"Hi."
A long pause during which I unconsciously stopped breathing, waiting for his next words.
"Sorry to call you so suddenly, but I wanted to talk to you and you're not at home. Are you okay?" Koushi said and I finally started breathing again.
I stared at the wall, trying to get a grasp on myself. "I'm good." My voice was a little bit choked, but I cleared my throat and straightened up my back. "I'm good, and you?"
"Well, as I said, I'm standing outside your door. I know it's your free weekend and I finally had some time since I finished making decorations for the kids, so I thought I would visit you." He seemed as nervous as I was, if not more. And I had no idea if it's a good sign or a bad one. "Where are you?" He asked.
My heart started beating faster. I wanted to talk as well, but not like this. Not now. "I'm in Tokyo." I said slowly.
There was a silence for a moment as I waited. It seemed like eternity before I heard him again. "Why are you in Tokyo?"
"I visited Kyo. I asked her to help me a little bit with something." I said, feeling my heart race. I didn't want to tell him over the phone about the job offer. I didn't want to talk about the important things now, when I can't even see his face. And where people pass by me as they walk in and out of the banquet room.
"I'm so sorry." He said so quietly that for a moment I thought I imagined it. "I should talk to you earlier. I don't know why you needed her help, but I want to be the one who helps you when you need it."
I think my heart just broke a little. I can already hear it cracking.
"It was something only she could help me with." I said, trying to comfort him. "You already helped me by giving me her number. And the rest I had to do by myself."
"Did something happened?" He asked, still sounding like he was worried.
I sighed. How to tell him without telling him? "No, nothing's wrong. It's just-"
"I'm sorry, are you okay?" I heard a male voice from behind and I turned around, startled. Does every man today have to ask this one question? "Sorry, I thought you were holding your head and not your phone." The man said quickly, raising his hands up.
I sent him a short smile before turning around again. "Sorry for that. Nothing happened. Can we talk tomorrow? When I come back to Miyagi?" I asked quickly.
"Right, sure." He sounded like he didn't want to end the call, or like he wanted to ask me some things, but he gave up. "Just call me when you're back." I could hear the disappointment, but right now I couldn't do much.
"I'll call you. Goodnight, Koushi." I said, smiling bitterly. And as he said goodnight as well, I could almost feel the same kind of smile in his words.
When I turned around, the man was still standing behind me. "Sorry, I didn't eavesdrop. I just wanted to ask if you work here. I lost my friend and maybe you saw him." He said quickly.
He had a white shirt, like every men here, but he had no jacket and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, unlike every man here. If not for the shirt, he would still stand out with his white-grey spiky hair.
"Sorry, I don't work here. But if you describe your friend, I can help you find him." I said, feeling bad for the man. Besides looking out of the place, he looked so lost and sad as he watched people around, trying to find someone.
"He has black hair, and he is this tall." He raised his hand and put it somewhere near his forehead.
I looked around and, seeing a lot of people with black hair and around the man's height, I sighed. "Is there something I could recognize him for? Anything special?" I asked slowly.
"He's around our age." The man said and my mind wandered to the group of people Kyo introduced me to.
There was someone with black hair, around our age.
"Is your friend's name Akaashi, by any chance?" I asked, hoping that I guessed right.
"Yes! You know him?" The man asked excitedly and I almost couldn't believe my luck.
"Yes, we've just met." Before I could say more, the man took my arm and pulled me among the people, bowing his head a little. It looked like he was running away from someone. "Hey, not this way." I said, stopping him. But as I started walking in the right direction, he grabbed my wrist again.
"Wait, no." He was low on his knees, trying to get his head as low as possible. "We should wait a moment before we go there."
"Why?" I asked, suddenly feeling nervous. What if the man wasn't supposed to be here? What if he just walked into the banquet uninvited and tried to kidnap me by telling me a story about his friend that he had lost?
"I was looking for a bathroom. I couldn't find it, so I walked up to a room full of food. I wanted to ask someone where the bathroom was, but I already found one for the employers. But then, when I walked out, I couldn't help but eat some of the food that was prepared on the counter. Then a waiter walked in and asked if I ate the food that was ordered by the hotel's guests and he got really mad. I ran away from him, but I think he told his colleagues because every waiter seems to watch me like they recognize me from somewhere. I'm afraid that they will kick me out and Akaashi will be disappointed. Can you hide me?" His voice was a little bit whiny and eyes were pleadingly looking at me.
Like a kid in a grown man's body.
