Chapter Thirty-Three.
You should avoid those people who get into the same kind of accidents more than once.
Among their many prior dates, this may just become their favorite. It is the first time that they go out in the evening, and everything has been perfect. No cars, no butlers or maids around. Tonight is just a simple date for the both of them. Dinner was nothing fancy; they dined in a fastfood restaurant – something far from what they usually do. Nevertheless, the night sky is clear and filled with stars – simply a beautiful view for a stroll under the moon.
Atobe glances at Fumiko beside him. She is staring at the sky while they stroll, her bright eyes are sparkling just like the stars. He smiles as his heart feels warmer.
Fumiko blinks and glances at his direction. She raises a brow. "W-what is it? Anything funny?" She immediately wipes something on her face. "Is there something on my face?"
"Nothing." He smirks. "It's just that my Ojou-sama might bump into something if she does not look at where she is walking."
"I'm not stupid, just so you know," she replies flatly.
"I know. That was just a joke." He chuckles. "Even a few months after we started officially dating, the Ojou-sama has not yet warmed up to Ore-sama. If you don't mellow out a little, maybe Ore-sama might go out with someone else instead."
"Then, go ahead." Fumiko smirks. "It's not like you'd actually find someone else like me."
He laughs. "That's right. There's no one else out there as arrogant as you are."
"Yes, there is." She holds his hand as she looks at him. "It's you, you arrogant bastard."
"I already love myself as much."
"I think everyone already knows that." Fumiko gazes at the sky once again. "You know you can't threaten to leave me just like that. It just won't work."
Atobe raises a brow. He tightens his grip on her hand. "Is that your way of telling me that my words are not intimidating enough?"
"I simply know that you love me so much, you can't leave me." She pauses and stares at something right in front of her.
Without noticing her deliberate pause, Atobe looks at her and a smile appears on his lips. "You really are my Ojou-sama. Ore-sama loves you."
"Yeah, I love you, too, but…" she says in an uninterested tone. Fumiko points at a scene in front of them. "… isn't that Yume-chan?"
He turns to see what has been happening that took away his girlfriend's attention from him. His childhood friend has just run over someone who seems to be his rival. Atobe cracks into a rather unflattering laughter.
Sanada Genichirou, a man of refinement and tradition, forces himself into remaining calm amid the growing irritation and annoyance within him. He was just out for his evening cool-down jogging when some clumsy cyclist ran over him. The area is not well-lighted, so he can be willing to forgive whoever the person is. However, the person bumped into him not because the area was dark; rather, it was because she has been spacing out – even risking to close her eyes while she was going down on an inclined plane. If anything, Sanada thinks, the inclined plane is not the best place to close your eyes when riding a bike; it will result to accidents if people do not pay close attention when coming down from inclined planes. To add salt to the injury, he had been spotted by a rival from middle school, which makes it a more humiliating experience for him.
Nevertheless, Sanada has to keep his cool. It is almost quarter to nine in the evening, yet the four highschool students are still outside. Yume, Keigo, Sanada and Fumiko are sitting around a table outside a convenience store. Keigo has consistently worn a smirk on his face in an attempt to annoy Sanada. Meanwhile, Fumiko is evidently upset over the scene, especially with the conduct of her boyfriend, and the fact that their date has been quite interrupted. Yume, on the other hand, has been staring down at the table as she cannot bear to look across the table, where Sanada is putting up a forced calm look as he holds a pack of frozen peas against his forehead.
Keigo suddenly bursts into a laughter, breaking the silence. "Isn't this just great?" The other three frown. The self-proclaimed king looks at the convenience store. "We're here at a commoner's convenience store, which I did not even imagine I would be visiting in a hundred years. And I am here with my girlfriend…" he turns to Yume and to Sanada, "… my childhood friend, and a rival. What an extraordinary night this is!"
Yume raise a brow. "Screw you, Kei-chan," she grunts. "I certainly did not want to see you."
"Same here," says Sanada.
