Social Dance Club Finale

Shall We Dance?

The day after the tournament, Yukiya went to a nearby orthopedic clinic.

The doctor’s diagnosis was one month for a full recovery. Yukiya had damaged the collateral ligament in his right knee.

However, fortunately, it hadn't resulted in a ligament tear, and considering the pain, the degree of damage was relatively mild. For the time being, he would have to live with his leg fixed in a brace, but once fully healed, he was told he could exercise just as he had before.

"So you can continue dancing! That's great!"

Next to Yukiya, Tamami smiled happily.

When he went to the club room on the way back from the hospital, the other members were already practicing there. Yukiya sat on the long bench, and Tamami, fidgeting before sitting next to him, leading to the present moment.

"Umm... I'm sorry."

Tamami apologized without any preamble. Yukiya tilted his head, asking, "About what?"

"I was thinking... if I hadn't gotten weird ideas about quitting the club, maybe you wouldn't have had to do something so reckless, Yukiya-san..."

Yukiya placed his hand on the shrinking girl's head—pat. He ruffled her soft hair.

"Don't worry about it. You don't think that anymore, right?"

"Y-Yes! Of course! Thank you so much!"

Tamami responded with a beaming smile. Then, she began to speak with the excitement of yesterday still fresh in her voice.

"Even so, the judges' critique at the awards ceremony was full of praise, wasn't it? 'The Hino-Asada pair who won this time had a wonderful sense of unity. Their dance moved our hearts the most out of all the couples.' I was so happy!"

"Didn't they also say, 'Technically, there were some clumsy parts.' Seems like it was a pretty close match."

However, "Unity"—that was the reason Yukiya and Riko were able to win.

Strangely enough, it was exactly what Fiona had once said was important.

"And Atsunari-san's apology after the ceremony... I felt so—relieved!"

"Yeah, he apologized properly. Saying 'I retract my remark that this club is just playing around'... he was surprisingly honest."

"No, no, he was reluctant until Marina-san kicked him in the butt with her high heel, remember?"

That looked painful, Yukiya thought with a bitter smile. He felt a little sorry for him, but being reluctant was his own fault.

"More than anything... I'm happy the club gets to stay."

Tamami placed a hand on her chest as if expressing joy from the bottom of her heart.

Yes, yesterday. As a result of Tamami's swift report... the long-awaited permission came down from the school: "We recognize the continuation of the club." Peaceful days had returned to the Social Dance Club.

Looking at the trophy displayed on top of the CD rack, Yukiya truly felt glad he had worked hard back then. If he had given up... today would have turned out completely different.

"And finally, the Honor Dance. It was amazing!"

Tamami's words reminded Yukiya of something he had been trying to forget. His cheek twitched involuntarily.

"Ah, that, yeah..."

"Honor Dance" means "Dance of Honor." After the awards ceremony, only the winners are allowed to dance monopolizing the floor in front of the audience.

Yukiya and Riko, having won, were set to perform the Honor Dance at the end... but Yukiya’s knee was at its limit. Riko, not missing this, tried to stop him, saying, "Let's decline." However, Yukiya insisted he wanted to dance no matter what.

Maybe that was the mistake.

They ended up doing the Honor Dance, but right before they started dancing, when they faced each other...

Riko was pouting tremendously. With deep wrinkles etched between her brows and biting her lip, she made a super scary face Yukiya had never seen before, as if the entire world were her enemy.

Then, when the Honor Dance ended, she gave a cursory bow and stormed off the floor. Leaving Yukiya alone on the floor while the audience murmured.

Since then, Yukiya hadn't exchanged a single word with Riko.

He looked at Riko holding her frame on the club room floor. For some reason, she hadn't changed and was still in her uniform. Her profile looked composed, as if nothing had happened. With her usual cool poker face. In the end, even winning hadn't made her smile.

"How should I put it... I wonder if I made her do something she hated."

