章 11: Dinner for Two
Sitting down at a table with Erina, Arata took a look at his surroundings. The place looked rather nice. The lighting was just right, the tables and floor were spotless. Even the candles that the owner placed on their table looked new.
"Well Erina, I'm assume the usual for you." He said, her nod being the only answer he needed. "And what would you like?"
"Ummm." Taking a quick look over the menu. He could see why she called it a noodle shop. Seemed like they had most, if not all, the possible bowls that fit under that category. "I'll take the udon bowl."
"Fine choice. I'll leave you two alone and it'll be out shortly." He left the pair, and with him, any sound being made. Sitting there in complete silence. It was unnerving to him, even if he was usually fine with not talking in public areas, it felt weird at this private table.
"So, uh it's been quite a day. Hasn't it?" He wanted to try and break their silence. Starting conversations was never something he ever tried to be good at.
"You know, if all we do is eat. Then I'll be fine with it." She said in response. This dinner 'date' wasn't on her wish list of things we wanted to do tonight.
"Oh okay, I guess I'm fine with…" He stopped himself. He couldn't let down Hine, she had to be thinking of something when she suggested this. "Wait, no I'm not fine with that."
"Huh?" She didn't expected this coming from him. She figured that he wouldn't want to talk to someone he didn't like.
"I mean, I don't think Hine would want us to do something like that." He pointed out that the old lady was helping them, it would be wrong of them to not at least try to listen to her. "I just wish I understood what she meant when she told me to try to get to know you better."
"Yeah, I don't really think I agreed with what she told me either." So she was in the same boat as him about the elder's words. At least they had something in common, except for the fact that Arata thought it should've been clear to Erina.
"What do you mean, it's not like you can always worry about what Yogi's going to think." He told her, trying to explain what he was certain was meant by Hine. "Not only is he not your boyfriend, no matter how much you want him to be, but I know he's not the jealous type."
"Really? How can you be so certain?"
"Because I've known him for a while now." While he may not have considered friends. He had sat beside him to know a fair bit about the boy. "He would never get mad at you, or anyone for that matter, even if you did do something wrong." He was aware of the many times Yogi was wronged, even by friends. Yet every single time he forgave them.
Arata never considered himself the forgiving type. However, he couldn't deny that it seemed to work out for the guy. Perhaps because the people he forgave truly were apologizing for their faults.
"I don't know… It just feels like I'm doing something wrong." She muttered meekly to herself. Though she made sure he could hear it at the same time.
"Order's here." Their waiter cut in their conversation. He placed their bowls down in front of them. A nice bowl of odon noodles for Arata. For Erina, it was a large bowl of ramen, filled with different meats and vegetables.
"Hey, um, what Hine gave us. Is that enough to cover all this?" He secretly asked her, making sure the shop owner wouldn't hear them.
"Oh, of course. I already did the math on it." She barely paid attention to him. Instead she rushed to her food, grabbing a pair of chopsticks and started to slurp up noodles.
"Cool, so I guess we can pay right now." He told the waiter.
"Great, that'll be 2500 yen please."
"What?! Erina, I thought you said we were covered." He yelled.
"Huh?" She responded, mouth full of food. "I thought she gave you 2500?"
"Yes, because 500 of that was for the job I did!" He sighed, giving up on her. At least he had enough with him to pay for this. "Here you go, 2500 yen." He gave a pained smile to the waiter. Saddened by the loss of today's profits.
"I'm surprised that you didn't go with ramen." She said, impolitely eating while talking.
"What makes you say that? Wait a second. It's because I watch anime isn't it?"
"Maybe…"
"Okay, look I'm might be an otaku." Since she knew, he had no qualms about talking about it with her. Especially since there wasn't really anyone else here at the moment. "I even know what show you're talking about that might make you feel that way, but understand I don't do things just because of something I see on tv."
"Sure, just like you totally don't spend your money on things like that figurine on your desk right now." She spoke sarcastically.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with enjoying a hobby okay."
"Don't act like you aren't ashamed of it." She wasn't wrong. He didn't have anything to defend against that. If it wasn't true, then she wouldn't be blackmailing him in the first place. "I don't know why though, if you like it that much. You should be more open about it."
"Easy for you to say." He countered. "I don't want people to make fun of me. And don't say they won't because you know you do the same thing. Nor do I want to go hang out with those other otaku's at school." He figured she was fine with saying what she said because of how she acted about Yogi. But he always saw those two things as completely different circumstances.
"Maybe, perhaps I shouldn't push you to accepting it. That'd just leave me with less dirt on you." She glared at her, upset at this whole situation. All he ever asked, was to be left alone. Yet all he's been getting so far was being forced into ridiculous situations, one after another.
"Maybe I should be the one pushing you from Yogi." He joked. Knowing that what he said would get her riled up.
"Don't even joke about that. There's no way I'll ever betray Yogi!" She stared at him with the intensity of a thousand suns.
"Sheesh, so dramatic." He said. "You know that he wouldn't feel… Wait." He stopped. She said betray? Was that an exaggeration, or her honest feelings? He thought about the times she wasn't so energetic. Like when he complimented her, or when they were about to practice dancing for the first time.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" She mocked him, not realizing his revelation.
"You don't want to betray him? Is that why you were so worried about dancing with me?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She responded. Her eyes darted back and forth, unable to meet his gaze.
"Ay… so troublesome." He said. "You know he doesn't care, so why worry so much?"
"And why should I listen to you? It's not like you're any better."
"Don't you see now? This is what the old lady was trying to tell us." She looked at him confused. She tried to think it over.
"She was just saying the same thing you're just said before. Except she was much nicer about it." Right now, he felt like she was talking to a brick wall.
"No, she was telling us what was causing our problems." He told her.
"I see now. You mean that this is hurting our dancing?" She was finally getting it. Their problem.
Like what Hine had told that at the start. Skill is one thing, but dancing with another person. You need to be on the page as them. Otherwise, even the best would struggle.
There was a wall between the two. Placed there by the arrogant pride of high school teenagers. On one side, a boy desperate to keep a secret, the other, a girl desperately holding to a love she doesn't have.
"This is doing us no good." He sighed, getting up from his seat.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going home. I'm already done with my food, and I've already paid. So I have no obligation to staying here." He told her. He yawned, tired from everything that's happened today. "I'm sure you're tired too. You should probably get going, before it gets too late."
"Okay…" She replied apathetically. And thus, he left her at the table. Outside, the sun was about to set. If this was a normal day, he might've taken the time to enjoy it. However, all he could think about was getting home.
He wished that was all his mind was on. The sanctity of home only made him think more about the thought he'd rather not have. Was there any hope for the two?
Not just for being able to dance, but to even have a functioning relationship. All he had ever thought to do in his life was to live life without bothering anyone else. To be left alone to his own device, live a lonely existence doing something he at least enjoyed doing. How could he possibly be the person to form a connection?
Meanwhile, Erina herself made her way home. The small, dark empty apparent she was renting, the sign of a lonely place. Her framed picture of Yogi being her only solace.
She stared at it, thinking over her day. Was she doing the right thing? Was it a mistake to choose the boy that sat by the one she loved? Or was her own misfortune, all her fault?
Even without planning it, the pair fell asleep thinking of the same thing. What to do, about the other?
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