Fumiko rolls her eyes at her boyfriend's proclamation. She turns to Yume. "So, Yume-chan, since we're all here anyway... what happened to you? Why were you, uhh..."
The other girl clears her throat as she glances at a frightening Sanada. "Uhm… I was just out for a bicycle stroll at night. I have a lot of things on my mind." Yume bows at Sanada once again. "I am really sorry for running you over, Sanada-san."
His eyebrows are meeting at the middle. Sanada glares at the girl. "It's fine."
She frowns in response. "A-a-are you s-sure it's f-fine? You've… been glaring at me the whole time."
"It's. Fine," he replies sternly.
Yume shrieks.
Keigo laughs. "Sanada is always like that, Yume-chan. There's nothing to worry about the middle-aged man. He always looks serious but he is probably just fine."
Sanada deliberately coughs. "I am in highschool."
"Yes, I know." Yume remembers the stories from her friend Marui. The red-haired, bubblegum-chewing boy always talks about a Sanada Genichirou, who is always strict, serious and stonehearted. She would always laugh at the way Marui describes his former vice-captain, but she did not imagine that the so-called Sanada would be this scary.
Fumiko sighs. "What were you even thinking about, Yume-chan? Closing your eyes while going down a ramp is pretty dangerous, y'know." Yume holds back a breath as a frown appears on her face. Just one look at the other girl and Fumiko already knows what the fuss is all about. She grunts, "Is this about that Oshitari guy again?"
"Oshitari?" Keigo raises a brow. He looks at Yume, who nodded at the question.
"That was already months ago. And you're like…" Fumiko's eyes squint. "… seriously, why?"
Keigo asks, "You had a relationship with Oshitari Yuushi?"
"We're not talking about Yuushi-kun, Keigo," Fumiko whispers, "We're talking about the cousin."
"The cousin?"
"The speed guy. From Shitenhouji."
"Ah~" Keigo chuckles. "Oh, that guy. He was too plain that I did not even remember him. I think I went into the same training camp with him."
Sanada raises a brow. "Such a weak memory you have there, Atobe."
"I just don't simply recognize people who don't stand out."
"That is such a feeble reasoning of a self-proclaimed king," Sanada criticizes.
Fumiko rolls her eyes again. "Ugh. There they go again," she grunts. She turns to Yume. "It's not like you'll be meeting him again, right? You haven't been in touch recently."
Yume shakes her head. "It's just because… I became friends with Yuushi-kun, and I didn't know that he was Kenya-san's cousin." She sighs. "I've only known Yuushi-kun as… Yuushi-kun." She shakes her head. "It's- it's just difficult recognizing how small the world is."
Fumiko sighs. She glances at the other males, who have been stuck in their own world as they argue with each other. "They're so petty. Keigo is so petty. Sometimes I even wonder to myself why I'm dating him." She turns back to Yume. "But anyway, I don't think there's anything to worry about. After all, you aren't meeting him. And it's not like Yuushi is trying to set you up with him, right?"
"Yuushi-kun asked me to keep an iguana over the weekend. Apparently, the iguana is Kenya-san's."
"Oh. Wow." Fumiko chuckles. "You should be worried."
Yume frowns. "You're not helping at all," she mutters before chuckling. "Great, I really should've closed this issue months ago before leaving Osaka. Now, this is haunting me again."
Fumiko smiles. "But you do like Kenya-san, right?"
"I… liked him, I guess."
"How 'bout now?"
Keigo suddenly interrupts. "You liked that guy, Yuu-chan?" He chuckles.
"Wow. Shut up, Kei-chan," Yume replies. "You do remember that I used to like you, too. All men that I like are mostly a bunch of garbage."
Sanada smirks. Keigo frowns at Sanada. And they begin going about their argument again.
Fumiko sighs at the childish display of the two males. She looks at Yume and whispers, "Men." She clears her throat. "Anyway… do you even know what happened to Kenya-san after graduation?"
Yume shakes her head.
