Harumi was sitting by herself hoping to find peace in her artwork,but it had all been in vain as she lacked the passion to do anything.
One day she was employed to work at a nearby art cafe near her home where she could draw for all the customers that were there, she was exceptional at drawing but she herself did not accept it and treated art as though it was a mere chore.
“Your line art is incredible” a woman stated whilst pulling out a pushchair with her child, and Harumi smiled weakly and then looked down,took her drawing and left the scene. A man then noticed her and then she abruptly stopped.
“I’m sorry sir I wasn’t looking where I was going!!”
she bowed down hurriedly and then he gave her a warm smile and she felt somewhat relieved from her stress.
“Youichirou” he said and then she questioned him.
“What I don’t understand?” and then he hit her head gently.
“It’s my name idiot” he laughed and then
she managed to smile back. He then took the paper off her hands and then noticed her creativity and acknowledged that the quality was divine when she drew a beautiful princess sitting beside the moonlight.
“You need to stop doubting yourself” he told her and then she instantly denied and ran away, her eyes swelled up with tears. He then kept her artwork and then gazed at it.
“This reminds me of..！” he thought to himself.
Harumi wondered off outside the cafe and took a moment to herself to ponder over Youichirou and his words and then remembered her experience as a child where there were several children assembled in one place and they were all very interested in drawing and Harumi was amongst them however she was the one who had drawn better than everyone else, and always had a cheerful look on her face.
“You’re always so full of yourself aren’t you? Always looking down on us!!” They all took their sheets of paper, tore it apart and threw the pieces over Harumi and from then on she no longer pursued art as an interest, she wept uncontrollably after remembering it.
“Why do I always hold this stupid pencil?!”
Meanwhile Youichirou also thought about his past. He even noticed a girl sobbing in a corner with bits of paper on her dress and her hair, and as he watched from afar he threw a pencil near her hoping not to be seen and then she picked it up and stared at with remorse but still tucked it in her bag.
“Thank goodness she didn’t see me” he put his hands on his chest,and ran away and she had then heard footsteps and saw him from behind but did not know who he was.
Youichirou then realised something very important after this memory and immediately started to run.
“Youichirou?..” the manager enquired him.
“Sir it’s an emergency I shall work another day but now I must leave!” he immediately took off his apron and his hat and dashed out of the store.
Harumi sat on a bench on her own and was still dwelling on her past and held her pencil,she then teared up and threw the pencil and then then it was caught firmly.
“That was quite disrespectful to throw away something very valuable!” Harumi recognised the voice immediately and then stood up from the bench and then noticed Youichirou was standing near her grasping the pencil.
“Why so?” she returned and then he walked closer and then as he did so, he took her hand and gave her the pencil and smiled at her once again and she blushed profusely.
“Why..?” she enquired and was also baffled by his bold decision.
“The pen chooses the artist,the artist doesn’t choose the pen, in this case you’re the chosen one” he told her and then she was filled with dread.
“That’s not true if I draw then I...” she hesitated.
“You’d feel full of yourself and and get paper thrown over you?” he continued her sentence and then she wiped her tears and was extremely shocked.
“How did you..?” she then learnt how it all made sense and how the person who lent her the pencil was none other than Youichirou himself. She recalled a boy running but could only see his back as soon as she picked up the pencil that day and then looked at Youichirou and then was startled with what she had learnt.
“It was you that day but why me?” she was trembling but he comforted her with a gentle embrace.
“I watched everything that had happened and failed to realise it was you at first until you came to work here to draw and when you lacked the passion something felt familiar.” He told her the truth.
He looked at Harumi and then she tried to look at him but was in discomfort.
“I’m sorry for being like this but you have to remember that you draw because you love to do it and don’t stop because of others!” he told her and she held her pencil close to her chest and then his words finally reached her heart and the passion she once lost had been regained by hearing these words and her enthusiasm boosted quite a lot.
“Thank you Youichirou” her tone of voice was a lot softer and his cheeks reddened due to embarrassment.
“It was nothing” but don’t stop okay?” he scratched his head nervously and she nodded and noticed that she kept on drawing as it was running in her blood despite her wanting to stop since back then, and then decided to give herself a better image of herself for her own sake and also for others.
2 years later Harumi spoke to more customers and they asked for her art and then she met the same woman but this time her child had grown from the pushchair and then she told her something worth hearing.
“I am relieved that you are feeling a lot better about yourself in these two years, you have done yourself justice dear”
“I learnt so much over these years” Harumi replied. The woman stared at this beautiful girl who had grown stronger and more optimistic within a short period of time. She requested a drawing from Harumi and was blessed with one of her works which was based on a girl who was very happy and running around the fields with flowers all around her.
The woman left the shop after paying and Harumi admired her words and learnt that her shift was over and then Youichirou waited for her outside the entrance and as she stepped out, her heart was racing and his did no less. He gave her a bouquet of red roses after hiding it behind his back and she accepted it happily.
“Harumi please be mine” he confessed to her, she grew emotional, and he got a little concerned until she finally gave her answer.
“Yes!” she covered her mouth in excitement afterwards and then he knelt forward and so did she, and the two of them kissed and Youichirou slid another pencil in her pocket and she felt it.
“This time you really won’t give up!” he confidently spoke.
“I understand we are both in each other’s care!” she expressed and he nodded and they watched the beautiful sunset together and vowed to be together forever.
*Afterward*
Thank you so much for supporting me and this story I hope to make a longer version someday !!!^^
