[One-Shot] Ordinary - Part ii
Yuriko cracks open one eye as the sun beamed through the window. She blinks to clear the blurry vision, kicks off her comforter and yawns with arms stretched out. Then she drags her feet out of her bedroom, scratching her head, and strolls into the kitchen, where she opens the fridge with eyes half-open and yawning still.
"Yuriko."
"Oh, ohayou." She replies lazily to her friend, who has suddenly appeared next to her.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING STILL IN YOUR PAJAMAS??!!"
She winces at the scream as she takes out a carton of milk.
"Please, it's still early to--"
"NO, YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE, BAKA!" Megumi continues shouting as she shakes her clueless friend's shoulders.
"Huh?"
"TODAY IS YOUR DATE WITH YAMASHITA-SAN!"
At the mention of the name Yuriko suddenly becomes wide awake and immediately her eyes shoot to the clock on the wall, which shows the time at 8:50am. She suddenly remembers: She is to be picked up at 9am sharp.
"SHIIIIIIT!!!"
------ 9 minutes later -----
A black Lincoln pulls up slowly in front of Megumi and Yuriko's apartment.
"Yamashita-san, we are here." The driver turns around and gently calls to the back. A groan is heard and then a loud yawn. Yamashita squints at the car clock: 8:59am. He peers out the window at the place where his date lives; it's a modest apartment but looks homey, painted over with a soothing shade of canary yellow. He is not expecting much; in fact; he has no expectations whatsoever. The blind date is just a way to promote his upcoming movie "Win a Date with Takayashi-san" that is scheduled to come out in less than a month. The past two weeks have been packed with photo shoots, magazine interviews, and TV promos that have left him more exhausted than the Kurosagi days. This is the last promo activity for the movie and so he can't wait to just get it over with, to say the least. Just for one day, right? He thought.
His thoughts are interrupted by the door to the apartment cracking open, revealing a girl with straight, long hair and dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. Yamashita stares at her and seems to be confused; don't girls usually dress up for dates? Is this the right person?
He leans forward and asks the driver, "Are we at the right place?" The driver opens his mouth to answer just as they hear a rap on the glass. The driver lowers the window while the photographer who's in the passenger's seat shifts the camcorder to the source of the sound.
"Ano... I'm here for a date with Yamashita-san?" She asks with uncertainty.
"Oh, hai, douzo."
She enters the car and reflexively wears the seatbelt.
"Ah!" She takes in the camcorder hovering next to the passenger's seat, "this is being recorded?" She turns to Yamapi with question marks on her face, her finger pointing at the device.
"Uh, yes we are. It's part of the promo." Yamashita answers unsurely. Is this really the right girl? I believe this was clearly written in the letter...
"Oh, you're Yamashita-san, right? Fujikawa Yuriko desu. Hajimemashite." She smiles at him.
"Doumo." Yamashita returns the smile and hides his confusion; this girl is not acting like his fan at all. He thought the girl would at least go "kyaaaa!" when she met him, if not throwing herself at him, but the girl in front him is treating him as if he is just an ordinary guy, not a popular idol.
"Ahh~ I'm tired~" She leans back and rests her head on the seat. "Don't you think it's kinda early for a date?" She says looking straight ahead.
"Um, yeah, it is pretty early." I got up at 6:30am to do makeup and get dressed up just for this... He glances at her casual attire; a plain white t-shirt with a light pink zip-up hoodie, black skinny jeans and dark gray Converse sneakers. Did she think we're going on a field trip?
"So what's the plan? Where are we going?"
"It's up to you." No, it's a road trip she thinks we're going.
"Oh yeah, that's right. Hm... I bet you didn't eat yet," she peers at him as if confirming, "so let's go get some breakfast first, yeah?"
"Sure."
"In the meantime I'm going to catch some shut-eye if you don't mind."
"Where--" do you want to go? And she is already sound asleep. Yamashita sighs.
"Jya... Let's just go to Yamada Cafe," he says to the driver.
