I stood outside the Japanese classroom as I waited for the teacher to come out, at the end of the lecture. Today, she had announced an international exchange course for all those who were exceptionally skilled in Japanese, and the final choice would be made by an exam. I wanted to know who my competitors were.
"Why, just one!", sensei replied.
"What? Really? Who?", I asked.
"I believe it is a certain Mr. Shin"
"Kasuo Shin?", I asked, shocked.
Why would he bother with this exam? Given, he had survived so far, but he was among the duller few. Still, not one to be too judgmental, I waited for Shizune-sensei's reply.
"Why, yes! I am not much acquainted with him."
Not much of a surprise there...he was hardly interested...
"Japanese is his minor", I informed her.
"Ah, that must be why...anyway, I'm getting late for my next class, Mr. Li. Don't you let me down", she warned me.
"I won't", I assured her, and left for my break.
Break time at CIL is usually spent in the vast cafeteria, with other sociable members of the human society. Today, however, I was in no mood to make small talk and amiable conversation with my class mates. I hurried back to my dorm room, and fished out my Advanced Japanese books.
'I should probably let Eriol know', I thought, not wanting to freak him out with what would now be - No Fun, Syaoran! I quickly typed him a message with the details, and then, putting my phone on silent, went over the syllabus. I spent the entire 50 minutes of break time chalking out a comprehensive study schedule, which I was determined to stick to. I was known to be quite a procrastinator, but I was determined to break the mould this time around.
The remaining day passed uneventfully, with me screwing up some complicated French grammar, and Eriol infuriating me to no end with that amused look of his.
Later in the dorm, after dinner-
Eriol had entered my room, after dinner, just to spend some boy-time before hitting the bed in his room down the corridor.
"Hey, Syao-kun-", he began.
"STOP calling me that!", I hissed, irritatedly.
He smirked, much to my annoyance.
"I told Tomoyo-chan about your exam."
Daidouji Tomoyo was Eriol's long-time girlfriend. Three years, to be precise.
Silence.
"So?", I asked him.
"You realise that she will tell Sakura, right?"
"Yeah, so?" I asked him, again.
Kinomoto Sakura was one of my friends from Japan, along with Tomoyo. I barely kept in touch with them, save on birthdays.
"Oh well, she was saying that she wanted to meet us all again, but knowing our schedules, she's been keeping mum about it. So, she was saying, she really hoped you would win this thing."
"But, then how would you get there? And, doesn't she already meet Sakura?"
Again that smirk.
"I could pull a few strings and get a little vacation, you know..."
God...I hate this guy!
"Besides, Sakura-chan and Tomoyo-chan haven't seen each other for three months now! They're too busy with their courses as well"
Hmmm...that explained a lot, I guess...
"Ok...", I smiled. "I'll do it for her, then!"
"Who?"
"Tomoyo", I clarified.
"Ah...."
That's it? The guy didn't get any complexes? Well...guess he must know my seduction skills aren't the greatest in the world!
"Well, then", Eriol said, getting off my bed."I'll go hit the sack now. I have a lot to face tomorrow! Student Body Elections are coming up, and my little cabinet wants to see me through it well!"
"Hold, on! How come you didn't tell me?", I demanded.
"Well, I was going to tell you today, but then I got your message. I figured you'd be too busy with your exam, you know", he explained.
"Ah...", I exclaimed, not knowing what else to say. "Well, man, if you want any by-the-side help, feel free to ask me, yeah?", I offered, slightly embarassed.
Eriol simply smiled by way of answer and gave a little "thanks".
That night, I slogged well upto midnight, before finally retiring to bed. However, just as I hit the bed, my cell phone beeped.
I had a message.
"Hey, Syaoran! I hope you still remember me! It's Sakura! Just wanted to wish you luck! You better do well, because this message just cost me 90 yen! :-D"
I smiled, before hitting reply, and typing out a note of thanks.
"Hey, Sakura. Of course I remember you, you dimwit! :-P I really will try my best to win this! It'll be my only sort-of vacation for a looong while! How are you doing? What are you doing at one in the morning, anyway?"
Okay, so it was international...and it was expensive...hey! I have a postpaid connection! And my family has integrated my bill with the rest of the household's! But then, my family had a rich background!
"I couldn't sleep. Dad left for another excavation and Touya-nii-chan just got a night shift on his all-night burger bar job. You know, once you and Eriol come here, we could all hang out till five in the morning and go to classes at noon and stuff!"
I admit it, the reply freaked me out. Sakura Kinomoto was supposed to be the innocent one.
"Who are you and what have to done to Kinomoto?"
"Lol! Syaoran, it's me! Let's just say, two years at college means less time with onii-chan means I am a bit of a daredevil already! Don't tell me you haven't changed!"
I admit it, I had changed. A lot. I never dreamed of growing a stubble before, nor of wearing biker jackets when it fancied me. I never ate only ramen at the caff. two days running, nor of punching guys who were acting like a little bit of stuck-up jackasses. Come to think of it, I had drastically changed.
"Yeah, I suppose I have. Eriol's the same though. He can't possibly get any better. Or is it worse? Either way, he's Eriol. I hear you haven't been talking to Tomoyo lately?"
"Not really…we have such different schedules! She works late into the night, and I work late into the day. So, we're sleeping when the other is awake, and our Sundays are rarely free. I do wish I could see her often…"
I think she's been losing a lot of moral support. I mean, Tomoyo was like her twin! They supported each other so much through school! It couldn't have been easy.
"You know, it's expensive, but you can always call me when you need to talk to someone. Or, better still, give me a missed call, and I'll call you."
Ten minutes passed. No reply. I was about to doze off when –
"Syaoran-kun!!! How awfully sweet of you!!! Thanks a lot for the offer! I do have a few new friends in college though! So, I wouldn't push any of our bills for such trivial matters! All the same, thanks a lot for the offer!"
Wasn't she already? I chuckled a bit. So, she still was a little "old Sakura".
"Good to see you haven't changed completely Sakura. Is it okay if I doze off? I need to absorb a bit of info tonight, so, I'll have to sleep a bit."
I was going a little sleepy now. As soon as the message got sent, I closed my eyes, and fell fast asleep.
Now, its morning…
I woke up, as is my usual habit, at seven.
I looked towards my phone-the message indicator was glowing angrily. Huh?
"Ya, ok. Good night Syaoran. Sleep well, and study better! And come soon!"
Ah…of course. Sakura. I smiled a little. It always felt good to reconnect with old friends. Getting up, I went in for a shower and dressed quickly. I had till nine for breakfast, and then classes would be at nine thirty.
I sat down for a quick review of whatever I had learnt yesterday, and then practiced a few kanjis. I was done sooner than I expected.
With another hour to kill, I found myself staring at my black-black phone. It was a simple flip model, with a good camera and a passable media player. A radio was thrown in too. It was my choice. While my sisters had some cool high-end mobile phones, I had chosen a simple one with only the basic requirements of my life. It was a matter of not losing my identity in the phone.
I walked towards it and flipped it open. There. A sword comprised the background, and the keypad was carefully maintained. I loved this phone. I ran through my contacts and when I reached 'S', I stopped at a name. Sakura. No surname. I liked it better that way. Even Eriol and Tomoyo were listed the same way, as were a few other close friends. No surname. Just them.
It would be nine in Tokyo now. Would she be awake? Or would she have gone to class? She was probably running late. I dismissed the idea, and closed my phone, placing it on the table, next to my packed bag.
I sighed. God, I had a boring life.
Little did I know, the next few weeks wouldn't be quite as boring.