pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq
The match began, and sparks flew as each point proceeded in an ebb and flow of attack and defense.
When we first began, the crowd would roar and send us high-pitched shrikes, but as the match continued they would hold their breath and chase the ball with their eyes, letting out sighs of relief and shouts of joy when points ended. It was really like a pro match you would watch on television.
With each long rally, with each returned point, I could feel an intense anxiety whittling away at my nerves.
In the end, that equilibrium was ruined by that vertical roll girl's serve.
Ping! I heard her racquet connect. Immediately after that, the ball flew down the court like a bullet and zoomed behind me.
What the hell was that just now…? Is it just me, or did her ball also do a vertical roll?
"She's insanely good…"
I couldn't stop myself from muttering that.
"I told you."
Yuigahama sounded strangely proud. Wasn't she supposed to be on my side?
"You know, you haven't gotten a hit in for a while now…"
"Ah, umm, actually… I don't play tennis much."
Yuigahama gave me a nervous chuckle.
"…You… You don't play tennis but you're here?"
"Ngh… I-I guess that was my bad!"
It's the other way around, you idiot… You're way too good a person. You don't play tennis, and yet you're here, playing in front of a crowd for Totsuka's sake…
That's not something that's easy to do. It would've been insanely cool if you were also good at tennis, but life didn't work out that way
I was putting up a good fight with the pinpoint serve and laser-accurate return that I had tempered through all of my wall-hitting training, but as we approached the second half, the score difference grew larger and larger.
It was mostly because our opponents were focused on Yuigahama.
They might have been surprised at how well I was holding up and changed their target… Or they might have just been ignoring my existence.
"You go defend up front, Yuigahama. I'll handle things in the back."
"Okay."
We confirmed our basic plan of action and took our appropriate positions.
Hayama's fast, heavy serve came flying at us. It hit the farthest corner of the court with pinpoint accuracy and tried to fly away from us. I leapt to the side and desperately tried to catch it. I held out my racquet as far as I could and just barely got to the ball. Then, using all my strength, I hit it back.
My return landed in my opponent's court, but Miura seemed prepared for it. As she launched it towards the opposite side of the court, I didn't even wait to see where that ball was headed. I just dashed towards the other side of the court, where I thought she was going to hit it.
My reckless legs were still listening to what my brain was saying. I overtook the ball, and when it bounced back up, I slammed it away, aiming for the corner of the court.
However, Hayama seemed to have seen through my plan-he was waiting for my shot. He changed things up, trying a drop shot aimed right between me and Yuigahama.
I had lost my balance, so there was no way I was getting to that ball. I sent Yuigahama a pleading look, and she ran to the ball and hit it back… But it took all her strength to hit the ball, so the return ball flew high into the air, falling right where Miura was standing.
And that ball was hammered, full-power, right back at us. Madame Butterfly had a sadistic smile on her face as the ball grazed Yuigahama's cheek and flew off into an empty corner of the court.
"You okay?"
I didn't go to collect the ball-I just called out to Yuigahama, who had flopped down on her behind. "…that was super scary…"
When she heard the teary-eyed Yuigahama mutter that, Miura seemed worried for a second.
"Yumiko, you're terrible."
"Wha-?! No, no! This is normal in a match! I'm not that terrible!"
"Ahh, so you're just a huge sadist, then."
Hayama and the Queen Bitch joked around and then smiled. The audience also seemed to follow them and smiled along.
"…Hikki, let's win this match." Yuigahama stood up and picked up her racquet. "O-Ouch!" I heard her let out a small squeal.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Sorry… I think I might've pulled a muscle or something."
Yuigahama gave me a shy laugh. And then her eyes filled with tears.
"If we lose… then it's going to cause trouble for Saika… Ah, not good, at this rate things are not going to be good… If this fails, then I don't think just an apology is going to fix things… Ugh!"
Yuigahama bit her lip in frustration.
"Well, we'll figure a way out of this. Worst case, we dress Zaimokuza up in women's clothing."
