Author's Note: I'm relieved that Kathy is well-accepted. I thought I was adding too much character, but turns out, you guys liked it. Thank you!
SO! Looking at the reviews, my spirit to write went up to OVER 9000! So here, a new chapter!
"What are you, a 3rd grader?"
I took the last slurp of my cold milk, obtained from the crappy vending machine this school provided. Throwing the cardboard box away to the trashcan from a distance, I readied myself to reply.
"Age doesn't matter, milk is good for all people. It provides good stuff for your body." I said to Kathy.
"After all these years, I still can't stand a second of your lectures."
"Then don't ask."
It was Monday, the day where every people on earth feel like they've just fallen to the pits of hell. Kathy and I were no exception. We are now located on the top of the school building, enjoying the winds of spring with our minds full of the earlier lessons the merciless teachers gave us.
"How did the introduction go?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"Like a tall, blonde, foreign woman going to a Japanese high school would." She smiled, remembering the events just this morning. "It's pretty interesting, looking the faces of the class pretty amazed."
Kathy was assigned to a different class than anyone in the club, so she's pretty much alone.
"Men hitting on you?"
"Almost the whole class." The tall girl chuckled, "They did a feeble attempt in speaking English, which was pretty funny."
"Figures." I turned my head to the city view. The rooftop is a pretty good place to relax for people with an artistic mind, the scene was pretty inspirational.
"The boys were watching me all the time wherever I go. I have to admit, it feels uncomfortable."
"You can defend yourself if they do something weird." I'm not one to worry over her, if she could take care of other people, I'm sure she could take care of herself.
"Yeah, no need to worry." Kathy shifted her eyes to the door leading inside. "And even now, I'm still being watched."
I felt it too, someone was behind the closed door.
"Oh, well. I guess it's fine as long as they didn't do anything strange." The blonde stated. "Anyways, what club are you in?"
"The light music club." I stated, letting go of the focus on the door.
"Really? Can I join? I don't think there are any clubs I'm interested in."
"You can. Old school building, 3rd floor, last door on the hallway."
"Alright, I'll head there after school."
The bell rung, indicating break time is over. We went back to our respective classes, ready to face another wave of lessons.
As I went inside my class, I saw Yui out of breath, as if she had sprinted from somewhere. I decided to ignore it, presuming it's a private matter she didn't want to share.
My seat was far from hers, and close to Yuuki's. As I sat down, my friend leaned closer to me.
"It was Hirasawa."
"What? Why would she do that?" Yuuki was referring to Kathy's stalker a few minutes ago, it seems he saw the culprit.
"If you don't know, I don't." Though he said that, I could easily tell he was hiding something. The bastard just didn't want to share information that easily.
"Whatever."
Class went by like any other day, with some students listening, some passing notes, and Yuuki drawing what seems to be a poor representation of Cthulhu. For a second there, I thought it was an octopus trying to swallow Count Dracula's head.
As the bell rung, we walked towards the clubroom together, with the exception of Akiyama and Nakano, who were in different classes, and Tanigawa who had cleaning duty.
"But really, I never thought Chihaya's café would be robbed in broad daylight!" Tainaka stated, turning her head to us.
"You have to expect the unexpected." I stated, quoting someone I'm not really sure who.
"And Kathy's appearance was also unexpected, I never thought we would meet again in that situation." Yuuki piped in.
"Kathy? The newly transferred student Kathy MacFarlane?" Kotobuki asked.
"Yeah, she was the one who thwarted the robbery."
"Really… we have a heroine in our school."
"Were you guys close to her?" Tainaka asked me and Yuuki.
"I guess you could say we'd be dead meat if she weren't helping us a few years back." Yuuki stated.
"She must be a great fighter, then." The drummer concluded.
We reached the clubroom in a matter of minutes. Dead silence greeted us as we went inside, and not a single soul detected.
As usual, Kotobuki took the job of serving us a nice, warm cup of tea. It's a tradition of the club to relax every chance they get. Akiyama and Nakano appeared shortly after. I must say, those two looked like sisters when they're standing side by side.
"Yui, how's your training going?" I decided to check on my apprentice.
She stared at the ceiling with a blank expression, and was completely oblivious of her surroundings. Of course, my voice didn't even reach her brains.
"Oi." I snapped my fingers in front of her, getting her out of her trance.
"Eh? I'm- I'm doing fine, Hiromi-kun!"
