The day comes by, yet I see nothing that resembles Yui in the cafeteria. She even misses the meeting and has not visited the council, but the girl has passed her work on time, so there is not a thing that we should worry about for the month.
We have nothing dire that we need to sign, compile, or work on for the time being. All we need to do-as officers-is to sit tight and wait for further announcements coming from the Dean.
However, that lax motive is not for everyone, since Nickson and I are in a heated battle. We need to do something in our drafts that will satisfy Nickson and professor Benjamin.
If I hit a bottleneck in my writing, I go out for a walk or to a place I have not visited. I could also do things that are different for me or a hobby that I would pick and never touch it again once I type my chapters. At the end of a tiring day, I do something fresh that will energise my slumping brain.
I flip my phone and open and call my best friend, Roxanne, and see what she is up to for today. As the cellular phone rings, my best friend answers.
"Yahoo, what is up!"
"Do you want to hang out later this evening?" I ask while walking forward towards the gate.
"If you are going with me, then what time do you want to leave?"
"I really loved to, but I am busy right now, Yuki," Roxy interjects and flops the paper on her desks.
My hands nudge the door and slide, diverge it apart. With my feet stepping outside, I continue to reply.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. We could next time after compiling these documents." She says.
"For how long?"
A long pause enters through our phone call as Roxanne counts the days by mumbling the dates. With a sudden gasp, she gives me an answer.
"About a week and a half."
I accept her offer and turn my smartphone off and place it in my pocket. As I look around, the cars continue bustling by, with all the workers getting out of their jobs. With the stoplight turning green, I move forward to the road.
My desk is always spotless, considering the work I finish. There is not a day that I neglect my duties because I am one and bound myself with responsibilities! The contract and office work does not affect me, even with the quizzes coming next week.
I use my free time studying books; academically related or not, it does not matter. All these volumes have information that I can use as a reference. The more books I read, the better; that is what I always say during online interviews with my fans.
Now that I need to improve something in my writing, my feet want to go somewhere. Benjamin has mentioned yesterday that I need to create an emotional outcome for my novels. But I know my books depict the gruesome image of bloodshed and decapitated limbs lying on the ground.
Some people even describe my novels as breathtaking and hellish. Billions of them have already complained about their frightening demeanour. Every time my books get featured in various media, they usually report to children to avoid touching my stories at all costs when the opportunity arises. Those sorry suckers would regret reading it, eventually.
It is unfair, but I understand their point.
The only rollercoaster events of switching emotions or personalities are in my novel when I make the villain or serial killer more psychotic and murder everyone for revenge. That even will make the heroes realise that they have fallen into my trap!
My story ends there. I have nothing to offer besides crimson blood splattering people on their faces like the masochist these readers are.
After deciding where to eat, I stroll down the park and look around. Akachochin lanterns greet my eyes, with the Izakayas lined up on the streets. The sun has set from the west, and the moon rises from the east. With the chilly waves creeping on my skin, I tuck my uniform and head towards a warm place.
Without looking, I sneak inside a building and smell the caramelised and almost nutty flavour of coffee and drinks mixed with the air. The sounds surrounding me turn into stimulating jazz, with the trumpet, saxophone, piano, and other instruments mashing together, forming a relaxing tune.
I peer my eyes open and discern the painting hanging above the brown-looking walls. It brings an intangible feeling as if I am inside the setting of the illustration. With the calming atmosphere surrounding me, I sit on the chair and wait for someone to tend to my needs.
"One iced coffee, please." I raise my hand and tell my order.
The server, wearing white sleeves and a black vest at the counter, lists my beverage that suits my taste in the tiny pad he has.
With a nod, the barista rings the bell and carries on to make the caffeine almost in an instant. He slides the iced coffee towards my side and asks me if I want to add more milk and sugar.
I give him the okay sign and watch him do his things. After a few moments, he comes back and offers me a container with Gomme syrup and points at my drink. It is a drink sweetener commonly used instead of simple syrup in many classic recipes in Japan.
The man thanks me and bows his head as he receives the bill I place on the table.
I realise that going here and drinking coffee is a mistake. I should have been writing my chapters or visiting places in Tokyo instead of perching here inside the quiet cafe.
My mood changes as I glance at my side and notice a recognisable girl drinking the same iced coffee gripping in my hands.
The girl looks at her side and catches me gawking at her figure. As a Japanese, she reacts and averts her gaze, with her legs ready to dash straight at the ingress.
Fortunately for me, I stand up and go to her side and mention her name.
"It is nice to see you here, Yui!"
The shy girl puffs out a shriek and almost shakes the glass out of her hands. After soothing herself down, she exhales and looks at the ground.
"It is nice to see you too," Yui greets back.
She has a weak voice and a bashful personality, especially when I have first met her inside the canteen. I move towards the chair beside her and drink my coffee. She shuffles to the side with her back in front of me.
"I do not look scary now, do I?"
"No, you don't!" Yui retorts."
She stumbles to turn to me and gives me a faint smile. I exchange her glee and offer my glass.
"Cheers."
"Cheers?" She asks.
"For better officer years!"
I move my glass to hers and produce a clanking sound against each cup. Yui becomes surprised at the sudden actions and makes her jolt back, grabbing the ends of the table.
For the entire night, we spend time together talking about nonsense things happening in the council room. She expresses her experience of how quiet the room is when Roxanne and I are not on our chairs.
She also voices out her complaints about Nickson not showing up in the earlier days of our work.
Although she did not have any work that affected her from his absence last four weeks ago, Yui was still dubious about his personality.
Yui also mentions that she has just joined the drama club but feels discouraged from attending the sessions. She has already missed two days of the meeting, so she thinks it is better to leave the group for good.
"A part of me wants to do acting. Since I was a kid, I have always dreamt of becoming an actress." Yui, the sheepish girl, exclaims with a smile on her face.
"But I cannot express anything. I cannot portray anyone, and I do not know how."
She lowers her head in desperation, unsure what to do with her problem. I raise her chin and caress her head. That is the only thing that I can give her right now. I can only listen to her complaints and continue our conversation.
"Every time I try, my mouth freezes, and I cannot move my muscles. It even hindered me from going to the student council room since I covered my face with tears. I just can't do it."
"Have you ever tried mimicking short videos from the internet?"
"Yeah." She replies. "But none of them works on me."
And the talk goes on for four hours. Our conversation ends when the barista asks us to leave the cafe since they plan on closing the coffee shop for tonight.
We glance at the clock and notice that it is already eleven in the evening. Upon reaching outside, the two of us nod and exchange goodbyes, hoping that we could see each other soon tomorrow.