Chapter 13: Impulse
Tokyo, May 19, 2007
The door slid open and the light switched on. Masako blinked when she found her grandmother Tae there. Grandmother sat on the floor, looking up at the family altar in the room. It was a fairly common occurence, so Masako wasn't shocked to find her there.
"...I'm home," she said.
Tae turned to look at her granddaughter.
"Welcome home."
Masako entered her bedroom, letting out a sigh. She put her handbag on the table and placed a plastic bag next to it.
"Grandmother... I have not seen you in such a long time. I thought..."
Tae shook her head. "I'm still here, dear."
Masako sat on the tatami mat. She looked down at her clenched hands which she had placed on top of her knees.
"What's the matter?"
"...I went on a date."
Tae widened her eyes. "Oh my, a date? You are growing up so quickly..."
She smiled thinly. "Yes."
"How was your date?"
Masako took a moment to recollect today's activities. They went to drink tea at a cafe, but all Naru did was stare out of the window and mutter short replies.
"Just fine."
Tae inclined her head.
"Just fine? Your expression is telling me otherwise."
"I..." Masako paused. "I'm enjoying these dates, but..."
"He doesn't?"
Masako nodded.
On their first date, she had invited Naru to see a movie called '5 Centimetres Per Second' in Shibuya. She had been very moved by the story, but apparently, he didn't seem to have paid any attention to it at all.
Her grandmother smiled kindly. "Well, how about doing something else for a change?"
"Hmm, maybe I should."
"How about a piano recital? Your grandfather loved those..."
Masako never knew her grandfather. She was born a decade after he passed, and Tae had died when Masako was about six years old. That was right around the time her ability was discovered, because she kept seeing her grandmother in this room.
Tae looked up at the family altar again. It had been moved from the living room after Tae started appearing here. It contained photos of Tae herself and her late husband, whom she was probably remembering fondly. Her figure gradually faded. How long would she continue to remain here? It was a question that lingered at the back of Masako's mind, but it wasn't one she liked to think deeply about. Her grandmother's presence was a warm bath compared to the rest of her family.
Masako sighed and began to slip out of her kimono. After changing into something comfortable, she pulled a fashion magazine out of the plastic bag. She had picked it up in the bookstore on the way home. Her favourite singer was on the cover. Masako browsed through the magazine and read the interview, trying to take her mind off Naru.
However, reading the interview reminded her of something else, Masako still had that spare ticket for the upcoming live tour.
The TV show host had gifted her two tickets through her aunt, but Masako still didn't have anyone to come with her. She considered inviting one of her classmates at school, but they had all formed cliques while she was busy working at the studio. Not to mention that they preferred trendier groups and artists over her favourite singer.
Still, she really wanted to go to this concert...
Masako sighed.
"I wonder if he's the type who likes concerts..."
Tokyo, May 26, 2007
Michiru frowned at the incoming message on her cell phone. The message wasn't unexpected, but still quite disappointing. Keiko sat beside her on the train seat. They were on the way to Shibuya to meet up with their classmate Mai.
Having noticed Michiru's frown, Keiko looked over her shoulder.
"From Yuuri?"
"She's not coming."
"Why?" Keiko leaned over her shoulder to read the message. "Ah~ So lucky. I wish I had a boyfriend like that too."
"I was counting on her to come too, but oh well..." Michiru shrugged. "Then that makes the outing for just the three of us."
Five minutes later they were in Shibuya on the way to the place where Mai worked. It was raining a bit, so they hurried their way over the crossing.
Michiru was quite nervous to meet with Shibuya again. He seemed like a cold person going by what Mai said about him, so she had been wanting to see how her classmate was doing in his workplace. She wanted to make sure Mai was doing well.
Fortunately, the building wasn't far from the station. The office was situated on the second floor of the building. It was an inviting place with a cafe downstairs. The girls took the escalator and searched around the floor for Mai's workplace. It didn't take long to find the office of Shibuya Psychic Research.
They opened the door and found the front desk empty.
"...This is the right place, right?" Keiko muttered.