"That'll get found out in a minute!"
"True… Well then, here's an idea… You just stay somewhere in the court. I'll handle the rest."
"…How?"
"There is a forbidden technique in tennis that has been around since time immemorial. The name of that technique is: 'My racquet has become a rocket!'"
"That's just a foul!"
"…well, worst case scenario, I'll just get serious. If I get serious enough, then I become a master of begging for mercy and licking the soles of their feet."
"That is way too serious in completely the wrong way…"
Yuigahama seemed astounded and let out a sigh, then she smiled. Her eyes were red with tears, maybe because her pulled muscle hurt or because she had laughed herself to tears. She turned those red eyes towards me.
"Ah, Hikki is just an idiot… His personality is bad, and he's even bad when it comes to giving up. You didn't give up back then either… You dashed out like a complete idiot and called out in that desperate, gross voice… I remember it all."
"What in the world are you talking ab-"
"I think I might be just really fed up with it all…"
Yuigahama interrupted my words and spoke in an exasperated voice.
She left off with that, then turned her back to me and walked away. "Out of the way, out of the way!" she shouted as she parted the confused audience.
"…Just what was that girl talking about…?"
Left alone in the center of the court, I watched Yuigahama's retreating back as she disappeared. Then I heard an irritating laugh echo through the area.
"What's wrong? Fighting with your friend? Got left behind?"
"Don't be ridiculous… I've never fought with anyone in my life. It's not like I'm close enough to anyone to actually 'fight' with them."
"Ehh…
Hayama and Miura seemed repulsed by what I said.
Hm? They were supposed to laugh there…
I see, self-deprecating humor like that only works if you're close to the other person…
Zaimokuza was the only one who was trying to hold in a laugh. I clicked my tongue and turned around, only to see Zaimokuza feign ignorance by pretending to talk to someone while he was slipping into the crowd.
…that bastard just ran away, didn't he…? Well, in a situation like this, I would definitely also feign ignorance and run away. Totsuka was also looking at me with a sad expression on his face.
Ugh, well… Time to beg for mercy, then? I'd show them how I can be when I get serious. To suck up to someone, you throw away your pride and suck up to them with all your might… I was proud of how well I can do that. I was probably the only person there who felt such an unbelievable urge to get out of the stifling atmosphere… Then I heard the audience begin to buzz.
And then the wall of people smoothly began to part.
"What in the world is causing all this terrible noise?"
"I fuckin' hear that," I praised.
It was Yukinoshita-she was wearing her gym uniform and a skirt and looked quite displeased. She had a first-aid kit in one hand.
"Ah, where did you go off to…? And why are you wearing that?"
"I don't quite know… Yuigahama-san just showed up and asked me to put this on."
Yukinoshita said that and turned around, at which point Yuigahama appeared beside her. It seemed that they had swapped clothes, and she was wearing Yukinoshita's uniform. Where did they change? Did they do it outside?! Hmmmm… maybe I'm not gay. A puzzler.
"Losing after all this would be pretty annoying, so Yukinon is going to play for us."
"Why do I have to do that…?"
"Well, after all, Yukinon is the most dependable friend in the world!"
Yukinoshita jumped a bit at Yuigahama's response. "F… riend?"
"Yup, friend."
Yuigahama didn't wait a second before answering. Wait a minute, that was just a bit…
"Do you really ask your friends to do annoying things like this? I get the feeling you're just using her…"
"Eh? I can only ask friends for stuff like this. Why would you ever ask someone you don't care about to do something important for you?"
She answered me as if that was the most natural thing in the world to say.
Ohh, so that's how it was…
In the past, I've been suckered into taking up someone else's cleaning duty because they asked me 'Aren't we friends?' so I really didn't have any experience with Yuigahama's view on this. I see, so I really was friends with those people… As if.
Yukinoshita was probably thinking along almost exactly the same lines as me. She put a finger on her lips and thought about something. Her suspicions were completely appropriate; I also wasn't the type to trust people easily.
