Barangay Silangan. One of the 15 Barangays located in the municipality of San Mateo which is known as the Mountain Biking Capital of the Philippines. Although this town isn't as big as the others, Silangan is known for it's blooming agriculture and the wonderful sceneries that lies within.
"I can't... I can't paint, not with this gustly wind."
Atop one of the towering mountains surrounding the Barangay of Silangan, a young man and a woman gazes at the beautiful sea of green, the skies dyed in blood-red, and the sun making it's way down to the horizon as it slowly retires for the day.
The two are competing with each other by making a picture involving the scenery surrounding them. But the afternoon gust proved too much for the young lady, stopping her picture half-way.
"I think I just hit the slump." The girl sighed with disappointment before shifting her gaze onto the young man on her right.
"I don't think you're in a slump, Ronalyn." Says the young man to the girl while keeping his attention to his canvas. "It's just that your way of making art is incorrect."
After making his last stroke with his brush, the youngman looked right into Ronalyn's round, magenta eyes, as though telling her to come close through their eye contact.
The young woman picked up the message and approached the young man. There, they stood side by side in front of the young man's art.
"Making pictures is not just admiring something and putting them into the canvas. It's also about conveying a message that we couldn't put into words." Said, the young man as his face turned bright red while looking at the picture.
"Kouei..."
Putting what Kouei said in her mind, she looked into the canvas, and her eyes widened in awe.
A picture of a young woman with the same figure as Ronalyn, standing atop the mountain, basking into the setting sun while beaming a cheerful, bright smile. The wispy clouds overhead bathed in a burning red. So are the grasses that wavered like dwarves dancing around snow white, while the chilling wind whispering through her ears moves her charcoal-black hair slightly, as though it was being carassed by a mystifying force.
"..."
No matter what part of the canvas she looked, there is no trace of any mistake that the gustly wind would have caused. Every single detail, every single stroke of Kouei's brush was done with extreme intricacy. But the most important part of the picture is the message that only Kouei could convey by making art into the canvas.
Everything about Kouei's picture are eye-catching, Ronalyn couldn't help but stare at it in awe. But among all the things that was made so beautifully inside this picture, the image of the young woman that looks exactly as her is the one thing that keeps her from averting her gaze from.
That's right. This art that the young man made is something that every normal people or viewers would find amazing and unique. But, they will never understand how the figure of the lady is so much more beautiful than everything surrounding her.
It's as if the the picture is saying:
"The sunset may be marvelous, the view of the mountainland may be beautiful, but the cheerful, bright smile you make will always be the most marvelous and beautiful thing than any scenery I have ever seen in this world."
As the words came across Ronalyn's mind, her face flushed red before bursting out into laughter.
"Kouei, you...!"
"W-why are you laughing?!" Kouei asked the young lady who continued laughing, ignoring what he asked.
Before long, Ronalyn slowly regained her composure and apologized.
"Sorry... I couldn't help myself." The girl told the young man as she wiped the liquid forming from the corners of her eyes.
"Ha? Why?"
"Sorry, it's just that you were much bolder than usual when it comes to art. I totally got caught off guard there."
Just then, Kouei realized that Ronalyn easily figured out the message he's trying to express towards the young woman through his art.
Hiding his flustered face, Kouei puts his attention to the red horizon. He then speaks in an awkward tone.
"You're reading onto things too quickly."
Ronalyn let out a hearty laugh before replying to the young man's remark.
"Of course, silly. I'm an artist, too. Only an artist can understand another artist, you know."
"Then why can't you reciprocate my feelings?"
That moment, the tone of Kouei's voice changes. And for the second time, he caught Ronalyn off guard. For a brief moment, the two hadn't said a word to one another, and the only thing that can be heard were the chilling whispers of the wind.
With a brittled smile towards Kouei, Ronalyn finally breaks the silence.
"Haven't I told you the answer before?"
"It's because we're still young and that we want to focus on our career."
"That's correct!"
With a disappointing sigh, Kouei walked passed his canvas and sat on the ground.
"We both liked each other and even confessed at the same time." Kouei uttered as he looks down with dejected eyes to the foot of the mountain where rows of houses covered with trees can be seen. "It's not like I'm being hasty or anything. I just don't understand why you don't want to go out with me... as your boyfriend."
As the words escaped Kouei's lips, the usual easy going smile in Ronalyn's face disappeared. And as though time had stopped, the young lady stood behind the young man in silence.
Ronalyn placed the palm of her right hand onto her chest, as though trying to supress her heart aching in pain. Yet again, she was caught off guard by Kouei.
However, as though hiding her face inside a mask, Ronalyn wears her usual bright smile once again and took her canvas.
"Being an artist is like being a different race with a different native language. The only way to articulate ourselves is by moving our brush and paint the canvas with our thoughts."
Ronalyn stood beside Kouei. Her bare legs standing right in front of his eyes, and if he looks up, he'll see what's underneath Ronalyn's waving white cotton skirt. The thought of seeing a woman's skin without permission causes him to retreat into gazing at the sunset.
"Y-Yeah... That's about right..."