Suddenly, a familiar face came into view.
"Michiru! Keiko!"
Mai walked out of the kitchen with a cup of tea in hand.
"Hello, Mai!"
"I thought you'd wait outside... Oh well, please wait a minute." Mai grinned. "Naru! Here's your tea."
Another door opened, deeper in the office. Shibuya walked in and sat down on the sofa with a book in his hand.
Mai placed the cup of tea in front of Shibuya.
"I'm sorry. It's raining out there, so we thought we could drop by instead," Michiru said with an awkward smile.
"And we already know Shibuya-san," Keiko said, "so why not come in and greet him?"
Shibuya narrowed his eyes at them, as if he had finally noticed them.
"You two..."
He didn't seem very pleased to see them.
"Yeah, remember us?"
Shibuya sighed. "Yeah..."
Michiru and Keiko giggled behind their hands. He hadn't changed much from the last time they had seen him. Shibuya was still handsome as ever.
Mai laughed nervously.
"I'm going to go shopping with my friends after I'm done. I need to buy some new clothes; the old ones aren't fitting me anymore..."
Shibuya took the cup of tea from the table.
"You can go now."
"Really?"
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
"Okay." Mai heaved a sigh and turned to the front desk. "Then I'll go."
"Good."
After taking a sip, Shibuya put the cup back on the table and started reading.
"Where's Yuuri?" she said to the girls, while gathering her homework into her backpack. "Wasn't she supposed to come too?"
"Oh, about that," Keiko said. "Her boyfriend surprised her with two tickets to that concert in Yokohama!"
Mai gasped.
"Wow! I'm not a fan, but seriously, she's so lucky~"
"Yeah!" Keiko nodded. "I wanted to buy tickets to the today's or tomorrow's concert, but it was already sold out after an hour!"
Shibuya cleared his throat.
"Mai, would you be kind enough to show yourself and your friends out of the office?"
"Uh, sorry~"
"We're going, we're going!" Mai said loudly. "See you on Monday!"
They exited the office after saying a hurried goodbye. There was no response.
"Oops, did we make him mad?" Keiko said.
"Yeah, he didn't even say goodbye," Michiru said.
"No, he's just mildly annoyed," Mai said, dryly. "I'm used to this."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he doesn't really do that most of the time." Mai sighed. "It annoyed me at first too, but... I've gradually accepted that's just the way things are in this office."
"That kind of sucks..." Keiko said.
Mai expressed an awkward smile. "Well, yeah..."
They went down to the escalator and passed the cafe right next to the fountain.
"Look over there. They seem friendly," Michiru said, pointing at the Dolphin cafe. "Wouldn't it be nice if you worked in that kind of place instead?"
Mai shook her head.
"It's fine. Naru and Lin-san aren't the most talkative bunch, but they're alright..."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm happy to have this job. It's much less hectic than working in a cafe." Mai smiled. "I get a good salary and I'm able to afford more things, so I don't mind."
"Hmm, okay," Keiko said. She wasn't completely convinced.
"So, it's not busy at all?" Michiru asked.
"Well, I'm glad if it isn't too busy," Mai said. "On good days, only a few people come in. Few people mean less ridiculous requests for investigations. The office will be nice and quiet! That means Naru will be in a good mood."
Keiko frowned.
"Shibuya-san seems very grumpy."
"Well, today he was quite bearable."
Michiru looked up at the windows of the SPR office.
"What does Shibuya-san do around this time, anyway?"
"He usually reads piles of books and documents. All about parapsychology and everything is in English."
"In English?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I can't read it at all, and it seems like a bore, but he just spends all day reading books, drinking tea and nothing else." Mai shrugged. "Today I poured him Ceylon tea, because it was a good day."
"Ceylon?"
"Yeah, an aromatic and fruity tea," Mai said. "When it gets rough, I pour Assam. I'm glad we didn't run out on tea leaves today."
Michiru and Keiko exchanged knowing glances.
"You sure pay a lot of attention to his needs..."
Mai blushed at Michiru's comment.
