Dear Friends,
Looks like the fic will be even longer than I initially thought it would be...
@Janix123: Hmm... Guess you'll still need to wait for a couple chapters or so for the reason... hehe... How did it feel, starting a new semester by reading fanfics? *chuckle*
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STRANGERS (4)
Shimazaki Haruka took a deep breath. Almost five hundreds stone steps were laid in front of and up above her. Did she really want to do this again? Was it really necessary? She started to have doubts. But, then, as she held onto the railing tight, what happened earlier that afternoon was replayed in her mind.
The school had ended for the day. She was walking in the hall way, trying to decide whether she should wait for her father so they could go home together or just went on ahead. While she was still thinking, she heard some music coming from somewhere. Since she didn’t have anything to do at the time, she let her curiosity lead her to a small room right next to the music room. A worn out yellowish paper was pasted on the door. Light Music Club—those were the words printed on the paper.
The door was only closed half way. She could take a look inside from the gap between the sliding door and the door frame. There were only three people there: Yamamoto Sayaka who was playing a guitar, Watanabe Milky who was singing while doing some amusing poses, and… Yokoyama Yui on the drum. It’s not Yokoyama’s presence that caught Haruka by surprise. It was the expression on the girl’s face. She had never seen the girl smiling widely, left alone laughing out loud like she did with Sayaka and Milky that afternoon. Absent-mindedly, Haruka started to lean on the door frame, watching the whole performance in front of her eyes. Then, in one of her twirls, Milky spotted her leaning there.
“Ah, Paruru! What are you doing there? Come on in and join us!” Milky said while approaching Haruka, trying to pull her in.
Just like that and the expression on Yokoyama’s face changed 180 degrees. No more laugh. The smile was completely gone. Just like Sayaka, she stopped playing right when Milky stopped singing along. But, at least, Sayaka welcomed her and asked her to sing with them as well. Yokoyama was not.
“Ah, it’s all right… I really can’t sing,” she said, sensing the awkward change in the atmosphere.
“Now, now… Don’t be shy,” Milky smiled.
Haruka shook her head, trying to change the topic by saying, “I didn’t know you all are in the light music club.”
“We’re not!” Milky said and laughed.
“Eh?”
“There was a light music club here once,” Sayaka tried to explain, “But, the members had either been graduated or already in their third year and are really busy with their study. When I heard about it, I asked one of the
sempai and she said that it’s okay if we want to use the room and the instruments.”
“Sayanee here wants to revive the club, but we don’t have enough people to do so,” Milky added.
“I see.”
“Since you said you can’t sing, do you play any instrument, Shimazaki-san?” Sayanee asked.
“Eto… My father taught me to play the piano when I was little. So,…”
“Eee? Really?” Sayaka exclaimed excitedly, her eyes were full of hope.
“You should join us, Paruru! We actually have a keyboard, waiting to be played!” Milky chimed in.
“Eeh? But,… I can’t actually play well…,” Haruka hesitated while sneaking some glances to Yokoyama who had been silent all the time.
“It will be okay! Right, Yui-han?” Sayaka asked, looking back at Yokoyama.
“…It’s up to her,” the girl said without looking at Haruka.
“Yui-han here can actually play many different instruments! She can teach us if we want!” Milky tried to assure Haruka while holding both of her hands.
“Eeh? Is it…,” Haruka took another glance at Yokoyama, “…really okay?”
Sayaka and Milky nodded vigorously. Both were giving her the puppy dog eyes—something she could not really resist. She tried to look at Yokoyama, trying to see her reaction, but the girl was looking at her phone.
“If that is so…”
Right when Haruka was about to give her answer, Yokoyama stood up and started to gather her bag.
“Sorry, Girls. I really need to go back to the student council room now.”
Just like that and the girl left. Milky could only look at the girl’s retreating back, dumbfounded. She started to question what Yokoyama Yui’s problem was while Sayaka tried to calm her down.
Haruka felt really bad. She believed that Yokoyama was leaving so abruptly because she was there. Sayaka, who seemed to understand what was going through Haruka’s mind, tried to assure her that she shouldn’t mind Yokoyama. The girl had always been like that and it didn’t mean that she disliked her—or so Sayaka said.
