ARATA
As I made my way through the lobby, tournament officials kept stopping me to offer congratulations. With mounting concern, I watched Chihaya's group on the opposite side of the room. They were collecting their bags and heading for the exit.
"Excuse me," I said to the man before me. I saw the Misuzawa advisor woman disappear through the glass door into the darkness. "I need to catch someone. Sorry!" I tossed over my shoulder as I hurried after her.
I strode briskly through the door and spied the group walking toward the curb en masse. The tall guy was the center of attention for several of the freshman girls, and their loud banter rang out in the night.
"Chihaya!" I called, breaking into a jog.
She stopped, turning toward my voice. The group stopped too. As I pulled up in front of her, I was conscious of all the eyes on me.
"Uh. Can I walk back with you?"
"Sure. But what about your ride?"
"I haven't called my uncle yet. I'll just ask him to meet me there."
I felt Taichi's eyes on me. Would he try to interfere? Make some excuse why I shouldn't join his group? After a long look, he turned his back and started walking again. The group followed their President.
Chihaya kept pace with me, and I purposely dragged my feet, wanting to fall behind the rest. She was uncharacteristically quiet. Maybe I'd chosen the wrong time.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Huh? Sure. I'm just tired." She punctuated her sentiment with a yawn.
I chuckled. "So I see."
"Sorry."
"No, it must be tough competing two days in a row." She made a noise of agreement.
We walked past tall, old trees that shook in the gusty summer breeze. The air was thick with humidity. It would probably rain tonight.
I took a minute to call my uncle and let him know I'd finished and where to pick me up. As I hung up, the thick border of trees fell away and suddenly we were looking down a sloping hillside toward the dark shadow of Lake Biwa. "It's so pretty," Chihaya commented. "I love staying at this inn. It's relaxing to see the lake out of our window. It looks peaceful."
Another gust of wind fanned the reeds at the water's edge, bringing to mind the words of one of the poems. "Hidden bamboo among a field of reeds," I quoted as I watched the silhouetted grass moving. Taking a breath to steel my resolve, I finished the poem. "Though I've concealed myself so far, I wonder if my love for you is too much to hide."
My heart beat rapidly. The rest of the group was well ahead of us now, walking in ones and twos along the sidewalk. Their muted chatter assured me they wouldn't be listening to our conversation.
"Chihaya…" My throat went dry. She turned her face to see what was wrong. Looking into those wide, innocent eyes, I tried to gather my courage. I don't want to get here next year and have it be too late, I reminded myself harshly.
"Chihaya, I like you." I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. Her eyes grew even wider. "I know this seems like a dumb time to tell you…" I put a hand to my head nervously. Why hadn't I thought this out better?
Hands at my sides, I tried again. "I'm coming to Tokyo next spring, but I don't want to wait that long," I admitted. "Will you go out with me, even though it'll be long distance for a while?"
She stopped walking. I heard her sharp intake of breath. We'd been approaching a hulking building that must be the inn, and we were just beyond the reach of its streetlamps now. I tried to read her face in the half-light. Her mouth had fallen open slightly, and her eyes were still impossibly wide. Maybe she's in shock?
I was about to ask when I saw the sparkle of tears filling her eyes. "I like you too, Arata," she breathed. "I like you a lot."
Relief swept through me with the force of a tidal wave. "Ah," I exhaled in a rush. "Hah. That's good. I mean…" The release was making me giddy. "Can we go out then?" I pressed.
She nodded. When she blinked, a single tear spilled over and made a glittering path down her beautiful, pale cheek. "I've never gone out with anyone before," she said. She wrung her hands nervously. "I won't know…anything really."
I couldn't resist that pitiful look any longer. My hand cupped her face, and I wiped the stray tear with my thumb. "We'll figure it out together, okay?" She nodded against my hand, her eyes never leaving mine.
It felt like we were seeing into each other's souls for the first time. Finally, there was no more confusion, no cloud of uncertainty. I loved her. And I could see it…she loved me too.
A raspy voice echoed across the way to us. "Ayase-san. Hurry up."
I hastily dropped my hand.
"Coming," she hollered back.
I smiled apologetically. "You're already tired, and now I've made you late. Sorry."
"Mm," she shook her head dismissively and we began walking again.
"I'll miss you, Arata," she said, eyes on the ground as we moved forward.
"I'll call you," I said. "I can call you a lot more now that we're officially dating." My heart gave a little leap as I put it into words. We're officially dating!
She nodded slowly. Her mopey demeanor reminded me that soon we would be apart.
"I'll miss you too," I admitted quietly. We finished the last few meters in silence, conscious of her advisor waiting by the entrance.
"Wataya-san," the woman greeted me stoically. "Congratulations on winning again."
