Yayoi-chan’s heart, but this is nothing like a date.
I failed again…
When I stepped out to go back the way I came.
“Wait!”
She grabbed my arm tightly.
“Kinoshita-san?”
“I’ve never done anything like this before, so I don’t know what to do.”
Yayoi-chan closed her eyes and put her hand between them.
I thought she was crying, but she wasn’t.
“…Not yet, I don’t want to go home yet.”
Yayoi-chan quickly raised her head and looked at me.
The expression on her face was indescribable, and for a moment I struggled to understand it.
Her eyebrows are unbalanced, and the corners of her mouth are twitching. Her eyes, always large as ever, were swollen and half open.
It was a very badly made forced smile, it’s as if she had failed at a smiling contest.
“……”
What’s wrong, Yayoi-chan?
I stared at that awkward smile, thinking that I had to react in some way.
Is this the part where I smile? No, is this a smile in the first place…?
I was mesmerized by Yayoi-chan’s unusual expression.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
The actual Yayoi-chan seemed to be troubled, not understanding the reason for my sudden freeze.
“I’m sorry, I just got caught up in Kinoshita-san’s smile…”
When I intended to express my feelings indirectly, it turned out to be a very straight-forward response.
Yayoi-chan’s face turned bright red in response to my careless statement.
“C-caught up…?”
“No, it’s not that I’m mesmerized, it’s more like, you finally smiled at me?”
Let’s just say I stared at Yayoi-chan as she covered her face with her hands and was boiling red, her smiles gone now!
“I’m not. I may have been glaring at Fukase-kun all this time, but it wasn’t on purpose, it was a misunderstanding…”
Yayoi suddenly began to make excuses while flapping her face.
The expression you forced yourself to make to avoid glaring at me, was it a smile? Was she trying to make me feel better for suddenly asking her to leave?
However, as an agent, is it a problem in business if she is fatally inept at making up a smile?
“I-I don’t care! It’s my fault for being so familiar with you at school. Besides, it was a misunderstanding…”
“What was?”
The same thing that had happened to Mayama sometime ago, the suicide bombing.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of this before, but Mayama’s an idiot…”
“I don’t care about that. You’re the one who was staring at me at that time…”
“No, no, I wasn’t staring at you!”
In fact, it was a long glare. …… I can’t say that It was.
“…… so?”
It seemed that Yayoi-chan wanted to clear up our past misunderstandings as well, and we lightly exchanged glances, as if relieved with each other.
Finally, Yayoi’s expression softened as her lame smile and the wrinkles between her eyebrows disappeared.
At this moment, the delicate and awkward atmosphere seemed to fizzle out and the tension between us seemed to ease.
“I was trying to do it right this morning, too, but I couldn’t… speak well.”
“It’s the same for me too. I got really nervous. I hope you didn’t mind that I asked you out so suddenly…”
“No, it’s not like I didn’t like it. I was just surprised.”
“I know.”
With the mutual misunderstanding cleared up, we finally looked at each other, face to face properly.
Yayoi-chan seems to be acting very carefully so as to not glare at me, but she can’t seem to stop her face from turning red. Gradually, as usual, her face turns reddish, starting from her cheeks and ending at her ears.
We stopped in the middle of the road with nowhere to go, but I felt like I could move forward a little bit.
“I actually have a place I’d like to go…”
Yayoi-chan said, holding the hem of her skirt as if she had made up her mind.
I was a bit unprepared, but Yayoi-chan’s suggestion was a godsend and I decided to jump on board with it.
“Is that so? Then let’s go!”
After an unexpected two-hour meeting and an awkward, silent march, our date starts to take a turn for the better.
“This way.”
Yayoi-chan invites me over, though I still don’t feel completely at ease with her.
To Yayoi-chan’s left side, I stand. We start walking side by side.
It’s a holiday in town, the weather is nice, and the blue and white marbled sky is a sight to behold. I finally have time to look up at the sky, and my mind starts to clear up.
