"And when I look for you there is no place where you aren't "
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The sprouts of the spring cherry blossomed like rough diamonds from the cherry trees; the sprouts looked like crystals that didn't shine their natural beauty, thus being absorbed in their temporary form.
Naoki with his doubts and so on, walked through the university campus, upset for a fairly specific reason. A reason that derived to a situation that has taken course as far as the perspective that the men began to have in relation to Kotoko.
If before they saw her as a rough girl, now they saw her as an object of admiration; such acts done by the students were unforgivable, and an inconstant burden on his back that not only bore with his inability to confess himself to her head-on, but with all the praise they said to her deliberately.
It was annoying to have to deal with their comments on a daily basis.
In the afternoon he remembered that Kotoko left training after half past six, without sorrow or glory, he toured the possible places she used to frequent on campus.
He passed by the cafeteria, the grassland courtyard where she lay down to listen to music, the parking lot of bicycles, etc. His last resort was the hall of the clubs where the choir group settled.
First he went up to the second floor of the club building, which was white with gray tones at the bottom of the hall; He looked in each and every one of the rooms as a sign of meeting with the one that said "Singing Club" or at least choir, besides he was completely unaware of the distribution of the clubs more than his own, of course.
When he found the choir group room, he found it empty.
Not a soul was present in the desert hall.
Frustrated, he had to leave the classroom with a great feeling of loneliness occupying part of his chest. He sighed dejectedly, dropping his shoulders and his prostrate gaze on the floor where he was supposedly going down the stairs to the usual road to his house.
In those, he saw her, right in front of him.
She passed with her head up, the step fast and firm, the backpack hung like a pendulum on her back. He saw her and his interior was completely paralyzed.
Without hesitation, he approached at a short pace, searching among his thoughts for some diffuse ray that electrified him in some way the potion of brevity, the possible and the best that could occur to him.
They met at some point where their eyes met.
"Ah, Naoki-kun, hello." She greeted him hurriedly, after going another way to the previous one. He frowned.
"Kotoko?" He raised his eyebrows, confused.
"See you later!" She waved her hand in goodbye, marching in a hurry away from him, something he didn't like at all. He decided to follow her, not even think about it, since he didn't like the way she addressed him.
He took her arm, surprising her instantly.
"Now I can't talk to you," She blew annoyed at his action. He, for his part, was offended by the deal, downplaying that it should not be so obvious with his feelings, while not liking to be treated that way, "I'm in a hurry," She warned urgently.
"Where are you going?" He demanded to know, putting pressure on his grip.
"That doesn't matter." She complained, letting go of his contact, that is, a rejection. Intolerable, he would say.
"Don't ignore me," He snapped.
She looked at him static, eyes wide, blinking in disbelief; If he wanted to get her attention, he had already done it.
"Em ..." He wanted to correct his role, but preferred to shut up by giving her to understand that he expected a reaction from her, whatever it was, as long as there was one.
"I don't ignore you." She denied having recovered from his action.
"Then?" He put pressure on his tone, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll go to a session" She confessed uneasily. She signaled him to approach. "Of singing" She murmured hurriedly.
So much trouble for a singing session? She was taking it seriously about the beauty pageant.
"What?" He grimaced in disgust.
"If you'll excuse me" She mentioned, keeping her distance. "I'm leaving." She emphasized the last sentence by stepping directly to the backyard of the campus. He without wanting to give up, followed her more easily since his height gave him the benefit of moving faster than she did, so he didn't make an effort to reach her. "What are you doing, Naoki-kun?" She questioned alarmed, without stopping her steps.
"It's ridiculous that you take the contest seriously." He complained, shaking his head in denial, walking beside her without taking his eyes off her. "So I'll go see if you're really going to work or it's just a story" He said monotonously.
She blinked, opening her mouth in disbelief.
"Well" She agreed after a few seconds of listening. "Do what you want"
They went to the backyard of the campus.
Having reached the patio, he saw that there was a circle of people gathered in the grass with his legs crossed vocalizing with the direction of a person who became quite familiar. Kotoko ran to where the boys were gathered, waving their arms to get their attention.
"Guys! I have arrived" She announced her entrance smiling hurriedly, followed by Naoki, who only accompanied her for gossip not because she knew how to sing. "Sorry for the delay." She crouched down apologizing.
The boy with the acoustic guitar, the one that seemed familiar or rather, known, he said.
"I see you brought company."
