CHAPTER NINE – RUMORS AND REQUESTS
Though it was not specified in its brochures, Hope's Peak Academy was a place of firsts.
As Ryoma felt his fingers curl around the tennis ball in his left hand, the racket ready in his right, he knew he could at least stand by such a notion. The fact that he was now once again trying to practice tennis basics was but one testament to those many firsts. The school was the first institution that had dared to spend a lot of time and effort to foster the growth of a convicted criminal like him. It was the first time in years that he had felt some semblance of a normal life, free of the hardship of prison. It was the first time he had seen many students join together in a dynamic sense of solidarity that, while occasionally turbulent, was filled with the hope for a bright future, reluctant as he still was to join them.
And then, just a couple of days ago, he had bared his scars for the first time.
Granted, it was not technically a first, given how many prison inmates and guards had seen the marks of his gruesome past, whether it was in being beaten routinely as some sick form of chastisement for going against a crooked organization, or getting into rough fights with inmates venting their frustrations out on him, or something that could have gone worse. But to show those scars and welts to an actual friend, let alone a friend like Kirumi Tojo, that was something that stuck with him long after the day had passed. Even now, he could still remember her firm touches, driven by both duty and a desire to help a friend, as her hands and fingers pressed against his back. Ryoma knew he could push down his musings about the encounter all he wanted, but there was no denying how quickly his heart raced then, both with trepidation and, curiously, a feeling that he thought he had forgotten.
Shaking his head to drive the thoughts away for now, he checked the time and saw that it was nearing five o'clock in the afternoon. Being busy with some students in the other classes, Kirumi had requested that they take the day off concerning their gym workout, and Ryoma was more than glad to let her be for now. Their growing closeness had escalated to newer, even more meaningful heights, but it did not come without certain consequences.
Not long after the two of them were spotted going together in his room still in their full gym attire, rumors had begun to fly within their class—and perhaps even beyond it, considering that he and Kirumi were well-known for being a once-great athlete and an admired maid, respectively. As wishy-washy as he often was, Kokichi had mischievously thrown the question about their private encounter in the air without revealing whether he saw them together or whether the rumor came from him first. Still, the fuse had been lit, and the stares and the questions followed. Ryoma would not have minded if the questions and jokes came his way, since he knew that there was no hanky-panky that happened, but nearly all of the queries and jabs seemed to be directed at Kirumi, given how she was the one people talked to more often. The Ultimate Maid seemed to take things in stride well enough, though Ryoma could not help but feel ashamed for dragging her into such a mess in the first place. He had privately expressed a desire to talk to her about it, though the chance never came. Then again, Ryoma had a lot of thoughts that he wanted to tell Kirumi about, though he was starting to hold back before they became too much.
It was then that he remembered the activity at hand. Snapping back to reality, he dribbled the tennis ball a few times on the floor of his room, tapping against it lightly with his racket. With a more forceful swing, he sent it bouncing towards the ceiling and fought the urge to strike it in a full serve. Naturally, such a move would not do in the limited space of his room, lest he let the ball rampage like a bullet and smash whatever it touched. Ryoma caught the ball instead with a hint of regret, wondering whether he should seize the chance that he had been considering for a while now.
Maybe later, he mused as he began to dribble again. Even so, that was the response he had been going with for the past couple of days already. Whether it was because the chance fizzled out at the last moment due to some unexpected development, or whether he was still holding back, Ryoma could not say.
After his dribbling practice, he shifted to some basic racket serves and strokes, all without a ball. It was a bit more livening compared to just practicing dribbles, though also lackluster and awkward given the absence of an actual rally or even a tennis ball machine to trade some good shots with. It's like I'm just swatting huge, invisible flies.
When he was done, he left his room to go for a short walk around the school. He passed by Kiyotaka Ishimaru at the corridor, narrowly avoiding another dressing-down from the Ultimate Moral Compass for his prison attire since classes were over for the day. Keebo was wandering the corridors reading a book in deep thought, being tailed without his knowledge by a smiling Kokichi looking to cause some trouble. And on one of the small benches that lined the hallway, he spotted Hajime Hinata sitting with a girl with light mauve hair and a sleepy look in her pale pink eyes, watching her play a video game from a small portable console. When he looked up and saw Ryoma, he gave him a smile and a wave.
