these two would go to concerts together. a few days after a concert was announced, she would text him nonstop ("WE NEED TO GET THE TICKETS NO MATTER WHAT") because she got fomo easily, while he had two moods: one being "HELL YEAH WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO GO" and the other being "geez woman chill, it's still 3 months away."

they always bought the standing view because what's a concert if you're sitting down? he would take care of her and make sure she was still within his sight. if she asked whether they could go more to the front row, he would go with his chaotic method to clear the way. they were too broke for official merchandise, so they could only settle for freebies and the ticket stub.

when junpei had his first concert, they were the first two to stand up and clap the loudest.

i'm living for these two being a fanboy and a fangirl.

lorrrrrddddd are you tempting me

on frontier, i only ship takumi and that's that...? i mean i can see the kouichi/izumi potential, but i blame toei for my son's lack of screentime and interactions.

i have the syndrome of shipping hero/heroine, so this came pretty naturally to me right from the start before i started scrapping their scenes and moments. remember they were the only two who decided to stay while junpei and tomoki wanted to go home? the bickering before splitting in different directions? the hug they shared with kouji on the beach? the way izumi asked takuya to mediate between the twins?

and of course our two favourite takumi moments: the date (even though it was just a dream) and "yeah, i also like the new izumi..." before he stupidly fell asleep?

oh! i was also giddy when i then found out that in the cd drama, takuya asked izumi to teach him italian language before he went off to the country for his soccer career. made a fic out of that because this small details is just *chef's kiss*

but anyway, even if i don't ship them romantically, i will still love their dynamic as friends. they're just so chaotic and lively.

sogno

___

It had been a couple of months since they agreed on a schedule—a schedule that they never really changed unless something significant happened: every Tuesday and Friday, six to seven-thirty in the evening at Saint Marc Café Ueno.

However, that Friday during the first week of summer break, Izumi asked Takuya to come before lunchtime. Instead of meeting in front of the Akihabara station, she told him to go to Shinjuku, where they hopped on a rapid train and travelled as far as Musashino [1]. The journey did not stop there because Izumi took him for a walk down some lanes in what seemed to be a housing area.

He asked her so many questions along the way. She answered none of them.

At the peak of his curiosity, Izumi finally led him into a small building, lush green vines covering most of its brick wall. Takuya initially thought it was a mere house, but then he spotted a sign above the door written in white-coloured cursive: Trattoria della Nonna Gia [2]. There was a chime of a bell when he closed the door, and then he could see the inside of the building dominated by tables and chairs.

Takuya was almost certain this was a restaurant, but that was before Izumi peeked from the door behind the register and said, “I’m home.”

A woman with a pale-yellow apron then exited from what Takuya thought was a kitchen. She exchanged a small talk with Izumi that Takuya couldn’t hear, but as soon as the woman saw Takuya cluelessly standing near the front door, her expression turned ecstatic before she rushed forward and grabbed both of his hands. It was only then Takuya realised the woman did not look very much like a Japanese; bright coloured hair, fair skin, and a pair of hazel eyes that were looking straight into him with glimmers of excitement.

“Devi essere il famoso Takuya. Piacere, caro. Sono tanto emozionata di conoscerti!”

—and his hypothesis was proven true after the lady started to speak in Italian very, very fast, complete with its accent.

“Io sono la mamma di Izumi. Come va l’italiano? Spero che lei sia una brava maestra con te! Madonna! Tanti auguri per la squadra di calcio! È in Castellanza, vero? Così piccolina la città, ma non c’è ciò che non sia bellísimo in Italia.” (You must be the famous Takuya. Nice to meet you, darling. I’m so excited to see you! I’m Izumi’s mom. How’s the Italian lesson going? I hope she’s teaching you well. My God, congratulations for the soccer team! It’s in Castellanza [3], right? It’s a small town, but there isn’t anything that isn’t pretty in Italy anyway.)

Truth be told, while they always met about two times a week for around two months, Takuya was a lousy pupil. He often slacked off while studying—a fact that made Izumi mad to the core, of course—and his skill had never really grown. That was why all he could manage was giving a reply as short as,

“…sorry?”

—in Japanese. Not in Italian.

The woman seemed taken aback before she decided to glance at Izumi. “Ma cara, pensavo che hai detto che dovevo solo parlarli in Italiano quando finalmente lo porti a casa!” (But dear, I thought you said I should only speak to him in Italian when you finally bring him home!)

“Change of plan. His head is full of sakka but not il calcio [4],” Izumi answered in Japanese, sighing as if she was expecting this. “I’ll explain later on, Mama.”

