Chapter Nine

It was a perfect day for the Sports Benefit. The kind of day associated with Ferris wheels and golden sand beaches, light and fresh and carefree. The downtown park with its perimeter of hardwoods was the center of weekend activity for the residents of Sendai.

Tendou and Ushijima stood alert with all the other athletes in their tracksuits. The cheer squad had pitched a tent with streamers decorating the eaves, facing the nearest garden pool. There were tables with informational brochures, Shiratorizawa stickers and pens, and a large cardboard cutout of their school crest. Kazane was master of ceremony, introducing the players through her microphone headset as she led them through a series of team spirit challenges.

It was fun. Tendou loved the attention even if Ushijima appeared unmoved. They teamed up together for their game of rock, paper, scissors in which the losing pair wound up with their faces pounded into a pillow of flour. Tendou called the shots while Ushijima punished the losing pair. After six consecutive rounds of smothering other athletes, Kazane retired them from the game.

"How 'bout you two mingle with the crowd," she said much to the relief of everyone else.

Tendou and Ushijima stationed themselves on the grass, passing a volleyball idly when a small boy ran up to them.

"I can do that too!" He exclaimed, his mouth ringed in chocolate ice cream. He appeared to be in the full throes of a sugar rush, his eyes wide and intense. His mother was still a ways off, dragging his little sister by the hand. He pointed at Tendou. "Pass it to me. I'll show you!"

Amused, Tendou popped the ball lightly, sending it straight for the boy who proceeded to freeze as the yellow and blue missile hurtled through the air. It landed on his head, making a loud bwawp!

Tendou reached out, fearful that he had seriously injured him. "Oh geez! You okay little buddy?"

The boy staggered to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm really strong. Watch this!"

He punched himself in the face.

"Ryosuke, you get back here! I've had enough of you taking off on me," the boy's mother shouted, angry. His sister had started crying, dragging her feet. "We're going home now!"

Tendou chewed his lip, trying to keep from laughing.

The boy ran after his mother, leaving him to retrieve the volleyball from the grass. He wanted to know where Ryosuke had gotten the chocolate ice cream. That sounded amazing right about now.

Turning around, he looked for Ushijima who was standing just a few feet away, appearing firm in front of a junior high student with a pronounced bowl cut.

"You're Wakatoshi Ushijima," said the boy with hands on hips.

"I am."

"You're the Great Ace of Shiratorizawa," the boy continued, his brows fiery.

"Ah."

"So you admit it. You think you're a great ace, huh?"

"Oi. You got a vendetta against Ushiwaka?" Tendou intervened, squinting an eye. He sized him up and down with his face tilted threateningly. To his credit, the boy didn't back down. Instead, he fixed Tendou with a handsome grin, his expression resolute.

"The name's Tsutomu Goshiki. I plan on stealing your title next year, Ushijima." He pointed a finger at the ace's nose. "Enjoy it while you can because things will be different when I come around. Hah!"

He gave them one last simmering look before turning and running after his schoolmates.

"Goshiki, huh?" Tendou murmured. "You certainly have a way of attracting admirers, Wakatoshi."

Ushijima simply shrugged his shoulders in response.

A loud chant rose in the park, startling a flock of pigeons that drew their attention back to the tent. The cheer squad was working hard, moving through their dance routines on the grassy lawn. It was a little more gymnastic compared to the cheers they normally performed for volleyball games. Where in the gym they were limited to the stairs, here in the park, Kazane led her team through their drills like a well-choreographed dance troupe. The cheer captain squatted low, hoisting up one of Isami's legs as she was pitched high into the air for a standing pose.

Tendou led Ushijima toward the action.

"So cool, Isami! How long have you been a flyer?" He asked as she paused for a water break.

She appeared flush from the exercise, her honey-brown hair slipping from its plait at the crown of her head. She was giddy and bright, but as Tendou and Ushijima approached, she turned purple.

"T-two weeks," she stammered, holding her pom-poms. "I'm g-getting better."

"I'd say! You'll be a first-class cottontail in no time." He winked, trying to put her at ease. He couldn't help but notice the cheerleader was always verklempt whenever he was nearby. Curious, he sniffed his shirt. Could body odor cause someone to turn purple? He was certain she was the shade of a muscadine grape.

"Thank you, T-T-Tendou," she forced out with an angry look on her face. She seemed tired.

Tendou recalled her desire to overcome stage fright and found her effort admirable. He would never understand it, but some people were deathly afraid of the spotlight. He respected her gumption.

