Hello again! So sorry for being rather MIA recently. Right after catching up with life, uni decided to dump a heap of exams and assignments for the next two week, completely throwing me off my schedule. Just starting to get back onto a foothold now. I will try and get a few more out before finals, which are roughly in a month's time. But after that, I shall be much freer so more writing! Yay! Sorry you have to put up with me and enjoy~!

"There's no way for anybody not to get sad over defeats like this!"

That First Smile

Kazunari's ever-watchful eyes were settled on the larger man's frame, hands in his pockets. He had told the rest of the upperclassmen to go on ahead, and that "he'll deal with Shin-chan, no problem!" with a million-dollar grin plastered across his face. Said Shin-chan was currently speaking to someone on his phone, oblivious to the rain. He leaned against the cold surface of wet concrete, and seemed to be gazing up to the sky, expression just the slightest bit forlorn. Something you have too much pride to show to someone else, huh, O' great Ace-sama?

Kazunari continued observing him from a distance, under the shelter of one of the many entrances to the stadium where InterHigh was held. Rivulets of rainwater (or tears, he couldn't really tell the difference) flowed down his cheeks, chin, down, down onto the ground. But that's OK. You go ahead and take your time, Shin-chan. With that, he walked back to the locker room that had been reserved for Shutoku, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Just as he sat down on the bench, the door swung open to reveal the very person he had been watching.

"Takao?" Shin-chan was perplexed. "What are you still doing here?"

"Hm? Oh, I don't know~ Waiting for a certain someone, maybe?" Kazunari had his hands at the back of his head as he sing-songed. "You're really slow, Shin-chan. Let's hurry up and go and eat!"

"Then you should have just left first." He snapped, just a fraction quicker than how he usually responded.

When Shin-chan proceeded to his designated temporary locker and opened it, his glare deepened to find it empty. He turned around, only to have his eyes meet with a simple white towel.

"Miyaji-san cleared out your locker before he left." Kazunari explained, nudging the towel once more in his direction. "He was complaining about us 'troublesome first-years' again."

Shin-chan gave the towel one last wary look before he accepted it, removing his glasses to wipe his face.

"Why?"

"Huh? What do you mean, 'why', Shin-chan?"

"Why did you wait for me?" The taller teen avoided Takao's searching look stiffly, pausing in the midst of drying himself.

"Well, why wouldn't I?" Kazunari shrugged, handing Shin-chan his sports bag next. "Don't sweat the small stuff, Shin-chan. Let's go~ I'm starving! Say, should we have okonomiyaki? Let's have okonomiyaki!"

Kazunari hummed as he walked towards the door, anticipating a nice hot meal after two tiring matches. He paused at the doorway suddenly, tilting his chin to throw Shutoku's ace another questioning look. Is it really that difficult to believe that we do what we do because we wanted to? No matter what the rest say, Ootsubo-san, Kimura-san, and Miyaji-san acknowledge you as a member of the team. Geez, why is Shin-chan such a handful… Kazunari heaved a mental sigh, in part frustration and part endearment.

"And it just happened that I also thought seeing a completely drenched Shin-chan would be quite the sight." He smirked, shaking his head in mock-amusement.

"Hmph. I should have thought so." Came the reply, and Shin-chan was looking much more at ease with himself again. "Go get the rickshaw then."

"Yes, yes. As you wish~"

It was only later on, after the whole 'okonomiyaki-on-the-head' fiasco, that Kazunari had finally caught his first glimpse of Shin-chan's smile. It was very short-lived, and was nearly non-existent to an untrained eye (hey, Kazunari did pride himself in being read Shin-chan's various facial expressions—it was a learned skill, OK?). And as he pedaled on into the night, bickering with Shin-chan all the way home, he thought that, maybe, that one smile was worth all that trouble.

That is, until he couldn't move his legs the next morning.