Warm Winter

 

“Argh…I can’t do this,” Uruha grumbled taking off the guitar strap and put it on the stand. He had been so cranky since the practice began but he just didn’t know why. He was about to exit the studio when Reita shouted at him.

“Oi, doko iku no?”

“Clearing my head!”

The guitarist was walking along the pavement in this small district covered in thin snow. The temperature had been stable since it’s almost the end of winter. He was covered in black hoodie and brown coat with glasses covering his eyes. For almost 15 minutes Uruha had been just walking without a certain destination but his steps were paused at a small konbini and the urge to warm his body appeared. I’m just gonna grab a beer then, he thought.

The line at the cashier wasn’t long. While waiting for the girl before him finishing her orders, his eyes scanned the aisles whether he could find chips or biscuits for the lads. But he just shrugged it off.

“Arigatou gozaimashita!” said the cashier guy.

THUD!

The sound of falling goods filled the whole konbini.

“Itee…” Uruha whimpered rubbing on his shin.

“Ah! Gomenasai! I’m sorry for my clumsiness!” The girl was bowing overcome in guilt whilst picking up her goods from the floor.

“Iie iie, daijoubu desu,” answered Uruha crouching to help her.

“Heh…” Her jaw dropped when she caught his eyes. “U…ruha…san…?”

He was blinking repeatedly when he stared back at her.

“Kimi…”

Silence dominated the veranda of the konbini where Uruha and this girl were sitting on a bench at it. Both of them still contemplated what just occurred inside a few minutes ago. Uruha had just asked her to sit outside in case their awkwardness caused a disturbance to people lined in queue. And now, he stayed silent there with his hands rolling the canned beer over and over till it lost the water drops on its surface.

“Hoshii?” He extended his hand to her offering the beer.

The girl shook her head. “I-iie, daijoubu desu.” Her voice trembled.

Dammit what am I doing? Grumbled Uruha inwardly. Awkwardness was so obvious between them that the guitarist had to keep scratching the back of his head, regretting his stupid act just now.

“I rarely see you lately,” he said.

“Huh?”

Again, Uruha was taken aback with his own action. “A-ano…I mean, you haven’t come to our MnGs lately.”

A large shade of pinkish orange was gushing through her cheeks when she heard his words.

“Nande…nande wakatteru no…?” She blinked at him.

“Iya. Because you used to come a lot so…I somehow remember your face.”

She gulped while her fingers were clutching on the hem of her coat nervously. She was still dizzy with a sight of a Japanese rockstar sitting beside her asking a personal question. He even remembered her face!

“S-sou desu ka…” She smiled bitterly. “I’m just currenly busy studying to prepare for an entrance examination of graduate study so I don’t really have time to the lives.”

“Naruhodo.” He nodded understanding. “O namae wo oshiete kudasai.”

“Mizuno Rin desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.” She bowed at him. Uruha threw a sweet smile causing a massive dokidoki to her.

Rin and Uruha began to have a casual conversation lasting for almost half an hour. She was able to control her heartbeat and so was he even though the excessive blush was still all over her face. If it’s not for Rin to have to go back soon, that conversation would probably last all night.

“Matte kudasai. Can I have your LINE contact?” asked Uruha when she was about to take her first step.

“Huh? Maji ka yo?” Her eyes were as wide as saucers.

He chuckled contentedly. “Perhaps one day I’m gonna ask you to have a drink with me. If that’s okay for you.”

“A-aaahhh…mo-mochiron desu!” And she spelled her LINE ID to him with trembling voice.

“Shiken ganbatte ne! So that we’ve got something to celebrate when we go drink later,” he smiled warmly shoving his iPhone to his coat pocket.

“Ganbarimasu!”

Just when she walked on her fifth step, her feet hit a crumbled pavement making her lose balance.

“Otto! Kiotsukero yo!”

Her body luckily was fast caught by Uruha behind her making their faces so close. Both of them were gazing deeply into each other’s eyes before Rin stood back.

“Ano…it’s already late and quite dangerous for a girl to walk alone. And it’s really cold. Can I walk you home?”

Rin shook her head abruptly. “No no there’s no need for that. I’m staying at the town library tonight with my best friend because we still need to study. It’s just ten minutes walk from here.”

“Jyaa, can I walk with you then? It’s the same direction to my studio. You know…just in case,” he still tried to make their conversation last longer.

“Is it alright?” She blinked a few times still not believing her own ears.

“Of course!”

God knows what’s on Uruha’s mind that he walked slower than he usually did. He’s slightly a fast walker. The cold breeze was blowing their hair softly. Rin was tucking her hair at the back of her ear making Uruha’s chest was drumming with extreme heartbeats.

“So, what do you do currently?” He started the chat.

“I work as a freelance English teacher in a high school. Sometimes I translate too.”

“You speak English? Sugoi naa,” complimented Uruha.

“Iie mada mada zenzen. I still need to study a lot more.”

“Shikashi, for a girl in your age to have a strong willingness to continue study is just splendid, Mizuno-san. When most girls decide to have a decent job, you decide to have higher education.”

Uruha’s long compliment caused this river of blush gushing on her cheek all over again. For all her whole life, she never imagined to be given such lovely words by her band dude crush. It felt just too good to be true.

“It’s just a matter of choice, I guess,” she answered. “Uruha-san wa?”

“Hm? What about me?”

“What do you usually do outside being in the gazette?”

He made this pensive look. “Not much, I think. Writing songs, doing lives and MnGs. Sometimes visiting my sisters and parents in Shounan. Not that interesting. Yours is more interesting I think,” he giggled.

She almost died from a cute giggle he produced just now. Rin was always crazy in that thing of his since Nacchii introduced him to her. And now she got to hear it before her eyes. Is the god playing a game with me? She questioned.

“Koko desu.” They had arrived at the library after fifteen minutes walk. Longer than estimated.

“Un. Don’t forget to rest, okay? And uhm…I’m looking forward to seeing you at our lives again. Ganbatte ne!” He threw a clenched fist on the air making Rin chuckled lightly.

“Mochiron desu. Please send my love to the others. Thank you for walking with me, Uruha-san.”

“Not at all. Let’s meet again when you finish this exam. Jyaa, oyasumi!”

“Oyasumi nasai!”

He waved at her before turning around and walked. While Rin still stood there petrified and kept her eyes on his back until he’s out of sight. Tonight had been so magical. She never once thought that encounter in the konbini would lead a prettier story than she expected. Her chest was still thumping loudly from accelerated heartbeats and it probably wouldn’t stop for the rest of the night. Rin bit her lower lips hard from holding a screech whilst walking inside. She absolutely couldn’t wait to tell her best friend about it. Meanwhile, Uruha also had difficulty in wiping away that ugly grin out of his face. He never thought that his cranky mood would actually lead him to the girl of his dream. That cute casual long-haired girl frequently attending their MnG who had stolen the heart of The GazettE’s lead guitarist.