"Thank you very much." I made a polite bow.
"If you'll excuse us," the gray-haired matron said. "It's been a rather long day for all of us."
"I understand." To Chihaya I said, "I'll wait here for my uncle. You go on up and get some rest."
Her tears threatened again. Tendrils of hair had escaped her ponytail to frame her perfect face. With her eyes on me, she clamped her lips together and nodded. I could see it in her expression; she really would miss me. I tried to capture the picture in my brain for the long days ahead.
"I'll call you," I assured her. "Goodnight."
Reluctantly, she turned and headed for the automatic doors. With one last curious look at me, her teacher followed.
-0-0-0-0-
CHIHAYA
In a daze, I followed the Empress through the corridors of the inn. Arata…asked me out. It kept drumming through my mind as I struggled with disbelief. All these years of waiting and working on my karuta… All the special times we'd shared lately… I hadn't known what he was thinking…hadn't even thought this far ahead myself. I'd been holding onto a desperate hope that he would be in my life again one day, simply because I loved him and wanted to be with him. I hadn't ever dreamed that we might… that we could… even before he was physically present in my day-to-day life, that we could be connected in this way.
But we'd always been connected. Whether it was our love for karuta or our love for one another, there had always been something tethering our souls, even across the many miles.
It was comforting and gratifying to know he felt it too.
Back in our room, we found the futons had already been pushed together, and clothes and toiletries were left strewn about with no sign of their owners. The other girls must have gone to the baths already.
"I'm going to check on the boys," Ms. Miyauchi said. "Go on and get your bath." She left the room mumbling about bringing a male chaperone next time.
Some time later, I returned with my hair wrapped in a towel and my body pleasantly relaxed. As I stepped through the shoji door, I found the girls in a kind of powwow, all sitting in a rough circle on the futons.
"What about the guy from Chiba? He was totally hot for a karuta guy," said Kiyoshi, one of the two freshman Taichi fans. Or maybe they were just boy-crazy in general.
"Suzuki-chan, your hair is so fine," said her counterpart. She was running a brush through the long, damp tresses that were usually captured in a braid.
I collapsed face-first on an unoccupied futon. Kana-chan's scolding voice reached my ears. "Chihaya-chan! Be careful."
"Why? The tournament's over."
"So, Ayase-senpai," one of the Taichi twins called for my attention. I propped my heavy head on one hand, acknowledging her with a look.
She continued. "How do you know that guy who beat you?"
"Yeah," Hanano piped in. "Why did he want to walk back with us anyway?"
I was vaguely aware that all eyes were on me. Hanano looked eager for gossip, and Kana-chan almost fearful. The freshmen wore curious expressions, Rion even more so.
She spoke up before I could. "Wataya-kun won the individual tournament last year as well."
"He's scary," Suzuki murmured timidly.
That's not right! "No!" I exclaimed, sitting up in a whirl. They all jumped. "Arata is amazing. His karuta is beautiful…and complex. He learned it from his grandfather, who was an Eternal Grand Master!"
They responded with appropriate expressions of awe.
"But he's a really nice person." I continued. "He's been really encouraging to me and Taichi. In fact, he's the reason I wanted to start a karuta team in high school."
"So you met him at a tournament?" Kiyoshi clarified.
I shook my head. "We were childhood friends when he lived in Tokyo," I explained. And then I remembered tonight. My mind replayed that moment, when a resolute look came over his face, followed by the cutest blush in his cheeks. "I like you," he declared. He said it boldly, even though I could see he was nervous. He was so brave, being the one to speak up. Admiration sang in my heart.
Remembering my new status, my eyes brightened in excitement. I met the eyes of my teammates, one by one. They all watched without breathing, sensing I had something important to say. "He asked me out," I blurted. I grabbed a pillow and squealed into it.
"What, tonight?!" Hanano exclaimed.
Dropping the pillow, I nodded briskly several times. I couldn't keep the grin from my face.
"You're really dating that guy?"
"Isn't he from someplace far away?"
"How is that going to work?"
The underclassmen fired questions without waiting for an answer. Kana-chan looked sad for some reason, and Rion looked worried. She stood, tying the belt securely around her robe. "I'm gonna go get a drink. I'll be right back."
She slipped out the door while I tried to respond to the enthusiasm of my girlfriends. It was fun and exciting to share this with them. "I've never dated anyone before," I admitted, wrapping my arms around my bent knees.
"Never?!" Kiyoshi was appalled.
Suzuki's quiet voice surprised me. "You must like him a lot," she observed.
I felt the longing in my heart. "Mm." I nodded solemnly. "I do."
