Chapter 6:

The album…

January, 1^st.

It’s been a month since I told Maya I was Mr. Purple Rose. Things are going well, I suppose. She trusts me. She always believes in what I am saying without questioning my word. It makes me feel bad. I could be the worse person in the world; she would never see it and would follow me anywhere. It’s frightening me. If I wanted to, I could totally use her and she wouldn’t mind. She would not even notice it. It is way too easy to fool her; she needs to be taken care of.

I don’t have any news from Hayami-sama. He doesn’t answer my phone calls. He hadn’t asked how the plan worked since that day. I have to admit it, I am really worried. How is he really doing?

I got used to meet Maya at the Lonlon restaurant each and every Tuesday. She looks always so cheerful, with that grin on her face and that warm light in her eyes. I guess it worked: She seems to be happy now.

How long is it going to last?

Hijiri closed the little book on his desk. He decided to write his impression every month from the day he had to lie to Maya. This little text would probably suffice for that month. He sighed. Today was Tuesday. He would meet her tonight.

Without even noticing it, he smiled.

***

“Oh, come on! Maya!”

“Huh?”

“You are doing it again!”

Maya looked down and saw that her cup of tea had actually turned into a fountain, the tea pool widening on the table and threatening the album she wanted to give to Kirino-san put there. The teapot was still in her hand. 

This time too, her first reaction was to scream. Rei save the album and took advantage of the occasion by observing the object attentively.

"What is that thing, Maya?" She asked when her friend finished cleaning her mess.

"It’s a gift for Mr. Purple Rose." She answered with a smile. "As a thanks for the make-up box."

Intrigued, Rei opened it. It was a pretty album full of photos from the girl’s plays. Almost all her part were represented. Rei bit her lips.

"You got to be right, trusting this man. Imagine if the real fan was actually…"

"Rei, I told you: I don’t want to talk about it."

"Just saying…"

And then she put the book down.

It’s been a month since Maya finally met her fervent fan and she was over the moon. Kirino Takumi was truly an amazing person. He didn’t mind meeting her all Tuesday nights whereas he had a job that must be keeping him busy. She is very grateful for that. She loves talking to him: everything she always wanted to tell him has been stuck into her heart, and now she could at last free them. It was so relieving to her!

She finally picked her new part. She met Kuronuma Ryuzo, a genius of directing, who offered her the part of Jane, a wolf-girl. She had immediately been engrossed by the role as well as for the story. She started to desire becoming Jane at any cost. The rehearsals had already begun and Maya had been utterly stunned when she saw that her partner, the one who would play Stuart, was no one else but Sakurakoji Yuu. She hadn’t seen him for a while and had been really surprise to see how mannish Yuu had become. He was taller, with strong shoulders and really handsome. Maya also met his girlfriend, Mai, a cute young lady who was even smaller than her. It made her feel a little nostalgic and surprise herself thinking about the nature of her relationship with Kirino-san.

She thought that, since time had passed, nothing weird could happen between her and Yuu, but she was wrong. Something did happen after all.

She was alone in a room with him, trying to play a scene between Stuart and Jane. Stuart was supposed to try making Jane talk by putting her mouth in the right position. Everything was going great when suddenly Stuart’s and Jane’s mask broke. They were Maya and Sakurakoji again, and their position became really awkward. His palms were all around her chin, holding her face firmly. Then he whispered Maya’s name and leaned down to kiss her. At the last second, Maya managed to push him back, rejecting him in a radical and obvious way.  From what happened, and what she felt then, she leaned two things: First of all, Sakurakoji still had feeling for her. And secondly, something inside her was forbidding her to be too close to any boy, and that “thing” was somehow related to Kirino Takumi. She didn’t know what this meant but whatever it was, it was upsetting her badly.

This Monday, Mr. Purple Rose sent her flowers and a present: a pink make-up box. When she received it, she felt a pleasant warmth filling her self.  It was so kind of him to keep sending her flowers as he used to!

So, as a “thanks”, she decided to give him an album full of photos from her different plays. She really hoped he would like it.

Maya glanced at the clock. Seven hour and a half. She had to go. It was Tuesday and she didn’t want to be late.

It was a date, after all.

*  *  *

“I’m so sorry, Maya! I hope you didn’t wait for me too long!”

“No, of course not, I just arrived! Actually I think we are both early!”

Hijiri glanced at his watch.

“You are right: it’s not eight o’clock yet!”

They looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. It took almost ten minutes for them to calm down.

