(2,5) I WANT TO SMILE BESIDE YOU IN THE SPRING THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN YET - CHAPTER 2, PART 5

We entered the restaurant together, as invited, and sat down facing each other at the same table.

"What is his name?"

Akari asked me. She must have noticed that Amane did not speak aloud.

"His name is Amane," I said.

"I wonder if his name is Amanone. It's a beautiful name," Akari smiled and said to Amane, and he bowed his head slightly.

Then he smoothly ran his pen through the notebook again.

After writing for a while, he showed the note to Akari.

[My name is Amane Serizawa. Thank you for inviting me. It's a lovely restaurant.]

"Well, thank you very much. What would you like to drink? I'll treat you, so please choose whatever you like."

Amane looked at me with a light eye roll as she said this.

He nodded back at Akari and pointed to the cream soda in front of me.

"Cream soda is fine?"

Amane nodded.

"I understand," she said. "Then, please wait a moment. Please take your time."

Akari smiled at me and Amane and walked back to the counter. Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/

The two of us faced each other in silence.

I was at a loss for words as I had no use calling out to him, even though I had done that on the spur of the moment.

Then he picked up his pen.

[It's been a long time.]

Smiling softly, he showed me his notebook.

I smiled and nodded back at him, wondering why he didn't talk.

He properly responded to my words, so it seemed that he was not deaf.

I wondered if he had some kind of throat disease that prevented him from speaking.

After thinking that, I denied the thought in my mind, saying that it couldn't be true.

Because the last time I saw him, he was singing. Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/

His voice was so faint and fragile that it seemed to disappear at any moment, but it was the most tender song I had ever heard.

Just remembering his voice made my heart feel soft and relaxed.

So, I am sure that Amane is not incapable of speaking.

There must be some other reason why he does not speak.

I would be lying if I said that it didn't bother me, but I thought it was okay not to know.

Rather than such invisible reasons, his eyes and expression were much more important.

I looked straight at Amane and said with a small smile, "I didn't know your last name was Serizawa. My last name is..."

I was about to say my name, but in mid-sentence, he picked up his pen.

[Hirose]

I rolled my eyes when I saw the word 'Hirose'.

"Yes, Hirose. You got it right, didn't you?"

Then he moved his pen again.

[You told me about it the other day.]

"Oh, yeah. You even remembered my surname. That makes me kind of happy."

[Of course.]

"Yeah?"

[It was a shocking encounter.]

"Shocking?"

When I tilted my head, Amane smiled a little mischievously and slid his long fingers from her eyes to her cheeks.

I realized that he was expressing tears, and my cheeks turned red.

"Oh, I see, I was crying..."

He formed his lips into a smile and wrote, 'crying'.

I involuntarily teasingly replied, "Crying? Well, I guess I certainly was... But Amane was crying too."

Then he wrote something again and looked at me with narrowed eyes.

[Mine was because of you.]

"Eh, what do you mean?"

Does he mean that he cried because of me? But he was already crying when I met him. What did he mean?

Amane scribbled letters in his notebook, as if my doubts had been conveyed.

[I was so happy and yet so sad that I cried.]

I looked at the words written there, but I could not understand what he was trying to say. Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/

I blinked slowly and looked at him.

Under the light, his light brown eyes, with a hint of green, sparkle beautifully.

What beautiful eyes he had. They were like jewels.

While I was gaping at him, I heard footsteps behind me.

I looked in that direction and saw Akari bringing a cream soda.

"Thank you for waiting. Here you go, please enjoy."

Amane bowed his head.

Then he looked up and his eyes stopped moving as if they were being drawn to something.

His eyes were wide open and riveted.

Akari and I followed his line of sight.

There was a piano on the wall.

"Oh, that piano," Akari-san nodded and turned to Amane, "Before, we used to have guests who could play the piano for us. Occasionally, we have a piano teacher or pianist play for us. The regulars used to look forward to it, but recently I haven't... tuned it at all. It's a waste of money, isn't it?.

Akari, who had been staring at the piano with a slightly sad look on her face, suddenly looked at me and said, "Ah, Haruka-chan, you used to learn the piano and play it for me, didn't you?"

"Ah, that's right... Yes."

"Yes, it brings back memories. I'd like to hear you play again, if you would like. It's been a while since I've heard Haruka-chan play the piano."

"Eh... Um…"

I stumbled over my words and slumped. I was at a loss for words. 

I stopped playing the piano more than two years ago. 

I stopped taking classes after her eighth grade recital and have never touched the piano since.

When I was learning the piano, I could play a piece of music by looking at the sheet music, even if it was new to me, but now it is absolutely impossible. I have forgotten most of the pieces I used to play by heart. Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/

If it was a song that I practiced so much that my fingers moved on their own for a recital, I would still remember it faintly and I could probably play it, but even that is not something that I can play in front of people, as I was not even good at it.

When I looked up, about to refuse, I heard a voice from the table next to me say, "Wow, you can play the piano? I'd love to hear you play."

The old man looked at me with a smile on his face without any malice.

Then I noticed that the other guests at the table were also looking at me with curious expressions.

What should I do? I didn't even have the courage to say I couldn't play in this atmosphere.

I always look at the faces of the people around me and try to fit in with them. I hate myself for that, but there was no way I could change it.

I heard the sound of paper rustling and glanced up to see Amane's eyes meet mine.

He looked at me as if he was peering into my eyes, with his beautiful colored eyes.

I felt as if he could see into the depths of my heart, so I bowed my head down again.

Then I clenched my fists and raised my eyes to look at Akari.

I was about to open my mouth to say, "I understand," but that's when I heard a clunk and looked over to see Amane getting up from his chair.

I wondered if he was leaving already, but he left the table without his luggage and strode toward the back of the room.

Then he stopped in front of the piano.

"Oh my, could it be that Amane-kun can play the piano too?" Akari said and followed him.

Amane slowly turned his head toward her and gave a wistful smile.

Then he looked at me this time and nodded his head, as if to reassure me.

Perhaps, he sensed that I didn't want to play the piano and decided to play it for me. Somehow, I had a feeling that he did. Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/

I sat down and stared at Amane.

Amane slowly pulled out the chair in front of the piano and sat down gently.

He removed the piano cover with a somewhat reverent gesture, folded it carefully, and put it aside.

Then, once he had lowered his hands and placed them on his lap, he huffed and puffed, then, as if determined to do something, raised his arms and opened the lid at once.

A regular row of black and white keys emerged from behind the lid, glistening in the light.

He squinted his eyes lovingly, then slid his fingers over the keys as if he were caressing them.

'He must love the piano,' I thought.

He gently closed his eyes as he placed his hand on the keyboard.

After taking a few quiet deep breaths, he quickly parted his eyelids and stared at the piano with a somewhat stern look in his eyes.

Then he slowly placed his fingers on the keys.