The Tales of Akaya
'And here we end our class for today. Tomorrow I expect a paper in which you'll describe the tales I told you today in detail.' The teacher closed his book and Akaya jumped up by the sound of it. Sleepy he looked around the classroom and saw his classmates packing their stuff.
'What's the assignment?' he asked his neighbour.
'You need to write down the tales he told us today. ' Akaya yawned. 'It's only meant to check if you listened today, but you'll get a mark for it.' After that he stood up en left the classroom, leaving Akaya standing by his table.
'Ah…' mumbled Akaya and he packed his stuff as well. Around him all his classmates were talking about the Folk tales. So that was probably the subject of tomorrow's paper. So easy!
On his way home after practice was over though, he remembered he actually didn't know that much about Folk tales, so if he didn't want to utterly fail, he needed to ask someone for help. Unfortunately all his Senpai went home already, so…
'Hey, you. This is the last stop, you need to get out.' The driver pulled Akaya up and pushed him out the bus. Akaya yawned again. A school, his eyes searched for the sign.
'Seigaku eh?' he mumbled. 'Maybe…' He entered the Seigaku school grounds. They were pretty empty. Just when he was about to give up he discovered Fuji Syusuke in the shadow of a tree.
'Hi!' greeted Akaya. Fuji looked up, honestly surprised.
'Kirihara-kun.' Said he gently. 'Did you fall asleep on the bus again?' Akaya blushed and didn't answer. Fuji laughed with his soft voice.
'Why don't you sit down in the shadow.' He said. 'It's to warm to stay in the sun.' Without saying a word Akaya obeyed. He felt unexpectedly comfortable in the presence of this Tensai.
'Fuji-kun…' Akaya asked after a few minutes of silence.
'Yes?' asked Fuji with his voice gentle as ever. Akaya felt he started to blush and took a deep breath.
'Just today our teacher talked about Folk Tales, do you know anything about it?' He said it! He said it! Now he needed to wait for the answer of the Tensai. Fuji only smiled at first.
'I know a few, do you want to hear them.' Akaya nodded greedy, this was just what he hoped for.
'Well, try not to fall asleep.' were the only words Fuji said before he started the story.
Two days later
"And the paper of one of you was truly amazing.' The eyes of the teacher glared at Akaya, who was sleeping again. He woke up because of a poke he received from his neighbour. He gave him a deadly look, before he noticed the attention of the teacher.
'Ah, sorry, what did you say? I was just…'
'I said your paper was truly amazing.' repeated his teacher.
'Ah… yeah…' Akaya started to blush.
'So I'd like you to read it to your classmates.' He handed Akaya the piece of paper.
Slightly uncomfortable he started to read:
'This is my summary of the tale of Urashima Momokintarou.' He heard some mumbling in the classroom. Undisturbed he read on.
'The tale is about Kintarou, who was born in a huge peach and found by a bamboo cutter in a bamboo.' More mumbling' As he grew older he had many admirers, but as he didn't want to marry them he sent them away with impossible tasks. As nobody can complete them, he feels bored so he goes on an adventure himself to defeat the Oni, but then he shrinks magically.' Laughter, Akaya gave some dead glares to his classmates and read on even more proudly. 'Still he defeats the Oni and he saves a turtle. That turtle takes him to the king of the sea. The guy is really grateful and offers him his daughter Princess Kaguya, who's apparently from the moon.' Did he see his teacher laughing just now? 'So when they come to get her to go back, he decides to go home, where he finds his parents that are now even younger than him because they ate the peach he was born in. Astonished by this he opens the little box Kaguya gave him as a goodbye present and suddenly he is like 300 years old.' His teacher is seriously laughing. As he sees Akaya stopped reading he gestures him to read on. Unwilling Akaya starts to read again. 'With all his new friends he made on his adventure, he lives a few years happily before he turns to dust and is swept away by the sea before he can visit the turtle again.' Everyone around him was bursting with laughter. As stricken by thunder he stood between them. What was so funny?
The same afternoon
Akaya ran into the courts of Seigaku.
'Fuji-kun!' He shouted as soon as he was in front of the Tensai, ignoring the match completely. 'You've been telling me nonsense!' Honestly surprised Fuji grabbed the piece of paper Akaya was waving in front of him. As he was reading it, a smile appeared on his face.
'Kirihara-kun, isn't it you who've made the nonsense?' Akaya was startled as Fuji handed him the paper back. 'But it's enjoyable nonsense.' He added gently before he carried on with his match and left Akaya with a heavy blush on his face.