"But it's not like he notices."
"What else does he do?" Keiko frowned. "Doesn't he have any hobbies?"
Mai sighed.
"He always stays in the office and doesn't go out much. I've seen him fiddle with cards every now and then, though."
"Cards?"
"Trump cards."
"That's all?" Keiko said.
"Yeah..."
"He doesn't seem to have many hobbies or other interests," Michiru said.
Keiko let out a sigh.
"I'm disappointed, Shibuya-san seems pretty boring."
Mai frowned.
"Disappointed? Were you aiming for him, Keiko?"
"Whaat? I've long given up," Keiko said, "because you are into him."
Mai made a face.
"Ugh, please stop that! Why do you keep going on about it?"
"But it's the truth, right?" Michiru grinned.
Mai groaned at them.
"Ahhh, the two of you. Please stop talking about it! It's not like that at all."
Despite that her face had turned fiery red.
The other two laughed.
As they teased Mai a bit more, they headed into the direction of a fashion store. The girls bought new underwear and shopped around for the latest summer fashion. After each of them bought what they needed, or didn't need, they headed to Shibuya crossing. Tsutaya music shop was their next destination.
After Keiko bought the latest album by her favourite artist, Mai pointed at the large windows.
"Uh oh, it's raining again."
"Ugh, stupid rainy season," Keiko grumbled. "I forgot my umbrella."
"Why don't we drink some coffee at Starbucks?" Michiru said. "Are you okay with that?"
"Sure."
They managed to get a table at the window and ordered drinks, but when they sat down the rain had stopped again.
"Whaat? It stopped already." Mai groaned. "Oh well, at least we can enjoy this drink first before we go."
They sat in silence for a moment before Michiru spoke up.
"Mai, there's something I need to tell you."
Mai blinked.
"What is it?"
Michiru circled on the table with a finger.
"He doesn't behave like the average guy, but Shibuya-san seems to be a nice person. And that's what counts."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well, we were just wondering how you were doing at your part-time job," Michiru said. "We wanted to see for ourselves how your boss is treating you. That's part of the reason why we invited you."
Mai waved her hands in front of her.
"You didn't need to do that..."
"Well, after we heard you were an orphan, I thought there should be at least some people who can look after you, whether it's at school or at work," Michiru said and Keiko nodded. "I know we're only your classmates, but..."
Mai's eyes widened.
Michiru continued, "I'm sorry, it might sound like we're taking pity on you..."
But Mai shook her head.
"No. No, it's fine. It's actually nice to hear that people care," Mai said. "I appreciate it a lot."
Michiru sighed in relief at her answer.
Keiko smiled. "And I was glad we could spend more time with each other! Right, Michiru?"
She nodded.
"Yeah, we should do this more often! I had a lot of fun."
"Thanks..." Mai sniffed. "I'm really glad I have you guys."
They continued to enjoy their drinks while talking about various other things. Eventually their attention was drawn back to outside the shop. People came and went at the crossing; mostly young women who had been shopping in the nearby fashion stores.
Suddenly, Mai rose from her seat.
Her eyes were gazing intently at something in front of the store.
"Mai?"
"Keiko, Michiru. Do you see that guy?" She pointed at the throngs of people waiting at the stoplight below them. "That group of students to the left. They're our age, I think. Some of them are foreigners."
Michiru narrowed her eyes at them. Indeed, there was a small group of four students standing there. Two of them appeared to be foreign, a girl and a boy. The other two boys looked Japanese, at least, at first sight... But there wasn't anything odd about them. Except one of them was very tall and wore a bright red baseball cap.
"Well, what's up with them?"
"He looks like Naru!" Mai said. "Next to the tall guy! The one with the sunglasses."
"Huh..."
They looked more closely. One of the boys looked indeed just like Shibuya. Same height. Same build. His haircut was similar, but...
"He has brown hair," Keiko said.
"I know!" Mai said. "But he looks so much like Naru!"
Michiru squinted.
