Going home

(Shin's PoV)

—

And so, when the rehearsal ended, I talked with Tsubame and her friends about the chance of performing multiple songs.

Akane was holding my hand very tightly, but she had a smile on her face. 

I couldn't tell if it was dangerous.

"You know, Shin-kun," Tsubame said, looking at her friend who played the piano. "Miki-chan is very shy when it comes to performing for other people, so... would you mind being the pianist for 'Shiawase'? It would be a nice chance, and Miki-chan would face less stress since she has to play one less song. What do you think?" Tsubame smiled, turning her gaze to me.

I didn't know what to say until I felt Akane squeezing my hand for an instant.

"Well, uhm..." I scratched the back of my head. 

"Yeah. He will. Don't worry about that," Akane said, and I knew that she wouldn't have accepted any kind of protest.

"Oh! That's super great!" Tsubame's eyes literally started sparkling with joy. "So it's settled! The girls and I here will play a few easier songs, and you'll be the one playing 'Shiawase', perfect!" She said.

I sighed and then nodded. That was the only thing I could do.

"Guess I have no choice..." I said. 

"Exactly. You don't." Akane said, smiling mischievously.

Tsubame giggled after our little exchange.

"You surely are a nice couple, you know? I'm a little jealous~." Tsubame teased.

"I know. Of course I know." Akane replied, tightening her grip on my hand.

Tsubame couldn't help but laugh even more.

"Hahaha~ I hope to find someone nice enough to be a couple like you one day, I swear. Your aura is contagious." She said.

After that, Akane said something that nobody had expected.

"If you want to find someone who'll truly love you, start by being yourself first. Stop wearing masks and pretending to be someone you aren't." Akane said. She was totally serious. 

Tsubame flinched, and her eyes widened. 

"W-What? Hehe... But I'm already—" She tried to protest, but Akane spoke again.

"No, you're not," She said. "But... this is not the right moment to speak. So... think about what I just said." Akane added.

Tsubame didn't reply for a few instants, with her lips parted slightly and her right hand clenched.

She then smiled like nothing had happened, returning to her classic happy gyaru persona. 

"Uhm... well..." She said, trying to find the right words to change the topic. "Would you like to come with us later? We're going to an Italian restaurant not so distant from here. It would be a nice chance to get to know each other." Tsubame held her hand out to Akane.

"Well, I always accept when it comes to food," She said. "But I've got some little things to do later, like a manicure and using Shin as my personal body pillow."

Tsubame giggled.

"She's basically saying that she's going to torture me later, Yamamoto-san," I said, squeezing Akane's hand. "Jokes aside, we already had plans for tonight." 

Tsubame smiled. "Too bad~ guess it will be for another time." She said. "Then... you can go now; the girls and I here will put everything in order. Don't worry about it." 

"It's okay, let me h—" I tried to speak, but Tsubame stopped me.

"I said 'Don't worry about it', Shin-kun," she replied, moving her gaze to Akane and then to me. "Go. Sora-chan told me how hard you've been working for this festival. This is my way of thanking you for today."

"Okay then..." I sighed. "I'll leave everything to you. Just send me a photo when you finish here so I can rest assured that I won't receive a call from a teacher tomorrow." 

"You can count on that~!" She said, winking at me and then taking some steps back to look at both Akane and me. "So... see you, Shin-kun, Akane-chan," Tsubame added, with a polite bow.

"Ah, yeah. Bye!" Akane said, waving with her hand.

"Sure. Goodbye, Yamamoto-san." I said before looking at the girls behind her. "See you at the next rehearsal, girls." 

Then, after one last wave, Akane and I walked out of the auditorium.

Once we stepped outside, she let go of my hand to stretch her arms. I could even feel the satisfying crack of her bones.

"Ahhh, damn, her Gyaru aura was about to give me a stroke, I swear," Akane said before yawning. "I'm 100% sure now. She isn't the girl she appears to be. I saw a glimpse of sadness in her eyes for an instant."

