Chapter 48: Chapter 12 (Volume 2) – Under The Oak Tree

----------------------------------------Yuka Higashi's POV---------------------------------------------

7 years ago

Just arriving at the Higashi Workshop after a long day of Elementary School.

I was actually a bit excited to see the weirdo. Mainly, because I finished reading the book that he gave to me.

Approching the bench that he usually sits on. I noticed that he wasn't here.

After a bit of searching, he was nowhere to be found and that kind of disappointed me.

Taking shade from the blazing sun, under a large oak tree that has been growing in the school's front yard for numerous years. I can't really give an exact estimate of the time but if I had to guess, I would say around 30 years.

I leaned against the tree and sighed.

Looking at the small hard cover book he gave me.

The Tempest.

There were some words in the book, that I didn't fully know how to pronounce or what they meant but, I got some help in that area from my parents.

After finishing the book, my mother told me about some of the themes.

The superiority of human beings.

Power and exploitation.

Power of Language.

The allurement of rule.

All of that made me wonder, which one of those elements is he drawn to in the play. Is it just one theme or is it all?

If I had to pick one for myself. It would most likely be the superiority of human beings. 

The reason influencing my choice is the constant speeches that both my grandfather and father would make. The superiority between human beings.

Two people may look the same but they are ever so different.

One maybe smarter while the other is stronger but it all comes down to how a person chooses to use their gifts and advantages.

The world was never a fair one in the first place. The people on top are the superior ones. They earned that by putting their capabilities to use in the appropriate manner in which they saw fit.

I sound like my father now. 

Something broke me out of my deep thoughts.

A voice.

"You know if you think too hard, you'll hurt yourself."

Huh? Who said that? 

I looked around but didn't spot a single person apart from the occasional student.

Finally, looked upwards. I saw Dante sitting on one of the lower branches of the tree.

I looked up at him and said, "When did you get it?"

He looked downwards and replied, "I was always here."

I pouted my lips, "So you saw me running around and looking about our usual spot, yet you didn't utter a single word?"

"Basically. It took you far too long to even notice me. Your awareness when it comes to your surroundings needs major improvements."

"Are you planning to come down anytime soon? I can't really climb."

Dante sighed and replied. "Just hold on. I don't want anyone to see your pink underwear."

I immediately held my dark purple school skirt down with both hands.

With an embarrassed look on my face, I shuttered out. "Ho-w do yo-u know tha-t?"

He quickly scaled down from the tree and said, "Today is Friday." then landed on his feet.

Dante looked at me and continued.

"There are 7 days of the week and each of them are associated with different planets. Monday is associated with The Moon so the color is white. Tuesday is associated with Mars so the color is red. Wednesday is associated with Mercury so the color is green. Thursday is associated with Jupiter so the color is yellow. Friday is associated with Venus so the color is pink. Saturday is associated with Saturn so the color is black and finally the Sunday is associated with the Sun so the color is orange."

Ok. He has to be messing with me right now.

Both my cheeks were red and I slightly raised my voice. "Stop being weird."

Dante leaned his back against the tree and laughed a bit.

"I am just messing with you but what I said, is still true to some sense."

I leaned my face closer to his until we were just a couple inches away and replied, "How do you know all these things?"

He flicked me on my forehead with his right index finger, "I just read a lot of books. I recently read an astrology book, so that's why it's fresh on my mind."

I rubbed my forehead with my left hand and said, "I read the book that you gave me."

Dante didn't seem too surprised by that fact. 

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He just dug into his bookbag and pulled out another book.

He handed it over to me and said "You know the drill."

I exhaled and took the book from him.

Looking at the soft cover book. 

Julius Caesar

I shifted my eyes on Dante then said, "You sure read a lot of boring stuff for someone our age."

Dante quickly replied, "If you think that's boring then you don't read enough."

I went to put the newly acquired book into my bag when, a folded paper slipped out of the first book 'The Tempest'  which I loosely held in my right hand.

The paper landed beside his feet and he bent down to pick it up.

After doimg that, he read outloud.

"Yuka Higashi, 76% on your pop quiz."

I quickly snatched the paper out of his hand, "Well aren't you rude."

Dante sighed, "76% is pretty bad, considering the questions that were being given."

I waved the paper in the air and said, "Maths is hard and now I have more maths homework."

Dante rubbed both his temples with his index fingers and replied, "Let me have a look."

I paused for a moment when I heard him say that.

Is he actually being nice to me?

We both took a seat under the oak tree and he begin pointing out the different formulas, I should be using to solve the questions.

"You do know that this is elementary school level questions right? Those formulas seem a bit too excessive."

He flicked me on the forehead with his index finger again. 

"In order to grasp something fully, you need to know the basics and the advanced. So you'll be ready for anything. The next time you have a maths exam, you should be getting at least 88% - 95% 

After an hour of him lecturing me on how I should be more prepared for academic situations.

I felt a bit sleepy. I yawned and placed my head on Dante's left shoulder.

He didn't bother to remove me or anything along those lines. Strange thing, is that he didn't even react to it.

There was a bit of silence before I asked a question.

"Dante who are you really?"

He kept his silence for a while. Then answered my question with a question of his own.

"Who are you?"

I answered, "I am Yuka."

"And I am Dante. So you just answered your own question."

Still keeping my head on his shoulder, I let out an annoyed sigh.

"Why are you harsh with other people but have these moments with me?"

Dante looked up into the tree and replied, "I just feel at peace right now. Eventually, I'll have to revert back to my usual self to actually survive in the classroom on Monday."

"So is the cold version of you just a defense mechanism?"

Dante chuckled a bit, "Far from it. Everything you witnessed previously and now, is just me."

So, maybe I am getting a bit closer to figuring out this guy after all.

------------------------------------End of Yuka Higashi's POV-----------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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