Chapter 27

Iyori stormed out of her room, using one hand to put on her blazer while using the other to tie up her hair. Aiko couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Iyori rushing past the kitchen. Aiko just barely got a hold of her before she left the house.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” asked Aiko.

“School,” stated Iyori.

“Figures, but why the rush?” said Aiko. “I’ve never seen you so eager to go to school before.”

“Aiko’s right, you aren’t even late” said Hina. “Sit down, have some breakfast with us.”

“I’m sorry, but I promised my club members that I’d come in early and help with the preparations,” said Iyori.

“That’s right, your school festival is today,” said Hina and looked thrilled. “Are you excited?” 

“Well...” said Iyori and stopped.

“What is your club doing for the festival?” asked Aiko to change the subject slightly.

“We’re painting portraits,” answered Iyori.

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” said Aiko. “Can I come by? I really want to see you paint.”

“I... I guess...”

“Wonderful, I’ll text you when I’m close,” said Aiko and Iyori nodded.

“Good... great...” said Iyori and started backing away. “Now I really, REALLY have to go.”

“Yes of course, I’ll see you later,” said Aiko and waved.

“Have a wonderful day,” said Hina. “But wait, here, take this toast, you can eat it on the way.” Iyori ran back into the kitchen, took the toast and then went on her way. The door slammed behind her, not in an angry manner, rather in a rushed, stressful manner. Hina and Aiko just smiled to each other, whereafter they went back to whatever they were in the middle of.

When Iyori arrived in school, it was way more lively than it usually was, even though it was still early. Everyone was busy getting the last few things done, stressed and excited, all at the same time.

On her way to the club room, Iyori made a quick detour to classroom, curious to see how the infamous cafe was coming along. Shuya was among the many classmates who were helping with the preparations. He seemed so busy with his assignment that he didn’t even notice Iyori standing in the doorway. Her eyes followed him closely, watching as he went on with his task, but when she saw him turning towards her, she quickly spun around on her heel and ran off.

When she reached the clubroom, Keiko and Mei were already working, putting up the tables and collecting the paper and pens and other painting material so everything was ready.

“Good morning, Iyori,” said Mei when she saw her walking inside. 

“Oh Iyori, you’re here,” said Keiko as a follow up. “Good morning, it’s good you were able to come in early. We need you more than ever. Shuya said he’ll be busy helping your class most of the day.”

“Yeah, I saw him on my way here,” said Iyori. “I guess he can’t run from it now that his dad is sponsoring the cafe.”

“You’re right,” said Keiko.

“But what about Noriko and Yusuke?” said Iyori after putting down her bag and started helping.

“They’re out with flyers,” said Mei. “Noriko won’t be here most of the day. She didn't feel confident enough in her painting skills, so she wanted to instead work on bringing people to our stall.”

“Noriko is too modest, she’s a skilled artist,” said Iyori.

“She is skilled, but she has a lot to learn, besides, we need someone for the more boring assignments,” said Keiko. “Once Yusuke is back, I’ll go help Noriko pass out flyers to the guests.”

“You’re not painting either?” asked Iyori.

“If you had come to any of our meetings you would know the plan already,” said Keiko and let out a sigh, whereafter she moved on with her assignments, not answering her question.

“Keiko meant that you, me and Yusuke were the best portrait painters in our club,” explained Mei and Iyori looked at her. “that’s why us three will be here while she and Noriko will guide people our way.” Iyori opened her mouth, wanting to say something about how wrong it felt that only three of them would be painting, but in the end she closed her mouth without uttering a word, knowing deep down that Keiko was right and this was the only option. Instead she decided to let it go and focus on what she could do for now.

“What about this banner? Are we hanging it up in front of the door to our club room?” asked Iyori as she picked up the banner.

“Yes,” said Keiko. “But we need a ladder. I’ll go find one immediately.” Keiko quickly dashed out of the, leaving Mei and Iyori behind while they continued with what they could.

“So, how are you and Shuya?”

“What?” said Iyori surprised and she nearly dropped the supplies in her hand.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you like that,” said Mei and helped her gather everything in her arms again. “I just... I’ve been worried, and you haven’t been here, so I couldn’t ask you.”

“I know...” said Iyori and sighed. “I’m sorry. Things were... complicated.”

