Impulsive decision

“Oi, leave me out of your crazy ideas, Mako!” Genta exclaimed towards Mako while Eloy was still processing the woman’s question. “You didn’t even ask me if I wanted to enter that contest!”

“But that’s just because you didn’t know anyone you could pair up with! But…” Mako’s bright eyes turned towards Eloy once again, “...that has changed now.”

“No, Mako, nothing has changed.” Genta snapped with exasperation, signaling towards Eloy in an emphatic way that made the latter jump slightly in his seat. “We have spoken twice. Twice. So why the hell do you think he’s going to be interested in this?”

“Uhm, can someone explain to me what is this contest you are talking about?”

“Of course,” Mako rapidly said while Genta snorted loudly while crossing his arms, clearly showing he didn’t want to take part in the woman’s idea. “Ok, I’m sure that you've heard that a fresh, new season of ‘Tune it Up’ is going to start this summer, right?”

Mako’s expression indicated that Eloy was supposed to know what she was talking about.

“A new season of what?” he inquired almost in an apologetic way, which caused Mako’s mouth to fall open before exhaling a surprised chuckle.

“I guess that you don’t use social media much, because Twitter turned absolutely crazy with this. It became a trending topic for several hours,” Mako explained. “Okay, in that case, I’ll give you a brief summary: ‘Tune it Up’ was a show that was a huge success here in Japan a few years back. The participants compete against each other in different challenges prepared by the four judges, which are related in one way or another to music. Like any other music contest, people are eliminated in each challenge, and the winner gets a really big prize, along with the opportunity to keep improving their skills for an entire year with one of the judges, all expenses paid.”

“Tsk, thank goodness it was going to be a ‘brief summary’,” Genta muttered, but Mako ignored her friend and kept talking.

“In previous seasons, people could enter the contest solo, in pairs, or in groups. However, there have been a few changes for this new season, and one of them is that people have to participate in pairs. That’s a mandatory requirement now, and the reason why I thought we weren’t going to lose anything by asking you, even if a certain someone here was super reluctant to do it.”

“Oi, don’t talk as if I were the unreasonable one here,” Genta protested while Eloy extracted his mobile from his pocket to search the show that Mako had just mentioned. “I’m not the one who is asking someone who barely knows us to join a contest that he had never heard about–”

“Oh, so there aren’t any restrictions by nationality. That’s good to know,” Eloy suddenly interceded, even if he was talking to himself. As every time he was concentrating on something, he didn't notice that he had interrupted Genta, nor the surprised expressions on both Genta and Mako's faces as he kept thinking aloud. “It seems that the only restrictions are related to age.”

“Yes, you must be between 20 and 30 years old.”

Genta cursed under his breath upon hearing Mako’s response. “Damn, you could have read the rules before saying anything. That would have saved us from wasting time.”

Eloy frowned, confused. “But I thought that you had turned twenty recently.”

“Yeah, but you must be under thirty to enter the competition.”

It took Eloy a moment to understand what Genta was implying, and when he did, he stared at him in disbelief.

“Do you think I am thirty?”

Genta widened his eyes. “Do you mean you’re not?”

Eloy opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, unsure whether to feel offended or deeply amused by the shocked expression on Genta's face. However, before he could respond, Mako let out a deep sigh and hit Genta on the back of his head.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“That’s for calling the poor guy old and ruining all my efforts to convince him to participate," Mako scolded.

“I’m not calling anyone old!” Genta protested, still looking at his friend while rubbing the back of his head, in the place where she had hit him. “It’s just that he looks so mature and responsible that I thought he was older, that’s all.”

Eloy couldn't help but feel a flutter in his heart at the unexpected compliment, which wasn't a very mature reaction, he thought in self-mockery.

“Nice save,” Mako approved while patting Genta’s back softly. Then she focused on Eloy again. “So, if you’re looking at the rules, does that mean that you’re interested?”

Genta exhaled a deep, exasperated sigh. “Mako, seriously, I know that you are doing this to help me, but no one in their right mind will accept to join a stranger out of the blue–”

“I will.”

The words slipped out of Eloy's mouth before he even realized it, and the surprise on Genta's face mirrored his own.

“What did you just say?” Genta blurted out, and certainly Eloy couldn’t blame the guy, because he himself didn’t understand why he had answered so quickly.

“I will participate in the contest, if you want to,” Eloy elaborated.

Mako’s smile couldn’t have been wider, but Genta tensed up completely, his signature frown more pronounced now.

“What the fuck…” Genta half-closed his eyes at Eloy before snapping the next words. “But you don’t know me. You don’t know if I’m a decent guy. You don’t even know if I can actually sing, so why the hell do you want to pair up with someone like me? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Eloy sustained Genta’s fierce gaze for a few seconds before his eyes traveled to the piano.

“You’re right. It doesn’t have much sense,” he admitted. “And I know a few people that would think I’m going crazy if I told them that I’m planning to do this.” Cristina for example, Eloy thought, but didn’t say.

Eloy remained silent for a moment, organizing his thoughts and feelings, before meeting Genta’s inquisitive gaze again.

“But somehow, I feel like I need to do this,” Eloy continued, offering Genta a faint smile. “And while I may not know you and I haven't heard you sing yet, I do know that you are a decent person. It's evident from the people around you.”

Genta snorted before clearing his throat, looking suddenly embarrassed. Meanwhile, Mako, who hadn’t stopped smiling throughout the entire exchange, looked at them alternately before intervening.

“Okay, what about this,” Mako joined her hands together and pointed towards Eloy with the tip of her fingers. “The deadline to send the application to participate is the day after tomorrow, so why don’t you sleep on it? That way, both of you can be sure that it’s not just an impulsive decision.”

After a short pause, Eloy nodded. “Sounds good to me.” He looked at Genta. “What about you?”

Genta exhaled a deep sigh and shrugged. “Yeah, whatever,” he simply said, before briskly walking towards the counter where his backpack was. “I’ll be here tomorrow around 7 PM. I’ll see you here if you haven’t changed your mind.”

Genta said the last words without sparing a glance towards Eloy, and he left without looking back. Once Eloy was alone with Mako, she hissed while showing an apologetic grimace.

“I put you on the spot, didn’t I?”

Eloy chuckled but shook her head. “It was me who accepted,” he sighed, now feeling a little nervous. “So it will be on me if I eventually chicken out.”

Mako smiled at him.

“I know I’ve asked a lot of you already, but can I ask you one last thing?” Eloy nodded without hesitation. “No matter what you decide, could you still come tomorrow? Even if it’s just for a bit. I know Genta, and I’m sure he won’t be upset or anything if you decide not to enter the contest. But I don't remember the last time he was so comfortable around someone else besides, well, the people at Harmony. It would be a shame if you lost touch because of this.”

Eloy thought that Mako was exaggerating, considering how often Genta tensed around him, but nodded nevertheless.

“Of course. I mean, even if I don’t participate, now I’m curious to see if he actually can sing.”

Mako laughed at that, and then asked if he was going to order something for dinner - something that Eloy had completely forgotten about. Ten minutes later, he walked out the door, holding his folder full of scores in one arm and the bag with his sandwich in the other.

Eloy sighed deeply. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little afraid of thinking things through and realizing he might back off, but he resolved to give it proper thought.

It was the mature and responsible thing to do, after all.