CHAPTER SEVEN – AT THE MONOCLE (YuKi)
"Trust us; The Monocle is a swell place! It's not as posh as the Cocoa Connection—you know, that sophisticated café near the mall—but The Monocle's more of a casual hang-out spot than a date place like the Connection, so it won't seem too awkward if you go there with a friend."
"Hey, the Connection's not strictly a date place! I used to go there with a friend all the time. It's just a favorite of couples."
"Well, yeah, I'll give you that. But I mean, seriously, have you seen how many couples go there every single day? The first floor is borderline PDA territory!"
As Naoki listened to his classmates' remarks, the gears inside his head were working with silent determination in spite of his own hidden embarrassment. Ever since that P.E. class they had two weeks ago, Naoki felt more drawn to Yuri than ever before, and it was something that was compounded by their ever-growing love for The Portrait of Markov. Naoki soon found himself emulating Daisuke by eating lunch faster so that he and Yuri could spend more time discussing the book before lunchtime ended—much to Kenta's dismay, as he would often be left behind without anyone to talk to. Nevertheless, his bonding with Yuri had earned him her cellphone number—a feat that Kenta teased him about for almost an entire week—and the two of them often wasted no time continuing their discussions through text at home. Privately, Naoki admired at how Yuri spoke with proper capitalization and punctuation even in simple text messages, whereas other people would choose to use shortcuts and emoticons extensively instead.
The surprise he was planning for her today had come out of the blue, a byproduct of their text conversation around two nights ago. Though the two of them had gone out multiple times after school over the past two weeks, they mostly went for bookstores, and there were times when they even browsed the same bookstore a couple of times in the same week. While Naoki was fine with this, he felt the need to at least start going somewhere else with Yuri before things took a duller turn. To have something new to talk about, he had asked her what her ideal reading environment was. Yuri's response had made even him conscious about how he read his books.
When I read at home, I often do so with a cup of oolong tea and a number of scented candles by my side. I find that drinking oolong tea can help increase mental perception, while different aromas from certain scented candles can improve one's mood and heart rate for a relaxing reading experience.
For someone whose ideal reading environment often involved only a book, a working lamp and a bottle of water, Naoki knew that very few places in town delivered such a refined atmosphere, with the exception of spas and health clubs. He did, however, know that there were certain book-themed cafés in town that had optimal ambience for those who wanted to relax while reading and drinking a cup of hot coffee, and he imagined how good it would be to visit one of them with Yuri as something new that they could do sometimes after school. On the other hand, he was also painfully aware that such an excursion would undoubtedly look like a date in the eyes of many, and he wondered whether or not he should go with such a surprise. Then again, Naoki mused, it would only look like a date if he made it out to be. We're just hanging out as good friends. There's nothing wrong with that.
In the end, Naoki decided to follow his friends' advice and choose The Monocle. After making sure that he had gotten the directions to the café right, he thanked his friends and made his way back to the classroom, where Yuri was undoubtedly waiting for him. Along the way, he ran into Kenta, who had just exited the cafeteria.
"Why aren't you back at the classroom yet?" he asked. "Your girlfriend's waiting, y'know?"
Naoki smiled patiently. "She's not my girlfriend, Kenta."
"Really? You say that after what I saw the other day?" asked Kenta with a smirk.
Naoki knew which day he was referring to. "You keep saying this ever since that happened, you know?"
Kenta clapped his shoulder hard. "You don't have to be too shy about that, Naoki! If you need any pointers on how to take things to the next level, just ask your dear ol' pal!"
Naoki shook his head, chuckling as he remembered Kenta's "expertise" with girls. "Whatever you say, Kenta."
Yuri looked exceptionally happy when he arrived with Kenta at the classroom. As part of his daily routine, Kenta went off to talk to their other classmates to give the two of them some privacy while Naoki sat down to talk to Yuri. She gave him a small but pleasant smile, and Naoki was happy that their discussions were making her less shy about everything—he did, however, wonder whether his surprise later on would cause her to spiral back down into her usual embarrassed self.
"Hello!" he said. "Are you ready for our discussion?"
"Of course!" said Yuri. "If w-we're on the same chapter, I really need to hear what you have to say about what just happened!"
