"Of that love, of light music, nothing frees us, nothing else remains"
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When he got to the main office there was no sign of Kotoko anywhere, the feeling that seized him was devastating.
Suddenly, his cell phone vibrated from his pants pocket, when he took it out, the air left him when he realized that it was Kotoko who was calling him. He didn't hesitate for a moment to answer.
"Kotoko" He said. He heard her sigh in relief.
"Naoki-kun, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed sadly. "They called me from the group, they told me that the grades were already published on the bulletin board, so I'm running there; by the way, how did it go, did you pass or not?"
"I passed" He reported clearly; Shouts of joy rang out from the other end of the phone, making his inner smile grow more.
"Congratulations, Naoki-kun!" She congratulated him. "This deserves to be celebrated"
"It's not for much"
"Yes it is" She stubbornly objected. "It deserves to be celebrated because it is a triumph of your effort, because it is something you want to achieve on your own." She took a breath, apparently she was running at full speed. "Wait for me at the station, I'll see you in twenty minutes"
"Kotoko, I already told you that"
"Rejected!" She denied. "I will celebrate you as you deserve." Before he could say anything about it, she had already hung up on him.
With a discreet smile he went straight to the station forgetting the presence of Taketo Nakagawa who angered him that morning.
The rays of the March sun dazzled his sight, being penetrating by their intensity, but not bored by the haze it caused in his eyes.
He stopped at the station, not too far, nor too close to where people entered with their passes to go on the subway.
The climate mutated, also changing its cold to a soft heat that relaxed every muscle in his body and his veins expanded in their normal course.
"Naoki-kun!" That unmistakable voice came from a few meters from where he was located. Kotoko's hair fluttered in the wind, her bicycle moving wildly, but it was her smile that captured him the instant he turned to see her.
When she reached him, he dropped the bike and threw himself into her arms, smiling broadly and laughing warmly.
"I'm so proud of you" She hugged him tight.
He froze, without instantly assimilating the sudden display of affection directed only at him and that with effort he returned the embrace with little effort, since he tensed completely and every muscle in his arms faded and his cheeks flushed.
"Very proud of you, Naoki-kun" She said sincerely.
"Thanks" He mumbled.
She released him in an ephemeral movement, watching him with a wide smile showing her teeth.
"What are we waiting for?" She exclaimed. "Let's celebrate"
"Where?" He looked at her, drawn.
"To the Karaoke"
"No, please" He snapped, disturbed, Kotoko pouted, unsatisfied with her answer. "I don't like those things" He grumbled.
"Don't sing if you don't want to." She gave him a push with her hand.
"Kotoko, I told you there is no need to celebrate me" He sighed overwhelmed.
"I won't do that." She wrinkled his nose, taking him by the arm and reluctantly sitting him on the seat of her bicycle. "You come with me." She looked at him challengingly, causing his heart to skip a beat. He swallowed hard and flinched with a slow nod.
What power did Kotoko have over him just by looking at him and facing him with his hazel eyes until he got an answer from him.
From there on, Kotoko took him in the back seat of his bicycle, pedaling at a medium pace, spending moments on the streets and then returning to the sidewalk in order not to crash into a vehicle that passed on his way.
The path was relaxed, subtle, one might say; Because the sounds of Kotoko's pedaling always end up subjecting him to a sleeping trance, gradually reducing his accumulated tensions and slowly dissipating.
The gentle touch of the wind blowing was warm, the smell of coffee coming from the cafes they left behind pleased him. The tours he made with her were always rhythmic in terms of his state of mind. From being down to good.
However, a question came to Naoki, he turned to see Kotoko's back, which was reflected strongly and far from his contact, despite having her so close.
"Kotoko" He pronounced her name. "Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead" She said, slowing down the pedaling.
"What did you do when you were in film school?" He asked somewhat curiously. At once he heard a thoughtful sigh from her.
"Go celebrate my achievement" She simplified. "What else could I have done?"
"No, nothing" He snapped, blushing. "I was just curious, it's that"
"Curious or not" She said. "I am doing exactly the same with you, that is, taking you to the Karaoke"
"So you went to karaoke to celebrate?" He said in a questioning tone.
"Yes," she chuckled easily. "Still, you don't have to sing if you don't feel like it, that's what the food is for, they have excellent dishes to eat where you enjoy singing"
"At least I'll eat," he hissed, shaking his head.
"You're already grabbing the scroll, Naoki-kun." He pedaled more eagerly as soon as he said that, running at full speed through the premises of the district in which she had settled, leaving all the monotony behind.
They arrived at Karaoke within an hour of leaving the station, since the road to reach the happy place was long, but one of the calmest and most beautiful that Naoki could see from the back seat of the bicycle.
It did not happen every day that he could have the time to contemplate the wonders of the people who lived in the city of Tokyo, as well as it was not daily that Kotoko took him for a walk as it caused him so much pleasure. She laughed with pleasure at just experiencing and feeling the ride for herself until the blood running through her veins turned to pure warmth.
