Chapter 5: 1.3

Chapter 1: Art is not a pleasure trip; it is a battle

 

Part 3

 

 

After I got home, flipped open my sketchbook in hope of shaking off the lingering frustration in my heart. Alas, my brain seemed to refuse to work, so I tried to let my hands guide me, yet the pictures drawn were unsatisfactory. 

 

I was about to grab a drink from the refrigerator in need of refreshing myself when I felt my phone vibrating. Normally, I would ignore an incoming call from an unknown number, yet my chest was filled with a foreboding sense as my fingertip pressed the answer button. 

 

“Hello?”

 

–“Hi, it’s Kaede. I’m sorry for calling so suddenly. I got your number from Seino-chan. Are you available?”–

 

“S-Sugawara-senpai!? What happened!?”

 

I took a quick glance at the clock. It was 2 p.m., just two hours since Yuri and Seino met the guys from Wada Technical High. According to the schedule, they should be at the karaoke by now. I wonder if there was any trouble… No, please don’t. But it was too late, with that thought, the feeling of unease had set in.

 

–“Actually…”–

 

From Senpai’s summary, it appeared that during the karaoke, Yuri upset the guys and got into a fight with Seino. Then Senpai who had seen the situation decided to jump in and dial an SOS to me.

 

***

 

After finishing the call with Senpai, I headed to a family restaurant near the karaoke bar. When I arrived at the restaurant, Yuri was not there, and the only person I could see was Seino, who was red-eyed while holding her cheek in a grimace, and Senpai, who shot me a troubled smile.

 

“I’m sorry for being so sudden. I just happened to find these cute juniors in a tight spot, there’s no way I would leave them, right? But I’m hardly someone who could settle this matter, so I thought I’d ask you, a good friend of theirs, to help.”

 

Senpai shot me a look, probably for me to keep silent about trailing them. Hmm…So that was the story she told Seino…

 

“What about Yuri?” I asked Seino, trying to get a better grasp of the situation.

 

“She went back… I don’t know, I don’t care about her anymore,” she sniffled, her eyes fixed at the table. The area below her eyes was streaked black with eyeliner. 

 

‘This was going to be complicated,’ I sigh inwardly as I took a seat beside Senpai.

 

“So what happened?”

 

Seino fell into silence and dejectedly stirred her melon soda with the straw. I wouldn’t lose in this contest of endurance. Even if she swore or ignored me, I would keep asking her until she answered. If she really wished to be alone, then she could leave anytime.

 

“I’ve always liked Touma-kun.”

 

“Who?”

 

Well, there was no way I would know, right? Yet Seino glared at me..

 

“The guy with yaeba teeth who organized the mixer today with me! You know, I’m more of the flashy type than girly… But Touma-kun treated me like a girl. He’s always ladies first, his manners are also gentlemanly.”

[TN:Yaeba teeth are considered attractive in Japan.]

 

At the mention of Touma-kun, Seino’s expression softened for a moment, then tensed again.

 

“But Yuri… She beated up Touma-kun and the others,” said Seino. Casting her eyes down while squeezing the straw, her voice trembled.

 

“What!?… Really!?” It was as if blood drained from my veins.

 

“Touma-kun’s group left in anger… And when I asked Yuri why she hit them, she just said, ‘They were annoying, that’s all’. Could you believe that!?”

 

Her voice grew louder and more heads turned to our direction, but Seino paid no heed and went on. 

 

“Why was she always like that!? Why couldn’t she care about any of my concerns? Why couldn’t she support her friend’s love at all!?” she wailed.

 

As I listened quietly, I noticed something wrong. It was true that Yuri was self-centered and impulsive, but there was no way she would hurt her friend’s emotion without a good reason. If Seino considered it logically, I was sure she would have also noticed this, but I guessed it was her right to feel devastated.

 

There was a reason for Yuri’s actions, this was not wishful thinking, but a logical conclusion drawn from our long relationship. 

 

“Senpai, could you accompany Seino? I don’t want to leave her alone.”

 

“You sure got some nerve, ordering me like that… But well, yeah. Remember you owe me one this time,” replied Senpai.

 

“Understood. I’ll definitely repay later.”

 

Senpai’s lips formed a grin. A favor, money, whatever was fine by me. I was just going to do what I was supposed to do.

