Hey everybody,
Love seeing all the different countries who are viewing this story. U.S, UK, Germany, Canada, Chile, France, Singapore, Mexico, Netherlands, Australia, and the Philippines. Thank you all! And this is a shorter chapter, but I wanted to put out something before the New Year, so hope you enjoy. And Happy New Year!
Dear Diary,
I've learned even more about Matsuoka-senpai these past few days. One amazing thing I learned about Matsuoka-senpai was while I was out food shopping after practice.
The rain beat against her yellow umbrella as Ai strolled across the campus while idly swinging her grocery bag in hand.
'I hope I got everything…' Ai thought before she jumped slightly at the deep rumble of the skies overhead. She quickened her pace, her purple goulashes slapping against the ground as the rain beat harder. She jumped again when out of the corner of her eyes she glimpsed a shadowed figure hunched over. 'What's that?!'
She stopped, gripping the handle of her umbrella tighter as the shadow raised itself and began to jog. 'Is that…?' her eyes caught a glimpse of the dark jacket immediately recognizing the black and yellow pattern.
'Oh that's Matsuoka-senpai…was he on a run?' she jogged over and began to trail behind him. 'He's going to get sick if he doesn't get out of this rain.' She managed to keep pace, her grocery bag beating against her while she clumsily tried to keep her umbrella overhead. 'Why's he going over here? This is the older part of Samezuka.…'
She saw him duck into an abandoned building and she gave a sigh of relief, hurriedly folding up her umbrella and setting it against the wall with her groceries once she was inside past the creaky door. She tentatively walked through the hallways before she saw him hunched over, his hoodie now off.
"Matsuoka-senpai…" Ai murmured softly. He jumped, turning over to her with a glare with his hoodie bunched in his arms.
"Damn Ai you scared me! Why are you here?" he snapped.
"I…I was out food shopping and I saw you in the rain and…" she trailed off when she noticed the fabric of the hoodie began to shift. Her blue eyes widened, before they nearly popped out of her head when a black cat with bright golden eyes peered curiously at her as its head emerged from under the hoodie.
"Aww…" she cooed going to her knees, one pale hand cupping it's chin as the other scratched it's damp head. "So that's what you were doing. You were helping this cat…" Her blue eyes glanced up as Matsuoka looked to the side with a glower.
"It's no big deal…" he muttered.
"I didn't know you were an animal person Matsuoka-senpai…aww…." She felt the cat began to purr as she gave a giggle. "It's too bad we can't keep pets in the dorms. I would love to have this little guy here…you'd want to come with us, wouldn't you?"
"I think it's a girl." Rin stated as he set the cat down on the floor. Ai gave a smile as she watched the cat brush itself against his legs giving a merry mew.
"Oh!" she dashed off back to where her grocery bag and began to rummage through with a fervor. Rin continued to pet the cat as Ai came back with a plastic box in her hands. "I was eating this on the way back…here…" she pulled out a stick with 3 tsukune balls pulling them off and setting them in front of the cat. The cat gingerly sniffed it before it took a bite and Ai gave a broad smile watching the cat eat.
"Do you have a name?" she asked standing up and looking at Rin who gave a shrug.
"I don't know…Onyx?"
"I thought you said it was a girl." Ai questioned.
"You got any better ideas?" Rin asked.
"Ah…" Ai put a hand to her mouth, her eye brows knitted in thought before they became bright again. "Amaya!" she proclaimed as she stared at Rin with a proud grin.
"Amaya?" he repeated.
"Well…." The smile fell from Ai's face as she glanced back down at the cat. "She's black like the night and we found her in the rain. It seems perfect." Rin gazed at her blue eyes almost sparkling and he sighed before he stared back down at the cat.
"I guess it's good." He reluctantly agreed.
"Aww Amaya…don't worry we'll take care of you!" Ai replied giving the cat a final pat, her smile growing as the cat gave an agreeing meow before she resumed eating. "Think she'll stick around?"