Shimazaki Haruka tightened her grip on the railing. She honestly liked the girls’ performance that afternoon. It seemed really fun and—although she couldn’t really sing well—it would be nice if she could join in. But, she would not be able to do that if Yokoyama still treated her like a stranger—and avoided her like the plague. So, sooner or later, they needed to talk. If the girl treated her like that in school, she thought, coming to the shrine might change that attitude and they would be able to have a nice conversation—just like they once had, weeks ago.
Was that all? Haruka had started to climb the first stone step when the question crossed her minds. Was that the only reason she wanted to climb those stone steps once again? Wasn’t it more because of the increase in her heart beat whenever their eyes met? Wasn’t it more because of the pain she felt in her chest whenever the girl ignored her? Wasn’t it more because she longed to see that smile again—the warm smile she once showed her when she visited the shrine?
Haruka shook her head, trying to wipe the thoughts away. She didn’t want to think too much about it. She didn’t want to think about what it might actually mean. She was ready to continue climbing the stone steps again. But, a voice made her stop in her track.
“What are you doing here?”
She turned around to see Yokoyama standing at the bottom of the stone steps, still in her school uniform. Haruka’s heart started to race. The pain started to come back as well,
“So, it was really you…,” Haruka said in a whisper.
The girl raised one of her eyebrow a little, unable to understand what Haruka was saying.
“It’s a long way up. You may get injured if you force yourself to climb the stairs again.”
The words were kind, but the expression was not. It was cold—even colder than the wind that was blowing that late afternoon.
“I come to see you. We need to talk,” Haruka said, determination was in her eyes.
“You don’t have to come all the way here for that. You can see me at school,” the girl started climbing the stone steps herself.
“But, you didn’t want to talk to me at school!”
The words stopped Yokoyama in her track, just a few steps up from where Haruka was standing.
“You didn’t even want to look at me at school. You acted like I wasn’t there. You acted like you can’t stand being in the same room with me. What did I do? Did I do anything wrong? If I did, I am really sorry. But, you need to say it. I can’t understand anything if you don’t say anything to me!”
Yokoyama didn’t move, nor did she say a word.
“I just want us to be friends…”
Haruka was on the verge of crying. She didn’t really like to show any emotion to anyone. But, right then and there, she felt like her heart was about to burst. She didn’t like what she felt. She felt hurt. She just wanted the pain to go away.
“…I don’t want any friend.”
Yokoyama finally said without looking her way.
“But,… But, you are friends with Sayaka and Milky!”
“They are rare exceptions.”
“Can’t I?” Haruka dislike the tone of begging in her voice, but she continued, “Can’t I also be included in that exception?”
There was silence.
“…No.”
The plain rejection hit Haruka hard. She could feel the tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. She looked to the ground, not wanting Yokoyama to see her tears—just in case the girl decided to turn around to face her.
“Is that all?”
Haruka didn’t give any answer to that question voiced by Yokoyama.
“If you want to pray at the shrine, I’ll help you to climb the stairs. But, if you don’t…,” Yokoyama turned her head to the side, “Please go home.”
That was it. That was the last straw that toppled the pile of emotions she held back. If her heart was a cup, it was the last drop of water that filled it before the contents went overflowing.
“I’m sorry for bothering you then,” she said, swallowing back a sob that threatened to escape from her throat.
Right after she said those words, she turned and walked away. She didn’t want Yokoyama to hear her crying. So, after a few steps, she walked faster, and then she ran to her car, to the driver who had been waiting for her a bit further from the stairs. Unbeknownst to Haruka, the other girl on the top of the stone steps was tightening her fists, also trying her best to hold back her tears.
To be continued...-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End note:
I'm thinking of changing the PoV in the next chapters since I guess I'll need it in order to reveal the reason behind Yui's attitude. But, I can actually stick with Paruru's PoV to do that as well.... Hmm... I don't know. I'm not sure which will be more interesting... What do you think, Friends?
Topic: YONJUHACHI JOGAKUEN (SayaMilky, YuiParu, YuriAnnin+) [Ch. Update: March 4, 2019] (Read 48438 times)