After some serious budgetary discussion, Maki and Akagi managed to persuade the coaches to have Bentos delivered for lunch than to have another hiccup in the kitchen.
Until then, the All Star Team meal choices were rather constrained, varying from going hungry; risk their lives eating the so-called breakfast, or gratify themselves from the vending machine (in terms of filling one's stomach, that is). For those who could afford it, bought themselves snacks from the artificially intelligent kiosk. Those who could not, made do with empty stomachs.
In order not to exacerbate the situation further (Fujima looked like he was going to chew the four who prepared breakfast), the All Star Team was instructed to spend their morning writing their motivation letters, in pairs, with their roommates, in their own room. After which they would have to present it orally to the three coaches in the afternoon.
Kiyota, after having purchased some snacks from the vending machine for himself and his sick teammate, walked back to his room in large stride, not bidding farewell to any of the boys who were queuing behind.
Fujima and Hanagata also bought some snack before retiring to their room.
Sendoh and Rukawa did the same.
Mitsui had wanted to buy some crackers from the vending machine, but saw Sakuragi looking at him expectantly, changed his mind. He knew that the self-proclaimed "Tensai" was a cheapskate, would eat all the food he bought, and never spare a thought of paying back.
Maki and Akagi sat down with the coaches to discuss the plans for the rest of the day.
"Hey," said Jin weakly as his junior entered their shared room, "How's everything?"
"Disastrous."
"Why?" sweet-natured face looked concerned, "What happened?"
"Well," Kiyota said as he sat down on his own bed, "With you and the cook down, Maki forced us to make breakfast, which ended up, well, in a disaster."
"Tell me."
Kiyota then went on to recount the whole incident, how Sakuragi sneaked out during the rice cooking; how Sendoh almost got punched by waking the sleeping Rukawa; how Rukawa almost lost his eye because of himself, and the way Fujima glared at them as if he would tear the four of them into pieces like rags.
Jin smiled weakly, his large doe-eyes contemplative.
"But," Kiyota lifted his own spirit in an instant, "Look what I have got!" and laid out the junk food in front of Jin.
Jin looked at the packages arranged in disarray in front of him: chocolate bars, bags of seaweed, peanuts, coke, chips and rice crackers.
The thought of food now retched him.
"Thanks Kiyota." Jin raised his head to look at the rookie, appreciatively, "That's very sweet of you. But I am feeling rather thirsty and dehydrated. Do you think you could get me a large glass of water from the kitchen?"
Without missing a beat, Kiyota hopped up from his sitting position, "Sure!"
He then proceeded to leave their room, closing the door behind him. Presumably to go to the kitchen on the ground floor for the water.
Jin laid back down on his bed, and pulled the thin blanket to cover his lithe frame. Yes, Kiyota was an arrogant, boastful, loud, obnoxious, disrespectful, and rude bastard most of the time, but deep down inside he was a kind-hearted and righteous kid who would do anything for his friends.
He smiled to himself, and being weakened from the loss of stomach content and water, he closed his eyes and felt himself slowly drifted into slumber.
The coaches had left 20 minutes ago to get some bureaucratic stuff sorted, so players were now alone in the gym.
The morning sun shone brightly now. It was not as hot as yesterday and there was now a light breeze.
The leaves on the Sakura trees rustled.
A few sparrows chirped.
The freshly mounded cicada hummed.
It was pure serenity, as if the heaven was smiling down on them.
Then came a screeching sound.
"Eeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
It was a scream. A scream so loud that some of them believed the gymnasium shook.
"What's going on?" Maki and Akagi said, as they both looked up from the defense plan they were drawing on a note book.
"Something's happened!" jumped Fujima from his seat. Hanagata stood up as well to follow his captain.
Rukawa was startled from his doze in a sitting position. Sendoh led out of sigh of relief that he didn't have to wake up the rookie, "You're awake." He said with a half-smile as he stood up, "Hey, I'm going to check out what the noises are. Care to join me?"
Rukawa nodded wordlessly and followed his roommate out the door.
"What's that?" peered Mitsui from his motivation letter, which already had some sentences scribbled on it.
"That voice…" Sakuragi opened the door and looked outside, "sounds like the wild monkey…"
"Help! Aaaaaahhhh!" came another scream.
They looked at each other, realizing that it was indeed Kiyota that was the owner of the cry; ran out of their room without missing a heartbeat.
When they all arrived at the point where they thought the sound had originated, which was on the corridor leading to the kitchen, in a small hallway to the side that had a door to the clinic storage room; all of them were dumbfounded by the sight before them.
Kiyoto was looking very pale and visibly in distressed. His face and arms were moist with cold sweat, his long hair stuck to the wet skin on his forehead in fine strands. His teeth clenched tightly together. Veins on his neck were strained and protruding, green visible for all to see. Both his hands grasped onto another arm that held tightly around his neck.
Behind him was a woman, a good-looking woman. Slanted eyes on sweet, roundish face, with tiny little pointy nose and mouth. She was the nurse, they recognized. Usually sweet-looking, though this time her look was replaced by pure, nasty menace. Her left arm wound mercilessly on Kiyota's neck, and her right held a gleaming object that was pointed suggestively at Kiyota's popping veins.
It was a scalper, a surgical scalper. Something that would slice flesh open and severe tendons and joints with one quick, decisive, pressured move.
Everyone sucked in a deep breath, everyone including Rukawa, who frowned slightly instead of looking shocked like the rest.
"OK," said Maki, his voice hoarse and shaky despite his effort to calm himself, stretched both his arms to the side as if to hold the entourage back, "Nobody does anything stupid."
The air went stiff.