“ Less Ordinary! ” CHAPTER II Jiro was busy…

REALM OF GAEA	Life is Fiction

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Posted by: elenahitomi Original: 3/24/2005 7:06 PM Views: 1 Comments: 0 eProps: 0 Read Comments Post a Comment Back to Your Xanga Site

Thursday, March 24, 2005

“ Less Ordinary! ”

CHAPTER II

Jiro was busy painting another one of his so-called “Masterpiece”. He decided to make his own version of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. He was still trying to figure out how he’d be able to manage it.

Suddenly, the door opened. “Oi, Jiro-san. Obuki-sensei wishes to congratulate you for winning the 1^st prize at the last competition! A job well done, man!” said Akio, one of Jiro’s classmates.

“Yeah, yeah…” said Jiro sluggishly. Akio closed the door.

Didn’t they read the sign outside the classroom? ‘Don’t Disturb’? thought Jiro. He didn’t want any visitors or distractions once he started on a painting. He enjoys the pleasure of being alone and once he gets pissed, he really flames like a bull.

It took him four or so hours to finish half of the painting he was making. It was six in the evening and he decided to call it a day. He packed his things and placed it in his bag. He went out of the classroom and locked it. He then went to the office to give the key back to the officers in charge. Then, he went out of the school building to head home.

“Konbanwa Matsumoto Jiro!” said a voice from afar.

Oh no, another one of those obnoxious women thought Jiro. He was too eager to get home and he didn’t want to talk and prolong the time. His only desire was to reach his home early and eat and then sleep.

“Yeah what is it?” said Jiro trying to be patient. Though his eyes looked sleepy and apathetic.

“I hope I’m not irritating you in any way.” Said a perky young high school look-a-like girl with pigtails and pink ribbons. “…But anyway I’d just like to say… Well… The moment I saw you…”

“Uhh, are you trying to tell me that you either like me or you had a crush on me or you want me to be your boyfriend? Coz if it’s related to the things I’ve mentioned, well I’d have to think about that. Right now I wanna go home and eat some bento, have miso soup and sleep early.” Said Jiro right away. The perky girl eyed at Jiro, shocked at his response.

“Wow, I wasn’t even finished. Boy, you can be so rude…” said the girl. “You’re cute and so irresistible, but you’re SO SO SO SO…”

“Yeah I’ve heard that a couple of times and I like it. Okay? So I’ll just talk to you tomorrow coz right now I want to go home. Okay? Do you get it?” said Jiro starting to turn his back and walk home

“You always say we’d talk tomorrow but you always ignore me like some paper you can crumple any time. All you have to say is whether you’re interested in me or not!” said the girl, demanding his attention. Somehow her perkiness slowly vanished and became like a child desperate for a lollipop.

Jiro turned around and didn’t face the girl. “I’m not interested in anything…”

“So you’re not interested in me?” asked the girl.

There was a long pause…

Then, Jiro sighed. “Yeah I guess so…”

The girl frowned and then suddenly, she cried. She ran as fast as she could. Jiro, on the other hand, continued on walking. He could still here the girl’s innocent cry.

Then he thought while he started to walk Another broken-hearted victim thanks to me…Bunch of dumb-ass…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It took him fifteen or so minutes before he could reach home. And then he arrived at an old, small house with a small steel gate. It was covered with vines and the whole lot appeared to be somewhat haunted and enchanting at the same time. The house was his grandmother’s. After her death, his parents decided that Jiro should stay in the house. His parents, also, wanted to rent the rooms, but Jiro refused because he always hated the nuisance and just adored being alone.

He opened the light and swung his jacket towards the sofa. The house was filled with newspapers and rice boxes that were a more or less a week old. He never bothered to clean the mess up due to laziness. He went to his room, took off his clothes and headed towards the bathroom to take a quick shower.

