"Wanna take a walk together?"
His heart began to beat like crazy again.
Of course, she could simply just be asking to accompany her as they took a walk while searching for the rest of the group. In fact that was most likely the realistic idea behind her enquiry.
"Sure....where do we go first?"
"Hmmm...."
He looked at her intently, but he began to see no nervousness from her.
"Ah! The dance hall!"
"The....the what?"
Kamazaki quickly took his hand as she led the way with a skip in her step.
Unlike her, Shizaki now seemed to be getting even more nervous by the second.
"There's a ...dance hall!?"
He had no idea that there was something like that. Sure, there was music playing from a distance, but as he kept his eyes looking ahead to where Kamazaki was leading him to, he could finally see many couples dancing while a band used instruments to play music.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!! This is...."
"Awesome, right!? So this is what a real dance hall is like...."
As they finally arrived at the scene, they stared at the many couples holding each other tightly as they swayed to and fro in the rhythm of the music.
Some seemed very experienced at dancing, while others were just happy to be present.
Tuned into the vibes of everyone present, Shizaki began to calm down a bit and look on in awe.
"Impressive..."
"Can you dance, Babyface?"
"Huh? Huh??? Ah....no....not at all, why...?"
She paused for a bit, on hearing that.
"Oh right...I forgot. You have a bit of a past of being a loner....or that's what you told me while we were walking together in Sekoto Forest, right?"
"Th-That was way different from what I said!!"
"Right, right."
She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly while Shizaki pouted.
Suddenly, the music stopped and a cheer and applause came from the bystanders, as some dancers made their way off the stage while others remained. Passers-by started to flock in as well.
A short break before new music is played, huh?
While Shizaki began to ponder, Kamikaze immediately cut his thoughts off with a statement that made him jump.
"Well, I guess it can't hurt to teach you a bit of the basics."
"Hm? What do you-wha-hey!"
He was slowly tugged forward as Kamazaki entered the dancing stage with him. She immediately took his right hand as he began to stammer in increasing anxiety."
"I-I can't dance now! This is embarrassing!"
"It's alright, you wallowface, trust me! Just follow what I do....follow my lead!"
While Kamazaki was calm, Shizaki was flushed red with fright and embarrassment. His heart pounded with excitement and anxiety. He did not have ideal clothes that made him look good while trying to dance, and he couldn't dance. What if he made a mistake in front of all of these bystanders who were spectating? And of course, with Kamazaki's incredible presence on stage with her kimono, almost all eyes were on the couple.
Kamazaki took his right hand and placed it by her waist, and took his left hand into her right hand. Shizaki instantly flashed his head to the side in a blushing face, sparking a burst of laughter from her.
Noticing her cheerful mood, he pouted again.
"Y-You're....really e-enjoying this....aren't you? Are you sure...all of this is n-necessary?"
"Hah? Of course it's necessary! It's the basics of dancing! One day, you'll be thanking me heartily for showing you this as you dance with your bride!"
"Bride!? I h-highly doubt that...."
"Oh, the music is starting! So first, listen to the rhythm of the music. And then...."
And as the music began, they were off.
Shizaki started off with a rocky beginning, his fear easily influencing his movement as he found it hard to copy Kamazaki's. One step forward, turn, one step to the right, and so on...with an occasional twirl of his partner.
Displaying a bead of sweat on the left side of his face, Shizaki kept his gaze of his and Kamazaki's feet as he tried to synchronize his memory of the dancing pattern with his reaction time and movement. He occasionally lifted up his gaze to meet Kamazaki, and the latter smiled at him in approval.
"Better!"
"Haaah....I'm dying on the inside!"
"Haha!! It's alright, keep it up!!"
After a period of nervousness, Shizaki seemed to be getting the hang of it. His anxious expression turned into one of rock-solid determination. He no longer looked at the ground, but stared into Kamazaki's eyes. They pulled in a bit closer, as they both could feel the warmth of each other, twisting and turning while being just close enough.
When it felt a little too hot or a bit too close for comfort for Shizaki, he pulled back a little and looked at Kamazaki to see if he was still doing alright. Her expression seemed warm and loving, and her smile never faded away.
"I knew it...."
"Huh? Knew....what, Kamazaki?"
She averted her eyes as her pupils wavered.
"Every time you face an obstacle, you keep on going and you show no sign of letting up. Your confidence is through the roof. Even today, at the Selection, I noticed that. How...how do you do it?"
Shizaki looked at her in surprise. As they continued dancing, they pulled closer once again.
She was now serious, asking about his ideals on his resolve.