"He eventually broke up with Miyoko-san. I heard that he wasn't really that happy." Fumiko stared straight at her eyes. "Did you really think that you can make him happy by setting him up with Miyoko-san?"
"Did I not?" Yume takes a deep breath. "I-I-I thought that…" she gulps. "Miyoko-san asked me… to support her for Kenya-san. I couldn't say no." She looks at Fumiko. "Is that wrong?"
Fumiko blinks. "Yes," she deadpans. "That was a really stupid thing to do. You made both of your lives complicated by doing that. Things could have been a lot easier if you didn't just give him a fake confession letter from Miyoko-san."
A few minutes more have passed. The four highschool students have to be home as the night gets deeper. Keigo escorts his girlfriend Fumiko home while Sanada and Yume are walking in the same direction. The streets at night are long and dark. People passing by are very few.
Sanada and Yume are walking across a narrow and dark path, about five feet apart from each other. Wind passes by the gap in between them. She is staring at the ground as they walk. The atmosphere between them is dead silent and is keeping either parties uncomfortable, but unfortunately the girl cannot just plug music into her ears. Yume had done damage to Sanada and still feels bad about it. It will be rude if she even uses her phone while they are walking together.
Sanada glances at her direction and notices the discomfort of the girl. He clears his throat.
She looks at him as if waiting for Sanada to say something. A minute after his silence, she asks, "A-are you about to say something?"
"Nothing."
"Oh." Yume gulps. "I'm sorry," she mutters. She stutters, "O-oh, and I apologize again for running you over. That was too careless of me."
"Yes, you were very careless," Sanada replies flatly, "You should be looking at your surroundings when you're going down a ramp. Especially at night."
She gulps. "I am so sorry."
A gust of wind passes between them.
Yume whistles. The conversation just does not last for so long. "So cold here," she mumbles. She wraps her arms around her frame tightly. She feels the chills creeping in her body.
"You should bring your jacket when you go out at night if you easily get chills," he says.
"I-I'm sorry."
"It is alright. You apologize too much."
"I-I'm so, so sorry."
He blinks. "You are thinking about many things, aren't you?"
"Y-yes, you could say that."
"I don't like getting myself involved and invested into other people's lives," Sanada says.
"R-right."
"But I think you should confront problems head-on. Otherwise, things will get even more complicated as time goes by. You have to have the guts to face and fight your problems."
'Don't tell me what to do. I'm still a year older than you, y'know?' Hikaru smirks at his phone at the text message he received from a friend. "If you say so," he mutters to himself. He certainly feels that he is in a good mood, particularly for this day. Hikaru does not always indulge himself to little trips far from home, but this trip is a little more special for him. If not only for the others coming along.
"So… there is a real Yuu Mikata living in Tokyo?!" asks the energetic and still jumpy Kintarou.
Sitting beside the energetic redhead inside the bullet train is a frustrated Shiraishi, who has been trying to tolerate the ever excited boy. "Yes." He sighs. "Kin-chan, we're inside a train. Please do not start jumping again." The former Shitenhouji tennis club captain glances at a visibly annoyed woman from the other side and bows to her as an apology for Kintarou's misbehavior. He looks at his seatmate and shows his bandaged right arm. "Kin-chan, if you don't quiet down for the rest of the trip, you are giving me no other options but to-"
Kintarou shrieks. "Not the poisonous hand!" He bows down with his hands held together, asking for mercy. "I am so sorry! I don't want to die yet!"
Behind their seats are Koharu and Hitouji, having their own little world that only the two of them can understand. Metaphorical pink and red hearts float around them as they exchange flirty messages. Across them are the actual couple Koishikawa and Miu, who have both fallen asleep since they boarded the bullet train. Meanwhile, Gin has been touching the top of his head as he occasionally watches Chitose playfully comb his dark blue hair.
Kenya takes a peek at his seatmate's phone. "You've been smiling there. What are you looking at?"
Hikaru sighs. "Nothing. It's a friend."