After fourty-five or so minutes, he finally got out of the bathroom. He changed in to some drier clothes and made his way towards the small living room to watch television. As he sat down, he heard a crackling noise. He looked at the portion where he sat and he noticed an unopened bag of chips. Right away, he got it, opened it and started eating it while watching.

“Darn, I forgot to by dinner in the store…” said Jiro while slothfully eating the chips and watching the TV like a modern aged zombie.

He watched tirelessly for two hours straight. Upon the brink of sleepiness, he closed the TV and went to his room to get some peaceful sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“MATSUMOTO JIRO WA DOKO DA???” yelled Yaguchi-sensei.

It was eight in the morning at Sorakima University. Yaguchi-sensei grew impatient upon seeing the unfinished painting inside the classroom where Jiro was working.

“Sigh* He told me he’d be finished by today, and here I am standing in front of his unfinished work! Now how the heck are we going to submit this piece to the Akizawa Museum, eh?” said Yaguchi-sensei wiping the perspiration from his forehead with the use of his hanky.

“Sensei, he’ll be here in no time. You see, he did his best to finish it, but, well, I am confident, sir, that we’d be able to submit this work of art by today!” said Chou.

Yamada Chou is a classmate of Jiro and is one of his trusted friends. He’s one of the ‘nerds’ in class for being a straight ‘A’ student. Yet even though he’s smart, he’s got outwardly enticing looks that make girls go gaga over him.

“Sigh* I guess I just got carried away. I do hope he would be able to finish the piece. It would be a nice parting gift to consider this University as the best Art University. Plus, also, the cash itself can be a nice thing to have as well!” said Yaguchi-sensei. “We need more facilities! We need more buildings for more courses! We need funds! Oh it would be a joy to win the 1^st prize, again!” Said the healthy-looking professor. He was starting to imagine all the possibilities of winning the grand prize in the Painting Contest sponsored by the Akizawa Museum. Chou grinned.

“I’ll be right back, sensei. I’ll just make a quick phone call.” Said Chou. Yaguchi-sensei nodded and Chou went out of the room.

Chou got his small colored phone and searched for Jiro’s number. Then he pressed the ‘Call’ button right away and waited for an answer.

“H-Hello?” said a sleepy voice on the other side of the line

“Jiro! Chou here. What the heck? Man, don’t tell me you’re still sleeping. You gotta finish the painting now. Sensei’s going nuts right now. He’s counting on you, you know…” said Chou half whispering while fixing his glasses properly.

“Oh yeah, right. I’ll be on my way. Tell him to wait for, like, three hours coz I still have a lot of cleaning to do…”

“Aw c’mon Jiro! You can fix that later! You gotta get here right away!” said Chou almost shouting but still trying his very best to stay calm and speak in a whisper

“All right! All right! I was just kidding. Hehe… Be there in fifteen minutes.” Said Jiro half asleep and he hang up.

“Darn, he’d better be here in fifteen minutes…” said Chou to himself. He placed his phone right back in his left pocket and as soon as he was about to go back inside, someone called him from afar.

“Chou!” said the same perky girl Jiro encountered the night before. Her name was Naoko and she paid close attention to Jiro ever since the first day of classes.

“Naoko-san.” Said Chou with a smile.

“How rude can he get???” said Naoko, slightly fuming with anger. Her fists were hardening and she was stomping her feet like a little girl.

“Nani?” asked Chou

“Jiro-san! I dunno what to do with him! I’m crazy in love with him but he’s shutting me off!” said Naoko. She was hoping that Chou would give a good explanation as to why Jiro was doing those things to her. Chou scratched his head.

“Well you see, I have no business telling people what to do. I’ve got other things to settle, so I suggest…” said Chou. He wanted to let Naoko know that he was ending a statement and he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

“Please. I know that Jiro’s a friend of yours. Just tell me what I need to know…” said Naoko almost begging.