Tamami looked blank. "Hated?"

"No way. Riko-chan was extremely happy, you know?"

"Eh? You're kidding, right? Because she looked nothing but angry..."

"Ah, right. Yukiya-san, since you were dancing with her, maybe you couldn't see it."

And then Yukiya heard it.

That Riko, while dancing the final Waltz, had been crying tears of joy over Yukiya’s shoulder.

＊ ＊ ＊

When Tamami left the long bench, Fiona sat next to Yukiya as if she had been waiting for her turn.

Her cosplay outfit today was a black long-sleeved dress, black braided pigtails, and a blue stone pendant around her neck. It was a character from a certain Studio Ghibli "Castle in the Sky" that even Yukiya knew. Since she said, "Give me your hand," Yukiya held out his right hand as usual, saying, "I can't dance right now, though." She placed her left hand over his and shouted, "Balse!" Apparently, she just wanted to do that.

"I hate guys who don't take care of their knees!"

"Fiona, that is indeed a Ghibli work, but isn't that a line from a different movie...?" (Only Yesterday)

"Ahaha, Yukiya is getting pretty knowledgeable about anime too!" Fiona laughed happily.

Suddenly, the song playing in the club room changed. It was as if timed to coincide with her appearance.

"Hoho, this is a nice song."

The song playing now was "Love is a Flower, You are the Seed," from the Ghibli movie Only Yesterday. This song had an original version, a Western masterpiece called The Rose.

To the slow piano accompaniment and quiet singing, a late summer breeze blew in through the window. August had ended yesterday, and the second term at Tama High will begin tomorrow.

Summer was about to pass in the blink of an eye.

"It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance. It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance. It's the one who won't be taken who cannot seem to give. And the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live."

Suddenly, Fiona spoke in fluent Japanese. Yukiya stared blankly, not understanding.

"What's that?"

"...It's a translation of the lyrics from the original version of this song. Watching Yukiya and Riko, I thought it was just like the song."

Fiona cast her eyes toward the floor. At the end of her gaze was Riko, holding her frame in front of the mirror.

Just as Yukiya was admiring her diligence while feeling a bit lonely, Fiona grinned.

"Now then, isn't Riko itching to talk to Yukiya soon too?"

"W-What is it all of a sudden?"

"You've been fidgety ever since Yukiya arrived. You should just talk to him instead of holding back."

"I'm not! I told you I'm not holding back! I don't particularly... have to talk to Yukiya..."

"Geez, stop being so stubborn and come over here. You didn't even change your clothes because you couldn't dance with Yukiya~"

"N-No, that's not, it's not like that...!"

"Then, like what?"

At Fiona's question, Riko pressed her lips together and fell silent. Fiona smiled brightly.

"Here, here, come on."

"...I told you, I'm fine..."

With a sullen look, Riko came over to them. And Fiona gave up her seat.

"Alright, I'm going to go instruct Tama-chan, so please enjoy yourselves, you two."

"Ah, wait, Fiona...!"

Ignoring Riko’s call, Fiona went off to Tamami.

Yukiya and Riko remained silent.

Eventually, when Yukiya felt the silence reaching its limit—

"..............................I'm sorry about that time."

Riko murmured.

Yukiya knew without asking that "that time" referred to when she ran off the floor right after the Honor Dance.

"It couldn't be helped, right? Since your makeup was ruined by tears."

"Wait, why do you know that...!"

"I heard it from Tama-chan."

Riko groaned, pressing her forehead. "...Tamami, saying unnecessary things."

"I was happy to be able to do the Honor Dance too... but,"

Riko mumbled. I was worried, is what Yukiya thought he heard.

He looked next to him. Riko was glaring at the floor. But her appearance was slightly different from usual.

Her profile. Her Cherry-colored lips pursed in a pout. Her large eyes were moist, and her cheeks were dyed a faint crimson.

