I found myself inexplicably fixated on my right hand, replaying the recent incident over and over in my mind. It's surprising how much time I've dedicated to this pondering. I never anticipated making such a fuss about it, yet here I am, unable to shake thoughts of Kurasawa.
Initially, I found myself marveling at the softness of her hand, though I assure you, I'm not weird. It simply stirred a flutter in my heart for a fleeting moment. Was it because I've never encountered such an intimate gesture with a girl before, or perhaps it was merely her beauty that captivated me? Could it be that I've started developing feelings for her? No... that doesn't quite fit.
"Aah, I need to stop dwelling on this," I muttered, sinking onto my bed with a gentle sigh. Despite my proclamation, my mind continued to race, relentlessly replaying our brief encounter. She kept me sheltered beneath her umbrella, ensuring not a single raindrop touched me.
Gratefully, the umbrella provided ample coverage for both of us.
Throughout our walk, she wore a faint smile, yet remained silent. At the time, I didn't find it odd; I, too, struggled with what to say or whether to initiate conversation. So, I suppose she simply felt the same and escorted me home out of kindness.
That night, sleep eluded me.
"What's wrong? You seem more subdued than usual," Tatsuya observed as I entered the classroom.
"Should I take that as an insult?" I retorted, making my way toward him.
He grinned and muttered something, though my attention was drawn to Kurasawa sitting at her desk. As our eyes met, she began waving. I instinctively prepared to wave back, only to realize she might be waving at Tatsuya, who stood behind me. Sure enough, he returned the gesture. It seemed he had seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for. With a slight pang of disappointment, I lowered my head and took my seat.
I couldn't quite comprehend my disappointment.
Regardless, I pushed aside my thoughts and attempted to rest before the teacher's arrival. Unfortunately, my luck didn't improve, and just as I began to doze off, the teacher entered.
At least this time, I didn't have Tatsuya prodding me without cause.
The lesson proceeded uneventfully, prompting me to once again focus my attention, as I had nothing better to occupy my mind. At one point, I felt a slight poke at my back. Turning around, I found Kurasawa gesturing beneath my chair. Curious, I peeked underneath to discover a red eraser. I retrieved it and returned it to her, eliciting a surprisingly joyful response, considering it was just an eraser. She gave me a thumbs up, and I couldn't help but smile at her adorable enthusiasm, quickly averting my gaze to conceal my reaction.
Lost in thought once more, the bell jolted me back to reality.
"Ryoichi, who do you want on our team?" Tatsuya inquired as soon as the teacher left.
"Huh? What team?" I replied, bewildered.
"You were spacing out again, weren't you?"
"Guilty as charged," I admitted. "So, what's this team about?"
"The teacher assigned us to make a presentation in teams of four by tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Can we finish on time?"
"It's not too difficult, and it won't take long," Tatsuya reassured.
"If you say so."
We both started considering members for our group. Tatsuya suggested a girl from our class, which sparked my curiosity. Her name was Aya Shimizu, and she didn't quite have the best reputation amongst the girls. Rumors said that she was always engaging in fights with the other girls, and even to me, her personality struck closer to a boy than a girl. As Tatsuya headed towards Shimizu, I couldn't help but wonder why he would choose her as a member. Nonetheless, I thought, "I guess we don't have many choices," while scanning the class to see how many teams had already formed.
Now it was my turn to find members for our team. I went left and right, asking everyone in class if they were willing to join, but everyone had already made their own teams. It was a stark reminder of my lack of friends; the only person I talked to was Tatsuya. Despite his popularity, even he couldn't sway the class to join our team.
While scanning the class, I noticed that the only person who wasn't surrounded by others was Kurasawa. It was odd, considering her usual popularity. Even today, she had a lot of people coming to talk with her. Is it possible that no one invited her? But that seemed improbable; she was too famous to be ignored like that.
"Did you find our last member?" Tatsuya's voice startled me from behind, almost causing me to hit him in surprise.
"I told you not to sneak up on me like that," I said, trying to catch my breath.
"Ah, I forgot you get scared easily," he chuckled.
"Anyway, did you manage to recruit Shimizu?"
"Yup," he replied. "I told her to ask Kurasawa to join us."
"Why didn't you ask yourself?" I questioned.
"Oh right, I guess you didn't hear because you arrived late. It turns out that Kurasawa is deaf," Tatsuya explained.
Upon hearing that, I felt a mix of confusion and admiration. Why would she choose to attend a normal school instead of a special one? But suddenly, everything made sense. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak; it was that she couldn't.
"But wait, how will Shimizu communicate with Kurasawa?" I asked in confusion.
"She has a brother who's also deaf, so she learnt sign language to talk with him," Tatsuya replied.
"Oh come on, am I the only one who's not informed of anything here?" I sighed.
"I mean, you don't have any friends except for me, and you don't talk with anyone else," Tatsuya pointed out.
"You didn't have to put it like that, but I guess you're right," I conceded.
As I observed Shimizu talking with Kurasawa, exchanging words through the moves of their hands, a feeling of awe washed over me. They seemed to completely understand each other, smiling from time to time. However, Tatsuya and I just stood there dumbfounded, wondering what they were talking about.
At one point, Shimizu gave me a sharp look before continuing to chat with Kurasawa, sending a shiver down my spine for some inexplicable reason.
After a while, they both stopped and started heading towards us, their footsteps echoing lightly against the classroom's tiled floor. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting intermittent shadows across the class, adding an air of suspense to the moment. "Now we have a full team," Shimizu said, her voice taking on a serious tone as she glanced at Tatsuya, her expression far more subdued than when she conversed with Kurosawa. As I observed her demeanor, I couldn't help but wonder if some of the rumors circulating about her were true, judging by her stern personality and the way she addressed Tatsuya.
To be honest, I never imagined witnessing a girl speak to Tatsuya in such a manner. Typically, girls approached him with sweet words and gentle gestures to catch his attention. Yet, despite Shimizu's directness, Tatsuya maintained his trademark smile, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes.
"What are you looking at?" Shimizu suddenly snapped, her voice tinged with irritation as she directed her gaze towards me. Her eyes, a sharp contrast to her previously calm demeanor, bore into mine with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Nothing, ma'am," I replied instinctively, taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. I tried to keep my voice steady, but my nerves betrayed me, causing it to waver slightly.
"Come on, Shimizu, don't scare Ryoichi like that," Tatsuya interjected, his tone light-hearted as he attempted to diffuse the tension. His easygoing nature served as a welcome relief amidst the palpable tension that hung in the air.
Kurosawa, sensing the tension, nudged Shimizu and said something to her.
"She asks where we'll prepare the presentation," Shimizu explained, her tone softening slightly as she relayed the message.
"We can use my house," Tatsuya suggested, his tone confident as he offered up his home as a venue for our project preparations. "My parents will be out, so we'll have the place to ourselves."
With his proposal met with agreement from all of us, we set off towards Tatsuya's house, the anticipation building with each step. However, despite the outward harmony, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease with Shimizu on the same team as me. There was something about her demeanor that made me believe she harbored animosity towards me, although I couldn't pinpoint the reason.
As we traversed the familiar streets towards Tatsuya's house, the cool evening air provided a stark contrast to the tension that simmered beneath the surface. With each passing moment, I couldn't help but hope that nothing untoward would occur during our time together, yet a nagging sense of apprehension lingered at the back of my mind, refusing to be ignored.