Chapter One
"The results are out!"
With that shout, the considerable number of students milling about aimlessly in the hallway leapt to their feet and lunged forward in the general direction of the Postings Board at the end of the corridor. It was the last term for the seniors of Shohoku High School, and the outcome of the final examinations would either be a ticket to a university, or proof that education had been a meaningless tribulation. In the uproar that spread through the hall, rippling the flanks in whispers and a mad rush of bodies, the first screams, either of joy or disappointment, began to resound.
From the back of the crowd, a slim, dark-haired young man was trying desperately to move a rock. Or rather, someone who was bearing a startling resemblance to said stone.
"Come on, Hanamichi! Don't you want to see how you've done?"
"Haha, get real, Yohei! I don't need a certificate to be certified a genius!"
Yohei crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at his best friend. "Hanamichi," he said impatiently, tapping his foot on the ground and looking at the crowd as it shifted noticeably from various spots on the school compound into the cramped corridor that led to the posted results, "Hurry up! I don't want to be the last one to know that A) I actually made it or B) that I flunked out, you know?"
"…Does it matter?"
The shorter boy's eyes narrowed. "Yes, it does," he replied calmly, turning as if to leave, but pausing mid-step to toss a casual comment over a shrug, "But if you're so scared, then I guess I'll have to go by myself."
"Excuse me? The genius is not scared of such a silly, trivial, unimportant thing! Where are you walking off to, Yohei? Wait for me! Argh!"
*** ***
[Half an hour later]
"Wow."
"Yea. I can't believe it."
"Me neither."
"YOU PASSED!" they chorused together.
Hanamichi's eyes narrowed. "Very funny."
Yohei laughed, stepping up and socking Noma playfully on the head. "I think the fact that we –all– passed calls for a celebration! What do you think?"
Takamiya frowned, shaking his head slightly. "I can't make it today. The organizing committee for the Annual Prom is meeting later, and you know, somehow, I—" he glanced significantly at Ookusu, who was fighting hard not to snicker, "—got sabotaged into the decorations planning." He threw an apologetic look at the others. "Sorry."
"Nah, it's okay," Hanamichi waved it off. "We can go out tomorrow! My treat!"
Four pairs of eyes locked onto him with varying degrees of mistrust, doubt and suspicion written in them.
"Speaking of the prom," Yohei changed the subject smoothly, trying not to laugh, "If you hadn't mentioned it, it would've completely slipped my mind. It's in a fortnight, isn't it?"
Takamiya nodded. "It's different this year, so I heard. Instead of having it out in the hall, they're clearing the gym and holding the dance there. Did you know? It's because they're opening the prom to the whole school this time, and not just the senior level! I think even the alumni get invited. It's going to be such a huge turn-out."
"Well, that sounds like fun! I'd better start brushing up on my fancy footwork, though, or Haruko will complain that I'm a clod again."
They began to move down the hallway, each lost in a sudden private fantasy of prom dates, suits, vodka and various other things. It was only when they were halfway that Yohei noticed that Hanamichi was no longer walking with them. Puzzled, he turned around.
The redhead was standing frozen to the ground, his gaze unfocused and his jaw slack. Yohei stopped, nudging the rest to turn and look.
"Oi, Hanamichi! What's the matter with you?" Ookusu called loudly.
Glittering eyes snapped into focus, and Hanamichi took a deep breath, letting out a big, hearty laugh. "What? There's nothing wrong with me! Let's go!"
But deep inside, the impending mortal peril seized him like a monster, choking him in its grasp, tightening the noose around his neck until he felt like he could hardly breathe. It was pure doom, an omen of perilous things to come, a forecast of danger. It was fear, it was terror and it was daunting beyond anything he had ever cared to think about. Everyone would be there, watching. Everyone would see.
Hanamichi Sakuragi didn't know how to dance.
*** ***
He watched with narrowed eyes as the four silhouettes of his friends disappeared in various directions, then turned to go his own way, mumbling under his breath.
It's going to be so embarrassing! Imagine that!
All the girls will be there.
Alongside the whole world…
"Argh!" he exploded aloud, clutching his bag tightly in his hand and frowning. "This won't do! There must be something!"
What can I do, what can I do…
Should he skip the dance altogether? No, it would seem as though he were afraid! And Hanamichi Sakuragi was most definitely never, ever afraid!
"But it will be so humiliating," he muttered to himself, his head hanging as his footsteps slowed in dejection. "And I don't know who to ask, anyway!"
In second year, Haruko and Yohei had begun dating. At first, he had been furious, angry to think that Yohei had betrayed him. Deep inside he knew, however, that if he truly cared for Haruko or Yohei—and he did—then what made them both happy could only be right. He hadn't minded so much after that realization, but thinking about them now only reminded Hanamichi of the fact that, yes, he was graduating, yes, there would be a prom, and yes, that he had no one special to go with.
Added to the fact that he had never moved to music in his entire life.
"What am I going to –do–?" he groaned aloud, stopping abruptly and slumping on the ground, narrowly missing a lamppost. It was a catch-twenty-two situation, with no way around it that he could see.
Boom, boom-boom…boom, boom-boom.
"God, fine, so maybe I'm a little nervous, but does my heart have to beat that loudly?" he murmured wryly to himself.
Boom, boom-boom…boom, boom-boom.
No. That definitely didn't sound like a heartbeat. His head jerked up in suspicion then, and he nearly flailed when he realized that he had walked into a completely unfamiliar neighborhood while he had been thinking. And that the music was coming from what looked to be the local recreation club, a slightly crooked, cream and pink building that stood a way off from where he was sitting.
There must be some dance studio there…
The idea hit him, with all the force of a brick hurled at his head, as he jumped to his feet, a huge smile blossoming on his face.
That's it!