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Chapter 2
Inside the meeting room, Mayu bowed deeply to the three people surrounding her once more. There was nothing else to do other than appealing again to that board of important people in the hierarchy of the Takarazuka Grand Revue command. With her eyes tightly closed, she held her body straight for as long as silence continued in the room.
Among the high-ranking people present at that meeting she herself had requested were: one of the most affluent men in the direction board, one senior female teacher and one other man, of whose identity Mayu wasn’t really sure. Despite looking much younger than the former two - who knew, he could as well be really close to her age -, the latter showed an attitude that inspired respect.
The elder cleared his throat but she didn’t change her position.
“Such an act can’t be taken lightly, Ranju-kun,” he finally spoke, in a tone demanding she straightened herself up this time. After waiting until Mayu had complied, he continued: “Ryuu-kun was very reckless in what she did, that could have easily been taken out of context. And this age... it was very fortunate that there is no video going around of what could have been interpreted as a confession of love” his tone left little doubt of what he thought if it were the case.
“And we have to take into account how many must have heard only, er, the juicy details of that party,” complemented the younger man. “Nonetheless, there is nothing for you to worry, Ranju-kun. We took care of the outsiders present and explained everything. Also, the intervention of the kumichou right after that unfortunate speech was very welcome, correcting everyone’s impression.”
“Forgive me for saying this,” Mayu rushed to object “but, if even you admit it was just something that could have been misinterpreted, Ryuu-san can’t be blamed. She just overdid herself a little.”
“Our decision to suspend her activities is definite, as I have already just said.” The older one got up from his chair looks sternly. “Such haste cannot be tolerated, especially not from one who is to represent one-fifth of our revue. Now I have another meeting to attend. And I hope you understand that, for your junior’s well-being, she is suffering from an injury right now. It would be a great damage if a punishment were to be made public at this stage of her career.”
“I will be discreet,” reassuring so, Mayu abjectly lowered her head and waited until the three left.
The last to leave was the female teacher, who prompted her with a sympathetic smile.
“She is in the building right now, dear,” the woman said, handing her a small piece of post-it yellow paper. “Even if there was nothing you could do here, I’m sure it will mean a lot if you went to see her.”
Quietly, Mayu bowed once more to the senior teacher before she left.
After taking a moment to catch her breath, she hurried to the room written on that paper. Certifying that no one was looking - the last thing Masaki would want was probably to be seen with her - she scrolled the room.
Since hearing about that girl’s alleged injury, Mayu had been wondering how she was feeling. Surely, they hadn’t known each other for long, and the other had always kept a certain distance, though that could be due to her own personality. Masaki had always appeared to her as a composed person, focused on improving and moving forward, while very conscientious of her surroundings. Despite being friendly, she would still keep it to herself most of the time. Being suspended, despite surreptitiously, must have been a great shock to someone who didn’t seem to easily depend on others. Well, Mayu herself could be described like that as well, so she was most likely imagining how she would take that blow.
In any case, it had been an overreaction from the direction. It was a party, they all had consumed alcohol. How many hadn’t made a fool of themselves before? A mere reprimand would have been understandable but cutting a girl out of an already announced play? They asked to be discreet but it made her wonder whether, in part, it wasn’t an answer to the sponsors present, for they would be smart enough to simply do the math. Her own troupe had already guessed it already probably. That the injury was nothing but make-believe to the fans and the general public.
It was because she had been lost in her thoughts that what Mayu saw behind the door felt so surreal.
There Masaki stood in a very unnatural pose, holding out a mobile phone and humming something. Then she opened a wide smile and turned her head.
As soon as her eyes reacted to Mayu’s presence, Masaki ran to the door and closed it with a loud thud that made it scroll half way back open as Mayu blinked several times, unsure if she were shocked either about all that violence or about the weird jolly pose with which her eyes had just been presented.
---
Upon realizing what she had just done, Masaki opened the door again. But that person standing there could just be a mirage, right? How would Mayu be right in front of her, instead of kilometers away in Tokyo? She had even watched the official announcement interview for her next musical, Mirio’s debut in her troupe. It couldn’t be that Mayu, the same one whose name she had put in all of her own mess. Not after that spectacle at the party. Not after what Masaki had done.
Done...?
“Oh, no...” She covered her mouth with both hands as another lost memory from that night started coming back.
When doing that, her cell phone fell to the floor and, even though she threw her body down immediately, it had been too late to save it. Masaki continued gazing at the cracked screen that still played the footage inconspicuously recorded earlier of her troupe’s rehearsal for she herself to know how to practice.
“Are you okay, Masaki-chan?” Mayu asked worriedly.
Her mellow tone of voice made Masaki’s chest tighten, as the fate of her phone simply vanished from her mind. The effect that woman seemed to have on her since that first day of rehearsals… It made her smile unwillingly.
“Masaki-chan?” after repeating so, Mayu stretched her hand in Masaki’s direction. “Can you get up?” She herself squatted then to pick up the cracked device on the floor.
As both got up at the same time, it was impossible not to look straight at that woman’s lips. They were so close... And her memories were too fresh; as if it had just happened.
The continuation of the night of the party...
---
Masaki’s first memory after throwing her glass was that of being led out of the small podium by Magee. At the same time, the kumichou’s voice filled the awkward silence with a polite joke connecting the public love confession to Oscar’s feelings towards all of the Andres, after which the older woman went back to the reason they were all gathered there, and probably finished the speech.
