Chapter 8

In the lively club room, the dedicated members kept talking back and forth, discussing various color compositions and painting techniques, while also getting to know their newest member, Noriko Shouda, who, although shy, tried her best to contribute to the happy and lighthearted atmosphere. In the midst of all of this, Shuya had drawn away from the group while he frantically tried to send Iyori a dating request. 

“Yuki has rejected your request.” Shuya let out a sigh, but he didn’t allow himself to give up and quickly send out another request. 

“Yuki is no longer available.” Feeling his blood boiling, Shuya turned off his phone and loudly slapped it onto the table. It was the forth time this week and Shuya started feeling like it would be impossible to ever get her to join the art club’s activities again. She was rarely even available, it felt like she tried her very best to keep herself busy all day long so he wouldn’t have the chance to convince her to come back to school. 

“She isn’t coming today either, is she?” asked Keiko who immediately noticed the annoyed look on Shuya’s face after he, rather dramatically, put down his phone. 

“Nope,” said Shuya. 

“She isn’t?” asked Noriko with a saddened expression, gnawing on Shuya’s bad conscience. 

“I’m sorry...” said Shuya. 

“Don’t look so sad, you’ve done everything you could,” said Yusuke. 

“Yes, you tried your best,” said Mei, sending Shuya a smile to try and cheer him up. 

“No... I haven’t done my best,” said Shuya annoyed, “I promised I would help bring Iyori back to this club more often and I want to keep that promise.” 

“But how?” asked Mei and everyone looked at Shuya with the same curious expression. 

“I think I have an idea,” said Shuya.” 

*** 

“I seriously think my boss is just out to get me,” said Kiyoshi, Iyori’s date, who sat opposite of her in the small cafe. He was a young man, in the middle of his twenties, but he looked much younger. If people didn’t know better, they would expect Iyori and Kiyoshi to be around the same age, but that could also have something to do with the clothes Iyori wore and the way she did her makeup. 

“From day one he hasn’t done anything but look for opportunities to scold me or see me fail.” Kiyoshi frowned while he spoke and his hand was balled into a fist. 

“It must be difficult being an intern,” said Iyori and gently put her hand on Kiyoshi’s, hoping it would help him calm down a little. “I’m sure it will be better with time. He just needs to see your true potential.” 

“Do you really think it is that simple?” said Kiyoshi angrily and yanked his hand away from Iyori. “How naive are you? It’s clear you are still way too young to understand the problems that comes with the adult life.” Iyori held her breath and then swallowed, working hard to keep her pretty smile intact. 

“You are right,” said Iyori, almost forcing the words out. “I don’t understand what you have to go through every day, but I want to understand, so I can be there for you.” 

“How would you ever be able to be there for me? All you do is go on dates with a bunch of men whom you all smooth talk into making them believe you actually care about them, when in reality, all you care about is getting a good rating so you can earn more money in the future.” 

“I know the reason you and I are sitting here together right now, is because of my job, but let’s try not to focus on that matter,” Iyori tried reasoning with Kiyoshi. “The reason I have this job in the first place is because I want to make others happy.” 

“If you say so,” said Kiyoshi and rolled his eyes, but in the next second, he suddenly got up from his chair. “I’m going to get another cup of coffee, anything you want?” 

“I was actually wondering if you’d like to share a small cake with me?” said Iyori, in hope that sharing some intimacy with Kiyoshi would bring them closer to each other, but Iyori soon realized her idea would backfire when she saw the look on Kiyoshi’s face. 

“You want cake? I thought girls like you were trying to look out for their weight. I guess you don’t really care about that?” Iyori swallowed, while making a fist under the table, doing her best to continue to keep her cool. 

“You are right... again,” said Iyori after a short while. “I should think more carefully about what I eat. Thank you for the reminder, I don’t need anything after all.” 

When the date finally ended, Iyori let out a sigh of relief, watching Kiyoshi disappear down the street while she stayed in the same spot, simply enjoying her freedom for a second. 