Chou sighed. “Oh all right. Here. He loves to be alone, okay? Maybe you should keep distance for a while. He doesn’t like being around with people at this time. Maybe he’s got some issues. But we don’t know that for sure. I suggest you just give him time to relax and calm down. And I promise, I’ll let you know if he’s approachable again. He’s just got some hang-ups. I’m sure he’ll come around in time…” Chou explained in a calm but fast manner. Naoko thought deeply. She seemed to have registered every word that Chou said.

“All right. Well, you’d better let me know right away if he’s back to normal okay? Coz I want to get to know him better! If you know what I mean…” said Naoko pointing a finger at Chou

“Ahaha! Of course!” said Chou smiling as he saw Naoko run away.

“Ahaha, that is if I remember…” said Chou. It appears that he said the same explanation to five girls who had the same admiration towards Jiro.

“What a lousy heart throb…” said Chou giggling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“HEY! WATCH WHERE YER GOIN’ PUNK!!” yelled Jiro. A school boy hit him in the back coz the boy was being chased by some bullies. Jiro wanted to pick a fight with the young tyrants but he had to reach the school right away. He could imagine the look on Yaguchi-sensei’s perspiring face as he impatiently rants about oblivious undertakings.

Then he reached the fourth floor where his working room was. He opened the room and saw Yaguchi-san wiping off the perspiration from his neck and Chou gazing at the window, serious in his debonair look. Upon opening the door, both jumped and greeted Jiro right away.

“Thank GOODNESS you’re here! Do you want me to bring you breakfast?” said Yaguchi-san trying to make Jiro feel relaxed. Jiro lifted an eyebrow at Yaguchi-sensei and looked at him incongruously. “I’m sorry, lad. You know how much that contest is important in the reputation of the school right? Well… Sigh, if you are not interested, again, then you can just say so…” said Yaguchi-sensei with his head slowly bowing down in dismay.

Jiro laughed. “HAHA! Nah sensei! I was just playing around!” said Jiro in a sudden shift of facial reaction. He slightly punched Yaguchi-san in his right fat arm. Yaguchi-san just laughed. “Yep! I AM going to finish that piece of shit right now! And yeah, I haven’t eaten any breakfast coz that darn Chou called me up, demanding again, as usual. BUT WORRY NO MORE guys. Give me an hour and I’ll make this darn thing better than Da Vinci’s.” Jiro chortled an evil grin and went to his seat to start opening the oil paint and was fixing his brushes.

“Oh! Oh! All right. I’ll be right back with your breakfast, lad.” Said Yaguchi-san and he went out of the room at an instant.

Chou, then, went towards Jiro, eyeing at him. “You sure know how to get their sympathy…”

Jiro grinned as he started to paint.

“Oh by the way, Naoko approached me asking why you were ‘shutting her off’,” said Chou smiling with mocking pursuits

“Who’s Naoko?” asked Jiro who was busy painting.

“Naoko, the girl who’s got an altar filled with your pictures. The girl who dreams she and you’d get married someday. The girl who came to you last night I think…”

“Oh that freak…” said Jiro irritably.

“Yeah she’s a freak to you but she’s a person who demands respect in any way. Why don’t you try being friendly once in a while?” said Chou trying to convince something to him but it seems he was just ignoring it. “Or not…” he gave up on the ‘convincing’ plan, though.

There was a two-minute silence. Afterwards, Jiro spoke.

“I hate girls coz, I know, they’ll break and break my heart over and over again. They’re all the same. And they’re irritating! They’re like stupid faggots!” said Jiro with a sudden rise of tone.

Chou didn’t say a word. He knew he had a point. Though he wanted to justify on that current subject, doing that would make Jiro boil up like lava.

“Girls… They can be fairies in a dreamland. They make you happy, they make you feel different…” said Jiro. He was painting the background. “But everything doesn’t last forever. So why mingle in the so-called dreamland if it will soon fade?”

Chou sighed. He gave up once more in trying to convince Jiro.

“You just tell them what you usually tell the other girls. I hope they all understand how much I hate them right now. I know it’s not their fault. I just don’t want to get hurt again…” said Jiro.