"I....don't know. I feel so scared inside....but it's like....I've learned the hard way of being a coward all my life, so....I just can't back down now. Even if the inside of me is rotting away, I have to make sure that the outside is still strong and impenetrable."
That was how he really felt. He was always scared, and he still was. He just had to make sure that others did not see it.
Kamazaki was taken aback as she looked into Shizaki's unwavering eyes. They both slowed down in their movement as her body pressed onto his, her left arm pulling his neck closer, and his right arm squeezing her waist just a bit tighter.
Their faces were just a breath away from each other. Kamazaki smiled at him with adoration as their eyes locked at each other.
"As expected....you....really are amazing....Shizaki-kun."
The music stopped just as their faces were about to lean in closer.
A loud applause resonated through the air and cheers rang out, mostly directed to the main couple who were Shizaki and Kamazaki. They both instantly pulled back and separated their hands from each other's grasp while averting their eyes, with the former blushing much, much more than the latter.
W-Woah....that was....close.
"U-Um...right! Th-The next should be the food stands! Let's go there next!
"O-Oh...okay!"
They both strolled forward.
Shizaki was desperately trying to calm his over-excited heart.
If this keeps up, I'll probably have a heart attack! That was scary! But….it was amazing!
His thoughts strayed to the dance that he just had, his first ever dance. Something lingered with him.
{ "As expected....you....really are amazing....Shizaki-kun." }
That was the first time....she called me by my real name...
***
"Down the hatch!"
"Thank you for the food!"
After giving thanks, both Shizaki and Kamazaki wasted no time in indulging their delicacies.
Kamazaki had stumbled upon an Omelet Rice stand and couldn't resist having a plate of such wonderful food. Meanwhile, Shizaki took a good while searching every food stand as he was looking for Tempura, which was his favourite dish, and managed to find one.
As they both sat together at a nearby bench, they began to eat.
Taking a small bite, he closed his eyes as he took in the tastiness of his favourite meal.
"Mmm! It never gets old!"
"Mmmmmm....Omelet Riceeee..."
Looks like Kamazaki was enjoying her meal too.
As they were eating, a boy with yellow hair approached the couple, or mainly, Kamazaki. A group of other boys watched on in the distance.
"Hey."
"Mmm? Oh...hi."
One look at them is all Shizaki needed to know what they were up to, and he quickly pretended as if he was not listening as he picked up a glass of water from beside him and began to slowly drink.
His disposition, his manner of speech from just one word, his audience in the background. It was pretty easy.
"My name is Aizu Huxaro. You must be Kamazaki-san, right? I saw your Selection match today and it was pretty awesome. Oh, and your dance too, that was something else!"
"Oh, thanks!"
Her face lit up with joy. Shizaki, noticing this through the corner of her eyes, felt something inside him that he had not ever felt before, but was unable to tell what that feeling was. He decided to simply listen on to the conversation, but he had already wanted it to be over.
"So....I was thinking...maybe we can hang out someti-"
Kamazaki instantly put her both hands together with an apologetic clap as she smiled from ear to ear.
"Sorry! I'm into girls!"
"Pffffffffffff!!!!!!!"
Spitting out the water from his mouth like a fountain, Shizaki could not help but spray it all over the ground in front of him, after which he coughed hysterically as he choked a little. He took a cloth from his pocket and dried his mouth in haste while the one named Huxaro was still trying to comprehend what had just happened.
"Eh? Wait, huh?"
Kamazaki instantly put her both hands together with an apologetic clap as she smiled from ear to ear.
"Sorry! I'm into girls!"
She simply repeated her response as if in a loop, and Huxaro, stunned, could only take a step back and apologize.
"I-I.....I see....sorry. I'll be going now."
He quickly made his exit, and Shizaki finally regained his composure as Kamazaki returned to eating.
"What…just happened? Wait, are you actually-"
"Hmmmm.....yesh.....ann.....no."
Her mouth was full, but she still decided to give such a reply.
"What is that supposed to mean!?"
Kamazaki then gulped down another spoonful and spoke while putting up two fingers.
"Ever heard of being on both teams? Anyway, when other guys try to approach me, I just mention that I'm only into girls, and vice versa, heh."
"....Wait, why not accept his offer? It's not like you're taken or there's someone else that you like, right?"
On hearing his reasoning, she snuck a peek at him icily, after which she took in another spoonful of the rice before responding.
"Not telling."
Huh?
….What an interesting person, Shizaki thought.
-----------------------------------------
(Chapter 34: From Kamazaki to Shizaki.)