(Yuki's Perspective) (We are back, BABYYYYY) *cough*
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"Hey, Roxanne?"
"Ara, Yuki. I cannot believe you're early." Roxanne teases as she drops the lump of sheets on her table.
With a loud thump, the sleeping officers beside us jolt upwards. They stretch their hands and almost hit the ceilings. If they jump higher, maybe they will. Who knows?
Roxanne rushes to their side and lowers her head, apologising to the awoken members.
My best friend returns to her seat and slams her head on the table. Roxy releases out a sigh as she fiddles her fingers on the documents.
"You have no end to that," I say.
She just gives me a nod.
I pan my eyes at the room and search for someone I know. I even crouch and look under the tables, hoping I could see a goofball smiling towards me.
I am not portraying Roxanne. I am talking about a shy girl and a member of the council.
After meeting with Yui yesterday, I have never seen her go inside the council room. It is a good thing that she is just the council member of the student boards. (I am not saying that she has an uncomplicated job compared to ours, but she has less work than us.) She does not have any demanding job that needs her to finish. Yui only needs to write reports on each classroom and show their suggestions for the upcoming school festival.
Before I could even wallow in despair, I feel something vibrating in my pants and while it yells its existence. Fortunately, my phone is in silent mode, so nobody could hear the annoying presence of the gadget.
My hands reach out to my patch and lift my cellular phone. Like lightning, my hands swiftly swipe the phone open and clicks the message icon. With a beeping sound, the text pops up in front of me.
"Come meet me inside the drama club." The message says.
I prepare my things and reply, "Like, right now?"
(Of course, in kanji characters to practise my Japanese.)
Without a second of delay, my phone vibrates yet again, revealing another message coming from Yui.
"Yes."
My body darts through the hall, heading towards the recognisable and isolated room. I pull the knob open and expect someone to greet me. But on the chair lies a note and a blue box resting on top.
I raise my eyebrow, uncertain what to do with the sudden present. I look around and hope that Yui will reveal herself to me, but she does not. Instead, she sends me another text message coincidentally upon arriving here.
"Have you read the letter? Read it, read it, read it!!!!" I read out loud and look at the cube.
I reach out for the box and untangle the purple ribbon covering the lid. After a few seconds of struggling, I finally take out the knot and gently slide the box open.
The gift reveals a folded paper with an attached wristband and unrefined clay. I stare at it for a while before picking up the sheet first and unravel it. My eyes widen in shock while reading the lines from Hamilton.
It was the lines she practised with me from before.
Yui makes her way to the stage and stares at the empty room. She follows my gaze and begins with a cough. I pull out the red curtains and lay them on the floor, making a grand entrance for her.
"Eliza Hamilton: I stop wasting time on tears. I live another fifty years. It is not enough. I interviewed every soldier who fought by your side. I try to make sense of your thousands of pages of writings. You really write like you are running out of time."
She puffs out a tired breath and gives me a bow. After finishing her lines, Yui raises her head. I read the script of what she was performing in front of me. I could not hide my beam upon seeing her face.
"How was it?" She asks.
"Hamilton. That is a good theatrical play." I confess, "A little Déjà vu there, aren't we?"
Yui nods and runs towards me. She gives me an embrace, so I twirl her around. I look at her in the eyes and study her face.
"You freaking nailed it, Yui." I pronounce, answering her previous question.
Her acting skills differ from before. Yui did not stutter when she said the lines. She was not nervous and did not fall off the ground. And her voice sounded dramatic, not forced, as if Yui was Elizabeth Hamilton herself!
I even saw her hands gesturing far and wide just to deliver the message of the play. Yui's face changed every time she spoke the words. It was a completely new experience.
If I am honest with myself, I would never react like this when watching theatrical plays or practices. But Yui changes that thought and lets me enjoy the world of acting.
Yui moves to the chair and picks up the wristband. She offers her hand and gives me a wink.
"I believe you have something that is mine."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
She stares and points her forefinger in my pocket. Yui even beckons her hand, curving and telling me to pick it right now. I rummage to my pocket and feel the solid but rough texture of something round. As I pull the thing out, we express a blaring chuckle.
"I had this all along?"
Yui nods and answers, "Yeah. Wait, did you forget?"
I shake my head, hoping she could not see through my lies. But Yui is more clever than I thought.
"Himari told me you cannot lie." She confesses.
"She did!"
Yui nods her head. We trade wristbands and try out the one she has given to me. I insert the bracelet on my right arm and marvel at the design. The bangle is not even that striking to look at compared to the ones I have seen in stores, but enough to make me feel delighted.
"I will cherish this," I state, and give her a warm embrace.
I squeeze her body, and she compresses mine. She has never been this happy since the first time I have seen her in my life!
"Thank you. I would be grateful if you did."
I look back at the script and the chair near us. Upon picking the sheet, I face Yui and ask her a question.
"How did you pull that off?" I ask, curious about the sudden change of demeanour.
Yesterday, Yui is still the ditsy girl who keeps shivering her hands when she feels nervous. That girl would avert her gaze and refuse to look someone in the eyes, except for her best friend, Chang-Ae.
What I see right now is a unique form of Yui. She stands proudly on the platform, with her chest up high, saying the words that the audience wants to hear. I am the only listener for now, but I know Yui has done a superb job.
I feel proud of her as a friend, and I would love to listen to her performance on stage.
That is what I have thought.
I glance at the side and see a figure peeking through the door. The head notices my eyes, gawking at her with every fibre of my body.
"How dare you steal a glimpse of Yui's performance!" I want to show, but hide my lips from embarrassing myself.
I continue looking at the shadow, still perching at the sides. It is not too long before Yui turns around and sees the shape for herself. With expanding eyes, Yui gasps and covers her mouth.
"Chang-Ae?" She asks, "What are you doing here?"
Chang-Ae, the Korean exchange student, makes her way to Yui. She smiles at her and wraps her arms around Yui's motionless body.
"Am I not allowed inside my own club?" She adds, while letting out a giggle.
We soon notice a flock of teenage girls pushing at each other near the door. As soon as they recognise us staring at their canned-like bodies, they wave their hands and storm inside the room.
Little did we know that all of them watched Yui's performance. They hid behind the door and listened through everything. They even took glances through the glass, hoping to watch Yui gesturing her hands.
"We saw everything!" A girl steps up from the crowd and giddily bows her head.
The rest of the group follows and expresses their appreciation to Yui.
"Wait, guys. You could have just walked in and told me you were watching." Yui retorts.
I can see her eyes twirling with her hands shaking from nervousness. It is not the same quivering that she had from before. Yui just feels overwhelmed by everything that is happening around her.
"If we did that, you might stutter and collapse on the ground."
"Besides, we enjoyed it from afar!"
All of them nod in unison after hearing the comments of their peers.
"You are still a member of this club, Yui. Always remember that." Chang-Ae exclaims, while beaming her a smile.