“I guess I’m just… Running away from sorrow…”

Suddenly his face changed into a person who was sad and had a life of hopelessness and despair. Chou frowned and went towards the window. Somehow, Chou felt Jiro’s grief and he couldn’t help but feel the same thing.

“Hehe, anyway. What are you gonna do today man!” asked Jiro at Chou, changing the subject.

“I’m… I’m planning to return the books I borrowed. Then afterwards go with you and Yaguchi-san in bringing the painting to the museum.” Said Chou trying to be confident in replying.

“Oh I see…” said Jiro removing the red paint off the brush and mixing another color.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Both thought it was Yaguchi-san though they were mistaken. Jiro didn’t see the person come in because he was busy, but Chou did.

“Excuse me, is this Matsumoto-san’s working place? Yaguchi-sensei asked me to bring this food to him…” said a girl with a sweet yet assertive voice. She had a pale complexion and had a very long slightly wavy hair.

Jiro answered but was still eyeing on the piece. “Yeah I’m Matsumoto all right. Just leave the food in the table near the shelf.” Said Jiro placing a brush on his mouth, very much concentrated on his work. The girl went to the table and placed the food. She, then, looked at Chou and smiled. Chou, on the other hand, was awestruck by what he saw: The most enigmatic face in the whole university. Chou fixed his glasses and tried to fix his hair.

Then the girl suddenly recognized Chou and could not help but react. “Hey! I know you!”

Chou was shocked.

“I know you! Chou-kun? We were classmates during High School! We used to sit together in class coz I needed help in math. Well, up to now I’m doing my best to excel in that subject…” said the girl laughing. She was approaching Chou who was trying to remember the girl.

Then in no time, Chou remembered.

Her name was Kaneshima Sara, and she used to have short hair during their high school years and she used to be chubby as well. Chou had a hard time recognizing Sara because it appeared that she lost a lot of weight.

“You… You lost a lot of weight?” asked Chou in a mere stun.

Sara laughed. “Yeah. I got sick few years ago after leaving high school. Pretty bad huh? I got this seemingly dreadful virus and I got hospitalized for a month! Since that incident, the fat in my body slowly vanished. And here I am, thin…” said Sara showing off her stature with a smile. “Oh it’s a long novel. Haha!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just totally speechless. Wow. It’s been a LONG time since we last saw each other.” Said Chou fixing his glasses again. “Geesh Sara. You sure changed physically!”

“I KNOW! I can’t believe it either. Even my hair zoomed long like a, like a, I DUNNO! HAHA!” said Sara bursting into cheery amusement.

“Girls…” Jiro beckoned unpredictably.

Sara and Chou looked at the concentrated painter who was stiffly fixing the edges of the background.

“Why don’t we talk outside. I forgot, Jiro doesn’t like to be disturbed when he’s in the ‘brink’ of a ‘tour de force’” explained Chou.

“No, actually. I think I want to stay and ask this young painter what he thinks about the subject he just summoned!” said Sara observing Jiro meticulously. She slowly brushed her long dark flowing hair with her hands.

“I have no time talking to people right now. And yeah it can be obvious that I’m irritated with girls. So don’t you at least have a clue?” said Jiro in an understatement.

Sara giggled sweetly. Chou felt kind of bothered and slightly mad coz he was being rude again.

“Well, you’re not the only guy who hates girls, but don’t you think it’s boring just hating them?” said Sara

“Hey lady, I said I don’t have time talk…” Jiro was unable to continue what he was about to say as soon as he saw the face of what seemed like an angel brought down by heaven. Sara’s hair glowed like a saint and her pale complexion shined throughout the room. Jiro was speechless.

“You were saying?” said Sara.

Jiro was still eyeing at the girl in front of him, Sara. It seemed like the sight of what appeared to be an unknown yet enchanting specimen hypnotized him. He was rapt and couldn’t say a word.