"Are you dating Kudou-kun or are you dating me?" A girl with long, dark hair asked with her arms crossed over her chest. The tone of her voice was more nonchalant than accusatory.
Tetsuki looked at her with confusion, "what are you talking about?"
"I'm not implying that you've got something going on for Kudou-kun or anything, but you spend a lot of time and effort on him. I know that he's troubled and that you're all he's got, but to be frank, I'm getting jealous."
Tetsuki was indifferent to a lot of things, but he wasn't dumb. He was actually pretty intelligent, and was self-aware enough to acknowledge that a lot of his time and effort when into making sure Chika was getting through the day.
"I'm sorry I've made you feel that way. What can I do to make it up to you?" He asked. He liked this girl, and he knew she wouldn't ask anything unreasonable like dropping Chika as a friend.
"You can break up with me," she breathed out with a straight face.
Tetsuki raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was wrong. She would ask him to do something unreasonable. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to process the current situation. "What are you saying so suddenly, breaking up because you're jealous of Chika?"
She shook her head. "It's not just that. It's not that at all. I just think that our lives are moving in different directions right now. We're going to different high schools, and with my training and everything, it's going to be hard to see you. Your time is either going to go to me or to Kudou-kun, and he needs you. I can stand on my own."
"Hana…" he whispered under his breath. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell her that she was being unreasonable, and that she was overreacting. But he knew there was some truth in her words.
"Let's start high school fresh. I concentrate on my training, and you concentrate on Kudou-kun staying out of fights. Who knows, you might even find a nice girl at your new school," she said. Her voice quivered saying the last part. Without waiting for his reply, she stood on her toes to kiss him lightly on his cheek, hand cupping the other side of his face. He motionlessly accepted her gesture, still not sure that this was reality. "Bye, Tetsuki."
"Right, Tetsuki?" Chika asked and snapped his best friend out of it.
"Hmm?" he replied.
"You'll get me through exams so I can enter the next competition, right? See, no need to worry about my grades Houtsuki, he's got it covered," the former delinquent smiled confidently.
"You make is seem like he's doing the exam for you," Houtsuki shook her head. "What's wrong Takaoka-kun? It's not like you to space out."
"Yeah, what's the matter?" Chika asked.
"Nothing much," Tetsuki replied indifferently.
"It's enough that's got you looking all spaced out and stuff, what you thinking about?" Chika asked.
"I saw Hana the other day," he replied calmly.
"What!?" Chika burst out. The whole class looked at him for a second befpregoing about their business.
Houtsuki asked "Who is Hana?" She couldn't recall anyone in their year with that name.
"Tetsuki's ex-girlfriend." Chika explained.
"Oh, sorry. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want." She was slightly frantic. The more that Houtsuki interacted with her peers, the more she fully understood that her upbringing didn't adequately equip her for these kinds of conversations. All she knew was koto.
Testuki's face remained unfaltering, "it's fine, it was a while ago, and it wasn't a bad break up."
"Then, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of person was she?" Houtsuki asked carefully, not able to keep in her curiosity. Who was the girl who caught the eye of Takaoka Testuki, the tall, smart, charitable heartthrob of their year?
Tetsuki paused for a moment to think about it. A slight smile formed on his face. "She was very driven," he answered vaguely.
"Yeah, she was pretty cool," Chika said, "she was a top student at our middle school and a tennis player. They broke up because she went to some fancy sports school."
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Houtsuki said. She never heard that much about Takaoka-kun. He was a reserved and private person. She had come to realise that Takaoka-kun was, despite having several close friends, a person who valued his solitude.
"So, what happened? What did you say to her?" Chika asked, opening a packet of strawberry pocky.
"I just saw her across the road the other night when I went to the store for some drinks. She was on her way home from practice, I think. She didn't see me." Tetsuki reflected.
"She was walking home alone at night? Isn't that dangerous?" Houtsuki asked, concerned.
