Chapter 69 – A First Date with a Dream
Azusa's POV
"Ugh…I can't believe we had to sit through a FULL HOUR of Sawako-sensei lecturing and scolding us."
"Well, she did have a pretty legit reason to be pissed like that." Miharu-senpai said after I had met her in the hotel lobby. "Ditching school to sneak into another country in a box that can travel through Space-Time is a pretty serious offense. And also very ridiculous."
"Yes, I get that it's pretty serious…and ridiculous. But I REALLY wanted to see you, Miharu-senpai. And a chance to see your hometown was too important for me to pass."
"*sigh* I can understand that much. I was pissed as hell when told that you couldn't tag along. Now that you're here, I'm as happy as a little kid on Christmas."
"See? It's just perfect. Now, we can enjoy our first official date in the one and only Capital of Love! It's a dream come true!"
"You're surprisingly a huge romantic, Azusa." Miharu-senpai said with a few giggles.
Today officially marks my first FULL day of being in Paris! And I intend to spend it in its entirety with my favorite person in the world (aside from my mom)!
I truly never believed that I would get this opportunity. Even with Sakurako's Space-Time Box making it convenient as hell, I was still a little doubtful.
But now that I'm actually here…and especially free from Sawako-sensei's grueling lecture…I'm free to experience this city with my very own eyes!
This is truly the happiest day of my life!
"So, where to first, Senpai?" I asked after calming down a bit.
"Hmm…well, I was planning on giving you a full-on tour of the city. Personally of yours truly. But…I've got something else in mind."
"You do? Like what?"
"*giggle* C'est une surprise, ma douce petite amie~." Miharu-senpai said in a flirtatious voice.
Oh, my God! That sentence just turned me on!
"For now, though…we just need to hail a cab."
"Well, now…quite the surprise to run into you here. Isn't it, Miharu?" We were then suddenly approached by a green-haired girl wearing some kind of gothic Victorian dress. Having the most stoic facial expression I've ever seen on a person.
And it was honestly creeping me out…
"Aw, geez…it's you again." Miharu-senpai said in an exasperated tone.
"Miharu-senpai, you know this girl?" I asked.
"Yeah…kinda. Mugi and I met her yesterday while checking out souvenirs." She then faced the girl. "Your name was like…Tsuru…Tsukiko…Tsubaki…"
"DEFINITELY NOT TSUBAKI!" The girl yelled out of sheer anger. Then went silent for a bit. "*clears throat* Sorry about that. But if you truly don't remember my name…it's Tsuzuki Hirase. But you can simply call me Tsuzi."
"Yeah, that ain't happening, you weirdo." Miharu-senpai retorted. Still exasperated from simply being around this girl.
"Tsuzuki Hirase…you're Japanese?" I asked.
"Yes, that's correct. I just happen to be on a school trip as well. Meeting Miharu and her sister Tsumugi was simply a chance encounter."
"An encounter I wished never happened…"
"Will you knock it off!" I secretly scolded Miharu-senpai. "Well…it was nice to meet you, Hirase-san. But we were kinda busy with something before. S-So, uh…"
"*giggle* Don't worry. I understand. I was actually busy with my own thing as well. This was simply yet another chance encounter."
"I see…well, I'm glad you understand."
"Have fun on your little date, Miharu. Try to make Azusa here as happy as possible, okay~? *giggle*" We then watched as Hirase-san walked off in a different direction. Still giggling to herself along the way.
…
Meanwhile, I stood there in pure disbelief.
H…How did she know we were on a date? A-And more importantly…how did she know my NAME?!
"*sigh* God, she's so freaking creepy…" Miharu-senpai mumbled under her breath. "Sorry you had to see that, Azusa."
"I-It's fine, Senpai. Believe it or not, I've met people weirder than her in my life."
"Weirder than HER? How?"
"It's…rather complicated." I said with a huge sweatdrop.
I really don't think I can explain the "parallel doppelgängers" and "Nega Dimension" stuff. All of that's Akari's mess…
"And besides…what's more important is this date we're on. I truly can't wait to see this surprise you have in store."
Miharu-senpai stared at me for a bit before gaining a small smile. Letting out a few giggles in the process.
