Artist and Model

I’m not used to being apologized to.

Actually, I’m far more used to being the one who apologizes to other people. I guess you can say I was a bad kid in middle school. It’s hard for me to really get along with anyone, and as a result, nobody really wants to talk to me, either that or they start talking about me in hushed tones and whispers. Oh well. Now that I’m in high school, I can at least shrug that kind of stuff off. Besides, there’s no reason for me to involve myself with other people’s perspectives or problems.

“Yuma!” shouts Yume as she opens the door to the rooftop of the school.

Well, maybe one reason.

“You don’t have to yell my name each time you see me, you know,” I say as she walks over to me.

It’s lunchtime and we’re back on the rooftop. There is a small, cool breeze blowing through the area, causing the metal fences to rattle a tiny bit from time to time. We sit against a wall on the south side. There aren’t a lot of people here at the moment since Yume and I left for the rooftop immediately when lunch started. This time, Mom made lunches for both me and her. No more stolen meals for this girl.

“But I like saying your name.”

“W-What?” I feel my cheeks heat up. She tilts her head and continues looking at me. This girl really does just say anything that appears in her head without hesitation. I turn my head away to avoid her gaze and ask, “W-What do you even mean?”

“Yuma, Yuma, Yuma!” She lets out a giggle after repeating my name a bunch. I don’t get her at all. What’s so special about my name anyways?

“Knock it off. It’s not like it’s something cool or whatever.”

“But it’s your name, Yuma!”

I feel my entire face and ears heat up, as if all the blood went to my head to confirm that Yume really did just say that. This girl is too damn carefree. She needs to know that saying that so openly only leads to a misunderstanding. I don’t want other people to get the wrong idea about us.

“S-Shut up! Ah, geez! Fine, just say it whenever you want then!”

“Yay! No take-backs then!”

I turn to look at her, and she puts on a beaming smile when she sees my face. This girl is so annoying. She’s going to give me heart attacks and anxiety problems the more I stay with her. Luckily, there is a step towards getting away from her now.

“Anyways, about that guy who drew you. What do we even do?” I ask.

She chews on some udon noodles and answers, “I fon’d doe. I fought you—”

“Please finish eating first before talking.” Not even food blocking her mouth and voice could stop her from talking.

She makes a big swallow and then continues saying, “I don’t know. I thought you would come up with a plan.”

“So much for helping me.” This girl is useless.

I guess the first step would be to talk to him. I’m still confused on why he suddenly apologized to me and Yume in front of so many people. I’m pretty curious about how he drew Yume as well. I look over at her. Besides her white hair and yellow eyes, it’s hard to believe this girl is the same girl who revived me, made the world accept her existence, and came from the moon. I guess it helps that she has a unique look. She also has a soft smile that would make, and have made, any guy fall for her. Thankfully, her antics have kept me immune to her charms.

“Yuma?” asks Yume. She puts down her chopsticks and closes her lunchbox.

Even though she’s kind of crazy, she is kind of cute too. As much as I hate to admit it, she has been nothing but nice to me. Annoying, but nice. And then…that night when we first met, she was otherworldly. Not to mention that I couldn’t stop thinking about her after that night. Before I even knew who she was, before I knew her as the annoying girl of my life, before I knew her as Yume, she was, is probably still is, a once in a lifetime person. That’s probably how that guy feels when he drew her. It’s possible that there really is nothing more than the fact that she’s completely different from the rest of us. In that case, how could anyone not admire her? Eh, or maybe it’s as simple as he thinks she’s cute so he drew her for later. I’m probably overthinking this, huh?

“Hey, Yuma?” Before I know it, Yume gets right up close to my face—only a few inches from contact.

I pull back as soon as I realize how close she is, hitting the back of my head against the wall I’m sitting against. The pain surges through my skull and dizziness overtakes my senses. I rub the back of my head to try and dampen the pain.

“Ow…why did you get so close?!” I shout.

“Well, you just kept staring at me so I thought something was wrong. Then, you wouldn’t respond when I called your name so I wanted to get your attention.”

“Yeah, but…ah man…this hurts a lot…”

“Ah, sorry,” she says before hugging my head. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Yuma.”

