Chapter 71: Eccentric Old Man

I have already learned English in school, so with the help of a translator, I had no problem engaging in smooth conversation. So instead, I focused on Italian.

Like I said before, I wanted to learn all sorts of things (when it comes my way, I'm not gonna be shy), so learning Italian would obviously be my choice. Not to mention, I might be coming (hoping to come) back to Italy for a nice vacation.

It might seem rural, but it was actually pretty nice and modern.

After I finish learning all the basics of Italian, which would have made a local 12-year-old feel ashamed, I looked at the time on the clock, which displayed 18:01.

It had been almost three hours now, and I gotta say, learning this language was easy. Compared to English, which was claimed to be the most challenging language to master, Italian only had 21 alphabets, and its grammar was much more manageable.

[A/N: This fact is accurate, and it might not seem correct because we see, read, hear, and speak English all day, every day of our lives. For a non-English speaker, English would be a tough language to master.]

Suzuki has been sleeping like a pig the entire time. Even with the constant bustling outside our hotel, it was as though he had removed his hearing entirely.

Damn, I wish I had his ability to sleep at any time I like.

The hotel that we currently are staying in was special, not because it had some unique feature, famous, or anything like that, but because it was the hotel for everyone attending the international competition. So, Maruno would also be present here.

The only problem was...I had forgotten to ask him for his number.

Yep. One whole month with Maruno, and I still managed to forget to ask him. Seems like as long as the idea never went through my mind, eidetic memory wouldn't be able to retain it. After all, how could you remember something you never even thought of?

Sigh...

"Knock, knock!"

Just as I was wondering what to do now, I heard a knocking on my door.

Huh? I don't think I was expecting anyone at this time?

Going towards the door, I looked through the eyepiece and saw the familiar face I was just thinking about.

"Maruno! Just the person I was thinking about." Opening the door, I greeted him with a smile.

"Uesugi! It's nice to see you after this one-month break. And I see Suzuki-san is still sleeping, huh?" Peering at the sleeping figure, Maruno commented.

"Yep. When did you arrive? And how did you find me?"

"Just. I've just wandered around and was asking about both of your whereabouts. A little boy with short white hair. Something along that line."

Seriously? I guess my appearance is pretty unique, even in foreign countries. I had only seen blond hair, brown hair, and a few redheads as well, but no white.

Still, I worry about my security. If the hotel managers are just giving out my room numbers to anyone who asks them about it...

"And you don't have to worry about your security. I had to prove that I was part of the people performing in the internationals before they gave it to me. It also helped that I was Japanese and 'graduated' from the preliminaries from the same place as you."

That doesn't make it any better, though. Sigh, whatever. Let's wake Suzuki up for dinner. I'm starving after using my brain cells to study Italian.

"Suzuki-san! Please wake up!"

∞

And yeah...I have no idea what we did for the past five days. Despite whoever's insistence on forcing the competitors to arrive five days earlier, we received no instructions other than to relax and have fun in Rome.

So that's what we did. I might not mention it, but I did practice pretty hard back in Japan, and I think I have earned a well-deserved break from the piano.

Rome had a lot to offer. Just to state a few examples: the Colosseum, St Peter's Square, St. Peter's Basilica, The Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Roman Forum, and the Sistine Chapel. Of course, everything was from the internet.

We didn't manage to see most of them physically since it was pretty far away, but we did manage to see the Colosseum. Since it was located to the southwest of the main terminus train station, the Colosseum is easily accessible and has a metro station nearby.

This mighty structure is one of the most renowned and iconic landmarks globally, and a trip to Rome would not be complete without visiting the Colosseum. Also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, the Colosseum was constructed between 70-80 AD. And at its peak, it was estimated to hold 80,000 spectators.

This building was used to hold games, gladiator tournaments, and other forms of entertainment and would regularly be attended by the Roman Emperors.

It was pretty grand, but in the end, it's really just a deserted place with nothing but historical knowledge to offer, having a museum located on the upper floor of the outer wall. Its primary purpose of holding games was long gone, and the ruined stone seats and walls were all corroded with the natural phenomenon known as "time".

Sitting on one of the seats available in the Colosseum, I just stared into blank space as Maruno and Suzuki went off to explore the museum by themselves. Probably not the best idea to leave a child in a foreign country by himself, but then again, I probably won't be in trouble with plenty of people in the area. And with my strength, even if some pedophile wanted to kidnap me, they wouldn't have an easy time.

While Rome might be plenty hot to many people around me, I don't feel much. Japan has a higher temperature in August than Rome (Japan can be as hot as 35 degrees Celsius while Rome is only up to 30 degrees Celsius), so I'm already used to it.

If anything, it was colder than in Japan, a fact that I enjoyed a lot as I felt the breeze against my face.

"Hohoho...youngster, what are you doing in Rome at this time of the year?" An old man sitting beside me suddenly asked in English.

Hm?

"Are you talking to me?" Pointing at myself, I asked as I looked around to see if there were any 'youngster' he was talking about. I might be replying in English, but some of my Japanese accents still remained.

