The café was slowly growing more and more crowded with Akira’s crazy fans. I didn’t want to stay there any longer. The downtown area was crowded with people, but it still felt lonely. With Akira gone, there wasn’t much to do. I didn’t bring anything with me because I was trying to run away from Mikami and his crew. I should’ve brought my backpack with me.
I was bored senseless. I decided to look around for a bit and head back to Sia Eyewear once it was 2. There wasn’t much to do especially when there was no money and no phone. It wasn’t like I had a phone in the first place, but it would’ve been nice if I had my sketchpad with me. I could easily spend the entire afternoon sketching the surroundings.
After walking for a while, I came across a plaza with multiple fountains at the center. There were crevices on the floor with water flowing like a river. The design was unique, it made me wonder how long it took to build. My legs were starting to hurt, so I found a bench to sit. The plaza was filled with random people enjoying the afternoon leisurely. I stood out like a sore thumb. I was the only person with a high school uniform on.
(Plaza Fountain Garden)
Most students were in school. Maybe it wasn’t a great idea to be out in the open. The police officers might think I’m a delinquent that ditches class on the regular. I looked around to see if there were any police officers nearby. Looked safe for now. While enjoying the view, I noticed dozens of birds pecking at the crumbs on the floor.
One bird in particular, stood out from the rest. The bird had orange, black and white feathers and it was very tiny compared to the rest of the birds. I found it very cute. My eyes naturally followed the bird wherever it went.
I didn’t realize that someone had sat next to me until I heard her voice, “You seem to really like birds. I can tell because I’m the same.” I turned my head to see who was speaking. There was an older lady sitting next to me on the bench. She pointed at the bird I was observing, “That one is called a Ryukyu Robin. Its natural habitat is in the forest, but I wonder how it got here. Are you interested in birds?”
(Picture of the Ryukyu Robin)
I observed the bird closely and responded, “I’ve always liked birds. They’re my favorite animal.” The lady smiled, “You know, I’m very good with birds. If you’d like, I can let you pet that bird.” I grew excited once I found out I could pet it. Most birds fly away when I attempt trying to pet them. I nodded excitedly, “That would be awesome! I’ve never been able to pet a bird.”
The lady smiled sincerely, “Let me show you.” The lady reached in her pocket and brought out a plastic bag with bird feed inside. She instructed, “Grab some and place it in your hand. Make sure to not startle the bird. Or else it will fly away. You must be patient.” I followed her instructions and grabbed a few and made my hands flat. I stood still so that I wouldn’t startle the bird.
The bird inched closer to my hand and eventually landed on my hand. It ate the food slowly and carefully. I wanted to pet the bird badly, but I didn’t want to startle the bird. The lady whispered, “You can slowly approach the bird. You will know if the bird is willing to let you pet it, if the bird bows its head down.”
I slowly approached the bird with my other hand. Surprisingly, the bird bowed its head. I then proceeded with petting the bird. The bird rubbed its head on my finger. My heart jumped with how cute it was. If only I could take it home with me to raise as a pet.
After petting the bird, it flew away to a nearby tree. The lady patted my back and said, “Good job. You did good. If you follow what I taught you, you’ll be able to tame birds easily.” I bowed, “Thank you so much. I never knew anything about taming birds.” The lady smiled, “It takes patients to tame a bird. One attempt at petting won’t do much, but if you continuously meet the same bird, they will naturally come to you.”
The lady stood up without listening to my response. She waved and walked away from me. After she left, I realized that the bag of bird feed was still with me. I wanted to give it back to her, but she had already left. While walking around looking for her in the plaza, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me. I struggled to get away from the stranger. He wasn’t letting go.
He wore a hat with sunglasses. His face was covered with a scarf even though it was extremely hot out. The only reason anyone would come out dressed like that would be to hide their identity. I was afraid for my life.
I smacked him in the arm in an attempt to get away. I had heard countless stories of high school girls getting kidnapped in town. I didn’t expect that to happen to me. I finally stomped on his foot after many failed attempts. He let go of my hand and began groaning in pain. I tried to run away but was stopped by him once more.
He took the sunglasses off and whispered, “Mika, it’s me. I’m not someone suspicious.” I took a closer look and noticed it was Akira in disguise. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that he wasn’t a kidnapper. I complained, “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at the café with your fans?” Akira scratched the back of neck feeling guilty, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t careful enough. I didn’t think anyone would recognize me so easily.”
I rolled my eyes, “Sure… I don’t believe you. You’re a celebrity for crying out loud. Hasn’t your agent or somebody told you that you should be careful outside?” Akira pouted, “It’s not my fault. We were in a hurry and so I didn’t really think much about it. I haven’t been a celebrity for that long.” I sighed in resignation, “Fine, but I don’t really think you should be here anymore. I can take care of the glasses on my own. I’ll make sure to pay you back asap.”
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