“That’s enough time if we start now,” Chisato says. “Hurry up, Mitsuru!”
“I’ll find a place on the bench for us to put our stuff,” I volunteer.
It only takes a few minutes, but in the end Saki and I end up guarding our bags. Miki and Suzu are skating side by side, their motions slow and deliberate. Chisato and Mitsuru are doing the same, but going a bit faster. Noriko’s having a heck of a time keeping her feet under her, but she manages to hang on to the wall for balance. Nurse is attentively leaning on the other side of that wall, looking out at and observing all the Yamaku students in his charge.
“I’m glad they’re having a good time out there,” I say to Saki, squeezing her hand.
She leans against my shoulder. “Hisao, would you like to go skating?” she asks, a playful lilt to her voice - something that always puts me on alert. A litany of objections start coming to mind.
“Uh...are you sure? You mean after the band me-”
She cuts me off by putting a finger to my lip, surprising me. “Shh. I’m asking if you would like to go skating.”
“If we can’t together-”
“If I could, which I assure you I can’t, would you like to?” she teases.
I look back out at the rink again, and at Chisato pulling Mitsuru along. A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
She shifts her body weight, bringing her hand to the back of my neck and pulling my head down. She gives me a quick kiss on my forehead, then presses hers against it to look into my eyes.
“Then get out there you idiot,” she laughs. “I’ll be fine here.”
I know I could ask her if she’s positive about this, but at this point her mind is made up and she’d get mad at me for questioning her...and besides, I do want to.
“If you insist,” I say, standing up. “Thank you.”
With a final wave from Saki, I head over to the rental tent and exchange one of my shoes for a pair of well-worn skates in my size. It only takes a few minutes to put them on, making sure the laces are tied as tight as possible. I can handle the circulation being cut off for a bit if it means I won’t roll my ankle. I did that one time years ago and vowed it would never happen again.
I expertly dodge a group of children careening around me on their way to turn their skates in, and less expertly step onto the ice. My legs instantly start to lock up as they overcompensate the balance issues I’m having...but thankfully, I manage to keep my grip on the wall and not fall.
“Wooo, go Hisao!” I hear Saki’s voice crying out. When I turn to look, I see her hands cupped around her mouth and a huge grin across her face. I also notice that everyone here from my class is staring at me, along with a few strangers.
My face turns red, but I smile anyway. Thanks, Saki. Fortunately, it only takes a few more tentative strides before the muscle memory kicks in, and I’m able to let go of the wall...still keeping it well within lunging distance.
Miki passes me on the left, laughing in my ear as she spins in place and pulls up short in front of me. “Look at you! Not bad!”
“I told you I’ve done this before.”
“Alright, I believe you! I thought you might have just been talking big for your girlfriend.”
“Maybe you were doing the same thing to Suzu,” I reply, but I know it’s a weak statement as I say it.
“Not a chance. We’ve done this every year together since we started going to Yamaku, right Sooz?”
Suzu easily glides up next to her girlfriend and slips an arm around her waist. “Well, not together together…”
“Heh,” Miki chuckles. “Sorry I made you wait so long,” she says, resting her chin on top of Suzu’s head.
Suzu nuzzles into it, holding her tighter. “You were worth the wait. Now come on, let’s do a few more laps.”
“Oh yeah, you wanted to hit up karaoke before we went back tonight, didn’t ya?”
Suzu skates backwards and grabs Miki’s hand, forcing her to speed up her pace.
“See ya!” she shouts over her shoulder.
We all skate for a few more minutes, my confidence on the ice increasing with every circuit I make. I don’t really keep pace with anyone specific, although I’ll match with Noriko for a few seconds every time I pass her. She’s also growing more sure of herself, but still shakes her arms jerkily every few seconds.
During the next pass I make, I notice Saki standing against the wall, trying to flag down Chisato and Mitsuru. I’m on the far side of the rink when those two come around to where she is, so I cut across the middle to reach them.
“That time already?” I ask.
“Afraid so,” Saki replies. “We’re heading up to the cafe, as soon as Chisato changes back into her shoes.”
“Already on it,” Chisato salutes, turning and skating back towards the entrance of the rink.
Saki turns back to Mitsuru. “Come up and meet us in about half an hour, okay?”
“We can do that. I would like to skate for a bit longer, if that’s alright?” Mitsuru asks. It seems he’s asking me as well as Saki for approval, something we have no problem in giving.
