well, it was a sketchy place after all

<<Meet me at KBO!>>

I ran as fast as I could. Thankfully most of the commuters had already left, and I had a 3-minute grace period between now and the next train.

What happened? A creepy guy? Something worse?

My heart was pounding. I was naturally thin but barely exercised, so this run was killing me.

“Wait for me, Hanako,” I grunted as I ran.

Out of anyone in the world that she could have texted, she sent a message to an unknown number, hoping it was me. I couldn’t let her down.

KBO wasn’t too far from the train station. I got there more quickly than I expected to. The door was plastered with official-looking posters reading things like “CLOSED” and “BUSINESS LICENSE REVOKED”.

I came skidding to a halt.

Hanako was by the door, wiping her eyes on her cardigan sleeve. She looked up from her phone, and her expression changed from sadness to relief the moment we locked eyes.

I took the last few steps to her.

Hanako closed the gap, coming up so close to me for a second, I thought she was going to hug me.

Hoped she was going to hug me.

Hanako looked up at me, blinking away tears. “They closed KBO!” She cried.

“It’s ok,” I said, trying to comfort her.

I glanced at the narrow door, now locked with a heavy padlock.

Well, it was a sketchy place, after all. Someone finally told the authorities that they were selling alcohol to underage customers.

“What am I going to do?” She sobbed.

“Calm down, it’s ok,” I tried again. “It’s going to be ok.”

People gave us weird looks as they walked by. I suddenly felt like the bad guy. I didn’t like people staring. I didn't want them to think I was the reason she was crying. 

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go somewhere so you can calm down.”

Hanako nodded, her bottom lip trembling.

“Do you like coffee?” I asked.

She nodded again, mumbling an affirmative.

We walked to a café nearby.

Hanako hung her head as she walked, taking slow steps.

I felt like I should do something. Hold her hand? No, that would be too forward. I just needed to play it cool.

We sat in a booth at the café, waiting to order.

Hanako stared at the menu, sniffling and pulling at a long strand of hair that had come loose from her pigtails.

“Here,” I said, handing her a tissue from my pocket. “Please, don’t cry.”

I never knew what to do when people cried.

Hanako looked up at me. Her cheeks were wet and flushed, highlighting the freckles under her eyes.

She was adorable, even when she cried. But I didn’t want her to be sad.

The waitress came by. “Hello, welcome. What would you like to order?”

“Iced latte,” I said. This was my usual order here when studying.

Hanako mumbled something about a change purse.

“Go ahead and order,” I said. “My treat.”

“Cafe au lait,” She said softly. “Please.”

I waited for the waitress to leave before speaking.

“Hanako,” I started.

“I’m so sorry for texting you!” She blurted, bowing her head in apology.

“What?”

“I didn’t even know it was your number for sure. I mean, I figured it was, but it was just a guess.”

“Let me guess,” I sighed. “Last Friday, someone put their number under your door?”

“How did you know?” She gasped. “Wait, so it was you?”

“No, it was my friend, Hiro,” I said, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. “He was trying to play matchmaker.”

Hanako’s face went pinker than her hair. I wasn’t sure which one of us was blushing more.

“Iced latte and cafe au lait,” The waitress said, setting our drinks down.

Then, Hanako’s stomach let out a tiny gurgle as if on command. She hid her face behind her hands.

“Are you hungry?” I asked. “What do you want to eat?”

“No, it’s ok,” She protested.

“I insist,” I said.

The girl sank back meekly, pulling her hands inside her sleeves. “I’ll have the omurice… with extra ketchup, please.”

The waitress nodded and left.

“You don’t have to,” Hanako said.

“I’m not going to let a friend go hungry,” I said firmly. I wasn’t going to argue with her about this. Besides, a big plate of hot rice would probably cheer her up.

“Thank you,” She said, glancing at me. “So your friend sent your number? Wow, he’s a bold guy.”

I coughed awkwardly, trying to hide my embarrassment. “Yeah, he’s… one of a kind, I guess you could say.”

“I guess it worked out, though,” Hanako continued. “At least I had someone to call. I guess I’m lucky the number was you.”

My heart skipped a beat, watching the smile slowly return to her face.

It only lasted for a moment. “But now KBO is gone.” Her eyes welled up again.

“Be strong,” I said, trying to intercept her before she started crying again. “It’s ok, and there are lots of karaoke bars. Better karaoke bars.” I added.

Hanako was quiet, considering my words. “I guess. But it’s not the same.”

“Why is that place so important to you?” I asked.

The girl met my gaze. “Because that’s where I practice. That’s where I made the promise to myself that one day, I was going to be an idol.” She got a dreamy look in her eyes. “I go every night.”

“Every night?” I couldn’t believe it. Was she as serious about becoming an idol as I was about studying? Incredible.

The waitress came by with a steaming plate of omurice. I wondered what she was thinking when she saw us. A date? No way, if I were going to take her on a date, I wouldn’t come here.

No offense to them.

“Thanks for the food!” Hanako said, cutting into the side of the omelet with her spoon. As she ate, her mood seemed to increase with every bite.

“Thank you for the meal,” She said. “Wow, that was so tasty! I was just like-” Her face froze, and she shook her head quickly. “Nevermind.”

That was suspicious, but I wasn’t going to force the issue.

“Anyways,” She continued. “I’m glad I could text you. Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

I nodded. “Of course,” I said. I made sure to save her name in my contacts. “Glad I could help. What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” She sighed. “It’s too early to go home.”

Too early? It was almost 8 pm - I thought maybe her family would worry. It didn’t seem that way, not if she was usually at karaoke late. I wanted to know, but I probably shouldn’t ask.

“Well,” I said, stumbling over my words. “I was going to study for my exam tomorrow. I often come here to read. If you want, we can sit together.” I looked down at my drink and fidgeted with the straw. The ice in my latte had almost disappeared.

“Really?” Hanako asked. “That would be great. I promise I’ll be quiet.”

We spent the next three hours in almost complete silence. The time went by easily; I sat reviewing the practice questions, and she kept herself busy on her phone. We ordered more coffee, and I bought her a slice of cheesecake, which she insisted on sharing with me even though I wasn’t hungry.

Everything she said and did was cute. Especially how the tip of her tongue would poke out of the corner of her mouth as she watched YouTube videos. I had to remind myself to look at my book instead of her.

I was grateful for this evening. Most of all, I was grateful she trusted me to let me in, even just a little. There was more to this pink-haired wanna-be idol than met the eye. She was like a complex math equation.

I just needed to find the solution.