The Elusive Sheep

“You were lying, weren’t you?”

I turn to a certain orange-haired girl beside me but she doesn’t seem to hear me as my voice gets drowned out by the blasting music coming from the other rhythm games near us. She inserts another coin and starts another game of *Taiko no Tatsujin. 

This was the first machine that she wanted to try, saying that she hadn’t played it before. However, just by watching her, I could tell she was definitely lying. 

She has to be pro.

I take a step back as she continues to destroy the game but I realize that few people have been watching her in amazement.

“That girl is amazing. Is she a pro?” one guy asks.

I don’t know why I kind of feel proud of her; we’re not even friends. I met her coincidentally and I dragged her into the arcade on a whim. My friends are definitely discussing their theories on why I messaged Sho to go home without me.

“Aachoo!”

I cover my nose with my arm as I sneeze.

No doubt, they’re talking about me.

“Hey! Nozomu! I got perfect again!”

I look up and hear nothing but loud applause from the people around me.

I have two realizations at this moment: first of all, this orange-haired girl’s name is Nozomi Inohara and I don’t think I have addressed her by her name or surname ever since we met earlier. Secondly, she must have been so focused on playing the game that she didn’t notice the number of people watching.

“Congratulations?” It comes out as a question because I don’t really know if she’s happy about her achievement. She looks flushed due to the number of compliments she receives.

“We’ll go now,” she timidly smiles and pushes me out of the crowd. Then she leads me upstairs.

“Why didn’t you tell me that there are people watching me?” she says while she presses her red 

cheeks with her hands.

“You were so absorbed with the game.”

“That was so embarrassing.”

“Anyway, you said it was your first time playing that game but you nailed it twice. You lied to me.”

She halts halfway through the steps and turns to me.

“I didn’t lie. That was my first time playing it. My brother used to play it a lot…”

She cuts her statement midway and sadness shadows her expression. Then she looks away.

“Never mind.”

When we reach the third floor, we are greeted by hundreds of crane machines.

"Look, Nozomu! There are so many of them.”

Her enthusiasm gives me relief but I’m curious why she suddenly turned sad when she mentioned her brother. 

It's probably a personal problem. I shouldn’t get involved.

However, that is quite hypocritical because I dragged her into this arcade, hoping it'd cheer her up. When she talked about her breakup, I felt the need to do something for her. After all, she comforted me when I mentioned my own breakup story. I am already getting involved just by being with her right now.

We walk on the aisle of crane machines and I don’t really know which one I should choose. I’m not good at crane games compared to Ryu and Koichi. Everytime I go here with my friends, Ryu and Koichi disappear from our sight and start competing. Only Takuma benefits from it because he takes home all the prizes for his three younger siblings.

“Hey, are you good at crane games?” I ask as we continue to roam around.

“Not at all. The last time I tried it, I only got one small plushie. Wait…” She turns to me and frowns.

“You know I have a name. Don’t call me Hey. It’s offensive.”

"Fine. Inohara, I’ll call you Inohara. That’s your surname, right?”

“Oh, you still remember. That’s good but I call you by your first name, so that’s a bit unfair.”

"Don’t you think it’s also offensive to call me by name when we don’t have a deep relationship?”

“But isn’t it nice when someone calls you by name? It gives you a sense of importance. It makes you feel that you exist and that you are a living soul with identity. If that makes sense.

”Suddenly, a memory flashes through my mind. 

When I was in first grade, my teacher told us to ask our parents the meaning behind our names, then tell it to the class the next day. I went home and found my mother in the kitchen. I immediately asked her about my name. She smiled and caressed my hair. "I named you Nozomu because you were my wish come true. I want you to always remember that you are here today because your mom prayed very hard and never lost hope for you to be born. I want you to be born so I can give you all the love and care you deserve. When you grow older, shine like a guiding star and give hope to people who need it most."

“Are you okay?”

I wake up from my reverie to find two brown eyes looking at me with concern.

“Yeah. I’m okay. I just remembered something.”“

Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

I lied. I clench a tight fist to ground myself. It is always difficult for me to return to the present whenever the past resurfaces. I manage to play it cool, but she seems to have felt the building anxiety in me.

“You know, my auntie gave me the name Nozomi. She said, she wants me to be the kind of person who never stops dreaming. Isn’t that a beautiful meaning?”

The sound surrounding me fades, the light becomes brighter, and a warm feeling spreads through my chest. My vision focuses on the beaming sunshine in front of me.

“Your smile is also beautiful.”

“What?”

I instantly freeze when I realize what I said. I wasn’t supposed to say it loudly, but for some unknown reason it slipped out of my mouth. I shouldn’t be conscious of it because it isn't a lie, but seeing her cheeks flushed make me feel embarrassed.

“Well… thank you… I guess,” she says nervously.

Get yourself together!

"I’m serious, by the way.”

