Chapter 2

"Saki, good morning!" Chiyu greeted me as I went out of the house

"Good morning!" I greeted and walked to him

As if on cue, we saw Clyde getting out of the house, "Clyde!" We called him

He waved at us and we started walking, "We got up pretty early today" I said

"I have the sudden urge to walk to school" Chiyu said

I nodded in agreement, "I miss walking" I said

As we got out of the neighborhood and saw the crosswalk, we also saw Takashi at the other side,

"Takashi!" We all called him

We saw him jumped by surprise and when his eyes saw eyes, he smiled and waved at us

I heard Chiyu mumbled something under his breath, and so, I turned to him and asked

"Oh, nothing, I said the enforcer is taking too long to let us cross" he said

I nodded and on cue, we can already cross and we ran towards him

He was wearing a black kind of jacket but he was removing it and putting it in his bag

Chiyu pulled him and wrapped his arms around his neck so I decided to let them bond a little

I walked beside Clyde and we're completely talking about mangas we're talking about

"My mom told me to sell the hard copies of mangas I have at home since I can read online, but those are merch" I whined

"I know, right? Mama also wants to sell the mangas" Clyde agreed

I turned to Takashi and Chiyu and I saw them with their serious faces

I'm curious, what's with the serious face this early in the morning?

"What's wrong?" Clyde asked

I turned to him and shrugged, "Chiyu and Takashi have serious faces this early in the morning, so I'm just curious what's up" I said

"Maybe something's wrong with their group?" Clyde asked

"Group?" I asked

"Did you forget that Chiyu has a group of friends? And they often get in fight with some students" Clyde reminded me

"Oh! Was it serious?" I asked

He laughed at me, "Seriously? You know how Chiyu loves annoying students, but Chiyu hasn't been at it for awhile now" he said

"Now that I remembered, we would go home without him before" I said

He hummed in response, "That was Chiyu back when he thinks that being in a fight with students makes him a badass"

"But, he has female admirers" I said and laughed

"Good for him, especially now that he's a good guy" he agreed

I checked the time on my wrist watch and we still have a lot of time to walk to school

"Hey! So, how about eating at a new café after class?" Chiyu said to us as he wrapped his arms around Clyde

"There's a new one?" I asked

Chiyu nodded and pointed at the café not far from where we are walking

"Is it not expensive there?" I asked

He shook his head, "No, I know the owner, don't worry" Chiyu said

"Who?" I asked

"A friend of ours" Takashi said beside me

I turned to him, "Alright, but I have to practice later, how's that?" I asked

"We can stop by shortly and come back" Chiyu said

"I can comeback because I have practice, but you guys can't" I said and laughed

"Then let's say, we're part of the dance" Chiyu suggested

"Oh, shut up" I answered

"Come on! Leave everything to me" he said and flipped his imaginary long hair

I shook my head and just laughed at him

"Is that what you're talking about awhile ago? You guys had serious faces on" I asked Takashi

I saw him widened his eyes a bit, a sign that he was taken aback by what I asked but his eyes calmed down

"Well, yes, also about a friend" he said

"Do you get in fights, too?" I asked

"What made you think so?" he asked

"Chiyu gets in a fight all the time" I said

He smiled, "Do you think I get in fights?" he asked

I stared at him, carefully weighing what he's thinking

"You're the calmed down type, but I don't think you back down in fights" I answered

"Well, to explain the mystery, Chiyu and I met through his best of friend, me and his friend made a group, you know, to signify our friendship" he explained

"So, you guys are troublemakers?" I asked

"Well, no-

"Don't worry, it's pretty normal here, there are a lot of troublemakers especially in school" I said

"Is it, fine with you?" he asked

I smiled, "Just don't get hurt" I said

He smiled and messed my hair, "Hey!" I exclaimed and fixed it

Takashi Ryusei, a lavender-haired guy with shaved eyebrows and black earring, he's a nice guy but a troublemaker

"Takashi" I called him

"Hmm?" he asked

"You aren't in some kind of fraternity, are you?" I asked

He stopped walking and I turned to look at him

He is staring at me, with his eyes being a question to me

Why is his eyes showing me fear?

"No, just a group of friends thinking we're badasses when fighting" he assured me

Not satisfied with the answer, I reached out my pinky to him, "I'm doing this because I'm not satisfied, just promise me" I said

He carefully wrapped his pinky around mine, "I promise" he said in a soft voice

I smiled and pulled him with me as we entered the school building

Whatever that is, I sure hope nothing's bad

Knowing Japan, being a mafia, a yakuza or a gangster is a thing here, you never know, the person you normally talk to can be someone who's dangerous

And that's what I'm scared of

I don't know if Takashi can someone be dangerous, but I'm sure this warmth he have doesn't mean he can be

Or is he?