As Ryoma rounded the corner leading to the faculty room, he spotted Tsumugi Shirogane in the distance, carrying a sizeable stack of prints in her arms and teetering as she tried to keep them balanced. Ryoma hastened his pace and went over to her.
"Need a hand?" he proffered when he was close enough for her to hear.
Tsumugi looked around for a moment, expecting to see someone next to her. Only when she cast her gaze downward did she spot him. "Oh, hello there, Ryoma!" she greeted with a nervous smile. "Um, are you sure it's fine with you?"
"I got you." With that, Ryoma took up two thirds of the stacks and hefted them in his arms, leaving the Ultimate Cosplayer to heave a sigh of relief at her significantly lightened burden.
"Where do you need these?" he asked her.
"At the Student Council's office," Tsumugi replied, leading the way. "Mr. Kizakura needed someone to bring them there, and I was walking by the faculty room by chance. I hope this really isn't a bother to you."
"No problem," Ryoma grunted. "Besides, I haven't fallen so far that I'd ignore a girl struggling to carry so many things."
"That's kind of you to say," said Tsumugi. "To be honest, I didn't really expect to be asked to run an errand like this again, even though I'm so plain."
"You think that's really a factor on whether or not you get called for an errand?"
"Well, I'm not a glowing heroine like Kaede is, right? Compared to her, I'm just a bland side character."
Ryoma shrugged. "It's probably because you're the diligent type who'd make sure to do it right, don't you think?" he suggested. "The teachers know that much. Whether you stand out or not shouldn't matter."
Tsumugi smiled at him again. "You didn't need to put a positive spin on it, but that's nice of you to say. Not a lot of boys would do this kind of thing. I guess that stuff just happens in light novels with bishounen protags with their handsome smiles and sparkling eyes, melting even the hearts of tsunderes, making danderes blush and sending the hearts of squealing genki girls aflutter."
She heaved a dreamy sigh before hovering back down to Earth. "A-Ah, sorry about that, I got a little too off topic there. Anyway, thanks for helping me, Ryoma."
Feeling a lot older than he was, Ryoma only had the faintest idea of the anime-related terms Tsumugi mentioned, but he nodded nonetheless. "I'm glad to help. No need to thank me for something like this."
"With that kind of attitude, I'm sure you're popular with the girls," Tsumugi teased lightly. "You probably get a lot of chocolates on Valentine's Day, right?"
Somehow, the mental image of it made Ryoma chuckle. "That's the first time anyone's ever said that to me. What made you think so?"
The Ultimate Cosplayer giggled. "Compared to other boys your age, you're levelheaded, and you're also good at sports. I mean, how often do you know someone who's a tennis champ like you are, right? And . . . well, it might be a troublesome topic for you, but guys with a dark side can be attractive."
Ryoma grunted, his mirth hitting a snag. He wondered whether Tsumugi knew that his dark side had a lot more depth than just his aloofness and attire. "Well, I won't deny that I've got a dark side, but any girl who really knew me would run away," he said bluntly.
"But Kirumi didn't, right?"
Ryoma looked around at her, surprised. Tsumugi's smile had a knowing air that he was starting to see in their class all too often now. Almost immediately, he looked away, but it was too late. "The look in your eyes says it all, Hoshi-kun," she told him with a facetious air. "It's pretty cute, to be honest."
Ignoring her comment about whatever cuteness the Ultimate Cosplayer might see in his reaction, Ryoma cleared his throat. "Kirumi's just been . . . helping me out, that's all," he said in a reluctant effort to clear things up.
"Hmph. I can already hear Miu having a hundred different reactions to such a vague statement," Tsumugi tutted. "Anyway, you don't have to be embarrassed about it, Ryoma. Romance always blooms in these high school scenarios, yes. Personally, I prefer watching from the sidelines instead of taking part in any of it. I'm too plain to be a choice for any romance routes."
Ryoma sighed inwardly, wondering if he should protest more about what Tsumugi was inferring. He knew deep in his bones it was anything but romance, though that did nothing to explain why he sometimes lost sleep thinking of the Ultimate Maid or why he kept remembering Isabella because of her.
