Chapter 4: Choices
Morning came; bringing sunlight, warmth, and a new start. The brightness also signaling youths to get going and march towards school, where they spend most of their days and to gather knowledge for more guaranteed future. That includes Makoto, who walked out from his home after sending his goodbye to his mother.
He ascended the stone stairs to reach Haru's house, which was not far from his home. When he arrived, he pressed the doorbell–signaling the household they had a visitor. The door slid open, revealing Mrs Nanase.
"Good morning, ma'am." Makoto greeted.
"Good morning, Makoto-kun," the older woman greeted back before calling out to Haru. "Haruka, Makoto-kun is here!"
Haru, on the other hand, stood in front of the mirror and tidied his uniform.
"Hm." And then the young boy climbed downstairs, only to be greeted by his best friend with chocolate hair and green eyes.
"Morning, Haru–ah!" the boy exclaimed in the end when he saw Haru's uniform collar unbuttoned, again.
"Let's go, Makoto." Haru said, ignoring the fact that Makoto saw it.
"Geeze." Makoto sighed in defeat.
The two of them left the Nanase household and climbed the stairs to their next destination; the Otohaku household. Of course, it didn't even take five minutes to situated themselves in front of Tomoya's house. Makoto rang the doorbell and then greeted by Tomoya's mother.
"Good morning, ma'am." Makoto and Haru greeted at the same time.
"Good morning, Haru-kun, Makoto-kun!" the older woman smiled at the two boys. "Tomo-chan! Your friends are here!"
"I'll be right there!" Tomoya called out from her room, but it still could be heard by both Haru and Makoto.
Soon enough, the dark chocolate-haired girl ascended the stairs with rather loud thuds accompanied her. While climbing downstairs, Tomoya did her ponytail and managed to finish it when she reached the door.
The girl greeted her childhood friends with a smile and turned to her mother who already walked into the kitchen. "Mom, I'm off!"
"Have a nice day and be careful!" her mom called out from the kitchen. Tomoya closed the door and adjust her bag straps on her shoulder.
"Morning, Haru, Mako-chan!" Tomoya said as they're walking towards the stairs.
"Morning, Tomo-chan." Makoto replied the greet with a smile
"Morning, Tomo." While Haru with his usual straight face.
.
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Physical Education was scheduled for Class 1 and Class 2 today, which was why currently they're gathering at the gym doing a basketball mini match. On the half side of the court, separated by plastic separator to prevent stray balls, the girls were doing gymnastics and floor exercise. Since Class 1 and Class 2 were neighboring class, PE become a combined lesson.
When the ball made a rebound, Asahi immediately had his clutch on hit and moved to keep the ball from the opposing team.
"Nanase! Run!" he called out.
Haru acknowledged it by moving his feet to move closer to Asahi and Makoto, who guarded the boy, followed him. Asahi dribbled the ball and avoid a boy who wanted to steal it
"Over here!" and passed to Kisumi who called out for it. The pink haired boy dribbled the ball, doing a fake, and called out to Haru.
"Nanase-kun!" Haru managed to catch the ball and throw it towards the ring just before Makoto could deter him. The went into the ring and the teacher blew his whistle.
"Okay! That's it!"
Ikuya watched it all from the sidelines without a word.
On the half side, the girls were taking turns on doing somersault. Until it was Tomoya's turn.
"Next, Otohaku!" the teacher called out.
"Yes!" Tomoya said. The girls patted her back and some of them hold her hand.
"Good luck, Otoha-chan!" Tomoya grinned shyly at the words of support and nodded.
"Thanks, Miyana-chan, Yuzu-chan! I'll do my best!"
With that she stepped forward and stood on the mattress. Tomoya drew a long breath before exhaling slowly. She started to run and did a little jump, and then her hands hit the mattress to push herself to do a back flip before landing perfectly on her feet.
"Otoha-chan's so cool!"
"Nice work, Otohaku." The teacher praised her while Miyana and Yuzu glomped her and other girls congratulate her. Tomoya smiled meekly with blush adorning her cheeks,
"Thank you!"
"Do you want to take it further?" her PE teacher asked, her eyes shone with excitement. Tomoya looked at her in confusion.
"How?" she asked as Miyana clung on her left arm.
"Using the whole gym."
.
.
After PE ended, the students got changed and get ready for the next subject. Haru and Makoto walked in the hallway side by side. Haru held his gym bag while Makoto had his bag slung over his shoulder.
"Haru, your last shot was amazing." Makoto complimented the black-haired boy.
Haru looked away. "Almost my other ones were stopped by you, though."
Those words made Makoto chuckled. Not even one second to spare, two voices called out to Haru accompanied by footsteps–signaling the persons hurried themselves to reach Haru.
"Nanase!"
"Nanase-kun!"
