121 Chapter five, 2016, extended stay: 9 (2/2)
When he closed in on her she turned on her feet, climbed the stairs and headed into the corridor to his classroom. That had him even more confused until she walked past it.
'Ah, that's right. We were given a new room.' Ulf started running after her and caught up just as they passed 5:1. He wondered if they would be able to see all of the pool from their new room.
They almost were. A little over half of it was visible if you leaned out through the windows.
Half a dozen club members were busy adding the finishing touches to the former classroom converted into club room. They must have spent a lot of time since the field trip here, because the room had been carefully redesigned for lounging, office work and even small conferences. There was even a very small kitchenette in a corner. Bookshelves lined two walls, and four shelves cut the room into two sections separating the lounge area from the workspace.
”Whoa! You guys rule!” 'Where did the money come from? I seeded quarter of a million yen, but that's nothing compared to the furniture they brought here?'
”Like it, Urufu-kun?” Midori asked proudly. Not waiting for an answer she continued. ”Found out a week ago both my parents and Hiroyuki-kun's own furniture stores. Between us we had a lot of damaged goods we could take.”
”I see,” Ulf said just as he thought it. That made sense. 'Two dozen of us now. We'll need this space. And I just love how they've planned the place for workshops in small teams! Super kids!' ”It's perfect. You've made us a new home here. Christina's going to step dance all over the place when she sees it.” Thinking of her he wondered where she was.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. ”She called in,” Midori said after a while. Her hair grew if possible even more unruly as if it wanted to share in her shame. ”I'm sorry, but she won't come.”
Ulf forced a smile to his face. ”Girl, it's not your fault. Besides, she should have called me instead. Thanks for letting me know,” he added to underscore that he really thought that Midori had only shown consideration.
But it was still a bummer. It wasn't like she had promised him anything, but he had hoped. During all of summer break they had spent less than a day alone together. Ulf shrugged. At the other hand they had spent far more days in each other's company than he had dared hope for to begin with, even if they had shared that time with others. And he would be a poor friend if he didn't give his friends the time they deserved.
'And you're rambling. Making excuses when you know that your need for her is endless.' He threw Midori and the others an ironic salute and walked to the workspace. Some time on his own while he pretended to work seemed like a good idea.
Noriko had seen through his ruse. She always did, but with a bit of luck she'd play along. He knew she had a crush on him, and he knew he was abusing it a little right now, but he really needed to sit on his own and think things over.