"Kirumi's a nice person and all. Very supportive, and extremely patient," he said instead. "But I doubt that she's the kind of person who's into what you're saying."
"Hey, don't count things out just yet!" Tsumugi told him. "I think one of the reasons Kirumi's not too talkative about her bonding with you is because she doesn't want anyone to know about her super-secret feelings, even you. It's always the quiet types who have stuff to hide, right? Romantic confessions and character development don't come this early into the arc, after all!"
Knowing that it might be pointless to argue any further for now, Ryoma shook his head. "She's just being professional, as she often is," he proffered.
When they reached the Student Council's office, they ran into a bespectacled girl with short, brownish green hair who was about to enter. "Ah, e-excuse me!" Tsumugi called out, drawing her attention. "Are you part of the Student Council?"
The girl turned towards them with a small smile. "Yes. I'm Karen Kisaragi, the secretary. How may I help you?"
"We're delivering these flyers to your office." Tsumugi indicated the stacks she and Ryoma were carrying. "Mr. Kizakura asked us to bring them over—w-well, just me, and then my friend Ryoma here helped out."
"Oh, I see!" Karen Kisaragi clicked her tongue. "Sosuke was supposed to get them, but I guess he forgot. Anyway, I'm deeply sorry if this was an inconvenience to you," she added hastily with a polite bow.
"Oh no, it was nothing," said Tsumugi cordially. "Anyway, do we just leave these flyers in your office or something?"
"Ah, yes! Hold on a sec, let me get the door for you two." With that, the secretary opened the office door and let the two of them pass. Tsumugi and Ryoma deposited the stacks onto a nearby desk and exited the office together. After exchanging a cordial farewell with Kisaragi before she entered the office, Tsumugi turned to Ryoma again with a smile.
"Thanks again for the help, Ryoma," she said warmly.
"It's nothing," said Ryoma with a nod. "Anyway, I should get going. Don't let me keep y—"
"Excuse me," a serious female voice said, interrupting their brief exchange.
The two of them turned around, and Ryoma raised his eyebrows as he recognized a familiar face. The red-eyed, silver-haired girl before him was someone that he had seen only fleetingly before, in the dim light of the swimming pool area on the second floor. Her twin braids and black ribbons swung lightly as she approached the two of them with poise and purpose, her strides long and sure. Just like before, there was a long object slung across her back like a sword, wrapped in dark turquoise-colored cloth with the pattern of a silver dragon on it.
"Ryoma Hoshi?" she said, peering at him from beneath her rectangular eyeglasses.
Ryoma straightened up. "Yes."
Tsumugi cleared her throat. "I guess it's time for plain ol' me to vanish," she said. "There's only enough room for one glasses girl in this scene, methinks. Anyway, I'll see you around, Ryoma!"
She gave him a friendly wave and walked off in the opposite direction, leaving the two of them behind. The silver-haired girl waited until she had rounded the corner and vanished from sight before speaking again. "Before anything else, please allow me to introduce myself first." She inclined her head politely and announced, "I am Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman."
Ryoma mused on that for a moment, taking note of the wrapped sword on her back and the way Peko's red eyes flashed. "Any particular reason you approached me out of the blue like this?" he asked.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," said Peko.
Knowing that it would be pointless to refuse, Ryoma nodded. "Go ahead."
Peko nodded again. "My young m—" she began, but she cut herself off almost immediately, speaking with more care and formality when she continued. "My good friend and classmate Fuyuhiko has talked about you a number of times before, back when you . . . when you ran into us at the swimming pool area. I take it you remember us both?"
The Ultimate Yakuza, Ryoma mused. "I do. Does he want something from me? I don't want any trouble, I told him that."
"No, nothing of the sort," said Peko. "It's just that he seemed inclined to speak with you since that day, but he did not know how to do so, as you were in another class most of the time. That is why . . . if you can, please speak with him. Perhaps it will put his mind about that particular issue at ease."
"Sounds like my encounter with him was more of a bother than I first realized," Ryoma noted quietly. "I'll admit, I didn't want to talk to him then because I thought it'd cause trouble. I mean, you two do know what I am, right?"
