Sato Taiki thinks he has definitely met this professor before, but he cannot recall where exactly it was.
This is the start of the third year in college for Taiki, but his academic profile page now shows "senior" instead of "junior". He feels content with the credits he earned from placement tests and summer courses. His hard work finally turned into numbers on his profile after a few emails and trips to the registration office, allowing him to take senior courses now.
The course he is attending right now is the last in the choreography sequence. In the previous course, he learned how to communicate with the audience through movements, as the course description stated. The final exam was a showcase, with grading based on the professor's rating and the audience's votes. He received an A+ because he had the most votes from the audience, even though the rating from the professor wasn't the full score nor the best in the class. Well, who cares.
Excitement for this choreography course has built over time in the past few years. This course is one of the reasons Taiki chose this school. He followed the Instagram account for this course and watched everything on the profile again and again. He loved the final showcases, and also watched plenty of dance practice videos. He attended the in-person final showcases whenever he had time on campus and enjoyed pretty much every show. He never felt so close to the students, or the dancers, in those videos he watched repeatedly, and now he is only one step away from becoming one of them.
But sadly, perhaps only to Taiki, it seems like the course is not entirely practical. He has to sit in the classroom once a week for three hours straight, listening to the history of choreography. In the final week, there will be an exam on this material in addition to the showcase. The lecture was so boring last week that Taiki almost fell asleep. Fortunately, that professor was only a substitute, and today the actual professor has arrived.
Yamamoto Sekai, the professor wrote on the blackboard. "This is my real name, the one on my driver's license." He says after turning to face the class.
"This is a powerful name." Taiki thinks. Repeating the name several times in his mind, he is still unable to find any clue related to it in his memory. Taiki starts to spin the pen in his hand unconsciously until it falls to the ground. The classroom is quiet, making the sound of the pen hitting the floor even louder than the lecture. As he picks up the pen, he feels everyone watching him, including the professor. Taiki feels slightly embarrassed in his seat as the professor clears his throat and regains the class's attention.
Even though Professor Yamamoto said nothing about the small incident in class, Taiki meets the professor after class to express his apology. Yamamoto kindly asks for his name and smiles. Taiki asks what's funny about his name, not seriously, but Yamamoto declines to answer the question. Taiki isn't that curious, so he just politely says goodbye to the professor.
Taiki defines the professor as a weirdo in his mind.
Unlike any other professor, Yamamoto does not take attendance for this course. His lectures rarely involve any engaging sections, but he enjoys playing movies related to the topic. He tells students not to attend the lecture if they find the class uninteresting and mentions that he will provide a study guide for the final exam. This is almost like asking students not to come. Thus, unsurprisingly, after a few more weeks, there are only two students who still attend the lecture regularly, while the others would rather go to the dance studio to practice. One of the two students is Taiki.
This is yet another class that is almost empty; even the other student doesn't show up. Taiki becomes the only student in the classroom. He finds the movie more interesting than its title suggests. He is so engrossed in the movie that he loses track of time. Unexpectedly, Professor Yamamoto also doesn't notice the time. Both of them are gently guided out of the classroom by the professor and students from the next class.
Taiki is so excited about the movie that he can't stop talking about it with his professor, who is the only person he knows that shares knowledge of the same movie. On their way back to the professor's office, Taiki discusses all the ideas that come to his mind about the movie. He hasn't sorted them out, so it's a bit chaotic. Nonetheless, Professor Yamamoto nods and also shares his thoughts on the points. Taiki feels safe to share all his thoughts for no particular reason, and he does get the chance to share all of them.
It seems like the conversation goes well. Professor Yamamoto also has more to discuss regarding a few points Taiki mentioned, but he has to go to his next session. The professor offers a one-on-one dance practice session for next week, and Taiki will not let this opportunity slip away.
Something surprising occurs before their practice session. To be more specific, Taiki discovers why Yamamoto Sekai seems familiar to him.
Sato Taiki is a good student, which doesn't mean he isn't involved in entertainment. In fact, he is popular among the students, even though he does not attend every party and socialize. He is one of the few dance major students. There are always many topics he can discuss about his major that no one else knows in the conversation. Perhaps he lies; no one knows.
