by MorphailEffect
"Ooishi."
"Tezuka?" Ooishi had clipped the cordless receiver between his chin and his shoulder. He was wiping the soap suds from his hands on a dishrag.
"I said I'd call you."
"Oh. I didn't think you meant tonight."
"Are you busy?"
"Nah. Just helping clean up around here. Mom has a few visitors over. So what's up?"
"I shouldn't have forgotten about your yearly rounds. That situation earlier was my fault."
"Situation?" He called it a "situation"? This required a little looking into. Ooishi threw the rag to one side so he could hold the receiver properly.
"You mean with Oshitari-san? Actually...Eiji and I should be the ones to apologize. We already saw you were with someone, so we shouldn't have tailed you."
"I hope it wasn't awkward for you two."
"No, no it wasn't. What about you?"
"There was no harm done."
Ooishi paused. The chattering noises made by his mother's visitors suddenly became too loud for comfort. He walked over to the far side of the kitchen, opened the back door, stepped out and closed the door behind him. Blessed quiet.
"Tezuka...you won't resent me for asking about that, will you?"
"Of course not."
He decided to be direct about it. Direct had never failed him in the past, with Tezuka. "So...? How did it happen that you and Oshitari Yuushi from Hyoutei Middle School started going to school together?"
"His family moved into the area. He chose my school to transfer to."
"Are you two in the same class?"
"Sou desu." [2]
Alright. Simple, so far. Too simple. "Did he know you were going to that school before he transferred?"
"I don't know. Probably not. Does it matter?"
"Not at all! I was just curious. I'm also curious how you and he seem to be getting along so well."
"What are you talking about?" There was no change in the tone of his voice. But Ooishi knew that at the other end of the line, Tezuka's eyes had narrowed into suspicious slits.
The imagined scowl did nothing to faze Ooishi. He had not been Tezuka's vice-captain for one whole year for nothing. "I don't think I've ever seen you as relaxed as I did back in that restaurant." Ooishi paused, thinking. Then, "That's right. This evening you just looked..." Like a wide open space in a tennis court. You weren't on your guard, Buchou. "...like a huge load was lifted from your shoulders."
"You're speculating."
"Well, I had a good look. Are you going to deny it?"
"It's none of your business how and in whose company I choose to relax."
There. The "none of your business" card had to be played sometime. He had hit a nerve, even if Tezuka wasn't letting on. Ooishi had to change tactics.
"I won't pry, Tezuka. It was just...nice seeing you like that, for a change..."
"'Nice', huh?"
Ooishi chuckled. "What do you want me to say, I was expecting the sky to fall, too?"
The joke was lost on Tezuka. He began gravely, "Ooishi. Don't blow this out of proportion. It's not likely that what happened earlier, will happen again. The other regulars don't need to be told."
Damn. He would have known what Eiji was planning, of course.
"I wasn't intending to spread the word," Ooishi assured him, in all seriousness. "Your private life is your own."
"I'm glad to hear that."
End topic. Change subject. "Hey, before I forget. The members of your tennis club mentioned that you made vice-captain this year! Congratulations!"
"Aa." His standard reply to any and all forms of praise.
"That's something the other ex-regulars would be glad to know about, right?"
"Not really, I don't think it would affect their daily affairs."
"Sou'su ne. Demo saa... [3] is Oshitari-san signing up for the tennis club this year?"
"He mentioned something to that effect."
Ooishi chuckled good-naturedly. "Well. Looks like high school is finally going to be interesting, naa, vice-captain?"
Rustle of clothing at the other end. A sure signal that Tezuka was impatient to end the conversation. "That was all I called to say. Is there anything else you'd like to bring up?"
Ooishi scratched the back of his neck contemplatively. Aside from the fact that no matter what you tell me, the other regulars will find out about Oshitari anyway? Not really. "No...Tezuka. I hope you had a good first day at school. Let's keep in touch."
