CHAPTER 4
Kogure walked through the hallways of Shohoku High, remembering Ayako's advice that he ought to write to the school paper's advice column. He still hadn't made a move, and the more that his problem bothered him. He came home that night, wanting to write. wanting to pour everything that his heart felt but he didn't know where to start. And exactly what was his problem? His letter would end up as a bunch of words absorbing all emotion, longing and pain.
'I can't believe I'm such a wuss!' Kogure thought to himself. Indeed, he wasn't like those other guys in his team, where in women would just come up to them and ask for their number, as they giggle in their site. No one.,not even one would do that.
'Is it because of the glasses?' Kogure wondered. ' Nah! It's not that. I just don't have the certain.aura to it.' He assured himself. The image of the girl that he liked so much, flashed in his mind.
He shook his head fiercely, trying to shake-off the addictive thought. 'There has got to be a way. School paper? No way.that would be too vulgar, what if in the middle of reading it, she finds out that she's the one?.I wouldn't know if I could live through that..But who can I turn to? I can't ask the guys in the team! No way! I'll end up killing myself for the humiliation! But who?.. How?' These thoughts ran through his mind, each question banging in his head.
His mind too caught up with his pondering questions that he accidentally ran into someone across the hallway, sending the person's things flying across the hallway.
" I'm sorry. I.didn't see you coming.I was thinking.my mind was somewhere else.I'm sorry." Kogure stammered as he immediately started picking up the scattered papers on the floor, without even bothering to look at the person he bumped into.
His eyes widened with surprise, when he realized that it was Ayisha that he bumped into. It was as if the dark clouds in his thoughts faded away, knowing that he saw just the person he needed to talk to.
Kogure's mind was too distracted with his ideas churning, that he didn't notice that he had been staring at Ayisha for 5 seconds already. His thoughts were interrupted when Ayisha broke the trance. " Nani?" Ayisha asked, as she slowly stood up.
" Oh.sorry..I." Kogure stammered, as he slowly stood up also, trying to find the right words to say.
" It's okay, Kogure-san!" Ayisha interrupted cheerfully.
Kogure grinned in embarrassment.
" Well.okay..I see you're not saying anything today.I might as well be headed off to my room." Ayisha said, slowly walking away, at the same time wondering what was bothering Kogure.
But before she could think of any answers, Kogure caught up with her. " Ayisha-san! Wait!"
Ayisha turned around, looking at a somehow bewildered Kogure. " Okay.are you going to answer me now? What's the matter?" Ayisha repeated.
"Well.I saw you during the interview the team had with Irene.so, it means that you're from The Flame, right?" Kogure asked cautiously.
" Yeah." Ayisha replied, slowly nodding her head, wondering where Kogure was driving at.
" So.I guess you know who Natalia is?"
Ayisha was surprised by his question. 'Why would he ask about her, anyway?' Ayisha thought to herself.
" Uhh.Ayisha?" Kogure interrupted.
" Oh.yeah, of course, I know her. Why?"
"Well, I was wondering if you could tell me who she really is because."
" NO WAY! Why would I do that?" Ayisha reacted defensively.
" BECAUSE! I need to talk to her!" Kogure pleaded.
" Well, I'm sorry but you'll have to right her a letter!" Ayisha replied.
Kogure shook his head fiercely in reply. " Besides I can't let the whole school know about my problem! That would be humiliating! What if the girl would find out that she's the one I'm talking about?!" Kogure explained.
" SO! It's a love problem?" Ayisha said, raising one eyebrow at Kogure.
" Nani? No.no..the girl is.my mom.yeah! Yeah, the girl I'm talking about is my mom!" Kogure said, trying to put Ayisha off the track.
" Seriously, Kogure-san, you don't know a thing about lying." Ayisha said, shaking her head, clearly seeing through Kogure.
" Alright, alright! So it's a girl! Now, can you tell me who Natalia is so I can talk to her personally?!" Kogure said, sounding completely desperate.
" So you have a crush on her? " Ayisha continued, testing further Kogure's patience.
" Nani?! No! Well. yeah..NO!" Kogure exclaimed, trying to control himself from completely going nuts.
"Aaahh..so you like her! Then make a move, silly boy! Does she have a boyfriend already? Is that your problem?" Ayisha teased.
" No! She doesn't have a boyfriend!" Kogure said, nearing the limit of his patience.
" Then, what's your problem?!" Ayisha asked, irritating Kogure more with her calmness.
" Tell me first who Natalia is." Kogure insisted.
" Nope." Ayisha said, simply dismissing Kogure's persistence.
" NANI! You've been asking me those questions and you still can't tell me who Natalia is?! Why?!"
" Because, I know her. And it's a violation against her privacy that I tell you her true identity."
Kogure let out a sigh, knowing right then and there, that all his efforts were useless, knowing he can't get help from anyone else.
" Aaaawww, Kogure-san, you can tell me your problems if you like. If it would do you much comfort, I'll tell 'Natalia' about me.and I'll ask her for you. You can think of me as your mediator.well, sort of." Ayisha said, trying to comfort the weary vice-captain.
Kogure remained silent for awhile, his thoughts running over Ayisha's proposition. After awhile, his tensed expression calmed down and finally he smiled.
" Alright! But! You have to promise not to tell a soul.only you and Natalia should know about this." Kogure claimed.
" I promise." Ayisha said, holding up both her palms. " Now, can I please demand a name of this mystery girl we're talking about here?" Ayisha asked.
" Alright..the girl I'm talking about.is Ayako." Kogure finally admitted, not only to Ayisha, but also to himself.
