Romeo and Juliet
Chapter 04
yawned as she attended school the next day. Her usual neat hair was rather unkempt, and her eyelids were heavy. Her school uniform was rather crumpled and creased, and her back was bent. She was dragging along her feet as if they were a ton or something. could not sleep. She spent the whole night yesterday thinking about why she'd fall for Shiraishi Kuranosuke.
However, she wouldn't get a moment of peace in school. She was pestered by students who needed to get announcements broadcasted across the school, and they kept on chirping beside her ear about what to say and so on. They rattled so much that none got into her head.
"All right, all of you pass me all the announcements. I'm the person-in-charge today," Shiraishi spoke as he headed towards . lifted her head forcefully, and tried to protest, "L-Look, Shiraishi, I can make the announcements."
"I haven't been making them for weeks. Come on, let me do it," Shiraishi begged, and eyed him. "Oh, all right then! I'll hand over the task to you."
Shiraishi beamed. "Great. Why do you look so sleepy and restless?"
sighed, "I never did get a good night's sleep. Oh yes, good luck for the play!" With that, she waved and excused herself as she went back to her classroom to get started on the day's lessons.
"All right, class, in this Mathematics equation..." Her dreary Mathematics teacher started blabbing again in her lessons. could not even understand a single thing she was saying. She only knew that she looked really serious and her lips were moving; yes, a sign to tell that she was speaking. But her language sounded more like foreign language to her. She just couldn't concentrate with her state of mind.
"~!@#$%^&*()_+|" the teacher went, and had no choice but to rest her head on the table.
Suddenly, the speakers attached in the classroom boomed, with a very familiar male voice. Some of the girls led out a soft squeal, as they stared at the speakers. forced her head off the table and looked at it as well. What the heck is Shiraishi Kuranosuke doing? It's not even 1 in the afternoon!
The Mathematics teacher looked rather annoyed, as she leant her back against the blackboard, and started tapping her feet in obvious disdain. No teachers could stand it when they were interrupted, guessed.
"Good afternoon, fellow school mates. I apologize for making such an early announcement, but there's something that I need to gain everyone's attention," Shiraishi spoke, and everyone wondered what it could be. "PLEASE BE FASTER!" the Mathematics teacher bellowed, as she glared crossly at the speaker, "I'm trying to teach here!"
"SHHHH!" the whole class hushed, and the teacher glared at them instead. "How rude!" "It's Shiraishi speaking after all... He's my sweetheart... He's so dreamy..." the girls went, and raised a brow.
"Well..." He paused, and she led out a soft groan. When was he ever going to start speaking?
"Well, I'm here to confess. Everybody, I love ."
And an eerie silence enveloped my once bustling classroom. Everyone's eyes of disbelief fell on . In embarrassment, could only conceal her face with her Mathematics textbook, which finally saved her for once after having squeezed all her brain juice out of her with all those complicated signs and a whole lot of numbers.
"? Oh my god! Heaven's sake, did my ears deceive me?" the girls went in fury, "How can it be her?"
And, before even knew it, she rose from her seat and dashed out from the classroom, ignoring the repeated yells of her teacher for her to stay behind. She needed to find Shiraishi. And fast.
was confused, very much so. Why did Shiraishi like her so suddenly? Did he forget about that girl? What'd happen to her afterwards? Will she be utterly despised?
As she ran over to the P.A room, she found Shiraishi Kuranosuke just leaving the room and was locking the door behind him. When Shiraishi realized of her presence, their eyes met for a brief moment, which was immersed in an icy silence.
"Shiraishi, w-what did you j-just say?" These were all could manage with her stammer, and Shiraishi looked away before he sighed a little.
"I said, I love you," he repeated with a note of finality in his voice again. He was serious. Everyone could tell so.
"But... why?"
"Loving someone doesn't need a reason at all," Shiraishi answered, as he took a step closer to . "I..." started backing away, but Shiraishi once again gripped her by her shoulders and pinned her to a wall near them, as he moved his face so close to her that he was practically just breathing warm air onto her face and he spoke, "It's fine with me that you don't accept my love right now, I'll make you accept it, someday."