“Were?” said Mei and tilted her head, looking slightly optimistic. “Does that mean it’s all better now?” Iyori stopped in motion, looking at Mei for a minute before she answered.

“I... I’m not sure...”

“I have the ladder!” yelled Keiko as she waltzed back in with the ladder over her shoulder, looking like a handy-woman on job. Iyori and Mei both looked at Keiko and then at each other before the started laughing.

“What?” said Keiko confused, while the two continued laughing. “What is it?”

“Sorry, you’re just... way too capable,” said Mei as the laughter slowly died out.

“She’s right, thank you for always leading the way,” said Iyori and bowed dramatically. “Alright, let me help you with that, it looks heavy.” Keiko just shook her head at the two goofballs, whereafter she and Iyori helped each other hang up the banner.

Just a few hours later and the school was bustling with life, even more than before. Iyori, Mei and Yusuke were all seated at their designated desks, looking intensely at the guest in front of them, whereafter they shifted their eyes to the paper and continued drawing and painting in deep concentration. 

The line in front of the club room was long. Keiko and Noriko had to be good saleswomen, because the line didn’t seem to get smaller no matter how many portraits they finished.

In front of each desk was a self-portrait, meant to show each artist's personal style. As the guest came in, they could look at each self-portrait and decide what style they wanted their own portrait to be painted in and then go to the line of that artists.

A genius idea, according to Keiko, but to Iyori, whose line was three time as long as the others', it seemed an impossible, inhuman task.

“There you go, have a nice day,” said Iyori and handed the portrait to yet another smiling customer. “Next.”

“Hello.” Iyori immediately looked up when she heard the voice.

“Aiko? What... but weren’t you gonna text me?” said Iyori and Aiko laughed a little as she opened her phone and showed the unread message she sent Iyori.

“Oh... sorry... As you can see, we’re a little busy,” said Iyori. “But I’m glad you found your way here on your own.”

“It was no problem, a cute young girl gave me a flyer and showed me the way before I even got to ask anyone.” Iyori smiled by the thought of Noriko guiding her sister-in-law on her way.

“That’s good,” said Iyori. “Well... I guess you came to get your portrait painted?”

“No.” Iyori widened her eyes in surprise and put down her pen.

“No?”

“No,” said Aiko again. “I waited in line for more than an hour, it’s evident you’re the most popular here. Which means you probably didn’t get a change to take a single break.”

“Well...”

“That’s why I’m gonna kidnap you,” said Aiko and winked.

“You what?” Iyori didn’t even have time to react before Aiko reached out to Iyori and dragged her across the room, leaving the club room and the many confused guests behind.

“Can I ask for everyone’s attention,” said Mei and stood up. “Iyori is taking a well deserved break. Everyone is more than welcome to stay and wait, or they can move to another line and get their portraits painted by either me or Yusuke.” People started looking around, whereafter they moved to one of the other two lines. A few left the room completely and a few stayed in Iyori’s line, determined to wait patiently.

“What? How... Did you and Mei plan this?” said Iyori when they got to the hallway and started slowing down their pace.

“Kind of,” said Aiko. “When I was standing in line I waved Mei over and asked her if she could help me out. She thought you deserved a break too, so here we are.” 

“Thank you,” said Iyori. “Well then, what do you want to see?” Aiko looked around, deep in thought.”

“I’m not sure, it’s been a while since I’ve been to a school festival,” said Aiko. “Let’s just take a stroll.” Iyori nodded and they both started their tour around the school.

They passed many different clubs, the first one being the music club, were they stopped by the sound of a beautiful melody. When they looked inside, they saw a boy sitting by the piano and a girl standing next to him while playing the violin. They both slowed down their pace even more, enjoying the music as they walked by.

Another club they passed by was the theater club. It looked like they were putting on some kind of play that seemed to just have reached its climax. Everyone gasped when the young prince was hit by the evil’s sword and fell down. Thankfully it didn’t take long before he got back up and defeated the evil and was reunited with the prince. A cliché, but people still clapped.

As they moved on they were stopped by a scary, but also kind of friendly, ghost, who tried to coerce them into taking a tour through the haunted house. Not only did Iyori get chills just by the thought of walking through a dark room, she also didn’t have the time, so she kindly explained it to the ghost and they continued onwards.