 

There was no use in staying here and comforting Seino, my words wouldn’t reach her anyway, not like this. I couldn’t relate to her, I couldn’t give her the words she needed. 

 

So I,…

 

“I’m going to go talk to Yuri. I’m sure there’s a reason for this.”

 

As I rose, Seino said in a low voice, “Tell her… Tell her I don’t know her anymore! This is the end of our friendship, you idiot!”

 

Her vocabulary was poor, but her cold tone sent shivers down my spine.

 

“I’ll tell her. She is really an idiot.”

 

***

 

After leaving the family restaurant, I tried to call Yuri a few times, but she did not respond. I also sent her a message asking, “Where are you?”, which was also ignored. And when I checked at her house, she was not there.

 

What on earth was she doing? Deciding to search the shopping district again, I once again headed to the station. On my way, I saw a lone girl walking. Since we were going in opposite directions, the distance between us shortened. The moment I could clearly identify her outline, colors drained from my face.

 

“Yuri!? Hey, are you okay!?” I gasped.

 

Fresh bruises dotted her face and limbs, especially on the back of her right hand, which was disturbingly swollen. Driven by panic, I reached for her hand.

 

“The guys from Wada High?”

 

“Yeah, but it’s no big deal. I’m not the kind of person who gets beaten up by those little bastards.”

 

Seino said that Yuri was beating the guys one sidedly, but apparently it turned out to be a fistfight.

 

“Those guys, they were nothing but a bunch of cowards. When I hit them one by one at karaoke, they acted like they were the victims and quickly left, but as soon as I left Marina, the three of them tried to beat me up. There was no weapon involved and they were just a bunch of scrawny brats who weren’t even used to fighting. Well, I did have a hard time, but in the end, they were just as injured as me, so I guess I didn’t lose!” she claimed.

 

“Why… Why do you have to be that hasty!? How many times do I have to tell you to think before you go around, causing all sorts of trouble!?”

 

“Hmph! So you are just like Marina. Yes, yes, I’m sorry, I promise I’ll behaveee,” said Yuri mockingly, “Are you satisfied now?”

 

“Huh? What’s with that sarcasm! I was worried about you–”

 

“No,” she cut in, “What you are worried about is my hand, isn’t it? You are worrying about it being a permanent damage that would hinder my drawing ability. It would be boring if your oh-so-mighty opponent became handicapped, wouldn’t it?” she scoffed, “Sousuke, all you ever cared about was my talent, not me. Isn’t that so?”

 

What the hell was that? Really? That was not true.

 

It was true that I was concerned with her right hand, but after all, it was her dominant hand. It was also true that I had been complicating the matter by keeping urging her to draw. But…

 

But that was not how I felt right then. It was something genuine, a sincere feeling from the bottom of my heart.

 

Yet, how did I convey it to her? If I were a baby, I would probably cry and try to get her to understand me, but unfortunately, I was not a baby anymore. I wanted to make her understand, but I was too frustrated to convey it to her properly.

 

I seized her shoulders, and in the middle of the road, uncaring of the stares, I shouted. 

“I’m begging you, stop putting yourself in danger! No matter what, you’re still a girl!” I cried. I knew she hated those words, but still, I just couldn’t let her throw herself into danger. “What were you even thinking, picking a fight with three men!? Promise me you won’t do this again. I’m so worried, Yuri, I’m so worried… Could you please think about my feelings a little?”

 

Yuri might not understand how I felt, but that did not matter. I might need to be more watchful of her later on, but if that could keep her from danger, then so be it. As long as something like this would not happen in the future.

 

“Sorry.”

 

What I heard was an unexpected word. When I blinked in surprise, Yuri looked away sheepishly.

 

“Huh? What did you just say?”

 

“I said I’m sorry! I’m done with fights… No, I’m done with anything that would make you worry… Uh, Sousuke, aren’t these kinds of lines said with gender reversed? Isn’t the girl supposed to cry? Why are you on the verge of tears?”

 

That sheepish attitude lasted only a moment. In an eyeblink, she was back to her mischievous self. 

 

“S-shut up, you idiot! It’s good that you finally understand!…But I’m not here to lecture you, I want you to know that… I just want you to make up with Seino. Can you tell me what happened at the karaoke?”

