Full Court Press!
Chapter 21
It was 9:22AM, Pacific Standard Time. A Japan Airlines jet takes off from the runway of the SFO International Airport, headed for Japan. In the First Class cabin, Francis Suzuki sinks into in his seat with a look of extreme comfort on his face. It was a most pleasurable experience to the half-Canadian who was used to the small, cramped seats of Air Canada's economy cabins to and from Vancouver and the countless connection flights from there to Halifax. In absolute fascination, he stretched his legs as far as he could reach and wouldn't hit the back of the seat in front of him - an unthinkable concept to him in the past. Being able to do something like that seemed surreal to him.
He was getting too amused by this, he then thought, judging by the way the stewardesses looked at him. Bashfully, he pulled up his retractable table, fished out a notebook that served as a planner and doubled as his external Press Club workstation and assignment notebook to try to ward off their gazes. Sadly, his attempt at looking normal didn't exactly go as smoothly as planned - as a matter of fact, it made him stand out even more. He was a person with a notebook in the midst of a sea of electronic device users after all - the other people around him had laptops and high-end gadgets. He was in the First Class cabin too, so the stewardesses must have been confused. Add the fact that the planner had been recycled many times over through Francis' generous use of correction fluid and scotch tape, he couldn't have seemed more out of place.
Trying not to mind that for now, Francis opened the planner, loosing bits of dried collection fluid to the table which he promptly swept to the side to avoid any more attention. He laid it down before him and ran through the pages until he reached the current date. Countless reminders populated the pages he had run through, with the most recent ones having marks like 'Practice at the Orpheum' or 'Don't forget the suit' and other remarks that had to do with the San Francisco concert. It reminded him of the time that Mr. Kotobuki had lent him a new coat to replace his old one after their first rehearsal, saying that Francis had to look his best. He was never told exactly what for, though - The performance? The annual group picture? Tsumugi? Francis never really figured out.
Waving that thought aside for now, he turned the page and the convoy of little reminders ended. In their stead, a blank sheet of (correction fluid-coated) paper sat before him. With Natsufest and the San Francisco trip over, he leaned over to his side and wondered what else he should be preparing for. The Cultural Festival was the first thing to come to mind.
Francis flipped through the pages, flying from the third week of August all the way to the 20th of October. That was the date of the upcoming Cultural Festival. Satoshi, the de facto leader of Okaeri, talked to him about the Cultural Festival non stop before he had left for San Francisco. Okaeri's drummer was hell bent on making the performance an example of awesome compounded, 'awesome upon awesome' and the violinist knew that that meant practicing with the band again at least twice or thrice a week. Paired with the upcoming Monthly Column at the Press Club, he already knew there would be a lot of cramming and rushing about involved. There was also that deal with Nagoya LIVE.
Up till then, he, Satoshi and the girls of the Light Music Club haven't heard Sawako Yamanaka talk to them about anything involving the TV event since the first time she informed them about it. Since he couldn't exactly set a date for a still theoretical event, he decided to talk about it with the rest instead. They ought to at least ask her about it, he reasoned. Nodding, he agreed with himself, resurrecting the stewardesses' skepticism of approaching him. He could only sigh.
A weak burst of snoring then broke his melancholy thoughts before dying down, coming from the seat beside him. He hid the planner again then turned to the seat beside him where a girl with long golden hair was sleeping soundly. There was a satisfied smile on her lips as if her unconscious self had intentionally snored to catch his attention and have him look her way.
"Sugar doughnuts... and tea... go well together..." the sleeping girl then mumbled, making Francis chuckle.
"Always thinking about the Light Music Club, huh Kotobuki-san?" He whispered to her, "Well don't worry. We'll be back soon."
Leaning back into his seat, Francis closed his eyes, deciding to get some shut eye himself. He slowly drifted to sleep, listening to the hum of the plane engines and the soft breaths of the girl beside him - a girl he considered to be one of his closest friends. Strangely enough, he saw her in his dreams, serving him tea at the table of the Light Music Club. She handed him his cup, he thanked her and she replied with a most pleasant smile.
