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It all started when the first time I saw her, falling over some tree as if a real angel had fallen over from heaven. Though, it might be overly dramatic for me because she just looks flawless in my eyes. My mind only focuses on her whole being, filtering any word that’s being exchanged; the way her body moves to strike a pose or something, which later I found out, is her way to avoid showing the pain from falling off a tree and that is letting her “fallen angel” side loose.
Even after she and her friends ran away from us, disregarding for whatever things Chika been saying, my eyes still wander over her back until a voice breaks our focus away.
That’s the last time I’ve seen her in many weeks after school starts.
I almost think it was an actual angel that fell from the tree just then, and she flew back to where she belongs after being caught by us mortals.
Luckily, the quest for recruiting another person to join our idol club distract me enough to not actually search the whole premises of school; to look every nook and cranny of the buildings, hoping to see a glimpse of blue strands waved around by the winds.
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The search for fellow idols seems to going well, right after our mini-live at school’s gym that manage to hit full house, which got our club approved by the chairwoman.
Then we’re back to try recruiting the first years, and I secretly hoping that I could see her again when we do. But unfortunately, her friends told us that she’s not even coming to the school ever since that day we saw her.
Until then suddenly she showed up at school and somehow ended up joining the club.
From there, I can finally admire the angel closely.
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Since we live in Numazu together, there are many occasions our path crossed, such as riding the bus together on our way to school; although I have to stop middle way because I have to make sure Chika is awake to go to school.
Then there’s the matter at school. No, I don’t mean there is problem at school, it’s just that since we’re in the same club together, we spent a lot of time together as well; mostly all of us in the club-room or roof when we practice. But of course that doesn’t stop me from stealing glances or two at her and it’s easier because there are many of us so I can’t be that obvious about it.
Although I think there’s a chance that it was not like that at all. Instead of being all secretive, I might really do it the other way around. One time, I was minding my own business walking up to my classroom just after visiting the club-room for checking things and just right around the corner when I was just on the stairs, there she is in her full glory; walking towards the stairs. At that point, I have no idea what happened, I suddenly missed a step and almost fell over, and fortunately I have a quick reflex and grabbed the railing just in time to prevent me from actually falling. Another fortunate thing is that she doesn’t seem to realize the event that occurred, and when she finally looks at me, I just offer her a smile.
Then there’s the time when we had to run the shack at the beach. She, Mari, and I were tasked as the chefs, since neither one of us is actually knowledgeable about cooking aside for myself; the other two was only volunteering themselves without actually have any idea what cooking is, in my opinion. Anyway, since the menu is pretty simple, I more or less got time to look around in case anyone need help or something. I was not expecting her to handle the cooking nicely, but there she is in her element cooking the takoyaki like it was nothing; even though I somewhat wonder how did it get that dark. Then it happened, because I was so focused watching her cook, I absent-mindedly held the batter in hoping I can help her to make some. Turns out there are a customer ordering at my station and I accidentally mistook the batter for the sauce and cook it as such; the batter itself contains the hottest hot sauce I ever saw. I just hope that person likes his noodles spicy as hell.
Things are happening when I was in trance and I think it won’t be long until she question why her senior is gawking at her in daylight.
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Finally she can no longer keep her obviousness towards my antics. It was when we’re at the club-room, discussing about the upcoming live. Although I make sure to focus at the discussion at hand, I can’t help to sometimes steal a glance at her; since her opinions usually at far end of extreme, the other just usually pretends they did not hear a thing, so most of the time she only sat there listening while pouting and sometimes tried to suggest some of her ideas. Then she caught me staring even though there’s already someone else speaking, and it happened a few times until I stopped completely because we ended up staring at each other and her eyes is too dazzling to look at.
On our way home at the bus there’s actually silence accompanying us, which is unusual because I usually strike up some conversation or two just to spend times and also low-key wanting to know her better, but this time I had the feeling that she doesn’t up for conversation.
This goes on for few days, I more or less mostly got caught when admiring her and she only stares back when she do.
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I am afraid that what I did was making her unconformable or such, so after a week of staring back and forth, I decided to stop my admiring schedule for a while until she thinks that I’m not doing what she thinks I’m doing anymore.
