Chapter 8:

A place to go

This Tuesday in the evening, nearly by eight o’clock Maya was wandering in the street, a sandwich in one hand, the Forgotten Wildness’s script in the other hand, when her phone suddenly rang. She jumped and hasted to pick it up; still a little nervous due to her lack of habitude to use the high-tech phone Kirino-san gave her a month ago. She was always afraid to push the wrong key. By chance, this time she pressed the little green phone, and Kuronuma didn’t have to try calling her again with an exasperated sigh. She raised the phone at her ear and screamed “MAYA SPEAKING!” Some passers-by turned round to stare at her with amusement, and Maya felt blood rushing trough her cheeks. She heard Kuronuma sigh.

“Maya, how many times would I have to tell you? IT’S A PHONE! Like any other phone, you can speak normally; there is absolutely no need to scream!”

“I’m sorry…”

“Yeah, whatever…Listen, Maya. We’ve got a problem.”

His voice became suddenly low and grave. Maya listen carefully. When he finally told her what was going on, she froze.

*

At the same moment, at Musical Hours, the little record and score store dedicated to classical music, comfortably sat in an armchair, a headset covering his ears, Hijiri was fully aware that if he allowed himself to close his eyes for one second, the record dealer would definitely have to wake him up at the stop closing. But it wasn’t like he cared, so he was about to completely relax when he saw a thin figure in the dark street coming closer to the shop window: a familiar, thin figure. He tried to look better. When the neon lighting revealed her face, Hijiri recognized Maya. He stood up, jumping on his feet and observed her a minute during. She looked so distressed, staring at the records just behind the store window, her red, wet eyes unfocused. What happened to her?

Then, as if she suddenly became aware that someone was staring at her, she looked up. Surprise made her eyes widen, but that didn’t erase her heartbreaking expression. She tried to smile and waved toward him, but a tear suddenly fell on her cheek and she turned her head to hide it.

Hijiri rushed toward her.

“Maya, are you okay?” He said with a worried voice. And the strange thing was he was truly worried, he didn’t have to pretend. “What happened?”

“They…they took our place.” She said, and then began to sob. “Our place, where we were practicing: they took it from us!”

She explained that some other team got the room to do their rehearsals. Her director was being censured by the producer, so they were putting them in a bad situation on purpose. Hijiri couldn’t say anything that would make her stop crying. He knew how important that play was. In a few months, that would be the end of the ultimatum: it would be two years since Tsukikage Chigusa told her she had to win the Best Actress Award to be able to compete for the Crimson Goddess role with Himekawa Ayumi. This play was her last chance.

“Can’t you guys go somewhere else?” Hijiri dared to ask.

“And where could we?” She exclaimed, her tears bursting with rage. “Beside, we can’t afford wasting more days looking for a place to go! We need to practice right now!”

“Hold on, hold on!” Hijiri said, grabbing her shoulders. He tried to tease her a little. “Hey! Where on earth did your optimism go?”

It didn’t work. Instead of laughing, she cried even more loudly. Helpless, Hijiri looked away, searching a solution in the thin air. It made him notice that passers-by had started to take quick and accusing looks at him before walking away, muttering pretty things like “What a jerk!” or “Shameless young man” for the politer ones. Embarrassed, Hijiri avoided their glares and focused on Maya, still looking for a solution. Maybe he should ask Masumi to lend a room to them. He smiled joylessly. Even in this dramatic situation, Maya’s pride would never accept Masumi’s help. Then, he had a flash of inspiration. A triumphant smile lightened his face and he felt the sudden urge of looking up to the sky to thank God or whoever just gave him such a brilliant idea.

Without going to the trouble of explaining everything to her right away, Hijiri grabbed Maya’s wrist and dragged her across the streets. When, after a gasp of surprise, she asked what he was doing, Hijiri simply said “Just follow me, you’ll see.”

At least, she was so stunned that she forgot her despair. That fact itself was worth the move.

*

Kirino-san took her to a huge building, whose doors opened automatically after he entered a pass on the entrance keypad and got his keys scanned. In the hallway, Maya saw a hostess bowing before Kirino-san and greeting him respectfully using his last name. Then they got into an elevator and Kirino-san pressed the button shaped as a ‘67’: this building’s highest floor. The elevator slowly rose up and Maya could hear a little piano music played. Neither she nor he was saying anything, yet Maya was on edge: this was way too mysterious for her to be bore! At last, the elevator stopped with a slight jolt and they arrived in a large corridor that was completely empty except of a beautiful and expensive-looking double door standing right in front of them. Maya swallowed loudly with a surge of stress provoked by the amount of luxury that was surrounding her. Kirino-san conducted her toward the very door as Maya advanced shyly. When they stopped before it, Maya gathered all her courage and asked:

“Where are we?”