"Sugar doughnuts and tea go well together, Francis. For me, at least." Tsumugi then said, pointing to the sugar doughnut on his plate, "Try them! I want to know what you think."
At her command, Francis took a bite from the doughnut then had a sip of tea. He was delighted by it.
"Absolutely delicious, Kotobuki-san! It's the best I've ever had."
Later on, at the platform of the Western Osaka District rail station, Francis' journey with the Kotobukis ended. It has been a long day of travelling for them, having been on a plane for almost eleven hours then on a train for two more. Now that it was all over, Francis savored being on his own two feet again and breathed in the Osaka air.
"It's good to be back." He thought out loud, "Too bad tomorrow's a Monday."
"Don't think like that, Francis." Tsumugi said, trying to add some optimism in Francis' thoughts, "The trip was fun though, wasn't it? Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it!"
"Of course I enjoyed it! Going to San Francisco with you and the orchestra was great!" Francis said, realizing that he wasn't just talking to himself anymore, "Come to think of it, we were able to skip a whole week of school too. I'm pretty sure Satoshi's gonna be jealous about that."
Tsumugi then laughed, covering her mouth in an attempt to suppress it.
"You know what, Francis?" Tsumugi added "Ricchan would probably act the same way. She might say something like 'you should have brought me along too!'"
"They are brother and sister, after all. In any case, we'll be in for one hell of treat tomorrow when we go back to school." Francis chuckled, laying a hand on Tsumugi's shoulder, "Expect to be interrogated, Kotobuki-san."
"Don't worry. We'll be fine." Tsumugi reassured, "We've got a lot of stories to tell, after all."
Putting her hands behind her and leaning towards Francis, the girl then smiled.
"By the way Francis, if you're interested, my parents and I are having dinner at a restaurant downtown. It's not too far from here, so you can join in if you wanted."
"Dinner, eh?" Francis repeated, considering accepting the offer, "Sounds mighty nice, but there was something I was already planning to do. So sorry, I can't go."
"Aww, that's a shame." Tsumugi sighed, "Hmm... you wouldn't happen to be planning to pay Mio visit, are you?"
"I was, yeah." Francis said, scratching his head, "It'll be a surprise visit of sorts. I'm sure she'll be stoked."
"Bring her some flowers then." Tsumugi suggested happily, "Bring her flowers and when she sees you at her front door, she'll be ecstatic! A rose would be nice."
"A rose... That idea's not half bad Kotobuki-san." Francis considered, "I might just do that, thanks!"
"You're welcome, Francis. Oh... oh! And if you're passing by the strip mall, a family friend owns the flower shop there. Tell the shopkeeper you know me and I'm sure she will cut you a discount."
"Discount? Right on! Thank you so much! You're always looking out for me, you know? I appreciate it!"
Taking down some directions from Tsumugi, Francis bid the family farewell and went on over to execute his newly revised plan. In the meantime, Tsumugi rejoined her parents as they waited for their chauffeured car to arrive to pick them up.
"Oh, Suzuki-kun won't be joining us for dinner?" Mr. Kotobuki asked, "Shame. I took the initiative and told the maître d' we were having dinner for four."
"Yeah, I thought he was going with us too." Tsumugi said, "But it won't be a problem, I hope. We just have to cancel the fourth, right?"
"Very true. I'll call the restaurant again, then." Mr. Kotobuki said, taking out his phone. As her father spoke on the phone, Tsumugi walked down to the end of the short platform and turned to the moon shining in the sky. She put a hand over her heart and felt it beating in an uneven pace, the same way it had been that night on the Embarcadero. She then turned back to the direction Francis had gone and saw that he was already gone. A few words then barely escaped the girl's lips.
"Why do I feel this way all of the sudden?"
She then took a deep breath and smiled.
"It doesn't matter. As long as he's happy, I'm happy."