I looked at Chiyu who's cheerfully greeting people he knows

I'm worried

"Saki" Takashi called out

I looked at him and he showed his wrist that I'm holding and so I let him go

"Goodluck with school" he cheered me

"Wait, you don't school here?" I asked

"What do you mean? He's already in college" Chiyu said

My mouth dropped and he laughed, "Wait, you thought I'm only 17?" Takashi asked

"I t-thought…" I muttered

"Come on! You're not properly introducing yourself to my friend!" Chiyu said to Takashi and playfully smacked him

He rubbed the back of his head, "I'm Takashi Ryusei, 21 years old, and I'm currently studying civil engineering" he said

My eyes widened, "W-what?" I asked confused

Chiyu laughed and wrapped his arms around me, "B-but you're the same height as Chiyu" I pointed at them

"Come on, by the color of his hair, you can already tell that he's older because it's not allowed for us highschoolers" he said

I blinked my eyes repeatedly, "Oh gosh! And I'm not calling you with any respect!" I exclaimed in fear

"No, no! It's fine, really!" he said and smiled

Takashi Ryusei, a lavender-haired guy with shaved eyebrows and black earring, is 21 years old and is studying civil engineering

All-along I thought he's the same age as us

Chiyu pulled me along with him to go to our building

"Sorry for that, Takashi doesn't really talk about his life, unless you ask him to, well, a typical matured someone" he said

I nodded, still in daze, "You sure he's 21? I don't think so" I asked

"He is, he is" he assured

"How about your friend?" I asked

"My who?" he asked

"Best of friend?" I asked

"Oh! Kei? He's the same age as Takashi" he said

"How come you're friends with people older than you?" I asked in shocked

He laughed, "Age doesn't matter when it comes to guys, especially when it's a bond, come on, I have a lot of friends my age too, but it just so happens that I'm close with Kei eversince" he said

"How come I never met this 'Kei' you're talking about?" I asked

He looked at me wih dismayed, "Really? You already forgot about him?" he asked

I looked at him confusedly, "What?" I asked

"Come on! He's the long-haired kid we used to play with, remember?" he asked

And like a light bulb lit up, I remembered

"Oh, him!" I exclaimed

"See? Work on those memories, you seem to forget everything" he joked and I pushed him away from me

"See you after school!" he waved and went to his room

"Hoy! What took you so long?" Clyde called me from inside the room

"You're already here?" I asked

"It's because I thought you guys were following me" he said

I settled my bag down and sat on my chair

I fished out my phone and opened my photos to see the album I have of me and Chiyu

As I was about to look at the pictures, our teacher came so I had to keep my phone

"Saki!" Chiyu called out

"Hey!" I went to him, "I told our coordinator that I need to buy food so that I don't have to go out later when I practiced" I told him

"Come on!" Clyde said and we went on our way

We told the guard about where we are going so that he would let us in again

In Japan, you can't stay inside the school premises after class unless there is club meetings or activities or you have a night-class

Most students stay on the study hall or library when exams are nearing so that's the only time we're allowed to stay for long

Along walking, we saw Takashi waiting for us

"Takashi!" Chiyu called out

With a phone in his hand, he looked at us and he waved

"Wait" I told Chiyu

"Hm?" he asked

"So, Kei is the owner of the café?" I asked

He nodded, "Come on! He already wants to see you and Clyde!" he said

"I haven't seen Kei for so long" Clyde said while walking

"Oh, Saki already forgot about Kei if I haven't reminded her" Chiyu said

They laughed at him and I rolled my eyes

"Let her off the hook, she always forgets things" Clyde said

I nodded in agreement, "Come on! You guys always forget when my birthday is!" I said

"No, I don't" Chiyu defended

"Yes, you do" I answered

"Yeah, you didn't greet her happy birthday last year because you forgot" Clyde told him

I laughed at the facial expression he made

"I can't believe you guys are ganging up on me" he said in dismayed

"Oh, shut up" I answered

We saw the café and there are a lot of students that are inside

"Whoah" I said in awe

"I know, right?" Chiyu agreed

And there, I saw a guy taller than Chiyu and Takashi, with a shoulder length hair

"Kei!" Chiyu called out

He turned around and waved at us, we went to him and Chiyu and Kei hugged each other

"Stop, you guys see each other everyday" Takashi said

And seeing Kei, memories keep flashing back and I felt really alive

"Keisuke!" I called him

He turned to me and laughed, "Raeniel!" He called out

He pulled me into a tight hug, "Gosh! It's good to see you!" he exclaimed

"Your hair is still long!" I said

He pulled away from the hug, "How's ma and pa?" he asked

"They're doing fine, you should visit us, they're already tired of seeing Chiyu everyday" I said

He then proceeded on head-locking Clyde, "You're growing fast" he said to him and Clyde only laughed

I smiled at our mini-reunion, "Let's go inside, shall we?" he asked us and as we went in the café is really cute inside

It's pretty spacious and a lot of people are there, "If you want to work here, I am certainly happy to accept you, we could use some helpful hands too" he said

We went on the table reserved for us, "Go on and order what you want, I'll be talking with a few people" Kei said and waved at us

Chiyu and Clyde talked about what to order while I'm gawking at the sight, "I love the pastel colors" I said

"He's been planning on making this eversince, I'm glad seeing his dream come true" he said

I nodded, "I remember he would play tea time with me back when we were kids, and we would play with sands, leaves and twigs acting like its our food" I said and chuckled