"I can't see his face clearly from here though... and he's wearing sunglasses." Then Michiru gasped. "Wait, he really does like your boss!"
"Right!"
Mai's nose was nearly plastered against the window.
"Excuse me, miss," a waiter called out. "Please don't do that."
Mai pulled herself away and quickly bowed at the waiter. "I'm sorry."
Keiko's gaze wandered down. The boy was wearing a white T-shirt with a print on the back side. He had his back to them, so her eyes unconsciously moved down. Dark blue skinny jeans. The boy was holding a bag in his hand.
"Hmm, so he went to Shibuya 109 Men," Michiru said.
"...I can't imagine Naru shopping in that store."
Shibuya 109 Men was known for carrying the latest men's fashion in Japan.
"Me neither," Keiko said, "but he does look hot in those skinny jeans."
"Yeah..." Mai sighed. "That t-shirt looks good on him too."
"He looks very fashionable," Michiru said.
They continued to observe the boy. His body language was very animated and lively. He was using hand gestures while speaking. The other three seemed to laugh at something he had said. He behaved so differently. It was a world of difference compared to the person they knew as Shibuya.
"I..." Mai suddenly said. "I think I..."
"What?"
Then the traffic light turned green and the crowd started walking.
She clenched her fist.
"I... I need to see his face."
Mai got up and left her seat.
"Mai!" Michiru called out.
Keiko sat in her seat, taken aback.
"Eh? Should we follow her?"
"Go after her," Michiru said. "I'll wait here."
"Alright."
Keiko jumped out of her seat and followed Mai out of the music store. She was convinced her friend had lost her mind. There was simply no way that boy was Mai's boss. They had just seen him in the office, still black-haired and reclusive. It had to be someone else.
"Mai!"
At first, she had difficulties finding Mai, but after chasing the tall guy with the red baseball cap, Keiko was able to find her friend after all. Mai had been following the group from a distance, about ten meters behind them.
"What are you doing?" Keiko heaved after arriving by Mai's side. "You scared us! Let's go back. Michiru is waiting for us."
But Mai's eyes didn't leave her target.
"I need to hear his voice..." She moved forward with determination. "I want to see his face."
Keiko sighed.
"It's a different person, Mai."
"I know, but there's something... There's just something about him—"
She left the sentence unfinished.
They managed to cross over to the other side. Keiko sneaked in between the people to get ahead.
If it weren't for the tall boy with the bright red cap, neither Keiko nor Mai would have been able to trace back the Shibuya-look-a-like.
"Follow me, Mai. Maybe we'll hear something."
Keiko was quite interested in that guy as well. If she couldn't have Shibuya, then at least she could keep her eye on someone who looked like him and had a more playful personality.
Keiko followed the group to the station and managed to get close behind them. Some salarymen were in her way, but at least she could hear what the boy's friends were saying. Their voices were loud enough, and it was obvious that they weren't speaking in Japanese. She could vaguely understand what they were saying.
"Owen, will you be online tonight? I need to defeat a boss."
Boss?
"Yeah, at nine."
She couldn't place their accent. Australian? English? Definitely not American, like in the movies.
"Playing wow again?" the girl asked.
Wow?
"Jealous, Devi?" The tall boy said.
"No, let me in your party! I want to join in on the fun too!"
Party?
The brown-haired boy laughed out loud.
Keiko blushed. His laughing was extremely addictive. She wanted to party with him too. She wanted to try calling out to him, but...
She turned around. "Mai, you need to..."
That was when Keiko realized her friend wasn't anywhere near her anymore.
She groaned. Where did Mai go?
Keiko faced forward again, determined to keep an eye on the boy.
Damn it, Mai. The things you make me do...
Keiko pursed her lips before shouting out loud.
"Naru!"
The boy paused, then turned around for a moment.
Keiko's heart skipped a beat. She caught a glimpse of his face before a shoulder covered her sight.
"Huh. What's wrong?" The tall guy said. "Someone you know?"
"No, nothing. I thought I heard something."
Keiko widened her eyes. Mai had been right. Apart from the hair colour, he really did look exactly like Mai's boss. And his voice was extremely similar even though he was speaking in English.