"Welcome home, big bro!" Jun Suzuki greeted as she opened the door for her brother, "Guess what? Ui and Yui came over while you were away and they taught me how to make pasta!"
"Really now?" Francis said amused, "So that means you won't be making just instant noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner, eh?"
"Hey, I can make rice too you know." Jun argued, folding her arms in defense. Francis entered, bearing a his suitcase on one hand and the case of his violin Fraulein on the other. In that same hand holding Fraulein though, there was something Jun didn't think her big brother would bring home - a rose. "What's that you got there, bro? A present from Mugi-senpai?"
"No, no." Francis clarified, setting aside Fraulein and his luggage, "I got this at the strip mall to give to Mio tonight. Gonna pay her a visit, you see."
"Oh..."
"But the shop I got it from was recommended to me by Kotobuki-san. It was a shop one of her family friends happens to own. Kotobuki-san said I'd get a discount if I mentioned knowing her. When I told the shopkeeper I knew Kotobuki-san though the shopkeep told me not to worry about price and gave this to me for free! How awesome is that?"
"So it is a present from Mugi-senpai."
"Indirectly, I guess. Yeah. Kotobuki-san has always helped me out with these sorts of things, even before Mio and I got together. She's been the most excellent wingman with Satoshi as a close second."
Jun rubbed her chin with an amused look on her face.
"Whatcha thinking about, sis?"
"Hmm... nothing." Jun said with a smile, "Anyways, I still have some of the lasagna the Hirasawas and I made from yesterday. Will you be having dinner now, or do you want me to leave you a plate in the microwave?"
"Microwave please." Francis said, "I just went over to say hi and drop off Fraulein and my luggage. So I'll be going then!"
"Wait a sec." Jun halted, "What are you going to do about your suitcase and Fraulein?"
"Leave them here at the anteroom." Francis said, "I'll bring them up when I come back."
Francis then bid his sister farewell again and the half-Canadian boy trotted off to Mio Akiyama's house with the rose in hand and a smile on his face. She was going to be surprised and happy to see him, he thought as he walked. He missed her all that time he was away, so he figured she would miss him too. That thought drove him on, making him quicken his pace. Along the way though, he came across a familiar face who apparently was heading in the same direction.
"Ritsu-senpai!" Francis greeted, "Good evening!"
"Suzuki-kun? You're back from San Francisco already?" Ritsu said surprised, "Awesome! Welcome back dude, and good evening to you too!"
"Uh-huh. So what's up, senpai? Would you be going to Mio's house?"
"I was heading over there, yeah. Mio called me over just a while ago. She said there was something she wanted to talk to me about - something really important she says."
"I see..."
"And I believe you're heading there as well." Ritsu said with a smirk, "That rose you've got there says it all."
"Caught red handed." Francis laughed, "But if Mio had something important to talk to you about, then maybe I shouldn't go... I wouldn't want to disturb an important conversation, after all."
"No, no, Suzuki-kun." Ritsu said shaking her head, "You're her boyfriend, buddy, and you already went all the way here. That flower would just go to waste too if you just go back. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you! Trust me, if you tear Ui and Satoshi apart for more than three days, they'll both go crazy!"
"Hah! You're right, Ritsu-senpai. Let's go."
Francis and Ritsu then carried on down the road to Mio's house. Ritsu got the half-Canadian to tell her all about the trip to San Francisco and his adventures there with Tsumugi while Ritsu, in turn, told Francis about what had happened while he was gone.
"You remember that Shakespeare play our class is going to put on?" Ritsu said, "Well, the roles have been decided and guess who got the role of Romeo? Mio!"
"Mio? As Romeo?" Francis asked in utter disbelief, "Hah, no way! Seriously?"
"I be tellin' the truth." Ritsu confirmed, "I can show you the cast list if you want."
"Nah, I believe you." Francis said, "So who got the role of Juliet?"