“The weather is nice, isn’t it?”
“It sure is.”
I wondered if it was ever possible for us to have such a casual conversation.
When I first met her at the café at the school festival, she would have ignored me, sneered at me, and stared at me like a devil when I tried to talk to her.
The thought of having a date with Yayoi-chan suddenly makes my head light up, and as usual, my fantasy continues to accelerate.
“Yayoi-chan, shall we hold hands?”
“Eh, it’s embarrassing, Satsuki-kun.”
“I’m worried that you might run away from me.”
“Aha, I’m a fugitive of love.”
“My hands are the handcuffs of love that will never be release–!”
“What’s wrong?”
I’m not sure if she noticed my heart rate accelerating due to my excessive paranoia, but Yayoi-chan had noticed something.
“I-it’s nothing!”
No more, I cut off my delusion with abstinence.
You can go back to your delusions later, you idiot!
“S-so where are we going?”
“You’ll have to wait until we get there.”
Yayoi-chan looks a bit embarrassed and walks a little faster.
I didn’t pry any further and followed Yayoi-chan quietly.
I couldn’t afford to put a damper on the date that had just gotten off to a good start now, could I?
I’m literally on the exact definition of a date right now!
We continue on to a large street where a streetcar passes by. I’d like to go to Miyajima next time. Deer are pretty cute.
If there’s another date, I’ll have to plan it out so it doesn’t get awkward.
I was already thinking about our next date.
“Yayoi.”
I heard a voice behind me, and Yayoi-chan, who was walking in front of me, stopped dead in her tracks.
I reflexively turned around to see a man in a suit standing there.
I wondered if he was an acquaintance of hers.
“…Father?”
Yayoi-chan looked at the man and let out a nervous voice.
Father?
I looked at Yayoi-chan and the man alternatively. The cheerful mood I had been in earlier turned into a panic immediately.
This man is Yayoi-chan’s father…?
“Yayoi, what are you doing?”
He spoke in a low tone, and Yayoi-chan stood erect and froze, clutching her blue skirt tightly.
Her father was dressed in an expensive-looking suit, his black-rimmed glasses giving him a strict look.
He’s an agent, too, right?
“And you?”
This time, a sharp look came at me, and I felt fear as if I had been shot through the heart. I had been glared at by Yayoi-chan many times before, but this was not something as simple as that.
Let’s just say, it’s more of a killing intent directed at a man who’s with his daughter. I was convinced by his eyes alone that he was a skilled agent.
“I, um, I’m Kinoshita-san’s classmate and my name is Satsuki Fukase…”
I introduce myself honestly, as if I had been drugged with a truth serum.
“…I see. I’m sure my daughter is in good hands.”
Suddenly, the killing intent disappeared at once.
Squinting through his glasses, he turned to me, a classmate of his daughter, with the eyes of a kind father.
“No, it’s my pleasure…”
I hurriedly bowed my head.
I never thought I would run into Yayoi-chan’s father… and that’s while on a date with her.
While I was greeting her father, Yayoi-chan didn’t move an inch.
It would be awkward to run into your parents while on a date, but Yayoi-chan’s expression was beyond that.
Are you scared of your father?
Is she afraid of him because he’s forcing her to work as an agent?
I imagined their family relationship and glanced at her father.
“Oh, I have to go to work now. Sorry for interrupting you.”
He turned his head away from me and raised his glasses.
“Take care of Yayoi, will you, Fukase-kun? “
In a low but sharp voice, he held out his left hand.
“Ah, yes…”
I knew, of course, what would happen if I shook his hand. But I could not refuse.
I fearfully shook his hand with my own.
“This is the first time I’ve seen Yayoi smile in a long time. I still want Yayoi to live her life as a normal girl rather than as an agent.“
What I heard from her father was not hostility toward me for dating his daughter, nor was it a warning as an agent, but it was the voice of a gentle father hoping for his daughter’s happiness.