"I don't think I see any other youngster beside me, do I?"

"Oh, sorry about that, then. I'm here in Rome to-"

"Haha, I don't really care what you're here for, honestly speaking."

Damn this old man...first the old inn woman I met and was forced to give her a massage during my Kyoto school trip, and now this old man. Do old people just like to have conversations at their own pace?

"Hahaha...okay." A slow and forced laughter came out of my mouth as I responded to the old man, "So why did you ask me that then?"

"Because I was curious. Then I realized that I had better things to ask."

"Like?"

"Like, what is your favorite type of woman."

Pft-

I spat out my drink and stared in disbelief at the old man beside me. His eyes were closed almost entirely as a big smile appeared on his face. He wasn't very tall and was just slightly shorter than me, a thirteen-year-old boy. I have no idea what sort of outfit he was wearing, but it seemed very local-like.

"I'm sorry, but could you repeat your question again?"

"What kind of woman is your type? Be careful on how you answer it, though. A person's fetishes reflect everything about them. People with boring taste in women are boring people themselves. And I don't really like boring men."

Wow. The old man's words sounded so copy-righted. I wonder where he got that from?

"Etto...I'm thirteen, you know?"

"Of course, but at this age, you should already have one or two girlfriends. After all, the number of girls in your generation far surpasses us. If you don't, you fail as a man."

Harsh!

"Fine. Why should I tell you about my fetish, though?"

"Just treat this old man some juicy gossips? I've heard that Japanese people are respectful to their elders. You certainly don't seem that."

"You know I'm Japanese?"

"I know everything!" The old man waved his arms to the sky and yelled, inciting a few curious looks from the passers-by.

This old man really has a lack of shame. After causing various whisperings amongst the 'audience', he was still staying in that pose with a proud(?) smile. Is this old man still suffering from chuunibyou?

"So?"

Thinking about his questions, I thought about the girls that I was attracted to - Shouko, Kaori, and Miku. I did meet other girls, though I don't feel "attracted" to them in that way. They might make me curious about them, but that's about it.

While Shouko and Kaori are my girlfriends, Miku was a notable exception. As for the exact reason why, I don't really know myself. All I can say is that my curiosity for her is simply much more than my curiosity for others.

Mafuyu, Chisa, and Uruka might be close matches, but as is it now, only the previous three were on my mind.

So what made them special? Or what qualities did they have that attracted me to them?

"Hm...do you mean physical qualities or character and stuff?"

"General." The old man finally sat back down and replied with a cordial smile, patiently awaiting my answer. I think he looks rather pleased; maybe he had done this to random strangers before, and none bothered to reply to him, so he's glad that someone finally replied to him?

[A/N: Long stretch of the imagination there, Fuutarou, but you're right. Not that you would know this.]

"I don't mind if they're active or quiet, though I like a girl who thinks of her family, works hard for the things she loves, and never gives up no matter what. The stubborn type, I guess? They might be annoying, but therein lies their charm of not giving up to anyone or anything."

"Are you a masochist?" The old man eyed me weirdly as he shifted his position ever so slightly away from me, "I never met anyone who likes a stubborn woman."

"How rude, old man. Liking a stubborn girl doesn't mean I'm a masochist. And who are you, anyway?"

"Me? I'm just an old man. By the way, my type is a tall woman with a big ass."

"How shallow."

"What a masochist."

"Like I said-"

"Anyway," The old man interrupted me once more, "You're a pretty interesting kid. I knew that I could count on the Japanese for being able to keep up with my conversations. With the number of he*tai available and all in your country."

"Hey! That's racist! And my country's specialty isn't he*tai."

"Chillax, kid. I didn't mean it as an insult. I meant it as a compliment. Don't you get it? The proportions that could exist only in our imagination, the number of things we couldn't do to women in real life, the first-time-meeting-let's-have-sex troupe! So many possibilities! So much potential!"

At his first few sentences, I was just weirded out by an old man using slang language like "chillax", but I just wanted to dig a hole and die in it when it came to his latter sentences.

I can't believe I talked to a shameless, perverted old man who screamed out his fetishes in public. This would forever be on my record and the worst part?

I could never erase this from my memory due to eidetic memory.

"Uesugi!" Hearing my name from another side, I almost cried due to happiness. Finally, an excuse for me to leave this conversation without being rude!

"Maruno! Let's go!"

"Huh?" Maruno was a bit startled at my rushed speech and action, only recovering as I dragged him away from the perverted old man, "Oh, o-okay?"

"Bye, Uesugi-kun. I hope to see you soon again." The old man waved at us before turning around and leaving in another direction.

Nope! I would beg to differ. I hope to never see you again, and if I must, I hope to never see you in public screaming out your fetishes to another person.

*****************

Alternate Title: Perverted Old Man; Shameless Old Man; Old Man who was found screaming out his fetishes in Public

A/N: I've been neglecting Kaori for a while, so I plan to focus on her in the future. It would happen after the second (and hopefully last) piano arc. But don't worry, I don't plan to make it so dull. Plus, there's another two girls there as well.