I sighed at her, feeling pretty hopeless. I guess this is one of the downsides of teaching an airhead.
The wooden door voiced his old sound with two constant knocks. It was someone polite enough not to kick the door in, and the sounds of the knocks were not light, indicating it was someone who has great upper body strength. With all that info, and Kathy's statement during the break, everything was obvious.
"Come in!"
The sound of creaking can be heard, the door swung open lightly whilst revealing the person behind it. I've made no mistake, it was Kathy with a look of confidence on her face.
"Yo," Yuuki greeted. "You joining?"
"Yeah," The tall girl stated, closing the door and standing in front of it.
"Everyone, let me introduce you Kathy MacFarlane." Yuuki gestured towards the club applicant.
"A pleasure to meet you all." She bowed a perfect 90° to us. Reflexively, the girls bowed back.
"Cut the formality crap, it's not fitting for you." Yuuki stated.
Kathy stood straight, scratching her head. "Yeah, well, sorry about that."
The club introduced themselves one by one. The title of 'The Tallest Girl in the Light Music Club' has been handed to our new member, Kathy MacFarlane.
"Do you like tea, Kathy-san?" Kotobuki decided to know more of the foreigner.
"One of my favorites!"
"Then perhaps you would like some?"
"If you please!"
Kotobuki scurried away, excited to know what Kathy thought of her tea. It seems these two could get along well.
"One thing about her, she's an expert in lovey dovey stuff. So if any of you are down on your luck, try a counseling session with her." Yuuki threw a random fact of our old friend.
"You don't have to point that out, Tanaka. But you guys are welcome if you want." Kathy stated with a cheerful look on her face.
"Then…" Akiyama voiced, looking pretty nervous. "Can I ask you something?"
"What is it, Akiyama-san?" Accepting requests is the most loved thing for Kathy. She's always happy to help people, especially of the same gender.
"I have a boyfriend…" The patient started.
"Uh-huh. And?"
"Is there any way that could make him happier with me?"
"PAHAHAHA!"
The sudden burst of laughter that broke the suspense came from Yuuki, who was pretty amused by that question.
"Shush, Tanaka! Now, Akiyama-san, is there any problem with him or anything?" Kathy asked her patient, while Yuuki was silenced by Kotobuki, with the help of Nakano by forcefully shoving a cake to his mouth.
"No, nothing is worrying me, but I just want to make him happier."
"Okay, so everything is going well, but you want to make him happier." Kathy put up a hand to her chin, posing like a skilled detective. "Now tell me more about the love of your life, Akiyama-san."
"He's tall, handsome, charming…" Akiyama started to lose herself, and went to la-la land.
"She meant his personality, not his physical description…" I stated, putting up a facepalm.
"Actually, appearance could describe one's characteristics, but it would help if you directly state it." Kathy was rather amused.
"Oh, sorry." Akiyama cleared her throat, snapping back to reality. "Well, he's caring, gentle, sweet, intelligent-"
"You know those anime pretty boys? Yeah, he's one." I said to Kathy, saving up time.
"Okay, okay, I get the picture. Now lemme think for a while…"
I took the chance to observe the others. Yuuki was still munching the cake, with Nakano beside him staring intently at the psychologist. Kotobuki was just sitting there, with her usual smile. Unexpectedly, Tainaka, along with Yui, had the same look as Nakano. They were pretty curious at this stuff.
"Well, I think you'd need to do something out of the ordinary." Finally, Kathy came up with an answer.
"Out of the ordinary?"
"I assume he'll be here in a short while, am I right?"
"Yes, he should be done of his tasks by now."
"Try this… when he came inside, hug him tightly and state that you loved him."
"What! I can't do that! Not in front of…" Akiyama was flabbergasted, turning her head towards us.
"What's the point of doing that?" Tainaka was confused.
"My guess is to show Tanigawa that Akiyama is brave enough to show her love in front of everyone." I concluded. "Am I right, Kathy?"
"You won a million dollars, Yamamoto." The tall girl said to me. "It'll show him that your love won't hide just because of the existence of other people. Now can you do it?" Kathy, with her confident smile, leaned closer towards the patient.
"I'll try." Akiyama let out weakly.
"No. Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try." Kathy stated, quoting Yoda.
Akiyama hung her head, deep in thought. With a sudden movement, she jolted her head towards Kathy, a confident look on her face.
"I'll do it!"
