"And that's how you calculate the gravitational force between planets. It looks simple, don't you think?"
The sound of chalk and hurried pencils fills the silence of the large room as Sakamoto writes what seems like an endless parade of mathematical equations and draws with impressive accuracy descriptive graphics about how the orbs of the Solar System move around their star. His students do not say a word, focused on writing everything as fast as they can; their professor never stops moving his hand over the blackboard, fueled by his own passion for the subject. His blue eyes are the ones shining the most in the place, reading hidden meanings and untold stories behind each letter and number dictated by brilliant men from the past, greater than himself.
"Well, that's it for today! I hope you all learn this by tomorrow, because you will have a test." He turns around to face his audience. Their youthful faces change in a second to express disgust and horror at the mere thought of an exam about the present topic. Sakamoto's smile only grows wider as he crosses his arms after having cleaned up his fingers from the white substance staining them. Due to all his years of teaching, he knows reactions like this are normal: the frustrated faces covered by both hands, fingers pulling hair; even the determined looks of those who will take the test as a challenge.
"Professor Sakamoto, can we take a list of the equations to the exam?" A shy woman asks.
"Of course. But I am not sure if you can finish the exam in time without knowing them by heart. Also, call me 'Tatsuma'! There's no need for formalities."
"Profess- I mean, Tatsuma. Where is your heart?" The frustrated young man at the front row reproaches. Nervous laughter follows the question.
"Ahaha. Ahahaha! Don't worry! I lost that a long time ago, along with my umbilical cord!"
The room falls silent again. Once he laughs like this, there is no use in trying to change his opinion.
Moments later, Sakamoto Tatsuma walks along the corridor and greets several people before going to his particular cubicle. He sits down in front of the big screen of his computer and looks to the date. Ah, yes. Tonight will be a nice time to look at the stars. Maybe he will discover something important if he has enough luck. He observes his Celestron telescope and touches it with the tip of his fingers; he cannot have a better comrade in his eternal search for what the heavens have to say to him everyday. He receives several calls from his family and other friends and, instead of working on making the test, Sakamoto prefers having extended talks with them. After the last call ends, he is quick to select the best exercises for the examination and he types them with the help of a program with an equation editor to make the job easier.
Looking at the ceiling, he has a moment of silence with himself and then stands up from his chair, walking towards a predetermined spot.
"I see you are still working as hard as ever, Kinpachi!" The loud man says behind another teacher, startling him from his nap. Sakata Ginpachi looks disoriented and annoyed, his hand ruffling his messy silver hair. He doesn't like it when someone wakes him up like this, and Sakamoto is the absolute worst, doing this as frequently as he can. He decides he needs sugar in his life right now, so he uncovers a strawberry flavored lollipop and enters it inside his mouth.
"Tatsuma, what the hell do you want? When will you learn my name, huh? Or better, when will you let me take my nap? I just got older ten years because of you. Do you even care?" The man gazes at Tatsuma with a raised eyebrow and smoke coming of out his mouth. He feels stressed and releases all that energy he could spend punching his friend in the face -if it isn't because he will be punished by his boss- in licking his candy. His back is still leaning backwards against the support of his chair, not caring much about the possibilities of falling to the floor. He already knows Tatsuma will not listen to a single one of his words.
"Kinpachi, come with me tonight. I want to observe the stars outside the school. Do you have something else to do?" Tatsuma already knows Ginpachi will not work on his duties and his eyes shine when he invites him to spend some time together. With professor Sakata one can never be sure about what kind of response he will give and yet even the smallest chance of an affirmative answer makes him feel excited. Ginpachi looks at his watch and groans at the lack of time. Nonetheless, both men gaze at each other, one unreadable and the other animated, and not a long time passes without Ginpachi saying that he will go if he lets him take his nap in peace. They have an appointment together, it seems; and the two talk about the place and the time they will meet hours later.
When the Sun has left the horizon and many bright spots are visible on the canvas above them, Sakamoto is alone preparing his telescope and taking note of the particular coordinates he wants to explore. Aligning and calibrating a telescope is not an easy task, but he's used to it already. He arrives earlier than what they both accorded on, so he can get the equipment ready for when his close friend arrives to the place. He's used to Ginpachi's personality as well, and he calculates an average between the time it will take to align the telescope and the approximate time professor Sakata will be late to their meeting.
About twenty minutes after the stipulated time and when the sky is painted with dark blue colors, Ginpachi arrives to the place and sits next to Tatsuma. He brings a tiny box with white and pink details on it. Ginpachi gives a fake apology because of how late he is, but receives no answer until the telescope is ready and Sakamoto has finished his work. Until then, Sakamoto's concentration is open to other topics; so he looks at his friend with the cherry colored shirt and dedicates an amused smile to the view next to him. His friend understands, so he speaks first.
"Happy Birthday, Tatsuma." Ginpachi opens the box, showing a strawberry cake. Even after all this time, he gives something he would rather have himself. But that's okay, Tatsuma thinks. He doesn't need a lot to be happy on this day. Only the presence of the stars, no matter how close or how far they might be. A slice of cake, no matter which flavor it has, just makes this night even better.
Sakamoto takes his slice of cake and eats it with hurry, not noticing the rhythm as his eyes look through the lens of his telescope once again. He cannot wait for his hands to feel the soft texture of the paper of his notebook and start making annotations. He asks Ginpachi to take the time for him with an analog clock and remind him every certain time of writing what he watches. They spend an hour like this, in relative silence. Only the sound of the pencil racing against time and Ginpachi's bored voice interrupts this beautiful gap. Eventually, Ginpachi's voice can't be heard anymore and yet Sakamoto doesn't stop taking notes; his mind is trained for this and it turns out there is another reason for his friend to be there. At the end, it is usual for him to analyze the sky alone or with his students.
Sakamoto is tired after all the hard work and then gazes at the most peculiar and interesting star he knows of tonight, lying down and sleeping against the grass next to him. He takes another page of his notebook and, every few minutes, makes new observations about it. Tatsuma's eyes turn soft with each new detail, each new layer of his friend's personality. He notes this particular star doesn't shine like the others -the ones above him-, as the silver radiance can't be compared in his heart. He raises an eyebrow, curious, and extends his arm towards it, hoping he can reach it. And yet, just a few centimeters from touching it, he decides against it; some stars are beautiful because they are not meant to be reached, just watched. Some stars are meant to illuminate a person's life with their mere presence and nothing more. It just makes it more fascinating to his eyes.
That's how Sakamoto Tatsuma, with a satisfied grin on his face, spends the night of his birthday; surrounded by the celestial bodies and inspired by the uncertainties of what he will discover in the future related to the precious things in his life.