Tokyo, December 23rd
A dried leaf fell down from the tree. It was flying, followed by the flow of occasional cool breeze in the air. That breeze brought it to the stack of another dried leaves to the ground. Aya's eyes were staring to that natural phenomenon which always happened in the fall. But her thoughts were wandering toward one thing, didn't pay attention to that flying leaf. She stood beside the window on the second floor of Tokyo Music Course building. She crossed her arms, still grasped her white cellular phone. She bit her bottom lip, looked so confused.
'How if he can't come..?' she thought. She wanted to invite Rei to attend the school recital tonight which would be performed by her students. Yes, Aya was a teacher there. She taught piano for the forth grade students. No, it wasn't her permanent profession, she just moonlighted while she was studying in college. But, she wouldn't be a teacher again. She had resigned from that occupation since she graduated from the college at her first scholar in the medical faculty. So tonight, there would be the school recital, and also there would be her last farewell with her students.
"Um- maybe there's nothing wrong if I try.." she cleared her doubtful feeling, pressed no.2 at her cellular phone as a speed dial to call her boyfriend.
She called him.
"The number you had called is inactive, please try it later.."
She sighed. She expected him to receive the call, but he didn't. The operator did it. She tried to think again. She was walking back and forth, thinking another way to call him.
"Ah..!" she got an idea. "What about call his office..?"
Her fingers operated her cellular phone, looked for his office's number. She pressed the button and called him.
"Good afternoon, Tokyo Daily", someone responded her call in other line.
"H-hello.. May I speak to Mr. Otohata, please?"
"I'm sorry. He has a meeting with the other editors. Can I take a message?"
His secretary's word made Aya being weakened, she was hopeless now.
"Um- yes. I'm his girlfriend, Aya Hoshino."
"Okay"
Aya shut her eyes for a sec.
'This is not only happened at once', she thought… and sighed. It really exhausted her patience. She always hoped and waited for him if only he would find time together with her. And if he had no time for her, she could understand him as always, even it's for a date. Today, there was an event which would be more important than a date for her. She needed his support. But the fact was, he hadn't responded the invitation yet for two weeks since she invited him for the first time. Now, she couldn't help, she's getting peevish. She just wanted to let her fury, sometimes. She couldn't stand with this hopeless-moment anymore.
"Please tell him to attend-", suddenly, her word was cut.
She thought 'Perhaps it would be better if I leave him a note, wouldn't it?'
"Yes, miss?"
"Would you please… h-help me to leave him a note?"
"Sure.."
"Okay, um- follow my word, write it, and give the note to him. Are you ready?"
"Yes, miss."
***
"Did I force him?" she thought again about the note which would be given by his secretary.
"I… don't think so. I just ask a favor", she just made sure herself, even there's still some doubtful feeling toward him. She's really tired. You know what, they hadn't met each other for a month. When she invited him to come to somewhere else, it seemed it was hard for him to come. He was serious with his occupation as an editor .When he graduated from literature faculty, he got a job as a writer for Tokyo Daily. Because his superior liked his awesome potential working, Rei was recruited as an editor. His business in that new position made Aya felt more difficult to meet him, let alone had a date. She could understand him, she knew how was his character since being his girlfriend. But, it seemed… didn't like that. Aya thought, "Does he a workaholic?"
Aya shook her head numerously, "No, Aya! Don't think like that! Otohata-kun was a kind man, he was hard worker. You must be glad to have a boyfriend like him", she made sure herself. Suddenly, she felt something poked her wrist. She looked back.
"Ah.. Mitsuki. What's wrong, honey?", she talked to the kid who had poked her wrist.
"Miss. Hoshino, let's continue to make our video again…"
She realized that she must make a video of reminiscences between her and her students.
"Oh, sorry.. I forget it", she took her palm on her forehead. She brought her handy cam and went away. "Okay, let's go!" she smiled and went first.
But the kid felt something wrong with Aya.
'Why does Miss. Hoshino look so pale? Is she okay?' she thought.
Then she followed Aya from behind.
***
Finally, the night arrived. There were so many cars were parked in front of Tokyo Music Course (TMC) building. It's so crowded there. Many colorful lights adorned the main door of building beautifully. People who came out from the car entered to the building. They were the family of the students who would show a performance on the stage. They couldn't wait to see their son or daughter or sister or brother, or perhaps their grandchild to play piano. There were not only supporters for the students, but also for the teacher.
For example, people who came out from the newest Honda sport car.