"Ja." Click. Dialtone. Ooishi felt lucky to have even gotten a "ja" out of the guy before he put down the phone.
Their conversation had not been fruitful. He wouldn't be able to tell Eiji anything useful, the next day at school. Maybe it was nothing after all, Ooishi said to himself. Maybe he was right all along.
******************************
"Inui!"
"Eiji." Inui tempered his breathing as he talked into the phone. The tall bespectacled ex-Seigaku regular had just come from an after-school jogging excursion. Though he wasn't part of the tennis club anymore in his new high school, he saw it fit to keep up with the intensive training regimen he had plotted out for himself years ago.
"I thought you were not to contact me until two days later. I am third on your yearly visitation list, am I not?"
"Yeah well, screw the list," Kikumaru was saying excitedly. "Listen. Ooishi and I just came from Tezuka's school tonight, and we found something really...well, funny. We were hoping you'd know more about it, nya..."
"Funny? What are you talking about?"
Kikumaru gave the details. As he spoke, Inui's breathing steadied. He was in "analyze" mode again.
"I see," he remarked in monotone, after Kikumaru had finished talking. "Well. I didn't know about this before now. But you are correct, it is...'funny.'"
Actually the words that occurred to Inui leaned more to the negative...like "morbidly interesting," "ominous" and "potentially explosive." But he wasn't going to betray his true opinions without the backing of further data.
"What do you think, Inui? Should we ignore it?" Kikumaru was being unusually eager to concede. Inui knew it could only mean one thing: reverse psychology. He wasn't really asking if the situation should be ignored, but was covertly insisting that Inui research more deeply into the matter. He wasn't asking for advice, so much as saying "Get your ass on this case, inspector."
And Inui found himself in the mood to play along. "We won't be able to tell, until we find out more about the situation. I suppose Tezuka has already told the two of you to stop prying into his personal life?"
"Naa, he doesn't have the right to do that! The ex-Seigaku regulars should always be up to date on each other's important affairs, right?"
Yes, Tezuka had definitely told them to mind their own business. "Tezuka is out as an information source, then. We focus on Oshitari Yuushi. But Hyoutei has methods for preserving its students' privacy...so we will need the assistance of someone with inside information on all the former tennis club regulars, if not the Hyoutei tennis club in particular." Inui turned off "analyze mode" to say, "Incidentally, I have a chess date tomorrow..."
"Ah." The disdainful smirk behind that "ah" carried over the wires. "Well, say hi to the sneaky little guy for me."
Inui smirked right back. "Yes, his respiratory system has suffered because of his faulty training techniques while in St. Rudolph Middle School...still, he is hardly a 'little guy' anymore, you understand."
"Yeah, but he's still sneaky. Ah, mengo mengo! [4] You're buddies now." Kikumaru sniffed. "Wakatta. Though Fuji has never really been happy with that arrangement..."
"Truth be told, neither has Kaidou." Without thinking, Inui flashed a genuine smile at no one. Then he caught himself, cleared his throat.
"Listen, Eiji. I cannot promise that I will gather all the information we need. But I will warn you of one thing right now: if we are going to delve into this matter, we run the risk of placing Tezuka in the spotlight -- and not in a good way. There is, in fact, an 78% chance of it. By asking around, we will be exposing him to popular scrutiny as if he were a media icon."
"Though come to think of it," Kikumaru helpfully supplied, "Tezuka-buchou IS sort of a media icon already, isn't he? What with the near-win in the nationals for his high school during his first year..."
Inui raised his eyebrow. Kikumaru certainly was feeling argumentative tonight. Inui recalled from his notebooks that he almost always became this energized when it came to gossip.
"Indeed...that was unfortunate. If he had been placed in Singles 2 to go head-on against Sengoku Kiyozumi, his high school could have afforded two wins in the singles court. But he was in Singles 3, which he won easily, while an upperclassman lost to first-year Sengoku."