But this Yuigahama Yui was a special case. After all, she was a moron. "Hey, she's probably being honest. She is a moron, you know."
As I spoke, Yukinoshita's stiff expression loosened. She gave us her usual determined smile and brushed her hair back with one hand.
"Please don't take me so lightly… You may not expect it, but I have quite a good eye when it comes to people. And it's not possible that someone who can treat Hikigaya-kun and me nicely can be a bad person."
"That's such depressing logic…"
"But it's the truth."
Indeed, it was.
"I'm fine with playing some tennis, but… Could you please give me a moment?"
Yukinoshita said that and headed for Totsuka.
"You can at least treat your wounds on your own, correct?"
Totsuka looked a bit bewildered as he took the first aid box being held out to him.
"Eh, ah, yeah…"
"Yukinon, so you left just to get that… You really are kind."
"Is that so? Even though some of the boys call me the Queen of Ice behind my back…"
"Well you are," I laughed. "You're like this untouchable ice bitch."
"Is that supposed to be flattery?"
"You know how I feel about flattery. If we both know it, then it isn't flattery. And you know it."
Yukinoshita turned to face me. However, her expression wasn't the usual cold one, but was tinted with a bit of hesitation. Her voice also gradually fell from its usual self-assuredness into something more frail, and she suddenly averted her eyes.
"Well… I don't mind it if you think I'm your friend… either…" I could almost hear a small pop! as a bit of red bled onto Yukinoshita's cheeks. She held the racquet she had taken from Yuigahama and let us catch a glimpse of her face as she looked at the floor.
"Impossible," I chuckled.
"Not so," she disagreed. "Just with you." I laughed heartily.
That insanely cute side of hers was enough to earn her a hug… From Yuigahama.
"Yukinon!"
"Stop… Don't stick so close to me. It's stifling…"
…huh? Wasn't this the point where she was supposed to act deredere toward me? Was it just me, or was she only acting deredere toward Yuigahama? That wasn't it, was it? Were we in a romantic comedy where the guys got together with the guys and the girls with the girls? I… I could get on board? With the right guy.
After Yukinoshita managed to get Yuigahama off her, she cleared her throat a few times and continued.
"It's incredibly regrettable that I have to team up with him, but… It seems I have no choice, correct? I'll accept your request. So I just have to win this match?"
"Okay! …yeah, I couldn't do much to help Hikki win." "Sorry for making you do this."
I bowed my head, but Yukinoshita just looked at me coldly.
"…don't misunderstand. I'm not doing this for your sake."
"Ha ha ha, you're just such a tsundere."
Ha ha ha, geez, ha ha ha ha… It's been a while since I've heard that cliché.
"Tsundere…? For some reason, that word sends shivers down my spine."
Yeah, no kidding… I guess it was obvious that Yukinoshita wouldn't know what a tsundere was… More than anything, that girl didn't lie-she would always speak the truth, no matter how cruel. So she probably wasn't lying when she said she wasn't doing this for my sake.
Well, it's not like I wanted her to like me or anything, so it was fine, yeah
Yukinoshita gave me a wonderful smile, reminiscent of a flower beginning to bloom. But why was it that her smile didn't make me feel warm inside in the slightest…? I was terrified. It was like being stared down by a tiger.
"Yukinoshita-san… Was it? Sorry in advance, but I don't go easy on anybody. You're one of those princess types, right? If you don't want to get hurt, you should go ahead and quit." I turned around and saw Miura standing there twirling her vertical rolls even more as she looked at us with a bold smile. Miura, you idiot… Challenging Yukinoshita is a death flag…
"I'll go easy on you, so you can rest assured. I'll smash that cheap pride of yours to pieces." Yukinoshita said that and let out an invincible smile. At least, she seemed invincible to me.
She was a terrifying enemy, but it was really reassuring to have her on your side… I really pitied the people who made an enemy of her. Like me. I pitied me.