Lost in thought, she faltered behind for a moment. A man shoved her aside.
"You're in the way."
The crowd kept moving as Keiko made her way to the side.
"Damn it, I lost track of him."
Keiko returned to the exit and found Mai near the Hachiko statue.
"I'm sorry, Keiko. I accidentally bumped into an old lady, so I helped her..." Mai said.
Keiko smiled thinly.
"It's fine. Let's go back."
They crossed over again.
"Are you mad, Keiko?"
Keiko shook her head. "No, and I'm sure Michiru isn't either. Look, she's already waving at us!"
There was a smile on Michiru's face.
Mai sighed in relief.
"Now I'm wondering..." Keiko said. "If that guy got you crazy like that, what would you do if Naru wore those skinny jeans?"
Mai blushed, her hand clutching at her chest.
"I wouldn't survive that!"
They returned to the Starbucks in the music store.
Michiru groaned as soon as she saw them.
"Geez, Mai... I thought you'd lost it for a moment."
Mai laughed.
"Yeah, maybe I did..."
"You're really head over heels for Shibuya, huh..."
"But it was a different person, right?" Mai said, looking at Keiko.
"Huh?" Michiru stared at her too.
"I got side-tracked," Mai said, "but I think Keiko managed to follow him all the way to the station."
"Uh yeah, I did." Keiko laughed awkwardly. "I even managed to hear his voice."
"You did?!"
The other two leaned forward.
"They all spoke in English, and I couldn't understand them very well..." Keiko gulped, not able to find it in her to tell Mai what she saw or heard. "...But it was a different person after all."
Michiru sighed. "See Mai? It was someone else."
Mai groaned loudly.
"I could have sworn it was him. I thought, maybe he dyed his hair while we went shopping. I see Naru almost every day, so it's unmistakable..."
"That's just impossible! We just saw him." Michiru said, then pointed a finger at her friend. "Promise me not to run after random guys just because they look like your boss. Be faithful to your love!"
Mai growled at her.
"He's not my love!"
"Hahaha, then I won't pester you again," Michiru said with a smile. "So how about it. Want to meet up again soon?"
"Yeah, how about next week Saturday?" Keiko said.
Michiru looked away. "Oh, I can't go next week..."
Mai tilted her head. "You can't?"
She blushed. "I have a date on Saturday..."
Mai and Keiko exchanged glances.
"A date?!"
"Yeah, you know that senpai in the art club? It's him."
"That really good-looking one?" Keiko blinked. "The guy who asked to paint a portrait of you?"
Michiru sighed happily.
"Yes, he asked me out after he showed me the result."
"Oh my god, Michiru," Mai said, grabbing her hands, "I'm so happy for you!"
Keiko's jaw dropped.
There was a sinking feeling inside of her, and she couldn't shake it away. She should have been happy for her friend, but... it wasn't fair.
She feigned a smile.
"Good for you, Michiru," she said, "Introduce him to us next time, will you?"
Michiru smiled.
"Of course!"
Keiko turned to Mai, who gave her a puzzled glance and then a smile.
After that they set off into the direction of their homes. Keiko continued to talk with Michiru about the date with the senpai. All the while, Mai had looked concerned, but she kept her mouth shut. Maybe she understood, and maybe she didn't, but Keiko was grateful for her silence. They parted ways with Mai at the station near the school. Both Michiru and Keiko needed to stop at the following station.
Michiru broke the ice as they walked back to their homes.
"Say, Keiko... You've been out of it for a while. What's wrong?"
"Really? It's nothing."
"You acted strangely after you came back with Mai..."
She stopped walking.
"...You noticed it too?"
"We've been friends since middle school. How could I not notice?"
Keiko sighed.
"To be honest, that guy, the look-a-like... His voice sounded almost exactly like Shibuya-san. You should have heard his accent. He sounded really cool," Keiko said, then sighed again. "...I think I have a crush on him."
"Oh, Keiko..."