Kana-chan's anxious look resolved into a sweet smile she bestowed upon me. "Like the guard's fires kept by the Royal Gate," she quoted the poem. "Burning through the night, dull in ashes through the day, is the love aglow in me."
-0-0-0-0-
TAICHI
On the veranda behind the inn's sitting area, I slouched in one of the deck chairs. I'd come downstairs to purchase tea at the vending machine, and I was captivated by the view of the water through the glass windows. I ended up out here in the dark, staring at the patchy moonlight tinging the surface of Lake Biwa. It suited my melancholy mood.
I'd heard the commotion in the girls' room. I knew what it meant. I didn't know her answer, but—much as I was loath to admit it—Arata usually read people well. If he was taking the chance now, he probably expected a favorable reply.
And, I recalled grimly, Chihaya almost went out with a guy she met on a train, just because he asked her. I had no reason to think she'd turn down Arata, not with the way she went all starry-eyed whenever he phoned.
Well, I missed my chance. I should have asked her first. She might've said yes just because I asked.
Everything inside me rebelled at the idea. She might've said yes, but it wouldn't have worked out. Deep down, I knew the truth. Just as Arata had said, she wasn't in love with me.
His words played again in my head. "There are plenty of girls here who are in love with you… Chihaya's not one of them."
My mind snagged on the first part of his statement. There are plenty of girls here who are in love with you. It almost seemed he'd been prompted to say it by seeing Rion. Had his perceptive gaze picked up on something I'd missed?
"Look at what's right in front of your face," he'd said. Was it that obvious?
A hand waved up and down inches in front of my eyes. "Earth to Taichi. Anyone home?"
Startled from my musings, I looked up to find Rion standing beside my chair. Her wide amber eyes looked puzzled.
"Yama-chan," I said, surprised to see the subject of my thoughts suddenly before me. "I didn't hear you."
"I know." I caught a quick flash of dimples before she moved to take the chair next to mine. I watched her sink gracefully into the seat, entranced by how adorable she looked wearing the inn's traditionally-patterned robe.
We sat in silence for a minute, staring at the peaceful vista and listening to the cicadas hum in the distance. A gust of wind blew over us and roared in the trees nearby.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Hmm? Me? I'm fine," I answered automatically, straightening in my seat.
When she responded, her voice was unsure. "She said…they're going out."
My heart thudded and heaviness settled in my stomach. I looked down at my hands clasped above my knees. "Mm. I figured."
The cicadas droned on. The humidity made me feel sticky. Finally, I said, "Thanks for coming to check on me."
She protested too quickly. "Oh, I wasn't…I was just…getting a drink." She lifted the can in her hand by way of demonstrating.
I chuckled. "Isn't that red bean soup?" I could just make out the label in the half-light.
"Huh?" She looked at it closely. "Oh. Well. It… sounded good."
I gave her a skeptical look.
"What?" She rose to my challenge. "Tell me you're not hungry right now. I mean, those Class A people are monsters! I thought I was in good shape, but all my energy was gone after lunch." She popped the tab off and tipped the liquid into her mouth.
"Yeah. It was tiring," I agreed. "That and trying to keep up with the freshmen. I don't remember us being that silly."
She chuckled, her delicate shoulders lifting as she did. She offered the can to me.
I was going to politely decline, but then I figured, why not? It's Yama-chan. I don't have to watch myself so carefully around her.
"Thanks," I said, taking it from her. The hearty broth felt good in my empty stomach. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and stole a glance at Rion. She was looking up at the clouds, her soft lips and the rounded tip of her nose in profile.
"Look at what's right in front of your face…" Something small and tender fluttered in my heart.
What had Arata seen? When she came to Misuzawa, she adamantly denied having designs on me. But…
I began to remember…things I'd been too distracted to notice. The way she brought me this or that before I had to ask for help. How proud and happy she was for me when I won my tournament matches. The delicious tension in the air between us when we faced off across the cards. Her expression when she didn't think I was looking.
She turned and caught me staring. "What?" she asked. Self-consciously she fingered the shiny ends of her chin-length hair.
I handed back the can of soup. "I start cram school a week from Monday," I said.
"Oh, so soon." She looked down at the can held between her knees.
"So…" I drawled. "Do you want to do something Sunday? Before cram school becomes my life?"
Her head snapped up and swiveled to find me. "Do something…together? I mean, just us?" I'd surprised her.
I felt warmth steal over my cheeks. I nodded and held her gaze, waiting, unwilling to offer anything further. I wasn't one hundred percent certain this was the right thing to do, but for some reason this girl inspired me to just charge ahead when the idea seemed fun.
When I didn't take it back, she nodded slowly, still looking somewhat puzzled. "Okay."
A little burst of anticipation bubbled up inside me. I smiled widely. "All right then."