“Kiyoshi Sato has rated your date 2 out of 5 stars.” Iyori looked at the screen on her phone, mouth agape, trying to process what she had just read. Feeling her blood boiling in the same way it had been doing throughout the entire date, Iyori immediately went to Kiyoshi’s profile and clicked on “Block”. 

“Please select one of the following reasons for blocking Kiyoshi Sato.” Iyori skimmed through the different options, but when she realized their was no category named “huge jackass”, she decided to drop it and simply reject him if he ever decided to request her for a date again. 

“The night is still young, would you like to check in again?” Iyori felt her entire body go numb when she read the message on her phone. She didn’t want to go home, but she surely didn’t want to go on a date with such a man again. If that happened, she wasn’t sure he would be able to make it home safely. 

With her finger lingering over the option “Yes” Iyori stood still like she was frozen in time, until suddenly, she woke up after feeling the vibration from receiving a message. 

“Shuya Takahashi has sent you a photo.” Iyori lifted her eyebrow after reading the pop-up message, but without hesitation, she opened the chat and downloaded the picture which immediately made her stomach growl. 

In the picture was a table filled with different side dishes and snacks, looking like something they had ordered from a local restaurant, and in the background sat everyone from the art club, all looking into the lens with a huge smile. 

“We ordered takeouts, you’re welcome to join us if you feel like it,” said the message following the photo. 

*** 

“Do you really think she'll come?” asked Noriko and looked at Shuya. He let out a sigh, not really knowing what to answer. The food was still standing in the middle of the table, completely untouched since he sent the photo to Iyori over half an hour ago. 

“Just give up, Shuya,” said Keiko who was getting impatient. “Iyori isn’t coming. Let’s just eat, since we already paid for this.” Everyone looked excited after hearing Keiko’s suggestion, eager to fill their stomachs with all the food on the table, but Shuya quickly spoke up again. 

“Wait! Let’s wait 5 more minutes,” said Shuya and everyone quickly fell back in their chairs again. 

“You said the same thing 5 minutes ago,” said Mei who was still eyeing the food in front of her. 

“She’ll be here, I’m sure of it,” said Shuya, eyes still lingering on the closed door. Yusuke look at Shuya who was seated at the end of the table, his entire body turned towards the door and Yusuke slowly got up from his own seat and walked up to him. 

“Listen,” said Yusuke and put his hand on Shuya’s shoulder, “you tried, it’s okay, but the food is getting cold and it’s late and we’re all really hungry.” Shuya looked up at Yusuke and then turned his body back to face the table. 

“Alright... let’s just eat then.” 

“Finally!” yelled Mei and almost threw herself at the food, but just as the rest of them were about to do the same, the sound of a door being swung open, echoed in the entire club room. 

“Is there anymore food left?” yelled Iyori while gasping for breath. 

“Y...yes, we were just about to start eating,” said Mei who looked a little regretful about her own impatience just a second earlier. “Do you want something?” Iyori didn’t say anything, but judging by how quickly she walked up to the table and took a seat, was an answer in itself. She didn’t hold back either, Mei’s offer from earlier was enough for her to throw herself on the food. 

“I knew I could get you to show up, and I didn’t even have to pay for a date today,” whispered Shuya, who had moved his chair a little closer to Iyori’s, a satisfied smile plastered all over his face. “You really do have no self control when it comes to food. No dignity either.” Iyori let out a huge sigh and then turned around and looked directly into Shuya’s eyes. 

“Please, not today,” was all she managed to say, but the look in her eyes was enough to make Shuya shut up. 

“Miss Mikami.” After only a short while of silence, that silence was suddenly interrupted when Noriko spoke up and Iyori quickly moved her head, confused by the foreign voice, addressing her in a formal way. 

“Yes?” said Iyori when she spotted the girl seated at the opposite side of the table. She looked very young, even more so because of her slim body. Iyori would definitely remember if she had seen her before, given that she had a very distinguishable face with a tiny little nose and a tiny little mouth. She looked rather cute in Iyori’s eyes, almost like a middle schooler. 