Naoki smiled at her enthusiasm. "Are we talking about that chapter?"
"I s-suppose so." Yuri's eyes gleamed with excitement.
As their discussion started, Naoki saw that the two of them were indeed speaking about the same chapter: the one where some light is finally shed on the dark individuals that were tracking down Libitina. Dread mixed with curiosity for Naoki as the pages of Markov implied that Libitina may have some sort of connection to a cult-like organization. While nothing solid about Libitina's backstory has been revealed yet, the book starts presenting Libitina in a whole new light as a protagonist who may also have supernatural qualities inside her being, as she starts to harness mysterious powers that she could not yet comprehend. Naoki noticed that this may be a quality in a character that Yuri always found greatly fascinating, as she was now invested in Libitina more than ever.
"Doesn't Libitina strike you as some sort of clairvoyant regarding the supernatural?" Naoki asked her. "I mean, it all started during the first attack, when she found June's corpse. If you look at it, Libitina sensed on top of everything that something was wrong, and that's why she visited June's house in the first place. It's as if she sensed death."
"I agree, but I don't think it was because of June's murder," Yuri offered thoughtfully. "I think . . . it may have something to do with Libitina sensing the killer's presence in the city."
"Oh? How so?"
"I think that Libitina is somehow connected with them."
Naoki raised his eyebrows. "Do you mean she has, like, a telepathic link with the beings?"
"I cannot say for sure, but I sense that in some way, Libitina is . . . related with the people looking for her," said Yuri in a hushed voice.
Considering that they haven't gotten to any major twist The Portrait of Markov may have, Naoki decided to hold on to Yuri's theory for now as an interesting reference. "Come to think of it, what we've read in the chapter may be shedding some light into Libitina's past as well. The people who are hunting her down have to know her, after all."
"Yes, precisely!" said Yuri. "It would be rather odd for a group of despicable beings to target her all of a sudden unless she has some connection with them. It is rather horrific to imagine that someone as innocent and unassuming as Libitina had anything to do with a fanatical cult, but I suppose we'll find out more in the future chapters."
"You're right. I seriously can't wait to read the next chapter later!"
As the first post-lunchtime bell rang, Naoki's anxiety slowly trickled back. The discussion had gone smoothly, as it always did nowadays, but Yuri's brighter disposition was indeed making him think twice about asking her to go with him to The Monocle. After all, he had no intention of causing Yuri's introverted shyness to return full blast just because he decided to ask her out.
We're going out as friends, he repeated in his head over and over. Kenta's ribbing is just getting to me, that's all. There's nothing to worry about. And yet, in spite of that, Naoki knew that it still looked like a date, and that Yuri might interpret it as such. He sighed and prayed that somehow, the remaining classes of the day would give him some peace of mind to decide whether or not to go ahead with his surprise. If he decided to fall back, there would be nothing wrong with that, and he could try asking Yuri out some other time.
Well, just treat it like you're reading a new chapter, Naoki.
Contrary to what he had been hoping for, however, the remaining hours of the school day did little to help Naoki decide on what to do. The only comforting part about it was that his worry didn't grow too much to handle—it only felt as if he was about to take a quiz that he had not studied much for. A few times, he glanced sideways at Yuri, who was either silently writing down notes or listening to the professor's lectures; in her hushed attentiveness, she appeared more sophisticated than usual. Naoki knew that she fared much better in such a state than in a physically demanding environment like their Physical Education classes, though he was glad to notice that Yuri appeared to be doing better on the latter for the past two weeks. If she looks attentive now, then I suppose her reading focus is ten times more intense, he mused as his thoughts wandered back to Yuri's reply about her ideal reading atmosphere.
Their last professor for the day had given them the last thirty minutes of Social Studies to finish an extensive seatwork. Because certain students managed to finish everything early, they were allowed to talk and do whatever they wanted as long as they remained in their seats and kept the volume to a minimum. Naoki was among these students, and he exhaled a sigh as he realized that only a quarter of an hour remained for him to decide. He was also thankful that, to his right, Kenta was still busy grumbling as he wrote down his answers to their seatwork; it gave him enough time to act on his surprise without being immediately noticed by him.