It was an expression he was seeing on her for the first time. It was very beautiful... and cute.

Yukiya took a deep breath, suuu, as if to rouse himself, and exhaled, haaa.

Then, nodding firmly once, he took the plunge and spoke.

"Hey. The competition is over... I guess there's no need for us to stay a couple anymore, but."

Riko, who had been looking down, raised her face. She looked somewhat hurt.

Don't make that face, Yukiya thought. If you look at me like that... I'll get my hopes up a little.

...Thinking maybe, just maybe, the feeling is mutual.

"Hey, so, what is it?"

Riko spoke impatiently to the silent Yukiya. Yukiya steeled his resolve.

"My leg... when it heals, will you dance with me again?"

"................................................Is that something you really need to ask?"

Yukiya was speechless. "Wha—" I worked up so much courage to say it!

Was it a mistake? Just as Yukiya began to regret it—

"That's obvious, isn't it? I am your partner."

Riko said it clearly. With a face that looked exasperated or maybe sulking, as if to say, "Who else would dance with you?"

Yukiya let out a large sigh of relief. Seeing that, Riko suddenly proposed to him.

"If you're that motivated, do you want to try aiming for SA Class? SA Class is a designation chosen for only a very few A Class competitors recognized for superior technique and character. Roughly speaking, it's the pinnacle of competitive dancers."

"The pinnacle... that's quite a long road."

But Yukiya thought:

Even if it's a place I can absolutely never reach alone, maybe I can get there with Riko.

No matter how far.

No matter where.

"...Alright, I'll try aiming for it. But if we just keep entering competitions, won't we end up just like the Competitive Dance Club? I don't want another abolition uproar..."

"It'll be fine," Riko asserted with a nonchalant face.

"Because, while everyone in the Competitive Dance Club is stiff and strained, we are being 'Social'."

At Riko’s words, spoken coolly while looking at the floor, Yukiya felt the scales fall from his eyes.

Social dance or Ballroom dance is a dance performed for the purpose of socializing. Yukiya agreed that they fit that definition, there was no dance club more social than this one.

Fiona and Tamami were dancing happily in front of them. Riko sat next to him with a cool face.

Including himself, the number of members was four. Just this many people, but this was certainly the Tama High Social Dance Club.

It was the place Yukiya loved.

"Ah, I want to dance too."

It was when Yukiya muttered this while staring at the floor, still sitting on the long bench with Riko.

He felt something cool on his hand.

A sensation he had completely memorized—it was Riko’s hand. It was gently placed over Yukiya’s.

"When you get better. I'm going to make you dance a lot, so prepare yourself."

Riko said it with one eyebrow raised, challenging him.

Let's heal up fast—in an instant, Yukiya made a decision.

To dance. To hold hands proudly with Riko.

To start walking together toward the path they had begun to aim for—

＊ ＊ ＊

It feels warm, Riko thought, narrowing her eyes.

The hand touching Yukiya, and her heart—they were warm.

She glanced to the side. Yukiya was looking enviously at the floor, so he didn't notice Riko’s gaze.

She never thought a day would come when she could sit next to a Leader with such a calm feeling.

To think... she would fall in love with someone again like this.

Riko closed her eyes and thought.

That time she met Tamami—she was glad she hadn't given up on dancing with others.

That time Fiona asked her to accompany Yukiya to buy shoes—she was glad she hadn't refused.

That time she ended up dancing with Yukiya—she was glad she hadn't thrown it all away.

She was grateful. To her friends, and to her past self.

That was why she wanted to tell them. Tamami, Fiona... and Yukiya.

"Everyone, thank you."

As Riko opened her eyes and stood up while saying this, the three members stared at her in surprise.

Riko walked to the front of the mirror, then turned back to the three of them.

Pushing herself just a little, she tried to smile.

"...Well then, shall we dance?"

At that moment, although Riko herself couldn't see it, a smile in full bloom had blossomed on her face.

 

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