Kirino-san smiled casually and pointed his finger at an unobtrusive sign under the bell. “KIRINO Takumi” was written on it. She had to read it several times to finally understand. No freaking way…

“Is this,” she stammered, utterly stunned, “is this your place?”

“Yes, it’s my apartment.” He answered casually while unlocking the door. Hijiri laughed at her astonished gaze. This expression was priceless.

*

They came inside. Hijiri observed carefully Maya’s reaction. After all, this place had been designed for her. He felt a sudden pang of bitter. Yes, he shouldn’t forget it: all of him, from his job to his apartment, was a complete fabrication made by Masumi especially for Maya. His friend had foreseen this moment. Nothing was real.

But he could make it real. It was up to him to stop acting and truly become his character.

Before Hijiri’s eyes, Maya was discovering the place, bewildered and somehow charmed. He could see her eyes looking at every little thing in the loft. At a moment, she saw on a wall her diploma framed beautifully and froze. She became so still that for a moment, Hijiri feared to have offended her in some way. But then, he saw a tear falling on her cheek as she smiled widely, tear she quickly wiped, certainly hoping he wouldn’t notice it. Well, if it could make her at ease, he would pretend so.

“Tanks to you, I had been able to graduate in this wonderful high school.” She faced him. Thankfulness was printed on all her features. “How could I ever show you my gratitude?”

Hijiri felt his heat race. He could demand anything. She would say yes. Why was he so pleased by that situation?    

“You could accept my offer.” He said. Yes, he shouldn’t ask anything. Just help her with her issue; that was all. He had no right to do anything else.

Her expression became bewildered. “Your…offer?” she repeated.

“Please do me a favour and use this place as a rehearsal room.” Hijiri said.

Maya blinked once. Hijiri smiled, satisfied. If he turned his offer as a way to repay him, she wouldn’t be able to refuse. He was a genius.

“You…you want me to…”

“This place is too large for just one person: I don’t like it.” He explained, overacting his despair a bit. “So I will really appreciate it if you could practice here with all the team. Of course you could come at the same days and hours you are used to; I don’t want to make things harder to you…” He was truly overacting now. But it seemed to be working. A large grin stretched her lips and she exclaimed.

“Is it for real?”

He tried to look casual, although what he really wanted to do was more like screaming “OF COURSE IT IS, YOU SILLY GIRL, and PLEASE SAY YES!” But he managed to look nonchalant and said “Yes, I told you it’s boring to live in a huge place like this all alone…”

“Oh my, that’s so great!” She exclaimed, delighted. She turned around and scanned the whole place with amazement. Then she rushed toward him and grabbed his hand. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness.

“Thank you, Kirino-san, thank you so much!”

Although this sudden contact with her warm hands was taking him aback in a weird and surprising way, Hijiri focused on his goal, which was not to make her feel like he was the one who’s doing her a favour.

“Does that mean you’re accepting?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Oh thank you Maya! You are really saving me!”

“Well…anytime…I guess…” She said, puzzled.

“Tank you so much!” He insisted.

It didn’t matter if he sounded weird to her, as long as she kept smiling. She forgot she was holding his hand tightly how she was happy, and Hijiri’s heart began to race even faster. Suddenly embarrassed, he freed them and hid them in his pockets. It was time to change the subject.

“So,” he said, “why don’t we start moving all theses furniture to make some space?”

“Yes!” She said happily.

That’s how they started a shambles-style rearranging of his interior design. The main thing was to free as space as possible, so the company could practice correctly. They weren’t doing any art deco. So, they first removed all the lamps and vases with flowers and put them all in a wall broom cupboard. After that they pushed all the furniture, as all the tables, large or small, the chairs, and the armchairs, against the walls. It was the hardest part. But it was also rather fun.

The atmosphere had really relaxed and our Friendly Couple were laughing freely at simple things as the hardness of pushing a really heavy piece of furniture. Maya was always finding a way to make a fool of her and to show her extreme clumsiness by tripping in a lamp wire or some other things like that. As an example, Maya and Hijiri were both pushing a large and heavy couch decorated with cushions to drag it against the bay window. When they realized that both of them were pushing instead of letting one push while the one on the other edge is pulling, Hijiri said:

“Maya, you pull it, I will push it, okay?”