Hayama and Miura both readied themselves. Yukinoshita's intense smile was beautiful and cold enough to freeze you in your tracks. "You've been harassing my frie-…" Yukinoshita said that much, then blushed a bit. It was probably still a bit embarrassing for her to use that word, so she quietly shook her head back and forth before she tried again. "…you've been harassing our club members long enough. Prepare yourself… You know, I may not look it, but I'm the type to hold a grudge."
No, you definitely look it… A hundred and ten percent, you look it.
And so, all the relevant parties in this tennis battle had gathered. The match finally progressed into its bona fide final phase.
Team Hayama and Miura took the first move. Vertical roll girl aka Miura was serving.
"Ya know, I don't know if Yukinoshita knows this, but I'm really good at tennis." Miura said that while repeatedly throwing the tennis ball on the ground and catching it, almost like she was dribbling a basketball. Yukinoshita didn't even budge; only her eyes waited for Miura to continue. Miura let out a smile. That smile was completely different from the one that Yukinoshita had given before… It was the smile of a feral beast. "Don't blame me if a ball screws up your face."
The moment I thought that, I heard the whoosh of wind and the light sound of a ball being hit.
The ball flew rapidly towards Yukinoshita's left side and barely grazed the line to the left. Yukinoshita was right-handed so the shot was out of her reach.
"…Easy." By the time I heard her whisper that, Yukinoshita was already ready for the return. She dug her left foot into the ground and used it as a pivot, then she spun as if she was dancing a waltz. It was a perfect backhand with her racquet held with her right hand.
Her racquet flew like a samurai sword, and the return ball flew towards Miura with a flash.
The ball hit Miura's side of the court, close to her feet, and she let out a small shriek as the ball bounced back up. That rapid return ace woke Miura up. "I don't know if you know this, but I'm also really good at tennis."
Yukinoshita thrust her racquet out in front of her and looked coldly at Miura, almost as if she was looking at some bug. Miura took a step back, looking back at Yukinoshita with eyes filled with fear and hostility. Her lips warped a bit and she began throwing out maledictions. To make Queen Miura look like that… Yukinoshita was incredible indeed. "…You returned that shot really well."
Yukinoshita didn't show the slightest reaction towards Miura's bluffing facial expression, but just aimed cleanly for one point.
"Well, her face looked exactly like the faces of the upperclassmen who used to come and harass me. It's easy to see through the thoughts of such lowlives."
Yukinoshita gave me a triumphant smile and then went on the offensive. Even her defense was offensive. It wasn't like that tired old saying, that 'the best defense is a good offense'-her defensive play was just that aggressive. She would sink serves precisely into her opponent's court on the return, and any balls that were hit towards her were hit back forcefully.
The crowd became intoxicated with her beautiful performance. "Fuhahaha! My minions are all-powerful! Go, mow them down!" Zaimokuza had caught the scent of victory and returned at some point, and now he was now completely on the bandwagon. That really pissed me off… But on the other hand, the fact that Zaimokuza was on our side meant that the tables had turned. When it was just me and Yuigahama, we felt completely like we were playing an away game, but now the crowd was slowly coming over to Yukinoshita's side. I mean, all the guys were sending Yukinoshita pretty heated stares.
Well, it was true that Yukinoshita was just a different species, and not many people knew her true nature. And, of course, she was also beautiful. She also had that mysterious atmosphere around her; she gave off the impression like an unattainable flower that sits at the height of a mountain peak. It wasn't really that she seemed scary, it was that she felt like some untouchable creature who one should not talk to.
Yuigahama must have a lot of courage to be able to slightly break through that barrier… and she was probably a huge idiot too.
However, her straight-laced honesty and her pure kindness were echoing in Yukinoshita's heart. Yuigahama was the only person in the world who could've convinced Yukinoshita to come here today, and Yukinoshita was playing with all her strength for the sake of the courageous Yuigahama. She probably wouldn't have come if I personally had asked her.