“Wait, Yu—”

She wraps her arms around my face and head, making sure to softly caress the spot that crashed against the wall. Her body’s warmth seeps into my face as my eyelids feel heavy. It’s comfortable here. I hate to admit that I wouldn’t mind staying like this. Maybe it’s my lack of sleep, but her hug makes me want to just close my eyes and drift away. Time slows down to a standstill—the world no longer having any impact on this single moment. The pain on the back of my head slowly dissipates and eventually becomes nothing more than a sensitive spot. How long have we stayed like this?

“Are you okay now, Yuma?” asks Yume.

“I…think so,” I answer.

She lets go of me and changes from a concerned expression back to her usual smile. That was probably the first time I’ve ever seen her without that soft, bright smile. This girl really is a mystery. She has no reason to care this much about me. I don’t need someone to be this concerned about me anyways.

Yume backs further back and asks “So, did you figure something out then?”

I look at her for a few seconds and then say, “No, but…”

Thanks, Yume. I guess I have someone looking out for me again. It’s been a while since I had this feeling—not since Hiroto before he left.

“Well, why don’t we start by talking to that guy then?” She stands up and pats off any dust and dirt on her skirt.

“Yeah, we might as well start there.” I stand up after her and we start heading down from the rooftop.

Yume’s warmth still surrounds my head as I try to avoid looking at her. This feels weird.

                                                                      ***

The final school bell rings for the day. All of the other students prepare their bags to leave the classroom. I let out a big yawn as I finally get to relax a bit. Trying to stay awake and still pay attention to each class is too much work to do. Luckily, or I guess annoyingly, Yume keeps me awake by poking me or whispering my name for attention. She asks a lot of questions about the subjects and topics in class so I always have to pass some small notes to her for her to understand stuff like algebra and Japanese sentence structures. I look over at the guy who drew Yume this morning—he’s slow to move, and he’s focusing on his phone instead of worrying about leaving. Now’s our chance.

I stand up and slowly approach him. Yume follows my lead, and I say, “Hey there.”

“Hiya!” greets Yume.

He slowly turns his head to look at us, but when he realizes it’s us, he immediately whips his head back to his phone and stammers, “H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-Hello!” A few students look at him on the way out. A couple of other girls let out a small laugh after hearing him try to greet us.

“Hey uh…you didn’t need to apologize this morning. In fact, I hope we didn’t bother you or annoy you. I didn’t mean to peek at what you were drawing either,” I say.

I hope we actually have a conversation. He’s sweating a lot, and he looks like he’s about to cry. He’s taking in deep breaths as he focuses on his phone. There is an image of an anime girl with pink hair and pink frills along with text on the bottom of the screen. It seems like it’s a mobile game, but he’s just looking at it without touching the screen.

He finally says, “B-But, I have wronged you and Miss Yume.”

Miss Yume?

“Hmm? I don’t remember you doing anything though,” responds Yume as she tilts her head to the side. “At least, I don’t think so.”

He suddenly turns to her and says, “But Miss Yume, I dared to capture your beauty and not express it perfectly. I must do better before I can consider myself a true artist. Your beauty must not be tarnished in the slightest, and I am afraid my current skills may not be able to reflect your grace and elegance just yet. However, I vow to present a piece that I can truly be proud after I have etched your essence onto canvas. That is why I apologized.”

Oh great. Who have I involved myself with this time? What in the world is he talking about? This guy is absolutely crazy. Wait, why am I getting déjà vu?

He continues saying, “If you would kindly look upon the screen of my phone. Myu-myu has been given the ideal hair length to match her bubbly and adorable demeanor. The pinkness of her attire and hair represents the youthful energy and gentle nature that she holds within. The way she smiles and closes one eye while posing with a peace-sign finger position is how one would captivate the hearts of men everywhere. I wish to attain this level of mastery of art.”

I’m absolutely stunned. Stunned by what? I’m not exactly sure. Between the complete switch from stammering to complete confidence, to the declaration of being an artist, to shoving his phone into our faces, I can’t tell. Maybe it’s a combination of all three.

Yume lets out an gasp and says, “Oh! She’s cute! You want to draw me like that?” Her smile widens. My brows furrow.

“Not…exactly. I just wish to draw you in the best form you can possibly be, or else I would not be Satoro Fujimura!”

He raises his fist into the air. Yume gives a small clap for the performance. I watch him with nothing but disbelief and disinterest. Looks like things got really complicated really quickly.

Yume asks, “So, why do you want to draw me so badly?”

