บท 6: Chapter 006: Tension
I walked alongside Ema, the woman of my life.
Benjiro, with his usual charismatic grin, kept up a facade of normalcy, while Kanna, Ema's elder sister, wore a forced smile, attempting to suppress the knowledge she carried.
As we strolled through the bustling streets, I couldn't shake off a subtle shift in the atmosphere.
It was as if an unseen barrier separated us, and I could sense a current of unease coursing through our group. I glanced at Ema, who managed to return my smile, but her eyes flickered with hidden turmoil.
Benjiro engaged us in casual banter, making jokes and steering the conversation away from the underlying tension.
Kanna chimed in occasionally, her laughter carrying a tinge of restraint.
They were all playing their parts convincingly, masking the truth beneath the surface.
I knew that they were hiding something from me.
I could feel it.
However, my instincts tingled, a quiet whisper of intuition alerting me to the dissonance in the air.
I couldn't put my finger on it, but an invisible weight pressed upon my shoulders. I stole a glance at Ema, but her gaze remained fixed on the path ahead, her mask intact.
We kept walking and walking then arrived at the place after 30 minutes of walking.
Benjiro made us walk the wrong way multiple times.
"Aaaaaaaand we arrived!" Benjiro said proudly.
"You're the worst GPS ever, Benjiro-kun" Kanna laughed. "You'll never find a woman by this rate." She added.
Benjiro's pride was destroyed and he gave Kanna a small look of delusion. He didn't even try to reply to her.
"Ah... You're right." He said while sighing.
Me and Ema laughed.
I then took my phone out to see the time: It was 1 P.M. Launch time.
Since it was a karaoke restaurant, we also decided to eat there.
Ema was still clinging to my arm, refusing to let me go. She seemed like she wanted to be protected like a little puppy.
She was so adorable.
We were soon greeted by the waiter.
"Hello, may i help you?" He gently said while opening the door for us.
"Y-Yes. A table for four." Benjiro said.
"Sure! Wait a minute." The waiter replied while going inside.
He came back after five minutes and he gently said:
"Your room is down there on the right! Just order whatever you want from the monitor inside the room while you use our Karaoke and we'll be there as soon as possible, okay? The menu is on the table.".
The waiter then gave us the key of the room and we headed there.
The karaoke room welcomed us with vibrant lights and the faint echo of distant melodies.
Benjiro, Ema, Kanna, and I strolled in. Benjiro and Kanna surely knew something i didn't.
As I ordered food for the group, I couldn't escape the subtle tension lingering in the air.
Something felt off, like a quiet storm brewing beneath the surface.
Everyone played their part in maintaining the illusion of joy, yet I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that not everything was as it seemed.
Benjiro, with a feigned cheerfulness, enthusiastically selected songs for our karaoke session.
Ema, on the other hand, clung to me as if seeking refuge, her grip tight and unwavering. Her actions were a paradox – the warmth of her embrace contradicted by an underlying coolness in the atmosphere.
Kanna, Ema's sister, sat off to the side, seemingly absorbed in her phone.
I wondered if she, too, sensed the tension or if her focus was simply elsewhere.
Amidst the pulsating rhythms of the karaoke machine and the laughter we forced, I couldn't escape the feeling that an unspoken truth loomed overhead, threatening to shatter the fragile facade of happiness we were desperately trying to maintain.
As Benjiro selected the song "Uragiri," a haunting melody filled the room, echoing the unspoken turmoil.
The lyrics, laden with themes of betrayal, resonated with a touching beauty that everyone was familiar with.
As the first notes played, I couldn't shake the feeling that Benjiro's choice went beyond mere chance.
The song's title, "Uragiri" or betrayal, seemed to carry a weight that transcended the surface, hinting at hidden emotions.
I wondered if Benjiro, lost in the lyrics, was singing not just for the sake of the song but to convey something deeper.
Ema's grip on my arm tightened, almost to the point of discomfort. She was trembling.
It was as if she sought refuge in the physical connection, a desperate attempt to search for protection and comfort.
