Mutsumi's proposal was extrely effective. Because at this mont, Tetsuya was in a state where one of his hands was tightly grasped by her, and his other hand was resting on her waist, so as long as Mutsumi slightly moved her steps, Tetsuya would imdiately be pulled along and follow her movents to step to the correct dance steps. Although this kind of driven dance step looked slightly slow and stiff, it was still much better than Tetsuya's completely off-rhythm appearance just now.
However, although the dance steps were gradually approaching normalcy, Tetsuya's state had beco even more chaotic than just now—
(This is way too close!)
Even though he had already tried his best to keep his body as far away from Mutsumi as possible, under this posture, if two people with an obvious height difference wanted to achieve synchronized steps, he had to let his arm completely press against Mutsumi's back. Not only that, he was also trying his best to control his erratic breathing, caused by continuous exercise for an hour, so as not to offend Mutsumi, who was only a few centiters away from him.
It was a pity... even this kind of silent and invisible endurance still failed to deceive this girl who had been patiently observing him for months.
"Chihaya-san, controlling your breath is also a quite important part of dancing. Although the movents of ballroom dancing are not considered intense, the duration is still not short."
Mutsumi stopped her guiding footsteps and spoke up to remind him.
"If you keep holding your breath like this, it's very likely to cause even more serious mistakes due to a lack of oxygen."
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Tetsuya, who was forced to stop along with her, imdiately started coughing violently after hearing Mutsumi's words because he couldn't catch his breath. Seeing this, Mutsumi very considerately released the hand that was originally holding Tetsuya's body, went behind him, and began to gently pat his back.
"Mhm, just like this."
"Cough, cough... s-sorry..."
Tetsuya wiped the corner of his mouth in a very disheveled manner.
"Because the distance is truly too close, I can't help but involuntarily care about all sorts of issues..."
"Even so, it shouldn't go to the extent of even caring about sothing like breathing, right?"
Mutsumi said as she looked at the other two who had also witnessed this scene.
"Sakiko and Soyo's expressions are also very speechless, you know."
"Sigh, wait for a mont, I'll go pour you a glass of water..."
Soyo, who was originally a bit worried about the inexplicably ambiguous atmosphere between the two of them, finally let go of the unford suspicions in her heart upon seeing this scene, and subsequently let out a deep sigh.
Even though Mutsumi and he were long past being strangers who needed to be mindful of these issues, he still ended up doing such overly reserved things...
As expected, for so people, even if they already had a lover and experience, certain things were destined never to change.
"It's not just the breathing... aren't your postures a bit too stiff as well?"
Sakiko, who had been focusing entirely on their dance steps, also couldn't help but speak up to add:
"Mutsumi has already been trying very hard to slow down and shorten her pace here, but Tetsuya-kun's footsteps are still taken quite hesitantly, and... even though you are stepping forward, your body is leaning backward instead. Don't you find it strange yourself, Tetsuya-kun?"
"Because if I lean forward too much, it's very likely we'll press directly against each other, right?"
Tetsuya explained:
"After all, my stride is much larger than Wakaba-san's, and especially under this posture—"
"Please rest assured, I don't mind at all."
Mutsumi offered this guidance in her trademark flat tone:
"The rhythm of ballroom dancing is already very slow to begin with. Coupled with the fact that the range of motion is completely controlled by the dancers themselves, as long as we can familiarize ourselves with the specific movents in advance, the situation you are worried about, Chihaya-san, will absolutely not happen."
Saying this, she imdiately raised her head and looked at Tetsuya with that direct, seemingly unquestionable gaze.
"Therefore... precisely to avoid a coordination error between the two of us on the day of the banquet, we must proactively adapt to each other's bodies and movents during the practice phase."
"Although I can certainly understand what you an, that phrasing is way too weird!"
Tetsuya couldn't help but retort:
"Anyway, next, as long as I stop controlling my breathing, stop deliberately pulling my body back, and then familiarize myself with Wakaba-san's stride as much as possible, it will be fine, right?"