Peko drew up a little straighter, seemingly knowing that his allusion ran deeper than a feeble attempt at intimidation. "Yes, we do," she said with a solemn tone. "But whatever reasons Fuyuhiko might have for wanting to talk to you, I can assure you that it is not what you might be thinking of. You have my word."
Ryoma considered it for a moment, still wondering what exactly the Ultimate Yakuza wanted from him to the point where his presence would be much appreciated. Try as he might, nothing good came from the guesses he cooked up, given his past experiences with the mob. Still, the Ultimate Swordswoman seemed sincere enough as she spoke to him, even with her aura of serious intensity. Moreover, he remembered Kirumi's words from before. If Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu did want trouble, he would have quite the difficulty managing the aftermath in a school like Hope's Peak, even as the heir of a prestigious clan.
"Very well," Ryoma decided. "If I get some time and I see him somewhere around the school, maybe I'll try talking to him."
If Peko seemed relieved at his response, she hid it well beneath her stone-faced primness. "Thank you. I'm sure Fuyuhiko would appreciate the chance. Oh, and before I forget . . ." At that, the Ultimate Swordswoman hesitated for a second, looking around behind her as if checking for any eavesdroppers. "If you do end up talking to him, please do not tell him that I asked you to, or that I came to you on my own volition to tell you about his wishes. I want him to feel at ease, though with no intention of letting him know when I do things like this. I . . . I hope you understand."
Looking out for a friend, eh? Ryoma had to appreciate that, especially since it made him remember Kirumi as well. "Alright, no problem," he assured her.
"Thank you." With that, Peko turned and left as swiftly as she had arrived, leaving him to muse on his thoughts in the quiet corridor.
Dinner came as a curious affair later that evening. Instead of the customary dinnertime that he and Kirumi shared, Ryoma was approached and asked by Rantaro to join the rest of the class at the cafeteria, with the Ultimate Adventurer telling him that it was an affair requested by Kaede. Ryoma had no idea what the gathering would presage, though if he had to guess he knew that it would have something to do with September drawing nearer by the day. Ever their willing and able class representative, Kaede had been inspiring everyone in the class to participate and mingle more and more in the spirit of class solidarity. Ryoma would have preferred having dinner once again with Kirumi in his room, though he sensed that refusing Kaede's invite for that would only lead to more rumors.
A quarter of the class had already gathered at a long table close to the cafeteria windows by the time Ryoma arrived with Rantaro, Keebo and Gonta in tow. With his usual innocent optimism, the towering Ultimate Entomologist expressed his joy both at the idea of having dinner with everyone else as well as the fact that Ryoma was joining them. Keebo and Rantaro echoed the same sentiments, making Ryoma feel a little more at ease at the thought of joining his classmates in a place other than the confines of their classroom.
"Oh, you came!" Tsumugi chirped when she saw him. "Good to see you joining us for this one, Ryoma!"
"As Atua has foreseen, our beloved Ryoma truly is starting to shed his proverbial shell," Angie remarked sweetly, her ocean-blue eyes glimmering. "Oh, how He shall laugh to see our assembly tonight! All that remains to complete the mood are naked beauties dancing around a roaring flame!"
"If you ask me, your crummy little island's just a haven for weird-ass orgies, ya preachy bobblehead," Miu remarked. "Anyway, is Bakamatsu gonna show up soon or what? I got stuff to do all night long! I ain't got time for this dinnertime shit!"
"I don't think she'll take too long to arrive now, Miu," said Keebo, sitting down next to her. "She just delivered some signed forms to Headmaster Kirigiri's office."
"Speaking of dinnertime, why are you here, Keeboy?" asked Kokichi with a playful grin, sitting at the opposite end of the table. "Robots can't eat, right?"
Keebo shot him a rueful glare. "I-I know, but it's rather robophobic if I can't sit with you all just because I can't eat food."
"Ah, don't listen to the checkered pipsqueak, Keebone," Miu told him. "I'm working on something extra to help you with that eating function you wanted to have."
Keebo's face lit up at that. "Wait, r-really, Miu?! You're going to push through with that?!"
