Your presence is the only reason I could show a true smile... ― Florence Joyce
xxxxxx
[Setsuji]
"Sensei, are you sure that that's your final decision with regards to the pairings you made for our practicum? Can't you change it and just pick our partner?" I asked our dance club instructor Tachibana Saeko. Well, she announced the pairings for our dance practicum.
You might be asked why I was a part of the dance club? It has something to do with Seiho's idea that we just implemented this year. Our club instructor would always create certain practicum once a month to train us of some sort. Not that I hated the idea. But the dance practicum for this month was seriously something that made me want to hate joining the club. Initially, Fukuizumi wasn't a part of the club. But because of Mayu's convincing and probably a lack of other things to do, she managed to make Fukuizumi become a part of the club.
I didn't know if our club adviser had some sort of grudge against me or if she just want to have some fun when she decided to have Fukuizumi as my dance partner. I couldn't tell if luck just wasn't on my side or was it fate that was doing all this to make Fukuizumi and I closer.
'I don't believe you. Are you sure that Fukuizumi was unlucky for you? Or you're just afraid to get closer to her?'
You've got to be kidding me! If I could just kick and punch those thoughts suddenly resonating in my mind, I'd already done that. That part of my mind's been doing that many times now. But my mind's teasing, whether I admitted it or not, had traces of truth in them that I just couldn't simply acknowledge that easily.
It had been a month since I learned that Fukuizumi Rinako became a part of the dance club. And for some unknown reasons, I had a feeling that I would always want to go to that particular club whenever there would be club activities even though Fukuizumi would just glare at me whenever our paths crossed.
Talk about having weird feelings in my chest every time that amazon girl was involved...
"Mitsuta Setsuji-kun, what is your problem with Fukuizumi-chan for you to strongly disagree with my decision that she would be your partner?" Tachibana-sensei asked with confusion.
Seriously, Sensei, you were asking me that question when the answer was already obvious?
"I just don't want an amazon girl as my partner," I immediately answered even though to tell the truth, I felt some sort of excitement--despite my protest--when I found out that Fukuizumi would be my dance partner.
Seriously... My mind would always be this messy.
"And I especially don't want to be paired with a pervert like him!" Fukuizumi retorted who was now glaring at me. If that glare of hers could kill, I would've been dead so many times now if I would base it on the number of times she looked at me that way.
"Hey, I'm not a pervert!" I said defensively. You could say I have lots of appeals, I could accept that. But I was never a pervert.
She raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? So you weren't being a pervert when you suddenly decided to kiss me?"
"It's your fault. Should you blame me for that? You were just acting cute that day so I would notice you. Come on, just admit it," I teased with a smirk.
I really couldn't understand but it seemed that it had been a part of my day to tease and irritate this girl ever since she arrived in my life. I could also feel that my day would never be complete if I didn't do those things to Fukuizumi.
"As if! Hey, Mr. Annoying Jerk! Just stop frustrating me with your jokes and nonsense teasing if you don't want me to end up beating you to pieces. And FYI, I don't need to admit anything and I'm not acting cute, okay? If I would act cute around you, I think I'd rather stay and rot in a monastery."
"Really? You're going to become a nun?" I replied amusingly. "It's such a shame if you're just going to let your beauty rot like that inside a monastery. For sure, a lot of guys would be sinning because they fell in love with you if ever you became a nun."
"That's none of your business!" she snarled at me.
Honestly, Fukuizumi, just relax, okay? You'd end up having hypertension because of that.
I couldn't help but just grinned. I was amused whenever I would see her annoyed at me. It was a good thing that Tachibana-sensei was already used to that kind of scenery between me and Fukuizumi.
She just watched us argue on the first day that Fukuizumi finally met Tachibana-sensei. Sensei even teased me that my charms don't work with Fukuizumi Rinako at all, and so I was just annoying her to hide that fact. According to Sensei, she was amused just by watching us bicker. But when Tachibana-sensei was already serious, both me and Fukuizumi were also serious about our activities for that club.
But then, I didn't want to admit that there were times I've been distracted whenever I would cautiously glance towards that girl I constantly annoy. It was seriously weird! I wasn't sure why I would only spout out words that would just irritate her or annoy her whenever she was in front of me. I could admit that she had a different effect on me from the start. That was one of the reasons why I didn't move that day I lost my balance and unintentionally ended up on top of her body.
I indulged myself in staring at her pretty face up close, most especially her eyes. They were expressive in a way and at the same time, mysterious. Her eyes were like the most beautiful pair of coffee brown eyes I had ever seen. Ironic as it seemed but that was how I wanted to describe her eyes.
They were like... puzzling in so many ways.
"Fukuizumi-chan, Setsuji-kun, I'll only ask this once. Are you two already a couple?" Tachibana-sensei asked straightforwardly.
Fukuizumi and I were shocked to hear that, basing it on our eyes that opened wide because of that.
"What?" Fukuizumi and I blurted out almost at the same time before glancing at each other. "No way!" We said again in chorus.
"I think the world would come to an end first before the two of us became a couple, especially if I end up with a jerk like this one. Or better yet, I'd rather remain single all my life if he would be my only choice to become my boyfriend," Fukuizumi stated straightforwardly and glared at me.
"If I would end up with you, I think it would be a waste of my genes. Besides, I don't like amazons," I retorted.
But then, the thought of me and Fukuizumi being a couple... Not bad, I guess. It would be one beautiful picture.
What was this? Something was wrong with my mind today. Weird, but I was wishing that the thought won't remain just as a picture in my mind.
Whatever!
But I guessed that even though we'd keep on saying that to the world, it seemed that my clubmates weren't convinced at all. As for Seiho and Mayu, they were just laughing. And here goes my clubmates, teasing both Fukuizumi and me again. Even Tachibana-sensei joined into the teasing.
"You know what? If you two keep it up like that, no one would believe that you two aren't a couple at all."
"You two just appeared to have a lovers' quarrel. Just fix it already and make up, okay?"
"Your love team would be the best if you two were finally okay."
"We agree to that. Come on!"
I saw Fukuizumi just shaking her head and covering her ears with her hands. She let out a frustrated groan. "I can't believe what I'm hearing from you people."
To tell the truth, after I saw her by the balcony that morning, I noticed that there was something wrong with Fukuizumi. I don't know but somehow... I could tell that she wasn't in her normal self.
But wait... What should I consider as my normal self when it comes to this girl? Feisty? Quiet? The one that smiles? I couldn't tell. One thing I knew, there was something wrong with her. I just couldn't tell what was wrong.
I saw that Fukuizumi had taken a deep breath before facing Tachibana-sensei. "Sensei, please. Can't you change the pairings?" she asked. It seemed that she was desperate not to be paired up with me.
Tachibana-sensei shook her head and sighed. "It's already final, Fukuizumi-chan. You know me when I make a decision, especially since this is dance practicum will be your project for this month in this club."
"But Sensei--"
"It's up to you and Setsuji-kun how you'll be able to perform without arguing. Your grades in some of your subjects will be affected by this performance," Tachibana-sensei said with a finality in her tone.
Fukuizumi groaned in frustration. Soon after, she glared at me. "This is all your fault," she said to me.
I just shrugged. But to be honest, I won't admit for now that I was still celebrating inwardly because of Tachibana-sensei's decision. Even though Fukuizumi and I were always clashing, I would make sure that I'd help her maintain her high grade. I knew that it was important to her. I would do my best as her dance partner. For a while, I'd be willing to set aside our petty fights.
But would I just do my best to be her dance partner? How was it that I could feel that there was another reason why I felt that way at the moment?