"Hwaaah!"
I woke up from sleep, my phone's alarm was off ringing loudly in the morning. I had a dream, though I couldn't remember it.
I got up from my bed and stepped on something that sounded crunchy. Chips' wrappers littered my room's floor.
I remember eating a bunch last night, since drawing sometimes made me hungry.
"Damn, my room's all messed up again. Gotta clean up then."
I picked them up, then threw them in the bin. I then flipped the sketchbook closed.
I went to the bathroom to wash up, then changed into my uniform. I can smell food being cooked in the kitchen, so I hurried for a bite.
"Oh, Touma. You're up early today huh? What you hit your head or something?"
"Mom, what's dad talking about?"
"Nothing really. Come sit down, breakfast is ready."
"Hai-. Itadakimasu."
I sat to eat my fill of eggs and miso soup. A simple dish yet mom had made it with such exquisite taste as she always does when cooking.
"Gochisousama deshita."
I stood up and got my platter.
"Dad, you done too?"
"Ah, yes. Here you go."
I brought the plates to the sink. Mom was still cooking something. I don't know what it is but it smells really good.
"Mom, do you need help with the dishes?"
"I'm fine, just bring it to the sink, I'll handle it. You can go now."
"Alright then. Ittekimasu."
I went off to school. Nothing surprising has happened in my second year of high school. I'm always expecting something, or maybe even someone to liven up my days at school.
Maybe I should get a girlfriend.
No way that I can do that. Although there are plenty of cute and beautiful girls at my year, something about them doesn't really spark up my interests.
Besides, I can't really muster my confidence. I can't even talk to them first; they have to talk to me first so I can talk to them.
I think the only times when I talked to girls were the times I returned their notebooks.
I knitted my eyebrows at the thought.
"Touma-kun!"
I stopped for a bit, thought someone was calling me, but I didn't look so I continued walking.
"Oi! Touma-kun wait up!"
I stopped then finally looked behind me. It was just Seto-san.
"Why are you being so rowdy this early on the morning?"
She stopped in front of me to catch her breath. After a while she finally spoke.
"Geez, Touma-kun, can't even wait for a lovely girl?"
"It's not like we have go to school together, so I continued moving."
"Come on now. Don't you like it when girls walk with you?"
"Shut up."
"Look at you. You're blushing haha!"
I moved along and just ignored her.
"Hey, wait up!"
Thinking about, she's really cute, but I'm not head over heels for her. She's just a friend I've met since childhood days.
Looking at her, she's got a shortly cut hair, brown-coloured. A pretty fair complexion, slim yet she has a nice figure. Curves in where it should, curves out also where it should. Lastly she's got well-endowed breasts.
She's actually pretty small compared to me, only around my shoulder, I think.
"Hmm? What is it?"
This is bad, she caught me staring at her.
"What are you staring at me for? Could it be that you'd want to do something about my body?!"
She said with such a smug look on her face.
"Not even in your dreams."
"Hehe, come on, don't be shy."
"Look, if I wanna do something about you, I would've tied you up then ran away."
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, haha."
She laughed it off nonchalantly.
"By the way. How's your work going?"
"It's still as it is."
"I see. Do you need any help?"
"It's not like you could draw at all, but thanks anyway."
"Oi, what're you saying? Of course I can draw as well. Hmph!"
She turned away as she said that.
"Hai-, hai-."
We'd arrived at school. She didn't say a single word since I've said that to her when we were walking.
"Well then, I'm off for the club."
"Don't you have classroom duty today?"
"Do I?"
Now that I think about it, today's Thursday. It's my turn to clean up the room this early in the morning.
"Geez, you're really such a no-brainer."
"Why don't you help me out then?"
"Hmmm…"
She hummed while clapping her foot repeatedly to the ground.
"Fine, fine. Since I'm such a good friend, I'll help you out. But just this once okay?"
"Thank you very much for your help."
I bowed and said that, but we just laughed it off both and went to our classroom. She's been helping me for quite some time now. Actually, we've been classmates since middle school.
She'd done me a lot of favour already that I've already lost count. I've been asking for help since then but I don't think I've ever done something for her to somehow return the favour.
"I'm heading to our clubroom now. Do you still need help?"
"I'm fine already, and thanks for the help. I'll just be cleaning the board then I'm done."
"Hai-. See you in class later then."
With that, she took off and went to the Jazz Club. She said wanted to try different sorts of club rather than stick to one only.
Must've been difficult for her since she's got totally no knowledge of musical instruments, but I still feel happy for her because she's always doing her best even though she's encountering something new.
"That ought to be enough."
I finished cleaning up the board with a rag. With a feeling of excitement. I left the room and went to the clubroom.
"This time I'm really gonna finish my drawings for the club activities."
*
There's really nothing exciting about going to clubroom and do some painting or drawing or whatnot.
"Good morning ever-…"
Being the only member and all, this really kills my motivation to draw.
"Oh yeah, I remember no one really applied for this club aside from me."
Suddenly, my excitement turned to boredom and I just sat in a chair and literally stared at a blank page of my sketchpad.
"What a way to curb your enthusiasm alright."
When will this club ever have new members? Is no one really that eager or might at least try to learn something about the goodness of capturing the moment and turning it into a fine piece of art?
I laid my head down the table hoping students will open that damned door.
"Hey, I'd like to join your club!"
"Really?!"
I immediately rose from my seat and handed out the application form to the student applying.
"Welcome to the Arts Club!"
I screamed at him. Full of joy with the kind words I've just heard.
"I hope to work well with you in the future!"
*
Haha, I thought. If it really was that easy to find new members.
"Please join the Arts Club."
I said softly while I was still lying down on my head. This kind of mood is the reason why I get to barely do my activities here at this club.
"Please join the Arts Club."