"Just, don't tell Mai or anyone else about this. Okay? She may get the wrong idea; that I might go after Shibuya-san instead."
"Alright, I won't tell anyone."
Keiko stopped walking.
"Still, it's unfair..."
Michiru waited beside her.
"Unfair?"
A tear fell down her cheek.
"You know, I won't ever get to meet him again." She sniffed. "I won't have any chance with him."
"Keiko..."
"And... I don't like that you, Yuuri and Mai are experiencing the springtime of your life ahead of me!" Keiko said, looking down at the pavement. "I know I should be happy that Yuuri and her boyfriend are together, that Mai likes Shibuya-san and that you have that senpai, but for some reason it just makes me sad! I want to be together in this with you! I don't want to be left behind!"
She bawled her eyes out.
Now she had gone and done it. Michiru was going to be mad.
However, Michiru grabbed Keiko's shoulder and pulled her close.
"Why are you doing this... Aren't you angry, Michiru?"
She sobbed into her shoulder.
"I'm not angry, Keiko," Michiru said. "Everyone hurts, and you're allowed to hurt too."
"Ahhhh, Michiruuuu. You're too kind. Like an angel. That senpai is so lucky to have you~"
"Come on, here's a tissue. I'll walk you home."
Tokyo, May 27, 2007
Masako straightened the skirt of her sailor uniform, then walked into her classroom. The seats were only quarter filled. She sat down in her own seat next to the wall and pulled out her book and writing utensils from her drawer. The table beside her was empty.
The other students present in the classroo didn't pay any attention to her. Like Masako, most had come to school on Sunday to catch up on their studies. Masako planned on staying until eleven in the morning or at least until she managed to do all homework required for the next day.
About an hour later some other students entered the classroom, carrying their instruments. They were from the concert band club, and had been practicing their instruments in small groups all over the school for a competition. Masako did not mind hearing the music in the background; she found it quite soothing.
"Hey, Saori! How was the concert?"
A girl in a seat on the left looked up at them.
"Oh, it was great! I had tons of fun."
"Did you manage to get a ticket after all?" Another girl sitting at the back of the class asked.
"Yeah, my cousin couldn't go, so she gave me her tickets," Saori said, "I went shopping in Yokohama too that day."
Masako put her pencil down and looked at the others in the classroom. This topic caught her interest.
"Damn, I'm more into Amuro Namie, so I didn't buy a ticket…Maybe I should have bought one too."
"Yes, you should have," Saori said. "The queen went all out!"
"Oh man, I wish I'd gone too," another girl said.
"You should have, all of us enjoyed it. Right, Mayuka?"
Mayuka nodded. She sat at the front, a few seats away from Masako, who frowned. If only Masako had known that her classmates were going on Saturday, then...
"Hey Hara-san, have you ever met her?" Saori asked. It seemed that she had noticed Masako listening to their conversation.
Masako blinked. "No, ...why?"
She shrugged.
"I thought, you're in the show business, so maybe you've met her."
She shook her head.
"Aww, that sucks. Wouldn't that be awesome?"
"But I'll attend her concert today..."
"Really?"
"You're a fan too?" Mayuka widened her eyes. "That's awesome, I didn't know that."
Masako smiled. "Yeah, I really like her music."
They asked her about her favourite songs and albums. Apparently, they had a lot in common. It made Masako a bit happy to know that.
"By the way. Are you going alone or with someone?"
Masako blushed and looked down.
"Uh, yes. I'm going with someone."
"So, it's a date?"
"Uh..."
"A boyfriend?"
"More or less..."
Suddenly, her classmates surrounded her table.
"How does he look like? Show us a photo!"
"But I don't have a photo?"
"Who is it? Do we know this guy?
"No..."
"Where did you meet him?" Saori asked.
"At... work?"
"What! Is he famous?"
Why were they assuming he was a celebrity as well?
"I can't say."
They almost fell over in disappointment.
"Ehhhh. Why not?"
"No, really. I can't say anything about that." Masako waved her hands.
"Ah~ boring."