"Well, then…tu vas vraiment te régaler, Azusa." She replied in yet another flirtatious voice.
*squeal* I'm getting turned on again! Best day EVER!
Shortly after finding a cab, it was a peaceful trip…wherever we were going. Miharu-senpai still wouldn't tell me where we were going. But I'm sure that it's someplace special. Otherwise, she wouldn't be keeping it a secret in the first place.
…
But still…the suspense is killing me…
"How much longer, Senpai~?" I whined.
"Just a few more minutes, Azusa. Be patient."
"*whine* Fine."
"*giggle* But I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. But with you being here with me and Ui on her date with Zoé…I can't help but to feel sorry for Jun. Being stuck in Los Angeles by herself."
"I actually just spoke to her. From the sound of it, she's doing fine. Said something about heading for a place called Little Tokyo."
"Little Tokyo? Wait, so there are smaller Japans in different countries?"
"I…guess(?). She didn't really give a good explanation of it. Just said that it was basically a miniature Japan."
"Huh…well, it sounds interesting."
"Yeah…it kinda does."
"Excusez-moi, mesdames." The cab driver said. "Nous arrivons bientôt à destination. Où souhaitez-vous être déposé?"
"Ah. Merci, Monsieur." Miharu-senpai replied. "Tournez simplement à gauche dans la rue suivante et nous marcherons à partir de là."
"D'accord, alors. Mesdames, restez en sécurité maintenant. Je ne voudrais pas que quelques personnes sympathiques comme vous se retrouvent impliquées dans ces récents incidents."
"Nous serons prudents. Merci pour votre préoccupation."
"Wh-What did he mean by "incidents"?" I asked.
"Oh, um…from what Danielle told me, there's been a huge spike in sexual harassment incidents recently and the police are having a hard time stopping them all. It came out of nowhere and it's been getting crazier every day."
Now that I think about it…I do remember Zoé saying something similar. I honestly thought it was another one of her perverted dialogues…
"H-Hey…you don't think we'll get dragged into something like that, right?" I asked with moderate concern.
"Don't worry, Azusa." Miharu-senpai said with a determined look on her face. "If any pervert tries to feel you up or something, I'll beat them to the ground and make them pay! They'll regret trying to hurt MY girlfriend!"
"S-Senpai…" I almost broke into tears from hearing that declaration.
Wh-What do I have to worry about?! I'm with Miharu-senpai! She'll definitely protect me! I KNOW she will!
"Nous sommes là, mesdames." The cab driver said. "Ce sera…€56.84."
(About $62)
"Merci, Monsieur." Miharu-senpai said as she paid the driver. "Voyages en toute sécurité."
"Merci beaucoup monsieur. Voyages en toute sécurité." I added as we both stepped out of the cab and watched it drive off. Once it was far from view, I looked around the area where we were dropped off.
"Uh…Miharu-senpai. Where are we? This place looks kinda…rich-like."
"*giggle* I bid you welcome, Azusa…to my hometown of Sceaux!"
"S-Seriously?! THIS is Sceaux?!" I yelled in pure shock before looking around a second time.
…
"It's…insanely noble-like."
"Oh, I don't live in THIS area. There's a small neighborhood just down this road. That's where I live. Well, used to live."
"I see. Well, either way…I'm SUPER excited to see your hometown, Senpai! This is the best surprise ever!"
"*giggle* I knew you'd like it." Miharu-senpai then reached out her hand in a way a butler or maid would do. "Maintenant~…permettez-moi de vous faire visiter les lieux~. Mon amour~."
Hearing that made me excited again. And I smiled greatly as I reached out and held onto my girlfriend's hand.
"*giggle* Ce serait un honneur...Senpai."
The tour around Sceaux was absolutely amazing! We walked around different blocks, took a look at those expensive mansions, ate at a bonified French café…
Not to mention that the whole thing was so…peaceful. A small town in France is EXTREMELY different from a small town in Japan. Back there…unless you were in the freaking countryside, a small town was still pretty much a metropolitan.
Makes shows like Non Non Biyori all the more peaceful…
I was happy with the tour…but Miharu-senpai wanted to show me one last spot before we headed back. As to what this place was…
"Woah…your old school?!"