"By the way, how's your short story coming along?" He asked her, curious. "You're still writing about the Death Sutra, right?"

"H-Heart Sutra," she corrected him.

"Right, right," he nodded. "Pretty deep stuff. Something about emptiness and isolation."

Isami shook her head, becoming fractionally less puce. "No, it's about confronting fear."

"Ah." He smiled. "So it is."

"Good work everyone," Kazane announced through the microphone. "This concludes our annual Shiratorizawa Sports Benefit! Be sure to stop by the tent to pick up your goodie bag as a thank you for your participation."

Several athletes were already leaving the tent with totes in hand, their hair still dusted with flour. The sight was oddly sinister. Almost as if the life had been sucked out of them. The equestrian delegates looked especially aggrieved, their fancy riding polos covered in dust. Their eyes were poison darts in Tendou's neck. He shook them off with a cold shiver.

"Looks like things are wrapping up," he said to Isami. "Good work today. See you in class!"

She swished her pom-poms, appearing for a moment as if she wanted to say something, but settled on a nod instead. "S-See you!"

. . . . . . . . .

Tendou and Ushijima ambled through the park with their bags of shockingly scant goodies.

"Ah, come on!" Tendou deflated, his stomach growling. "Where's all the food? All I've got are these pastille peppermints." He peered at the ace to see if his haul was any better.

"Salted peanuts," Ushijima said, offering him the packet. Tendou turned it down with a sigh.

"You've got to be kidding me! The whole reason for us coming here was for the food! You're telling me we have to find our own lunch? I'm going to pass out before we even make it to the bus stop. I'm leaving a note in Kazane's suggestion box. This is unacceptable," he said in a tirade, stopping short as he eyed a glorious picnic blanket covered in lacquered containers of homemade lunch. It was expertly arranged, tempting him. Tendou looked around to see who had prepared this bountiful feast, and his eyes landed on a familiar sight. "Wait a minute, is that–?"

"Asano," Ushijima greeted, as they slowed down to a stop. "Good afternoon."

Akiko Asano, who had been standing a little ways from the picnic, went rigid as a telephone pole. her eyes glowed with surprise at hearing her name spoken in such a deep, velvet baritone.

"U-Ushijima! Tendou! Hi!" She managed in a tight voice. She was dressed in a simple cotton shift with blue lace detailing around the collar. Her hair had been brushed back and secured with a scarf. Around her wrist was a pink rope that was tethered to a distinctly adorable puppy.

"ARGIE!" Tendou cried out, dropping onto his heels with arms wide. Argus wiggled violently. The force of his jump into Tendou's arms sent Akiko jerking sharply on her feet. Ushijima caught her by the shoulder.

"Careful Tendou," he warned. "Are you alright, Asano?"

Akiko turned as pink as her puppy's leash, unable to formulate words.

Everything was happening so fast.

Tendou took this opportunity to lift Argus up from the grass and place him in Ushijima's arms. It was his turn to freeze, his face blank with delighted surprise. The Great Ace stared deeply into the soulful eyes of the French bulldog, the puppy squirming to nuzzle soft whiskers against his cheek. Akiko was glued to the pair, a smile forming on her face.

"What are you up to today?" Tendou asked her casually.

The class representative looked dazed when she turned to face him.

"Hmm? Oh," she blinked, "taking a tour of the city. My sister and her friend wanted to do some sight-seeing around the park."

"Sis, you're in luck! They had it in stock after all," called a voice down the lawn. A girl with fox-red hair was holding up a graphic novel. The cover blazed in the afternoon sun, revealing guns and roses over a pool of fresh blood. Tendou read the title and hummed.

"Eh? Akiko, you read horror manga?"

All the color drained from her face at once. She went limp, bumping into Ushijima who steadied her as best he could. The puppy was assailing him with kisses.

"I've read that one too," he said through half-clenched lips. "Tendou recommended it to me last fall."

"R-really?" Akiko swayed on her feet, pressing a hand to her face. She was caught between fairytale bliss and her worst nightmare. "My sister and I share a love for the macabre, I suppose," she said lightly. "It runs in our family. Our uncle writes crime thrillers…He's an accountant," she added, almost as if to assure him they were quite normal.

Ushijima listened, his face sincere.

"Hey, it's you guys!" Hanamura and Asano approached their group on the lawn, each laden with backpacks and shopping bags. They were similarly dressed, choosing shorts for the warm weather. Asano was a stacked Neapolitan ice cream cone, whereas Hanamura was a woodsy lumberjack in flannel.

