Chapter Three: Hana no En - Under the Flowers
"As if Ochi would come! Can you imagine that prissy little whiner working the takoyaki stand?!" Waya laughed heartily, going on to complain about Isumi's absence as well. "If Isumi were here, he's almost old enough to buy me sake..." The older former Insei, however, had gone to China and had little contact with any of his friends. Waya defended Isumi by insisting that international phone calls were insanely expensive, but it was obvious to anyone that he missed the other boy terribly. He waved a paper fan irritably against the sticky heat of early August.
Volunteering at the cultural festival was one of Akari's ideas, and a pretty crazy one at that. Waya still hadn't quite gotten the hang of walking in the large, pleated pants and heavy overdress that seemed far too heavy to move in. "Did people really wear all this stuff a thousand years ago?"
"Uhh... I guess so. It's not like they had T-shirts for the summer." Hikaru looked smaller than usual when he was buried in such a heavy costume, but he brushed the sweat from his forehead and aligned the heavy goban on a brightly colored blanket over the stone floor of the shrine.
"That's probably why they're all dead, then!" interjected a familiar voice.
"Kaga!" exclaimed Hikaru. "Is everyone else coming?" The Haze Junior High Go Club banner stretched between two nearby pillars, waving lazily in the slight breeze.
"Uh-huh. Mitani's bringing Akari, so they might end up getting here a little late, if you know what I mean..." Kaga grinned a little too widely. "Even Tsutsui promised to show up, but I'll bet he tries to study. He's always whining about high school... piece of cake, if you ask me. Of course I'm failing..." Kaga looked up and down at Hikaru and barely attempted to stifle his laughter. "Congratulations, Shindou, on becoming a woman." Hikaru's face turned red as he sputtered:
"It's not a DRESS!" Waya was laughing too, even though he was wearing a similar costume. "It's what people - male people! - wore a thousand years ago! It's not a DRESS!" Akari had talked the other members of the club into giving a Go demonstration, and - against Mitani's protestations - convinced Hikaru to at least come. Akari's enthusiasm was infectious, so once Hikaru mentioned the event to Waya he had insisted on coming. Plus, it was extra credit...
Without Sai's help, he really needed the extra credit. He looked over at Waya, shoving a tall hat over his hair and complaining that it flattened his fringe. Maybe it took more than a little stretch of the imagination to see Sai in that, but he couldn't help missing the ghost that had started everything for him. Even so, he was beginning to wonder if it all had been real. He shook his head violently, earning a look from Kaga. Sai would have wanted him to remember their time together as long as he lived, so Hikaru would try.
"Hey, is that who I think it is?" asked Waya, staring off into the small crowd of workers finishing the last of the setup for the festival. Kaga, not seeing anyone he knew, flopped comfortably on the grass.
"If it's somebody you pros can't beat, I'll trash them for you."
"Did Ochi decide to come and get his lily-white hands dirty?" laughed Waya.
"No..." muttered Hikaru. A familiar head of hair so dark that it seemed to suck up as much light as it reflected stuck out of the crowd, at least in his eyes. There was only one person it could be... He quickly looked away and pretended to be absolutely intent on positioning the cups of go stones perfectly next to the goban. Then, the waiting. Waya and Kaga must have taken the time to discreetly walk away, because only Touya Akira's voice shocked Hikaru from his concentration.
"Ah... um... I heard there was a festival and..." Akira trailed off, looking uncharacteristically unsure of himself. Hikaru was used to the cool Akira who brushed past him with an icy expression. This Akira... looked a little nervous.
'Ochi,' thought Hikaru, 'I definitely owe you one for giving me Touya's phone number.' He jumped up to greet the newcomer, ignoring Kaga's scrutiny from his seat on the grass.
"Touya-kun! You're just in time!"
"In time for what?"
"In time to put on your costume!" Akira realised for the first time that Hikaru was in a very baggy gown and even baggier pants, like something from a history textbook. "The Go Club is going to give demonstrations, and the school just happened to have these costumes..." Hikaru neglected to mention that not being an official member of the Go Club, he was under no obligation to actually play... it felt wrong to play Go without Sai. Instead he would hand out the cookies Akari had made. Even if he didn't play, at least he could provide a replacement - Touya 2-Dan! "I thought it would be..."
"Fun." Akira wet his lips a little nervously. "It sounds like fun." Hikaru's face lit up with happiness as he pulled a costume from his duffel bag and tossed it to Akira.
"You can just wear this over your regular clothes. It's going to be hot anyway!" Akira smiled weakly. How bad could it possibly be?
It was, after all, a default win.
Useful Japanese Section!