After a quick moment of thinking, I sighed. If he's lying, I will know as soon as we reach the group of people that Akaashi and Kyo are in. "Okay, I'll help you. But stop acting suspicious. Just don't look at the waiters and act like you know what you're doing."
I started walking with the man, trying to look for the waiters in our path. We were circling among the people, trying not to look suspicious. "Couldn't you just take food from here?" I pointed at the table near the wall. It was full of different kinds of food and it looked like everyone could take whatever they wanted to. There was also a couple of bottle of wine and glasses and I couldn't help but pour myself some.
"If I knew it was here, I would." He said, leaning a little to talk to me. Even after eating something in the kitchen, he was almost drooling at the sight of the delicious food on the table.
"Next time think before acting." I said, turning a little as I saw another waiter coming our way. He didn't look like he was after someone, but I preferred to be careful. I pulled the man to the side, where older people talking in circle could hide us.
"Next time I won't leave Akaashi's side for the whole evening." The man looked at the table with longing in his eyes before turning to me again. "Hey, I'm Bokuto Kotarou by the way." He smiled widely.
"Kuroki Miyu. Nice to meet you." I shook his outstretched hand lightly, giggling as he completely changed how he acted. He wasn't sad and lost now, with a wide grin on his face.
"You said you were going back to Miyagi over the phone." Bokuto said, making me look at him with a small frown. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hear what you said." He apologized quickly. "I just have a friend in my team that lived there."
"In your team?" I asked curiously. Now, when I looked at him from the side, I could believe that he was a professional athlete without a blink of an eye. I mean, I could see how muscular he was by the way the shirt was a bit tight over his biceps and chest.
"Yeah, I play volleyball. Have you heard of MSBY black Jackals?" He asked proudly and I searched my mind for the familiar name.
Does everyone in Japan play volleyball? I swear, this sport will haunt me for the rest of my life.
And for the name, I've heard that before, that's for sure. "I think my boyfriend or one of his friends mentioned it to me. He played volleyball in high school." I said thoughtfully.
"Really? Which school? Have they ever took part in a tournament?" He asked, almost vibrating from all the excitement that seemed to accumulate in his body.
"I think they went to nationals once. They all attended Karasuno High School." I was stopped suddenly and almost tripped, but Bokuto's hand steadied me as he grabbed my arm. I was about to look at him and ask what he was doing, but he interrupted me as he grabbed my other arm and turned me in his direction.
"Wait, Karasuno!? My teammate is from Karasuno!" He yelled, making some of the people look at our direction. "Do you know Hinata Shoyou? And you said your boyfriend played volleyball. Who is he?" He started asking me questions, completely ignoring the fact that he was directing all the attention to us.
I saw a waiter looking in our way behind Bokuto's back and I quickly pulled him in the direction of our friends. Or at least in a direction that I think they are. "We should find our friends first, then we will talk." I said, trying to see if the waiter followed us. it looked like he didn't.
I felt like a secret agent on a mission and I have to admit, it was pretty fun. At least until someone kicks Bokuto out for entering the kitchen and devouring the food there.
"Oh, come on! Don't leave me hanging like this. Now I'm excited. We have mutual friends. I mean, it was some crazy coincidence that out of all the people here I asked you for help. But I felt like I could trust you. Most of the people look like they would help the waiter if I told them my story, but you looked kind enough, so I asked you." He rambled as I pulled him through the crowd.
Our group moved a little while they were talking, but I finally saw them among others. Kyo was turned with her back to me and talking to Risa and Akaashi when the latter spotted us. His eyes moved to Bokuto's elbow that I was still holding and he frowned. "Bokuto, what did you do this time?" He asked, just like it was usual for the grey-haired man to do something silly.
"Akaashi! Did you know that Miyu knows Hinata?" He yelled excitedly.
"Where have you been? I thought you were supposed to go to the bathroom and come back in a moment." Akaashi ignored his question as everyone in the group looked at Bokuto.
"It's a long story." Bokuto waved his hand casually before turning to me. "But can you believe it? She helped me find you and then I found out that she dates someone from Karasuno team. Wait, who do you date there?" He turned to me and everyone in the group looked at me this time.
For them it was probably a fun show.
"Sugawara Koushi." I said, a little flustered.
"I know him! He was a setter, just like Akaashi!" Bokuto said excitedly. I laughed nervously and moved the glass of wine to my mouth before realizing that it was empty. I looked around until I met Kyo's eyes.
She probably understood me without words, because she handed me the drink she was holding for me when I walked away.