"You're looking at her." Ritsu sighed. Francis was tempted to make a snarky comment, but knew that a smack to the arm was a common retaliation of both Satoshi and Ritsu.
"The role doesn't suit me, huh?" Ritsu said, "Personally, I thought that Mio was going to be Juliet or something. She's way more ladylike than I am anyways."
"Kotobuki-san would have been good too." Francis added, "She's refined and cultured - I'm pretty sure she knows all the Shakespeare plays in English and Japanese, maybe even in Finnish too!"
"Well, she wasn't there during the drafting so we decided to have assign her in the stage crew." Ritsu replied, "The director's chair is still vacant though. She could fill it if she wanted."
Ritsu then looked at Francis with a raised brow and said,
"Mugi was the first person on your mind. Stare..."
"Hey, come on. We've been traveling together for the past week so she was the first person to come to mind." Francis defended, "Also, she's just a good friend of mine - that's all there is to it, eh?"
"That's good to hear then." Ritsu replied, "I wouldn't want you to go breaking my best friend's heart after all. You're the first guy she really took a real interest in, lucky guy!"
"First guy she took an interest in?" Francis repeated, "As in she's never liked any other guy before?"
"Yup. That means there's something special about you." Ritsu concluded, "She talks about you often too, so she's rather fond of you."
Hearing this gave Francis mixed feelings. On one hand, he was happy to hear that Mio really liked him from Ritsu. On the other, he was a tad bit confused. In all the months the two of them have been together, he knew they enjoyed each other's company but he felt like there never really was much of a connection between them aside from the Light Music Club. However, if Ritsu, Mio's best friend, is telling him this, then it must be true.
"Anyways, here we are." Ritsu said as they approached the gates of the Akiyama household, "Would you do the honors?"
Francis nodded and pressed the ringer, summoning the person he and Ritsu had come to see. He held the rose tightly in his hand, his heart beating quickly as he tried to imagine the sort of face she would have when she saw him. What were the first words she would tell him after having been gone for about a week? How would she react to him going out of his way to surprise her? The door soon opened and Mio Akiyama stood behind the threshold in almost exactly the same manner he thought she would see her - she was absolutely happy. His guess for the reason as to why she would be happy was off.
"Ritsu! You came!" She then said.
It was way off.
"Well, you did say you have something important to talk to me about." Ritsu said
"Come on in then. I want to..."
"Um... Mio." Ritsu said pointing to the person beside her, "You do have another guest too, you know."
Standing there beside Ritsu was Francis, standing stiffly in attention and sweat dripping from his brow. The rose in his hand shivered in anxiety as the scene unfolded. There he was, standing like an idiot ready to present the flower to her but she didn't even take notice of him immediately. Mio promptly apologized, thanked him for visiting, accepted the rose graciously and welcomed him in as well and Francis said that he understands. The truth however was that he didn't understand and that he didn't know what exactly he was supposed to understand.
Not wanting to show his confusion, Francis said all of that with a smile on his face and went on to join Mio and Ritsu into the house. He stayed there with the two girls for a while and talked as if nothing had happened but it was just a front, a front similar to the front he had put up before Yui Hirasawa and Azusa Nakano at Satoshi's house. He was scared out of his wits then. He is scared out of his wits now. The lingering fear in the back of his mind was starting to prevail - perhaps she didn't truly like him.
Then next day at the Cafeteria of the Osaka West public school, Francis and Satoshi sat together at a table as they had always done. Satoshi, as usual, had his bento box from his beloved Ui set before him which brought the drummer much happiness. It was a Monday, Satoshi declared, meaning there would definitely be extra rice in his box. He lifted the lid and true enough, there was the extra rice he had expected. Not once has Ui forgotten the weekday pattern she had set for Satoshi's lunches. Francis on the other hand had food he had prepared for himself, or rather, food that Jun and the Hirasawas had prepared - leftover lasagna which had already gone cold.
"What's with the long face, France?" Satoshi asked curiously, "Is something up?"
"Long face?" Francis gasped, "No, I..."