“I... I was really looking forward to meeting you, Miss Mikami,” said Noriko enthusiastically. “I’m your biggest fan!” 

“Please call me Iyori, there’s no reason for you to be so formal, it seems we are in the same club after all.” 

“Yes, of course, thank you I... Iyori!” said Noriko and both of her cheeks immediately turned red. 

“Who are you, by the way?” asked Iyori after a short while of silence and Noriko’s cheeks turned even redder as she spoke up again. 

“I’m so sorry for my rudeness!” said Noriko immediately. “My name is Noriko Shouda. I’m a first year.” 

A first year, thought Iyori, her appearance and mannerism surely makes more sense now. 

“She became a member after seeing your flyer,” added Keiko. 

“Really?” asked Iyori, feeling happy and embarrassed at the same time. 

“Yes, I still remember the first time I saw the flyer. I was completely enchanted,” said Noriko, “but when I was told you rarely have time to join the club activities, because you are too busy as a 3rd year, I was crushed.” Iyori looked at Keiko in confusion after hearing the last statement from Noriko, but Keiko simply put her finger in front of her mouth and winked at Iyori, to which Iyori shook her head in response. 

“I’m glad you liked my flyer,” said Iyori, “but you’re right, I probably won’t come here very often.” The disappointment was visible in every fiber of Noriko’s body, but she still made sure to keep her smile intact as she looked at Iyori. 

“No, that’s okay, I understand,” said Noriko and lowered her head slightly. Iyori swallowed, feeling a weird sensation in her stomach, something she hadn’t been feeling in a long time. 

“I’m so-”

“Iyori, since you are here now!” said Yusuke and interrupted Iyori and made everyone look up in surprise. “Why don’t you spend a little time with Noriko.” Noriko’s eyes lit up like a star-filled sky on a clear night when she heard Yusuke’s suggestion. 

“That’s a great idea, Yusuke,” added Mei, “maybe she can teach her some of her drawing techniques too.” 

“I... I don’t really know...” said Iyori, stuttering a little, “I’m not really a good teacher.” 

“No, I’m sure you’re a great teacher!” said Noriko, who had gotten her high spirit back. 

“I wouldn’t know where to start,” said Iyori in hope that they would all drop the subject. 

“You could always start by showing her your sketches,” said Shuya, speaking up for the first time in a while. Iyori turned her head around, annoyed as she had almost forgotten about his presence, but he surely knew how to make himself center of the conversation. 

“Have you seen Iyori’s sketches?” asked Mei who looked at Shuya in wonder, as did Keiko and Yusuke. “She never shows her sketches to anyone, no matter how much they beg.” 

“He just saw them by coincidence,” said Iyori, trying to get everyone to calm down while she sent Shuya a deadly glare. “Mei is right, I am not comfortable showing my sketches to just anyone.” 

“Of course not,” said Shuya in the same second Iyori finished her sentence. “But I’m sure you would show them to your biggest fan, who has waited for you to show your face in this club for a long time.” Once again, Iyori felt that nagging feeling return in her stomach and she gulped before turning her eyes to Noriko. 

“Well...” said Iyori, enchanted by her puppy-like eyes. 

“I don’t want you to feel pressured,” hurried Noriko and continued, “but if you do want to show me some of your sketches, I would feel honored.” 

“Alright then,” said Iyori after letting out a sigh and got up from her chair. “Let’s move to the drawing table.” Noriko quickly got up from her own chair as well and followed right behind Iyori to the table that was filled with paper, and pens in every color of the rainbow, along with other drawing materials. 

Both girls sat down and Iyori opened her bag and took out her sketchbook, but before she handed it to Noriko, she made sure to look behind her. To her surprise, everyone was still seated at the table in the middle of the room. Iyori had been sure at least Mei would have followed, begging to see the sketches, but it seemed like they actually respected her privacy this time. 

“There you go,” said Iyori and handed the sketchbook to Noriko who quickly started flipping through the pages. 

“Wow,” said Noriko with the same enthusiasm every time almost every time she turned a page. “I knew it, you really are talented.” 