The huge point deficit we had built up was slowly shrinking. As I watched Yukinoshita twirl left and right through the middle of the court, I couldn't help but think she looked like a fairy. Her dance-like footwork was the star attraction on this particular stage. I was just filling a minor role here, and every time I tapped the ball I cringed when everyone looked at me, as if they were saying, 'Not you!' Which I, I mean, I got it. Seriously I did. I didn't want anything to do with me either.
But our audience's wishes were granted-it was Yukinoshita's turn to serve again. She gripped the ball tightly and then threw it high into the air. The ball almost seemed to be swallowed by the blue sky as it flew towards center court. It wasn't going to land anywhere near Yukinoshita. Anybody would have thought this was a miss, but then… Yukinoshita flew. She stepped forward with her right foot, pushed off her left foot, and then leapt when both her feet had gathered together. It was a light, staccato-like step.
And then she flew through the air gracefully. Her form was like a falcon smoothly gliding through the sky, and there was not a single person who wasn't shaken by that vision. She was just quick and beautiful. No one even blinked as they tried to burn this sight into their memories. A shrill sound screamed through the air, and then the ball was rolling away on the floor. The audience, me, Hayama, Miura… No one could move a muscle. "…A… A jumping serve…" I spoke, but I was almost at a loss for words. Seeing the nonsense that Yukinoshita had pulled off really made it impossible for me to shut my gaping mouth. We had been so far behind, but she had singlehandedly caught us back up. Even now, we were two points ahead, and if we won another point, then we would win the match. "You really are just unbelievable. Let's keep it up and win it easily here."
I really believed that and made that statement, but Yukinoshita suddenly scowled. "I would like to do that as well, but… That's an impossible request."
I wanted to ask why, but I saw that Hayama was getting ready to serve.
…well, whatever… It looked like we would win the next time Yukinoshita hit a return ace. I wasn't letting my guard down, I just had faith that we would win as I prepared for the serve.
Hayama also seemed to have lost a bit of his will to play; he didn't serve as fiercely as he had been doing. His serve was pretty fast, but it was just a normal serve, and the ball flew towards the space in between me and Yukinoshita.
"Yukinoshita." I thought I would leave things to her so I called her name, but I didn't get a response. Instead, I heard a flat, dull thud as the ball flew between us. "H-hey!"
"Hikigaya… Would you mind if I bragged for a little bit?"
"Huh? Also, what the hell was up with that play right there?"
Yukinoshita didn't seem to care in the least about what I had said, but just took a deep sigh and plopped herself down in the middle of the court. "For as long as I can remember, I've always been able to do everything, so I've never kept to anything for a long time."
"What is this all of a sudden?"
"Even with tennis, there was a person who taught me the sport, but after three days I beat him. For most sports… No, not just sports, but music too, I can become quite good at anything in just three days."
"Geez, you're like the opposite of a three-day quitter. And you really did just want to brag! Is there a point to all this?" I hesitated. "I wonder… I wonder if you're a mathematician?"
"No," she scoffed. "I'm not like you."
"But could you be better than me?"
"Probably not…The only thing I'm not confident in is my physical endurance." I heard another dull thud and another ball jumped up and whizzed by Yukinoshita. It was seriously way too late in the game to be telling me that…
Because Yukinoshita could do anything, she never stuck with anything, and she never kept doing anything. That meant her physical endurance was her fatal weak point. Now that she mentioned it, she always did just watch our lunch practices… Well, in retrospect, this might have been obvious. If you wanted to get better at something then you would practice, and the more you practiced, the more you built up your physical endurance. But because she would do everything well from the beginning she never practiced, and so it was clear that her physical endurance would be really weak.
"Uh, do you really think you should be saying that so loudly…?"
I looked towards Hayama and Miura, and saw the Beast Queen with a ferocious smile on her face. "Oh, but we've already heard enough~~." Miura sent that combative statement at me. It looked as if all her troubles had been cleared away. Right next to her, Hayama also chuckled.