The both of them looked back, only to meet the sight of Asahi and Kisumi ran towards them. Haru and Makoto stopped on their tracks, waiting for the two to catch up with them.
"Ah! You're that class 2 guy who stood out!" Asahi said as he rested his eyes on Makoto who stood beside Haru when he and Kisumi reached the two.
"Ummm…" Asahi looked at the name tag of Makoto's surname that rested on the boy's gakuran chest pocket. "Tachibana?"
"My name's Tachibana Makoto, it's nice to meet you." Makoto introduced himself and closed it with a smile.
"Yeah! Nice to meet you! I'm Shiina Asahi." Asahi acknowledged it with introducing himself.
"I'm Shigino Kisumi! Nice to meet you!" Kisumi also introduced himself as the four of them continued their walk with their classroom as their destination. Before they reached the stairs, their eyes caught the sight of girls chatted while holding their gym bags. Tomoya was among the group, chatting with Miyana before she noticed Haru and Mako, who waved his hand, not far from her.
"Miyana-chan, you can go first, I want to walk with my friends." The girl told her friend.
Miyana nodded before climbing down the stairs. "See you in class, Otoha-chan!"
With a final wave, Miyana left Tomoya who waited for Haru, Makoto, Kisumi, and Asahi to catch up with her.
"Great job at PE you four." The dark chocolate-haired girl said.
"You too, Tomo-chan." Makoto replied while Asahi and Kisumi grinned widely. The five of them then continued their walk, ascending the stairs while having chats. Asahi was the one who walked down the stairs.
"Hey, hey! How was my rebound?" Asahi asked, eager to hear what they think about his basketball skills.
"It's was cool." Makoto complimented the red-haired boy while Haru just looked at him, not uttering a single word.
"I think so too." Tomoya agreed. "I watched it from the other side of the gym."
"Really?" Asahi asked, flustered by the nice comments about him. He and Kisumi stopped on their tracks to wait for Haru, Makoto, and Tomoya to ascend the stairs. "Well, I can do pretty much anything!"
"Then you should just use that skill and join basketball club!" Kisumi suggested as he slung an arm around Asahi's shoulder. "Oh, and speaking of skill, Otohaku-chan did an amazing floor exercise at PE!"
"Eh!? You knew…?" Tomoya asked as her voice faltered.
"Yeah! You're using the whole gym, right? After the boys finished basketball."
"I saw that too! That some skill you got there!" Asahi also complimented her, which send warmth rushing to her cheeks because of the compliments. Haru glanced at her before boring an unpleased gaze towards Asahi–who didn't realize it all.
And then said boy, who realized something, exclaimed suddenly.
"Don't change the topic! No way we're joining the basketball club! Nanase and I are joining the swimming club!" Asahi refused the idea of joining the basketball club and removed Kisumi's hand from his shoulder. Hearing that, Tomoya stiffened. Did Asahi just forget about her?
"You didn't mention Otohaku-chan, then it means she can be basketball club's manager!" Kisumi didn't lose his hope. Those words made Tomoya blinked.
"Manager…?" Makoto mumbled as he looked at the dark chocolate-haired girl for explanation. The said girl just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
"What? No way! Otohaku also joining the swimming club with Nanase and I!" Asahi retorted while Kisumi pouted at the respond he received. Tomoya sighed in relief in her mind–so the red-haired boy didn't forget about her after all.
"Right?" Asahi asked Haru and Tomoya.
"Eh? You're joining the swimming club?" Surprised, Makoto asked the two.
"I never said that. You should join, Makoto." Haru said as he quickened his steps walking down the stairs and Tomoya followed him.
"Ah! Could it be that you go to the same SC as Nanase and Otohaku?" Asahi asked in pure curiosity and excitement.
"Hm? Yeah." Makoto confirmed.
"Then you're joining the swimming club too!" Asahi declared without hesitation.
"Why!?"
"Eh? Join the basketball club instead!" Kisumi whined. "Right, Nanase-kun, Otohaku-chan?"
Makoto smiled nervously as he looked at his two childhood friends. "You're so popular, Haru, Tomo-chan." Which received a frown from Haru and nervous chuckle from Tomoya.
"Haru… Tomo…?" Kisumi questioned when his ears caught the nickname before he knew what it meant. "Ah! Because your name's Haruka and Tomoya? Is it alright if I call you guys Haru, Makoto, and, Tomo too?"
Asahi sighed as he continued his steps. "You're so shameless."
"That's fine."
"I don't really mind."
"I'm fine with it."
"Wait, it's okay!?" Asahi asked in disbelief as he looked at the three, who still stood on the stairs. "Then I'm going to call you Haru, Makoto, and Tomo too!"
"Do whatever you want."
"That's fine."
"I don't mind at all."
Asahi grinned widely at the respond. "You can call me Asahi too!"