"If we keep feeding her…yeah…" Rin replied grabbing his hoodie from the floor as he slipped it on before he glanced outside giving a groan as he saw the rain that was continuing to batter down. "It's still freaking raining?" he muttered.
"Well walk with me! I have an umbrella!" Ai announced as she headed back down the hallway. She grabbed her groceries slinging the bag over her arm before she proudly held up the yellow umbrella. "I heard it was going to rain, so I brought this with me before I went food shopping."
"It's fine I'll wait out here…" Rin replied as he leaned against the wall, his hands stuffed in his sweat pockets.
"Matsuoka-senpai…"
"Nitori it's fine."
"No it's not." Rin eyes widened at her sudden defiance, her blue eyes steely as she stood in the building entrance. "It's either wait out here, miss dinner or run and catch a cold or walk with me!" She opened the umbrella looking over to Rin. "So it is your choice, but I know beside being an apparent animal lover you're smart so…" she tilted her head in anticipation of his answer.
Rin shook his head before he begrudgingly walked under umbrella. He watched Nitori give that beaming smile as she raised her arm to allow his head to clear under.
"Here…" he grabbed the umbrella from her grasp, holding it over the both. "Looks like you got enough to carry."
"Thank you Senpai." She replied cheerfully. They walked in the rain, the only sound was their steps and the patter of rain beating against the earth and Ai's umbrella. Ai glanced up at Rin giving a soft smile and gave an inward giggle which Rin heard. He stared down at her with an arched brow.
"What?"
"It's just funny. I didn't picture you to be the type to save a cat from the rain. It's really sweet Matsuoka-senpai."
"You're not going to tell anyone, right?" Rin asked imagining the rest of the team harping on him for being a softie. Ai let out another giggle as her smile widened. "You better not!"
"No, she's our secret!" She replied with a wink while she held a finger up to her lips. "Oh! You know what I think they're serving mackerel at dinner! We should save her some. And next time I go food shopping I'll pick her some treats….or cat food it might be lighter on the stomach then her eating leftovers from the…."
Rin continued to listen to her prattle on before she suddenly stopped with a jolt as a sudden thunder rumbled with a deafening roar followed by a harsh crack of thunder. Ai jumped with a startled cry her body colliding into Rin's curling up. He felt Ai's hand clench around his wrist as she jumped again with another lighting crackle, her blue eyes frightful and wide. They stopped for a moment before Ai's eyes glanced up, meeting Rin's briefly before a deep blush flooded her cheeks. She re jumped to the side, her body in the rain as she gave an apologetic bow. "Sorry Matsuoka-senpai."
"It's fine just get back under the umbrella." Rin stated deadpan before she quickly scrambled under.
"Sorry…the thunder and lightning always catch me off guard." She stated bashfully, the blush still tinting her cheeks. "I'm kind of glad I bumped into you Senpai."
Rin didn't say anything as he continued walking and Ai sighed as she wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself.
'Way to embarrass yourself Ai." She scolded herself as they came to the dorm building, standing under the doorway entrance.
"Here." Rin said handing her the umbrella once he shook the residual rain off. "And I'm glad you bumped into me too. Would have sucked walking through this…" he murmured before walked off leaving Ai with her groceries and the umbrella in hand.
"No…no problem." Ai softly answered.
So not only is he studious and cool looking. He's also really nice….to animals…and sometimes me. Another thing I learned about him happened while the whole team was shopping for swimsuits.
Ai's blue eyes scanned the various forms of lyra, nylon and spandex that were in every color and pattern conceivable. Her mouth pursed in thought as she picked up a hanger with a red swimsuit dangling from the plastic.
'This is why I don't like shopping. Too many options…so many colors…maybe I should go for a more neutral…or maybe a fun print!' Ai picked up one with a purple base jagged blue lines running across the body.
"Hey Ai how about this one?" She glanced over to see Kazumi further down the aisle as he held up a black and blue bikini with a smirk.
"I think that would look great on you!" Ai replied with a bright smile. "It would really bring out your eyes."