Kotoko turned to him, once again aware of his monotonous and boring presence, so to speak, there was no other characteristic that distinguished him from the rest of the population more than his static face.
"Oh yes," she said nodding, sticking her tongue aside. "Naoki-kun." She smiled nodding in his direction. "He's accompanying me" She mentioned presumptuously.
What was that? He wrinkled his eyebrows, having taken a seat a meter away from the circle of boys, on a black-painted metal bench with small bows on the side of the loader.
Lately she had changed her attitude towards him and that caused him some conflict, he reiterated that he didn't bother her to presume or praise him or whatever it was, what caused him conflict was not that, but the reason behind such behavior.
He supposed that it was perhaps because of the beauty contest that had her stunned, adding that her 'friend' Ryo was behind her as a dog, ordering her what to do and how to do it in order to win the contest.
They made those things angry because Kotoko didn't deserve it in any way, if she was the best person in the world.
He sighed trying to calm himself before visibly twitching, making one of his temple veins highlight his own rage and helplessness to help her.
"Well," said the boy on the guitar, tearing the strings out of there he leaves. "Who starts singing?" He questioned the boys turning around the circle with a good-natured smile. Buyer smile, Naoki would say he only rolled his eyes in denial.
"Me!" Kotoko raised her hand wanting to participate. Naoki cocked a smile, glad to see her smile. "I want to!"
The others looked at her questioningly, as if they knew she would do that and that's why they gave her the opportunity to do so. Why didn't they accept her one hundred percent, if she was a girl with the best qualities and the best disposition towards things? Surely they envied her for being so gifted.
"Good Kotoko!" The boy smiled childishly, highlighting his perfect teeth, and that was where he fell realized. The boy was Nozomi Yuuki, another of Kotoko's friends since high school.
"Yes, well." She stood up, adjusting her hair that was already at chest level, highlighting her large hazel eyes.
"Wait!" Nozomi held her with his hands up, making Kotoko stunned.
"Em." She stammered.
"Sing a personal song" He demanded, twisting his eye. "One that relates an important fact in your life, those are the songs that best come to you; the emotional ones!" He exclaimed inspired, spreading his arms in the air but not before grabbing the guitar to prevent it from falling to the ground.
Kotoko was taken off guard, to which she was thoughtful with her finger under her chin frowning.
Naoki analyzed her, curious to know what was happening in Kotoko's enigmatic mind, the mind that so intrigued him.
What will she think? What things will come to mind when she reflects or when she is thinking of an answer to answer? Will they be good thoughts or bad thoughts? Or will only be the answers to cure his discomfort?
Suddenly, she approached Nozomi with a serious gesture, leaned into his ear and whispered something, moving her right hand to express an idea.
Naoki's curiosity was at the pick.
Kotoko positioned herself in the center of the circle with her arms at her sides, head up, modifying her carefree countenance to a serious and willing one.
"Well, I'm going to sing" She announced, looking sideways at Nozomi who was waiting for the signal to start playing the guitar. Both nodded in unison.
She began to sing the song of "Cactus" by Gustavo Cerati seriously, balancing her weight through the feet that were rocking at will; he, on the other hand, analyzed her quietly, but at the same time with content, wanting for a moment to take her in his arms and run away from there but couldn't do so until his position in her heart was assured.
Ah! He sighed in awe of so many thoughts in a single space of time that intermingled with what he contemplated quietly. At times he might seem an inconsistent man, although he reiterated that he didn't consider himself too proud for his own good (Although in fact he was an exaggeratedly proud and narcissistic man), likewise, dealing with his pride and narcissism were not the objectives he had proposed.
None of that nonsense that would waste his time on how valuable it was right in front of you. He had a woman he loved, who longed for fervently, with the woman he dreamed awake and imagined everywhere, even when he had to pay attention in class. He was grateful in advance for not being a disaster as far as studies were concerned, because it was obvious that his IQ of two hundred was beneficial in those cases.
Thanks to his intelligence he had the time to see Kotoko sing when an average student was breaking his head trying to do homework.
He smiled sideways, victorious, but unhappy at not being Kotoko's boyfriend yet.
He placed both arms at his sides, breathing slowly and slowly as he watched her sing and flow with the lyrics of the song, which she expressed with seriousness.
She suddenly smiled, changing her serious countenance to a liberating one. It was there, when the song ended and with it, something happened in both that in him it clicked.
Their eyes met in that brief moment.
Could it be that love began to sprout between them?
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P.S. (Mention to the song "Cactus" by Gustavo Cerati)