Miu winked; her reaction was quite unlike the flustered outburst she had made a week ago. "Duh-doy! I told you before, Miu fuckin' Iruma's got your back! Just let me keep working on this and I'll have my first test up and running just for you in the next couple of days! And that's a promise!"
As Keebo smiled excitedly and Miu cackled with pride, Kokichi sighed and shook his head. "PDA is against the rules, right?" he joked. "Next thing you know, they'll take it up a more vulgar step and start holding hands," he added, pulling an exaggerated expression of disgust.
"I think it's rather sweet," said Tsumugi. "Who are we to stop romance from blooming, right?"
Rantaro grinned next to Ryoma. "Agreed. It's always fun to see people getting closer. Right, Ryoma?" he said with a wink.
Ryoma heaved a sigh as Tsumugi and Kokichi smiled at him knowingly as well. Thankfully, the arrival of Korekiyo, Tenko and Himiko put a stop to his thoughts before he could say anything. Soon, they were joined by Shuichi, Kaede, Maki and Kaito, leaving only Kirumi missing. Ryoma glanced around the busy cafeteria, wondering exactly how the Ultimate Maid would join them if she was still helping out in the kitchens as she did every single evening. For a moment, he was seized by a small desire to check on her, but that was forestalled when Kaede spoke up.
"I think we should just wait for Kirumi to arrive before we all get on with this," she told them, looking around at them gathered on the table. She smiled. "Anyway, I'm glad you all made it tonight."
"Gonta happy to know that he and friends would have dinner together!" Gonta remarked enthusiastically. "Gonta promise to eat without making a mess, like true gentleman!"
Korekiyo let out a soft titter, the sound barely a whisper as it came from beneath his sage green mask. "Good to see that even within the seemingly mundane atmosphere of ordinary school life, encounters such as this are still seen as both productive and gratifying," he said. "No doubt they will be helpful in keeping our spirits up should our preparations for September begin to take its toll on our focus and resolve."
"That's a nice way to put it," said Rantaro. "I'll be sure to miss a gathering like this once I leave for Malta."
"Malta? Is that where your seafaring travels will take you next, Rantaro?" asked the Ultimate Anthropologist.
"Afraid so," replied Rantaro. "Quite far, though not a place I haven't been to before. I just figured that a few days there will help me with my exhibit come September."
"Then I wish you well on your journey there," said Korekiyo. "I will look forward to our discussion when you get back."
"If you can, maybe you can pass by my island, Rantaro!" Angie joined in, her hands clasped and her eyes sparkling all over again. "It's a shame that I wouldn't be there to receive you, but my people will gladly take any offerings you might want to leave! We've even got some really intense celebrations to help get your blood moving before you make an offering!"
"Er, I think I'll take a raincheck on that for now, Angie," said Rantaro with a nervous laugh.
"Gonta happy to visit Angie's island one day!" the Ultimate Entomologist said, his smile belying his wild appearance. "Maybe Gonta also find many interesting bugs there!"
Angie let out a giggle of delight. "My people would be glad to have you, Gonta. A person of your size will definitely be able to give us more than a few pints of blood. If you plan on visiting, just remember to stop by on Mondays and Wednesdays—that's when the truck comes round to pick up offerings!"
Gonta looked puzzled for a moment, but Tsumugi saved him the trouble of figuring out the Ultimate Artist's rather macabre request by asking him about his insect catches for the day. Unperturbed, Angie turned to engage in a cheerful conversation with Tenko and Himiko, as if she had not just asked someone to donate pints of blood in such a nonchalant manner.
Ryoma heard Kaito Momota speak up near the other end of the table, putting an arm around Shuichi in a brotherly gesture. "Good thing we all managed to finish before we were called to gather here, eh? Anyway, what say you, Shuichi? Wanna go for a hundred push-ups and sit-ups tomorrow?"
"A hundred?!" Shuichi cried out, looking startled. "B-But you said we can take it slow by adding ten per week, right? That means we should only stick to fifty for this week!"
"Momota, you can't even finish thirty by yourself without slacking off on the rest," Maki Harukawa remarked with thinly veiled disapproval. "All you do is just sit around and run your mouth while we keep going."