"Look, Shiraishi... I...I..." was at a loss for what to say. She couldn't just tell Shiraishi that she likes him a little... Because this'll only let her end up in hell.
"..." Shiraishi muttered, and the atmosphere was just so awkward. looked around for a single soul to rescue her from this, but she found no one. She didn't what to do. She didn't know what to say.
Shiraishi realized of her worry, and decided to be friendlier with her instead.
"Hey, it's about time for dismissal. Heading over to the dance?" he asked, and nervously answered, "Y-Yea... What's t-the time?"
"Near 2," Shiraishi answered as he gave his watch a perfunctory glance, before he looked up again and saw the girl sprinting away as fast as a tornado. He smiled a little. The climax of the show has yet to come.
"Oh, hey, Mum! Where did you put that white jacket of mine? You know that one with the beautiful butterfly!" hollered once she was in her room rummaging through her wardrobe.
"How'd I know," her Mother snapped, "I've not touched your wardrobe for months once I saw how untidy it was."
groaned, as she continued hurling one piece of clothing after another out of her wardrobe. "And you'd make sure you clean up your room!" her Mother reminded, and just replied in a vexed tone, "Yes, yes, I know!"
She stared into mirror as she tidied her attire and her hair. She wore a pretty pink dress, with a big, carmine ribbon fastened at her waist, and her hair was tied up in two plaits. Silently, hoped that she'd look good enough. She wouldn't want to end up disgracing Fuji Syusuke, who looks good in anything he wears. Especially the attire bought for him. would bet with her own life that his fan girls would definitely be screaming their lungs out when they see him in that attire.
" , you are late!" her mother called out again, interrupting her chain of thoughts, and checked the time.
"SHUCKS!" burst out, as she jerked and bolted to the door and raced downstairs, leaving her Mother screaming, "You wore your shoes the other way round! Who asked that you took such a long time preparing yourselves?" It was only minutes later did realize of her own careless mistake and she flushed a little as she quickly removed her shoes and wore it back on in the correct manner. "Now there shouldn't be any minor careless mistakes that I made, right?" muttered, as she looked down her attire carefully, making sure that she'd never be the laughingstock at the dance.
"Don't be so tensed up, you look great," A voice that of Fuji Syusuke emerged from behind her and turned behind with a smile. "You really think so, Fuji?" she asked, and Fuji appeared from behind a pillar, wearing the black attire that picked for him.
"You sure you are not being mendacious? Oh my god! Fuji, you just look so smart and hot in this outfit! I'll make you wear this on every dance you attend!" commented as she squealed and skipped around Fuji, trying to get a glance of him in the attire from all angles.
"People will get bored of me wearing that," Fuji pointed as he stopped skipping, "Let's go." "Oh, right, you came back to change?" "No, I came to fetch you there." "I'm not a superstar that needs such special attention from a hot guy like you!" "Haha. But it's only imperative of guys to do that right?" "Not really. It doesn't apply to you, because you are my best friend!" And their conversation just went on, until the two of them reached the Seigaku Hall, and not surprisingly, Fuji's appearance led all of his fan girls’ wild.
"Haha, told ya!" chanted beside Fuji, "They'd go crazy!"
"... The dance is starting," Fuji made no comment on what had just said and he just looked around with his smile.
"Hey, let's go take some food and stop thronging our way around with these lovey-dovey pairs!" exclaimed once her eyes caught sight of trays of food placed in a corner of the hall and she scurried away and started feasting on the food.
"Fuji, want some?" asked, as she pointed at the food, and Fuji gave her a meek smile before shaking his head. "No thanks..." he refused, and shrugged, before she took a look at the time again.
"Oh no! It's already 2.45; I need to rush back..." muttered, but Fuji gripped her hand and pulled her into the crowd of people dancing merrily away, ", I really love this music, don't you too?"
"Umm... I guess so, Fuji, I need to go..." tried to tell Fuji again.
"Oh, look there, these people are so cute!"
