Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru no Go. It belongs to Hotta Yumi and Obata Takeshi.
Night Talk
Along the Go convention there were also some exhibition matches. The match was held on a stage where all of the audience can watch it and there were some kind of hosts that explain about the match to the audience.
It was very exciting for Hikaru to watch it-not like the time when he wasn't very familiar with Go that the kind of exhibition bored him to death.
Beside him, Ogata was saying something about the match to Akira.
Hikaru glanced a bit cynical to the guy beside him. It seemed that Hikaru still upset because when the match hasn't started yet and they were going to take their seats, mildly and nearly unnoticed, Ogata pushed aside Hikaru who was going to place his butt on a seat beside Akira. Then it ended up with Ogata sitting between Akira and Hikaru.
And the thing that made Hikaru annoyed more, it also happened before at the shinkansen they took to reach Kanagawa.
Hikaru was ready to set himself beside Akira on the comfortable seat, but Ogata managed to step faster and got him the seat Hikaru meant to take.
It wasn't that Hikaru actually planned to sit beside Akira, it just happened. But how Ogata always managed to be literally got between them didn't seem 'just happened'.
'What's with this guy? He acted so childish. It's not like it's gonna hurt him just to see me sit beside Touya?'
But maybe it is after all…
"What do you think about the last match, Shindou?" Akira asked while there were just the two of them. Ogata went to buy some drinks-Akira asked him personally.
"Well, it was very interesting. I'm very thankful you invited me to this convention,"
Hikaru grinned.
"Maybe you should say that to Ogata-san. It was his extra invitation."
'Do you really have to say that?' "Yeah…" Hikaru grinned again without his will. "But, it seemed that Ogata was surprised when he saw me coming."
"He didn't expect that I'm going to ask you. He thought that I would ask Mashiba instead."
"Why didn't you?"
"Well, I'm not that all familiar with him even though he was with my father's tutoring group."
"And why did you ask me to come along?"
"Do you really have to ask?" Akira looked the other way. It seemed that he prevented himself from smiling.
'Do I really have to ask? Of course I have to ask…'
"Sorry it took me so long." Suddenly Ogata appeared with drinks in his hands. Hikaru was surprised to death he nearly screamed. That guy really gives him the creeps!
"Here you go," he handed the drinks to Akira and Hikaru. His stare to Hikaru looked a bit interrogating when he was handing the paper cup to the boy as if he wanted to say 'What did you do to Akira while I was gone?'
Hikaru felt a weird creepy feeling on his spine he tried to ignore the stare.
"It's a free time until two o'clock, where do you boys wanna go?" Ogata sipped his black coffee.
"Uhmm… I have no idea…" Hikaru scratched his head. He wasn't familiar with the prefecture.
"Why don't we go to the beach? Kanagawa is like beach here and there anyway," Akira looked both at Ogata and Hikaru.
"We're set then," Ogata smiled. And then the three of them went to the parking area where Ogata parked the car he rented.
At the beach, Hikaru stood still enjoying the sensation of sand and cool waves touching his bare feet. His hands clutched his sneakers.
"It's spring time, but every time I see the sea I always wish it was summer," Akira got beside him. His eyes were staring at the sparkling blue horizon far ahead.
"Yeah," Hikaru grinned, "So do I."
"Beautiful place, huh?"
"Yeah…"
Hikaru glanced at Akira who was still staring blankly ahead. It seemed that he was thinking something but also at the same time he looked like wasn't thinking of anything. A perfect picture.
"Maybe we should go to the beach together someday," suddenly Akira said.
"What?"
"Us. You and me," Akira spoke again confirming what he said before, this time he stared at Hikaru.
Hikaru stared back confused and surprised. "Why?"
"I just thought it would be fun. Is that something you should ask for reason?"
Hikaru was silenced. "I think not…" he answered a bit hesitant.
"We're set then," there was a smile in Akira's eyes, but Hikaru wasn't sure.
Hikaru still said nothing. Was that an appointment? He didn't recall that he agreed to the suggestion. But he thought it wouldn't hurt to spend time with Akira without anything got to do with Go. It's about time, anyway.
"Let's get back to the hotel," Ogata appeared out of nowhere behind the two boys made Hikaru nearly jumped. He really needs to get some of 'Ogata's coming' alarm or something like that.
In the afternoon, after following some activities based on the schedule, Hikaru was ready to hit the bed.
When they arrived before in the morning, Hikaru was set at the same room with Akira, and Ogata was set with other pro from Kansai.
Akira excused himself to go some place alone, so Hikaru went to the room by himself.