“Thanks...” said Iyori, not knowing what else to say to the endless praise coming from Noriko. 

“Where do you get inspiration for your drawings?” asked Noriko and suddenly turned all her attention to Iyori, the sketchbook still open in her hands.

“I usually just get inspired by what I see around me, which is also why I bring my sketchbook with me almost everywhere I go.” 

“What a great idea, I’m gonna start doing that too.” 

“Wow, these are really something,” said a voice coming from behind Iyori and before she had time to react, Keiko had gotten a hold of the sketchbook, quickly returning to Mei and Yusuke’s side, so they could view the content together. 

“Seriously,” said Iyori and held back her urge to lunge at the other members to get back her sketchbook. “Would you guys knock it off? I only said I would show it to Noriko.” Iyori walked up to the three members and held out her hand, but Yusuke quickly turned his body to shield the book from Iyori. 

“Just one minute,” said Yusuke, whose eyes where plastered to the drawings. 

“3 years...” said Mei, who looked both amazed and dejected at the same time. “3 years have I been part of this club and I was never before able to see Iyori’s sketches. Not even when I was club president and I threatened to throw her out of the club if she didn’t let me see them.” 

“You were club president?” asked Shuya, who was standing on the sideline, following the comedic scene unfolding before him. 

“Yes, but I got really busy after becoming a third year, so I asked Keiko if she would take over for me,” explained Mei and Shuya nodded understandingly. 

"Minute’s up, now give me back my book?” said Iyori annoyed, “and Mei, everyone knows that you’re way too soft to ever throw someone out of a club. I might've been a little scared if Keiko was the one who threatened me like that, but I still wouldn’t have yielded.”

“What do you mean ‘I’m soft’?” asked Mei, looking slightly offended, but Keiko quickly put her hand on Mei’s shoulder. 

“She’s right, you couldn’t even hurt a bug if you wanted to.” Mei looked up at Keiko, about to defend herself, but instead she just lowered her head in defeat. In the same moment, Iyori took advance of the shift in everyone’s focus and quickly took the sketchbook from Yusuke’s hands before he could react. 

“That’s enough for you guys,” said Iyori and walked back to the drawing table and put the sketchbook in her bag. After closing her bag and standing up straight again, she was met by two large begging eyes, staring all the way into Iyori’s soul. 

“Iyori,” said Noriko and folded her hands while she continued to look directly into Iyori’s eyes. “Please teach me how to draw like you, please!” Noriko suddenly grabbed Iyori’s hand with both her hands and held it tight. Iyori felt her heartbeat increase, her mind going crazy, unable to come up with a valid excuse at this point. She looked up at the clock that was hanging above the door to the club room and then let out a sigh. 

“Fine, but only for a short while, it’s getting late.” 

“That’s completely fine, even just 5 minutes of your time would be valuable to me.” 

“But just so you know, I won’t teach you how to ‘draw like me’. We all have different styles and that’s something to be proud of. So show me what you can do and I will give you some advice if I can.” Iyori handed a piece of paper to Noriko and then sat down at the table again. 

“O... okay...” said Noriko and slowly grabbed the paper and picked up a pencil whereafter she started drawing. Iyori’s eyes were completely focused on the paper, but she stayed quiet until Noriko looked up, letting her know this was the best she could do for now. 

“Good... that’s not bad at all,” said Iyori while carefully examining the drawing. “You already have a unique style of your own, but you can definitely improve it. How about-” Iyori grabbed the pencil out of Noriko’s shaking hands and started drawing some guidelines and shadows on the already pretty drawing Noriko had made. 

At the back stood the rest of the club members, all staring at the scene with their mouths agape and eyes widened. 

“Have you ever seen Iyori spending time teaching someone?” asked Keiko confused and looked at Mei. 

“No, never,” answered Mei. 

“She has gone crazy,” said Yusuke, looking like he was in shock. “She has clearly gone crazy. If not, Noriko must be some kind of a witch and have bewitched her.” 

“I don’t know about ‘bewitching’, but it sure is hard to say no to those puppy eyes of hers,” said Keiko, “even I felt my ice-cold heart get warmer when she smiled at me.” 