"Yeah... I saw it too. I wonder why you said those things to her," I said. 

"Well, someone had to give her a reality check. She looks like the kind of girl who never interacted with a real human being with a functioning brain." Akane replied. "From the very beginning, I had the impression that her personality was something she had fabricated for validation. Her reaction told me I was right. Well... I'm always right." She added proudly.

I thought about her words for a few moments, and she had a point. I didn't notice something like that simply because I never cared that much about it.

"Not always, trust me," I said.

"Huh? What do you mean, Ishikawa?" Akane asked, with a challenging tone. 

"When you say you're stronger at the arcade, or when you say that I cheat only because you're not as skilled as me. That's where you're wrong." I said, teasing.

"Try me, Ishikawa. Right now." She said, her voice being adorably menacing.

"Ah, and there's another moment where you're wrong," I said, preparing to drop a bomb.

"Oh? Go on, Ishikawa. I'm already preparing to punch your face." Akane said, with a lovely smile on her face.

"In bed. In the end, I'm always the one who takes the lead. You're wrong when you say that you're in control of everything." I teased.

Akane's eyes widened, and she stared at me for a few very long instants, until a big blush appeared on her face. 

"..." She didn't speak, but her deadly gaze told me everything. "I'll fucking kill you, Ishikawa." She whispered before running towards me with her fists ready to punch me.

"Who's gonna make you spicy dinner if you kill me? Who are you gonna use as a body pillow if I die? Huh?" I said, trying to run away from her.

"NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS, ASSHOLE!" She shouted while chasing me, but with no malice in her voice. "COME HERE, I MUST KILL YOU FOR THIS HUMILIATION!" 

And so, we chased each other for a few minutes. 

In the end, she caught me, but instead of punching me, she bit my forearm. 

Judging from the sting, there was probably a bite mark on it.

"Okay, Ishikawa. No sex tonight. Punishment." She said, but that was an obvious lie. I knew it.

"Right... right..." I said, giggling.

"STOP! I'M COMPLETELY SERIOUS, ISHIKAWA!" Akane said.

"I believe you. Trust me." I replied.

"...You're fucking impossible, you know? One of these days I'm seriously gonna put a snake in your shirt again, like old times." She sighed.

"Okay, I won't complain," I replied, pulling her against me and hugging her tight.

"Jeez... what would I do without you? I don't know, to be honest." Her hand then wrapped around my back, clinging tightly to me.

We stayed like this for a few instants before letting go.

"Now let's go home, Ishikawa. I'm hungry. I've spent too much energy containing my homicidal thoughts about that gyaru. I deserve a reward." She said, grabbing my hand. 

"Okaaay, fine. Any preference on the food?" I asked. 

"Uhm... let's go home first, then we'll check the delivery." She said. 

And then, we started walking towards our home.

That evening, the air had that specific winter sweetness that kept gently caressing our faces. 

Akane had her hand in mine, but then swapped and looped her arm through mine, for some kind of reason.

"I'm feeling cold, Ishikawa." That's what she said, but in reality she was probably marking her territory. I knew her.

"You know, that rehearsal went better than I expected," She said, looking straight ahead. "The virus can actually sing, and that's somehow annoying. I won't hide that I was hoping she'd be terrible so I could laugh at her. Ah, and don't get the idea that I changed my opinion on her. I still think she's a bitch."

I giggled.

"Well... I was surprised too, to be honest. I wasn't expecting something like that, especially from her." I replied.

"Yeah. I wonder what that girl has gone through. Sora said that she was different back in high school. Mmmmh... not that I care, to be honest." Akane said, clinging tighter to me. "The only things I care about right now are my beloved, idiot boyfriend and my food. I'm so hungry... If we won't be home soon, I might end up eating you." She said, her mouth close to my bicep.

 "You'd do it anyway, so..." I teased. "Have a good meal." 

"Tch— you surely have a death wish..." She said.