Chapter 8
Never Been Better
"Oh no! I'll be late! 8:30 am" Yankumi hastened and took about 10 minutes to grabbed her bag with things, she keeps on stuffing every item that she thinks is necessary to bring as she ran outside their dojo. She rode the train and arrived at school 8:55am.
"Whew, that's close" as she lined up at eitoku's entrance. "Why are these people staring at me? Maybe I still have charms after all haha." Yankumi reached the scanner and happily smiled at the guard who is very serious again said..
"nice socks.. next!" the guard said
"what?" Yankumi looked at her socks and its.. "Mismatched! Why does this have to happen to me!" she wore a loose high knee sock and a regular length white sock. Since eitoku is the school of prim and proper, you'll be very noticeable if you acted in a different way.
"Its just socks, I can do this" she lowers down the high knee socks so it has the same height as the shorter one.
She looked at her watch "Still have 3 minutes to reach the gym, gotta run fast, ZOOM!" and yes yankumi ran as fast as she could, reached the gym in about 5 seconds before it was about to close. Well no one was late, everybody had their positions all set. Yankumi thought of Kazuki, she's her only hope to have a good seat for the school's announcement activity or whatever will happen today, well, she knows almost everything about eitoku and she's her sister.
"Have to find Kazuki at the gym, have to find Kazuki.." Yankumi walked towards the gym's entrance presented her ID at the gym's guards and entered a place that she thinks, a different school.
"Young master Sawada, everyone's waiting for you for the entrance ceremony, the student council Vice President asked that if you could come down to prepare" Rino asked Shin as he just opened the door in the rooftop. Shin was just laying his back in a long seat in the rooftop, looking at the skies silently.
"ok…2 mins, tell them I'm prepared" Rino went down and shin stared at the clear blue sky, sighed and felt that he is so tired of doing such boring things every year. As for Yankumi, she still tries to find her sister Kazuki all over the place until.
"SAWADA SHIN. SAWADA SHIN. SAWADA SHIN. Whoo!!" A group of girls singing out loud at the left side as they raise their pre-made boards with signage such as "I 3 Sawada Shin", "Pls. let me be Mrs. Sawada", "SS your so Kawaii!!!" etc. And there she finds her sister following their chant to Shin, and holding a signage, "I am your no. 1 Fan" held upright.
"Kazuki!" Kazuki didn't heard Yankumi's voice because of their loud chant to hail their awesome guy and Yankumi is quite far from her. "Kazuki! I'm here!" But alas raves were suddenly louder when the vice president of the school Ichiro Kame went on stage.
"Good morning fellow eitoku students. Please settle down in order for the ceremony to start." All settled down quickly and prompted to their seats. Yankumi can't find a seat and prompted to stand at the end of the rows near the wall of the gym. The gym is all covered with textile wall paper much of like a Romanian castle.
"I see that we are fully packed today. For the past 2 years we are encouraging every student to join our activities and it seems that everyone is actively participating. Participation increased by 200%, and many of our students have increased too.." Kame said.
"Actively participating or eyeing Sawada, I think there's something behind the sudden increase of active members." Yankumi thought. Yankumi looked at all the students in silence and avidly listening to the vice president of Eitoku. Kazuki is still in puppy eyes, same with the girls in SS Fan Club, seems that they are excitedly waiting for Shin. But maybe, well there might be some announcement that I need to know so better stay here, standing…
"Club registration can be acquired today after the event exactly 10:00am, You can check the different booths in the Club Registration Hall ofcourse. We have ensured the fees this year will be more reasonable than last year. Freshmen orientation will be ofcourse spearheaded by our finest professors all over the world. Well, I know you have been waiting for this event, (Girls now starts screaming continuously), and yeah we can here all the girls now. Let's now welcome one of the international stars and cream of the crop student of eitoku, (girls screaming louder, like in the concert), Sawada Shin w/ Eitoku All Star Dancers!" Kame smiled as he said Shin's name went backstage and back to his moody face again.
"Write this down, Kon". A guy with glasses then opened his planner and writes the things Kame instructed him to do. "We have to plan for next week, let's see.. "
"I knew it, its him again, why do they hail him so much." Yankumi scratched her head and girls are all happily glittering eyes looking as Shin grooves so effortlessly. "Well, he seems he practice a lot, Woh, what's that" Shin made a dangerous turnover move swiftly. The dancers and Shin are dancing in a tune sort of a hiphop song. "And so, he can dance, hmm, its okay, well what the heck he's super excellent." Sounding sarcastically, ofcourse no one hears her because of the loud screams. The students were now near the stage and everyone was grooving to the beat of disco music. The music continued as the room went dark at the end of the song and Sawada was gone with the all star dancers of Eitoku.
"Thank you Mr. Sawada for that intermission number. We have prepared much great stuff for all of you, so as we wait for the club registration booths to prepare we have set few arcade games and food just for us to hangout. Don't forget to include student council ace team in your list, only limited slots this year. May you all have a good day and see you all later." A dance song started.