"She's obviously dating a celebrity." A boy at the back said. "Hence the 'no comment'!"
They returned to their seats, giving up on the interrogation.
Masako sighed. Although she was relieved that they didn't press the matter, it still felt awkward to end the conversation in such a way.
Perhaps she should study at home from now on.
After managing to catch up on everything, Masako left the classroom.
When she arrived at home, she combed her hair into a side parting to the left. Then Masako changed into some casual clothes she had prepared the day before.
It was rare for her to go out without a school uniform or kimono, because usually her aunt would insist on Masako wearing a kimono for all her appearances in relation to her job as a medium.
Masako headed out again and took a train to Shibuya station. She was excited to surprise Naru with a ticket to the concert, but more than that, she couldn't keep her heart from beating fast as she looked forward to seeing her favourite singer live for the first time!
Around an hour ago Noll had met up with Masako in front of Shibuya station. It turned out to be rather troublesome to wait there. One after another scout pestered him into becoming a magazine model or joining an idol group. Noll had glared at all of them until they finally left him alone. What seemed to be a mere ten minutes - he liked to be punctual - felt more like an hour long.
Maybe he shouldn't have forgotten that his looks were quite popular in this country.
After Masako pulled him out of that miserable location, she dragged him into a train and took Noll all the way to Yokohama for supposedly a lunch. In hindsight, it was rather suspicious. Why all the way to Yokohama? They could have lunched in Shibuya or elsewhere in Tokyo too.
Their late lunch was in a cafe near the seaside of Yokohama. They ordered dishes of their own choosing, a cheese sandwich for Noll and a chicken salad for Masako.
The conversations usually didn't last long and were usually one-sided. Masako was the one who brought up one topic after another. About school, her daily life as a celebrity, hot news topics, and so on. Noll listened, not because he was interested, but because he felt it was only polite to do so. He didn't want to anger her in some way.
This time Masako was rather quiet, but eventually she started talking after some hesitation.
"Do you know Ayu? She's really famous in Japan."
Noll had never heard of this Ayu.
"No."
"Well, it can't be helped. Since you're from abroad, after all." Masako sighed. "But if you want to get to know me better, you should at least be aware that that Ayumi Hamasaki has been my idol since childhood. Her career almost spans ten years, but this is the first time I have the opportunity to see her concert."
Masako spent the rest of the lunch talking about this 'Ayu' and how much she loved her songs, albums, and music videos. Even though she spoke in a lowkey manner as she usually did, it was obvious she was a big fan going by how much faster she was talking than normally.
Much to his chagrin, Noll was only able to nod politely. He had absolutely no interest in this Ayu, whoever she was. He had no vested interest in music whatsoever, so anything to do with that topic was trivial to him. Noll could tolerate Masako's company just fine during their other dates, but this was a little overboard.
However, the worst was yet to come.
At the end of the lunch, Masako grabbed her shoulder bag and pulled out two pieces of paper, which seemed to look like tickets. She slid one into Noll's direction.
"What?"
Noll tried to make any sense of the text on ticket.
"It's a free ticket to the concert."
He stared at her.
"Ayu's concert." Masako blushed. "Her tickets are usually sold out within minutes. We're really lucky."
Well, that confirmed his suspicions at least.
She continued. "It's in Yokohama Arena. Don't worry, it's near this café."
"What?"
Masako smiled brightly.
"It's starting in a few hours."
Noll couldn't respond. This was entirely unexpected. A concert? In a few hours?
"I'm sorry, but... isn't this a little..."
Masako dropped her smile.
"But... it's really special. I don't have anyone else to go with."
Seeing how hurt she looked, Noll pressed his lips together. Masako was obviously hoping that he would accompany her.
Noll caved in.
An hour later he was stuck in a long line waiting to enter Yokohama Arena and found himself already regretting his decision. Going by the promotional banners surrounding the venue it was obvious that Ayu was a pop artist that he would not like. With reluctance he followed Masako to their seats on the ground floor. The arena was almost filled to the brim by the time the concert started. There were too many people. Too much noise. Too many lights. Too much of everything.