 

“It’s nothing. Really,” she insisted.

 

“Ah, before that, we need to get you to the hospital.”

 

I pulled her by the hand and took her to a local orthopedic clinic, but it was closed on Saturday afternoons. If I let her home, I was sure her mom would be horrified, so I decided to give her first aid at my place. I wouldn’t consider it cool to remember the procedures by rote from years of patching up Yuri. At this point, I might just as well become a field medic.

 

“Cool those swollen monstrosities on your right hand and left cheek with the cooling pack in the fridge. Since you are talking normally… at least by your standards… there shouldn’t be any concussions,” I joked, solely for calming myself, “But we are going to the hospital later. Understood?” I stressed.

 

“Hey, hey, I understanddd.”

 

“Say thank you.” I poked her lightly on the head.

 

“Ahh! I’m dying!” She fell down on the bed in an exaggerated manner.

 

“…An hour after we reached the karaoke… When I came out of the bathroom, I saw the yaeba guy and guy with piercings in the other room smoking cigarettes,” she bagan, her eyes wandered the ceiling, focusing on nothing, “I thought they were so tone-deaf or something so they booked a separate room to practice before singing in front of us, so I tried to sneak in and make fun of them, but… karaoke rooms are supposed to be soundproofed, right? But these guys were talking so loud that you can still hear their voices even with the door just slightly open.”

 

“What did they say?”

You are reading story Blue Outline at novel35.com

 

“‘Wasn’t there s’posed to be another girl coming, what a bummer.’ ’Might as well find another girl.’ ‘Yeah. That Yuri’s definitely a pass, her face’s pretty’n all, but she’s no woman. Did you hear her grumble? She could just as well be my grandma. When I said she’s no woman, I meant she just wouldn’t do it.’,” quoted Yuri.

 

“Huh!? What’s wrong with them!?”

 

“And then they just talked like they are going to do it with Marina instead,” recalled Yuri. She continued without wavering, but from her tone, she was definitely seething. “’When I tried her out, could you believe it, she’s definitely a virgin! Virgins sure are exhilarating, but well, there’s little mess cleaning up, they sure are clingy.’ Then they laughed. They laughed. When they start planning about getting her drunk and then… And then I barged in and beated the hell out of those scumbags, one by one. They were surprised, so beating them was super easy. Then they acted like a victim, showered us with their lame curses and left. That was it. See? Just some crappy story.”

 

It wasn’t a surprise that she couldn’t control her temper. Even I myself felt infuriated at their vulgar behavior, but that didn’t mean retaliation was good either. If I were in that situation, making sure no harm would befall Yuri and Seino would be my top priority, not revenge. But since things were at it was now, with Yuri in the wrong for punching them first, we were clearly at a disadvantage if the matter were to complicate further.

 

With fists clenched, controlling my anger, I asked Yuri, “Yuri, what are you going to do now? If you want to go make up with Seino, I’ll go with you.”

 

“No, there’s no getting back together. I don’t feel the slightest regret hitting those guys. I’m not going to apologize to Marina. You know I hate apologizing,” said Yuri, bringing her gaze to me, “That one earlier was the first and the last time I’m going to say sorry.”

 

“Regret that to your dying day that you didn’t record it,” she added.

 

Apologizing was definitely not a matter of liking or hating. This girl was all about living a carefree and unrestrained life, but she wouldn’t talk about her true feelings when it mattered most. How could she be so twisted?

 

“Is that what you want? Like this? Seino’s cutting you off, you know?” I repeated.

 

“Marina’s fond of that yaeba guy right? What’s the point of disillusioning? What’s the point of telling her that her crush was actually planning to feed her alcohol and make her do it?” Yuri let out a mirthless laugh, dropping her gaze. “She surely has no eye for choosing boys.”

 

“But she surely has an eye for choosing friends. Isn’t that true?” I asked the door for its approval.

 

I did not approve of her use of violence, but the care and her willingness to protect her friend was praiseworthy. 

 

As Yuri’s eyes snapped, the corners of my mouth lifted. Wearing her trademark “devil’s smile”, I revealed, “’Regret that to your dying day that you didn’t record it.’, wasn’t it? Well it was a shame that I didn’t… But I’m recording something even more embarrassing!”

 

“Huh? What are you talking about, Sosuke?” A hint of impatience fell on her face.