Students still dancing to the groove, not so wildly but like a grand ball. Food table with, eat all you can punch and confectioneries. All sosy food stuff, yankumi thinks. A series of arcade games never seen in the market, difficulty: college type. Books and electronic games can be borrowed like PSP, PlayStation with a ratio of 1:1 to student. An electronic karaoke box so no one can hear you while you sing
"Yeah, this is my highschool life, grooving at disco music at my first day. Well, its fun, actually I just don't know how to dance. With just ordinary things, electronic games, a huge gym and my sister grabbing Shin specialty items for this year, a fountain pen. Well it's just a pen, with Shin's face and a digital signature in the pen's casing. Yankumi leaned on the wall, touched her knees as she's been standing for an hour, as she is about to straighten up and grab a seat, her back tilted and guess what. "I'm in trouble again!!!!, He-ee-e-elp!" As she shouted for help the wall has quickly swallowed her up and her help sounded as she is falling down endlessly in where she doesn't know where. Yankumi closed her eyes and landed in what she felt well sturdy fixture that easily adjust to a human's body and good smelling too. She touched her head, necks, hips and shoulders if all are still attached. She thought at least she's still alive wherever she is. She opened her eyes and…
"Hey.." Shin said looking at her face while carrying her. Yankumi was surprised and immediately went off his arms. "Wooh, you scared me, super". (omniscient to yankumi's view) I'm so glad I'm safe but to think its shin again carrying me and now were looking face to face.
"Are you okay?" Shin asked me very confident and in a caring voice. "Wah let me go!" As I pushed his face away from me. I don't want to fall to him, he's so, I don't know he's just so, what the heck, yeah I like him just don't want to admit. He loosened his grip and gracefully landed me to the floor still his head being pushed by my hands and just smirking.
"Your welcome" He said sparingly and somewhat he's like toying me. "Why am I here?" I asked, staring at him sparingly, I hope I'm not blushing red.
"I guess you fell off from the wall up there" Shin said. "I know that, why did I fell from that wall?!?" I said with a questioning tone of voice.
"You're invited to my place" He said.
"Well if you just asked me a little earlier nicely, I would have come in a different entrance. By the way, where is your place? Its kinda creepy here reminds me of a batman cave" I shivered as I said this. The place is quite cold, I shivered and grabbed my arms and rubbed them with my hands to feel warmer. Then he smiled again, the smile that I don't really know what he is thinking. He walked towards me; I didn't know what to do.
"Hey what are you doing? Stay still or I'll.." I really never thought Shin could do this to me, what will I do if he'll kiss me, hug me again or I don't know what to do. I stepped backward as he moved forward until I leaned on the wall. He now reaches my ear, pretty cool actually. I just closed my eyes tightly, I don't know what to do, I don't want to, but then I came back to my senses and was ready to punch him when he held my hand.
"Stay still." He said. Hey I'm older, I'm the boss in charge here
"Hey," I said while he grabbed a jacket at the wall attached in a very neat way just beside my ear and gave it to me.
"Wear this.." He said demandingly and just walked to the other side. I have to follow him; don't want to be left alone here in this dark place.
"Wait for me!" I ran out to him while wearing the jacket he gave me. "Where are we going?" As I have keep a pace in his walk.
"Just a place.." He said as now I think he is now walking in pace with me.
"Nice jacket you have here, its very light but when worn its very warm inside. I like touching the fabric and it smells good too" We turned right and walked again, now slower.
The jacket looks more of a sophisticated jersey, created to perfection. "What's the detergent you used? Smells really really good, like a perfume". As I said that he somewhat blushed, then we turned left.
"It's a perfume, used it once in Italy, gave by the company I attended to." He said, Ah I see, so it's a freebie for guest attending the party.
"What company?" I asked.
"Gucci" He said plainly. What? Gucci!? Never worn Gucci in my life, this might cost more than a thousand dollars, well mom used to buy me with those knock offs, this one feels original. Yes it's original.
At the end of the tunnel I saw a sofa good for four with a seatbelt.
"Sit there.." He said. Alright, I thought, he then sat down after I sat down firmly. He pushed a button at the side of the sofa, seat belt automatically attached, then the sofa is floating. No silly me its being elevated by a machine.
"Wow a sofa elevator.." I held something in my left for the arm chair but mistakenly held his hand; I removed my hand immediately but pulled too hard as if I was running out of balance. He held my left arm and hold it firmly to put into balance. Not too tight, not too soft, just fine.
"You baka" He said, and he is not releasing my arm.
"Hey I know what that means!" I said as a defense.
"Don't move." He instructed me while he still held my left arm with his right hand. I feel like a child, he is too mature for his age. He's words are hard to resist.
"Yah I know.." Just said that for defense. As we were 2 meters from the ceiling, the ceiling opened, it was too bright, closed my eyes and opened it when the sofa elevator stopped and I think we have landed. I triumph feat, just like landing in a moon, what a great journey. Too much exaggeration. He has released me as soon as the brightness engulfed us, the seatbelt went loose, opened my eyes and I think 20 people are staring at us literally. People there were all familiar, I don't know maybe in magazines, television or just saw them in school earlier.
"Here" He said and yes I followed, he knows this place more than I do. People are still staring at us, no maybe staring at him for he's popular here. As we pass by people are whispering, and one woman I heard saying "girl". I didn't mind of them, just followed were this brat is leading me to. The place is better than the gym, still Victorian in style but much more elegant. Followed shin in a room as an automatic door opens. We went inside, and then he talked to a guy writing something in his large planner. The guy immediately noticed us and raised his head. Hey I know this guy. The automatic door closed then…
"She's the one.." Shin said to the guy.
"Huh?!" I said. What is this again Sawada Shin?!