Nigiri, she said
There's a girl in a high school uniform tagging along after Shindou as he crosses the Ki-in foyer; a slim girl with bright eyes and gallons of hair. She's talking to him but he seems to be more or less ignoring her. Nase wonders who she is, a friend or a fangirl. Whoever she is, she looks head to toe like a model high school pupil. It's not the uniform itself that does it, as much as way it fits to her to perfection and the way she wears it as though she's proud of it.
Nase loathes her own high school uniform. She changes it the instant she gets home every night for clothes of her own that make her feel like herself, not like she's playing some role. And she has never, never, ever worn her uniform to the Ki-in. High school is an obligation, something she'd be glad to get out of the way so as to concentrate on Go. And uniforms? They yell "I conform" and Nase doesn't. Not that it's an overt rebellion; its simply by that being a woman who takes Go seriously, she's made herself unusual.
Looking good in a school uniform is something that Nase thought was a contradiction in terms. But here's somone who carries it off. 'High school girl' has clearly made an effort, though if it's for Shindou's sake it seems to have been wasted. He's avidly examining the list of names posted for the Meijin preliminary matches, while high school girl is gazing about her with the curiosity of a first time visitor. Nase wonders if Shindou is this impervious to all girls.
This one's probably just a non-go playing fan of Shindou's. Looking at the perfectly pressed uniform and neat stockings, Nase pictures the assured future ahead of this girl: toeing the line all though high school, and possibly college, right into a comfortable job. She'll get an office job or perhaps a job in public relations; she is, after all, very pretty. When Nase thinks to her own future there is only uncertainty. Excitement, exhilaration, yes, but genuine fear in every competition: each with its chance for advancement and its threat of defeat. She knows that Go is not a comfortable job.
She's about to turn from the scene when the girl's eyes light on her and she gives a little cry of recognition. She comes running over and greets Nase like she's someone she knows. "Nase Asumi! Nase Asumi! Wow! I saw you in Go Weekly in the Young Lions, you did so well! All the girls at my go club admire you so much." She stops, blushing slightly. "Oops. Sorry. I'm Fujisaki Akari, I went to school with Shindou Hikaru. Im in a high school go club now and Im so glad I got to meet you 'cos were getting ready for the city championships now and knowing there's girls like you there motivates all of us, and I just wanted to tell you that I wanna be like you!"
.~.~.~.
Author notes:
Written for the Dreamwidth HnG Drabblefest. Prompt by Qem: Akari}Nase, "I wanna be like you."
After I first wrote this, I was a little worried that I'd really presented Akari as an airhead fangirl. But, on reflection, I think Ive at least managed to show her with her own goal beyond just following Hikaru, and with a female role model.
Nase, on the other hand, is full of contrasting goals and ambitions that make her very interesting to write, but also make her future difficult to predict.
I haven't imagined a continuation, though this oneshot could be a glimpse into the same universe as Tea for Three; slightly earlier on the timeline.
Disclaimer: Hikaru no go is the property of Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata. This is a nonprofit-making fanfiction.