It was currently 7 pm. Since the sun had already set, the lights coming from the Christmas trees illuminated the street in its stead. Beneath those lights, Umi and I were walking toward the station platform at a quicker pace than normal.
“Hah~ That was fun~ I’m tired now from singing that much… Adding extra time was a little overkill, huh?”
“Yeah… My body feels heavy… I wanna go home… I miss my bed already…”
“Same.”
We were supposed to finish at 6 pm, but two hours of singing weren’t enough for us so we extended our time for a full hour. But that turned out to be a mistake. After a half an hour, we defaulted to singing some relaxing nursery rhyme because we were too exhausted.
Also, Umi asked permission from Sora-san to come home a little later, but in return…
‘Wouldn’t it be nice if you were to take her home?’
I had to escort Umi back home, so my reunion with my beloved bed would have to be postponed.
“Maki, your voice is actually really good, what were you so shy about? Your voice was clear and your pitch was perfect.”
“That was… Because of you, Umi…”During the three hours of singing, Umi kept the tension in the room high whenever I held the mic. When she didn’t know the song I sang, she listened to me intently and praised me. When she knew the song, she would sing it with me.
Even when I failed and embarrassed myself, it didn’t mean the end of the world. I could still have fun singing with her. Umi guided me to break out of my shell and gradually, I could follow in her footsteps.
My throat felt sore, but I felt uplifted.
They said karaoke could relieve stress and I’m experiencing it firsthand.
“That was my first time singing in front of people… Because of you, I had fun, so… Thank you, Umi.”
“Mhm, you’re welcome. Now if someone were to invite you to karaoke, you’ll be alright. So, what do you think? Care to go with the rest of the class?”
“No.”
“Eh, why?”
“What do you mean, ‘why’?”
I could let loose today because I was alone with Umi. If Amami-san or Nitta-san were there, I doubt I could do as well.
Well, I’ll ask Umi to teach me some ‘safe’ songs to sing, just in case I end up going to karaoke with a bigger group.
“Uh, Umi?”
“Hm?”
“Um… Singing in front of a lot of people… I don’t think I can do that the way I am right now, but…”
“Yes?”
“Can you… help me practice whenever you have the time?”
“…Just the two of us?”
“Yeah… Something like that…”
I wanted to get used to this feeling before I could properly sing in front of other people. For that, I needed her to go out with me again.
Of course, if I were to say that I didn’t have any ulterior motives, I would be lying. I enjoyed our time together after all.
“Hehe~ Then, let’s go together whenever we get the time. I’ll bring Yuu too for our little karaoke party.”
“Amami-san huh? …How good is she at singing?”
“Yuu? She loves singing, so…”
“Ah…”
That was all I needed to know.
That girl was so passionate when it came to the things that she loved. Since she loved singing, she must be really good at it.
It was Amami-san after all. There was no way that girl would be bad at something she loved.
“So, when will we do it? Exams start on Friday next week, so next week should be a no-no… What about winter break then? You’ll be wasting your time playing games at home, right?”
“I mean, my mom’s busy working, not like we could go on a family trip or anything like that. What about you though? Your family don’t have anything planned?”
“Nope, my dad’s busy at work. I heard that he’ll have to go to another country soon, so I’ll be home for the whole winter break.”
Amami-san would also be staying home this winter break as well. Apparently she didn’t need to visit her relatives overseas this year.
We decided on a date and time for our karaoke party after confirming everything with Amami-san. After that, we went up to the station’s escalator.
The weather got chillier at night and strong winds would occasionally blow. Those winds made me feel like I was going to fall if I wasn’t careful.
“Ugh… It’s cold…”
“Come here, Umi.”
“Ah… Mm… Thank you…”
I stood right next to her so that the wind wouldn't hit her directly.
I didn’t know if this would work or not since we were both of the same height, no, Umi was a little taller than me, but it should be better than nothing.
“Maki, can I stay like this for a longer?”
“…Sure…”
When I said that, Umi tightly hugged my arm.
“Your hands… Don’t they feel cold?”
“Just a little… Can I warm them up inside your pocket?…”
“Go ahead.”
I let her hands enter my jacket’s pocket.
The winter winds were supposed to be cold, but the fact that I huddled together with Umi like this made it feel rather warm.
“Maki…”
“Hm?”
“This reminds me of that time…”
“That time? …Ah…”
“…”
She was talking about the first time when she confessed her feelings to me.
I could still remember when she whispered those words directly to my ears.
‘I love you…’
…Remembering it made my cheeks heat up.
“…Um…”
“Mm?”
“Maki… How do you feel about me?…”
“…You know the answer already”
Of course, I love her.
Both as a friend and as a girl.
If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be singing in front of her and I wouldn’t be holding her hands like this.
“Yes, but… I want to hear it coming directly from your mouth… Can I?…”
That’s just not fair. How can I possibly refuse her?
“…I can say it out loud, but…”
“If you’re embarrassed, just whisper it to me so only I can hear it… Just like what I previously did.”
Umi brought her face closer to mine. She was really pushy today.
Running away wasn’t an option, so I had no choice but to do it, but first…
“It’s crowded here, so let’s go down the escalator first and look for a less crowded place, okay?…”
“You only need to whisper it to me, no one will hear you… Well, fine, let’s do it that way…”
After that we looked for a less crowded area around the station.
“Actually bringing me to a secluded, dark place like this~ You got guts, huh?”
“Better than embarrassing myself in front of that crowd.”
“Hehe, I was kidding. Anyway, come on, say it already~”
“Ugh… Then, here I go…”
“Mhm.”
I placed my lips close to her ear.
“Nh… Maki, your breath tickles…”
“S-Sorry…”
“Hehe… It’s fine… Back then, I also felt nervous…”
Why was I feeling this nervous when all I had to do was to tell her something that we both knew.
I guess I had to get used to this too.
“My feelings toward you…”
I could feel my heartbeat. Just before I was about to tell her my feelings…
‘Maehara-san!’
I heard a woman’s voice, calling my name from a distance.
“…What’s wrong, Maki?”
“Did someone call my name?”
I pulled away from her and looked at the direction of the voice. There, I saw a woman waving toward our direction.
“That woman wearing glasses… Do you know her, Maki?”
“No, I don’t think so?…”
She was an adult and she looked quite young. The only woman I knew from the same age range as her was Yagisawa-sensei and no one else.
Though, her face looked familiar.
Have I seen her somewhere before?
“…Sorry, Minato, I’m late.”
At that moment, someone appeared from the entrance of the station, replying to that woman.
The woman’s expression brightened when she heard his voice.
“Eh, so it’s just a coincidence… I was worried for a second, I thought that I have to fight against an older woman you’re secretly close with… Maki, what’s wrong?”
“…That person is… My dad… And she is his subordinate…”
“…What?”
I didn’t recognize her at first because she was wearing casual outfits and her glasses threw me off. But now I remembered her.
Why would she be with my dad at this hour though?