Yuri finished her seatwork and passed her paper not long after he did. As she sat back down, she reached into her bag and took out her copy of The Portrait of Markov, laying the book on top of her armrest and opening it to where she had left off. Naoki smiled. Even with only ten minutes left, she decides to spend it all by reading. That, however, also made him realize that if he would ask Yuri, he would have to do so quickly before the moment passed.
Worth a shot. He leaned towards her seat and said jokingly, "You might end up overtaking me in our future discussions if you read in advance, you know?"
Yuri twitched in surprise as she looked at him. "Ah, I'm s-sorry!" she said, blushing as she closed the book. "I didn't r-realize you were looking."
"That's okay, I was just kidding," said Naoki reassuringly. "Anyway, um . . . I've been thinking about what you said that one time, Yuri. About how you read at home and all that. . ."
"Oh, w-what about it?" asked Yuri as she stowed away her copy of Markov.
"I'm just curious. . . Have you ever, um, gone to a book café?"
One step closer to the point of no return. Yuri stared at him for a few moments, polite puzzlement crossing her beautiful face. "Um . . . a few times before, y-yes. Why d-do you ask?"
Naoki exhaled. Here we go. "Well . . . I was thinking that maybe later after class, we could go to one of the book cafés downtown, you know?" Though his voice was steady as he spoke, his heart was beating faster for some reason.
Yuri's resulting expression intensified his nervousness; her amethyst eyes widened a little, and her cheeks slowly turned red. To defuse any more untoward reactions, Naoki went on quickly, "I mean, I've gone to book cafés as well before with a few friends, and I've always found it to be a pretty relaxing experience for both reading and leisure. If you want, we can brush up on Markov over a cup of coffee. If it's okay with you, of course!"
Yuri wrung her hands tightly. "W-W-Why are you a-asking me . . . ?" she stammered.
"Um, well, we've gone downtown a few times, but we just go to bookstores most of the time," Naoki replied, "so for a fresh change, let's hang out someplace else!"
"Does that mean you d-didn't like going to those b-bookstores with me . . . ?" asked Yuri, her lip trembling a little.
"No!" said Naoki, careful not to raise his voice from the urgency in it. "No, I totally liked browsing for books with you these past weeks, okay? I just want us both to try out something new for a change, and of course, what better way to do that than with a book café? I mean, it may not be entirely new to us, but, um . . ." With every word he uttered, he racked his brain to find the right words without making everything awkward. At this point, even a few pointers from Kenta would've helped.
In her nervousness, Yuri looked away for a moment, her right hand caressing her left forearm while her left hand fiddled with a lock of her hair. Naoki felt even more embarrassed now as he imagined how awkward he must have made Yuri feel. Why do invitations like these have to be difficult?
Before he could do or say anything else, however, Yuri muttered, "W-Well, if that's w-what you want . . . yes."
He looked at her, surprised. "What was that?" he asked, just to make sure.
Yuri turned her head back towards him. She breathed deeply, resting her gaze upon him with a small smile that belied the flush on her cheeks. "Y-Yes, let's go to a b-book café together. I've never gone there with a friend b-before, so it c-could be a good experience, indeed."
Naoki stared at her with a bit of amazement as Yuri's eyes shone with determination, a gleam that made her smile even more meaningful. She was giving off the same vibe he had seen for the first time when she sprinted for fifty meters in their P.E. class a couple of weeks ago, a vibe that made him unable to tear his gaze from her. Just like last time, however, the moment did not last for long as redness overtook most of Yuri's face, causing her to look away and fidget nervously with her forearm as usual.
At last, the dismissal bell rang. The noise inside the classroom magnified within seconds as the remaining students of 3-C happily submitted their work and made ready to go home. Yuri picked up her bag, stood up and looked at Naoki, still blushing. "I'll w-wait for you at the school entrance, and t-then we can go d-downtown together," she said politely.
With that, she quickly exited the classroom before her face could get any redder. Naoki smiled as he watched her go, happy that things turned out better than he had expected. Next to him, having just returned to his seat after submitting his seatwork, Kenta yelled, "Finally!"