"Look, Fuji!" she tapped him on the shoulder, but Fuji ignored her.
"FUJI!" she yelled at his eardrums, and Fuji turned to face her finally. "I NEED TO-" She was cut off when Fuji started leading her around the crowd and made her talk to people. was getting really queasy. Why isn't Fuji ever letting her leave? She glanced nervously at the time.
She was going to be late for her play. Yet, she can't ever leave this place.
Shiraishi Kuranosuke was so going to murder her for this.
**
Obviously Fuji had heard her. But love was selfish. He couldn't bear to let her leave the dance, for it meant letting her leave for another guy. He was keeping here, beside him, whether she or Shiraishi liked it or not.
"Shiraishi Kuranosuke, sorry. I can't do it."
**
Back in Shitenhouji, all the students were on tenterhooks when failed to turn up.
"Teacher, has yet to arrive yet," they broke the news to the teacher, who was busy preparing for the play. "WHAT?" they thundered and the students nodded nervously. "Yes, she has yet to appear. I wonder what's keeping her."
"But we don't have much time left! The play is starting in five minutes time!" they screamed, as they paced up and down the place, wondering what to do.
"Matsui can take the role, teachers," One suggested, and the teachers shook their heads in violent objection. "She..." They were cut off when Matsui appeared standing beside the teachers.
"No, please wait for to come back. She will return. Have some faith in her, because I believe in her too! She and Shiraishi are the main leads for this play. It's destiny!" she said, and the teachers looked at her dazedly, with a look of what-the-heck-is-this-girl-blabbing-about.
"It must be all your fault," Some boys started blaming Shiraishi as he walked past in his princely outfit, "You confessed and now she's afraid to come and act, and afraid to meet you!"
Shiraishi took a look at the time. He drew open the curtains to the stage and glanced at the audience. They are all chatting amongst themselves, in feverish spirits as they anticipated the upcoming play they were going to put up for them.
This might be his only chance. Shiraishi Kuranosuke wasn't going to let anything foil it. The show he was going to put up has to be showed, in front of everybody.
"Boy, she's really staying at that school dance for too long... I guessed it..." he muttered.
In seconds, Shiraishi took to his heels and started darting out of the theater.
"Wait, wait, Shiraishi! How can you just leave like this? HEY! COME BACK! Boy, now what? How's the show ever going to take place?!" the teachers roared, as they gripped their hair.
"Hey teacher!" a girl came running to the teacher with a lipstick in her hands, "Where did Shiraishi go? I so wanted to apply lipstick on his sexy lips!" she grinned, and the teachers gawked at her. "Ahem, he's a guy, mind you. ALL OF YOU GET BACK TO WORK! WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS!"
**
was getting really vexed. She had to leave this hall for Shitenhouji.
"Look, Fuji, I'm leaving," she said, before she just walked away from Fuji, while Fuji just gripped her hand. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked, and instantly answered, "Shitenhouji."
Fuji froze, as he tried his best to keep his smile there. He knew deep right in his heart right now that he wasn't going to keep her.
"Sorry, Fuji, I have to-"
BANG!
The doors leading to the hall flung open, and the music immediately stopped playing. With the music stopped, the students stopped dancing and averted their attention to whoever was rushing into the room right now.
The person was huffing hard, as his chest rose and fell, like a boat on choppy waters. He was sweating profusely, and his white princely outfit was soaked with his perspiration.
"... ..." he muttered, as he started wiping sweat off his forehead with his sleeves.
"Shiraishi?" blurted, as she went forward to help him regain his breath, but Shiraishi just gripped her wrist as tightly as possible, as if he was going to let go of a treasure or something. "You are late... YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR THE PLAY, YOU IDIOT!" Shiraishi yelled, as he dragged to the doors again, and Fuji hurried forward. Shiraishi noticed it, and stopped.
"Sorry. I'm so selfish that I'm stealing her away from you, after you stole her away from me. is mine," he snapped, before he proceeded to lead out of the hall. Fuji was left speechless at the spot, and it wasn't long before his tennis players came forward to comfort him.
made no sense of what Shiraishi had just told Fuji just now. She knows he's trying to tell Fuji about how much he loves her, but... She doesn't really get him. Stealing here and there... Ah, gave up.