I repeated that line back and forth still hoping that students will come and open that door. I doubt they could even hear me.
"Please join the Arts Club."
"Uhm, excuse me…"
"Please join this club already."
"I-I-is this the Arts Club?"
"Huh? Who are you"
I replied to the voice that I heard. I think she's trying to ask me something, but this mood I'm in right now literally made me dumbfounded and unable to respond.
"I was said that this is the arts club. That's why I was asking if I could join this club."
Then it finally struck me. There was someone by the door, a girl to be precise. Did she just tell me that she wanted to join the club?
I honestly thought this girl was just lost and asking for directions, so I didn't really pay much attention to her.
"I think I should just come back later."
She said that and she turned away. Finally, I realized what was going on so I stood immediately.
"Wait!"
I called unto her hoping she would change her mind about leaving.
"Heeh!"
She jumped back a bit. I must've surprised her to give quite an expression,
"T-this is the Arts Club. Is there something that I could do for you?"
Looking at her, she had long straight and dark-coloured hair. Her eyes, they were as the same color as her hair, but they were shining as if light rightly shone on some gems and they were sparkling.
She'd just stood there frozen as if inside a freezer box or something like that.
"Who are you anyway?"
I asked her calmly this time, hoping that I could get a decent response from her.
"Me-uh. I-uh. M-my name is…"
*
I was in a dark place again. Alone and have no idea where in the world am I, or am I even in the same world for that instance?
"Touma-kun!"
I heard something, or someone calling out to me, but the voice was very faint I barely heard it right.
"Touma-kun! Wake up already! Geez, it's only morning. You're dozing off already?"
I opened my eyes and saw Seto-san poking at me to see if I was already awake.
I rubbed my eyes to get a clear view of what's around me, thankfully it was just our classroom.
"Uhh, what happened?"
"What happened? You happened to ask for my help cleaning up but then you suddenly took a seat."
She was explaining it to me like she was sarcastic and all, or maybe she was actually furious that I just dozed off after asking her for help.
"The moment I looked back, you were already dozing off!"
"Oh yeah? I don't quite remember what happened."
"Doesn't matter, just help me wrap things up."
I stood up from where I was sitting to help throw out the trash away.
She let out a sigh as I approached her.
"You're such a handful as always."
"Hmm, what was that?"
"Nothing, really. Here throw this out away will you?"
I grabbed the bag containing the trash she'd cleaned up for me. I kinda feel embarrassed now after I asked her to help me clean up. I ought to help her even by just throwing this pile of garbage away.
"Uh, sure, no problem."
I head outside the room to do what she was asking me to do. In the corner of my eye, I saw Seto-san leave the room as well, maybe to clean up after all that mess.
She's always so nice and considerate of me. Always helping me when I seem to need it, it kinda makes her have an "older sister" feel when I think I about it.
At first, we weren't very close at all. She would ignore me most of the time back when we were still in middle school.
I think the only time I got to talk at her was when our teacher was scolding her because she got low marks on our quiz for that subject. Because she was fast asleep during that period, and had no notes. So after that, I lent mine to her.
I heard the school bell ring.
"What?! It's already time?! I'm gonna be late if I don't hurry!"
I threw the bag I was holding at the huge bin in front of me and hurried back to our classroom upstairs.
"Oh you're back already. What took you so long, you were just throwing the bag away."
Just in time before the teacher arrived, I managed to enter the room.
I was still catching my breath from all that running. Apparently I didn't have that much stamina and that running wore me out pretty quickly.
"I-hah-hah-hah. Had some-hah… never mind."
The teacher was already in front when I noticed, so I quickly went for my seat. He happens to be quite ill-tempered for late and rowdy students.
"Be seated and be quiet you damn kids!"
Everyone immediately ran for their seats and shut their mouths shut.
"You'll be having a new classmate starting from today. So treat her well."
Murmuring suddenly spread across the room, talking about what kind of student will the transferee be.
"Alright, come on in."
A girl walked into the room. The moment she entered. I suddenly had this feeling that I had seen her before. Long dark hair, and dark eyes. A slender body that looked like it was gonna fall come a strong blow of wind. Nevertheless, she was really beautiful with her bangs almost covering her eyes.
"Introduce yourself to the class, young lady."
"Uhm. Yes sir."
She was pretty shy, but who wouldn't be when asked to talk in front of a crowd.
"M-my name is Yamamoto Yui. I hope to work well with you in the future."
With a short introduction, she bowed her head, and everyone clapped their hands.
It was like a dream, the world suddenly started to move slowly. It was such a vivid one that it seemed too real to be true. Sadly, it was not. It all happened at that short duration.
I caught myself staring at her. It feels like the world around me had come to a halt. There was just something about her that made me feel this way.
"Alright, go sit in the back chair over there."
She started walking. Towards me actually. Okay, that's just being too presumptuous of me. I was still looking at her. I realize she's going to be sitting beside me.
I've read some books to know how cliché this scene is right now! Finally realizing that I was looking at her like a creepy guy, she took a quick glance at me, then quickly looked away.
I don't know about it, I'm feeling kinda hot right now.
Wait, don't tell me… What's this?! Is this how it feels like to be flustered?! That seems to be the case right now.
I don't know, but I guess sitting beside a pretty girl usually turns out this way. For most cases anyway.
I didn't want to look like a creepy guy so I also turned my gaze away from her. Now that she's seated beside me, I kinda feel anxious about things from here onwards.
"H-hey, I'm Takahashi Touma. N-nice to meet you."
I said that with a smile in my face, but I think she'll be just creeped out by it. At least I tried my hardest to break the tension.
"Mhmm."
That's it. That's the only response I got from her. She didn't even try to look towards my seat. Her hands were tucked between her legs.
I guess she's really shy.