--------
The cafe is scantly occupied by a handful of customers at this hour, mostly businessmen sipping coffee with a newspaper in hand, the few that still have work on a Saturday. Yamapi first goes in alone to get the cafe's permission to film, which is promptly given without question asked, and so followed Yuriko, rubbing her eyes, and the photographer, Kaji-san.
"Ohh! Omelet!!" Yamapi looks up from his menu and blinks at the girl sitting across.
"She was just still half-asleep a moment ago..." he mumbles to himself.
"Yoshi! I've decided." Yuriko closes the menu noisily with a huge grin spread across her face.
"Umai!" Yuriko exclaims with a stuffed mouth.
Yamapi studies her as he eats his french toast. He has never seen anyone this happy merely from eating. Well, except for Akanishi, who would never survive an hour without food. But he supposes that it's the kind of joy that one cannot hide, if it's truly that genuine and overflowing. She is such a kid. Unknowingly, his lips curve up into a faint smile.
"Ne, what's so funny?"
"Uh, eh? Nothing." Yamapi coughs and unconsciously straightens up to reestablish that cool image of his.
"So what do you want to do today?"
"Let me see..." She props up her chin with one hand and taps the fingers of the other on the table, her big eyes rolls around.
"Ah I know! Let's go to the arcade!"
"Eh??" Yamapi can't believe his ears. "Are you sure?"
Yuriko nods firmly, but her eyes suddenly turn uncertain, "Is that ok?"
"Oh, of course. It's just that..." he tilts his head, searching for the right word but cannot find it. It just exists as a strange feeling in his chest that makes his brows furrow.
"It's just that..." she probes him.
"Nothing," he tries to give his most reassuring smile, "It's fine. Let's go." He gets up from his seat with the bill in hand and walks to the cash register.
But she doesn't follow him, not entirely. She remains fixed at her seat, her eyes trailing his back, her arms unconsciously reaching to brace herself. Some thought, some feeling, something, is surging in her chest and making her head swim in clouds. But her heart is not beating like she's just run a marathon, her face not burning like hot coal. And so she brushes it off, swats it away, whatever that is, and follows his gesture to go.
"Yuriko."
"Oh, ohayou." She replies lazily to her friend, who has suddenly appeared next to her.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING STILL IN YOUR PAJAMAS??!!"
She winces at the scream as she takes out a carton of milk.
"Please, it's still early to--"
"NO, YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE, BAKA!" Megumi continues shouting as she shakes her clueless friend's shoulders.
"Huh?"
"TODAY IS YOUR DATE WITH YAMASHITA-SAN!"
At the mention of the name Yuriko suddenly becomes wide awake and immediately her eyes shoot to the clock on the wall, which shows the time at 8:50am. She suddenly remembers: She is to be picked up at 9am sharp.
"SHIIIIIIT!!!"
------ 9 minutes later -----
A black Lincoln pulls up slowly in front of Megumi and Yuriko's apartment.
"Yamashita-san, we are here." The driver turns around and gently calls to the back. A groan is heard and then a loud yawn. Yamashita squints at the car clock: 8:59am. He peers out the window at the place where his date lives; it's a modest apartment but looks homey, painted over with a soothing shade of canary yellow. He is not expecting much; in fact; he has no expectations whatsoever. The blind date is just a way to promote his upcoming movie "Win a Date with Takayashi-san" that is scheduled to come out in less than a month. The past two weeks have been packed with photo shoots, magazine interviews, and TV promos that have left him more exhausted than the Kurosagi days. This is the last promo activity for the movie and so he can't wait to just get it over with, to say the least. Just for one day, right? He thought.
His thoughts are interrupted by the door to the apartment cracking open, revealing a girl with straight, long hair and dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. Yamashita stares at her and seems to be confused; don't girls usually dress up for dates? Is this the right person?
He leans forward and asks the driver, "Are we at the right place?" The driver opens his mouth to answer just as they hear a rap on the glass. The driver lowers the window while the photographer who's in the passenger's seat shifts the camcorder to the source of the sound.
