Without thinking twice, Hanabi simply grabbed his hand and pulled him further into the hall. Her eyes could see nothing but the various works of art and the colors they radiated. Hanabi had no words for it and also walked between the different aisles, looking at every single sketch, every single painting, whether it was made with watercolors or acrylics.
For so long, she had dreamed of being in a place like this and seeing all the drawings and artistic figures. At that moment, Wakatoshi couldn't help but be drawn after her and look at her.
She was beaming all over her face like a little child, looking at every little line. He couldn't help but smile. Although he had known Hanabi for more than half a year now, he had never seen her beam like that. Not even at a volleyball match.
He also felt her small hand, which was a little cooler. It was warm in this room, so why was her hand cold? Even though Hanabi was beaming, he could see a little exhaustion. Was it because she was excited and her body couldn't process it properly?
For several reasons, he tried to understand this girl. Her behavior, her feelings and her gestures. They were on the same wavelength with the volleyball, but Wakatoshi wanted more than that. He also wanted to talk to her about things he didn't quite understand yet. He had no idea about art anyway, but he wanted to be able to talk to her at least a little. Hanabi was a very different girl from the ones he knew. Although she was popular, she didn't care and only had one real friend in Mitsuri, which she did.
Hanabi also treated him normally, even though he was one of the most popular like her. She didn't care how they looked at her during training. She remained consistent and strict but also calm and kind.
"Look how beautiful these colors are. They go perfectly with the sunny landscape that is depicted. The little petals are really drawn in great detail." said Hanabi, who for some reason had started telling him about this art. For a brief moment, the boy smiled and looked at her in surprise. "You...smile..." she realized in amazement and began to smile as well.
Her heart automatically beat faster, which she wanted to stop again. But she had long since lost this battle since she had taken his hand, which he did not let go of. The warmth of his large hand warmed her whole body. Like little sparks of lightning, they shot from her hand into her blood.
"Do you mind?" asked Wakatoshi. "No..not at all..." Hanabi spoke softly, looking away from him and blushing slightly. "Thank you...for taking me here..." she added shyly.