“By the way,” said Aiko as they walked. “Where’s this 'Shuya' I always hear you talking so much about.”

“What? I don’t... talk about him... that much...” said Iyori and diverted her eyes.

“You do,” said Aiko and raised an eyebrow. “Anyway, where is he? I didn’t see him in your club room? Is he passing out flyers too?”

“No, he’s helping our class with their project,” said Iyori. “His dad sponsored our class’s café. So he’ll be there the whole day.”

“Really? So you haven’t seen him at all today?” Iyori shook her head. “Well that won’t do. Take me to your class now!”

“What? Why?” said Iyori.

“Because, I want to meet him.”

“But I don’t,” said Iyori firmly. “Besides, I should be getting back.” 

“Alright alright, maybe I don’t have to meet him, but let's at least walk by your classroom on our way back, hm?” Aiko sent a pleading look to Iyori and she slowly nodded her head.

“But we aren’t going in,” said Iyori, again firm and Aiko nodded her head in return.

They weren’t far from the classroom and a few minutes later they looked inside to see the filled cafe with all of Iyori’s classmates running around, doing their best to make it a success. They even made uniforms. Even if it weren’t anything special, Iyori still couldn’t take her eyes off Shuya who was standing in the background making coffee, wearing a white shirt and a black vest.

“So, that’s him?” said Aiko and crouched down, looking in the same direction as Iyori. She just cleared her throat and quickly looked away.

“Anyway,” said Iyori. “We should–”

“Hello, can I get you two anything?” said one of Iyori’s classmates who approached them.

“No thanks–”

“Do you sell ‘to go’?” asked Aiko and the girl nodded. “Wonderful, then we’ll have two coffee’s to go, and if you sell cake, we’ll take one of those too.”

“Coming right up,” said the girl and ran back inside.

“What on earth? I don’t have time for this,” said Iyori, slightly annoyed and angry.

“Relax, they can wait a little longer,” said Aiko. “Besides, I don’t think you're rushing because of your assignment, but rather because of your fear of that boy seeing you.” Iyori gulped and held her breath when Aiko said those words.

“I don’t... know...”

“Did something happen between you two?” asked Aiko and Iyori seemed to calm down a little.

“I guess... I don’t know... maybe...”

“So it did?” Aiko looked at Iyori and she nodded slightly before looking away again, catching another glance at Shuya.

“You should talk to him about it, you don’t want things to stay this way, do you?”

“No, of course not,” said Iyori without even thinking. “but... it’s not that simple.”

“Of course it is, all you have to do is say ‘sorry’.”

“Say sorry? Why would I do that?” said Iyori, not able to remember when she did something worth apologizing for.

“Because, it shows you care enough to humble yourself and say those words,” said Aiko with a sigh. “Besides, if you say sorry to someone, odds are they will say it back. And baam, just like that, you’ve moved on.”

“I...” started Iyori.

“Here you go, two coffees and a chocolate cake,” said the girl from before as she handed the order to Aiko and Iyori.

“Thank you,” said Aiko and handed her the payment.

“Thanks, enjoy your day,” said the girl and turned to the next guests that caught her eye.

“Well, just think about,” said Aiko to Iyori, referring to their conversation from before. “Anyway, let’s get you back.”

Iyori ate the entire cake on their way back and finished half of her coffee, deciding it would be better to save the rest, and when she walked back inside the clubroom, she knew she made the right call.

The line was just as long, if not longer, than when she left.

“I’m sorry,” said Mei when she saw Iyori. “We tried luring people to our desks, but they all want their portrait painted by you.”

“It’s alright, I’ll manage,” said Iyori and buried her stress beneath her smile. “Aiko, come on, you were first in line when I left.”

“But, are you sure? All these people,” whispered Aiko.

“It’s fine, just come on.” Aiko did as Iyori said and followed her to the front of her desk. Iyori gestured for Aiko to sit down. Iyori sat down across from her and quickly started sketching the outline of her face.

She barely looked up while painting, confident in her memory of Aiko and she only glanced at her to get the final touches down.

With hands slightly shaking, Iyori handed the portrait to Aiko and looked at her in anticipation.

“Well?” said Iyori a little nervous.