Mrs Orimoto blinked in confusion, but then she smiled understandingly when she turned back to Takuya. “Make yourself at home, Takuya-kun. Just take a seat somewhere and order anything, okay? Sakura will help you once you guys ready.”

Getting an answer in perfect Japanese from a foreign-looking lady who was speaking so differently just a minute ago made Takuya stunned once again. “Ah… okay,” he said, dumbfounded. “Thank you—I mean, grazie.”

After Mrs Orimoto returned to the kitchen, Izumi brought him to a table near the window on the restaurant’s corner. The menu was already there, in which Takuya then settled for a Pizza Margherita and cream soda, while Izumi copied his drink but with a salad. Once Sakura, the cashier, took their order, Izumi started to get the language books from her bag—a sign that they would begin the lesson soon.

Nevertheless, Takuya needed to get one thing straight first. “Why do you bring me here?”

“Thought that this will help to get us closer to the Italian ambience because certainly, someone is not taking the lesson very well all this time,” she answered with a clear annoyance in her tone that made Takuya shivered in horror. “That, and I’ll get bloated if I eat another Caramel Banana Delight. Come on, let’s just study first and save the chit-chat for later.”

Izumi was actually a pretty decent teacher, despite her saying “forza, forza” way too often. Her explanation was as clear as her pronunciation, but the most important thing was she got a bag of patience that never seemed to run out even when Takuya was quite hopeless himself. However, considering the long journey and the hospitality, Takuya was determined not to waste any more time and tried hard to catch up. He even asked her not to stop even though they had passed the usual 1.5 hours duration.

When the time showed four in the afternoon, only half of the pizza left and the ice cream in their soda had completely melted. Izumi called it to quit, saying that they shouldn’t push themselves further to avoid burnout. She went for a toilet break, which gave Takuya time to finally observed the wall behind her seat.

There were photos hanging, each of them inside a wooden frame. Some of them were mere sceneries of Italy, but there were portraits of people. A big Italian family, an old lady in a tomato orchard, and a family of three in front of what appeared to be a cathedral—an Asian-looking man, a lady that looked slightly familiar, and a baby in her arms. Takuya took the liberty to make his own conclusion, which he popped at Izumi once she returned to her chair.

“I know you lived in Italy once, but you never mentioned anything about your mother being an Italian herself.” Maybe that explained how Izumi’s hair was brighter than an average Japanese person and how her eyes had a green tint if you looked closely.

“My parents met when Mama came to Japan for a long holiday,” she explained. “Classic love at first sight story. They got married here, and I was born. After that, Papa got an offer to continue his study in Italy, and they didn’t even think twice.”

“Ah.”

Izumi seemed kind of awkward for a moment. She then proceeded to pick a slice of pizza and asked after a chew, “Why do you finally settle on football?”

“Huh?”

“You decide not to go to university and take a very risky career path by pursuing football. Don’t your parents disagree?”

“Oh, they did. They were furious, as a matter of fact.” Takuya responded. “They told me there’s no guarantee I can be as good as Nakata [5]. I should be attending university and searching for a more settled job, especially I am the first-born and I should give a realistic example to Shinya. Even when I brought home that talent scout to convince them, they were still in doubt. I mean we’re talking about a very small club in a small city that is not Milan nor Rome.”

“So, what did you do?”

“I talked to them. I think I was begging at some point,” he snickered. “But honestly, if you asked me why did they change their minds, I’m not really sure myself. Maybe they got a sudden moment of realisation. Maybe my ancestor sent them a message through a dream saying, ‘hey, you better let your son go’?”

Izumi finally let out a chuckle, but she kept stirring her soda grimly. “Well. At least you’re sure about your dream.”

“No, I’m not,” Takuya frowned. “You said it yourself; it’s a very risky career. If I’m good, I’ll be travelling one hour away to become AC Milan’s ace [6]. If I’m not, I’ll be a loser stuck in someone else’s country, oceans away from home without an education.” He shrugged. “Yet again, you never know until you try. That’s why I don’t mind walking this rocky trail if it’s leading me closer to my dream.”

“But that’s the point, Takuya. You have a dream,” Izumi suddenly sounded irritated. “I don’t know what I want to be after high school. Should I go to university? Of course I should—my father’s a professor! But what do I want to study? I don’t know!”

She obviously began to get frantic, and Takuya knew because her Italian accent started to come out—even though she was speaking in Japanese—and her hands were making gestures that rapidly changed in every phrase.