“You are? Why?”

"What do you mean why? Do I need a reason for being serious about my own opinion?”

“No but—"

"Excuse me.”

Inohara’s statement is cut short by a man behind her. That’s when we both realize that we are blocking the way for other customers.

"I’m sorry!” Inohara apologizes, and then we both move to the side.

“Do you still want to do the crane game?” I ask.

“Of course I want to!” she exclaims.

 “I won’t leave until I get one big plushie.”

Because she looks determined to achieve her goal for the day, we look around until we find a crane machine of chunky sheep. We take turns getting it; unfortunately, we are so bad at it. Even with the help of the staff, we still can’t get the prize.

“We are down to the last coin, Nozomu. Please get this one for me.”

Inohara put her palms together, pleading. We’ve been playing for almost an hour and still can’t get anything, so I don’t know where her faith in me is coming from.

“If I don’t get it, I can just buy you a plushie.”

I have zero confidence in myself.

“No! There’s no point if we don’t get this sheep. I want this sheep. You’re the one who said that if I want something, I shouldn’t give up without trying.”

“Should I tell you how many times we have tried to get this sheep?”

She puts her hand in front of my face.

"No. I am not interested in something trivial. Just try one last time. Also, you bought me an orange soda on the way here. I can’t let you buy me something that is even more expensive.”

“We probably paid more than the actual price of this sheep in the market.”“

That is not important, Nozomu. It’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey.”

“So, you don’t mind if I don’t get it?”

“You have to get it.”

I simply sighed at her remark 

I pull out my phone and call Sho. If I only have one shot at this, I might as well consult an expert. Ryu and Koichi are the experts, but I call Sho to avoid conflict. Sho picks up after the third ring.

“What’s up? Are you on the way home?” Sho asks.

"Not really. I’m in the arcade right now, playing a crane game. I really need to get this sheep, so I need a little advice.

The line goes silent. After a few seconds, Koichi comes on the line.

"Hey, tell me. You’re with a girl right now, aren’t you?”

“I don’t owe you an explanation.”

"Oh, come on, Nozomu. Sho said you rushed out of the convenience store to chase someone. You definitely chased a girl.”

“It’s none of your business.”

"Hey, I think someone wants to play this machine. We need to hurry,” Inohara suddenly says.

“You bastard! I knew it! You can’t deny it now! Tell me who this girl is.”

"Are you helping me or what?”

In the background, I can clearly hear Takuma say, 

“He’s probably trying to make a good impression, so you should help him.”

Stop making assumptions.

Koichi returns on the line, “Anyway, I’ll help you. Let’s switch to video call so I can see... the position of the... sheep.”B

Before I switch to video call, I ask Inohara, 

“Can you squat down for a moment?”

"Why?” she asks.

“So they won’t see you. Just hide for a moment.”

"Why do I need to hide?”

“Because I don’t want them to annoy me.”

"I really don’t get it.”

She squats down reluctantly, then I switch to video call to show the position of the sheep inside the crane machine.

"We already asked the staff for help, and she positioned it near the edge,” I explain.

"Well, it is actually in a good position. The body looks way too chunky, so grabbing it from there won’t work. You can go with the head, but the body looks heavy. However, I think that’ll work better. Just make sure that you will be able to have a good grip on the whole head. Even if it falls, there is still a good chance that it’ll bounce on the edge and go straight into the hole.”

“Do you learn this kind of stuff in Engineering? Or is there a mathematical equation for this that only those who are good in math can calculate?”

Koichi is in an Engineering course, so it genuinely makes me curious.

"You’re such an ungrateful man. I’m helping you make a good impression on your new girl, and you dare insult me.”

“That’s a compliment, actually. Anyway, I’m hanging up. See you later.”

I immediately ended the video, but before I could keep my phone in my wallet, I received a message from Ryu.

Don’t let Koichi bother you. He’s an idiot. But I hope you tell us the story later.

There is nothing to tell.

Maybe there is, but I don’t want to think too much about the possibilities.

"Are you ready?” Inohara asks. I look down and she hasn’t moved from her position.

“You can stand up now.”

"I’m fine. I actually feel nervous right now, so I don’t want to see what you will do. I’m not good with suspense.”

“What happened to it's not about the destination, it’s about the journey? The suspense is part of the journey.”“

It is, but having fun is the best part. Suspense isn’t that fun.” 

She pauses for a second, as if to process her thoughts, then continues, 

“You have no idea how grateful I am to see you today. You really cheered me up. Thank you so much.”S

She knows why I brought her here?

The way she brightly beams at me is almost unfair. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone expresses that much joy while spending time with me.

Who am I trying to fool into thinking I don’t want to consider the possibilities?

***

Quick note:  *Taiko no Tatsuji is a rhythm. You follow the rhythm of whatever song you choose by hitting a taiko drum.