Tendou gathered himself, ice pooling inside his stomach. The sight of Hanamura reminded him of the naked, vulnerable feeling that overtook him after the scrimmage game. He hadn't spoken about it to anyone, simply processed the exciting, new developments that had occurred over the past few days. It was terrifying to think she was capable of guessing the Guess Monster. He had challenged her to watch him closely but never imagined she'd go and capture him in stardust.

He stood aloof, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing she had bested him at his own game, but Hanamura approached him with that damnably bright smile on her face.

"I see you've met the baby," she said, watching Argus shower Ushijima with intense love.

Her voice was too warm and too casual. Tendou splintered with unease.

Plucking the graphic novel from Asano's hands, he made a grand show of flipping through the pages as he turned away from Hanamura. "I'll have to borrow this when you're done, Akiko."

"Nuh-uh. I get it next." Asano reached for it back.

"Are you really her sister?" He asked, holding the book aloft. "By the way, where's the blond one?" He searched for their third member, emulating Izakaya's disgruntled look. "Grumpy Cat."

"Campaigning by the duck pond," said Hanamura. "His friends in the theater club invited him."

Tendou turned around to face her again and saw that she had a palmful of tomatoes and was popping them into her mouth like cherries. The muscles of her jaw moved gracefully. How had he missed that before?

"Here, have one," she offered, placing one in his hand. "They came in the mail today. They're from my mom's greenhouse."

Sure enough, she had a package underneath her arm stamped with a slew of colorful postmarks.

"A care package?" Tendou tossed the tomato into his mouth, the skin splitting instantly between his teeth. It had a rich, coppery tang, making him salivate.

"I asked Reiko and her sister if they could take me to the post office," she explained. "I'm still not familiar with all the streets yet. We decided to make a day of it – I had my first edamame milkshake!"

She was speaking fast, and there was a subtle lilt to her voice too. As she itemized their morning activity, he paid attention to the brief gaps between her words, the set of her shoulders, the way her body angled itself like a prey animal prepared to flee at a moment's notice. She was not completely unaffected as he originally thought. He made her nervous.

Tendou made a lot of people nervous, but somehow this was different.

It wasn't laced in fear, but…anticipation.

"You're from the countryside," he said, but before she could respond, he added, "let me guess, a small mountain village. Somewhere with safflowers. One street in town with a post office that doubles as a grocery store."

Hanamura made a face. "Yes, just outside Miyagi Prefecture! How did you know?"

He didn't tell her it was all indicated on her parcel.

"Just a hunch," he said, reaching for another tomato.

"I like dogs," said Ushijima to Akiko suddenly, "but I've never had one."

Akiko reach out and patted Argus between the ears. "Reiko and I take him for walks on most weekends," she said, glancing to her sister who was motioning discreetly in encouragement. "You…you…you can join us anytime you wish! He seems taken by you!"

Tendou grinned lazily. "Yeah, what're you trying to do, steal her dog?"

Ushijima shot him a look.

"Argus has that effect on people," said Asano in a tone of protracted casualness. "Why don't you two join us for lunch? I have a spare blanket and our mom made tons of food."

Tendou offered her the book in exchange for the blanket. "You're a national treasure, Reiko."

Together, they spread it next to a dense patch of clover. Argus snagged the corner as he twirled excitedly over the pink and yellow squares until Ushijima held him aloft so that Tendou and Asano could straighten it back out.

They settled into a loose circle, Hanamura taking a seat opposite him. Tendou's vision filled with the smooth columns of her legs, golden and dotted with freckles. She had a blade of grass sticking to her ankle and he longed to remove it if only to confirm the softness of her skin. Startled by the impulse, he looked away.

"Ah, I believe we're about to be graced by a wizard," he said, spotting an approaching figure.

They all glanced up in time to see Izakaya making a beeline for their picnic spot. He was dressed in teal robes that bounced jauntily with his walk, but it was his billowing cloak and blue hair that caused them the greatest amusement. He clutched a grimoire in one hand, a bottle of water in the other, appearing like a tired actor leaving the set.

"Oh, so we're eating with the whole park now, are we?" He griped, spotting Tendou and Ushijima with a look of shock. Argus growled, confused by his overwhelming silhouette.

"Come sit down, evil sorcerer," Hanamura waved him over. "Don't worry. They won't bite."