"Oh, finally we've arrived. It's so cold here..", the blonde-haired said during tightening her arms.
"Ook! I'm just really happy. I will see how the children play piano. It's so cool, ook! Ran-chan, if we have kids, we will teach piano to them, won't we?", the black-Machida guy asked to his girlfriend beside him and glued his cheek to hers.
"Ahaha…", Ran just laughed, but suddenly she pinched his cheeks so largely.
"Ook….!!!!", he cried.
"Talk sense, you moron..!" she still pinched Tatsukichi's cheeks. "Instead, classical music isn't my type. The music genre like that can make me yawn and set me off to the dream when I fall asleep just in 5 sec", she rolled her eyes.
"So what on earth you go here for, Ran?", Miyu raised her eyebrow.
"Aya promised me there will be a lot of food…", she curved a large-glowing smile.
"Nah.., I should never ask you with that question.." Miyu could guess Ran's answer before.
"Ran-chan seems don't wanna marry me, ook.." his tears still flowed, cried like a child.
Hearing them, the gal of Ikebukuro crossed her arms, "Huh, no wonder if she don't like the classical music. This music genre just for an elegant and exclusive people like me", she smiled boastfully.
"Oh, no.. Don't start it again", Yuuya sighed, took a glance to his girlfriend who wanted to show off toward Ran during closed his car, checked to keep locked.
"Yeah, you seem enjoy those elegant-exclusive customs at your age…, like another old woman, hohoho~ ~", the caramel-haired gal assaulted back the gal of Ikebukuro.
"Okayy…" Miyu gave a first alert for those two gals.
Being insulted with Ran's word, Mami didn't want to lose their foolish debate, "Ha! You're an artless gal ever, moron..!", she faced close to Ran.
"And you…! You're a gal who doesn't have a fighting spirit like me, you fucking bitch..!"
"Enough, ladies…??" it was a second alert from Miyu.
"What..?!! How dare you- Ugghh…!!!" Mami grasped Ran's hair and pulled it.
"Oucch… You're such a silly ass!!" Ran pulled Mami's hair back.
Miyu rolled her eyes, and took a deep breathe, "Okaayy… stoop!!!", she shouted.
And finally, the two gals saw Miyu, stopped their childish act, but still grasped the hair that they pulled.
"Uh-huh, now look at your self. Is that a beautiful hair to attend the classical-elegant-exclusive event like this?" Miyu pointed to their hair, what a mess!
"Oh, no.. my hair! Yuuya-kun, what's happened with my hair??" Mami wanted to cry like a child, she seek her small mirror from her purple bag.
"You shouldn't have done this, Mami-chan", Yuuya approached her and helped her to comb his girlfriend's hair.
"Shut up, Yuuya! Just help me right now. It's because that damn Kotobuki.."
"You will pay for my great hair, naughty Mami!!" Ran yelled at Mami.
"Ran-chan, people are watching you two here, it's so embarrassing", Tatsukichi calmed down her.
"Nah, I don't care.."
"Hey, can we enter this building and meet Aya without that time wasting-fighting? C'mon you, guys.." Miyu led them to enter the building, and the other followed her from behind.
"Hho…kay.." the two gals promised. But when their eyes met, they faced away each other. Their boyfriend just saw them and sighed.
***
In the auditorium, there were at least 500 people attended the recital. If you had a seat there, you would feel like you were in the cinema. The difference was there's no a movie screen, but a large elegant main stage with one Yamaha piano in the centre and a big white Christmas tree on the corner of stage. In the right side, there's another small stage for the orchestra. There're some music instruments such as violins, cellos, clarinets, trumpets, guitar, bass, and keyboard, but they won't be played in this recital now.
"Wooww…", Ran and friends gasped. They couldn't stop staring around. And then they had a seat.
"Look!! It's Aya!", Miyu surprisingly pointed to the woman who wore a dark blue parachute gown beside the stage. Aya seemed really beautiful with her long black hair there.
"Damn.. she's really sexy..", Ran saw Aya's back and her cleavage. Aya looked them and waved her hand. They waved back.
"Aya, ganbatte ne..!!" they shouted to her. Aya nodded and smile. Then she turned her face from them. She transformed that fake smile to the truly smile, a sad smile, because she didn't see Otohata with them.
.
.
'Otohata-kun, don't you miss me?'
.
.
***
Author's note:
Many wrong grammars? Yea, I know it, so I'm really sorry for those grammars.
Merry Christmas 2009 and Happy New Year 2010 ^^
R&R please..