Rin looked up, his eyes tired and bored. "At least there wouldn't be the gouya," he added.
"I heard they have something called the Inui Juice," Kai said. He was used to Rin's thinking out loud, mostly. This wasn't the most controversial or revealing thing he had said to date. Then again, nothing could top that conversation last year, really. "Anyway, considering we all lost, he'll probably hold back on the gouya."
"Because we all lost, it's going to be worse." Rin finished his noodles and left it beside him on the steps. "Though you know, if I wasn't in the team anymore then I wouldn't need to worry about the gouya."
Kai exchanged a look with Chinen, who flicked the butt of his burnt-out cigarette into the soup of Rin's leftover noodles and lit another one, pausing just long enough in between to say, "Eishirou isn't going to boot you."
"I'm not talking about booting."
"What the hell, man? You aren't going to walk are you?"
Rin sighed and leaned back on his arms, on the steps. He had been thinking about it. It wouldn't be anything dramatic, just not joining the club next year in senior high.
Kai sat up a bit. "He was just looking for someone to blame, you know."
"I know. He's still a bastard though."
"He's upset and misguided," Chinen contributed his thoughts. "There's a difference."
"Look, don't quit over something so trivial." Kai's hand was on Rin's shoulder. "He was all 'I knew it'd end up like this' when you guys were playing. He wasn't mad at you at all."
"Really?" Rin arched an eyebrow.
"Besides, you like him, don't you?"
"What?"
"I thought you liked him," Kai said.
"Like as in like like? No."
Kai looked up at Chinen, who looked away, and shrugged. "Oh well."
"What?"
"Just that I think he likes you a bit."
"Haha, yeah right." Rin yawned. "You don't need to pair me with the first male thing you can think of just to prove that you accept me."
Kai scratched his head through his baseball cap, lost for words for a moment. Chinen just looked on, seemingly amused by the way the conversation was developing.
"If I liked guys, I'd ask you out," Kai finally said. "Seriously."
Rin's eyes shifted. "...thanks." He brushed his hair away from his eyes. "What's that got to do with anything, anyway?"
Chinen let the cigarette leave his lips for just long enough to speak. "Nothing. Just that you shouldn't stop playing."
Rin tried to understand the turn of the conversation, but the dots weren't joining up. Instead, he sighed. "I wanted to watch the rest of the tournament," he said. Kite would never agree to staying in Tokyo for any longer than necessary; it'd be rubbing salt into his wounds. Their captain was too proud, and to protect whatever was left of that pride they were going home tomorrow. Kai could see why Rin wanted someone more like Tezuka to be their captain, really. It wasn't just about the gouya. It wasn't even about the gouya at all.
"Theoretically you don't have to go if you don't want to; it's summer break."
"True." Rin toyed with the idea in his mind. He wasn't going to go through with it though, he knew. He checked his watch and looked up at Chinen instead. "Are you done yet? They're going to lock-up in like, one minute."
Chinen took two great drags and finished his smoke, then followed the other two back inside the hostel.
They stopped at the foyer. The glint in Kite's eyes spelt danger.
"Leave your bags here," Kite said, turning to face his team. There was a bandage just above the corner of his left brow, for the cut he got yesterday in his match against Tezuka. The bandage was flesh-coloured, but about fifty shades too light for Kite's skin. Rin stared at it, wanting to laugh, until he heard the rest of Kite's words. "Hirakoba-kun will carry them for us."
Rin made sure as he swung the bags over his shoulder that the heavy one, either Chinen's or Tanishi's, hit Kite very hard; and that as he loaded them onto the van - luckily not that far down the road - his muttered "sore loser" was so loud the whole team could hear him.
The van didn't take them to the airport, though, but to another hostel. Rin stepped off and stared at the building. It could almost be called a hotel.
"You forgot something, Hirakoba-kun."
Rin grunted and carried the bags into the hostel.
"The rooms are booked for a week and the flight back at the end of that. Check yourself out and go back before then if you wish, I don't care. There is no schedule. Do what you want."
Kai looked at Chinen, who looked at Rin, who looked at Kai. Tanishi, chewing something that looked like beef jerky, was the only one to respond to Kite. "Got it."
Kite glanced at the silent trio briefly before going to check out his room upstairs.
Tanishi grabbed his bag. "What's with you guys?"
Chinen chewed his lip for a while. "Thought we were going home."
"Rin said he wanted to watch the rest of the tournament? I told buchou yesterday. Think he managed to swind-" he coughed and lowered his voice, dipping his head as well so that his neck completely disappeared under layers of fat, "get some money out of the coach's pay check to pay for this. He's always got a way."
When Tanishi left for his room as well, Rin stared at the room key in his hand. "Yuujirou, Hiroshi."
"What?"
"I think I'm in love."
Chinen rolled his eyes. Kai draped an arm over Rin's shoulder.
"Who were you kidding? You've been in love for a long time."
"Look," Chinen pointed at one of the bags at their feet. "Eishirou's left his bag."
Rin grabbed it. "I'll take it to him!"
"Go, you."
Kai and Chinen watched Rin bounce up the stairs. Kai laughed. "You know, I wish I was gay."
Chinen bent down and took the remaining bags. Rin had left his own behind in his haste. "Openly gay, you mean."
Kai paused for a while, then snatched his bag from Chinen.
"Shut up."