Shouta and Takuya chuckled as Ai headed over to the next aisle her eyes skimming over the fabrics in hopes she would find something. 'Maybe I should get one with the attached shorts…but I've been wearing the classic swimsuit cut for awhile….'
Her eyes fell on Rin as he picked up a set of jammers that matched the print of his current ones, red lines over a black base.
"Oh that's a good brand." Ai commented.
Rin just gave a small murmur of acknowledgement before he slung it over his shoulder.
"Although…" Ai shuffled down the aisle picking up a pair of jammers in a similar style. "I think this brand might be better. It got great reviews and it apparently lasts awhile too."
Rin shrugged as he threw that one over his shoulder too. "You find anything?" he asked.
Ai shook her head, her hair whipping about. "I'm still trying to settle on the cut of the swimsuit. I like the classic cut I wear now, but maybe a longer leg length would be better."
"Just stick with the classic cut." Rin replied. "It's what you're use to right?"
"Ah…right." Ai answered giving a smile before she continued shuffling through the swimsuits. 'Maybe the Samezuka colors?' she thought picking up black swimsuit with a pink triangular pattern running along the sides. She held it up against her frame her mind trying to picture how it would look on her body.
'Too flashy!' she thought with a grimace putting it back. 'Maybe I should just stick with the yellow and purple…grandpa always did like those colors.'
She grabbed a few bathing suits before she headed to the fitting rooms before she gave a small groan seeing bare feet behind every curtain. 'They're all occupied…Maybe I should check the goggles…' She stopped seeing familiar red hair walking alongside a head of blackish navy hair.
'That's Matsuoka-senpai with Nanase-san.' She thought worriedly, peeking around a shelf as she trailed them. She noticed the tense silence between them as she continued to follow ducking behind racks and displays.
'Are they going to fight?' she thought worriedly as they came exited the store and soon the mall before coming outside. She scrambled seeing herself in the open before she tucked herself behind a trash can. She glanced out and gave a sigh of relief as the two stayed an arm apart from each other.
Rin leaned against the chain link fence while Haru gazed at his former friend with his unemotional gaze. The silence still lingered growing more tense as the only sound was the wind rustling of the leaves on the tree overhead and the occasional chirp of a bird. Finally, Rin turned his gaze over to Haru.
"What have you done with yourself the last three years?" Rin questioned. "You're better than this, man."
"It's hard to train with someone who trained in the outback." Haru tersely answered.
"Are you trying to mock me?" Rin snapped back angrily.
'Maybe they will fight…' Ai thought nervously as the confrontation continued.
"Stop lying!" She heard Rin angrily snap. "I know you want a real race as much as I do." Ai's mouth dropped open slightly as she saw a sadness overcome Rin as he glanced down adding softly "I need this…otherwise I can't move on." She realized this was the most vulnerable that she had seen him while he was conscious. The rawest emotion she had seen other than anger or indifference.
She saw Haru glance to the side before he gave an unmoved sigh. "What a pain." He muttered before he began to walk off. "I only swim free and I'm not changing that for you." He declared.
The vulnerability that Rin had completely dissipated before it was replaced by fury and a scowl. He rose, rushing over to Haru before he snatched his shoulder and slammed him against the fence. Ai popped up from the trash can as she watched the two glower at each other, a worry coming over that the verbal confrontation would soon become physical.
"You're going to swim for me whether you like it or not…" Rin stated unwaveringly.
She felt a blush come to her cheeks as she watched the two continue to stare at each other, with Rin's arms boxing Haru against the fence.
'Is it weird that I think this is like the comic I took from…' she quickly shook herself of that thought realizing the seriousness of her situation. 'Stop it AI!' she scolded herself.
Rin continued to have a determined and steadfast stare as a flicker of astonishment came over Haru before it was replaced with a face that mirrored Rin's. He clenched Rin forearms in his hand breaking out of his hold as he stepped forward.
"In that case I want you to promise me something. If you lose don't say you're going to quit. Don't embarrass yourself. Don't cry if you lose."
