Operation Dancefloor Romance (part 6)

“Koyama-senpai! I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” Sato interjected as he approached Koyama with a friendly smile.

She glanced at him, her expression guarded. “Do I know you?”.

Sato chuckled. “No, we haven’t officially met. I couldn’t help but notice your incredible performance.”

“Thank you,” she replied, her tone cold. “But do you always bother strangers like this?”

“Yeah, I do! Anyway, I wanted to say that your performance was amazing. I was mesmerized by the way you move your feet.”

The young woman stared blankly at him, her expression frozen in a mask of indifference. Then she finally replied, “I appreciate your kind words, but you’re making me uncomfortable.”

Sato frowned, his expression puzzled. “How can I make you more comfortable? Do you need a drink? You look thirsty.”

Koyama stared at him in disbelief, her eyes filled with confusion. She remained silent, her lips pursed into a tight line. As Sato tried to figure out a way to help her relax, she spoke.

“Listen, I’m not interested in talking to strangers like you,” she said, her voice dripping with irritation. “Why don’t you try someone else?”

“I’m not sure I understand you,” he replied with a puzzled expression.

“What part of ‘I’m not interested in talking to you’ did you not understand?” she retorted, her tone condescending. “How about you try someone else? It’s not like you can’t find any girls in this dance hall to talk to. Just walk up to one of them and ask her out.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

Koyama frowned. She exhaled sharply and leaned forward.

“Why are you talking to me instead of someone else?”

“I thought it would be fun to talk to you.”

The young woman paused, a flurry of emotions flashing across her face. Her expression slowly morphed from one of irritation to one of genuine shock.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, why not?” he nodded.

“I don’t understand you at all,” she whispered, her tone soft. “How can you talk to a stranger like that?”

“I don’t know. It just felt right.”

Koyama stared at Sato, her mouth agape, her eyes wide with disbelief. She didn’t know what to say. The words caught in her throat.

Ryota stood nearby, observing the conversation with interest. His eyes were fixed on the shy female dancer, his gaze filled with a sense of anticipation. He leaned forward, eager to hear what she had to say.

“Well, um... I guess it was fun talking to you, stranger,” Koyama finally said. “Anyway, I’m not really in the mood to chat with a random guy.”

She then turned and walked away from him. As she turned, however, Sato played his trump card.

“Because I am not Takumi-senpai,” he blurted out, his tone resolute.

Koyama froze, her eyes widening in surprise. She then slowly turned around, her eyes meeting Sato’s. “What did you just say?” she asked.

“I said that I am not Takumi-senpai.”

“What does that even mean?” she demanded, her eyes fixed on his.

“It means that I know a lot about you.”

Koyama’s expression softened, her face no longer masked by a distant demeanor.

“You know... a lot about me,” she whispered. “Like... what?”

“Like that, you are Koyama Yuna. Your favorite food is takoyaki, and you’re a high school student. You’ve been dancing since you were a child, but you prefer classical dance. You want to be a dancer one day, and you are aiming for the Tokyo Dance Alliance.”

Koyama stood motionless, her eyes fixed on Sato, her expression frozen. Sato continued to speak, his voice resolute and calm.

“I also know that you are shy and quiet, but once you get to know someone, you become talkative and outgoing. You love being in the spotlight.”

The young woman continued to stare at him, her eyes wide with shock and awe. She tried to process his words, struggling to understand how he could know all of that.

“You love Takumi-senpai, and you’ve been in love with him ever since you first met him,” the young man continued. “You're afraid of rejection, so you pretend to be shy and aloof around him.”

Koyama took a deep breath, the words catching in her throat. A million thoughts flashed through her mind, the cacophony of noise overwhelming her senses. Her chest felt tight, and she struggled to breathe. She didn’t know how to react. She opened her mouth, trying to respond to Sato’s revelation, but all that came out were choked sobs.

“So... is that true?” Sato asked, his voice barely audible over the noise. “Is everything I said about you true?”

Koyama remained silent, struggling to process his words.

“Stalking me?” she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“No, I just... know a lot about you.”

She frowned, her expression conflicted. “I’m sorry... but this is just weird. I don’t understand you at all.”

Sato took a deep breath, then sighed softly. His expression was calm and confident, but his eyes held a hint of sadness.

“I know how you feel,” he whispered. “I know it’s hard, but I want you to trust me.”

Koyama stared at him, her expression conflicted. She tried to speak, but no words came out.

“I know it seems weird, but... I want you to confess to Takumi-senpai,”

He paused for a moment, his words trailing off.

“You’ll... what?” she asked, her voice barely audible over the noise.

Sato remained silent for a moment, struggling to find the right words.

“You should confess to Takumi-senpai,” he finally replied. “We will take care of the rest.”

“We? What do you mean?”

“My friends and I will make sure you get the best opportunity to confess.”

“But I—”

“Don’t worry about anything else. Just focus on your performance,” Sato interjected. “Just be yourself. Let us handle the rest.”

With that, Sato walked away. Koyama stared after him, her eyes filled with confusion. She was bewildered by his words and didn't know what to make of them.

****

A sense of curiosity filled Ryota. He tried to process the conversation he had just witnessed, but it was too much for him to understand. It felt like he was observing a movie or a play rather than an actual event.

Mai stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Koyama, her expression thoughtful.

“Sato can be quite useful when he wants to,” she finally said, her voice filled with surprise. “I didn’t expect him to go that far.”

“How does he know all that?” Ryota asked. “How did he know so much about Koyama-senpai?”

“I told him,” Mai replied, a hint of a smile crossing her lips. “It’s easy to gather information if you know how.”

“Scary prez...”

Mai stared at Ryota for a moment, her gaze softening. “You don’t need to worry,” she said. “This is all just part of the plan.”

“And what is the plan, exactly?”

“You will learn soon enough,” she said with a faint smile. “Come on, the next round is about to start. We have to be ready for it.”

“We passed to the second round?” Ryota asked, surprise lacing his words.

“Lazy-kun, you didn’t even notice?” Mai asked with a grin.

“...”

She giggled, then reached out and gently patted his head. “The announcement was made earlier when you were listening to Koyama-senpai and Sato.”

Ryota stared at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. “I heard nothing,” he muttered.

“Let’s go for the ultimate phase of the plan now,” she said, turning away from him. “You’ll get the long-awaited answer about the budget issue.”