Hana no En - "Under the Flowers", the title of chapter 8 in "The Tale of Genji" takoyaki - fried octopus bits - really good! Typical Kansai food but they are so tasty that I think they should have them everywhere! Hehe... well I like to buy them from the Korean store. Insei - a young Go student studying to become a professional goban - a Go board 2-Dan - Touya Akira's rank
"As if Ochi would come! Can you imagine that prissy little whiner working the takoyaki stand?!" Waya laughed heartily, going on to complain about Isumi's absence as well. "If Isumi were here, he's almost old enough to buy me sake..." The older former Insei, however, had gone to China and had little contact with any of his friends. Waya defended Isumi by insisting that international phone calls were insanely expensive, but it was obvious to anyone that he missed the other boy terribly. He waved a paper fan irritably against the sticky heat of early August.
Volunteering at the cultural festival was one of Akari's ideas, and a pretty crazy one at that. Waya still hadn't quite gotten the hang of walking in the large, pleated pants and heavy overdress that seemed far too heavy to move in. "Did people really wear all this stuff a thousand years ago?"
"Uhh... I guess so. It's not like they had T-shirts for the summer." Hikaru looked smaller than usual when he was buried in such a heavy costume, but he brushed the sweat from his forehead and aligned the heavy goban on a brightly colored blanket over the stone floor of the shrine.
"That's probably why they're all dead, then!" interjected a familiar voice.
"Kaga!" exclaimed Hikaru. "Is everyone else coming?" The Haze Junior High Go Club banner stretched between two nearby pillars, waving lazily in the slight breeze.
"Uh-huh. Mitani's bringing Akari, so they might end up getting here a little late, if you know what I mean..." Kaga grinned a little too widely. "Even Tsutsui promised to show up, but I'll bet he tries to study. He's always whining about high school... piece of cake, if you ask me. Of course I'm failing..." Kaga looked up and down at Hikaru and barely attempted to stifle his laughter. "Congratulations, Shindou, on becoming a woman." Hikaru's face turned red as he sputtered:
"It's not a DRESS!" Waya was laughing too, even though he was wearing a similar costume. "It's what people - male people! - wore a thousand years ago! It's not a DRESS!" Akari had talked the other members of the club into giving a Go demonstration, and - against Mitani's protestations - convinced Hikaru to at least come. Akari's enthusiasm was infectious, so once Hikaru mentioned the event to Waya he had insisted on coming. Plus, it was extra credit...
Without Sai's help, he really needed the extra credit. He looked over at Waya, shoving a tall hat over his hair and complaining that it flattened his fringe. Maybe it took more than a little stretch of the imagination to see Sai in that, but he couldn't help missing the ghost that had started everything for him. Even so, he was beginning to wonder if it all had been real. He shook his head violently, earning a look from Kaga. Sai would have wanted him to remember their time together as long as he lived, so Hikaru would try.
"Hey, is that who I think it is?" asked Waya, staring off into the small crowd of workers finishing the last of the setup for the festival. Kaga, not seeing anyone he knew, flopped comfortably on the grass.
"If it's somebody you pros can't beat, I'll trash them for you."
"Did Ochi decide to come and get his lily-white hands dirty?" laughed Waya.
"No..." muttered Hikaru. A familiar head of hair so dark that it seemed to suck up as much light as it reflected stuck out of the crowd, at least in his eyes. There was only one person it could be... He quickly looked away and pretended to be absolutely intent on positioning the cups of go stones perfectly next to the goban. Then, the waiting. Waya and Kaga must have taken the time to discreetly walk away, because only Touya Akira's voice shocked Hikaru from his concentration.
"Ah... um... I heard there was a festival and..." Akira trailed off, looking uncharacteristically unsure of himself. Hikaru was used to the cool Akira who brushed past him with an icy expression. This Akira... looked a little nervous.
'Ochi,' thought Hikaru, 'I definitely owe you one for giving me Touya's phone number.' He jumped up to greet the newcomer, ignoring Kaga's scrutiny from his seat on the grass.
"Touya-kun! You're just in time!"
"In time for what?"
"In time to put on your costume!" Akira realised for the first time that Hikaru was in a very baggy gown and even baggier pants, like something from a history textbook. "The Go Club is going to give demonstrations, and the school just happened to have these costumes..." Hikaru neglected to mention that not being an official member of the Go Club, he was under no obligation to actually play... it felt wrong to play Go without Sai. Instead he would hand out the cookies Akari had made. Even if he didn't play, at least he could provide a replacement - Touya 2-Dan! "I thought it would be..."
"Fun." Akira wet his lips a little nervously. "It sounds like fun." Hikaru's face lit up with happiness as he pulled a costume from his duffel bag and tossed it to Akira.
"You can just wear this over your regular clothes. It's going to be hot anyway!" Akira smiled weakly. How bad could it possibly be?
It was, after all, a default win.
Useful Japanese Section!
Hana no En - "Under the Flowers", the title of chapter 8 in "The Tale of Genji" takoyaki - fried octopus bits - really good! Typical Kansai food but they are so tasty that I think they should have them everywhere! Hehe... well I like to buy them from the Korean store. Insei - a young Go student studying to become a professional goban - a Go board 2-Dan - Touya Akira's rank