"Saki, carbonara for you and java chips?" Chiyu asked

I nodded, "We should eat fast" I said

They called a waiter to get our foods

"Should we eat here everyday after-school?" I asked them

"Sure, for a change of place, we always eat at the store" Clyde said

I laughed at his remark

We finished eating and ordered take-outs because my practice will take long

"Kei, thank you! It's delicious!" I told him

"Goodluck on your practice!" he waved goodbye

We walked fastly, "Sheesh, what time is it?" I asked them

"6pm, or past 6" Chiyu guessed

We reached the school and the guard let us in and we ran to our danceroom

I opened it, "Alright, settle down" I told them

I took the clothes in the locker and went to the shower room to change

"What are you going to dance?" Clyde asked as they are sitting on the floor

"It's a contemporary dance, though our coordinator said I might have to dance with a partner" I said as I walked out and started doing stretches

"Have you already completed the routine?" Chiyu asked

I nodded, "I'm going to show you the masterpiece, just let me stretch for awhile" I said

"We're the first ones to see this, watch closely Takashi, watch her make you fall inlove with her" I heard Clyde said and I only laughed at them

He's quietly watching what I'm doing, and honestly, a new friend watching me kinds of makes me want to just faint but I need to let them see so I know what I have to change

And then, I got the music ready

I positioned myself and the music started

(Play tsuiraku by centimillmental)

As the song is playing, I did my choreography and danced to it full of emotions and elegance

The song is about how we should let our emotions show because we are people, not perfect, full of flaws

I did the stunts well and I can hear them exclaiming in shock because even after all the years they are watching me dance, they are still in fear of me doing the wrong stunt and might injure myself

I can see their faces smiling and Takashi's face being surprised at how I can dance

"Don't stare too much" I heard Chiyu said and I wanted to laugh but I'm dancing

I can hear Chiyu and Clyde singing along because it's a song they know too

As the song finished, they all clapped

I bowed at them, "How is it?" I asked

They all gave me a thumbs up except for Takashi who's stuck staring at me

"Should I change some steps?" I asked

Chiyu bumped his shoulder, "Told you, you'll fall in love" he said

I laughed at him and Takashi blinked his eyes, "So?" I asked him

"Uh" he muttered

"Confirmed, Takashi's in love!" Clyde exclaimed

He rubbed his left ear and I saw it turned red, I smiled

Chiyu is playfully staring at him, "You do that when you're shy" he pointed out

"No, I don't" he said in a sofr voice

"You are, uh, b-beautiful when you d-dance" he stuttered and Chiyu and Clyde laughed

"Come on, you're embarrassing him!" I scolded them

He covered his mouth with his back hand and he's cute when he's caught off guard

"So, what's the practice for? You already perfected it?" Chiyu asked

"Well, our coordinator said I might dance with a partner, you see, in the school's event, I would dance the opening, and then would dance again with a partner, and our group, I think" I said and sat down in front of them

"So, you're going to create a dance with a partner, now?" Clyde asked

I nodded, "I need to show them something so that we won't waste time brainstorming for choreography" I said

"How about Yorugaakeru?" Chiyu suggested

"Right, while you're at it, choose any songs of Centimillimental" Clyde suggested

"Should I choose Eve's Ao no waltz?" I asked them

"You can, you can also choose Yoasobi's Probably" Chiyu said

I nodded and got my phone, and started playing Yorugaakeru

"But, don't you think it's hard, this is a band song" I said while the song is playing

"How about you choose something foreign? It won't be bad letting the students hear a foreign song, right?" Takashi suggested

"Right, right!" Clyde agreed

I stared at them, "Should I just let the coordinator pick a song and just practice on what I'm dancing?" I asked them

"Your choice" Takashi said

"Yeah, and maybe you should add more" Chiyu suggested

"Alright" I said and decided to practice on my dance

"Man, I'm tired" I said while we are walking

"Told you we should have just rode the bus" Clyde said

"But I also want to walk" I said

"Are you tired?" Takashi asked

I nodded, "My feet is, but I can still walk" I said

He suddenly crouched down, "Come on, let me carry you" he said

"It's fine" I said in embarrassment

"Hurry" he said as he removed the blazer he is wearing and handed it to me

"Tie it in your waist" he said

I nodded and do as he said and let him carry me on his back

"Are you seriously this light weight?" he asked, surprised

"What? Chiyu doesn't want to carry me because he said I'm heavy" I whined

"It's because you are heavy" Chiyu answered

"Lies" I said

We walked quietly in the peaceful night of Shibuya

I smiled, and quietly inhaled Takashi

"You're getting addicted to smelling me, don't you?" he asked

"No, I'm not" I defended

He chuckled

"Takashi, why don't you let your hair black, instead of lavender? You look like a delinquent" I said

"He looks handsome, he sways women with that, don't you know?" Chiyu praised

"I'm not talking to you, Chiyu" I told him

He rolled his eyes at me and I laughed

As we reached home, we quietly bid our goodbyes and I went inside

I went straight to my room and showered, I'm so beat today