“No way,” She said immediately “I’m pushing.”

Without asking her reason, he insisted. “Pull it; it would be easier to you!” he said while keeping pushing his way. Maya frowned and pushed even harder.

“In your dream, I’m stronger than you think!”

“Stronger than me?” He asked cheerfully, teasing her.

“Maybe.” She dared to answer after a second of hesitation, and pushed the couch using all her strength. Then, beaming, Hijiri pushed the piece of furniture once but really hard, and Maya toppled over the armrest and fell on the couch that Hijiri was still dragging quickly against the bay window, tearing the girl a scream of surprise. When he stopped it, they glanced at each other and remained silent during a minute to wind back, and then Hijiri said.

“You see…you can’t win against me!” He grinned widely.

As an answer, Maya threw a cushion in his face, and they both burst out laughing.   

Then they rolled up the carpets together and put them in the same broom cupboard. Both kneeled down, Maya was smoothing them, so there could not be any bump, and in front of her Hijiri was rolling them up. Here again, to tease her, Hijiri tried to roll the carpets before she could smooth them to make her hands been swallowed by the rugs. Maya tried to defend herself by suddenly pushing him aside but she lost more than once.   

Once they cleared the entire place, they dropped into the sofa, happily exhausted, and admired the fruits of their labor with satisfaction. The main part of the apartment had turned into large and empty room; from the boundary of the glass stairs, behind which were the kitchen spot and the little corridor that leaded to the bathrooms, to the screen that hid Hijiri’s bed and office with the library; where light was reflected by the waxed parquet floor, with only a black a bright grand piano and a piece of furniture with a Hi-fi system for the physical practices. The hundreds of CD had been stocked in the cupboard too. One would believe they were in an Ondine’s Company practice room. This was even better than the place the producers had taken from Maya’s team. Maya seemed over the moon. Hijiri sighed with pleasure. He glanced at the girl.

“Do you want to drink something?”

“I love you!” She exclaimed of relief. Nothing else could have made her happier.

Hijiri laughed to hide his awkwardness. Even if it took him just one second to realize it was just a way of putting it, this instant had had the effect of an electrocution on him and he hurried to make them both a hot chocolate. When he came back, this little moment of embarrassment had completely vanished. She didn’t even seemed of having noticed anything, smiled at him really naturally as he handed her a purple mug and sat comfortably beside her.

“This place is just beautiful!” she said merrily. “Thank you so much Kirino-san!”

“Don’t thank me; I’m the one who is being made a favor.” He insisted cheerily.

*

They smiled at each other. At that moment, Maya felt like slightly putting her head on his shoulder, but she stopped her from thinking about it and focused on her mug. She smiled tenderly when she noticed its color. Purple, as always. She glanced at him and saw he was staring at her. She smiled even wider.

“I’m so anxious to tell Kuronuma Sensei and Sakurakoji-kun we still have a place to go!”

“You want to call them?” Kirino-san asked.

She shook her head. “Tomorrow.” She implicitly meant that it was already too late to call anyone. Kirino-san checked his watch. It was almost midnight. She took a sip of her chocolate. The warm liquid was heating her whole body, giving her way in the sofa, a really relaxing feeling.

“Your apartment is….” She searched the right word “really vast.” She said, impressed.

“Yes, it is. It takes almost the whole floor.” Too vast, Hijiri corrected for himself. This place was ridiculous. But he was supposed to have bough it himself, so…

“And the view is really beautiful.”

“And yet, you didn’t see the roof.” He said.

“May I?” She asked, curious.

“Not tonight.” He said “It’s prettier during daytime.” Hijiri added not to hurt her with this negative response.

“You must be really rich.” She said with a low voice.

“Not so much” he admitted casually. “Well, I’m not poor, but to say I’m rich…”

“You liar!” She cried out. “Nobody can afford such a place unless he is a prince or something!”

Was she thinking he was some kind of prince? Well, he liked the idea.

“Well, as you can see, I hadn’t to pay for the doors or the insulating partition walls…” He laughed.

“That’s true!” She said, laughing too. “How come there is NO door in this place? And I think I can count the walls on my hands!”

“It’s a mystery to me too.” He said. “I don’t know, maybe there wasn’t enough of cement, so they said: “Let’s make a floor apartment with less than ten walls and let’s the renter deal with it!””