"Seriously, just how many restrictions did you place on yourself just now..."
Soyo handed the water glass to Tetsuya.
"Anyone could tell that this kind of constrained practice wouldn't work at all... Here, drink so water first before continuing."
"Sigh..."
Tetsuya, who was being lectured by all three parties simultaneously, could only accept the water glass with a helpless face and drink it all in one gulp with indescribable feelings.
He was clearly making all this effort entirely out of respect and care for Mutsumi, alright? They really completely failed to understand his good intentions... However, well, truthfully speaking, he had indeed been a bit overprotective of Mutsumi.
Thinking of this, Tetsuya subconsciously looked at the girl right in front of him.
Ever since he learned about the matters between Mutsumi and her mother, Minami, Tetsuya had always placed her in a position of "needing protection" in his heart.
On one hand, it was because of her overly obedient and compliant personality; on the other hand, it was because of her expression and tone that were always unpredictable. When interacting with Mutsumi, Tetsuya would always think extra carefully about whether his words and actions would offend this girl whose inner thoughts were impossible to read...
But looking at it now, her capacity for acceptance and adaptability seed to be far stronger than he had imagined.
If that's the case...
"Alright, then let's continue."
After returning the empty water glass to Soyo, Tetsuya stood in front of Mutsumi once again.
This ti, he decided to lift all restrictions just as the three of them had said, and properly wrap his arm directly around her waist just as Mutsumi had instructed—
"...Mhm, that's right."
Upon feeling the incredibly obvious heat and strength coming from behind her back, the corners of Mutsumi's mouth curled up imperceptibly by a few degrees.
"This way, I can also better confirm the situation on my end."
...
Stride, rhythm, movent.
Distance, heartbeat, mood.
Just as Tetsuya needed to rely on her guidance to familiarize himself with the dance steps, Mutsumi also desperately needed to be at this distance to truly confirm the feelings that had always been vague and unclear to her.
From hearing his na for the first ti, to officially eting him through Sakiko's connection...
"Ah, sorry, Wakaba-san, I think I just stepped on you, right?"
"Mhm, it's fine, I just need to take slightly larger steps on my end."
From past misunderstandings being single-handedly resolved by him, to witnessing with her own eyes him laying his cards on the table with her mother for Sakiko's sake.
"Eh? Were my movents a bit too fast just now?"
"It's because your reaction speed is getting faster and faster, Chihaya-san. It's fine, I just need to return to the normal rhythm next."
From wariness to trust, and now to admiration...
When alone with him, why would she always involuntarily look at him?
After learning that Sakiko and the others had already confird their relationship with him, why did she still tirelessly eavesdrop on their discussions regarding matters related to him?
Just what kind of changes had occurred in her view of Tetsuya.
And... after realizing all of this, what exactly could she do?
"In the end, this ti... you still completely catered to my request, just like yesterday, Chihaya-san."
"After all, it's a matter of great importance. Plus, ballroom dancing might just co in handy for at other tis in the future, so there's no harm in learning it!"
Tetsuya's response was just like the date the day before, harboring neither a single trace of distracting thoughts, nor the slightest bit of complaint.
"No wonder Sakiko is always so cautious... What an overly convenient man."
As the two of them gradually beca more synchronized in their dance steps, Mutsumi muttered softly in a voice that only she herself could hear.
Actually, even if she was invited to dance by soone else, as the daughter of the banquet's host, Mutsumi fully had the authority to reject them.
But even so, she still thought of this plan and proactively brought it up to Tetsuya.
"As expected, without personally trying it out like this, it's completely impossible to understand these things."
Since Chihaya-san still hoped she could be more true to her own thoughts and proactively make choices, just like always... then next, she would let him get a good look at what she was like when she took the initiative.
As the background music stopped, Mutsumi and Tetsuya finally stopped their dance steps as well.
The admission ticket to this banquet was already in her hands. Next, all she had to do was wait for the day the banquet began... and, properly following what Chihaya-san and Sakiko had said, let her mother witness her growth.
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