Tendou cut his gaze to her, provoked by her choice of words. Were they meant to comfort Izakaya? Or was she trying to convince herself? A thread of anticipation still stretched tight between them, and he wasn't sure a statement like that should go unchallenged. He parted his lips, a snide comment burning on his tongue, but it was stifled the moment Izakaya wedged himself forcefully between him and Asano, his cape draping across the grass like a bridal train.

"So, how'd it go?" Asano asked him.

"The leader went completely off-script during the first arc, forcing all of us to ad-lib the entire thing until we committed ritual suicide by the playground," Izakaya said, yanking the blue wig off his head.

"So…pretty good then," said Asano, impressed. "I bet the parents enjoyed seeing that."

Izakaya winced.

"Anyway, how did we wind up with the Great Ace and Guess Monster at our picnic?" He said as if he weren't the most ridiculous one there in his blue wizardry.

"Public Relations," said Tendou. "We flour-bombed some people, hit a kid in the face with a ball, met a threatening bowl cut – typical meet-and-greet stuff."

"I see," said Izakaya in a tone that conveyed the complete opposite.

Food took primary focus after that. Tendou gratefully tucked into Mother Asano's cooking, devouring breaded pork cutlet, egg and spinach pinwheels, carrot salad drizzled in honey-miso dressing. There were crab cakes and cucumber sandwiches, smoked sausages, strawberries, and chocolate eclairs. Hanamura pulled out a bag of cookies her mother dolloped with homemade persimmon jam. Argus was passed around like an infant, held away from the food so they all could eat their fill.

"Right. We're off to get drinks," said Asano as she dragged Izakaya to his feet.

Akiko was handing a frisbee to Ushijima. "Wanna help me teach Argus to play fetch?"

He took it, nodding, and together they went in search of a good spot on the lawn.

Tendou and Hanamura stayed back, eating his pastille peppermints as they basked in the late afternoon sun. The shade had crept across the grass, dotting their blanket at the edges. Tendou stretched on his back with hands clasped behind his head, letting the rustle of the trees soothe him into a doze.

He closed his eyes.

Hanamura was silent beside him. She picked at the grass, her attention on Argus as he chased the yellow frisbee. Outwardly, she was calm, but the invisible thread drew tighter between them. By now, it was a live cable wire. Tendou wanted to believe he couldn't move on account of a glorious food coma, but her unspoken anticipation kept him rooted to the spot.

"Do you miss them? Being this far away from home," he ventured, at last, eyeing her package.

Hanamura hugged her knees. For a moment, she sat in thought.

"When we found out about the scholarship, my mom threatened to take my spot if I decided not to go. She really held my feet to the fire," she said with a small laugh. "Did you know the school library has a whole section dedicated to performance art? Or that the studio is rigged for a welding gun? I heard a student once built a sculpture in the courtyard that he slept in for months!"

Tendou listened, aware that she was circumventing his question. He let it slide, thinking of his own reasons for coming to the school. He had spoken with the same excitement the night he broke the news to his parents. It wasn't a matter of if he were going, but when and how soon could he pack his things to start training in the fancy gymnasium on campus. He hadn't given much thought to dorm life or being away from his family – the only thing that occupied his mind was volleyball.

"There are so many possibilities here," she finished.

Tendou closed his eyes again.

"Yes, I believe a congratulations is in order," he said as an afterthought. "You and Tsubomi are designing our new poster. Tanji told us the news this week."

There was a significant pause.

"Tendou," she said, voice hesitant, "have I overstepped myself?"

He sensed a break of some kind, an unexpected drawbridge lowering down between them. The chains were still tight with pressure, ready to snap shut, but the atmosphere changed the moment he caught a small glimpse inside her walls.

He pitched forward.

"No," he said quickly, realizing his opinion mattered to her. "Given the reaction you caused, I would think it's a good thing."

She shifted onto her knees, her eyes like green milk glass in the sun.

"But do you like my drawings?" She asked him more pointedly, her face grave. "You never said…that is, after the game – you never told me what you thought."

Tendou fell against his elbows, stunned.

Hanamura was quite precocious for a first year. The way she fixed him with that intense curiosity was quite unfamiliar to him, and for a moment he simply stared back at her, confused. People generally withdrew once they got to know him better, but this girl, this girl only seemed to draw closer. It was as if they were kids at a campfire sharing a ghost story, and she was the one brave enough to ask – not what the monster looked like – but how it felt and what it thought as it attacked humans in the dark. The idea amused him.