“What if I don’t want to study anymore? Yes, my parents will be outraged, but they shouldn’t even bother at the first place because I don’t know what I want to do anyway. I thought trying modelling will help me to figure it out, but it’s not. I’m doing it because I can, not because I’m passionate about it,” she threw her hands on her lap frustratingly. “I don’t know, Takuya. I feel like I’m lost.”

There was a brief moment of silence where she was slouching hopelessly in her chair and he was just staring at her, before he took a deep breath and opened his mouth again.

“But Izumi… you don’t have to figure it all out right now, do you?” he said, shifting his position to make himself more comfortable as the seriousness grew in his eyes. “If you ask me, I think that’s why Kouji decides to go on a trip around the world—because he doesn’t have any plan and hopes to find one in his journey. And believe me: even if you finally land on a wrong choice, there will always be another opportunity to fix it and make it better. Life always finds a way, eventually. Remember we were once lost in The Digital World yet managed to come back after facing so many obstacles? It’s exactly like that.”

It was Izumi’s turn to stare at him. Sometimes, she did not realise how the time flew so fast. The boy who sat in front of her was once the most reckless person she’d ever met. He would dive into anything headfirst without exactly thinking about the consequences, as if the goggle on his cap would be able to protect not only his eyes but also his entire body and soul. Maybe that was why Izumi also naturally became the mother hen who kept scolding him if he put himself or the group in danger. Even when he came to her a few months ago and asked for an Italian crash course, she quickly agreed to it despite being busy enough with the part-time model stuff. And it was not only because she was excited to introduce her half culture, but also because she was worry about him.

Now, with a determination glimmered in his gentle eyes, she finally noticed that boy had turned into a fine and mature young man—maybe even mature than this mother hen.

“Really, Takuya,” she whispered. “Since when did you become so wise?”

“What can I say? I might be dumb at Italiano, but take this from someone who actually makes a lot of mistakes in his life.”

They shared a lighter talk afterwards while finishing the long-delayed meal before deciding it was enough for the day. Takuya took his time to say goodbye to Izumi’s mother, and when they stood outside the door, Izumi offered to accompany him to the station. Takuya immediately rejected, calling it weird because she was already home. They ended up waving at each other as Takuya began to walk, only to stop a few metres and turned to face her again.

“Hey, Izumi,” he called. “If you have figured out what you want to… no, I mean—”

He seemed hesitant for a moment, but he never looked so sure before when he raised his head. “Either you have figured out your dream or not… meet me in Italy.”

Izumi was dumbstruck.

“Ti aspetto.” [7]

—and it wasn’t because of his grammatical error that followed suit.

Earlier this year, she met Junpei on the train where he also proposed for a trip together to Italy. While Izumi secretly understood that he meant just the two of them, she tried to divert the topic and somehow ended up concluding a summer reunion for the six of them instead. However, it was different with Takuya—the way he constantly made her heart race with his adamance. He was always different to her.

And now, all she dreamed about was the two of them hand in hand under the Italian sun, reaching whatever that was waiting for them in the future.

.

.

___

[1] Musashino: an area a bit outside the centre of Tokyo. If you happen to watch Tokyo Olympic 2020, Musashino is where the badminton competitions were held. GO INDONESIA!

[2] Nonna Gia literally means Grandma Gia. Should be the name of Izumi's Italian grandma.

[3] Castellanza is a small town about an hour away from Milan. The local soccer club there is Castellanzese, which competes in Serie D, a non-professional league in Italian football. I suggest you read the footnote of the translation link I gave above or read this for further understanding.

[4] Sakka means soccer in Japanese, while il calcio is soccer in Italian. Izumi is trying to say that Takuya only thinks about doing soccer in Italy but not about the language that can potentially be a barrier while living there.

[5] Nakata is Hidetoshi Nakata, one of Japan's football legend.

[6] AC Milan is one of the most popular football club in Italy.

[7] Takuya wanted to say "I will wait for you" but he said it in present tense instead. The correct one should be "ti aspetterò."

flowers for the brave

___

Takuya always thought that Izumi was kidding when she said that she would let him and Kouji to have a date with her if they managed to beat Cherubimon back in the Digital World, so once they returned, he never mentioned anything about it. Not that he was expecting, anyway.

But then she texted him and asked whether he was free this weekend. And since he was free, they decided to meet at the park. That was when she said that it was a date, and when he blinked dumbfounded, she said that she already promised him and as a responsible lady, she should keep it—stating that Kouji had already got his fair share on the last weekend.