"Hey, ," Shiraishi asked as the two of them were running, "Tired?"
"Double duh! You are making me run when I've not been running as vigorously as this for days!" snapped, and before she even knew it, she felt her legs being lifted off the floor. When she did know what happened, she was in the arms of Shiraishi Kuranosuke, and he was carrying her back to Shitenhouji.
"Oh my god, t-this is so e-embarrassing! Nah, put me down, I can run m-myself!" protested, but Shiraishi paid no attention to her.
"That time my first love complained about a leg ache, I should have done this, so she wouldn't leave me. This time, I'm doing it as well, to tell you that you won't leave me, and I won't leave you."
was forced speechless.
Within minutes they were already in Shitenhouji, rushing over to the theater.
**
"Sorry, guys, the play is delayed..." The teachers announced grimly, and the audience groaned. "Aww man, when will it ever start?" they started whispering amongst themselves, and the teachers sighed. They hope that the two of them will be back before these pupils start throwing rotten tomatoes at them.
"Please, start! We can't wait any longer! We really want to see Shiraishi acting!" the students cried out, and the teachers were at a loss.
"Yes, we want to see Shiraishi! Please!"
"We want Shiraishi!"
And a crowd of them started creating a din, as "We want Shiraishi" became ubiquitous. The teachers felt like banging their head into the wall and put an end to their lives. Why did this happen?
Just then, the doors to the theater flew open. The teachers lifted their heads to stare at the open doors, but all they could see were bright, dazzling light, with nobody at all.
**
Shiraishi kicked the doors to the theater open, and slowly, he and moved in, under the "woohs and wahhs" of the audience. "Shiraishi is embracing , applause please!" was clueless to who said that, but as soon he said that, many started clapping. Even the fan girls of Shiraishi clapped, which was pretty odd. Well, if she did know who said that, that guy will most likely get skinned alive for making her so embarrassed.
"All right, get started with the play!" Shiraishi told the teachers as he led off his arms once they were in the backstage.
" ! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" the teachers asked, and smiled meekly at them. "Dancing."
"... Fine. Now get up on stage and start acting!" the teachers shoved her onto the stage, and looked behind apprehensively, as she muttered, "What if I forgot my lines?" When she saw how many how many people were actually watching, was sure she trembled so much that she would forget about her lines. Fine then. She had to improvise it herself.
After the narrator narrated the opening, stood beside this cardboard balcony that was lifted a few feet off the stage, and screamed, "ROMEO, MY DEAR ROMEO, WHERE ARE YOU?" into the microphone provided. She then looked down, and Shiraishi was kneeling at the stage, and staring up at her.
" , my Juliet, I'm right here," he muttered into the microphone, and froze. Now Shiraishi is the one changing the script! He added the !!
"My dear Juliet, I'm going to make you mine," Shiraishi said, as he rose to his feet, but just then, other students dressed as soldiers entered and brought him over, but Shiraishi tussled with them.
The next scene had to act was to pretend to cry, and then must act like a sick person. Boy, she loves it that the school is asking them to act in the simplified and changed version of Romeo and Juliet. If not, it'd be much of a torture.
After a long act by Shiraishi on how he battled the soldiers and found his way back to the palace, finally had to act a few more minutes, and she lay on the bed, pretending to be sobbing away. And then after a few more scenes where servants come and console her and everything, she finally had to pretend to fall ill and then Shiraishi will barge into her room.
When Shiraishi "barged" into the "room", jerked off the bed, and cried out, "Romeo!" as she opened her arms wide.
", my Juliet!" Shiraishi changed the line again by adding the in it, and froze again and Shiraishi flung himself into her embrace. "I'll never leave you again," Shiraishi muttered again, and smiled meekly. "I believe you won't. I love you, Romeo," said, as she wondered what she was going to do next.