For a moment, Naoki wondered if Kenta saw or heard anything to tip him off, or if he had exclaimed so because he heard everything. But he mused that at this point, it didn't matter. The die had already been cast.
It's not a date . . . is it?
As she sat down at their chosen table, Yuri glanced around the interior of The Monocle, trying to focus on anything that can alleviate her anxiety while Naoki ordered from the café's counter. She had never visited this particular café before, and the number of people inside made her even more nervous. Usually, book cafés had only a few people to cater to, so she would be free to read in silence without feeling too conscious about anyone around her. Then again, it was Friday, so it seemed a given that more people would start hounding cafés and stores downtown to hang around in.
The walk she had with Naoki on the way downtown helped her calm down a bit after her initial embarrassment at his invitation. Even now, she was wondering what had caused Naoki to invite her all of a sudden to a book café, even if he had given her an explanation already—that he wanted to try out something new with her in an environment that both of them would enjoy.
To its credit, The Monocle started making her feel at ease thanks to its charming design. Cushioned chairs and sofas of a similar design flanked a number of marble-topped tables where groups of people were sitting. Some were reading quietly with their food and beverages by their side, while some were conversing with one another over cups of coffee. Brown pine bookshelves lined the bluish white walls, displaying the spines of a large number of random books: romance pocketbooks, coffee table books, picture books, paperback novels, hardbound classics, and even a few stacks of comic books. Modern-style paintings and carvings also adorned the walls, while a number of contemporary light bulbs hung from the ceiling, enveloping the entire place in a soothing light.
Naoki came back after five minutes, carrying a small tray with two cups of cappuccino and a platter of sugar-frosted cookies. Yuri smiled bashfully as he set the tray down, taking her cup with a quiet word of thanks. He put his own cup at his side of the table and set the cookies down between them before placing the tray on a nearby vacant table and taking a seat.
"Pretty neat place, huh?" he told her, adjusting his glasses as he looked around.
Yuri nodded in response. "It is r-rather crowded today, though. . ."
"Yeah, good thing we managed to get a table quickly," said Naoki. "And at least it's relatively quiet for us to start reading."
"Well, yes, there's that," Yuri agreed. Though she wanted nothing more than to start browsing the bookshelves or bury her head in The Portrait of Markov to escape from the anxiety she was feeling, she also wanted to keep talking with Naoki so as not to seem rude. After all, he had been the one to ask her to come with him here.
Luckily, Naoki saved her by asking, "Um, anyway, let's start reading, hmm? That way, we'll be able to cover more ground with Markov today, and we can discuss as we read. It'll be like a live debate or something!"
He smiled affably at her, and while Yuri couldn't help but smile back, she noticed what seemed to be pink patches form on Naoki's cheeks. She couldn't tell at the moment, though, if what she saw was merely a trick of the light.
Naoki bent down, reaching towards his bag for his copy of The Portrait of Markov. Yuri did the same, taking out her own copy and placing it on the marble-topped table next to her cup of cappuccino. Before she could open it, however, she heard Naoki click his tongue.
"Oh. Oh dear. . ." he mumbled.
Knowing that such words could only mean that something was wrong, Yuri looked up. "What is it?" she asked.
Naoki sat up straighter, scratching his head. "Um . . . it seems that I've stashed my copy at my locker by mistake. . ." he replied.
"O-Oh, is that so?" asked Yuri.
"Yeah," said Naoki, laughing a little. "Must've been too excited to get here that I didn't pay attention to my things. . ."
Before Yuri could react further, he stood up with a casual shrug. "Ah well. It can't be helped. Looks like you're gonna be overtaking me in chapters today, but that's okay! I'm just gonna go look for something else to read over there."
"Ah, no, y-you don't need to! We can read from my c-copy together!"
The words came out before Yuri could stop them. Her voice did not rise to a volume that drew glances from people inside The Monocle, but they rang in her ears nonetheless. She cupped her hand on her lips, as if she had just uttered a disgusting swearword. Naoki, on the other hand, looked at her with a surprised expression on his face. She fiddled with her hair apprehensively, her heart hammering as her mind cursed her inability to close her mouth.