"A guy friend or a girl friend?" Kenya grins.
The pierced boy smiles. "A girl… friend."
He gasps. "For real?!" Kenya places an arm over Hikaru's shoulders. "The young boy's becoming a man now, huh." He laughs.
The boy frowns. Then, he chuckles. "Yeah, right. I would probably become a man earlier than you'll be. You've missed a lot of opportunities after all."
Kenya frowns.
"For example, Kurumizawa Yume-san."
He removes his arm around the younger boy. "Geez, there's no need for that kind of attack." Kenya sighs.
"You were annoying, so I really had to do it."
"Well, that… hurts."
Hikaru returns to his phone. "So, do you already have a game plan in mind right now?" he asks without lifting a single glance to his friend. "In case you really see her."
"Uhm… well, I-" He blinks and stares at the floor. "I actually do not know. I don't even know if she'll be happy when I see her."
"I thought that the feelings between you were mutual." He glances at Kenya. "At least, that's what you've told me back then."
He turns red out of embarrassment. "I'm… not so sure now to be honest."
Hikaru sighs. "You can just start with a casual greeting. Ask her to lunch or somewhere."
"We're not even sure if she wants to see me."
"Then, ask Senpai first if she wants to see you."
"How are you even sure that she's going to go out with me?"
He blinks. "Kenya-san, I didn't even say she'd go out with you. I said you should ask permission first."
She stretches her arms upwards as she yawns while they leave the building. "That was quite a long session, wasn't it, Fuji-san?" Yume laughs as she remembers how Mitobe has made a lot of mess a while ago.
Shuusuke chuckles. "Mitobe-senpai did a lot of mistakes back then."
"And Sasha-san did not really show any mercy towards him. She's so strict when it comes to Mitobe-senpai."
"Well, expectations are always higher for the professional ones," Shuusuke comments.
"They've been friends for so long, I almost thought they were a couple."
His smile fades. "Oh? They aren't a couple?" asks Shuusuke.
She shakes her head. "I kinda asked Sasha-san about that last week." Yume gazes at the bright sky. "She just laughed and said they aren't really going out."
He smiles. "Then, they must really be good friends."
"Right." She stops by at the bicycle rack as she takes the chains off her bike. "By the way, you're going to have lunch with your younger brother, right?"
He chuckles. "I'm going to watch my Yuuta and his girlfriend from afar."
She blinks. "But are you not going to eat with them?"
Shuusuke shakes his head. "Yuuta does not want me to."
"So, are you…" she raises a brow, "… basically going to stalk them?"
He smiles. "I don't particularly trust the girl."
"Are you not a little too overprotective over Yuuta-san, though? He's already in his third year of middle school. Don't you think it's time to – I don't know, let go? Or ease down?"
"As his older brother, I know what's good and what's dangerous for Yuuta."
Yume gulps. "R-right. You and your brother complex." She mounts on her bicycle. "Anyways… I'll be going home for a while to feed Yuushi-kun's- I mean, his cousin's iguana."
Shuusuke chuckles. "Kenya-san's. you mean."
She pouts. "I'm off."
"Take care!"
Yume steps on her pedals and starts to push against them. The bicycle starts to move away from him.
"Yume-chan!" Shuusuke suddenly shouts in an alarming tone.
She turns and looks back at him.
"Look out!" His eyes open wide – something that he rarely does.
"Yes, I will!"
"I mean, look out in front of you now!" Shuusuke waves a hand as he points a finger to the direction in front of her.
She frowns out of confusion but turns to look forward anyway. A familiar man is mindlessly walking in front of her. Yume immediately presses her breaks firmly, but it is all too late. She hears the screams surrounding her all too distant. The whole scene seems to move in a slow motion for a split second. Yume knows him. He knows her, too. But why is he here? A smile appears upon the man's face upon seeing her.
CRASH!
She falls to the ground with her face on the ground. The bicycle falls on top of the guy. Another bicycle accident.
~ End Chapter ~