He dragged his feet to his room, he was too tired to walk properly. When he got there, he saw a man with a big luggage entering the room.
"Excuse me, but I think you're entering the wrong room," Hikaru said.
The guy grinned, "I understand that you're confused. But the front desk just told me that I was moved to this room. Your roommate was replaced by me."
"Really? I didn't know that. Why?"
"Dunno," the guy grinned again, "But I don't really care. You don't snore do you?"
"Uh, no…"
"Okay then," the guy smiled cheerfully and dragged his luggage in.
Hikaru scratched his head and followed the man in to his room. He wondered where Akira moved out.
"Anoo…" Hikaru said carefully to the guy exiting his stuffs from his bag.
"What?"
"Do you have any idea where Touya, I mean my roommate was moved?"
"Your roommate, I mean your ex-roommate is lucky. He was set with my ex-roommate who is actually Dan-10 Ogata Seiji. I was excited when I knew I was set at the same room with Dan-10 Ogata, but, okay… I guess moving out isn't so bad after all. The guy's kinda creepy," he smirked.
'Ogata? Not again… What's with that guy anyway? Well, not that I'm disappointed unable to be at the same room with Touya, but… Ah, why should I be pissed off anyway…It's not like I care, and maybe it wasn't Ogata's work of art after all'
Hikaru scratched his head. Suddenly he didn't feel so tired anymore.
In the middle of the night, Hikaru felt an uncomfortable feeling. He decided to get up from his bed and went outside to the room balcony.
Hikaru leaned forward as he placed his hands on the bamboo fence guarding him from falling to the ground below.
The sky was very clear. The room where he stayed was facing the seascape that looked so beautiful with stars and crescent moon above. It would be a very romantic scene for lovers.
Hikaru looked at his right to the balcony of the room next to his. The place where Akira and Ogata were.
Hikaru sighed and stared at the sea again, "I was supposed to be there…"
Suddenly he straightened up himself, "What was I thinking? So what if he moved out? Not like I care anyway!"
Hikaru sighed again. 'Not like he cares'. He remembered he had said that line for a couple of times lately. That fact suddenly made him unsure was it because he really didn't care or was it because he denied that he didn't care.
Whenever Ogata seemed to interrupt his 'quality time' with Akira, Hikaru did feel annoyed. Was that being possessive? Why should he? Akira is just a rival and a friend.
"Hi there."
Hikaru quickly turned his face to the direction where the voice came from.
"T-Touya?"
Akira stood at the balcony of his own room. "Can't sleep?"
"Ah… Uh-yeah, pretty much," Hikaru grinned awkwardly.
"What's the matter?"
"I don't know… maybe because I wasn't sleeping at my own bed," he grinned again.
"That's too bad. Maybe sleeping outside can help."
"What do you mean?"
"The sky is very beautiful, sleeping under the stars could make you feel more comfortable I think."
"Ha-ha… I could catch a cold instead."
Akira's eyes went soft, "Probably."
"Uh, Touya?"
"What?"
Hikaru cleared his throat before he went again, "Did you ask the front desk why you were moved out?"
"Yes. They said it was their mistake in administration. Actually I was set with Ogata-san from the first place, but they wrote your name instead."
"Oh…"
"But to be honest, I prefer with you," Akira said again.
"What?" Hikaru stared at Akira disbelieved.
"Yeah. Then we could play Go through the whole night."
Hikaru sweatdropped to hear that. 'Is that all you can think of?'
"Don't you think it's going to be fun, Shindou?"
"Uh… perhaps so…" Hikaru smirked.
"And after that we could get to know each other more," Akira said again. He stared at the sea far ahead. "We didn't get much opportunity for that. Or should I say, I didn't give much opportunity for that. All I could think of when I was with you was Go and Go only."
Hikaru stared at Akira. Akira's expression looked serious as usual, but this time it seemed somewhat apologetic.
Akira turned to Hikaru, "Sorry… it must've been very boring to be with me."
"Huh? No! Of course not! I was chasing you and you put your intense interest at my go ability for all this time. It wasn't boring for me neither it was for you, right?" Hikaru tried to convince Akira.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. So, are we still in for the beach?"
"Sure thing!" Hikaru smiled widely. 'He asked me to go to the beach together must be because he felt sorry or something like that. Well, that's better than he never asked me at all.'
"Well, we should go back to sleep now. We still have schedule for tomorrow."
"Okay. Good night, Touya."
"Good night."
Hikaru took a time for a while to watch Akira entered his room. Then he went to his own.
tbc