"I figured you'll want to see what a French school is like. So, we're making this the final stop of our date tour."
"Wow…"
"M…M-Miharu…" We suddenly heard a new voice.
"Hey, hey! André! Thanks for helping out with this."
"*moan* I-I still don't see…wh-why you couldn't get…D-Danielle or Éliott to do this."
"Dude, I already told you. Danielle was busy with her chaperone gig and Éliott's too much of a douche to be around for more than 5 seconds. So, naturally…the task falls to you."
"I-I still feel like…I-I got screwed…" André-san said with a sweatdrop.
"Don't feel too bad about it, André-san." I said. "I'm truly happy that I get to see Miharu-senpai's old school with my own eyes. So, I appreciate you for doing this."
"Ah. W-Well…th-thank you…A-Azusa."
"So…is Teach still here?" Miharu-senpai asked. "I was hoping to at least say hi to her while I'm here."
"Sh-She should be here. W-We had a…t-test today. S-So, she's probably…st-still grading papers."
"Great! So, that means I can nag her to death like good ol' times! *sigh* Sweet memories…"
"The hell kind of memories are those?" I gained a sweatdrop.
And so began the tour of Miharu-senpai's old high school. Known as Lycée Sainte Marie. Or "Saint Marie High School" in English. Inside was pretty much how any high school would look like. Cafeteria, library, gym, common grounds, lockers, classrooms…
The only REAL difference I could point out was the doors. Here, you swing them open instead of sliding them like in Japan. Not sure which is easier, though.
While still walking around, we passed by a miniature photo gallery with pictures scattered all across the wall. And there was one in particular that caught all of our attention.
Especially Miharu-senpai.
"*sigh* There she is…the last picture she ever took."
"Last picture?" I asked. "Who is that, Senpai?"
…
"Well…that's my mom."
"Y…Y-Your MOM?!" I then looked at the picture again. Now seeing the resemblance between the two. "Your mother was a teacher here?"
"Yeah…she was Lycée Sainte Marie's music teacher for over 10 years. And everyone's favorite teacher at that."
"Th-The music she made…i-it was truly wonderful." André-san said. "N-No matter instrument she played…i-it always sound…s-s-so beautiful. L-Like…uh…comme une douce mélodie qui vous entraîne dans une mer de rêves. Th-That's how…p-people would…d-describe it. R-Right?"
"*giggle* I'm surprised you remembered that, André."
"Like a sweet melody drifting you off into a sea of dreams…" I mumbled to myself as I wondered in my own mind what Miharu-senpai's mom's music could've sounded like.
If it was so good that it made you drift into your dreams, then I sure missed out…
"Figured you would be looking at that."
We then noticed a woman with light orange hair standing next to us. I was shocked that she basically just showed up out of nowhere. But then again…I was the one not paying attention.
"Hey, Teach! Long time no see!" Miharu-senpai cheered.
"Same to you, Miharu. Let me guess…you were on your way to come nag me to death when you saw this picture and forgot."
"Hehhehheh…yeah, caught me red-handed."
So, she's used to it…
"So, I'm guessing that this is the friend of yours from Japan André was telling me about. Right?"
"Bonsoir, madame." I said in French. "Je m'appelle Azusa Nakano. C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer."
"Ha! And she even speaks French! If only my daughter followed your example and learned Japanese before moving over there."
"Your daughter?"
"Oh, right. Get this." Miharu-senpai said. "This is my old teacher. Zélie Richelieu."
"Richelieu?" I thought about the last name for a bit. "You're Zoé's mom?"
"You know my daughter?" Zélie-san asked back in shock.
"She's in my class back in Japan. The other classmates fond over her due to her being a foreigner. Plus…she has a bit of a reputation when it comes to what she says."
"Yeah…that sounds like Zoé. She's always been a questionable little slut. The fact that she hasn't changed doesn't really surprise me."
"W-Wow, uh…I-I see…" I gained a huge sweatdrop from hearing that last part.
Sh-She just called her daughter a slut like it was nothing. I…guess it's normal here…?