“N-nice to meet you…”
I bowed my head once more, feeling a thick hand grasping mine.
Even though I was already scared to death when I met Yayoi-chan’s father, now that I heard his voice in my mind. I was beyond confused and my head was spinning.
He was not forcing his daughter to work as an agent, but rather it was the complete opposite.
Her father doesn’t want Yayoi-chan to be an agent…?
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
He left without sounding a single footstep.
The back of his figure looked somewhat lonely and didn’t look like the back of an agent.
“Kinoshita-san?”
After her father left, Yayoi-chan remained standing there in a daze.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to see my father here…”
Covering her face with her hands, Yayoi-chan apologized in a weak voice.
“No, there’s nothing to apologize for…”
I didn’t know what to say to her after hearing her father’s true feelings.
There’s Yayoi-chan, who doesn’t want to be an agent, and her father, who doesn’t want her to be an agent.
The two seem to have the same interests, but where’s the discrepancy?
Yayoi-chan, who remained depressed in the middle of the street, was clearly losing her temper.
“Kinoshita-san…”
A sudden encounter with her father cast a dark cloud over our date.
This can’t go on like this!
Things were finally starting to work out too!
If I look down at this point, I’ll never see the real Yayoi-chan again!
“Kinoshita-san, let’s go! You have someplace you want to go, don’t you?”
I tried to shake off the bad vibe by acting all cheery and cheerful.
“But…”
“You’re taking me there, right? I’m counting on you!”
I showed her my smile to cheer her up, who still had a somber expression on her face.
“Fukase-kun…”
Yayoi-chan lifted her head at this.
“Hm? Let’s go then.”
“…Yes. This way.”
Yayoi-chan nodded her head broadly, as if to lift her spirits.
She seemed to be a bit depressed after meeting her father, but I’m relieved to see that she seems to have regained her energy.
This is a date to help break down the walls in Yayoi-chan’s mind, so she can’t be bothered with them any longer. Today I have to forget about all the stuff about agents and make the date a success!
I silently follow Yayoi-chan as she heads off to her destination.
While I was wondering if she had a restaurant she wanted to go to, Yayoi-chan started walking down the stairs to an underground shopping mall called Paleo.
“Actually, the first time I met Fukase-kun wasn’t when we were at the café at that festival.”
As we walked down the stairs with a thump, Yayoi-chan spoke up as if she had been waiting for me.
“Is that so?”
I was unable to read what she was going to say next, so I just nodded my head in agreement.
However, Yayoi’s next words changed the situation abruptly.
“I saw Fukase-kun playing the piano in the gymnasium that morning.”
“…Eh?”
I was going down the stairs when my feet stopped.
Weren’t you tending to the cafe all morning that day…?
“Fukase-kun?”
Yayoi-chan turns around and looks up at me as I stop.
“S-so that’s it…”
Yayoi-chan tells me the truth, and the fragments of memories that I had been covering up in my head begin to overflow.
The past is an event that I don’t want to be mentioned ever again.
It was the piano performance at the school festival concert that went horribly wrong.
Did Yayoi-chan see that?
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
Obviously, my heartbeat was rising, but I tried to keep my composure so that Yayoi-chan wouldn’t notice.
If I get agitated at this point, the date will definitely be ruined.
There’s nothing wrong with being seen. Everyone in the class, even Mayama, had seen me fail.
Wondering why Yayoi suddenly said such a thing, I went down the stairs and noticed it as I entered the paleo underground mall.
It reminded me of something Sanae said to me one day..
‘Did you know there’s now a street piano in the basement of Paleo?’
─ ─ No way?
Yayoi-chan had no hesitation in heading toward the place.
“I’ve always wanted to hear Fukase-kun play the piano.”
Arriving at the expected place, Yayoi-chan turned around with an excited look on her face.