Masaki couldn’t hear the rest, however, probably because she was already out of the salon hearing out her immediate veteran’s lecture. At the same time, she was crying out of joy. Her chest felt so light after so long. She hated keeping things to herself. She really wanted to apologize to Mayu, make her understand why she had had to be treated with so much distance. And now, it would all make sense to the older woman. It was all solved!
Masaki continued laughing, now of Magee’s angry face. When had she last seen her that angry? It was scary. And funny. Incredibly funny. But it could also be because she was happy. The whole world had another appearance once you were wearing the happy lenses.
Wait, was she saying all of that out loud?
“Yes, you are.” Magee rolled her eyes, crossing arms. “Really, can’t you be the sleepy kind of drunk?”
About to laugh even harder at those hilarious words, Masaki threw her head backward so to face the ceiling and enjoy even more the feeling of being free.
“Is she alright?”
Masaki turned to the source of that new voice to find her very own object of affection.
“Mayu-san!” she yelped. Then she moved toward the older woman, while wishing she had a tail to shake and demonstrate how happy Mayu’s sole presence could make her. “You understand everything now, don’t you? Just how much you make my heart race?”
“She isn’t really. Alright, I mean.” Magee came between the two and held Masaki by the arm as if predicting her next move. “I’m going to take her to the bathroom and then I’ll call a cab. I hope things are not too problematic back in there for you, Mayu-san.”
“We should worry about her first, I think I have never seen Masaki-chan act like that.”
“Not really her first time.”
“Let me take her to the restroom, then.” Mayu’s hands held her shoulders gently and started leading her way. “I’ll help her wash her face and all, while you call the cab.”
“Um...” Magee hesitated, and Masaki could witness relief take over her face as she made the decision to just comply. “I won’t take long, please take care of her.”
“Don’t worry, Magee. She’s also my junior.” Mayu flashed the most beautiful and reassuring smile before taking Masaki away.
Inside the bathroom, the girl was told to wash her hands, which she hadn’t even noticed to be sticky with the alcohol spilled from when she had thrown the glass away. As she finished throwing some water on her face, her laughter spasm resumed.
“Mayu-san, I was remembering something I got Sou-san to tell me about you.” Upon noticing the puzzled look on the other, Masaki continued: “You can be quite gullible sometimes.”
“Oh. I guess Eritan would be the first to know that,” she said while nodding slightly.
“I’m saying this because I feel bad for getting you to be here with me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I was the one who wanted to make sure you were fine. At least, you seem to be for the time being. When you get home, make sure to keep yourself warm and sleep well.”
“Mayu-san...” Masaki got really close to the other woman, so close Mayu had to step back herself. “You shouldn’t be alone with someone who just said all I have.”
“We will talk later, when you’re feeling better.”
“I’m not as drunk.” Masaki took another step and they were back to being only few inches away. “You are so beautiful and charming... And now, you’re blushing, it means you believe me at least.” She laughed, brushing Mayu’s hair, taking a strand of her hair away from her face. “I love your eyes. They are so deep...”
“Masaki-chan? I think we should head back to...”
But their mouths were already together as Masaki forced her way until she could feel Mayu’s tongue. How many times had she pictured a moment like this, when she wouldn’t be able to hold herself anymore? Wasn’t it precisely this what she had spent so much energy to avoid during the rehearsals?
How could she?
---
Masaki couldn’t remember anything else, except that she had woken up on her bed the next morning.
But those lips were almost as close again as they had been that night. It was impossible not to think back to that stolen kiss.
As fast as her senses came back to her, Masaki threw herself to the ground once more to prostrate herself, while touching her head to the floor, performing the deepest dogeza she had ever done. Even so, it felt that nothing could ever undo that night. How could her drunk self be as selfish as to not only humiliate the woman in front of everyone but also to be so violent when Mayu had gone there only to help her?
One more time, Mayu squatted in front of her and said very softly:
“You don’t need to apologize; I was the one who scared you coming in without even knocking.”
Lifting her face, Masaki shook her head repeatedly.
“I remembered. About that night. What I did. I’m so sorry! That... I...”
But the other woman’s smile never faded.
“Then, I should also apologize. I tried to tell them that that hasn't affected me or anything, that there wasn’t a reason to suspend you.”
“I’m j-just, er...hur…” Masaki couldn’t bring herself to lie, so she just shut her lips, pressing one tightly against the other.
“I knew it from the moment I read the announcement. Don’t worry.” She smiled.
The smile that made Masaki’s heart about to explode. In spite of the entire situation, she couldn’t help but foolishly smile back.
“Here. I’m sorry about your cell phone.” Mayu handed her the device back with a frown. “I really should have announced myself at least.”
Masaki got the phone back, trying not to think about how close their hands were while doing so. In order to distract her mind, she pressed one of the buttons and felt relieved when the lock screen showed a photo she had taken of an Ocean’s 11 poster. Of course, she hid it from the other as soon as she could.
“It is working, don’t worry,” Masaki said to fill the gap. Then, she showed the other a smile, an honest one.
Mayu was right there, being extremely kind to her like always. Just as though that night had never existed, except that now Masaki knew everything. That now she could just be herself without having to lie. Her punishment had been a very small price compared to the lightness in her heart that moment.
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