I shrug. “I wouldn’t mind doing a few more laps. It’s actually kind of fun, now that I remember how…”
Saki laughs and leans over to give me a quick kiss. “Make sure Noriko has fun too, alright? Give her a hand. Let her hold your arm or something for a lap or two. Poor girl’s trying as hard as she can but still looks like she’s going to fall over any minute.”
I laugh. “Alright.”
Saki waves as she turns around, the bells in her hair jingling. “See you all soon!”
Mitsuru turns to me. “Well, you heard the lady...”
We scan the ice to find Noriko and spot her across the rink. She’s doing better than she was but still not nearly as well as Mitsuru or I am...which in the case of myself is saying something. The two of us nod to each other and skate off in her direction, giving her a shock as we move up to either side of her.
“H-hey guys, what’s up?” she asks us nervously.
“Just gonna go around a few more times,” I answer. “You?”
“Probably...why?”
Mitsuru offers her his hand. “Need help?”
Noriko thinks about it for a second, then takes it. She does the same to me, and the three of us start to speed up - not as fast as Mitsuru or I were skating by ourselves, but much faster than she was managing. It only takes a few seconds before Noriko is laughing excitedly.
“Think they’re done yet?” I ask, the three of us walking in lockstep through the crowded intersection.
“If they aren’t, we can just stop by the karaoke club,” Mitsuru says.
“I still want to do that anyway!” Noriko exclaims, her enthusiasm evident. It’s no wonder, given how much fun she had the last time we went there. I wouldn’t mind it myself, and Miki went ahead with Suzu earlier. Maybe there’s a way we can talk Saki and Chisato into popping in for a song or two with our classmates.
Downtown is even more alive than it was earlier, a large throng of people making their way between the shops and restaurants, all of which are bustling with activity. The density drops a bit the further we get from the ice rink, but it’s still fairly crowded.
We turn the last corner and see the cafe lit up down the street, the flashing lights of Takamura’s karaoke club two doors down painting the dark night with a myriad of bright colors. There’s already a few people standing in small groups outside either, and I can barely make out Saki’s dress.
“Looks like they’re getting out now,” I say.
It takes another intersection to cross before we reach them, but when we finally do, Saki and Chisato are all smiles.
“Did you all have fun?” Mitsuru asks.
“I think everyone here did,” Chisato answers. “You?”
“Ask Noriko.”
Noriko nods cheerfully. “Yes! Did you guys want to go sing a few songs, now that you’re out?”
Saki laughs. “I wouldn’t mind. If you want to go I’ll join you guys in a few minutes.” She glances back at Mrs. Sakamoto, who is deep in a discussion with two other students. “Sensei was going to open up the studio so we’d be able to check that everything was ready for tomorrow.”
“That seems like a good idea. More time for us together tomorrow morning,” I say, moving next to Saki and draping an arm around her shoulders.
She leans against me gently. “That’s the plan.”
“How late were you going to stay, Noriko?”
Noriko checks her watch. “Probably another hour or so, or until everyone else starts to go back to the school…”
Saki picks up on her hesitation. “We’ll all head to the bus station to see you off.”
While it wasn’t something that we initially discussed, all of us immediately agree. Noriko smiles at this, even if there’s sadness behind it.
“Ah, hello again Hisao, Mitsuru,” I hear Mrs. Sakamoto’s voice, having wrapped up her previous conversation. “I hope I didn’t keep them from you for too long.”
“Oh, I’m sure they did just fine without us for a bit,” Saki teases.
The older woman shakes her head. “All right. Let’s get this done quickly so you can go back to having fun tonight.”
“Mind if we get a head start?” Chisato asks.
“We’re just dropping off the sheet music and making sure my violin is tuned,” Saki answers. “It should only take a few minutes, so go ahead. Just save me a spot in line, okay?”
“You got it!” Chisato winks. She grabs Mitsuru by the hand and the two of them start to walk over to the karaoke club. Noriko hesitates for a second before following them, giving us a small wave.
“You’re not going with them?” Saki asks me.
“Nah. I already ditched you once tonight. I’ll stick with you this time.”
“Only if you think the five minutes this will take makes up for it.”
“Excuse me? You were the one that insisted.”
Saki lowers her voice. “Well I guess you’ll just have to make it up to me later, won’t you?”
(continued...)