On top of that he disliked the singer's voice and her flashy show.
Masako was not even aware of his discomfort, being completely absorbed by her idol's show.
Noll didn't even make it halfway through the concert when felt a headache coming, but he didn't have the heart to tell Masako he disliked the entirety of the concert. After a while, he tapped on her shoulder and told her that he would leave, with the excuse that Lin expected him to return early. Masako merely nodded and thankfully returned her attention to Ayu. At least she didn't react badly. It seemed she was already satisfied with Noll escorting her to the venue and attempting to stay for a great deal of the concert.
The only tears she shed was for Ayu.
When Noll returned home that evening, Gene questioned why he was looking so haggard. Noll ignored him.
His brother would pester him to death if he knew about this.
Tokyo, May 28, 2007
The next day, Noll was staring with baggy eyes at the monitor. The words didn't come through, so he decided to take a break.
Noll put his head between his hands and sighed. He was writing a thesis, but the experiences of the previous day were still fresh in his mind, haunting him like a ghost.
If this is what going on 'dates' and 'having a girlfriend' meant, he didn't want any of it.
His throat was dry. He needed a cup of tea.
Noll got up and entered the main room of the office. Mai blinked at him from the front desk. Her eyes were lingering on him. When he noticed her stare, Mai quickly looked down at her notebook. Her homework suddenly seemed more interesting. Ever since she came in today, Mai had been paying more attention to him than usual.
"Mai, tea."
"Yes!"
Noll watched her go into the kitchenette.
The stares from other people didn't bother him much. It happened so frequently; he had gotten used to it. Mai also had the tendency to stare, however, Noll had assumed it would have worn off after some time. He knew he was good-looking, but that didn't have to warrant so much attention from someone who saw him on a regular basis.
Noll sat down on the sofa with a book in his hand. He folded a leg above the other one and began to read.
Mai returned with a cup of tea and stared down at him, again.
What was she waiting for?
Come to think of it, lately she had been staring at his legs. That did bother him slightly.
"Are my legs that interesting, Taniyama-san?"
Mai made a choking noise.
"N-no."
"Did you think I wouldn't have noticed?" He looked up at her, then shifted his gaze at the cup Mai was holding. "My tea."
She blushed, placing the cup of tea on the table.
"Well, I just think you would look good in..."
"In what?"
Mai clearly hesitated.
"Skinny jeans."
Noll gave her a long stare. What in the world?
Once again, he was reconsidering Mai's behaviour.
"Is this what you do while you're on the job? I'm not paying you for that."
Suddenly there was a chuckle behind him. Mai's face flashed red.
Noll turned to see Lin in front of the reference room.
"She's right. I think you do look good in skinny jeans."
Lin's mouth had curved into a slight smile.
"Lin!"
Mai's jaw dropped open.
"Really?! So you do wear skinny jeans?"
Noll glared at Lin, but the man shrugged.
He sighed and turned to Mai.
"Get back to work," Noll said. "There's an unopened cardboard box with books in the reference room. Sort them into the bookcase. Lin will provide you with a list."
Mai frowned.
"Huh, why now all of sudden?"
Noll rose from the sofa, taking the cup of tea with him.
"Carry it in here, Lin. I'm sure it's too heavy for Mai."
Mai dropped her jaw.
"Excuse me?"
Lin sighed in resignation and went back to the reference room without a complaint.
Author's note
Hey! I'm back. 😅 (2x) A lot has happened in between the updates, but I'm not going to bother you with the details. In any case, I rewrote this chapter and several upcoming ones, so there will be at least some kind of buffer for this year. Thank you if you're still reading.
This particular chapter was one of my favourites to write so far, for various reasons. I think you can imagine why! Let me know what you thought about it.
PS Mai's short story GENKI has been translated. You will find a full compilation of translations at GhostHuntHQ on tumblr. I highly recommend reading them all!
PPS from now on I will only be correcting existing chapters on AO3. If you have an account there, feel free to subscribe there instead.