Kaito laughed at that. "I don't need to train that hard at the gym. I do all my excess training in my room, after all. Besides, I'm the Luminary of the Stars! It's my job to make sure that my sidekicks give it their best shot!"
"I told you never to call me a sidekick," said Maki tersely.
"That's not quite fair, Kaito," said Shuichi, putting on a brave face that belied the nervousness he was showing. "You said that we're all gonna do this together, right?"
"I know, and it's my job to make sure that you and Maki Roll are doing well, even if it means sacrificing my own workouts!" Kaito said readily, his teeth almost shining in the light of the cafeteria as he grinned.
Maki's red eyes flashed. "Do you want to die?"
Not long after everyone else had shown up, Kirumi arrived from the kitchens. If the Ultimate Maid was tired from having helped with the cooking and cleaning and everything else that came with her evening duties, she did not show it. As always, she moved with poise and efficiency, and after telling them of tonight's menu, she took their dinner requests one by one and left once again to take care of things. As out of place as Ryoma was starting to feel with everyone else chatting around him, his hunger had reared its head, and he settled for a serving of beef curry. Without the privacy of his room, it felt rather embarrassing to ask for Kirumi's services like she was an ordinary waitress, but the Ultimate Maid was all cordial business. Everyone started talking again when she left, and Ryoma took this time to observe the cafeteria instead. Familiar faces passed by, picking up food and sitting down at tables in smaller groups. Aoi Asahina and Sakura Ogami sat together at one table, with the Ultimate Swimmer chatting on eagerly while the Ultimate Martial Artist ate in solemn silence. Ryoma also espied the mauve-haired girl that Hajime Hinata had been with earlier, engrossed again in her video game console while her female friends ate and chatted around her. On a distant corner, Peko Pekoyama was sitting alone and eating in complete silence as she observed a small group at another table that Ryoma guessed were her classmates; Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu was there, looking extremely peeved as he argued with a thin, pink-haired boy wearing a grey beanie and a blue jumpsuit. Next to them, a girl with short red hair was snapping pictures of them and the neighboring tables with a camera.
Class 80-A's table talk hit a small pause as food was soon served, being rolled out onto a cart by Kirumi herself in no less than five minutes. Ryoma knew that the food was already cooked and ready to be served once students started arriving, but the fact that it took Kirumi such a short time to prepare everything perfectly for all fifteen of them was undoubtedly a testament to her skill as the Ultimate Maid. She gave them all an amiable smile as she sat down with them at the table, though she opted to eat only a meager bowl of rice porridge and—to Ryoma's surprise—one of the bean buns that he had bought for her recently. When their eyes met across the table, he could only nod back at her smile. The small interaction did not go unnoticed, however, as Kaede, Tsumugi and Rantaro glanced at him with furtive grins. If they knew I gave her that bean bun, they'd never let us hear the end of it.
Five minutes into their meal, Kaede spoke up again. "Alright, I think it's time to tell you guys exactly why I was busy before all this, and why I gathered you all here."
"Spare us any speeches and get on with it, Miss Dumpy Tits!" Miu snapped as she mixed up her food with a spoon.
Kaede shot her a nasty look for the rude interruption, but opted to get on with business nonetheless. "We've received word about the first upcoming event we have. It'll be the summer sports festival."
The reactions varied as they swept across the table. Kaito pounded his fist on the table with glee, Angie giggled and clapped her hands, and Tenko let out a cry of triumphant delight; Kokichi frowned like a small child deep in thought, Himiko groaned audibly, and Miu clicked her tongue in annoyance. Elsewhere, the reactions were so-so as the rest of the class seemingly accepted the prospect with either enthusiasm or silent resignation, or even a mixture of both. Ryoma himself heaved a sigh, but no one else seemed to notice other than Kirumi, who looked at him from across the table with eyes full of understanding and even a bit of worry. Well, at least September will be easier to deal with after a dry run at that sports festival, he mused to himself, though that also meant that he might need to start practicing for real soon. As reluctant and awkward as he still felt, the last thing he wanted was to look like an utter fool once the inevitable came.
"What kind of uncut losers would want us to waste our time with that?" Miu snapped. "As if I don't have enough shit to worry about already!"
