Chapter Twenty-three.
Of course, school love stories need festivals.
"Well, then… class dismissed," the literature teacher announces. "Don't let the Sweets Festival get into your heads too much. You still have some homework to be submitted next week." After a chorus of 'understood' by the students, the short old woman leaves the room.
Recess time. Students begin heading on about their own interests. Kenya slams his face onto the desk. Shiraishi glances at his friend. "Such an information overload, right, Kenya?" The captain chuckles.
"You said it," Kenya replies as he lifts his head. The coffee-haired boy looks blankly at a far distance and sighs. "I don't feel like being in the Sweets Festival. I shouldn't have come to school today."
Shiraishi blinks. "But why? I thought you are supposed to take Miyo-chan for a date today."
"Yes, I know." Kenya sighs. "Can't really get out of this situation, but I wish I could. I wish I were like you guys... except Koishikawa. He's plain and does not stand out as much but he is the only one in the team who has a stable romantic relationship with Miu-chan."
"It's Miyo-chan. It can't be that bad."
Kenya simply grunts.
A few days have passed and the Sweets Festival has arrived. Since the encounter at the faculty room, Kenya could not find a way to communicate anymore with Yume. The female has not talked to him as well after that event. He could not even walk home with her nor ask her out to lunch.
"Or is it because you were expecting someone else?" the captain asks.
He buries hid face again on his desk to hide the blush on his cheeks.
Shiraishi looks at the window and points to it with surprise. "Oh, isn't that Kazuyoshi-kun? Huh? Who is that guy with him? I've never seen that guy before, seems like an outsider. But Kazuyoshi-kun seems really happy with him, so-"
The speedstar stands up instantly and looks outside the window. "Where?!" he asks in a loud and obviously frustrated voice.
"Just kidding." Shiraishi laughs.
He notices that the whole class is looking surprised at him. Kenya tuns to his friend with a frown. "Shiraishi, you-"
"Don't be mad, Kenya. I never would've thought that you'd actually react to that."
"That's something insensitive to say for someone who has always known my tendency to overreact over little things."
"Is that so?" Shiraishi scratches the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Kenya. I seriously never guessed that you care that much for Kazuyoshi-kun."
He holds his breath back. "You guys already know about that, though."
"Anyway, I am going to the cafeteria. Are you coming?" Shiraishi starts to walk towards the door. "Or are you supposed to meet with Miyo-chan now?"
Kenya lets out another sigh. "I guess I shouldn't disappoint a girl's heart now, right?"
"But I think you can call it off if you really don't want to go with her." He stops in his tracks and glances at the other guy.
"Right." He frowns. "Shiraishi, you're my bestfriend. I know that you also know the situation here."
The captain smiles. "I'm just saying that there's another option."
"Chika!" a girl's voice is heard from outside the room.
Shiraishi looks at the door. "Oh? Kazuyoshi-kun?"
"You know, Shiraishi," Kenya turns around to look at his friend, "the same joke won't work on me twice in a row."
His friend is not looking at him. Instead, he warmly greets familiar faces from the other class. "Hello, Shizuoka-san and Kazuyoshi-kun! It's quite a surprise to see you two together."
Kenya turns to the door. Indeed, Fumiko and Yume are standing outside, with the former clinging to a visibly disturbed Yume. Chika, one of Kenya and Shiraishi's female classmates, run towards the two visitors. "Chika and I are taking Yuki-sama out to a date!" the queen announces.
Yume simply rolls her eyes. "I thought you were just asking me to come with you to the faculty room, though," she mumbles.
Kenya immediately approaches the door. "Y-Yuki-kun, you're taking them both out?"
"I was coerced," she replies sheepishly.
Chika laughs. "But he is just as Fumiko-chan described. The great 'Yuki-sama' is really cute." She hugs Yume without warning. "You're not exactly my type but I think we're going to have fun!"
"R-right."
Kenya bites his lips, resisting the urge to pull Yume away. Shiraishi takes note of this and simply laughs.
Fumiko raises a brow. "So, why is the idiot getting all mad for?" she teasingly refers to Kenya. "Oh, I hope you don't mind if we're going to borrow your bestfriend for a little bit." Fumiko winks.
Kenya frowns.
Chika blinks. "Kenya-kun, is it because you're jealous?" she giggles. "Does this mean that the rumors are true?"
"Rumors? What rumors?!" The coffee-haired boy growls.
