Leaving the compound, he walked side by side with his female companion on the edge of the sidewalk, feeling the throbbing of his wild chest, wanting to pinch himself for believing in the possibility of being awake. But, it was real. Everything was real as his steps forward proved that theory, his reality.

A small fraction of the world conspired in his favor.

She was in casual clothes, nothing special. Baggy blue jeans held up by a leather belt, a light blue one-piece sweater sheltering it from the cold, a gray trenchcoat at the neck and white Adidas low top sneakers.

I'm nervous, so much so that I can pass out at any time in case that I reveal myself.

He reminded himself that he mustn't betray himself for the same euphoria of having an unexpected date on any given day. A Friday afternoon/night. One day he was planning to take her easy, but it was not expected that he would be walking with the girl he likes on the streets of Tokyo.

"Is the store far away?" He inquired.

"Not much" She clarified, wrinkling her face. "We will take the bus there and back"

"But where are we going?" He wanted to know, because the one she and Yuuki had gone with were on the other route. "We are going to another side of the store that is closest to my house"

"This is another one, much better than the one near your house." She replied with her index finger pointing to the air.

Arriving at the bus stop, no word was said.

The discomfort of silence penetrated him to the bone, he even felt pale if he did not speak about any subject.

Distracted, he didn't notice that the bus had reached the stop and she told him to hurry to get on, when he saw that he did not respond, he grabbed his hand to get on the truck as soon as he was about to leave.

The agitation of the movement took him out of his musings and he entered the truck without analyzing the situation he was in.

White lights discreetly illuminated the public transport in sharp filaments distributed in the essential parts of the transport.

He felt a heat foreign to his, one that gave him security and stillness. He turned down, where he realized he was holding Kotoko's hand.

A paralysis accentuated in his body, his breathing escaped from his lungs in a tumult of sensations. They were holding hands!

I can't believe it!

She casually looked at the window, clutching her free hand on the handle of the public transport, looking calm.

On the other hand, he was more red than a tomato, fortunately for the night he had sat in the city and the poor lighting did not give him away from his exalted physique.

I must be dreaming…

He looked again at his left hand taken from the girl with his, they looked like a whole couple from a magazine.

He felt himself turn pale and shudder in seconds and one of his dreams were fulfilled, however he noticed that she was not letting him go so he supposed that there was a possibility that she felt more than friendship.


Getting off the bus, they continued to hold hands.

Naoki determined to question her, didn't hesitate twice to ask.

"Kotoko" He called, trying to stay calm. "The hand" He said.

"What about the hand?" She seemed absent from the action of holding hands. He lifted her up, implying that the two of them were going that way. "Oh! The hand" She grumbled. "It bothers you?"

It doesn't bother me, on the contrary, I really like it.

Paralyzed, he was speechless. What could he say if it didn't bother him? What bothered you? No, it would be stooping a lot and that was not his style.

"Hm…" He sighed uneasily.

"Then we'll continue like this" She declared confidently.

He lowered his arm and his hand sought to entwine with his as they walked, this allowed him to do so, letting himself be carried away by his emotions.

They walked the streets, looking like every happy young couple. Stores clinking lights in advertisements, and the smell of food was everywhere.

Suddenly they entered a small, passable-looking place; Japanese decorations hung at the entrance and a smell of cream filled the place. A paradise of records surrounded the venue, tables and record tables of different musical genres, both new and old. The lights changed color in the booth where you listened to the vinyl you chose from the Lp's shelves.

"We're here," She announced as looking for someone. "Nozomi!"

Nozomi? The basketball player?

A young boy with blond curls with flaky roots, of average height and a secure and calm presence appeared from the vinyl booth.

"Kotoko!" He greeted surprised to see her. "It's been a while since you came to visit me"

"I already saved enough to buy the cassette," she stated with a pleasant smile.

Nozomi seemed a more affable boy than Ryo, mature and less of a yeller; however, he had already seen him on the university campus when he accompanied Kotoko to the singing session.

"I see you're not coming alone" He commented noticing the inevitable presence of Naoki that was he still holding Kotoko's hand.

"Naoki-kun is coming with me" She replied, giving him a handshake.

"That's what I see" He sighed incredulously. "And I don't believe it"

Kotoko laughed at the blonde's comment, releasing the chestnut's hand who in surprise turned to see that she put both hands on her face in shame at the scandalous laughter she brought.

"Stop teasing me, Kotoko" Nozomi emerged from his trance of disbelief. "I will go to the cellar to bring you what you asked me last time"

"What did you ask him?" Naoki leaned in to ask him when the boy had left the place.

"A cassette from Cerati's presentation on the FM100 radio" She replied, standing on tiptoe.

"I see"

He wanted to take her hand, but he was afraid he would make a mistake doing it so soon.

He would hang on from there until they left her friend's store. Or the store her friend worked at.

Nozomi left the warehouse holding in her grip a cassette without a cover, inside the plastic box.