"I love you too and I'll make you mine, and we’ll leave this place together," Shiraishi told her, before he gripped by her shoulders and pressed his lips onto hers. For a moment or two was stupefied as a sweet sensation raced through her body. Shiraishi was taking her lips lightly. The audience went wild.
When he removed his lips from hers, the narrator quickly ended the play, and the whole cast hurried onto the stage, bowed and the play ended.
"Wow, that fast! WHEE!" cheered, as she applauded for her performance for herself. "GREAT! Shiraishi, it ended, the ending was rather hasty right?" asked, as she stared at Shiraishi who was standing beside her with a smile on his face.
"Yes, indeed."
"Oh yes! Now I can go home!" clapped again in enthusiasm, and Shiraishi stopped her, "Not yet."
"Yea?" quipped, and Shiraishi pulled out something from behind him.
"Here. Happy Valentine's," he said, as he handed her a nicely wrapped gift. was dumbfounded.
"B-But, Shiraishi, I'm supposed to be the one giving you a gift today! In Japan..." Her voice trailed off, and Shiraishi looked away. "I can't wait until White's Day."
"But..." tried to protest, but Shiraishi cut her off and told her to open the gift.
opened it as instructed, carefully ripping off the wrapper around it, and she revealed a small golden musical box, and opened it, and the musical box played the wedding theme. closed it instantly, and stared at Shiraishi.
"T-The Wedding Theme?" she muttered, and Shiraishi smiled a little. "Yes. I'll have you marry me in 3 years time, I think." "You think? That's pretty fast!" protested, as she admired the little gift Shiraishi gave to her.
"Yes, just like how my love blossomed for you," Shiraishi continued, and froze, before she blushed a little and muttered a soft, "Oh."
"I'll forget about that girl, and I'll make you blissful. I'll be the perfect boyfriend for you, just like how I play perfect tennis. I'll love you more than my first love. Please, go out with me," Shiraishi leant in for and whispered into her ear. flushed, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Y-Yes... Shiraishi... I'll go out with... you..." muttered, as she blushed further and seconds later, Shiraishi kissed her again on the lips. "I'm so happy! Come, I'll bring you somewhere. We'll spend the day together," He beamed, as he grabbed 's hand, and attempted to pull her off the stage and towards the exit. "Ah? This fast? I've not told my Mother where I'm going!" muttered, "She'll microwave me this time!"
"Come on, isn't today the day what we've been waiting for? I've waited very long-"
"A few days," interrupted, and Shiraishi chuckled.
"To me a few days feel like eternity. I don't care; you and I are going to spend the day together! Come let's go! I can't wait!" Shiraishi said, and laughed, "You are really impatient!"
**
Behind the drawn curtains, Matsui Fumida stood watching them in silence. She wished the two of them luck. It'd take a while for her to forget about her crush on Shiraishi, though.
Fuji Syusuke, who just entered the theater and witnessed the two of them walking away hand in hand, he couldn't help but wonder when he can stop wishing that he was Shiraishi himself. Maybe he was just not destined to be with . And like Matsui, it'll take a long while to forget about his love on . He hoped that he'd forget about it quickly, because trying to forget about a love that has became rather etched in his memories is treacherous.
Shinn Asuke, still sitting at the audience seat, was busily scribbling away an article titled, "Shitenhouji's Romeo and Juliet". He was so going to make it the top news for the upcoming newspaper coming out, and he'll make sure everyone knows that they are in love. "And it sounds so much like that drama I love to watch with the interference of a third guy like how Shiraishi told me..." he commented, as he smiled to himself.
Lastly, standing outside the entrance of the theater was Lisa.
Smiling to herself, she congratulated herself for having guessed correctly that the two of them would be together. She guessed so on the day Shiraishi entered her shop to purchase the golden musical box.
"Thank you for making him forget about me. Now I can have my mind at ease and shan't be overly worried at times when he appears outside my shop." She thought, as she stared hard at , who was all smiles, and ruffling Shiraishi's hair.
"I knew it right from the outset. You were the Juliet for him, and he's the Romeo for you. The two of you are a destined couple, and destiny never fails to bring people together."
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