"It might be interesting, though," said Keebo. "I'll admit, I don't know what sports I might excel in, but that can be fixed with some more reading, I think."
"Don't worry, Keebo," said Tsumugi. "I'm sure you'll do just fine! I mean, you're a robot, after all."
Keebo frowned. "I don't know if that was robophobic or not, but . . . thank you, I guess?"
"When is it going to take place?" Maki asked quietly.
"In two or three weeks, depending on what they might announce next week," Kaede replied, ignoring Miu's second outburst. "They briefed us class reps earlier about it, and they told us that everyone needs to participate in at least one event at the festival, no exceptions. When the official announcement's made, they'll send us a list of events, and we can start discussing who'll join which."
"Good thing my trip's already next week," said Rantaro. "In case I'm not yet around for the sign-ups, though, you guys can sign me up on wherever I'm needed. Any event is fine with me."
"Gonta also happy to join many events!" Gonta exclaimed. "Gonta not know any sports, but Gonta do his best!"
"I should start my physical conditioning as early as possible," said Tenko eagerly. "Can't wait to train with Sakura at the dojo again for this! I wonder what kind of events they'll have. It'd be nice to compete with the other classes—on friendly terms, of course!"
Himiko sighed. "It already sounds like a real pain to me."
"Keep your chin up, Himiko!" Tenko told her, smiling. "Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll do just fine as long as you give it your best shot. You've got your magic with you, after all!"
"Sports don't allow magic," said Himiko. "That makes them even more of a pain to deal with. The last time I played some kind of sport for a festival, I ended up taking a ball to the face, and I wasn't even part of the match yet. I wanted to turn the culprit into a frog, but even that was against the rules."
"Hey, Ryoma? You gonna play for the festival?"
Ryoma looked up at the mention of his name. Kaito was staring directly at him, his voice carrying across the table even as the others kept talking around them. He was not the only one who had heard, however; Kirumi sat up straighter in her seat, while Shuichi glanced from Ryoma to Kaito with a worried look on his face, as if he had seen something similar happen before—which it had.
"I don't know," Ryoma grunted in reply.
Kaito scoffed. "Man, you've already got a chance to start playing again, and you're gonna tell me that you don't know? An athlete at your level ought to say stuff like 'I'll take on any challenge!'"
"It's been a while since I was on any level," said Ryoma.
"That doesn't mean you can't get back to it!" Kaito snapped, his eyes flashing like a hero inspiring the masses with a pep talk. "You rejoined the class and all, but I still haven't heard anything from you about wanting to play tennis again! Where's the fire you had back in your glory days?! Where's the Ryoma Hoshi that people saw on television running foreign athletes into the dirt?! Why don't you seize this chance, man? It's already in front of your face, so there's no way you can ignore it!"
Ryoma sighed, painfully aware that this small but loud conversation was starting to draw the attention of their other classmates, thanks in no small part to Kaito's boisterous tone. Angie was watching them with wide-eyed curiosity, while Tsumugi, Gonta and Keebo looked rather worried at the possibility of a quarrel breaking out. How does Shuichi or Maki even put up with this?
"Please, no arguments while we're having dinner," said Kirumi suddenly in a formal tone. "You might disturb the other students."
A hush descended upon them for a moment, during which Kokichi decided to step in. "Ooh, you two just made Mommy mad!" he cried out. He looked over at Ryoma, grinning in that rascally manner that he often did. "We expected better from you, Daddy!"
"'Daddy?'" Himiko repeated, as if she was only starting to notice the exchange around her.
Kirumi's expression looked unfathomable, but Ryoma could tell that even she felt embarrassed at the context that Kokichi was insinuating. He straightened up, feeling everyone's eyes on him for a moment, unable to tell whether Kaito's misplaced sentiments of motivation or Kokichi's impish jests irked him more. A short distance to his right, Miu sniggered, and even Korekiyo let out a soft chuckle. Meanwhile, Tenko placed a hand on the table, looking ready to intervene in some way in this growing argument between degenerate males, but Kaede beat her to it.
"Alright, that's enough, Kokichi," the Ultimate Pianist said sternly. "There's no need to pile up on this."