"Yeah" Tetsuki replied, defeated. "I used to study in the library every day after school and walk her home after training, but I can't do that anymore." Houtsuki had never seen such a warm expression on her classmate's face. His poker face was a large contributor to why he was so unreadable. You never quite knew what he was thinking.
"Do you miss her?" She asked without thinking. By the time she had realised that this might have been an inappropriate question, it was already too late. The question had already escaped her mouth.
He looked at her as if he was a dear caught in headlights.
He gave a defeated chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?" Chika asked.
"Just the irony. To have my real feelings be exposed by the two club idiots."
"Just go talk to her," Chika said, "what's the worst that could happen?"
"Thank you very much," the tennis players said to the coach in unison as practice ended. It was 7:30pm. If Hana was quick, she could go home, eat, shower and fit in some study.
"Hana! Are you walking home today?" one of her friends asked.
"Yeah," she replied.
"Did you need a lift? My mum can drop you on the way home."
Just as Hana was going to take up her friend's offer, she saw him waiting for her at the gate. He looked like he wanted to talk.
"Who's that handsome guy at the gate?" her friend asked.
She locked eyes with him from a distance, "my ex-boyfriend."
The two walk in silence to a nearby park and found a spot near at the swings. Neither knew what to say. On one hand, Hana had not prepared to be put in this situation on a Tuesday night. On the other hand, everything that Tetsuki was planning on saying escaped his mind the moment he saw her.
"Kind of sudden for you to show up at my school after six months," Hana said, rocking back on the swing.
Tetsuki was leaning on the pole of the swings. "Sorry," was all he could muster.
"So, how have you been? How is high school treating you?"
"It's been okay. Really peaceful since Chika's joined the koto club," he recounted.
"Pfft, really? The Koto club? Man, that's a scene I really want to see.' She chuckled to herself. Tetsuki had almost forgotten what her laugh looked like. Even after all this time, the effect her laugh had on him was still as strong as the first time he realised that he liked her.
"Yeah, and the three idiots have joined too," he added on. "Maybe you can come see them in their next competition, if they pass their exams that is."
"Woah, there is just one surprise after another. I've missed so much in six months. But what about you? Have you joined the koto club as well?" She watched herself kick her shoes into the sand. Though they had gotten the conversation going, Hana still wasn't able to look at him for more than a fraction of a second.
"Nah, I don't like to be constrained by time."
That hurt. Was that comment intentional? She felt her chest tighten as she wondered if he was referencing all that time he spent waiting for her training to end.
"Why, found a pretty girl that you don't have to wait for every day?" She half joked. The other half of her wanted to know if he had moved on and started seeing someone else.
"I haven't, but Chika has," he said, "it's not official yet. They're both idiots with zero social skills, so it's moving really slowly. But she's opening Chika up in ways you could never imagine."
"Wow," she said in shock, "I feel like I've been living in an alternate universe. What's she like?"
"She's the star of the koto club, so they spend a lot of time together."
"Very interesting," she smiled at the thought of her troubled classmate finally finding some warmth in his life. She knew that at heart he was a good kid, and that he deserved good things. That's why she let him have Tetsuki.
"So, what I'm trying to say is that Chika is doing well, and he's surrounded by a group of people that care about him and don't let him get into trouble. He's standing on his own now." Tetsuki said as he walk forward and stood in front of her. He held the chain of the swing so it wouldn't rock back and forth.
Hana leaned her forehead against his stomach. "I lied," she said, "I lied when I said I can stand on my own. I miss walking home together after training and our weekend study sessions. I miss that you hated PDA so you weren't affectionate if other people were around, but the moment we were alone you would hold me tightly."
"I missed you too," Tetsuki whispered over her. He wrapped his arm around her neck. "I haven't joined the koto club with my friends because I was waiting for you. I left my time free so that the moment you called, saying you wanted me back, I could go to you immediately. Chika doesn't need me anymore. But I still need you."