“Wow, I knew you were good, but this... this is amazing,” said Aiko. “Thank you. I’m glad I came today.”

“Me too,” said Iyori. “Looking at the line, I’m glad you kidnapped me so I could take a short break.”

“You’ll probably be here the rest of the day, won’t you?” said Aiko and Iyori nodded.

“I’m sorry I can’t look around the festival with you,” said Iyori, but Aiko shook her head. 

“Don’t apologize, I had fun, I’m only worried about you pushing yourself too hard.”

“I’m won't, I’ll be fine.”

“Well... if you say so,” said Aiko. “But if you need me, just send a text and I’ll come kidnap you again.” Iyori laughed and then nodded her head.

“Yes, thank you, and I’ll see you at home,” said Iyori.

After waving goodbye to Aiko, Iyori gestured towards the next in line and started sketching the outline of her face on the paper. 

Stroke after stroke, portrait after portrait. In the end Iyori lost the track of both time and space. All she could see was the person in front of her, all the while her hand moved on it’s own, knowing exactly where to start and where to end. 

Every few minutes, Iyori received worried glances from Mei and Yusuke, even Keiko stopped by in the afternoon, but Iyori didn’t even notice her presence. 

“Next,” said Iyori in a robotic voice without looking ahead, simply waiting for the person to sit down on the chair in front of her.

“But Iyori,” said Mei and poked her on the shoulder. “That was the last guest. Everyone is gone, most of them to watch the bonfire.” Iyori looked up, eyes dead and confused as they looked at where the long line had been before.

“It’s over,” said Keiko and put her hand on Iyori’s shoulder. “You did well.”

In that same moment, Iyori threw herself back, leaning against the chair while she let out a loud and deafening growl. Mei and Yusuke both stepped back a little, but Keiko just let out a quiet laughter, seeing the tiredness overcome Iyori.

“It’s over!” said Iyori like Keiko, but in a much louder and more dramatic voice. “Never... ever... EVER again will I paint another portrait.” A smile formed on Mei’s lips and she walked closer to Iyori and stood on the opposite of her as Keiko and put her hand on her other shoulder.

“You really did well,” she said.

“We couldn’t have done it without you,” continued Yusuke from the back. “I’m sorry we couldn’t take some of your burden away.” Iyori waved her hand in the air and shook her head.

“No no, no need for apologizes. It’s all good,” said Iyori, her voice tired and strained. “The only thing that matters is that it’s over.”

“You’re right, and now you deserve to have all the fun you want,” said Mei and looked at Iyori in excitement. “Come on, let’s go look at the bonfire?”

“You guys can go, I really don’t wanna be with a bunch of people right now,” said Iyori and Mei’s smile faltered.

“But–”

“No Mei, Iyori deserves some peace and quiet,” said Keiko and Mei nodded.

“You’re right,” said Mei. “Come find us later if you feel like it.”

“I will,” said Iyori and waved goodbye to the three of them as they left her alone in the club room.

While they walked down the hallway they kept looking around. It felt strange to see the halls so empty after it being filled with people the entire day. It was so quiet, the noise from outside sounding like something from a radio or a TV, something far away.

“Do you think Iyori will be okay on her own?” asked Mei and looked at the others. Yusuke shrugged his shoulders.

“I think she needed some rest.”

“We shouldn’t have let it get out of hand like that today,” said Mei.

“Now now, there’s nothing we can do about it now,” said Keiko. “All we can do is making sure she feels valued.” Mei and Yusuke both nodded.

They continued walking, nearing the school entrance when they spotted a friendly face.

“There you are,” said Shuya who was walking next to Noriko. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Sorry, we needed to wrap up the last few things,” said Keiko.

“Where’s Iyori?” asked Noriko and looked behind the others, only to find herself disappointed by the long empty hallway.

“She’s not coming,” said Mei with a sigh. “We worked her too hard today.”

“It’s because she’s so popular,” said Noriko.

“She is... but come on, we should go if we want to see when they light the bonfire,” said Keiko and started walking again. When they reached the entrance, the others started switching to their outdoor shoes, all the while Shuya kept looking back from where they came.

“Hey, are you coming?” said Yusuke and nudged Shuya.

“Huh?” said Shuya and looked at Yusuke. “Oh... well... actually... I forgot some in the classroom so... you guys go ahead without me.”