Chika whispers, "That you are gay." She giggles as she goes to Yume's side and clings to her arm. "Words spread fast, you know?" Kenya glances at Yume.
"What rumors?" Yume asks curiously as she looks at Chika.
"Oh, you haven't heard?"
Fumiko shakes her head. "Of course, Yuki-sama hasn't heard of it."
Kenya looks at his friend. "Shiraishi, you know this rumor?"
"Uhm, hello?" Everyone turns to look at another comer. Miyoko shyly looks down at the ground and mumbles, "K-Kenya-san, I thought you were going to pick me up after class."
"Ah! Sorry!" Kenya immediately bows in embarrassment.
"That's too bad, Kenya-kun," Chika teases. "You're making a girl wait?! And it's Miyoko-chan!"
"T-there's no problem at all. I was just worried," Miyoko replies.
Fumiko snickers and whispers behind Yume's back. "And that's the competition for you." Yume becomes confused. The queen holds Yume's and Chika's hands. "Well, then. Have fun, you guys! I'm going to borrow Chika and Kazuyoshi-kun for a while." With that, she pulls her two friends away from the scene.
Shiraishi simply smiles at the scene. "I'm off to the cafeteria." He looks at Miyoko and Kenya. "Take care of Miyoko-chan, Kenya. Have fun!" And he leaves.
Kenya sighs.
"A-are you alright, Kenya-san?" Miyoko carefully asks the speedstar. "You seem down."
He shakes his head. "It's nothing. I'm fine." He looks at the shy girl. "Are you ready to go?"
She nods. "Before that…"
"Hm?"
"That guy – the newcomer – is quite pretty, isn't he?"
'I am Koishikawa Kenjirou, the vice-captain of Shitenhouji tennis club. They say that I have a weak presence, so people would barely notice me or, worse, ignore me. I usually get mad when I get ignored. But I have my girlfriend Miu for today's Sweets Festival. This fact is already enough to make me happy... if not only for these people.'
Koishikawa sighs. Miu sighs as well.
"Nee, Shiraishi! Let's have ramen!" "Koharu~" "Yuu-ku~n" "Have you guys seen my new cactus?" "Senpai, you're so disgusting." "Inner peace… inner peace…" "Miyuki, I have a lot of chocolates, so you should wait for me if you want Onii-chan to give you some."
'This was supposed to be our date! Why are they here?!'
The sweethearts are sitting on the grass under a tree at the back of the school. They have been interrupted by the arrival of the other tennis club members. Koishikawa thought that the others would gather at the rooftop since they usually have their breaks there. The Homo pair has spotted Koishikawa and Miu in that spot, and the other members simply follow in the gathering.
"It's okay. We tried," Miu whispers to her boyfriend.
Another sigh escapes his lips. "I didn't really expect this to happen. I'm sorry."
She chuckles.
He smiles.
"Oh? Where is Kenya?" asks the redhead.
"Right, right. Why is Kenya missing from this meeting?" Hitouji says.
Shiraishi and Koishikawa alike mutter, "This is a meeting?"
"We've been here for a while now. You guys just notice the Senpai isn't here?" comments Hikaru.
"Maybe he's at the rooftop?" says Miu.
Koharu smirks as if awaiting the moment. Before he could open his mouth, however, Gin answers the mystery. "Kenya-han is taking Miyoko-han out for a date for the Sweets Festival."
The genius dataman grunts in disappointment. "Gin-san~ why did you stole my limelight?"
"I apologize." Gin bows deeply. "I heard it from Kazuyoshi-han."
Hikaru blinks. "Oh, I thought Kenya-san was going to ask Kazuyoshi-senpai out?" he says without looking away from his phone. Everyone darts their focus at the second year. The boy lifts his attention from his phone. "What?"
"Nothing. I thought you were not someone who would be interested in things like that," says Kosihikawa.
"Unless if our little boy here is starting to spark an interest with romance," Koharu remarks.
Hikaru rolls his eyes. "I'm not interested in romance, Koharu-senpai. Kenya-senpai just kept talking about it during the weekend, so I assumed it was so."
"Oh?" Chitose chuckles. "So Kenya does like Yuki-kun."
Shiraishi replies, "It looks like it anyway. Or Kenya just got overexcited again with a new friend."
Miu giggles. "Oh, you guys are so naïve with these kinds of things."
"What do you mean?" Koishikawa asks.
"I'll tell you later when we're alone." She winks at her boyfriend.
Kintarou blinks. "I don't understand anything here. What is happening with Kenya?"