Kogure walked through the hallways of Shohoku High, remembering Ayako's advice that he ought to write to the school paper's advice column. He still hadn't made a move, and the more that his problem bothered him. He came home that night, wanting to write. wanting to pour everything that his heart felt but he didn't know where to start. And exactly what was his problem? His letter would end up as a bunch of words absorbing all emotion, longing and pain.
'I can't believe I'm such a wuss!' Kogure thought to himself. Indeed, he wasn't like those other guys in his team, where in women would just come up to them and ask for their number, as they giggle in their site. No one.,not even one would do that.
'Is it because of the glasses?' Kogure wondered. ' Nah! It's not that. I just don't have the certain.aura to it.' He assured himself. The image of the girl that he liked so much, flashed in his mind.
He shook his head fiercely, trying to shake-off the addictive thought. 'There has got to be a way. School paper? No way.that would be too vulgar, what if in the middle of reading it, she finds out that she's the one?.I wouldn't know if I could live through that..But who can I turn to? I can't ask the guys in the team! No way! I'll end up killing myself for the humiliation! But who?.. How?' These thoughts ran through his mind, each question banging in his head.
His mind too caught up with his pondering questions that he accidentally ran into someone across the hallway, sending the person's things flying across the hallway.
" I'm sorry. I.didn't see you coming.I was thinking.my mind was somewhere else.I'm sorry." Kogure stammered as he immediately started picking up the scattered papers on the floor, without even bothering to look at the person he bumped into.
His eyes widened with surprise, when he realized that it was Ayisha that he bumped into. It was as if the dark clouds in his thoughts faded away, knowing that he saw just the person he needed to talk to.
Kogure's mind was too distracted with his ideas churning, that he didn't notice that he had been staring at Ayisha for 5 seconds already. His thoughts were interrupted when Ayisha broke the trance. " Nani?" Ayisha asked, as she slowly stood up.
" Oh.sorry..I." Kogure stammered, as he slowly stood up also, trying to find the right words to say.
" It's okay, Kogure-san!" Ayisha interrupted cheerfully.
Kogure grinned in embarrassment.
" Well.okay..I see you're not saying anything today.I might as well be headed off to my room." Ayisha said, slowly walking away, at the same time wondering what was bothering Kogure.
But before she could think of any answers, Kogure caught up with her. " Ayisha-san! Wait!"
Ayisha turned around, looking at a somehow bewildered Kogure. " Okay.are you going to answer me now? What's the matter?" Ayisha repeated.
"Well.I saw you during the interview the team had with Irene.so, it means that you're from The Flame, right?" Kogure asked cautiously.
" Yeah." Ayisha replied, slowly nodding her head, wondering where Kogure was driving at.
" So.I guess you know who Natalia is?"
Ayisha was surprised by his question. 'Why would he ask about her, anyway?' Ayisha thought to herself.
" Uhh.Ayisha?" Kogure interrupted.
" Oh.yeah, of course, I know her. Why?"
"Well, I was wondering if you could tell me who she really is because."
" NO WAY! Why would I do that?" Ayisha reacted defensively.
" BECAUSE! I need to talk to her!" Kogure pleaded.
" Well, I'm sorry but you'll have to right her a letter!" Ayisha replied.
Kogure shook his head fiercely in reply. " Besides I can't let the whole school know about my problem! That would be humiliating! What if the girl would find out that she's the one I'm talking about?!" Kogure explained.
" SO! It's a love problem?" Ayisha said, raising one eyebrow at Kogure.
" Nani? No.no..the girl is.my mom.yeah! Yeah, the girl I'm talking about is my mom!" Kogure said, trying to put Ayisha off the track.
" Seriously, Kogure-san, you don't know a thing about lying." Ayisha said, shaking her head, clearly seeing through Kogure.
" Alright, alright! So it's a girl! Now, can you tell me who Natalia is so I can talk to her personally?!" Kogure said, sounding completely desperate.
" So you have a crush on her? " Ayisha continued, testing further Kogure's patience.
" Nani?! No! Well. yeah..NO!" Kogure exclaimed, trying to control himself from completely going nuts.
"Aaahh..so you like her! Then make a move, silly boy! Does she have a boyfriend already? Is that your problem?" Ayisha teased.
" No! She doesn't have a boyfriend!" Kogure said, nearing the limit of his patience.
" Then, what's your problem?!" Ayisha asked, irritating Kogure more with her calmness.
" Tell me first who Natalia is." Kogure insisted.
" Nope." Ayisha said, simply dismissing Kogure's persistence.
" NANI! You've been asking me those questions and you still can't tell me who Natalia is?! Why?!"
" Because, I know her. And it's a violation against her privacy that I tell you her true identity."
Kogure let out a sigh, knowing right then and there, that all his efforts were useless, knowing he can't get help from anyone else.
" Aaaawww, Kogure-san, you can tell me your problems if you like. If it would do you much comfort, I'll tell 'Natalia' about me.and I'll ask her for you. You can think of me as your mediator.well, sort of." Ayisha said, trying to comfort the weary vice-captain.
Kogure remained silent for awhile, his thoughts running over Ayisha's proposition. After awhile, his tensed expression calmed down and finally he smiled.
" Alright! But! You have to promise not to tell a soul.only you and Natalia should know about this." Kogure claimed.
" I promise." Ayisha said, holding up both her palms. " Now, can I please demand a name of this mystery girl we're talking about here?" Ayisha asked.
" Alright..the girl I'm talking about.is Ayako." Kogure finally admitted, not only to Ayisha, but also to himself.