Bokuto opened his mouth to say something again, but his eyes opened wider as he looked at something behind our backs and he ducked down to hide. Kyo turned around to see what made him behave like this, while I moved a little to cover him from the view of the waiter that probably walked up behind us, but it was too late.
"Excuse me, sir." We heard a serious voice and I closed my eyes for a moment.
I felt nervous, even though I wasn't the one to do anything wrong.
Bokuto kneeled on the floor, pretending to tie his shoes and probably wishing that the waiter didn't refer to him at all, but to some random man instead. He was bowing his head, looking at the floor while toying with his shoelaces but after a moment even he knew that it was pointless.
He looked up slowly, a sweet smile on his face as he looked straight at the waiter that walked up to our group. "I'm fine, I just wanted to tie my shoelaces." He said innocently as the last reminiscences of hope fleeted from all of us.
"Please, follow me to the exit." The waiter said and Bokuto immediately started sulking. His whole demeanor dropped as he slouched his arms and bowed his head lightly.
"Bokuto, what did you do?" Akaashi asked, but the man just waved his hand and sighed.
"I guess I'll just go." Bokuto said and I felt bad for him.
I wasn't the only one, since everyone in our group looked like they just witnessed a public execution.
When Bokuto started following the waiter slowly and Akaashi started following Bokuto, I saw Risa drink the rest of her cocktail quickly before she followed them. I looked at Kyo and she smiled at me cheekily. "Do you want to change surroundings?" She asked and, before I could answer, she swallowed almost half of her drink in a couple of sips.
I giggled, but did the same and we followed the group and the waiter. I didn't look around, trying not to lose the sight of Kyo's back as we moved forward, but I knew that people turned to look at us.
When we caught up with Akaashi and Bokuto, the latter was pouting as the waiter talked to him and Akaashi was bowing apologetically next to him. They were by the counter in reception and Bokuto was in the middle of taking money out of his wallet as he probably paid for the food he has eaten in the kitchen. When we walked up closer, the waiter already turned around and I saw him sighing as he walked back to the room where the banquet was held.
"Are we going back home now?" I asked, feeling both sad and hopeful.
Sad because despite everything, I had fun.
Hopeful because my feet are dying in those shoes and I needed to at least sit down.
"Do you want to go back?" Kyo asked as we all walked outside the hotel.
The colorful lights of the city made it obvious that most people didn't sleep despite the late hour, and I didn't feel like sleeping either. I quickly moved my feet in the boots to check if I can still walk before turning to Kyo with a smile. I didn't have to say anything as she smiled back and we exchanged knowing looks.
"I feel like having noodles. Or ramen." She said loudly enough for the rest of our small group to hear.
Risa turned around with a wide grin as Bokuto jumped excitedly.
"Yes! I want that too!" He hollered, making Akaashi roll his eyes and sigh.
"Didn't you just eat half of the food in the hotel kitchen?" He asked, but Bokuto was already past the mourning state after being kicked out.
"It was almost half an hour ago, my stomach is already empty." He said, looking at his friend pleadingly. "Please, I promise I won't cause any more problems." For a moment Akaashi looked like he was going to say no, but finally, he nodded. Bokuto raised his arms and I already prepared for the loud noise as I moved away slightly. "Woohooo! Noodles!"
We all laughed as he started jumping around us like a kid when Risa pulled out her phone out of her purse. "I know a place that shouldn't be closed yet. It's not far from here, so we can walk." She said, swiping through her phone.
"And I know a convenience store that has a wide range of alcohols in case we need any for later." Kyo added and we were ready to walk away until we heard someone calling.
"Wait for me!" I turned around to see Arata jogging downstairs to catch up with us. "Where are we going?" He asked casually.
For me it might be a new thing, but they all acted like it was normal to be kicked out of the party as they immediately thought about other places they could go to.
"Does this happen often?" I asked quietly when we started walking down the street. "I mean, does every party end like this?"
"It was the first time that one of our friends was kicked out, but we usually switch places after we get bored." She answered me, leaning a little to keep her voice down as well.
She interlocked our arms together again and I felt grateful. I wasn't drunk yet, but it was easier to walk arm in arm with someone. Now even the cold wind blowing in my face couldn't spoil the mood as I felt warm and bubbly inside.
As I listened to the people around me joking and laughing, I couldn't help but think about the night as a free trial before moving to Tokyo for good. A foretaste of what my life can look like if I decide to move here and start anew. And the voice in my head, the one that pushed me to call Kyo a week ago, completely agreed with me.
I liked the idea of living here much more that I initially thought I would.