Shiraishi sighs at the innocence of his younger teammate.
"How 'bout Kazuyoshi-kun, though?" Hitouji asks.
"Ah, he was…" Gin takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "… taken away by Fumiko-han during the recess break."
"…"
"Oh."
"You know, I've been waiting to tell this to you guys…" Koishikawa interrupts the silence. "… but Miu and I are actually on a date here."
Tuesday. After school.
'… I still try holding onto silly things, I never learn. Oh why, all the possibilities I'm sure you've heard…'
A sigh escaped her lips. She gazed at the orange sky as she licked the melting vanilla ice cream on her hand. Her feet moved sufficiently to swing herself, and there was the sound of rusty iron. A cold breeze passed by. She looked down at the earth. And she had already realized long that she was lonely.
'…Pain make your way to me, to me. And I'll always be just so inviting...'
"Senpai."
Yume looked to her left. She removed her earphones. "Zaizen-san?"
"What are you doing here?" Hikaru sat on the swing next to hers. He removed his earphones as well.
She chuckled. "Well, this is new."
"What is?"
"Is your mother somewhere near that you're sitting here with me? You look as if you're going to counsel me or something." She laughed. And the laughter died off after not long. "This sucks," she mumbled.
Hikaru looked away. "It's Kenya-san, right?"
"Screw you, kid." She pouted. "Why do you have to know a lot of things?"
"That's not something a 'kid' would like to hear from a lady," he teased.
Yume filled her mouth with the cold ice cream.
"Senpai, you're being very stupid now."
She removed the cold from her mouth. "Who is that 'Miyo-chan' anyway? Why is Kenya-san calling her by her first name? Are they really even that close?"
"You just called Kenya-san by his first name."
She blushed madly. "B-because he said it's fine."
Hikaru raised a brow at the sight of his neighbour. "'Miyo-chan' is the 'Snow White of Shitenhouji,' right? I think Kenya-san has always known her since grade school."
Yume frowned. "Right. Thank you so much for that valuable information, Zaizen-san. I feel much saltier now."
"You're welcome."
She grunted.
"Aren't you a little bit overreacting here?" he deadpanned. A smirk is on his face, showing his amusement towards the situation.
"T-that's not the point here! It's Kenya-san!"
Hikaru laughed in a mocking way. "You're definitely overreacting, Senpai."
She took a deep breath to keep her composure intact once again. "Let's just pretend that you didn't hear anything." Yume grumbled as she ate the last of her ice cream. "I'm going home."
"Movie after school this Friday," he said flatly.
She blinked. Her eyes averted to him in confusion, her brows furrowed. "Are you asking me out to watch a movie with you?"
"What does it look like, idiot?" He stood up and walked away, leaving the girl in a state of shock. "Wear something nice at least so that you'll look more decent."
Yume stood up and followed him. "W-wait!"
"Kenya-kun, you're spacing out again."
He blinks. "Oh. I'm really sorry, Miyo-chan." The coffee-haired boy sheepishly scratches the back of his head as he chuckles.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Miyoko asks.
The day is going to end. As the Sweets Festival is not really a festival per se with a program proper or anything of the sort, it traditionally comes to an end with confessions of love. There are those who are smiled upon by the Goddess of Luck, but there are also those who aren't.
He nods. "I'm really sorry."
"I-it's fine."
Miyoko and Kenya are walking together alone along a hallway. There are not much students who are roaming around and even the teachers seem to have retreated already. Since the National Tournament has just ended during the previous weekend, Osamu has decided to give the tennis club a break for Friday afternoon. This has freed everyone from the tiring club activities, which mostly consist of practice matches with one another.
Kenya stops to look outside a window. The skies are orange as the sun will soon take its leave. "It's getting dark soon." He turns to her. "Should we go home?" He smiles as he starts walking.
The girl is blushing. She is staring at the ground with her hands at the back. "Um! Kenya-san!"
He turns around. "What is it, Miyo-chan?"
"Actually… I-I-I-" Miyoko bites her lips and closes her teary eyes. She takes a deep breath.
He takes a step closer to her. "A-are you alri-"
"I like you, Kenya-san!" she shouts with all her might. "P-please go out with me! Please… I've always liked you ever since I met you. You're sweet and nice and always kind to me. So I… that's why I…"
He sighs.
"I hope you don't hate me." She starts crying.
Kenya approaches her and places a hand on her shoulder. She is trembling. "Please don't cry, Miyo-chan."
~End Chapter~