“Simple—there is no other like you. It is my duty to immortalize you through art for the future to remember you.”

“But why? She’s just a girl,” I say.

“Just a girl? Sir Yuma, I would oppose that by stating how her hair and eyes are unlike any other student we have seen here. Surely, you must be able to distinguish that at the very least. With that in mind, it is my duty as artist to immortalize her. From a young age, I told myself one thing—I will become an artist no matter what it takes.”

Satoro’s last sentence rings inside my head. I will become an artist no matter what it takes. Why does that…sound so familiar? An old memory of Hiroto holding my hand as we head out to the backyard plays in my mind. It was nighttime and the stars were visible in the sky. He pointed at the moon, and all I can remember saying is “I will become an astronaut no matter what it takes! I wanna be like you!” Hiroto’s soft smile fades away along with the memory. It’s a buried memory—a discarded dream, a pointless goal. I don’t get it. I’ve been remembering Hiroto a lot more lately even though I haven’t thought about him, or even wanted to think about him, for years now. It’s just a coincidence. Yeah, that’s all it is.

“So, you think I’m cute then?” asks Yume. Her question snaps me out of it. I think my exhaustion is starting to make me lose my mind.

“Cute is not exactly correct. I would dare say that your looks, Miss Yume, are more akin to the refinement of finesse—a glow of everlasting beauty.”

I scratch the back of my head and say, “Yeah, right.”

“Hey!” protests Yume as she tugs on my shirt. “At least someone knows how beautiful I am.” She combs the back of her hair upwards with her hand as she smiles smugly.

That’s because he hasn’t spent a single day with you or your insanity.

“However!” shouts Satoro. He points at Yume and declares, “It is not enough to simply draw Miss Yume. I must perfect her radiance!”

He closes the game on his phone and opens up an art app. Then, he opens a file and the drawing of Yume pops up on the screen.

“Behold! The shortcomings of my latest art piece! The source of my apology!” exclaims Satoro.

Both Yume and I lean in to look at his drawing. It’s…amazing. What the hell? In the drawing, Yume leans forward in her chair while she points a finger out in front of her, probably because she’s about to poke me. The detail of her hair and face are precise and detailed—small pores on her face, a few strands of hair that are uneven, which is only noticeable if you really focus on her, small creases and wrinkles on her shirt as she slightly bows forward to reach me, even different shading and lighting due to how the sun hits her face and body early in the morning through the window. It’s a perfect replica of Yume. I don’t see anything wrong with it at all.

“Whoa…” I say in response.

“Wow…this is so good, Satoro!” exclaims Yume.

“No. It is not,” retorts Satoro. “There is a missing…element. I cannot comprehend what it is, but there is a vital component that I simply cannot figure out. Miss Yume deserves the best possible.”

What a fanboy. He’s definitely fallen for her charms. It’s too late to save him now.

“But you did so well. What else could you even add?” asks Yume.

“That is the question, Miss Yume. I know I must add something, but I do not know what the addition shall be.”

I think back to the first time I met Yume. I was looking up at her from below as I rested my head on her lap. I saw her face and the moonlight that shone over head. Moonlight? Well, moon girl, moonlight, right?

“The moon,” I suggest.

Yeah, it makes sense. I wouldn’t have remembered her as much if it wasn’t during the night.

“Brilliant, Sir Yuma! The moon and the moonlight! That is the key distinction, While Yume may look elegant under the sunlight, her snow white hair and golden eyes may shine even more under a less harsh light,” agrees Satoro.

Yume blushes and covers her face with her hands. Then she takes a deep breath and says, “Oh my, Yuma. You sure know how to see me at my best.”

“Shut up. It’s a suggestion for him,” I say.

“Then, it is settled. We shall wait for the moon! What do you two say?”

“Yes!” answers Yume.

“Fine, why not,” I begrudgingly agree.

Satoro closes the app and opens a weather app. Then, he says, “The full moon shall pass over in a week's time. That will be our greatest opportunity.”

“Hooray! Not too far away, huh Yuma?” asks Yume.

With Satoro and Yume now together on this idea, I have no choice but to go along with them. A week away, huh? I wonder how we'll even do this. I just threw the idea out there as a suggestion, but now, I'm not sure how we're going to model Yume for him. Actually, maybe the answer is easier than I think. There is a spot we can go to.

Besides, I did kind of want to see that finished drawing as well.