They asked for some snacks in the classroom that were given only for the two of them. The time he was involved in the classroom passed so quickly that he barely noticed it, since he was diverted from his thoughts by being an idiot watching Kotoko sing a large number of songs from the device; In addition to having it only for him, it was not a scenario that he lived on a daily basis, that is why he made the most of such an experience in front of him.
"I know!" Kotoko suddenly chanted, taking him by surprise.
"What?" He swallowed the sugar cookies he ate.
"Why don't you sing with me?" She suggested delightedly, bringing her face closer to his, causing an aggressive blush in him.
"No." He pulled his face away from hers, disturbed from within. "Sing alone, Kotoko, I already told you I don't want to sing" He refused firmly. She seemed unhappy, pouting.
"Hm" He heard her mumble.
"I'm warning you, Kotoko" He pointed at her curtly.
"If you insist." She shook her shoulders, disinterested. "You'll miss it" She stuck out her tongue.
"What was that?" He asked in a haughty pose.
"Oh, nothing" She ignored him.
Naoki already knew that Kotoko was only playing with him, to somehow convince him to sing with her, and that game was funny.
"Whatever you're trying to do" He uttered. "You won't convince me to sing with you"
She turned to see him over her shoulder, waggling her eyebrows.
"Hm." She pretended to be outraged, and crossed her arms in a funny way; He smiled even more, delighted with her reactions.
"I'm not easy to convince" He joked sideways.
"How complicated are you, Naoki-kun" She complained, joking.
Naoki's smile widened behind Kotoko's back.
"That's just me" He bragged, crossing his leg.
"At least be more flexible" She blew, feigning anger. "So how can you be a good doctor?" Suddenly, she looked at him tricky.
"What are you implying, Kotoko?" He faced, altering himself a little. When she saw it that way, she laughed.
"At least be more flexible" She blew, feigning anger. "So how can you be a good doctor?" Suddenly, she looked at him tricky.
"What are you implying, Kotoko?" He faced, altering himself a little. When she saw him that way, she laughed.
"At least you changed that gesture on your face" She pointed out, laughing at this one. "This way children will like you, if you want to be a pediatrician, otherwise you will find your area"
"Children's doctor, me?" He huffed out.
Kotoko nodded.
"For me you do belong in that area" She stated. "But it's all a matter of what you like, not my suggestion"
"I am not opposed to that" He admitted in an undoubtedly embarrassed voice, addressing her, and as if a force from outside his own, took the microphone from Kotoko's hand, surprising her by his action. "You already convinced me to sing with you." He looked away, feeling Kotoko's wide eyes fix on his.
"Yes!" Kotoko exclaimed with pleasure. "Let me put the song" She warned in what she was looking for in the karaoke machine.
"Sure" He agreed, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.
It was so embarrassing to have to do things that normally he would not do in his right mind, but since he knew Kotoko to discern whether what he did was good or not, it was not in him to justify it, because little by little he did what he could to get closer to Kotoko.
She chose Soda Stereo's "De música ligera".
"Let's see if you can keep up with me" She boasted, raising her chin with a fist at chest height.
"We'll see that" He said the same way.
They both started singing when the verse started, however he was more focused on seeing how Kotoko interpreted the words making funny gestures with his face. She kept him from concentrating, even though the song didn't have many verses, just having her by his side singing in his ear left him out of the game.
"The lyrics aren't that difficult." She nudged his right side, causing him to snort in indifference, hiding himself between his feelings.
"I told you I didn't want to sing" He said, giving himself importance.
She raised an eyebrow, mocking him.
"If you say so" She shook her hand, before continuing to sing what the song lacked to finish.
After having been in the Karaoke until nine o'clock at night, he accompanied her to her apartment, politely saying good night, however, she held him by the arm when she was about to leave.
"What is it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow; even though inside him fluttered like butterflies in the pit of his stomach. She furrowed her eyebrows.
"I wanted to do something quick" She emitted, sure of herself.
"What thing?" He said, keeping with all his will the face of indifference plastered on his face.
Suddenly she spun him around and grabbed him with her arms.
"This!" She exclaimed, giggling. "I am very proud of you, Naoki-kun" She squeezed him a little harder, causing his skin to stand on end, opening his eyes from the immense impression of being hugged by Kotoko in such a pleasant, so cute, so… He didn't know, the descriptions didn't fit in his mind when he imagined a bit of his mind what it would feel like to be reciprocated.
Dreaming cost nothing, but living it firsthand was even better than imagining it.
"I am so glad to know that you are achieving your dream" She breathed out, relieved and happy.
"Thank you, Kotoko." He smirked, his heart fluttering everywhere, feeling the touch like silk behind his skin, like rose petals brushing his cheeks gently.
Maybe he dared to think he could be reciprocated, right?
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P.S. (Mention of the song "De música Ligera" from Soda Stereo)