“Keiko!” yelled Noriko and waved at Keiko, “look what Iyori taught me.” Keiko quickly walked closer to the table and looked at the drawing. 

“Wow, that looks really good, Noriko,” said Keiko. “Who knew there was a great art teacher hidden in you, Iyori.” 

“You’re right, this is a great way to enhance the beauty of Noriko’s drawing,” said Mei, who had approached the drawing table as well. 

“Maybe Iyori could even teach Shuya how to draw,” said Yusuke, but Shuya immediately burst out laughing when he heard Yusuke’s statement. 

“You must be joking,” said Shuya, “didn’t you see the pathetic stick man I drew the other time?” 

“Maybe you’re right,” said Yusuke as the memories of Shuya’s horrible drawing came rushing back to him. 

“I’m not afraid of a challenge,” said Iyori to everyone’s surprise, most of all Shuya’s. 

“You’re kidding,” said Shuya, but Iyori shook her head. 

“I’m not, but if you’re scared, then-” 

“I’m not scared!” said Shuya immediately. 

“Then sit down.” Before Shuya had time to think it through, everyone had pushed him towards the table and sat him down on a chair next to Iyori. 

“Alright,” said Iyori after handing Shuya a piece of paper and a pencil. “What would you like me to teach you?” Shuya looked at the blank paper and thought for a while. 

“Manga,” answered Shuya and Iyori looked at him in confusion. 

“Manga?” asked Iyori and Shuya shrugged his shoulders. 

“It just seems like something that’s easier to learn how to draw as a beginner.” 

“That might be true,” said Iyori. “Fine, I’ll help you draw something step by step.” 

“That sounds pretty simple,” said Shuya, but Iyori had barely begun explaining when Shuya dropped the pencil and raised his hands in defeat. 

“I can’t do it!” said Shuya. 

“Being the number 1 student in our school, you sure give up pretty fast,” said Iyori. “Just start by drawing the outline of the face.” Shuya looked down for a few seconds, but then let out a sigh and picked the pencil back up. 

“Yes, good,” said Iyori when Shuya finally got around to finish the first step. “Now for the next step...” Iyori scooched a little closer to Shuya, so she was able to observe every stroke he made. After a few minutes, Iyori’s shoulder was pressed all the way up against Shuya’s, sitting so close to him that if they both turned their heads towards each other, they would only be centimeters apart. 

How could she sit so close to him without it bothering her? And on top of that, in front of everyone? Wasn’t she embarrassed? Shuya sure was and he was sure his cheeks had both turned bright red. He just prayed that Iyori would continue to focus on the drawing and the others would stay behind him. 

“Alright, now just draw the last stroke,” said Iyori and looked closely without blinking. “That’s it, you’re done!” Iyori felt her heart jumping in her chest and the same did Shuya, but surely for different reasons. Everyone quickly moved closer to the table to take a look at the finished product. 

“It isn’t a stick man, that’s for sure,” said Yusuke. 

“You probably won’t be the next Van Gogh, but you should still be proud of yourself,” said Keiko and sent Shuya a thumbs up. 

“It’s all because Iyori is such a great teacher,” said Noriko, “right, Shuya?” Shuya looked at Iyori and once again, felt his cheeks heat up. He wanted to turn around and run away, but when he noticed Iyori’s cheeks turn red too, he suddenly felt a lot calmer. 

“I don’t know...” said Iyori and rubbed her neck nervously. 

“No, it’s true, you are a great teacher” said Shuya and Iyori looked at him in surprise. “Anyways, I think there’s still some food left. Why don’t we hurry and eat the rest before we go home for the day?” 

“That sounds like a good idea,” said Iyori. “I was feeling hungry.” 

Hello everyone!

I don't really know how I feel about this chapter, but I also don't know what to change to make it better. If you have any suggestions I would be happy to hear them.

I hope you're all doing well and staying warm now that we're approaching the colder seasons. Take good care of yourself and stay safe!

Love, Annalise~