"Dude, I know it must be hard to come home from an extended vacation." Satoshi said, remembering Francis' storytelling earlier that day, "You have to remember, though, you can't stay in vacation your entire life. You have to face reality!"
To Francis, Satoshi's words bore more meaning than the drummer had intended.
"It's not about San Francisco." Francis said in a somber tone, "It's about me and Mio."
Satoshi had been planning to add in a few remarks here and there but kept them to himself, realizing the gravity of Francis' situation.
"Tell me, Satoshi." Francis then said, "Has Ui ever... lost interest in you?"
"Lost interest...?" Satoshi replied, "Well... We're not the perfect couple, if that's what you're thinking. We've had our share of disagreements too every now and then, but we stayed strong because we stayed true and loved each other."
"Love, eh?" Francis said skeptically, "And how exactly can you say that you love each other."
"I can say that because we're always there for each other." Satoshi said, "We're always at each other's side, even when we're not together. Also... we're just happy to be with each other. It's as simple as that."
Francis then buried his face in his hands, his fear slowly growing undeniable. Satoshi caught on to this almost instantly and asked,
"You think Mio-senpai is losing interest in you. That's what you think, right?"
Francis scratched his head then nodded. There was an air of discomfort about him that Satoshi couldn't help but notice.
"Alright then, answer this. Are you losing interest in Mio-senpai?"
The violinist's head then shot up to Satoshi's level with a look of absolute shock. Satoshi's query had landed near the root.
"It's really not hard to lose interest when you start to feel like things are going amiss." Francis replied, "I feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle... one that I'm losing ground in every moment of the day. We used to have this connection I felt... the day she and I became a couple, I had this feeling like she needed me. In turn, I needed her. Lately, that doesn't seem to be the case."
Satoshi was dumbfounded by his friend's response. He had asked that question, hoping to jolt Francis' memory and draw out some argument in defense of their relationship. Francis could muster none. Never before had Satoshi experienced something like this so he didn't know how to react. The drummer then crumpled his brow in extreme contemplation.
"France. This was something I told Ui when we were at the Cultural Festival last year. 'Whenever you feel unmotivated, think about why you're doing it in the first place.' Try to think about that. If you can't think of anything and you start feeling like you're doing something stupid, then I suggest bailing out. Think hard... dig deep. You've been together for months, so there must be something."
"She was lonely then." Francis said in a serious tone, "That day we stumbled upon each other at your house... that time we met at the mall, I saw a lonely soul... a desperate soul... a sad, cold soul, just like me. I saw that in her, and perhaps she saw that in me... we figured, together, we wouldn't be lonely."
"See...? Problem solved then." Satoshi concluded, "You see, as long as you have that link, that bond if you will, then you will never truly drift apart. If you and Mio-senpai are meant to be together, then you will be together, huh? You might just be blowing things out of proportion or something, you know?"
"Maybe you're right." Francis said, his tone mellowed by Satoshi's countermeasures, "I do think too much about these sorts of things."
"You do sometimes, yeah." Satoshi said, "I can tell since I do that a lot too."
"Hah, come to think of it, she may have just been stressed out by the upcoming Cultural Festival." Francis reasoned, "She must have asked Ritsu-senpai to come over to talk about it so she didn't notice me right away."
"That's the spirit buddy, think positive!" Satoshi cheered, "You know, Francis, doubt is one of the most potent relationship killers. Try not to get high on that stuff, y'hear?"
"I'll be sure not to." Francis replied, "Anyways, while we're on the topic of the Cultural Festival, when are we going to start practicing?"
"Starting today, of course." Satoshi grinned, "We want to make that performance awesome upon awesome after all."
"I had a feeling you were going to say that." Francis laughed, "Alright then, what about that Nagoya LIVE deal?"
"You know what? Sawa-chan hasn't told us a thing about that yet. Ritsu and I were talking about that yesterday too and we're starting to wonder if that deal will really push through or not."