“You sure?” asked Keiko who was standing in the doorway. Shuya quickly nodded.

“Yes it’s fine, I’ll find you guys later,” said Shuya and started running.

He ran down the empty hallways, past all the classrooms, past his own classroom, and continued until he stood in front of the door to the club room. He slowed down his pace and stopped completely when he was only one step away from going inside. He sneaked a peak, the club room was dead silent and looked empty. But when he looked closer, he saw Iyori sitting on a chair, resting her head on the table with her eyes closed.

Shuya held his breath for a second, but then walked inside, and he continued until he was standing right in front of her. The silence made it possible for Shuya to hear every breath she made. She looked so peaceful as she was lying there, softly breathing in and breathing out. 

As quiet as possible, Shuya crouched down in front of her so they were in eye heights.

“I hear you worked hard,” whispered Shuya and reached out, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s okay, you can rest now.” When he drew back his hand, he touched her cheek by mistake and he saw her eyes flicker slightly.

Shuya quickly stood up and took a few steps back, something he thanked himself for a second later when Iyori opened her eyes completely and looked up.

“Shuya?” said Iyori in a tired voice. “What–”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” said Shuya and looked away. “I just... wanted to make sure you were alright.” Iyori sat up straight in the chair and stretched out her body.

“I’m fine,” said Iyori and yawned. “I’m just... really tired.”

“I understand, I hear you worked really hard today,” said Shuya and dragged a chair over next to Iyori and sat down. “It’s too bad, I was hoping you would have time to come by the cafe.”

“Actually...” said Iyori and looked away.

“What? Did you come by?” asked Shuya and the look in Iyori’s eyes was enough answer for him. “seriously, you came by and I wasn’t even there.” Iyori quickly turned her eyes and looked at Shuya in confusion.

“What are you talking about? You were there,” said Iyori. “I just... I didn’t go in.”

“Why not?”

“I... I was busy... I had to hurry back...” said Iyori, stuttering a little to get the words out. “Also... I didn’t know how to approach you.” Shuya suddenly diverted his eyes as well, both of them looking in opposite directions.

“Y... Yeah...” said Shuya. “It’s been... a little awkward between us.”

“It has...” said Iyori and forced herself to turn her face and look at Shuya, finding him doing the same. “Can we... can we be friends again?” A smile showed up on Shuya’s face when she said those words and he immediately answered with a gentle nod.

“I would like that.” It turned quiet in the club room and both of them started fidgeting with their hands, not really knowing what to do or say in a situation like that, so instead, Iyori decided to change the subject.

“You don’t have to sit here with me, don’t you want to go look at the bonfire?”

“Not really, I had a busy day too, so I don’t feel that eager to be with a lot of people.” Iyori nodded understandingly.

“The cafe was a huge success," continued Shuya with a smile.

“Yeah, it looked like it when I was there. You seemed to be working hard as well, walking around in your fancy clothes,” said Iyori and nudged Shuya in the side so his cheeks turned slightly pink.

“This isn’t what I would call fancy clothes,” said Shuya. “But thank you.” Shuya looked around in the club room, seeing all the art supplies and papers scattered everywhere, making it look like some kind of war zone.

“I just wish I would’ve had the time to come by and get my portrait painted,” said Shuya.

“Really?” asked Iyori and Shuya nodded. “Who did you want your portrait painted by.”

“Well, you of course,” said Shuya, matter-of-factly.

“Then it’s good you didn’t come, the line was so long you would’ve given up really quickly.”

“I can imagine, anyone would want the best,” said Shuya.

“Oh stop it with the flattering,” said Iyori.

“You know I mean it,” said Shuya and Iyori didn’t reply. Instead she stayed seated for another minute before she got up and started gathering a few things.

“What are you doing?” asked Shuya.

“I’m gonna paint your portrait, of course,” said Iyori and sat down on the opposite site of the table between them.

“What? You don’t have to do that,” said Shuya. “You deserve to rest.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind just one more,” said Iyori. “Let it be a token of our rebuild friendship.” Shuya let out a chuckle and then finally gave in.