""Making a picture is about conveying a message one cannot put with words." That in itself is true. But, through art, one can also express their feelings towards one another."
"Ronalyn? What are you getting at?"
The young girl sat close to the young man and pulled the canvas she's holding until now in front of them.
"This is?" Kouei asked Ronalyn in wonder.
"Just like how stand users attracts other stand users, only an artist can understand another artist's art." She replied. "That said, I want you to figure out what message I'm trying to express with my art. I want you to figure out what I feel with this picture."
"Are you being serious?" Kouei took the canvas from Ronalyn and holds it with his own hands. With a dumbfounded expression on his face, he continued to speak. "You expect me to figure out what you're trying to tell me by looking at an incomplete picture you make? Are you really serious or you're just messing around with me?"
"Being it incomplete doesn't mean it's meaningless." Ronalyn replied. "Relaying a message, or expressing your feelings aren't just seen in a full picture, if you look closely, you'll see that even a half-done art has it's own meaning."
"That's easier for you to say..." Kouei stated as he begin to pan his eyes onto the canvas, trying to understand what every detail means.
"Oh, are you saying you can't figure it out? You're free to forfeit, you know?"
"I'm looking at it!"
For a good long moment, Kouei looked at every nook of the canvas. But soon after, his face dropped onto his chest.
"Kouei?" Ronalyn called as Kouei reached the canvas to her.
"Take it."
"Oh, have you figured it out?"
Kouei stood up and stretched his left arm towards the sunset. Then as the wind blows stronger, he uttered:
"To wish for something impossible is like trying to reach the sunset with nothing but one's bare hands. No matter how high your hopes may reach, the impossible will always be impossible."
After a brief silence, Ronalyn stood up and told Kouei:
"It's wrong."
"I figured."
Both of them knew that the answer Kouei gave were not the message Ronalyn was trying to convey with her art. Given that they've already achieved their dream, and that is to show to the people the pictures they make. But...
"But, you're not quite far from the right answer."
"Really?" Ronalyn's remark had Kouei's brows curl up.
"Yes."
"Is there still something that you want to achieve?"
"Who knows?" Ronalyn jokingly replied, followed with a mischievous smirk.
"Come on, just tell me what it is!"
"Didn't you fail from figuring out the message hidden in my picture?"
Kouei flinched at Ronalyn's response, he was lost for words. Eventually, he decided to just let be and walk their way home.
"Forget it. Let's go home."
"So it's a draw then."
"What do you mean?"
Ronalyn reminded Kouei of their contest about making a picture in which he won. They had a deal that whoever loses will treat the other to the street food on their way back home.
"The contest! I won!" Kouei shouted. "You're treating me to some fish balls!"
"No, it's a draw." Said, Ronalyn.
"How come?!" The young man retorted.
Following what he said, Ronalyn told Kouei:
"You failed to figure out what the true message inside my picture is, that one is part of our contest."
"I don't remember adding that to our contest!" Kouei told the young lady. "Wait, so you did that just so that you can cheat your way out of defeat?!"
"Yes." She responded, followed with an innocent wide smile.
"You..."
"But what I said is true." She uttered. "There is a message hidden in my incomplete picture."
"Is that so?" Kouei responded with a doubtful tone as he gathered up his and Ronalyn's tools into a bag and folded both their canvas stands. "Let's go before it gets darker on the way."
Kouei was on his way to the path they took when suddenly Ronalyn asks him:
"Do you still want to figure it out?"
Kouei stopped on his tracks and turned around to see Ronalyn making her usual smile towards him. He took a sigh and then.
"What will I get?"
"A different answer."
"It might take a while for me to figure it out."
"Fine by me."
As the two had come to an agreement, Kouei extends his right arm to Ronalyn, as though telling her to give him the incomplete picture she made.
She went to Kouei and gave him her canvas. And as the sun dipped down to the horizon, the two makes their way down to the foot of the mountain of Tierra Monte Subdivision.
"Do you want me to carry the bag for you?" Ronalyn offered.
"I'm fine." He lied as naturally as he refused her offer. "You've got a bad asthma so you shouldn't be pushing your body too hard."
"But you're doing it yourself."
"I'm fine."
"If you say so."
Watching Kouei keeping a strong front while trying to carry everything by himself, Ronalyn picks up her phone and found a message from Chitanda that came at twelve noon.
"I got a message from Chitanda."
"Eh? What's it say?"
In reply to Kouei's question, Ronalyn began reciting what was said in the text.
"It said that Sano wanted to tell us about the ongoing virus outbreak in the mainland. He said that the administration are planning to put Metro Manila under lockdown starting March 12th."
"That's not good." Kouei stopped from walking forward. "There's no way that the virus would stay in the mainland for 6 more days. It's possible that the virus had already reached our barangay."
"It seemed like Sano thought the same thing and wanted us to be careful on our way back."
"Yes, let's make sure we don't approach anyone until we get home."
"Right."
Meanwhile, on that same afternoon. A young man and an adult lady alone inside the barangay council meeting room.
"Mmmp...!"
Sadako Sano finds himself trapped under Captain Risa's tight embrace as her rosy lips locked onto his.