School Girls' Stories - Year 3

Chapter 22 – Autumn Festival

“Don’t be nervous,” Frost told Yuki from behind the curtain, watching the girl pace back and forth, waiting for the rest of the art club to bring down the animation they would be presenting to the crowd that was quickly filling the auditorium.

“How can I not be nervous?” she demanded. “It’s my artwork up there, with everyone else’s and… and it’s my voice. I’m not, I don’t sound mature enough. My voice is high and whiny sounding.”

“That is a matter of your opinion,” Frost insisted. “Don’t worry, all right? Everything will be perfect.”

“But… what if it’s not!” Yuki cried, pacing once again.

“When I was ten, I moved to Greece,” Frost suddenly said, breaking in to Yuki’s train of thought. Yuki screeched to a halt and looked over her shoulder at her teacher. She waited, then slowly paced backwards and over to him, not turning fully around until she was almost directly next to him.

“Why Greece?” Yuki asked, happy for the distraction and the tidbit of information that an old childhood friend was feeding her.

“I went to live with my real parents, who were from Greece,” he explained. “It seems the people raising me here were not my true parents, though it never explained my nature, but that is life. Anyway, they changed my name from Japanese to an English translation of it, well, of the first name.”

“So… they seriously named you Frost, even though it was a pun on your… well… difference?” Yuki asked, enraptured in the story.

Frost laughed and nodded. “Yes, and it turns out, my real family isn’t that great, so I came back to Japan hoping to become a teacher here and to be with the family who raised me as a child. They were happy to have me back.”

“Wow,” Yuki smiled. “I… ohh… I missed you so much when you left,” she said honestly. “You were always kind to me, even though you were Nakago’s friend, and even then he was a jerk to me. Jerk. Man, I don’t miss him,” she said grumpily, crossing her arms over her chest.

Frost let out a laugh and leaned down to whisper into Yuki’s ear. “Want to hear a secret?”

“Yes,” she whispered excitedly. But Frost was never allowed to say the words he wanted to tell her. Suddenly her grey eyes widened with fascination and Frost pulled back and away from her, turning his head towards the crowd that was forming that they could see from their space in the wings, just in time for her bellowing, “SHINWA!” In a dash she was heading off of the stage, into the crowd, and through the people, running up to her shining figure, a man with golden hair and light lavender eyes, a man that emulated Frost from the very beginning, and Frost wondered if her love for him may have had something to do with her adoration for a once young Shima.

“Yuki!” Shinwa called out, reaching out his arms to her. It was a scene from a movie, Yuki pushing her way through one side of the crowd as Shinwa pushed his way from the other side. The two of them rushed through the crowds of schoolmates before they caught up to one another, and for once Yuki did not screw up the moment. She jumped into his arms, and he caught her with ease bringing her close for a loving embrace. The two of them clung to one another, no words needed as their breathless happiness encircled them.

“Shinwa!” she cried out happily as he placed her down on the floor. People from all corners of the auditorium were turning to stare. Freshman to see the man whom they knew from music and television, and movie posters that were just starting to make it out around town, juniors and seniors to see the hunk they remembered from school. “What are you doing here?”

“I came for the school festival, of course,” he laughed, “and to see you.”

“But what about work?” Yuki asked, shifting from foot to foot.

“I need a vacation like everyone else,” he smiled down at her. “Fuji was telling me you did a voice for this cartoon.”

“You saw Fuji?” Yuki asked, her heart bubbling as she thought of one her best friends being there as well.

Shinwa nodded, the smile never leaving his face. “Yes, she was outside with Mr. Taiikuka, they were buying something to drink and she spotted me. I have never seen Fuji jump up and wave hello before. Something has definitely gotten into her.”

“I’ll say,” Yuki mumbled, but she could not help but smile. Her friends were here, even if Shai wasn’t, it was a start. Shai had called to wish her luck, but that was the last she had heard from her. Shai seemed to be keeping very busy with household work, school work, and of course the taking care of two children. She complained about already feeling like a married woman, but somewhere Yuki suspected she enjoyed it.

“I can’t believe you came,” Yuki said breathlessly, not wanting to release the man she had not stopped thinking about in all of the months he had been gone. It had already been six months since he had gone, but to her it had felt like a lifetime.

“I’ve missed you,” he told her, burying his head into her hair and taking in the scent of autumn that clung to her. “I’ve only thought of you, I’m sorry I could not contact you, things have been so hectic. That and I keep misplacing my cell phone, like an idiot.”

Was that really true? She could not really question him now. She herself was one of the most forgetful people in the world… if not most. He was busy, he was working, and she could forgive him almost all trespasses as long as he had remained true. Had he remained true?

“I think they wish to start the cartoon,” Shinwa pointed out, watching the lights go up and down, indicating that the audience was to take their seat. Shinwa took Yuki over to a seat, and sitting beside her, instead of her helping out the club she was a part of, they watched the cartoon together, before she would finally ask him the questions she’s longed to since he left… what has he been doing in London for six months?