"It's nice to meet you once again; Haru, Makoto, Tomo, and Asahi!" Kisumi said as he looked at each person with a smile.
"I didn't say it was okay for you to do it, too!" Asahi said, clearly uncomfortable with Kisumi's friendly behavior and the fact that the boy just called him by his first name.
It's fine. You can call me Kisumi."
Asahi gawked and the boy took a few steps away from Kisumi while covering his mouth, his face laced with slight disgust.
"Wah! He said kiss me! That's such a perverted name!"
"You're the one who's perverted for thinking something like that, Asahi." Kisumi fired back casually as he smirked while covering his mouth. "Pervert!"
"I'm not a pervert! Don't say that!" Asahi, who's face painted with red color, retorted.
"Yeah, yeah!" Haru, Makoto, and Tomoya just watched the scene of fuming Asahi confronted Kisumi on the sidelines. Both Makoto and Tomoya wearing nervous smile while Haru with a frown on his face.
When they went to separate ways, Haru and Tomoya walked into their classroom. Haru was greeted with a sight of the previous dark sea green-haired boy–Ikuya–who stood by his desk, resting his hand on it while gazing out through the window. While the others were having chats with each other, the boy just stood there.
"Hey." Haru approached him and called out, Tomoya tugged on Haru's sleeve. The boy snapped out of his daydream. He turned back to face Haru before leaving his desk. Haru looked at his retreating form before looking at the sight the boy saw, Tomoya did the same.
The two of them saw two older boys, one with light shade purple hair while the other had unruly brown hair. The two of them were probably their upperclassmen and they both were wearing green track suit, walking side by side while having a chat.
Haru and Tomoya looked back at the dark sea green-haired boy who already sat on his own desk. If someone asks her, Tomoya could say that the boy's gaze was filled with sadness even though she didn't look at him directly. And Haru knew how well the girl's ability to detect other's feelings.
.
.
It was evening–the sun was close to set as the horizon and the previous vast blue sky turned to shades of orange and amber. After finishing their school, Haru, Makoto, and Tomoya walked home together like always. They took their usual route; walking on the street which was precisely placed beside the beach. Crashing waves making a series of calming melodies could be heard crystal clear.
Haru looked at the beach and sea adorned with orange color before looking down and sighing. Of course, it didn't escape from Makoto and Tomoya who constantly worry over the boy.
"Haru, did the new schedule tire you out?" Makoto asked.
"After you got home, you should take a rest." Tomoya added.
"Not really. It's a little annoying." Haru said, averting his gaze from the stone streets to the beach.
Makoto chuckled. "There certainly are a lot of lively guys in your class. Speaking of, Kisumi is joining the basketball club, but which club are you two going to join, Haru, Tomo-chan?"
"I haven't decided yet." Haru said.
"I can't decide…" Tomoya sighed in distress.
"But our school requires everyone to join one." Makoto reminded.
"So, which one are you two going to join?" Haru asked as he looked at Makoto and Tomoya.
"Me? Hmm…" Makoto put a hand under his chin as he looked elsewhere to come up with what club should he join to answered the boy's question. After a few seconds of thinking, Makoto curled up a nervous smile.
"I haven't decided yet." He finally said.
"Then, decide for yourself first." Haru said and he looked at Tomoya.
"Oh," the girl said, understanding what Haru wanted from her. "Actually, an upperclassman already asked me to join gymnastics. But, I still don't know if I want to join or not."
Haru's eyes slightly widened at the news.
"Really, Tomo-chan?" Makoto asked and the said girl nodded. "That's great! But, it's hard, isn't it? There are so many clubs that it's hard to pick just one."
Haru looked away after he registered his two companions' conversation, his blue orbs locked itself to the vast orange-tinted ocean on the right side if their path.
"What about basketball and gymnastics?" he suddenly suggested.
Once those words reached Makoto and Tomoya's ears, the two stopped in their tracks. Haru, who noticed the two didn't match his steps, looked back in confusion.
"Makoto…? Tomo…?"
"You're okay with me joining the basketball club and Tomo-chan joining gymnastics, Haru?"
Makoto fired that question with an indescribable expression with Tomoya did the same with him. The two looked at Haru with… what? Guilt? Sorry? Worry? He didn't know. All he knew was he opened his mouth for a second before closing it again and looked away from the two.
"You two are free to join whatever club you want." Haru finally said. Silence fell between the three.
"That's true." Makoto said, breaking the uncomfortable atmosphere, beating Tomoya who wanted to say the same thing. The two smiled and continued their steps, moving towards Haru who's still waiting for them.
"So, basketball? I've never played it outside of PE, but it might be fun." Makoto said. "What do you think, Tomo-chan?"
"I think so too. I've never been really serious about gymnastics. Maybe I can sharpen my skill if I join the club."
Haru could only look at the ground; frown etched on his face as he listened to his friends' conversation.
