Chapter 3

"Why do we have to dance?", Noda complained

"This is stupid!", Kuma moaned.

"I hate this!", Minami expressed his dissatisfaction with the idea of dancing.

"This whole thing is trash!", Uchi said.

Class 3-D have been practicing their dance number for a week already and all of them were not too happy about it.

"Hey! It's not like that!", I told one student after doing one dance step all wrong.

"Look at her. She acts like she knows it. She dances like a chicken!", Minami told his friends while looking at me.

"She acts so stupid.", Sawada said.

"No Shin-chan. She IS stupid.", said Kuma and they all burst into laughter except Shin.

"Come on. Let's continue practicing so we could go home early.", he said to them.

"Alright, alright. Come on. Let's finish this shit.", they said.

"Ok then. Good job, guys. But for the others, more practice. I hate to see you looking stupid onstage.", I told my students.

"Look who's talking.", Shin whispered to himself.

They finished practicing around 6 pm. It was already 7 then but I'm still in school doing something. When I was about to leave, I saw Sawada all by himself again.

"Whoah! You're still here?", I asked him.

"We played soccer after our dance practice in the playing field", he answered my question.

"But where are the others?"

"I told them that it's ok to leave me alone so they did."

"Oh. I see. Now going home?"

"Should be."

"Come on then! I'm about to go home now."

"Let's go."

We walked a bit of distance then I remembered something.

"Dancing is not your forte isn't it, Sawada?", I said with a laugh.

"Isn't it obvious? I hate dancing.", he said.

I laughed again.

"Mind you, you always makes mistakes on the 4th and 5th step.", I told him.

"Ah. Those steps are the hardest part.", he said to me.

"Do you want me to teach it again to you now?"

"No thanks, Yankumi.", he said, while giving me his are-you-serious-look.

"Fine. I may not be a good dancer but still, I can teach those parts you are having trouble with."

"Ok. Ok. It seems like you really are serious into teaching me. Go on. How do I do it?", he asked me finally agreeing with my offer of help.

"The 4th step. It's not like this. I saw you doing that one. That is not the proper way. This is the proper one.", I told him.

I could see from his eyes that he found me so funny doing those but I don't care. He's my student. I wanted him to get the dance steps so he would not look funnier than me when they got to dance onstage on the opening of the fair.

It took us an hour before Shin finally got the steps.

"Whew. That was so tiring.", I said. "But thank God you got it already."

"Yeah. Thanks to you. If you didn't insisted on teaching me, I wouldn't get those.", he told me.

"Good job. But, uh, it's kinda late now. We should already go home."

"Yah. We should. Are you walking?", he asked me.

"No. I don't think it's a good idea to walk on my way home with this time of the night. You too. You should take a bus home."

"Yah. I will.", Sawada said.

"The bus heading ours is here. How about you?"

"It's here.", he said, pointing at the opposite direction.

"Bye then. Take care.", I said.

"Oyasumi.", he told me silently and we both separated ways.