There was a street piano with a white body and a colorful flower design. I was stunned to see that gorgeous piano in front of me for the first time.
“I was very moved by Satsuki-kun’s performance.”
“Really…?”
I thought she was joking, but Yayoi-chan was serious.
That time, I messed up, you know? I ruined the concert, didn’t I?
How could you be impressed by such a horrible performance…?
I froze and was pulled in front of the piano.
“Wait a minute, Kinoshita-san?”
I couldn’t resist, so I was made to sit in the chair in a helpless state.
Things were going so fast that I still wasn’t able to get my head around it at all.
“You were playing Donaudi’s song at that time, right? I was curious, so I looked it up.”
Wasn’t it a coincidence that you picked up a Donaudi CD at the Power Recorder the other day?
It seems like Yayoi-chan had seen all my mistakes.
“I heard he plays the piano.”
“That’s incredible.”
“Let’s go listen to him.”
The plaza where this piano was set up had just become a meeting place, and people began to gather when they noticed that I was sitting in front of the piano.
The buzz of the crowd brought back memories of the events at the festival.
“Kinoshita-san, I…”
“I wish you would play the song you were playing then.”
Yayoi-chan looked at me with innocent eyes as if she was anticipating me to do so, but I was hesitant to touch the piano.
I had not played the piano once since that festival.
“Fukase-kun, what’s wrong?”
I froze, and a concerned voice called out to me.
“No, it’s nothing…”
I was in a rush, remembering my failure, but it was nothing compared to that tense situation.
I just took a little break from the piano. I haven’t played for six months, but that doesn’t mean I can’t play anymore. I’ll just play a few bars quickly and show her.
Yayoi-chan is doing her best to make today’s date go well. She made herself smile so she wouldn’t glare at me. I know it must have been awkward for her to see her father, but she told me what she wanted to do.
I promised you earlier that I would make the date a success, too.
“Okay, I’ll play it.”
I looked at the keyboard from left to right, and finally found the middle “Do” and put my right thumb on it.
The piano felt cold and distant after six months of contact.
I let out a big breath and tried to play.
–Huh?
My fingers wouldn’t move.
–Why?
My mind went completely dark.
–What’s going on?
My hands are shaking.
─ ─ You’re kidding me, right ……?
I can’t play the piano?
“Hah”
I heard that sigh.
The sigh of regret that lingered in my mind, traumatized and bound to my body.
I could no longer play the piano.
“Fukase-kun…”
“I’m sorry, I just can’t remember the sheet music.”
I apologized to Yayoi-chan, forcing a smile and trying to eat it up.
“I-is that so?”
Yayoi-chan lowered her eyebrows apologetically, but did not hide her disappointed expression.
I shoved my trembling hands into my pockets so that they wouldn’t be seen.
“I haven’t been playing lately. So I forget how to play so easily.”
Yayoi-chan was looking forward to it, yet I lied and cheated her.
The moment I touched the piano, my fear returned.
What if I fail again? She would laugh at me. She would be disappointed.
Such fear made it impossible for me to play the piano.
“No, it’s fine, it’s fine! It’s my fault for asking you to do something like that out of the blue!”
Yayoi-chan waved her hands dejectedly, seemingly believing my lie.
When they realized I wasn’t going to play the piano, the people around me began to scatter as if they were out of patience.
I manage to catch my breath and try to shake off the unpleasant images in my head.
Why is this happening to me? I can’t believe I froze in front of the piano.
“I’m sorry…”
Yayoi-chan apologized once again. There was no longer any atmosphere of a date.
I was still reeling from the shock of not being able to play the piano, and Yayoi-chan was remembering how seeing her father had brought her back to reality, and we both
seemed to be thinking about different things.
“Shall we go home for today?”
“Yes.”
And so our first date came to an end.
It turned out to be just a date taking place in the morning, with a sweet and sour aftertaste.
TL: ”
ED: Spynine01