He lives in the dorm because it is affordable and close to campus. He doesn't drive, so he usually only goes to the pub on Main Street. The pub is called Main Street Pub, a boring name. If he were the owner, he would name the pub The X Pub or something fancier and more mysterious. But anyway, Taiki goes there at least once a week, usually on Thursdays because there is a happy hour, so he can drink without feeling guilty about the cost.
One day, his roommate takes him to a pub in town for the roommate's birthday party. Taiki sees the name of the pub is Eighth Note, and he thinks the name is at least twice as good as Main Street Pub. If there were a live band in the pub, the name would be worth a score of 80 out of 100. After staying in the pub for a while, Taiki bumps the score up to 84 because there is a DJ with the band. He likes their music taste. The DJ is wearing a mask. Taiki cannot figure out his age, but he assumes it is around 30.
Taiki is a bit drunk. He doesn't notice the music stopping. When he realizes the background music has already become a recording and all band members have disappeared, he hopes to tip the DJ but doesn't get the chance, not too bothersome.
His phone starts vibrating insistently while he's talking about the practice session with the professor. The vibration is so annoying that he has to take his phone out of his pocket to check who is calling. It's his mom.
It doesn't take long for him to realize it's the day he regularly talks with his mom. He usually respects the specific date every month to talk over the phone with her, but today is not the day for it. He waves his phone to his friends and steps out of the pub to answer the call.
It's October, and it's cold outside, especially at night. Taiki tells his mom he's at a party and will talk to her tomorrow night. When he hangs up the phone and goes back to the pub, he suddenly notices someone a few steps away.
Professor Yamamoto is smoking on the street.
Taiki wants to say hello, so he decides to approach Yamamoto. Yamamoto also notices Taiki and puts out the cigarette before Taiki stands in front of him.
"Hey," Taiki says with a playful smile, "Professor Yamamoto."
Yamamoto nods while saying "Hey" back to Taiki.
Taiki wants to ask why the professor is here, but in the next moment, he sees the mask the DJ was wearing in Yamamoto's other hand. His brain is clouded by alcohol, and he feels frozen by the night wind. He's unable to find the words to ask the question about the DJ correctly until Yamamoto speaks up himself.
"If you're curious," Yamamoto states openly, "Yes, I'm actually the DJ here."
Taiki can't tip him now.
Their practice session didn't get canceled because of this encounter. Instead, Taiki realized he had also met Yamamoto several times at the Main Street Pub, although under the mask. Yamamoto didn't ask him to keep his DJ identity a secret at school, but Taiki didn't say anything. He just kept it as a secret deep down inside. Taiki knows that revealing this secret could draw all his friends' attention at a party, but he would rather keep it as a secret between the two of them.
In the dance studio, Taiki begins to discuss his choreography idea for the final showcase using the whiteboard. He had planned to have a duet showcase but hasn't found a partner yet, so he is a bit confused about how to proceed now. Yamamoto likes some of the ideas, while he offers advice on the other arrangements.
Yamamoto only teaches the history part of the course; he does not attend the dance practice sessions. Taiki thinks he has never seen Yamamoto in the dance studio before, so it is a shock to him when Yamamoto says he can practice as his partner while Taiki is finding a partner for the showcase. Taiki doesn't know why he immediately asks, "Can you dance?" It is definitely foolish to assume a dance major professor cannot dance, but Taiki has never seen Yamamoto dance before. It is astonishing to him that Yamamoto learns his choreography in just a few minutes and makes suggestions while learning to make the choreography flow more smoothly.
Taiki asks for more dance practice sessions. Yamamoto agrees.
It turns out that they practice every week for the next month because Taiki aims to complete the full choreography before mid-November, so he can focus on practicing it before the showcase. Taiki doesn't mention to anyone that Yamamoto helped him with his choreography. When another professor in the studio asks about it, he simply tells the professor "It's a good friend of mine." Taiki thinks there's nothing wrong with rephrasing their relationship in this way, even though he has never asked Yamamoto about this specific description.