A bright laugh. "Hoi hoi, Inui! It seems you're still keeping tabs on our Buchou in that notebook of yours!"
Inui blinked. It never occurred to him that he might be watching their old captain any more than he was watching anyone else. He attended as many matches of the ex-Seigaku regulars as he could, and gathered as much data on them as he could almost entirely on impulse.
The only player he consciously kept an eye on was the Kaidou "The Snakeman" Kaoru, who happened to be a first-year in his high school. Whose wicked demeanor stuck fear into the hearts of peers and upperclassmen alike. And whose training Inui personally supervised.
He coolly replied, "I'm keeping tabs on everyone. For instance, I know that the Ooishi-Kikumaru Golden Pair has a perfect winning streak. That there is not a single high school doubles pair in existence that could defeat the two, at least to date."
Kikumaru gave a gasp of surprise. "What?! You've been spying on us?! That's not fair! Ooishi and I never ONCE saw you at any of our matches..."
"It was easier to gather data from an indescernible vantage point."
"We needed all the moral support we could get, nya!"
"Let's discuss that later." Inui smiled again. "I'll get as much info as I can tomorrow, Eiji. And prepare everything for when you and Ooishi come by, the day after tomorrow."
"Sasuga na Inui! Itsumo mitai da mon!" [5] Kikumaru chirped. "I knew we could count on you! Ja, mata ne!"
Inui put down the phone and bent down to unlace his rubber shoes. He was going to have to clean off the grime at the porch before his parents got home from the hospital where they worked.
...But no matter. Any menial task set before him today would pale in significance to the scheming he was going to do before bedtime. A chance to spy on Tezuka was always a chance worth taking.
There was an evil glint in his unbelievably thick glasses all that night.
******************************
"Gakuto."
Mukahi's eyes opened wide. He was lying on his side on the bed, facing the phone on the bedstand.
He felt like he had just come awake. He had not even changed his clothes, and suddenly he felt terribly uncomfortable. It wasn't like him to go to bed without showering first. Maybe he had lain down and closed his eyes without expecting to fall asleep. He couldn't remember.
"Are you there? Please pick up."
He propped himself up on one elbow and stared at the blinking "record" light on the phone unit as if he had never seen it before.
"I missed your call. I'd left my cell phone behind at the apartment, and I just got home."
Mukahi snorted. That line just made his consciousness come rushing back.
Idiot. Did he expect Mukahi to buy that? He never forgot his cell phone. He misplaced his spectacles on occasion (it wasn't safe from locker room pranks after all), but his cell phone was always within his reach, even while he was on the courts. The damn thing might as well be grafted to his skin.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?"
Mukahi sat up, still staring at the blinking light. Oshitari's recording time was running out.
"Please pick up."
"..."
A sigh at the other end. "Fine. I'll try calling again tomorrow. Good night."
In a flash, Mukahi's hand was on the receiver. He was placing it to his ear and saying, "Yuushi."
A pause, not a dialtone, answered his greeting. Presently Oshitari's voice came on again. "You're awake after all, why --"
"Tell me something," Mukahi interrupted. "And be honest."
"...Of course."
Mukahi shut his eyes, determined to survive this encounter, if not come out on top. "Is Tezuka Kunimitsu attending your high school?"
"The former Seigaku captain?"
"Well?"
"Yes, he is." It wasn't an admission of guilt. Or even an offensive retaliation. It was just a fact.
"In the same class as you?"
"Yes."
Control wasn't an easy thing. Mukahi had always been open about his emotions, and right now Oshitari's absolute calm was infuriating him, clouding his mind over. "Did you know all this time that the two of you were enrolling in the same high school?"
"Gakuto, I don't see why you have to ask -- "
"Because I have to ask, dammit!!"
There was a tense silence. Oshitari on the other end of the line was perhaps waiting for a follow-up shout. But that was all that Mukahi let loose. He took a deep breath, and was able to continue without so much as gritting his teeth: "Yuushi...did you plan to be there with Tezuka Kunimitsu. Or not. It's a simple question. Yes or no."