A look of shock overcame Rin's face before it was quickly replaced with an antagonistic frown. "Yeah like I'm some little kid." Rin barked as he snapped his arm out of Haru's hold. "I'll show you how different we are. It'll be completely clear."
For a moment the two exchanged a look. Ai noticed that the tension earlier was gone, now replaced with contentious understanding. She saw Rin turn and she clambered rushing from behind the trash can to run back inside. She didn't even look back to see if Rin had caught sight of her, she just kept sprinting back to the sports store and finally she stopped leaning against a display as she tried to catch her breaths as it came out in ragged wheezes.
"Ai…" her blue eyes widened seeing Rin come around the corner, hands in his pockets as he gave her a confused stare. "Why are you over here?"
"Same as you…shopping with the team." She panted.
Rin eyebrow arched as he glanced at Ai whose cheeks were flushed and her breath coming out ragged.
"This is the bikini section for beach volley ball." Rin stated.
Ai turned to the display she had been leaning against and her cheeks flushed even more noticing that risqué nylon forms that barely covered the female anatomy. "Ah…um…um…just thinking about trying something new. For the trip coming up…"
"Why would you need a bikini?"
"You're right Matsuoka-senpai! I don't! I forgot with my skin I burn really badly and I would look awful in a bikini anyway…" She stated with a shrug and a smile.
"You wouldn't look totally awful." Rin replied. "But you don't need a bikini."
'Was…was that a compliment?' Ai thought as they headed back to the more athletic swimwear.
"Hey guys hurry up and make your choices." Seijirou declared as he held up a shopping bag. "We need to wrap this up!"
"So did the jammers fit?" Ai questioned as she hurriedly grabbed some purple and yellow swimsuits.
"Yeah…." Rin replied as he grabbed the pair. Ai noticed it was the brand she had suggested and she gave a cheerful smile.
"What are you smiling at?" Rin questioned.
"Oh um…nothing I'm…I'm going to try these on." Ai replied holding her choices up. She darted behind the curtain before she fumbled with her undressing. As she tried on a swimsuit, her mind was miles away to the scene she had just witnessed a feeling of uneasiness coming over her.
It's hard to believe at any point Matsuoka-senpai would ever stop swimming. Why would Matsuoka-senpai ever quit with how incredible he is. I don't know exactly what happened between him and Nanase, but I want Rin to find what will make him happy. I know that's racing against Nanase again but that worries me. I don't know what will happen if Nanase manages to beat him as impossible as that sounds. Will Matsuoka-senpai quit swimming altogether?
Ai glanced worriedly at her diary before she shut the pages shut. 'Don't think that Ai!' she chided herself. She turned her stare over at Rin who was doing sit ups again.
'I need this…otherwise I can't move on.' His gentle distressing tone from earlier echoed in her head.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rin asked annoyed while he stopped mid sit up.
"Ah…no…nothing." Ai replied as she forced a smile on her face. "Do you want me to hold your feet down?"
"Sure." He replied with a shurg.
"Ok." Ai stated coming onto his bunk. She grasped his ankles over his sweat pants and he began his sit ups once more.
"Were you working on a regiment?" Rin asked.
"Ah…ye…yes." Ai lied as she glanced down forcing herself to stare at his feet.
"Want me to look at it?" Rin questioned nonchalantly.
"You would?!" Ai asked excitedly letting go of his feet. That caused Rin's legs to buck up almost hitting her in the face. He leaned back on his hands glaring at Ai who put her hands over her mouth.
"So…sorry Senpai." She stated with a small bow of her head. "But you would look at my regiment?"
"Don't make a big deal of it." He rumbled. "Are you going to hold my feet down or not?"
"Right…right sorry…" She replied.
She watched as he continued to do sit ups; her mind going back to Nanase and Rin.
'Someone with as much talent as you shouldn't quit.' She thought determinedly, her hands grasping tighter around his ankles. 'And I'll try to help you as much as I can.'
