Author's Note: So sorry for the long wait! I will try to update soon with the next chapter to make up for it.


Chapter 9: Susumu


From then on, I begin to walk home with Kasamatsu. I'm not entirely sure if he enjoys it or if he would rather be dying a slow death. Probably the latter, knowing him, but what can I do? My brother Hideo has always said I'm persistent to a fault.

It's already become a steady routine. Study at the library, buy some drinks, then head to the gym. Kasamatsu will teach me some new techniques or we'll practice and refine the ones I've learned before. Then we'll both train on our own, and finally, walk home together. Actually, I'm not sure if we're walking home together. It's more like, I'm beside him while we're heading home on the same path at the same time. That sort of thing.

"So, Kasamatsu-senpai." I draw out his name, and he flinches at my voice. I swallow a laugh. We're halfway back to the apartment and he has yet to say a word; it's my mission each time to get a few sentences out of him.

He's been getting a bit more comfortable with me, maybe. At least, he doesn't trip over himself all the time while showing me basketball. But when I catch him off-guard, his face will still go the color of tomatoes. I find it quite refreshing.

"Inter-High is soon, yeah?"

He nods. "T-that's right."

"Well, I'm sure you guys will pass the preliminaries really easily. This is Kaijou we are talking about, after all."

"Mmm." He glances into the distance, and I wonder what he's thinking about. With Kise, who still walks me to work when he has time, he always says whatever's on his mind. On one hand, it's kind of nice to have someone who doesn't just blurt out whatever they want. On another, I really would like to know what Kasamatsu is thinking deep underneath.

"You guys have a good team, too," I say quickly, hoping to get something else from him. "Moriyama-senpai, Kobori-senpai, Hayakawa-kun, and Kise-kun, of course."

"Yeah . . . it is a pretty good team." He looks mildly uncomfortable with saying it, and I wonder what's bothering him.

"Of course, you make an awesome point guard and captain as well," I add. "With your skills and leadership, you can lead everyone to victory, I'm sure."

He stiffens, and stops walking. I have to backtrack, going over my words. What did I say to make him react like that?

"Do you really think that?" he asks. His voice is quiet.

There was one day when I skipped my usual study, and I snuck into the gym to watch the whole team practice. It was strange, I thought. When Kasamatsu's with me, he always seems soft-spoken and unsure of himself. But around the team — his team — he shouts as hard as he can, pushes them as hard as he can, and works to the best of his ability. Other than that steel-hard dedication, he is almost nothing like the boy I see in our late-afternoon practices. I find myself fascinated with the difference, and wanting to see more of it.

He is looking at me for once, a steady gaze, straight into my eyes. I've never noticed before — perhaps because he always tries his hardest not to look at me — but now, there's nothing between our gaze. I swallow. His eyes are a blue-gray color, kind of like a stormy sky.

I say, "I believe that you can do anything you set your heart out to do."

He turns his head away then, and lets out a low laugh. "That's so like you." He begins walking once again, hands in his pockets.

I blink. That's like me? The words don't even sound like something he'd say — they're not condescending, but just a statement. The fact that he would even say something like that, like he knows and understands me, surprises me, and spurns my legs to move and catch up with him.

He has surprised me in more than one way. I wonder how many more sides of him I'll be able to see. I'm looking forward to them.


"I'm home!" I call out to my quiet house. There is a shuffle from inside one of the rooms, and the door opens to reveal the shadowy form of my mom. She switches on a light, bathing the room in a warm glow.

"Welcome home, Susumu," she says. "How was your day? Did you get lots of studying in?"

I nod, feeling a bit guilty. Truthfully, lately, I've been more focused on learning basketball with Kasamatsu than studying. Though somehow I still make it to the library every day. Probably because he has to practice with his team and I don't want to distract him from that (because obviously having a girl in the midst is not good for captain-senpai's heart).

"How have you been feeling lately?" she asks, pursing her lips at me. She glances toward my book bag and I clutch it tighter toward me. Sometimes, it's almost like she has x-Ray vision — I just hope she can't see the sweaty clothes stuffed in by my dictionary.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You seem . . . a bit distracted. You and Nyoko both."

"Nyoko?"

My voice must betray my confusion (and subsequent innocence, of course) because Mom opens her mouth to explain, but at that moment, the door swings open behind me, and Nyoko stumbles in. Her face is flushed red, her hair swept across her cheeks. It's windy and hot outside so one could simply attribute her demeanor to the weather but then there's her expression . . . she's happy. Really happy.

My stomach drops inside me.

Behind Nyoko, my dad enters, his eyes going from my sister to me, a steel look on his face. "I'd just run into Nyoko on my way home," he says. "It seems like she was with friends."

"Y-yes," Nyoko says, the glee on her face slowly ebbing away. "We were having a study session together."

Eyeing Nyoko, I shake my head slightly. Yes. Studying.

Dad checks his watch and says, "It's late. How about the four of us go to grab something to eat? My treat. You two can tell us about how school's going."

I cringe at the thought. The night out is really nothing more than an excuse to hear about our grades. Just like usual. Nyoko and I glance at each other, and then, as one, we nod. Her cheeks are pale now.

There is no escape from these things. That is the thought ringing through both of our heads. But if we're to be true with ourselves, there is. It's the one he took. Our brother. He escaped. He just did it too well.


A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope you're enjoying the story so far! We'll be getting to know more about Eirin and Susumu's family and background bit by bit, and, of course, the development of each of their respective relationships to the Kaijou ace and captain, so please look forward to it. Thanks once again!

~ J. Dominique