“And,” Maya added “maybe they lost the doors and the owner said: “It’s no big deal, they won’t use them!””

Hijiri roared with laughter. Maya shuddered, put nonchalant expression on her face and said: “Doors? What for? I don’t understand: why are people so into doors nowadays? Like it was important or something…Honestly!”

Both of them got the giggles. This place was so ridiculous they couldn’t help but making fun of it. Maya even wiped a tear and Hijiri got some trouble getting his breath back. When, after a while, they finally calmed down, they two were giving the impression of just having run the two hundreds meters sprint.

*

Maya finished her chocolate with two long gulps and put the mug beside her, on one of the tables pressed against the same window. She turned her gaze on the piano.

“Are you a musician?” She asked. Kirino-san smiled kindly.

“I…guess so.”

“I love the piano. I rather like violin, but it’s harder to find someone who owe one and can play it. But anyway, I love all the instruments!”

She turned her head and saw Kirino-san gazing at her in a really weird way. She blushed.

“What? What did I say?” she stammered.

But Kirino-san didn’t respond and jumped on his feet and walk in his “bedroom”. For a moment, the screen hid him and she feared for a moment that she had said something wrong, but when he came back, Maya was surprised to see him carrying a long and black leather case that he put on the floor and opened. 

*

Hijiri opened the case, and in the molding protection covered with red velvet, the bright and waxed violin was almost smiling at him with all the streaking of its maple wood. He gently took it by the fingerboard with his left hand and the bow with his right, and straightened up. When the violin appeared, Hijiri heard Maya gasp. He glanced at her as she was making herself comfortable on the couch, smiled and placed the edge of the belly on his shoulder to put his chin on the chin rest. He raised the bow and tenderly made it get in contact with the strings on the bridge. His eyes focused on them, he began to play. He had chosen the Ave Maria by Schubert. (http://www.deezer.com/listen-3296151). It was a beautiful and calm song he always liked to play.

Violin was truly the only thing that remained from his childhood, his past, and in a general way, of himself. Among all the lies he had to tell Maya, violin was certainly the only little thing that would always be pure truth. That may suffice to explain the emotion that made him quiver while he played. Too scared that the girl may notice his sentiment, he kept looking at the strings, even during the parts he perfectly knew.

The tune reverberated in the apartment more clearly than before, certainly due to the place’s new layout; it bettered the acoustic in a way. It was an agreeable feeling, to be there, on the top of a high building, to feel like the entire town, the entire world was sleeping and that the only sound we could hear was that sweet melody. He should try to play on the roof sometime.

When the very last note finally died on the bridge, Hijiri held his breath for a second, to preserve the silence, and without looking at her, he waited for the girl reaction.

But he just heard a deep sigh, so he turned his gaze at her.

Maya was lied down, her back on the sofa, her head resting on the armrest’s cushion turned on her left side. Her eyes closed and her breathing deep and loud, she was asleep.

Hijiri put the violin away, took a blanket from the cupboard and covered Maya from toes to shoulders with it. He took his time to fit it properly, to wrap her well around it so she wouldn’t get cold. Then he turned off the main lights and only let one little lamp in his “bedroom” on. The place suddenly became all dark, except for Maya, who happened to be lighted by a cold moonbeam. Hijiri slowly came back to her, his attention suddenly snatched by this silhouette lied on the couch, and squatted down, his face on the same level than hers, to observe her thoughtfully.

From the moment they knew about her, everyone agreed to say she was exceptionally talented, but plain. Even Masumi, his friend who always loved her, was teasing her about that as a fact. She wasn’t pretty, but he had several other reasons to love her. Things happened, and Masumi ended up falling for that girl. Never, at any moment, Hijiri heard anyone talking about her as a beauty. That was why most people were convinced that she wouldn’t stand a chance against Ayumi Himekawa to get the part of the Crimson Goddess.

Yet, as she was right now; her features completely relaxed, one palm on her chest, the other one half closed on the armrest, near her forehead like a baby, the darkness of her long and silky hair that curled around her face contrasting with her fair skin on the moonlight, her soft lips half opened; he had to admit it, she was taking his breath away. There was indeed something in her air that was lovely and endearing, that needed to be protected. He felt the sudden urge of touching her, to brush his fingertip against the curve of her nose, but he fought this desire, too scared that he may break the soft perfection of this picture.

He wished the night would never end; that way he could keep gazing at her like this forever.