With clear instructions from Iyori to sit as still as possible, Shuya tried his best to do that. No words were spoken, no sounds were made. All that could be heard was Iyori’s pen brushing over the paper. She kept drawing, then re-drawing and re-drawing some more, until she suddenly turned quiet and just stared at the paper.

A moment went by and Shuya continued to sit still, waiting for Iyori to show it to him. Another moment passed by, then another, until several minutes had passed and Iyori hadn’t said a word or even moved a muscle. All that could be found on her face with dissatisfaction.

“No,” said Iyori annoyed. “You're too hard to paint. It won’t turn out well.”

“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad,” said Shuya.

“It is,” said Iyori. “No, this won’t do, I’ll have to start all over.”

“What, no!” said Shuya, but Iyori had already crumbled up the paper.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s not good enough, it belongs in the trash.” Iyori got up from her chair, on her way towards the trash can, but Shuya quickly stopped her.

“Stop it, I’m sure it’s not that bad, it can’t be when you’re the one who painted it,” said Shuya and held onto Iyori’s hand.

“But it is, I’m not showing it to you.”

“Oh come on, don’t be so childish.”

“You’re the one who’s childish,” said Iyori and got free from Shuya’s grip. She took another step towards the trash can, but with every step she took, Shuya took a step closer to her. She kept her eyes on Shuya, making sure to hold the drawing behind her back as she backed away from Shuya. 

But he didn’t stop.

“Don’t” said Iyori when she noticed Shuya’s eyes on her hands. “Don’t get closer, I... I mean it!” Iyori stopped walking and Shuya did too. With only 2 meters between them, no one moved an inch and both of them held their breath. 

But then, fast like the wind, Iyori went into a spurt and Shuya went right after her.

“Come on, just let me see it,” said Shuya while he ran after Iyori, circling through the small club room.

“No!” yelled Iyori.

“Just let me see it,” said Shuya and got a hold of Iyori’s wrist, but she quickly broke free.

“Never!” yelled Iyori and Shuya started running after her again. Just as she thought she had the upper hand, Shuya cut her off and cornered her. Holding onto both her hands, with her back towards the wall so she couldn’t run off, Shuya looked directly into her eyes. 

Both of them were heaving for breath, not able mutter a word.

Her hand slowly relaxed and the crumpled paper fell to the floor, but Shuya didn’t bend down to take it. He didn’t take his eyes off Iyori, and she didn’t take her eyes off him.

“Iyori,” said Shuya and Iyori’s eyes flickered by the mention of her name. “I really, really am sorry if I pushed you too hard with your studies. I never meant to upset you, and I know I was too busy worrying about myself to see how hurt you actually were. So... I’m really sorry.” A faint smile appeared on Iyori’s face and she gently shook her head.

“No, it’s okay, I’m not mad anymore,” said Iyori. Shuya’s lips curled up into a relieved smile and he opened his mouth, about to speak again, when a loud noise grabbed their attention and they looked out of the window, seeing the sky filled with beautiful and colorful firework. They both turned their eyes back to each other, the firework reflecting in their eyes as they looked at each other. As Shuya looked at Iyori, his eyes moved down to her mouth.

Iyori felt Shuya’s grip loosen, as his hands slid down to her neck. Using almost no power at all, Shuya slowly moved Iyori’s face closer to his, until their lips were only millimeters apart from each other. His breath felt ticklish on Iyori’s lips, and for a split second, she was reminded of that day she had a date with Mao. 

Her eyes widened and she almost backed away, until she opened her eyes and saw the person in front of her. His gentle eyes, eyes that looked only at her. Until she felt the softness of his touch, the tenderness and love and care. 

And suddenly, even time stood still. 

She let herself be guided by his hands and to move even closer, until she felt their lips touch. 

Another firework went off and the noise echoed in the entire room, but neither of them moved. Shuya slowly pulled away, but only to look at Iyori, whose eyes had the same look in them as his, and within another second, he pulled her close again, reuniting their lips in another deep kiss.

Hello everyone!

FINALLY! How long did it take for us to get here? 27 chapters... well I guess that seems about right for my stories haha.

But I hope you enjoyed the journey here and enjoyed this chapter especially. Now all there's left is to see how they will handle their relationship going forward.

Please let me know what you think in the comments down below and remember to take good care of yourself and stay happy and healthy!

Love, Annalise~