More pause on Oshitari's end. Mukahi imagined it took longer than necessary. Every second Oshitari delayed took him a step closer to a "yes." If he stayed silent long enough...
"...No, Gakuto. I didn't know I was going to be enrolled in the same school as Tezuka Kunimitsu. And I sure didn't plan anything. I'm not as crafty as people make me out to be." A short, embarrassed chuckle, which Mukahi had always found charming, one way or another. "You, of all people, should know that."
Mukahi mellowed down with great reluctance. He did know. Oshitari might be smart about tennis, he might excel at his studies, he might know more about human nature than the average teenager... But it still wasn't in his blood to trick people. The moron couldn't be manipulative if his life depended on it.
Perhaps he was the only person in the world who saw the simplicity in Oshitari Yuushi. And loved it.
"Besides, I could care less even if he and I roomed together. We're not grade schoolers anymore and we have our own concerns ...Are you still there?"
"I miss you," Mukahi found himself saying.
The smile was evident in Oshitari's voice as he replied, "I've missed you since the last time I touched you."
And then, of course, he had to be his sly, seductive self. Over the simplicity was painted an elusive shade of red. "Do you really mean that, I wonder..." Mukahi said softly to himself.
"What? I didn't hear..."
"Yuushi. I'm spending the weekend with you."
Surprise registered. "What? But -- this weekend, I..."
"What's the matter? You don't have plans, do you?" What fucking plans would anyone have on the first weekend of the school year? "And you can't make time for me?"
"That's not what I meant. I was about to say I'm scheduled to visit my parents, but that can be put off." It sounded far from a flimsy excuse. Oshitari was living alone, and could only see his family on weekends. "I'm just worried your parents won't let you stay over somewhere so far out."
"My parents are never the problem. They like you. They're gullible." Mukahi was aware that he sounded spiteful, but he was on a roll. "If they trusted your sorry ass to haul me to the countryside for three days, they'll trust it again to keep me safe and content for an overnight stay."
A low, suggestive chuckle. "Oh you'll be more than safe and content."
Gakuto could hear the promiscuous smirk there. It was more like the Yuushi he knew. So familiar, so real, that the distance between them physically hurt.
"That sounds like a promise..."
"Ah, Gakuto. You must wait and have more faith in me. I have the whole weekend to deliver proof of my pure intentions."
"Pure intentions my ass," Mukahi managed to laugh outloud.
They were going to spend the night talking. All was as it should be. After he put down the phone, a full hour past midnight, Mukahi drifted off to sleep -- exhausted to the core, but smiling.
******************************
"Kuni.""Aa."
"...I didn't expect to find you still awake."
"You intended to wake me up?"
An embarrassed chuckle. "No, that's not it at all. I was just taking my chances."
Tezuka ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to get some sleep. This person calling him up while he was lying in bed restless wasn't helping. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to tell me?"
"Nothing, I just..."
"What?"
"...wanted to hear your voice. It's been a long day."
This exchange should have made Tezuka uncomfortable. Still, the very sound of Oshitari's voice was making something inside him unknot. It was a strange feeling.
He wondered vaguely what he looked like at this moment. And if this was what Ooishi saw earlier that night in the restaurant.
"Get some sleep," he answered with unplanned gentleness. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"...All right. I'll see you. Good night."
In that parting was the feeling of someone's hand on his, someone's lips touching his -- lightly, expertly, but with definite shyness.
"Good night...Yuushi."
(to be continued)
******************************
1 - I'm sure people already know this. But for posterity, I'm still defining it: traditional Japanese greeting on the phone. English equiv: "Hello."
2 - "That's right," formal.
3 - "That's right. But er..."
4 - "Sorry sorry!" a pun on "gomen gomen" that I heard Kikumaru say once...I think it was during his first doubles match with Momoshiro
5 - "Amazing, Inui! Like always!"