"I mean, ah, um . . . y-you see . . ."
Yuri breathed deeply, trying her best to calm her nerves. When she spoke again, she was thankful that her voice had a steadier tone even as she still stammered a bit. "What I mean is that . . . if y-you want, we can read from my copy together so that we'll still b-be around the same chapters. It would be unfair if I've read m-more into the story compared to y-you."
"I see," said Naoki. "Well, I'm fine with reading something new from the shelves, but—"
"Oh, it's okay if y-you don't want to r-read with me!" Yuri went on.
"Wait, no, I didn't mean it like that, Yuri!" said Naoki hurriedly, waving his hand. "It's just that, ah . . . would it be fine with you if we read together?"
"Y-Yes, I won't mind!" said Yuri. "It's not something that I've d-done before with anyone, but it's f-fine."
As she finished speaking, Yuri's mind darted towards the idea that because they only had one book to share right now between the two of them, Naoki would have to be very close indeed to her to be able to read alongside her. The thought made her heart beat even faster—physical closeness, even if it was something as ordinary as standing in a bus next to other passengers, always made her feel awkward and mortified. She debated in her mind for a moment on whether or not she should just let Naoki get a book of his own from The Monocle's shelves, but then again . . .
You've said the words already. Just press on.
And indeed, before she knew it, the two of them were sitting side by side, with Naoki on her right. Naoki, however, maintained a respectable distance from her, as if fearful of letting their shoulders touch. Yuri, on the other hand, assured him that it was okay for him to stick close enough to be able to read from the book. To her credit and wonder, Naoki looked to be just as nervous about the prospect as she was, even as he drew in closer than his initial distance allowed.
"I'm at Chapter Fourteen," she said. "Are you t-there as well?"
"Actually, yes," replied Naoki with a grin. "Shall we begin?"
"Sure, let's g-go right ahead."
With that, the two of them started reading. Yuri was still unsure about whether or not she and Naoki were indeed on the same chapter and page, worried that he might only be saying so to make her feel better about not being too ahead or too far behind. Still, she decided to take Naoki's word for it and pressed on reading. Slowly, she managed to get lost in the novel once more, though this time—with an emotion she could not properly describe—she was doing so for the first time with someone right beside her, literally and figuratively.
Though their reading was punctuated by a few comments the two of them made and some sips of cappuccino, Yuri found that the shared reading experience was going more pleasantly than she had anticipated, though she would have preferred oolong tea over cappuccino or any caffeine-infused beverage. The sugar cookies, however, tasted refreshingly light, even if she was not particularly fond of such desserts. Soon, their cappuccino and cookies ran out long before they finished reading.
The bulk of her enjoyment in this particular reading session, however, came from Naoki. As focused on reading as she was, he proved to be a good reading companion, knowing when to speak and to keep quiet, pointing out a few things with unique insight alongside her own thoughts, a veritable Virgil to her Dante as they traversed through the Inferno that was Libitina's ordeal. And an Inferno it was indeed, as Libitina soon dove deeper and deeper into the figurative circles of Hell as she began making connections between her persona, the people she knew, and the cult that was trying to hunt her down.
"How horrible. . ." Yuri muttered.
"What is?" asked Naoki, looking at her.
"Well, it is rather appalling t-to think that Libitina has anything in common with the ones who are searching for her," she replied quietly. "Libitina has her flaws, no doubt about that, but to imagine that she might be as vile and calculating as the antagonistic ones . . . but I suppose it d-does add a bit of depth to everything. . ."
"Depth? How so?"
Yuri cleared her throat, steadying her voice as she took on her knowledgeable demeanor. "Well, I adore stories like these because they do challenge someone to look at everything from a different perspective. Right now, we may still be unable to deduce the motives behind the antagonists' actions regarding Libitina, but we can be sure that they have their own reasons—certain goals, or philosophies that they may believe in."
"I agree with that," said Naoki with a nod.
"With that in mind, I suppose we cannot immediately label them as evil just because they are written to appear as such," Yuri continued. "What if there was a very profound and logical reason behind everything they are doing? What if Libitina's past sheds a new light upon them? Can we still perceive them as irredeemably evil if the heroine herself might come from the same mold?"