"We ought to ask her then." Francis suggested, "We wouldn't want to get caught unprepared now, wouldn't we?"
Satoshi nodded, completely agreeing with Francis. The two of them went on to finish up their lunches before their lunch break ended. Satoshi savored the extra rice and the meticulously prepared side dishes Ui had made for him while Francis made do with the cold lasagna for the time being. The half-Canadian consoled himself with the fact that he would see Mio again later that day and that he would have yet another cup of the greatest tea in the world.
"Tch... I should have made doughnuts."
Meanwhile, at the 3-2 classroom in Sakura-gakou, lunch break had ended and classes were starting once again. As the English teacher began her lecture, Mio Akiyama sat in her seat and was thinking about what had happened yesterday night.
She remembered being at the entrance of her home, walking up and down the hallway as she waited for Ritsu to arrive. She was anxious to say the least as she listened to the merciless ticking of her watch's second hand and waited for the impending buzz of the doorbell. It was the night before her boyfriend would arrive from San Francisco, she thought, and she was feeling oddly determined.
Mio had invited Ritsu over, hoping to finally be able to tell her about the feelings she had started to harbor for her. Francis had been gone for almost a week already, but now was the only time she had gathered enough resolve to take a swing a second time. The first time she had tried to tell her, she was foiled by the cross-dressing Satoshi, an experience that baffles her even today. This time would be different, she thought. She had taken a bath in preparation for this meeting and even put on some of her nicer clothes too. Everything would go smoothly.
"Tonight is the night." She told herself, reinforcing her determination, "Tonight is the night... I will..."
The doorbell then rang, to her horror and delight. Just as she had hoped, Ritsu was standing behind the door. She however, wasn't alone. There he was, Francis Suzuki, the person she called boyfriend. As sweet as it sounded, it was merely a title that she had forced onto him. The two of them have been in a relationship for months now, even though Mio had expected the relationship to fail a long time ago. He was just a prop to her after all, a prop that was just a part of a larger scene she had in mind. Francis however was a prop that wouldn't walk out of the stage and Mio didn't have the heart to force him off it.
He stood there with a rose in his hand, a symbol of his resolve. Where that resolve came from, she didn't really know. In any case, his presence foiled her plans once again and the strength she had painstakingly gathered till that day had all but vanished. Thus, she welcomed the both of them into her house, keeping on the mask she had been longing to tear off - a mask that had long irritated her soul and had been the heaviest burden on her heart. She had worn that mask for the longest time, she figured. Perhaps keeping it on a little while longer wouldn't make any difference.
Back in the Sakura-gakou classroom, the English wrote down what appeared to be song lyrics* on the board and was asking for a volunteer to read it. A hand shot up to the air and the teacher promptly called her name.
"Kotobuki-san, please read the first three sentences."
Tsumugi stood up, cleared her throat and recited the English sentences with ease.
"There is a place where the moon is under the sea. There is a place where the sun is inside a cup of tea. There is a place we can go where no one else has been but me.."
Tsumugi's pronunciation of English was perfect and the teacher was impressed as always. The girl then took to her seat again with an exceptionally bright smile on her face and she had a good guess as to why she was happy. Here was another person she had entangled in the web of complexities she had spawned. Tsumugi and Francis were close friends who inched closer and closer each and every day and Mio knew all too well that Tsumugi too had a stake in how things would play out. Mio believed that if she wasn't part of the equation, the half-Finnish girl and the half-Canadian boy may have ended up becoming more than friends but that was not the case. She was there, ever entrenched between the two of them and she had no intention to move anytime soon.
That feint she had performed was the only certainty she had at the moment - if she acted straight then no one would suspect a thing. Therefore, she would play the boyfriend-girlfriend game she herself had started - the game she should but couldn't end. Until she had the strength to face the consequences, she would be satisfied with this cold four-way stalemate. Until then, no one would lose but no one would truly win either.
To Be Continued
Moonlane Gardens* - A song by the Filipino band Orange and Lemons.