She gave him the liberty to arrange their day. Takuya wished he’d known this earlier so that he could ask Kouji for advice about what he should do on a date. Takuya didn’t know anything about a date or a girl; he could quickly count the number of his female friends and he wouldn’t even need ten fingers for that. It was cloudy when he looked up, so things might get ugly if they stayed outside. He chose the aquarium eventually, although he instantly regretted the decision when he glanced at the ticket price.

However, Izumi insisted to buy her own ticket as if she could read his mind.

It was rather predictable what happened next. Izumi, being the new girl who hadn’t had her chance to check out local amusements, was mesmerized with little creatures swimming casually inside the tanks. She hopped from plastering herself at one glass to another, while Takuya was following behind. The way she behaved reminded him of Shinya more or less; she acted like a little kid who had never seen a fish before.

As they made their way out, they happened to pass the souvenir shop. He intended to at least buy her something for a memento, but Izumi made her own way by grabbing a shark doll to the register. And just before Takuya could stop her from paying by herself again, he glanced at the price in the shelves. There was no way he could afford that doll with his current balance.

For real; if only he found out about this whole thing beforehand, he certainly would be more prepared.

“Oi, Izumi,” he called as they got back on the street. The pavement was damp, which was a sign that he made the right decision by staying inside. “Are you hungry? Do you want me to buy some burgers for you?”

“I had plenty of breakfast this morning, thanks.”

“A coffee, probably? I know a good place around here that sells amazing ice latte.”

“Why do you want to buy me something so badly?”

“Well, this is a date after all. I feel less like a man if I didn’t treat you something.”

Izumi sighed. “I can’t believe you still have such an obsolete thought in this modern day.” She walked away leaving a helpless Takuya, but let him overtook again as she stopped in front of a florist. She gazed at the colorful petals that were so inviting, especially with a hint floral scent which gave her a reminder that springtime would soon leave the city.

“But if you insist…” her voice made Takuya halted and turned around. “You can buy me a flower.”

“Huh?” Takuya glanced at the displays. The price was still within his budget if he only bought one or two. “Okay. Which flower do you want?”

“Hmm. Surprise me?” Her short response made Takuya startled. “I’ll wait here. Now, now!”

She gave him a light push enough to make Takuya entered the store. The florist noticed his arrival, greeting him with a warm welcome. At this stage, Takuya didn’t have any choice but to stay. It would be rude to get out of the shop empty-handed after being busted, especially he only had a pathetic excuse of ‘being pushed by a bossy lady’ if he wanted to leave without making any purchase.

He glanced at Izumi who was standing behind the automatic door, proudly smiled with an enthusiasm. Takuya sighed and started to scan through the available flowers. He didn’t understand flowers just like his zero knowledge about girls and dates, but he knew he should avoid rose because they were often associated with romantic things. He was then attracted to a bunch of peonies with the color similar to her D-Scanner and the clothes she wore on their adventure in the Digital World. Since he had enough money to buy three, Takuya finally decided to take them with his fingers crossed.

“Excuse me,” he then approached the florist in the register. “Is there any particular meaning to these flowers?”

“Peonies? Oh, yes. It’s a symbol of bravery.”

Bravery. That’s good. She’s brave. And it was most probably her favorite color, although judging from clothes could be a total misleading.

“Great. This will do, then.” The florist accepted his payment and offered Takuya an additional ribbon to tie them up for free, so he didn’t mind. There was still a little feeling of uneasiness as he made his way back to Izumi, but he tried not to care and just went for it. “There, there. Flowers for your highness.”

Little did Takuya notice, it was Izumi who was actually startled now. “Eh?”

“Come on. Where do you want to go next?” Takuya started to walk ignorantly. “I’m actually hungry, so you should make a room for burger—”

“Wait, Takuya!” The boy was forced to stop once again. “Why are you buying me peonies?”

“Uh, well. The florist said that it means bravery, so I think it suits you. They have the same color as your D-Scanner and your clothes anyway.”

However, Takuya didn’t know that in Italy where Izumi grew up, peonies were often given to a lover, which was why Izumi was trying so hard to hide her blushing cheeks.

Takuya also didn’t know that she was lying when she said that he had gone on a date with Kouji earlier. The truth was Kouji refused right after Izumi had mustered all her courage to text him about her promise, so that Izumi had to change her strategy when she invited Takuya. In addition to that, Kouji also said, ‘I know you have a thing for Takuya. Don't waste your time with me or you will regret it later.’

Kouji was right. Izumi didn’t regret her bravery to ask Takuya out today.

i need a takumi picture for my graphic yesterday and i found it on my twitter account, so i present you today’s episode of “just another day scrolling at my old tweets.”