When the choreography is mostly done, it's no wonder that the dance studio professor is very impressed. At the same time, the professor is worried about Taiki's partner. There is no rule stating that the partner for the showcase has to be a student in the class, but he tells Taiki that if he doesn't decide soon, the timeline for practice will be very tight.
Taiki already has someone in mind.
In the practice session with Yamamoto the following week, Taiki and Yamamoto practice the choreography as usual. Yamamoto asks Taiki about how the other professor reacted to it, and Taiki says there were no more suggestions made by that professor. They sit on the dance studio floor for a moment and drink bottled water. Yamamoto says the choreography isn't perfect. "There's always room for improvement," Yamamoto states after a sip of water. Taiki nods and agrees, saying, "It's already the best in the class; I don't have to be too impressive for the showcase." They both laugh at the comment.
At this moment, Taiki decides to ask Yamamoto if he can attend the final showcase to perform together. Yamamoto is definitely the best candidate for Taiki -- he already knows all of the choreography, and he even put a great deal of time and effort into the work. Taiki thinks it would be unfair if Yamamoto isn't on stage with him.
Unexpectedly, Yamamoto doesn't agree immediately. He frowns and tells Taiki he will take it into consideration. They continue to practice for a moment before saying goodbye to each other.
Two days later, Taiki receives an email from Yamamoto. In the email, Yamamoto writes that he has to reject the partner request, as he is the professor of the course and it is not legitimate for him to accept.
Taiki feels bad about that email, but he has no time to question Yamamoto's decision. Instead of finding another dance partner, he decides to change the choreography into a solo performance.
There's only a month or so left before the showcase. Taiki has no time to think about anything other than his showcase, so he stops going to the pub or dance practice with Yamamoto. To Taiki, it would be beneficial to receive suggestions from Yamamoto for the solo choreography, but he cannot handle their relationship in his mind at the moment. Every time he takes a break and drinks bottled water, thoughts about whether he asked too much from Yamamoto or if they were really friends just pop into his mind without consent. Perhaps it's just a professor-student relationship, and there's nothing special about what they've talked about or what stayed only between the two of them. Perhaps it's never important that they're attracted to the same movie or that he knows about Yamamoto's DJ identity. He can hardly focus on the solo choreography in the first few days, but he has to.
The dance studio professor is stunned by his decision. He asks why Taiki can't take his good friend to the final showcase, but Taiki doesn't say a word about that. Taiki just spends every minute in the dance studio, trying to put the solo choreography together.
Of course, he stops attending Yamamoto's lectures for the course. It's never required. Taiki goes to the dance studio with his fellow classmates and asks the studio professor for help. The solo choreography is very different from a duet, but there are still elements he can reuse in the solo. He practices and practices until he feels like his solo choreography scores at least 60 out of 100, even though the duet he was working on was like a 90 out of 100. He cannot look back. He has no time to do so, and it is meaningless to do so.
Nonetheless, he still shows up at the showcase with his solo dance. It's not too bad, but also not too good. Yamamoto sitting in the audience makes him feel more nervous than usual, but he still finishes his solo successfully. When he bows to the audience, Yamamoto makes eye contact with him while clapping. Taiki cannot read anything from the eye contact.
The final exams continue for a week. Taiki has to stay up late to study for every final exam because he spent too much time in the dance studio in the last month and missed many lectures. He isn't able to find any time to go to the pub or studio until the Saturday of the final week. His exams finished on Friday, but he was too tired to go anywhere on Friday and slept through until Saturday afternoon. His roommate asks him if he wants to go to the Eighth Note again to celebrate the end of the semester. "Why not?" Taiki answers, and he asks his roommate to give him a ride.
It is crowded at the Eighth Note. Everyone is here for the end of the semester. Taiki feels dizzy even without having any drinks. The music, the smell, the sound of people talking -- all of it overloads Taiki's mind, and he is exhausted by all those sensations. He has never felt this way before. He looks to the small stage in the pub and sees Yamamoto there. For a moment, he wants to shout out Professor Yamamoto's name and ask him why they can't perform on stage together, but deep down, he knows it's definitely the right choice for Yamamoto. He tries to calm himself down, but he still feels his mind can't process anything related to Yamamoto.