It reminds me of the day before her confession. Akiyama is a brave girl, but it's her thoughts that kept worrying her. What if it didn't work out? What'll happen if I do something wrong? What if this? What if that? These questions shouldn't be in her mind, just let it go naturally, and she won't be nervous. Speculations are good, but if too much, it'll be a disadvantage. It could give you overconfidence, or its arch nemesis, pessimism.
Speak of the devil, Tanigawa appeared as the door gently swung open. He was looking rather tired, due to the tough subjects for the day, plus his cleaning duties.
"I'm sorry for being late."
All of a sudden, Akiyama stood up…
Untold Story #2: Love of my Life
I am weary.
It's been quite some time since I've felt this weak both physically and mentally. The subjects for today are not giving me any mercy, and the duties I had to fulfill as a dedicated student was adding fuel to the burning fires of exhaustion. It seems I cannot do anything for the club today, I should apologize for my uselessness.
As I was done with my duties, I immediately walked towards the old school building. This bag full of books I'm carrying is like a sandbag, so little, yet so heavy.
Now I'm just muttering nonsense, it's actually the exhaustion of my body fooling my senses into thinking that the bag is heavier than it was.
I reached the music room in a matter of minutes, ready to greet the fine scent of Kotobuki-san's tea. What caught my attention is the silence in the room, like there's nobody inside. It scares me just by speculating the possibilities of what caused the silence, I should not do that.
I twisted the doorknob, feeling relief went throughout my body as the scent of tea infiltrated my nose.
"I'm sorry for being late." I apologized to the club. I saw an unfamiliar face inside, it seems someone from overseas.
My girlfriend stood up from her seat. She hung her head down, rendering me unable to read her expression. It was as if she had something to say to me, yet cannot let the words out. Just before I took the chance to ask, she walked quickly towards me and embraced me tightly.
I was surprised, astonished, stunned. The contact was so delightful, I could feel the exhaustion in me washed away like the clouds in a sunny day. During the day, my thoughts were full with the tasks the teachers gave to me, and had forgotten about the angel that could exterminate all the bad things in my life.
I had forgotten about her…
"Wh-what's wrong, Mio-san?" I was far too flabbergasted to not stutter.
"Nothing," She looked up to me, with her sweet smile that never ceases to bring me joy and delight into my heart. Those eyes half closed, along with a tint of pink on her pale face, and her lips curled up, she said the words which took me over to a world of happiness.
"I love you."
Those three words were simple, yet held a strong power to lift one's spirits up. I, for one, was so happy that all of that tiredness and troubles which were on my mind had completely vanished without a trace. Those words, knowing it came from the one I loved, made me went to a state of peace and tranquility.
I smiled to my fullest, unable to control my actions. With my reflexes acting up, I leaned towards her face and kissed her with all of my love released. With my eyes closed, all I could feel was her sweet lips touching mine. It was a feeling of bliss, a feeling that no other could replace. She's the only one that could make me feel like this, the love of my life, Akiyama Mio.
As we ended the romantic encounter, we took a seat at the table, holding hands and never let go. I could easily sense our feelings getting stronger than ever, even to the point where I believed there is no better couple than us.
"It seems I haven't introduced myself. I'm Kathy MacFarlane, it's a pleasure to meet you, Akiyama-san's boyfriend!"
Ah, yes, I had forgotten of the new member. How selfish of me.
"The pleasure's mine. My name is Tanigawa Kaito, I hope you enjoy the club, Kathy-san."
"I surely will!"
Such a high spirited character. It's good to know the club is getting merrier with Kathy-san joining. I suppose the road from now on will be much smoother.
What had been on my mind after Mio-san's words was still a mystery. I remember she had stated that she's embarrassed to show her love when the club is around. But those actions were pretty forward, and the club was watching clearly. Unable to find the answer, I decided to ask Yamamoto-san.
I caught his attention by tapping his indoor shoes lightly with mine. He realized the contact and turned his head towards me. I shifted my eyes to my lover beside me, and then back to him. The man nudged his head towards the new member of the club, Kathy-san. I nodded, understanding his language.
So Kathy-san was the one who instructed her to do that. It made me content, knowing my girlfriend would consult with someone just to make me happy.
I shall not disappoint her in any way. I will keep her happy, I will protect her from any harm, and I will stand by her side 'till my death cometh. It's an oath that will not break even during the toughest times, and I will always be ready for anything that will come to us.
Death will be the one that'll separate us.