At the Lonlon, everybody knew they were habitués of this café. The maiden had all a crush on Hijiri and the barman was always calling them the “friendly couple”, even if it was only the fifth Tuesday they were meeting each other there. It began when Hijiri offered a drink to a heartbroken maid. The young woman blushed and stammered: “Thank you, sir. You are really friendly”. Then the barman said: “Don’t try to seduce him, Sakura, they are a friendly couple!”

Strange thing, Hijiri never corrected him by saying they weren’t dating. He actually kind of liked that nickname “the friendly couple”. He also always enjoyed seeing Maya blushing all of the sudden and began to stammer every time the barman says: “Here they come, our Friendly Couple! Coming right away! » It was always hilarious.

When they finally managed to calm down, Maya gave Hijiri an album. Surprised, he took it.

“It’s not much, but I thought you would probably like it.”

Even more intrigued, Hijiri opened it and discovered dozens of photographs, all showing Maya on stage. Every plays she ever played in were represented in that little green book. Gratitude took his breath away.

“It’s to thank you for the box,” she précised “I really liked it.” 

“The box?” He said, puzzled.

“Yes, the make-up box you gave me! It is really pretty, I love it!”

“But, wait, I didn’t…”

Suddenly he interrupted himself and held a gasp. He bit his lower lip and looked away to hide his surprise. No. He had never gave Maya any make-up box.

Masumi did.

Hiding his emotions seemed to be harder than ever. He fought the urge to standing up and going out to call his friend in order to get an explanation. Why did he do that? After all than plan to let her go, after refusing all his calls, he gave a present to Maya as Mr. Purple Rose! Hijiri didn’t like that. That could expose him. Now, thanks to him, he had to straighten the situation.

“Oh, yes, of course! That box! I’m sorry I must be a little tired tonight…”

“Are you? Maybe we could leave earlier so you could rest!”

She sounded like she was really worried. Again, her concern touched him in a way he hadn’t expected.

* * *

A few minutes later, Kirino-san and Maya left the restaurant. Maya was delighted. Kirino-san accepted her gift gladly and smiled to her, though he was tired due to his harassing work. She shouldn’t ask for too much and should be more grateful.

The barman called them a couple again this night. And again Kirino-san didn’t say a thing. What did that mean? Did he really think of her as his girlfriend?

She blushed. In a way, she liked the idea. She looked up at his smooth face and blushed even more. His long hair brushed by the wind, he looked thoughtful and serious all of the sudden. He is often looking like that, a mysterious sorrow in his unfocused eyes. It made a strange effect to her body. Like an urge to go nearer to him, to touch him and make him looking at her. But then she repressed that embarrassing feeling and look away.

Except this time she couldn’t help it. She grabbed his arm and held it tight to make him turn his head and meet her gaze.

* * *

When she grabbed his forearm, Hijiri jumped lightly. He turned his head and saw her eyes, full of concern and tenderness. He might have made a face to worry her. Usually, he would just have smiled to comfort her, but when she met that gaze, he couldn’t help but finding her endearing. And – how strange! – He also felt his heart rush all of the sudden.

* * *

Masumi was in his car at the same moment, looking through the window when she saw them. He immediately demanded Mizuki to stop the car.

Maya; firmly caught held on Hijiri’s arm, an intense gaze toward him widening her eyes. Mizuki gasped but he didn’t pay any attention to it. The truth was he couldn’t tear himself from that terrible view and simply look away. He was torn, indeed, but also hypnotized.

He never thought Maya could have that sort of look in the real life. Those mesmerizing expressions belonged to her acting and couldn’t appear on Chibi-chan’s eyes; at least, that was what he always believed. How could she be looking at him this way? She barely knew him! How could she thrust this stranger that much in only one month? Why did she believe him when he said he was Mr. Purple Rose? Deep down, Masumi always wanted her not to buy this lie, even if he said he wanted her to be happy, deep down…

How could she abandon him that easily?

Jealousy was burning his self, but this wasn’t the worst part of his agony. There was anger too, fury.

What the hell was that look in Hijiri’s eyes?

Here they were, just in front of him, the perfect couple! We had he cute, endearing girlfriend, and her kind, protective, handsome lover, looking at each other with passion. As if everything was great, trustworthy and full of love. Maya seemed to be happy, but Hijiri had crossed the betrayal line. He had no right to look at her this way. As if he was in love with her.

This was more than he could bear. He got out of the car.