"I recorded it exactly as you asked for it" He assured with the front teeth gleaming from his mouth.

"Excellent." She grabbed him with awe and high respect. "I love having this presentation in my hands." She jumped with excitement, screaming with excitement throughout the store, leaving the two young men alone.

"What would you like, Irie-san?" He looked at him with respect and admiration, just as they did in high school.

"I'm fine, thanks" He said simply beyond coldness.

"Anything you need, you can ask me, Irie-san" He offered very professionally to him.

"Tell me, Naoki" He ordered with seriousness and coldness in his tone.

"Oh sorry" He apologized quickly. "Naoki"

"How much do I owe you, Nozomi?" Kotoko suddenly appeared.

"Nothing, Kotoko." Her eyelids snapped open like light bulbs in disbelief. "The cassette goes on my own"

"But"

"No buts." He slapped her on the head as if it were a child "And don't look at me with that face" He scolded, to which she pouted.

"You're bad" She grumbled.

"And to think that I made you that precious cassette you tell me that I'm bad." He lectured mischievously, put his fingers on her cheeks and pulled them up and down making her look like a joke. "Naughty girl"

"Let go of me" She complained in disgust.

Naoki couldn't help but laugh at Nozomi's gesture, he seemed like a cool guy compared to Ryo's mouth or Kinnosuke's screamer.

Her blond friend released her with a giggle, as she recovered from the pull of her cheeks, rubbing her face with misfortune.

"We're leaving," she said resentfully.

"I'll be here until your next visit." He chuckled maliciously with his hands on his waist, puffing out his chest with laughter.


"That Nozomi is an unconscious" She complained on the way back, stomping on the street.

"He is more pleasant than you" He huffed with an air of superiority. "At least he's not scandalous"

"Hey!" She gave him a nape on the back of the neck causing his head to jerk forward.

"And aggressive" He added, his hand on the back of his neck, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Whose side are you on?"

"None"

"How could you not be?" She sighed through clenched teeth. This was funny to him and he wanted to keep pestering her.

"Can't I be on my side?" He said sarcastically. "I say because I also exist in the equation"

"You're right" She said defeated, stomping on the street again with her fists clenched. How adorable she gets when she gets mad.

"I'm always right" The chestnut bragged.

"Smug" She muttered under his breath, ducking his head. Apparently she believed that he wouldn't listen to her, but she was wrong because he did heard her.

"You mean smart" He corrected with a superior air, walking with his head held high and his hands in his pockets. "And attractive"

"Vain would be the word"

He was having fun with the conversation even though they did not come to anything, because she became taciturn as if her mind occupied other thoughts that were not conversing with him.

What could she be thinking about?

"Kotoko?" He called, seeing that there was no answer, tried again. "Kotoko? Oi!"

She reacted to the stimulus of his call, her eyes wide and her mouth half open.

"What"

"You were distracted and you didn't answer me" He spoke excitedly, trying to keep up with the her steps.

"Sorry" She apologized, waking up from the apparent trance she was in. She waved her arms to show that he was in his five senses, putting a hand to her head, rubbing the black hair of her straight hair. "I was thinking"

"What were you thinking?" He asked, puzzled by her behavior.

"Things" She expressed hesitantly.

"Which ones?" He pressed in a serious voice.

"I'm not going to tell you, She snapped dubiously to speak.

What the hell!

"Kotoko don't evade me." He approached her while walking through the busy streets.

She stopped dead in her tracks, catching him off guard on the verge of bumping into any traffic light. She was staring at the floor, rolling her eyes in all directions, rubbing her hands together in small pressures, indicating that she was nervous.

He had never seen her in that state.

"Kotoko?" He softened the tone of his cold, serious voice.

"I forgot to buy the metal disc" She muttered under her breath, analyzing her own words. "That's what I took you to the store for and I just picked up my cassette." She tugged at her hair in anger. "How could I forget!"

Naoki was reassured by the confession, she had only missed buying a metal disc because of the distraction with his friend Nozomi Yuuki.

He made a sideways smile, softening the gesture on his frigid face.

"Kotoko, don't worry." He put both hands on her shoulders, shaking her to stop her hair from ruffling in tremendous disorder. "It will be another time" He assured firmly.

"You think?" She looked at him with hopeful eyes. They made him remember Chibi, the dog she rescued on high school graduation day. He nodded. "So you're not mad at me?"

"Of course not." He nodded again before releasing her.

A smile from ear to ear appeared on the her youthful face, her tousled hair didn't fade the beauty of her youth. That was his girl.

They continued on their way back to the point of arriving at the bus stop, where crowds of people decreased as they left the busy district.

A heat foreign to his brought him out of his thoughts, the her hand had taken him suddenly. She took his hand again in one of those times when he let his guard down.

He turned to see her, she was smiling at her with her eyelids closed and her teeth gleaming.

He accepted the loving gesture.

That was the girl he loved.