Thing is, I believe in my absence of admiring the angel up close, I feel like the role got reversed. Some way or another I ended up being the subject of admiration from a certain angel, and well, she hardly hides the way she stares at me which is why I easily caught her when she does giving me the attention. When I do catch her, she suddenly got red all over her face and averts her gaze immediately. It would be fine if this happens one time; maybe she was conversing with her inner demon and it somewhat saying something embarrassing about the past and makes her face red, but this has happened a couple of times and I don’t think this was a conversation with something that’s inside her head anymore.
I am determined to find out what had happened to my angel. But the plan went awry because I have no plans at all; it feels like the misunderstanding I had with Chika all over again. So I search for any alternatives to solve this mystery—ranging from using all the imaginary conversation that might (not)happened to doing a research from one of Riko’s book; which is easily found at Chika’s place since we’ve been hanging out together often since I’m trying to stop my extra schedule. Alas I ended up at the option of playing up the scene to initiate the answer by herself; something that involved a wall.
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The next day at lunch time, I’m steeling myself to make an appointment with the angel after-school which includes me stuttering when trying to ask her plans right after and her somewhat answering in the same manner.
I ended up not concentrating on any classes after our exchange at lunch.
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I hurriedly pack my things when the final bell rings, and immediately storms out of the classroom. Our meeting point is behind the school’s pool, and that’s where my feet automatically takes me to in hoping that I’m the first one arrived.
On my way there I think about which route I shall take the conversation I would like to discuss with her, which only faced me with another miscalculation of the plan, and that is I have no idea what to talk about. I only ever saw a glimpse of what’s inside Riko’s book; in other word is when I steal a glance on what’s she’s reading seriously, all I ever see is someone pinning someone else on the wall, much like what Chika did when trying to advertise our mini-live before.
By the time I have arrived at the spot, not only I can’t think of any topic to talk about but also she’s already there leaning on the wall on her back with a somewhat upset expression plastered over her face that makes me thought about how I make her mad because of waiting too long.
When she realized that I finally arrived, her expression somehow changed into ones that could be described as confused. Not wanting to make things more awkward, I finally muster up the courage to talk about the recent events when she caught me staring, wanting to apologize if I ever make her uncomfortable which only being responded by a soft hum on her side and we’re back to square one.
I have no idea how many seconds had passed in the silence, I’m somewhat ended up leaning against the wall right next to her while she’s focusing her attention on the sound that came from the swimming club.
Before I could even find anything to talk about, she suddenly asked me about not coming to the pool because she remembered that I’m also a member of the swimming club. I answered that I took the day off today for reasons, which actually not a lie since I do have reason to skip club today because I have a meet-up with an angel. Then everything went silent again.
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Although it was silence all this time, it doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, I’m actually enjoying this moment, being next to her, experiencing everything near ourselves. It’s a moment full of tranquility somehow. But I’m afraid that’s not the other party was feeling, so I ended up more or less stares at her again, hoping to find anything that shows her feelings on her expression.
“You’re staring again.” was the words that break the silence.
I immediately avert my gaze while apologizing in a soft tone. I was really sure that she would just turn around and leave at that moment, but instead she’s sighing. Upon hearing her sigh, I bring back my attention to her only to find she leans on her side facing me.
“I’m not mad at you, you know?” is what she’s said while making a worried expression, “It’s just that… I actually like it… the attention I mean. It somehow makes me feel all giddy inside whenever I caught you staring.”
I can only stare back at her words, trying to process every word that’s coming out from her, and when I stared for too long her face is getting red again by the second.
“W-what?” she defends trying to hide her blush, making her back to leaning against the wall on her back looking the other way around.
“You’re cute—no, you’re beautiful, that’s why I’ve been staring at you all this time” I said honestly while giving her a smile, and even though she won’t look back at me, I knew that she listened to it because her face is getting redder by the moment.
“So,” I continue because the lack response from her, “Would you want to go out somewhere after this, since we have no club anyway” I make sure to wait for a little bit in case she wants to say something before I added the last push, “I would definitely won’t miss a chance to spend my evening with an angel, you know?”