He escapes from the pub. It's already December, and it's rare for this college town not to have snow these days. Taiki can't go back home without his roommate, so he just stands outside the pub and exhales, watching his breath condensation. He forgot his scarf in the pub, but he doesn't want to go back and get it. He just feels the wind slide into his collar, making his body colder than before. He takes out his phone, trying to message his roommate to tell him he wants to go home, but he decides not to send the message. It would kill the mood for the night.
Taiki doesn't anticipate Yamamoto's appearance outside the pub. He slightly nods and says, "Hey, professor," in a low voice. Yamamoto takes his cigarettes out of his pocket, starts to smoke, and says nothing. Taiki doesn't feel comfortable around Yamamoto, so he tries to go back to the pub. As he takes his first step, he hears Yamamoto say, "It was a good choreography. I liked it." It doesn't take a second to understand that Yamamoto is referring to the showcase, and Taiki says, "Not as good as the duet we've worked on, you know that." Yamamoto shakes his head once but seems to decide not to comment on the choreography again. Instead, he asks, "When are you graduating?"
"After next semester," Taiki answers. This time, Yamamoto nods a bit.
Taiki wasn't able to process that question outside the pub. He went back to the pub and partied all night long until it closed.
Taiki no longer stays in the college town after he graduates. He becomes an assistant choreographer while also part-time teaching dance in a small studio. It's not well-paid, but he enjoys the work. He would like to keep doing that for a while.
During homecoming week, he goes back to his college town with some of his friends. Actually, he graduated in May, and it is only September, so he doesn't feel a lot of nostalgia for the homecoming event. He still goes to the game, and luckily team from their alma mater wins. They decide to go to the pub to celebrate the victory. To be honest, they would also celebrate if their team had gotten second place. Everyone just wants to have a drink.
Taiki has finished two iced drinks and still feels hot. The AC is not effective enough for a packed pub. Taiki tries to keep the conversation going while having another iced drink. The live band is still performing on the stage, and Taiki still likes the music taste like it was last year. He stares at Yamamoto's mask, trying his best not to stare too hard, but he is definitely distracted by the performance and cannot follow the conversation closely between his friends.
Taiki leaves the pub once the live performance is finished. He cannot wait. He is not sure why he cannot wait, but he steps out of the pub right after the performance. He waits in the street. There's a bit of wind outside, and not too many people. Taiki feels his body temperature cool down a bit because of the fresh air, but not a lot. His heart beats faster when he sees Yamamoto walking out of the pub with the band members. Yamamoto makes eye contact with him, inhales, and stops his steps. Taiki watches Yamamoto wave his hand to the band members before walking straight toward him.
"What do you do now?" Yamamoto asks while exhaling.
"Assistant choreographer," says Taiki.
"Sounds good."
"Well, it's just an assistant choreographer. Not as good as a professor. Not even close."
Yamamoto looks up to the sky. After a few breaths, he says, "I'm in the college all the time. I wanted to become a real dancer at some point." He stops for a second. "I'm actually not sure why I brought this up. I might be drunk."
"I mean, it's not that hard," Taiki shrugs. "If you really want to try, I can introduce you to related opportunities where I work, but it might not be a good fit."
Taiki is not very serious about this matter, but Yamamoto doesn't reject the proposal. Taiki feels uncertainty strike him after Yamamoto seems interested, but he is not sure what to do. Yamamoto takes a business card out of his pocket to exchange, but Taiki didn't bring any for this trip. Thus, Taiki just types his phone number into Yamamoto's phone directly from the keyboard. When Taiki gives Yamamoto's phone back to him, Yamamoto says, "Thanks."
The next morning, Taiki receives a message from Yamamoto. In the message, Yamamoto writes, "This is Sekai."
Taiki reads the message in the sunlight. He finds himself smiling because of the message. He hasn't decided what to reply yet, but he already perceives that there's something different now.