"Hey, why are you acting like it's my fault?!" Kokichi protested. "If you wanna tell someone off, do it to the Ultimate Astro-nut over there! He's the one who started it!"
Kaito glowered at him. "Who are you calling an 'Astro-nut,' ya little—?!"
"Please," Kirumi repeated in a firmer tone, and at that, the exchange subsided immediately. Kaito looked away and settled back down on his chair, while Kokichi plopped down in a childish huff. Taking that as a signal, everyone else resumed eating, seemingly content with letting the incident pass into memory.
"Sorry about that," the Ultimate Astronaut muttered before he resumed eating.
"I'm sowwy too, Mommy," Kokichi added, his eyes shining with childlike contrition.
Kirumi let out a small sigh, though she did not reprimand Kokichi any further. "Thank you," she said instead.
As the disorder was finally nipped in the bud, she glanced briefly at Ryoma, who could not help but feel more embarrassed at the fact that she had to step in. And the rumors will just keep piling up from here. At the very least, it would make for a good conversation starter the next time that they were alone together.
When dinner was finally over, the class broke up into their own separate groups almost immediately, citing one reason or another as they left the cafeteria. As he walked out into the hallway, Ryoma debated privately on whether or not he would go back to his dorm to practice some more. However, another thought sprang into his head, and he decided to linger in the hallway to wait for Kirumi instead. It was hardly an advisable prospect to be seen alone with her again given the growing rumors in their class, but Ryoma did not want Kirumi to think that he would be avoiding her simply because he was now too embarrassed to be in her company.
Kirumi left the kitchens around twenty minutes later, when the cafeteria was already cleared out. Ryoma hesitated for a moment before going to her back inside the cafeteria, checking briefly to see if Kokichi or anyone else with mischievous intent was spying on them. As he got closer, his footsteps made Kirumi look around, and she smiled when she saw him.
"Are you okay?" Ryoma found himself asking.
Kirumi raised her eyebrows in mild surprise, as if she had taken note of how abrupt his question was. "I'm doing well, thank you. Is everything alright, Ryoma?"
Ryoma heaved a sigh. "Yeah, everything's just . . . just fine," he said, clearing his throat as he realized how nervous he was feeling all of a sudden. In an effort to keep talking, he added, "I'm sorry about earlier. With Kaito and Kokichi, I mean. That was a little embarrassing."
"Ah, that's fine, no harm done," said Kirumi earnestly. "Kaito did not press any more matters, thankfully. And as for Kokichi . . ." She looked away briefly, as if out of discomfiture. "He was just being playful as always."
"Yeah, playful. . ."
A small silence hung between them, during which the emptiness of the cafeteria seemed to weigh down upon their shoulders. Ryoma coughed again, tugging at the brim of his beanie as he pulled it a little over his eyes.
"Are you . . . Are you going somewhere?" he asked.
"Not really," said Kirumi. "I was just about to go back to my dorm room. Why do you ask?"
After looking around again for a brief second, Ryoma said, "I was wondering if we could . . . take a walk outside or something."
Even in his hearing, the words sounded so awkward that they were almost laughable. Kirumi regarded him in silence for a few seconds, but just when he expected her to refuse, she smiled again. "Very well. Lead the way."
A/N: Firstly, let me apologize yet again for another long delay. Lots of stuff had happened recently, and it all just left me too burned out and demotivated to write properly. Luckily, with how this chapter ended, I already have the makings of a follow-up that I can start writing soon, so hopefully I'll have a head start that can speed things up for the next upload. I just hope that the project I mentioned in the previous chapter's notes won't complicate things too much. Here's to a smoother turnout!
Also, I don't think I've expressed this enough before, but I just want to thank everyone who's taken the time to follow and review this story along with my DDLC fic, even with all the delays. I really, truly appreciate it. You guys are a big part of the reason why I wanna do my very best to continue and finish these stories. Whenever any of you leave a review or drop a follow/fav, it just makes everything else that's been happening a bit more tolerable. For that, I can never thank you enough. You give this old dog more reasons to keep going, so I wanna do what I can to keep delivering to you all. Take care of yourselves, and stay safe!