Colours of the Snow | Yuki Ishikawa

1

2020. August 9

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Dubai International Airport," the flight attendant announced over the intercom. "The local time is 10:35 PM. Please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until we have reached the gate."

I glanced out the window, taking in the sight of the bustling airport building. It felt surreal to be in a new place, far away from the familiar surroundings of the Philippines. As the fasten seat belt sign turned off, eager passengers quickly stood up, ready to disembark. Being in the business class, I had the advantage of priority, so I retrieved my hand-carry luggage from the overhead compartment.

After going through immigration, I made my way to the departure hall for my next flight. I had a 10-hour layover before my flight to Milan. Considering the current pandemic situation, I took several preventive measures before settling down at the departure area to wait. It was still early in the morning, so most of the shops and facilities were closed. I decided to find my gate's waiting area and spotted some comfortable upholstered seats. Since I hadn't slept well on the plane due to turbulence, I decided to take a quick nap on the chairs.

A few hours later, I woke up to the sound of new passengers arriving. It was already 4:30 in the morning. Feeling slightly embarrassed for taking up multiple seats, I adjusted myself as more people started to fill the area. To pass the time, I decided to watch some anime on my tablet.

While engrossed in the show, I noticed a man sitting at the other end of the row I was occupying. Out of curiosity, I glanced at him since he stood out among the crowd with his East Asian features. He looked young, tall, and had a fair complexion. Wearing a black jacket and carrying a backpack, he had a distinct style that reminded me of characters from Japanese anime. Being a fan of East Asian pop culture, I couldn't help but suspect that he might be Japanese because of his anime-styled hair.

I found myself intrigued by him, not out of infatuation but rather interest. The secret glances were my way of getting a closer look.

After a while, he seemed to be searching for something in his bag.

"Shimatta," he whispered to himself, clearly frustrated.

Sensing that he wanted to ask for something, I looked back at him, waiting for him to speak up. I didn't want to initiate the conversation, so I patiently waited for him to make the first move.

"A-ano... do you have a p-pen? I think I left mine before the immigration," he somewhat nervously asked, stumbling over his words.

"Sure, here you go," I replied, handing him the pen after sanitizing it with alcohol.

"Thank you, just for a short while," he said, bowing his head in gratitude.

I simply nodded and smiled, our eyes meeting behind our masks.

I returned to my anime, and I couldn't help but laugh at some humorous moments.

"Excuse me," the man approached me, returning the pen. "Thank you," he said as I accepted it from his hand. At the same time, he glanced at my tablet and noticed what I was watching.

"Haikyuu?" he asked.

"Yes! I really like it," I replied excitedly.

"Ah, yes. It's really good," he nodded in agreement. "Do you play volleyball?"

"I did for a short time in elementary school, but I had to stop after getting hit in the face with a ball and getting a nosebleed," I answered, laughing.

"That sounds painful," he chuckled in response.

"It was. But my sister recommended Haikyuu to me since I've been running out of movies to watch during the lockdown. I'm not really into sports, but this anime has captured my interest."

"That's good to hear. Volleyball is a fantastic sport," he remarked.

"Do you play volleyball?" I asked, curious to know more about him.

"Yes, I do," he nodded.

"Oh, that's nice! Which country are you from?" I asked.

"Japan. I'm Japanese," he replied confidently.

"Oh! I love Japan," I exclaimed with excitement. "By the way, I'm from the Philippines."

"Ah, a nice country," he complimented.

"Thank you. I hope to visit Japan someday," I said, smiling.

"That would be wonderful. You're welcome to visit," he replied graciously.

"Thank you," I responded, feeling the conversation naturally winding down. As a bit of an introvert, I tend to exhaust my social energy quickly. However, I felt surprisingly comfortable talking to this Japanese guy. Yet, now I found myself at a loss for words.