"In any case…" Zélie-san said as she looked back at the picture. "…Akiyo really did make such amazing music. Replicating that would be near impossible."
"Impossible?" Miharu-senpai asked. "Aren't you forgetting, Teach? I'm still going for that dream, you know."
"Are you now? It's a pretty big hurdle."
"Wait, what dream?" I asked.
"My dream of becoming a musical genius like my mom." Miharu-senpai said. "I never brought this up before…mainly because I was still in the grieving stage…but I idolized my mom for how good she was with nearly every musical genre. And I had always dreamed on following in her footsteps. So, when she got sick and died…"
"It…kinda put a wrench in your dream, huh?"
Miharu-senpai didn't reply vocally…but gave a slight nod. Confirming what I had said.
And then she found out about her mom's own dream and decided to fulfill that. Miharu-senpai may be described as a lot of things…but "selfish" definitely isn't one of them…
"Well…I believe in you, Miharu-senpai! No matter how difficult your dream is, I'll follow you through it all the way!"
"*giggle* Thanks, Azusa. It's always reassuring that I can rely on you."
"I'll admit…it's a huge hurdle to overcome." Zélie-san said. "But if anyone can do it, it's you, Miharu."
"Y-You can do it…M-Miharu. I-I…b-believe in you, too." André-san added.
"Guys…" Miharu-senpai teared up a little. "…*sniff* Merci beaucoup à vous tous. I'm going to achieve my dream. No matter what!"
And I'll follow you no matter what, Senpai!
*NOTIFICATION CHIME*
"Oh. It's Mugi." Miharu-senpai said as she checked her phone. "I guess it's time to head back."
"You're here on a school trip, right?" Zélie-san asked. "I'll try to make some time to visit before you go back. Because who knows when you'll come back once you do."
"Yeah, that true…you coming with us, André?"
"Ah, uh…n-no. I-I really to…g-get home. M-My art assignment…i-is due on Thursday."
"Huh…well, that sucks. Guess I'll see you later, then. Come on, Azusa. Let's go."
"Coming, Senpai." I said. "André-san. Zélie-san. Thank you so much for this opportunity. It was truly the experience."
"Glad you liked it, Azusa." Zélie-san said. "All I ask in return is to keep Miharu happy. And then some~. *giggle*"
"What do you…" I then gained a huge blush on my face after thinking about what she meant by that. "…H-Hold on! Th-That's a bit…"
"I'm just kidding. I know you'll do it your own way."
"R-Right. W-Well…th-thank you again!" I then ran off to catch up with Miharu-senpai. Trying to forget that last part Zélie-san managed to get stuck inside my head.
I don't want to be a born-again perv like the Hirasawa sisters!
"Hey, there you are, Azusa." Miharu-senpai said after I met up with her outside. "Wh-What's with the blushed face?"
"N-Nothing! Absolutely nothing! L-Let's just…h-head back already."
"Uh…okay, then." She then turned to the cab driver. "À l'Hôtel Trois Feuilles, Monsieur."
"Très bien, Madame."
And with that, we made our way back to the hotel in Paris. My first date with Miharu-senpai coming to an end. It was everything I ever dreamed of. And even a few surprises, too.
If only it could be like this forever…
…
…
…
I then took out my phone and began texting someone out of the blue.
"Hey, Mom. Sorry about not being home. It's, uh…complicated."
*BZZZT*
"I figured that would be the case. Just make sure you get home safely."
"I will. But, um…when I get back…can we talk about something?"
*BZZZT*
"About what?"
I hesitated for a bit…but then double-downed on the idea and continued my conversation.
"About what I want to do after high school."
And it's a very personal one. Well…for me, at least.
Author's Note: Miharu and Azusa finally have their first date. And after learning about her girlfriend's dream and the hurdles she has to pass to make it happen, Azusa's doing some future-thinking of her own…
Sorry for the long wait with this one. At one point between the last chapter and this one, FanFiction had multiple issues going on (no emails, no notifications, untraceable views, etc.) and I wasn't sure what to do for a while.
But as of…a couple of days ago, the emails and notifications started working again. Views are still untraceable…but I know you guys are still reading my stories. It's just an issue that I hope they fix soon.
Thanks for reading. Later.