"Yes," he said, surprised that his answer was genuine, "I liked your drawings."

He was impressed by her work, but she had tapped into a part of himself that was kept hidden from prying eyes. Not a soul in Shiratorizawa was allowed to see what was underneath the armor, the mask that was Satori Tendou. She was the exception.

Hanamura responded with an unusual smile. It was slow, cunning, and dimpled one cheek as if to deliberately disarm him without flashing a single tooth. The splendor of it caused a storm to rage inside him as the tension between them finally released. The drawbridge sank into its mortar, leaving a sliver of her permanently open. He took a moment to appreciate the gesture. Perhaps he was destined to be friends with this scavenger bird after all.

"Good, I'm glad," she said. "For a moment, I thought you were upset with me."

Tendou flopped over.

"Spooked is more like it," he said, hiding his discomfort.

Excited laughter filled the air, drawing their gazes across the park.

Akiko was holding Argus as Ushijima took the frisbee from his mouth.

"Oh no! I didn't think this through." Tendou sat straight up as he watched the ace lift a leg and curl his spine, ready to launch the frisbee into the air. He calculated the number of innocent bystanders and quickly whispered a prayer that none of them would wind up in its path.

The frisbee soared, launching high into the air and catching a powerful gust that sent it whizzing into a nearby tree. Argus broke free of Akiko's arms and took off racing in the opposite direction, distracted by a butterfly. He broke free of his knitted pink harness, forcing Akiko and Ushijima to chase after him.

Ushijima called out an apology. Tendou waved it off. "No mind, no mind!"

He and Hanamura were on their feet in an instant.

"Think you can get it with one of your high jumps?" She asked as they jogged toward the tree.

Tendou measured the distance, picturing where the net would stand in relation to the branches.

"It's too high up," he said, attempting anyway. He coiled before lunging with his arms spread wide. It wasn't enough.

"Plan B then," said Hanamura. She quickly tied her hair back and assessed the base of the trunk, placing a sandaled foot onto one of the gnarled knots as she held onto a branch.

"Wait, wait! You can't climb the trees in this park, or you'll get fined. Trust me, I know," Tendou said with a bitter smile. During last year's Sports Benefit, he tried saving a cluster of balloons that had gotten tangled in the heart tree. If it weren't for Reon's smooth-talking, he would have been dealt a hefty sum.

Hanamura stood back to study the branches, squinting at the light dancing through the leaves. Tendou could see it was wedged in a cleft between two branches just barely out of his reach.

"Can you give me a boost?" She asked him next.

Tendou blinked. If Kazane could lift someone into the air, then surely he could as well. The mechanics of the maneuver were simple. Dropping down onto his heels, he threaded his fingers into a makeshift stirrup and fixed her with a steady look. "On the count of three."

"One," she said, placing both hands on his shoulders for balance.

"Two," he said, grabbing hold of her foot.

"Three!"

The maneuver was quick. She was light and he was strong. Hanamura leaned against him for support, her hands gripping his shoulders tightly as she shook with laughter. It vibrated through his chest.

"Just a little to your left," she guided him.

Tendou did his best to avert his gaze from her golden skin, feeling her sandaled foot shake in his grip. Bravely, she lifted both arms and reached up, but she was just short of touching the frisbee. Determined, Tendou gathered his strength and lifted her higher. With the sudden surge in height, Hanamura was able to jostle it free and sent it tumbling to the ground, but she pitched forward along with it.

"Oh no!" She screamed.

Tendou moved on instinct. Shifting his weight into position, he threw his arms out and caught her around the waist at the last minute, breaking her fall. Hanamura staggered against him, her cheek squashing against his chest. A few leaves and acorns rained over their heads in the aftermath.

"Are you alright, Suzume?" He asked.

Hanamura peered up at him, shocked.

"What?" His mouth dissolved into a grin. "We're friends, aren't we?"

It takes two to form a treaty, he decided, lowering his drawbridge as well. If she was brave enough to climb trees and fall into his arms, then she was alright in his book.

A final acorn fell, bopping her right between the eyes.

"Ow."

Tendou held her tighter, unable to keep from laughing.

A/N: This just wouldn't be a Shiratorizawa fanfic without Goshiki. Also, yay for a double post! :D

"70 Million" - Hold Your Horses

"La Vie En Rose (ukulele cover)" - Reneé Domonique

"Something New" - The Score

Thank you for reading.

lavendermoonmilk