"Ano... I'm here for a date with Yamashita-san?" She asks with uncertainty.
"Oh, hai, douzo."
She enters the car and reflexively wears the seatbelt.
"Ah!" She takes in the camcorder hovering next to the passenger's seat, "this is being recorded?" She turns to Yamapi with question marks on her face, her finger pointing at the device.
"Uh, yes we are. It's part of the promo." Yamashita answers unsurely. Is this really the right girl? I believe this was clearly written in the letter...
"Oh, you're Yamashita-san, right? Fujikawa Yuriko desu. Hajimemashite." She smiles at him.
"Doumo." Yamashita returns the smile and hides his confusion; this girl is not acting like his fan at all. He thought the girl would at least go "kyaaaa!" when she met him, if not throwing herself at him, but the girl in front him is treating him as if he is just an ordinary guy, not a popular idol.
"Ahh~ I'm tired~" She leans back and rests her head on the seat. "Don't you think it's kinda early for a date?" She says looking straight ahead.
"Um, yeah, it is pretty early." I got up at 6:30am to do makeup and get dressed up just for this... He glances at her casual attire; a plain white t-shirt with a light pink zip-up hoodie, black skinny jeans and dark gray Converse sneakers. Did she think we're going on a field trip?
"So what's the plan? Where are we going?"
"It's up to you." No, it's a road trip she thinks we're going.
"Oh yeah, that's right. Hm... I bet you didn't eat yet," she peers at him as if confirming, "so let's go get some breakfast first, yeah?"
"Sure."
"In the meantime I'm going to catch some shut-eye if you don't mind."
"Where--" do you want to go? And she is already sound asleep. Yamashita sighs.
"Jya... Let's just go to Yamada Cafe," he says to the driver.
--------
The cafe is scantly occupied by a handful of customers at this hour, mostly businessmen sipping coffee with a newspaper in hand, the few that still have work on a Saturday. Yamapi first goes in alone to get the cafe's permission to film, which is promptly given without question asked, and so followed Yuriko, rubbing her eyes, and the photographer, Kaji-san.
"Ohh! Omelet!!" Yamapi looks up from his menu and blinks at the girl sitting across.
"She was just still half-asleep a moment ago..." he mumbles to himself.
"Yoshi! I've decided." Yuriko closes the menu noisily with a huge grin spread across her face.
"Umai!" Yuriko exclaims with a stuffed mouth.
Yamapi studies her as he eats his french toast. He has never seen anyone this happy merely from eating. Well, except for Akanishi, who would never survive an hour without food. But he supposes that it's the kind of joy that one cannot hide, if it's truly that genuine and overflowing. She is such a kid. Unknowingly, his lips curve up into a faint smile.
"Ne, what's so funny?"
"Uh, eh? Nothing." Yamapi coughs and unconsciously straightens up to reestablish that cool image of his.
"So what do you want to do today?"
"Let me see..." She props up her chin with one hand and taps the fingers of the other on the table, her big eyes rolls around.
"Ah I know! Let's go to the arcade!"
"Eh??" Yamapi can't believe his ears. "Are you sure?"
Yuriko nods firmly, but her eyes suddenly turn uncertain, "Is that ok?"
"Oh, of course. It's just that..." he tilts his head, searching for the right word but cannot find it. It just exists as a strange feeling in his chest that makes his brows furrow.
"It's just that..." she probes him.
"Nothing," he tries to give his most reassuring smile, "It's fine. Let's go." He gets up from his seat with the bill in hand and walks to the cash register.
But she doesn't follow him, not entirely. She remains fixed at her seat, her eyes trailing his back, her arms unconsciously reaching to brace herself. Some thought, some feeling, something, is surging in her chest and making her head swim in clouds. But her heart is not beating like she's just run a marathon, her face not burning like hot coal. And so she brushes it off, swats it away, whatever that is, and follows his gesture to go.