 

“Well? What do you two think?” I repeated to the door again.

  

 

Yuri sprang up, eyes wide with surprise as the door opened, revealing Sugawara-senpai and Seino. “Seriously!?” she whispered.

 

Yuri had been unwilling to tell Seino about the yaeba guy, but it was all laid bare. Before I left the family restaurant, I had told Seino that there was more to Yuri’s action. 

 

“Afterall, you can’t be honest in front of Seino, can you? That’s why I sent Seino a message to come here and called her just before you began your confession.” I patted the lump of my phone in the breast pocket. “What a timely appearance, don’t you think?”

 

However, this plan would have been impossible if Seino didn’t really want to make up with Yuri, for she could just not come here. To add, from the family restaurant to here was quite a distance, but she took the trouble to come here.

 

“Unbelievable… I hate it when I’m the one to be fooled,” she whispered.

 

Defeated, Yuri once again fell onto the bed, staring at the ceiling blankly. 

 

“Yuri, um… I… You are right, I don’t know how to choose a man!” Admitted Seino, taking a few steps towards Yuri. “I’m planning to watch some romance movies as a future reference… Want to join me?”

 

Seino was definitely trying to get back with Yuri. Curious, I wondered what would the stubborn Yuri do? Would she accept it, would she refuse? Nervously, I stood there, anticipating her answer.

 

“I’ll choose the movie. Marina’s movie choices are always boring.”

 

Finally, Yuri turned to face Seino, her white teeth shining.

 

***

 

Seino went straight from my house to crash at Yuri’s house, so I took the responsibility of taking Sugawara-senpai to the station. I was not their parents nor their guardian, but what was this crushing worry when they got caught in trouble?

 

Matching Senpai’s pace, I accompanied her along the darkened footpath. The November sun had long since retreated, and countless stars twinkled in its stead. My mind wandered to Utako every time my gaze fell upon those glittering stars. Her clear eyes when she eagerly told tales about how the countless stars existed in the universe, and how only four thousand could be observed from the best spot on Earth.

 

“You like stars? You’ve been staring at it for a while.” Senpai poked my cheek, tugging me back to reality.

 

“Eh? I like stars?… Yeah, I like them… Senpai, let me apologize one more time; I’m sorry for involving you with this.”

 

“Seino-chan’s maidenly expression, Yuri’s loyalty, and… how you can be counted on in times of need. Personally, it was a bunch of interesting discoveries! So you don’t need to apologize–. But professionally, that was kind of a waste of my valuable time, so be sure to repay me later.”

 

It appeared that Senpai didn’t seem to mind this mess of a mixer. As I breathed out a sigh of relief, the traffic light turned red. As I came to a halt, Senpai leaned in and softly whispered.

 

“On top of that… you seem to like Yuri a lot more than I imagined. Well, I’ll be teasing you with this for a while, okay?” teased Senpai.

 

“W-wait, Senpai. You’re misunderstanding something.”

 

“Ah! The signal turned green. Let’s cross!” Said senpai, disregarding me. She hopped across nimbly, her long golden hair flowing after her. As I worried about the troubles this misunderstanding could bring, as if to blow away my worries, Senpai flashed me a jubilant grin. “Until now, I only cared about Yuri…‘Let’s use him to get Yuri to draw!’ was my impression of you… but now I want to get to know you a little bit better!”

 

She came to a stop at the ticket gate, then turned to me, her sight fixed at my eyes. “Sousuke, after all, let me be a model for your painting. I’m curious to see how you would paint me.”

 

Seeing myself reflected in her eyes, I realized that now, I was more than a mere stranger to her.

 

As do I, through today, I had learned more about her as a person. The urge to draw her, to capture her beauty, her personality, to depict a person named Sugawara-senpai onto the canvas, sprouted.

 

“Senpai, I would like to make a formal offer…Please be a model for my painting. We are taking down Yuri.”

 

As I thrusted out my fist, Senpai cheerfully bumped hers.

 

“Never once have I failed in achieving the goals I set. And this time is no exception; I’ll definitely get Yuri painting again!” affirmed Senpai.

 

“I owe you one today, Senpai. I’m going to make Yuri draw whatever you want in return.”

 

“Ah–, nope. That was for another occasion.”