Her actions portrayed a tension, a fear of losing something precious.
In the midst of the emotional ballad, I found myself lost in thought, pondering the possibility that Benjiro's song choice wasn't arbitrary, but instead he was probably singing for his ex girlfriend.
Perhaps he, too, harbored a reservoir of unspoken emotions, and "Uragiri" served as a vessel to express sentiments buried in the past.
Kanna, seemingly detached from the atmosphere, remained engrossed in her phone, her attention were only on her phone.
She was probably waiting for the food.
As the echoes of the song filled the room, each of us grappled with our own emotions, woven into the haunting melody of "Uragiri."
"---♬♬♬ .. And so my eyes... Saw a burning light. ♬♬ I couldn't believe my eyes, She was there....♬♬ But not in my arms... In the arms of another one...♬♬♬" Benjiro sang.
He was even moving like an artist. Despite his voice being not so perfect, he could still sing well.
All the emotions in his voice arrived to me. And somehow, it made me sad to think that Benjiro suffered a lot because of his ex.
During his singing, i finished ordering the food , and after some minutes , Benjiro finished singing.
"...♬♬♬All this pain... All this suffering♬♬♬ How could you do this to me?♬♬♬ What did i do?♬♬ What did i deserve...♬♬♬ Let me cry...♬♬"
And then he shouted for the last note. "♬♬ A betrayal HUUUUUUUUUUURTS!♬♬".
Such a perfect shout, enough to make Kanna looking at him. She even put the phone away to look at Benjiro.
After that, my best friend endend the song with "♬♬Tell me why... You did this to me...♬♬♬" And then he slowly put the microphone away.
He gave a quick glare to Ema and then smiled to me.
Ema's body twitched a little and she looked down to avoid eye contact with him.
"Maybe they argued...? " I thought in my mind.
Benjiro then walked close to Ema who was still clung to me and handed her the microphone.
"Now sing. It's your turn." He said with a serious tone.
Ema raised her head to look at him and replied with a shy tone.
"N-No. I don't feel like singing today." She said.
Benjiro didn't reply. He instead continued to hold the microphone, waiting for her to pick it up.
Kanna was looking at the scene, i could see a glimpse of sadness in her eyes.
Ema then touched my shoulder and looked down again.
"Benjiro, i don't think she's in the mood of singing today... It's not a good day for her." I tried to say.
I felt a lot of tension in the air.
Benjiro looked into my eyes and sighed and then he put the microphone on the table.
"Okay, if you say so. Let's wait for the food then." He then sat down, he was probably disappointed.
He always liked Ema's voice.
Ema has always been such a great singer. Despite her shyness , she always loved to sing in front of other people.
So, seeing her refusing to sing, left me with lots of doubts.
Then, the room became silent. The only sound was a background music coming from the speakers.
After some minutes of a very loud silence, we heard a knock on the door:
"The food is here!!" Said a joyful voice outside.
I tried to stand up from the couch in order to get the food but Ema stopped me. She didn't want to leave my arm.
Kanna noticed this and she did it for me instead.
She opened the door and saw all the food we ordered outside.
She brought it inside and said "Itadakimasu!".
I thanked and started to eat.
For some strange reason, Benjiro and Ema didn't touch any food.
Me and Kanna were the only one eating.
There was something going on between these two.
I couldn't stand any longer and i stopped to eat and i stood up.
"Benjiro, Ema, can you please tell me what's going on between you two!??!" I said in an agry tone.
Benjiro looked right into my eyes and said:
"I've got nothing to say. You better ask your beloved and loyal girlfriend." He said. He sounded very angry but he was calm.
I looked at Ema and i noticed that she was crying and trembling.
"Ema...?" I said.
I then leaned close to her to hug and comfort her but she refused my embrace.
Instead she started crying.
"Fumihiro... I..." She tried to mumble.
"What... Ema?" My heart froze. I was dying inside...
"Fumihiro... I'm sorry..." She mumbled...
"Sorry for... What?" I asked.
"For..."
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