It was after school at the clubroom. The quiet atmosphere could be felt as I sat down on the bench. The others weren't here yet, so I took the chance to lie down and rest my eyes.
As I was about to let the drowsiness took over my body, came a sound of a twisting knob from the door.
"Ah, good afternoon Yamamoto-san."
It was none other than the always smiling man in the club, Tanigawa. He entered with his clothes still in best shape, which amazed me. With many hours of school, there had to be at least some dirt on his pants or something.
"Yo." I plainly greeted.
"It sure is quiet when there's only the two of us."
That was a pointless sentence. I could easily tell that he only wanted to have a conversation with me, so I ignored him.
He shifted his legs to the window side and stood still, his eyes were directed to the setting sun ahead of him. It was then I remembered something I needed to say to him.
"Sorry for the other day."
He turned his head towards me, and gave me a questioning look.
"I'm sorry, I can't seem to recall any event that requires apology. Care to elaborate?"
"Castanet café, with Akiyama. There was a guy flirting with her. That was my doing."
The look on his face turned to surprise. I explained everything before he could ask a question.
"I worked there, as a chef. You might not see me. I just wanted to know more about the mysterious guy in our club."
"I see… but how could that act help to learn more about me?"
"Spontaneous reactions. Your hands were balled into fists, indicating anger. That way, I acknowledged your personality is normal, just like any other people. What bugs me is the reason why you kept smiling like that. It's just suspicious."
Tanigawa regained back his trademark smile.
"I apologize I if seem suspicious to you. It's just that I don't want anyone to worry. If I kept smiling like this, every people will see me as a happy man with no problems whatsoever."
"Tell me the truth, do you have any problems in your life?" I asked him.
The smiling man chuckled, he walked towards the table and took a seat.
"There are a few. Every person has a problem. It's just mine isn't really that big of a deal, I can take care of it myself."
"Don't be afraid to ask for help, but don't ask too many. A man should be able to solve a problem by himself, but reaching out for a helping hand is all right once in a while." I said to him, wanting to change his individual ways.
But what I said is contradictory to what I do. I always solve problems by myself. It may be harder to solve, but I just don't like being helped. Ha, quite a strange personality I have. Likes to help people yet doesn't like to be helped.
"I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Yamamoto-san."
After the conversation was over, I felt the drowsiness in me vanished without a trace. It was strange how sleepiness could come and go. I decided to grab my Epiphone electric guitar I brought with me. It had been a while since I touched the guitar, so I went through all the trouble of cleaning it just the other day. The England flag finish could be seen reflecting the sunlight coming from the window.
I plugged the jack into the amplifier. It had been too long since I heard the familiar sound of the guitar, it brought back memories.
I played a tune I hadn't played for a long time. The guitar solo of Free Bird. Let's see if I still got the juice for this.
Apparently, I missed some of the notes. I need to practice more, then.
"That's amazing Hiromi-kun!"
I stopped at the middle of the solo due to the disturbance. That voice, it was none other than Hirasawa Yui.
I lifted my head to see the familiar face.
"Yui, when did you get here?" I asked her.
"Eh? I was here a while ago."
It seemed that I was pretty focused at playing the guitar and became oblivious to my surroundings. All of the members were all present without me noticing.
"That's an amazing guitar! What's his name?" Yui asked me, inspecting my guitar.
"What? I didn't give it a name, don't put me in the same level as you are!"
"Boo! Hiromi-kun doesn't love his guitar!"
Yui kept pestering me about how I didn't love my guitar, giving entertainment to the rest of the club. After a brief argument, she decided to name it 'England-chan' due to the England flag on its body. How goddamn original, that name was.
"I'm thinking of leaving my guitar here. Is that alright?" I asked no one in particular, ignoring Yui's pleading to make me call my guitar by its name.
The president put up a hand to her chin, looking like a skilled detective.
"I can't guarantee that, there might be some thieves around the school. What would you do if 'England-chan' gets stolen?" She put an emphasis on my guitar's new name to mock it. And she even stifled a laugh.
"I'll hunt down who stole it and kill him and everybody he loves."
The room went to a silence, save Yui who was oblivious of anything I said.
"What? I was joking." I stated plainly.
"Uh, with you saying that, I kinda doubt that was a joke." Said Akiyama.
"Yeah, you look like a cold blooded killer already." Agreed Tainaka.
I sighed as I put up a hand to my face. The club was giggling after they heard Tainaka's comment.
"Whatever."
In the end, I left my guitar at the clubroom. That way, it would be less of a chore to hike the goddamn steep hill to my school.
There's something about the light music club that I can't put my finger on. I seem to have a feeling of wanting to be there all the time. It's like I'm drawn with an unknown force every time school's over.
I ignored the feeling and went home anyway. And no, I'm not calling my guitar with that name Yui gave.
No way in hell.
