𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 {𝐔𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫}

Chapter 17: Miracle Boy

*Your POV*

This week had gone by fast. I'd now gotten the swing of my classes and become comfortable in my new school. Having a reliable group of friends helped my transition and made me feel welcome.

As soon as I realized it was Friday morning, I experienced a rush of excitement, and I knew why. I'd already acknowledged my infatuation with Ushijima. There was no point in lying to myself. The idea of being at the contest with him delighted me.

Practice was canceled today because the event was being held in the gym, so after the last period ended, I gathered my things and walked to my car to leave my backpack.

As I unlocked the door, I saw the man of the hour.

"Hey, you ready?"

"I guess so." He replied.

"Faculty set everything up already, so we just need to wait until 4:00 when it starts."

"Okay."

I shut the door and drew near him.

"Come on, let's go check it out."

He followed me to the gym, and I peered in to see the arrangement.

The walls featured an assortment of framed posters. There were many tables and stands holding sculptures and canvases. Colors and lines popped out at me. It was a stimulating sight.

"Do you have the portrait with you?"

He pulled his backpack off and retrieved it.

"Let's go set it up."

With some assistance from one of the volunteers, we found his designated place and displayed the piece.

She informed us that the guests would vote for their favorite art in each category. The votes would be counted to decide the winners.

When the showing began and people bustled in, Ushijima and I stayed in the vicinity but away from the crowd. I thought it would be better not to obstruct the walkway for others.

We sat by one of the corners and spectated. I didn't want him to be bored, so I entertained him with conversation. It seemed to work.

After an hour and a half, a woman walked onto a small stage and tapped the microphone.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you have all thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful artwork we have for you today. Our school is proud to have such talented young students. As much as I'd love for the show to go on, it is now time to announce our winners."

She politely coursed through each category until she reached "Realism".

I clenched my fists lightly.

"For 'Realism', Ushijima Wakatoshi."

I gasped quietly with enthusiasm and whipped my body to face him.

"That's you! That's you!" I squealed.

"Yes, I know my name."

I jumped up and down, shaking him back and forth by his coat. His hands wrapped around my wrists to stop the swaying.

"Sorry," I giggled, "I'm just happy for you."

The speaker finished with the other names.

"Congratulations to all of our winners. Thank you for coming and participating. I wish you all a good night and a safe trip home."

Ushijima received his ribbon from the speaker after she'd walked off stage.

It took a while to leave because of the crowd, but once we were finally outside, I lead us to a bench that stood under a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. The ground was covered in a thick blanket of pink.