 

I had always been fighting in this battle alone… until now. “I’ll definitely get Yuri drawing”– At that word, the burden I carried lessened. The stubborn Senpai would be my comrade in this battle. Little though it was, she took a weight off my shoulders.

 

***

 

“Komiya, is Kashiwazaki coming to today’s club activity?”

 

“I don’t know. Why do you have to always ask me?”

 

During lunch break, on my way back from the canteen, I was stopped by Hiiragi-sansei again. In response, I gave him a full display of my grumpy face.

 

“I wanted to confirm her intention to participate in the Kouji Exhibit… But that could be done later. Today, I want to inform you about the art club’s participation in the Maimori Snow Festival,” he confessed.

 

“Wait!? We are participating!? I thought we already agreed not to participate this year! You know how much of a chore it is, and you promised us that you would talk to the director!” I complained.

 

Hiiragi-sensei heastated, then began, “I know it sounds like an excuse, but I did talk to the director about it. It was the biggest event in Maimori, so no, it’s impossible… Well, since there is nothing we could do about it, let’s do our best together! So you’ll attend the raffle drawing in December, discuss and submit the proposal, and participate in the technical training session. That’s your duty, club leader.” With that, Sensei quickly left.

 

Again? Yuri’s matter, the Kouji Exhibition, and now the Snow Festival?

 

I breathed out a tired sigh as I returned to the classroom, noting Yuri and Seino vociferously eating their lunch.

 

“Marina, I heard that people who snore a lot often have problems with nasal cavities, so why don’t you sleep with a nose hook? You know, there are all kinds of choices on the Internet.”

 

“Could you not say that I snore with that volume!? And in the middle of the class of all places!? Also, I just don’t think that snoring would just magically disappear with a nose hook!?”

 

I pulled up a chair right beside them while retorting ’You’re just as loud, Seino,’ silently.

 

“High school girls who talk proudly about snoring? I could already foretell how your next mixer’s going to turn out.” I chimed in.

 

“I’m tired of that mixer stuff. I’m beloved by everyone like “Monomon” anyway. I realized that I don’t need to go to any mixer, I’m busy accepting the outpouring love from everyone just as I am,” puffed Yuri. 

 

To equate herself with “Monomon”, a cute two-headed animal character with round eyes and a heart-shaped tail…How ridiculous could she be?

 

“You dare compare yourself to that super famous anime mascot? That statement alone could cause a crusade, you know?”

 

Despite my gibe, Yuri was in a good mood.

 

“Well, it’s still fine if I’m not loved nationwide. Afterall, wide and shallow affection is no match for profound and passionate love. Yeah, I’m more of this type,” she nodded to herself.

 

“Did the mixer bestow you with some peculiar sense of confidence? How did you even gain confidence from that disaster of a mixer?”

 

“Huh? At least you’re passionate about me, right?” she cocked her head, seemingly genuinely surprised.

 

I choked on my bread at that statement. What have I just done? By that reaction, Yuri would just get even more carried away. Seino’s sympathetic gaze that stung me from the side also didn’t help. I would probably get teased for the rest of my life for my frantic follow up after the mixer.

 

“Should I tell Utako about this? But she always likes me more than Sousuke. I’m sure she’d say something like, ‘I’m so happy that my two favorite people got together.’”

 

I slurped the strawberry milk Yuri offered, flushing the choking bread down along with it. I could finally breathe again. 

 

“Shut up! You’re not doing that! Hmph! I’ll sent a message to Utako, so that she wouldn’t misunderstand that fantasy of yours” 

 

But a message from Utako had already appeared on my phone’s screen.

 

[I like your drawings. Looking forward to seeing the finished version!]

 

Yuri, whose painting guarantees acclamation, would never understand how much encouragement this short message had given me.

 

The world was unfair. Talent, something people who yearned for would never be granted, and something those who wielded it never know its true worth. But it was not entirely bad, being an ordinary person did have its own perks.

 

“Yuri, Hiiragi-sensei’s asking you about today’s club activity.”

 

“Hey, Hey. Don’t pretend to be calm. I know you’re embarrassed. Be prepared, I’ll tease you with this embarrassing piece of information.”

 

As Yuri teased me, no matter how you looked at her, she seemed forever free.

 

And even now, her painting at the art club room was still covered.

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