Naoki looked at her in silence for a moment. "Well, you're not wrong in that regard, but that's something that we'll have to wait and see, hmm?"
"Oh, yes, I s-suppose so," said Yuri, her confidence ebbing. "I'm sorry if I started r-rambling there. . ."
Naoki grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling with mirth. "Yuri, you like apologizing a lot, don't you?"
Yuri twitched. "Ah! Is it b-bothering you?" she asked shamefacedly. "I'm sorry!" There was a brief pause, during which she realized what she just said. "Ah, I did it again. . ."
"No, it's fine," said Naoki encouragingly. "I just noticed that you tend to say sorry a lot when you start talking about something in depth."
"Y-Yes, I tend to get conscious about it because . . . b-because it's what draws people away from me most of the time," Yuri admitted.
"I-Is that so?" asked Naoki.
Yuri nodded, bowing her head. "It's just that . . . Naoki, I always do things alone. At home, it's different because I have my grandmother to keep me company, but at school . . . eating, going to a certain establishment, taking in the sights downtown. . . I said before that I've never done this before. Well, t-the truth is that there were people in the past who've asked me out like this, but . . ."
"But what? What do you mean?"
Certain memories came flooding back to Yuri as she sat in silence, memories where she had been asked out by former classmates in the past in a friendly manner only to have things end on a very awkward note. "Well, the thing is that m-my tendency to space out or drone on and on ruins the experience for them. They try their best to share my interest in reading and writing, even if I know it's just for the sake of maintaining a conversation, but when I start rambling on about it like there's no tomorrow, I end up smothering anything that they have to say. They feel like . . . like I'm just t-taking control of everything without letting them speak, like I just want the attention all to myself. . .
"It's just like I said b-before—when I speak sometimes, people perceive me as a know-it-all, as someone who always has something to say, as someone who overthinks about anything. They feel overwhelmed by everything I'm saying, and sometimes they even find it weird. . . In the end, when we go our separate ways and call it a day, they just end up forgetting about the experience, and they n-never ask me out ever again. . ."
Naoki was silent for a while. When he spoke up, his tone was rather downcast. "I see. . . I'm sorry if asking you to come with me here made you feel uncomfortable, Yuri."
Yuri turned her head towards him, staring deep into those bespectacled grey eyes of his. "N-No, it's fine, Naoki! In fact, I do enjoy the time I spend with you. And I never manage to properly thank you for everything that you do f-for me."
"But I don't exactly do that much, Yuri," said Naoki.
"You do!" Yuri cried out. "Just b-being patient and respectful of what I have to say, that's really, really important to me. I know I can be a difficult person to be around s-sometimes, but the way you treat me like you would treat any friend of yours, that truly means a lot to me. It's . . . It's a rare experience for me to feel comfortable with myself when I talk to others, and yet it's something that I always experience w-with you. The way we discuss our literary escapades, the way w-we speak about our favorite fictional characters, and the way you listen to what I have to say . . . that's why every time I talk to you, I just feel . . . really happy."
She breathed deeply once again. "With that s-said, if it's n-not too much trouble, I sincerely hope we can go out like this again . . . in the f-future."
As Yuri finished speaking, her heart raced and her face burned. It was a new and rather embarrassing experience for her to be so vocal about such things, and yet she could feel determination egging her on from within. After all, how could she lie about how she felt, when she was always prone to expressing her thoughts and emotions in the most frank of ways, even to a fault?
After staring deep into her eyes with something akin to wonder, Naoki smiled at her. It was quite possibly the warmest smile he had given her thus far. His cheeks were tinged with color once more, though not to the same degree that Yuri sensed her face was displaying, and again she wondered whether her eyes were merely playing tricks on her.
When Naoki spoke again, his words were short but sincere. "Likewise, Yuri."
Yuri smiled back, placing her right hand almost involuntarily atop her left forearm. The caress she gave it was the softest she had done so far. Something in Naoki's smile seemed to put her heart at ease, slowing down its frenzied beating. She continued to gaze at him, marveling at how sometimes, even the shortest of his replies spoke in the greatest volumes.