"Senpai, what are you doing?"
"Planning out the next training regimen. Considering your past behavior, you'll want to increase it personally. Writing it out before you will give you an easier time, correct, Kaidou?"
Figured out again. Of course, it was natural of her mentor - her upperclassman Inui Sadaharu – to so easily crack her case. He was a data player, after all, and he specifically trained in the sense of collecting data and using it. Always the resourceful one, a least he could help her become better at what she needed to do to beat out Momoshiro Takeshi.
Kaidou Kaori leaned against the court fence. Her regular jacket was zipped up as made sure her bandana was tightened, the ever-green piece of cloth helped keep her hair out of her face, certainly. She frowned, picking up her racquet again, "Tell me when you're done then."
In actuality, those sort of conversations had become so typical to the two, that they were able to get through it without any pauses. Why pause in something they both knew their way around? However, she only got to see him on occasion now. It wasn't that she stopped liking him – he was one of the few upperclassman she ever willingly and regularly talked to back during school – it was just that the both of them had gotten so busy.
Inui was the one she had trusted to help her develop skills, after he had approached her and asked her if she wanted help perfecting the Boomerang Snake, that was that. From there, the two turned to doubles partners, and relatively close friends, if that was to be considered the way to look at it.
Still though, Kaidou couldn't help but feel gratefully attached to Inui. Through all the help, he didn't give up on her when she got annoyed. When faced with his recommendations, she sat right there and dealt, no worries, because she ended up trusting him to reach her goals.
Hell, he even helped snap her out of Devil Mode, considerably, they were a good pair, doubles wise.
As claimed by the "Golden Pair."
Nowadays, all she seemed to get out of him were recommended sports training schedules to stay in shape, these helped, and she very exclusively kept them from still-rival, but sort of friend, Momoshiro. Okay, okay,
So, she ran, work out jacket over black tank top, sweat pants on; it was cold out, as expected of early morning Christmas Day. Oh, Christmas, later she'd call the family, maybe drop by on a visit, and well, she'd have to plan out the day as the time went.
She ran, step by step, every step taken already into the dirt. This was her usual path, after all. Predictable? Sure. But like she cared. She just wanted a day without interruptions, which still seemed to be the hardest thing to come across. She was glad to have this day off work, but honestly. The people before her really enjoyed loitered.
She let out a hiss, not at all tired, running right around people, listening to music to ignore everyone. Dark brown hair was tied back, carefully under her bandana.
Then again, she'd probably just go home and relax, maybe clean up the house because her dear cat probably knocked something over again. Sometimes, it was just so lucky she adored it!
It wasn't like this holiday really mattered anyway. Being alone, that was fine. She could handle it.
It was just another Christmas, nothing big, nothing important. Mailed presents and cards from the family, from friends. Even Echizen bothered, but the writing didn't particularly seem like a full effort card. Tsk, not like she bothered with much more than an "Enjoy yourselves. Merry Christmas!" followed but her name neatly sighed.
Ignore everything, she just wasn't feeling the spirit this year. Was it being alone? Pah, it couldn't have been. Well, at least she hadn't been alone on Halloween. Though she was telling anyone, but Inui (who certainly already knew), she wasn't exactly fond of the day. It really had to do with the matter of those stupid stories being everywhere, where even if she wanted to watch television, all that was on, every stupid channel, was those specials.
Yet, the night of Halloween, where she invited Inui over by default and made him stay nearby, without admitting she was even a little scared. She just knew, though, that Inui could tell. He could always tell. Lucky, she wouldn't have to say anything verbally about it. And that was the happiest thing of all... after she made him promise, indirectly, not to say any stories like the one back in middle school.
Christmas, however, was a different story. No use bothering Inui this time – they didn't even go to school together anymore!
She felt uneased, as if someone was watching her. She frowned, slowing her running pace, glancing around. Brown eyes darkened, seriously, she was just running. No need to glare and stare, really.
Oh well, it was just about the conclusion of her morning running. No complete and utter stops, yet. Not yet, she repeated in head, yet.
"Kaidou."
She stopped, the voice familiar. She heard scribbling in a notebook. Yes, definitely familiar.
"Yes, senpai? How did..?"
"'How did you know I was jogging here?' was what you were going to say. And to answer that, it is easier to say that I knew because this is the path you have carved for your jogs. I have joined you occasionally as well. You always begin your jogs, early in the morning, and return home within an hour because you jog again in the afternoon."
Kaidou silently watched him, "What did you want, Inui-senpai?" Always an upperclassman, even afterschool. It was such a hard to drop it, so she hadn't bothered.
"I see your endurance has increased even since I have last seen you."
Kaidou blushed, naturally, from the praise. She repeated, "What do you want?"
"You are alone today, are you not? Such a high percentage that you are, Kaidou, I know you don't want to hear that though."
Percentage, one-hundred percent. There was no doubt that he knew.
"I am alone, yes. And there's no one coming over."
"Yes, my data was correct then. Well then, would you like for me to come over?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Kaidou, I know you want me to come over."
"I said no."
"But you want to say yes, don't you?"
"...You can come then. Not happily, since you interrupted my exercise, but come on."
She said, turning around.
"You can keep up, right, senpai?"
As the marathon runner that she was, her running was quite perfected. Still not tired at all, though she did know that Inui ran just as much, if not more than her.
Standing still on this cold, Christmas day, however, caused quite the cold, even in long-sleeved outfits.
"You dropped one of your notebooks," she said, turning around to pick it up, then kept jogging.
"Just hold on it, then."
"Come in. I have to go feed the pet you know I have," Kaidou said, closing the door behind Inui and setting the notebook aside.
Inui watched as she untied her bandana, letting her hair down, then moved to the kitchen as she removed her jacket.
He then looked to the room corner, where a small tree was, a few presents underneath.
"I was going to open them later. When you leave, I will, since I mailed my present to you, even if it was just notebooks." She said, "If you're hungry, you know where the fridge is."
She turned on the television, finding the typical Christmas specials running, so she sat down on the coach.
"If you want, I can make dinner, since I am your guest."
"How about no, Inui-senpai? I'd rather make it myself, thank you."
He studied her expression, finding the exact same thought process evident. "All right, all right," he chuckled, sitting down right next to her, "Though I'm not hungry."
The house was warm, heated thoroughly. It needed to be.
She shifted uneasily when he so casually put his arm around her. She smacked his hand, but said nothing, instead resting her gaze on her cat as it simply laid on its bed, going to sleep. She play with it later.
"I trust you have been well."
"Yes, I have. Nothing new has happened. Work has been going well."
It was times like this she liked though, in the big picture sense. She had grown used to Inui being there, that it was... strangely empty without him there. Maybe that was why she called him, sometimes. Just because.
She yawned slightly, leaning back. Staying up late to finish up any 'accidentally' late presents was not a good idea.
"If you are tired, Kaidou, then sleep. I don't mind."
"It's rude of me too, though..."
It was hard to see his full expression, but there was some trustworthy comfort in him being there.
How many hours had she spent alone with him? Much too many, but that had been doubles and mentor fate.
"Fshhuuuuu," she sighed, leaning against him more, giving in just enough.
In fact, could actually having spent Christmas with someone – Inui, specifically, been Kaidou Kaori's wish all along. The facts, Inui had concluded, had really lead up to it.
"Merry Christmas, Kaidou."
But she was already asleep.
He would've gotten up to make something to eat, but Kaidou was just...
...yes, he would move. All the matters would lead to her falling over and waking, somehow, no matter how careful.
And he didn't want to spoil this Christmas for himself.