This was the worst possible situation… The moment after we had taken the lead, we suddenly found the game tied up in a deuce.
We were playing beginner's tennis with weird rules here. Once we got into a deuce, no team would win until one had a two point lead. The dependable Yukinoshita had spent all her energy and was now silent. Not only that, but our opponents were well aware of our situation. We already had proof that my serve wasn't going to fly against them-they could easily return it, and that would be the end of that.
"She might have butt in on this game, but looks like it's already over, doesn't it?" I couldn't say anything back to Miura's aggressive words. Yukinoshita was also silent… Actually, she was nodding off. She looked exhausted. What the hell, are you narcoleptic?
Miura gave us an arrogant look and laughed from the bottom of her throat. It seemed that she wanted to just finish this. I felt like I was getting stared down by a snake… What the hell are you supposed to be, an anaconda or something?
Hayama sensed this dangerous atmosphere and chose to butt in. "N-now, now, we all tried our best… Let's not get too serious. It was fun, so why don't we just call it a tie?"
"Wha-? Hey, Hayato, what are you saying? It's a match, so we need to be serious and clean up here."
In other words, they would win the match against us and officially take the tennis courts away from Totsuka. Also, clean things up… That was scary. I wonder what she would do to me… I didn't like this at all… Was it gonna hurt? I don't like it when things hurt…
As I stood around, waiting, I heard someone click their tongue. "Could you please be quiet for a moment?" Yukinoshita did not sound happy at all as she spoke. She continued before Miura got a chance to get a word in. "This man here will finish the match, so please lose gracefully."
Everyone doubted their ears after she said that. Myself included, naturally… Actually, I was the most surprised one there.
Suddenly all eyes were on me. I had been nonexistent up until then, a person who people didn't want there, but suddenly I felt the value of my existence skyrocketing. I made eye contact with Zaimokuza. Why the hell are you giving me a thumbs up? I made eye contact with Totsuka. Why the hell are you looking at me with all that hope your eyes? I made eye contact with Yuigahama. Stop cheering for me so loudly, dammit… It's embarrassing. I made eye contact with Yukinos-ah, she looked away. She tossed me a ball instead. "You know, right…? I might dish out insults and abuse, but I will never dish out falsehoods."
"Unfair," I leveraged.
"Maybe so," she shot back and dodged easily.
The wind stilled, which might be why her voice rang out so clearly. Yeah, I know… The only liars here were myself and them.
An unnatural silence fell over the courts, with the only audible sound that of the ball bouncing against the court surface. In the middle of that strangely tense atmosphere, I forced my consciousness deep, deep within myself. I could do it… I could do it… I would believe in myself-no, I did believe in myself.
After all, there was no reason for me to lose here. I was a man who had survived this pointless, sad, painful school life by myself, who had lived through this wretched, agonizing 'youth' by myself. There was no reason for me to lose to people who had depended on a throng of other people every step of the way. Lunch break would be ending soon.
This would usually be around the time I finished eating my lunch next to the nurse's office across from the courts.
The memory of talking with Yuigahama there, of chatting with Totsuka there for the first time, crossed my mind. I strained my ears. I couldn't hear Miura's scornful voice; I couldn't hear the cheers coming from the audience… But I heard that sound… That sound which I, and probably only I, had been listening to for a year. At that moment, I hit a serve. It was a easy, powerless, light serve that flew high into the sky. I saw Miura joyfully dash for the ball. I saw Hayama quickly follow her. I saw the audience give looks of disappointment. I caught a glimpse of Totsuka softly looking down at the floor. I missed looking at Zaimokuza tighten his fists. I made eye contact with Yuigahama as she began to pray. And then my eyes fell on Yukinoshita's triumphant smile. Are you familiar with the Magnus Effect?
My shot followed an unstable, uncertain path. "Hyahhhh!
Miura let out a feral snake-like cry and got to where the ball was going to drop down. At that very moment, a gust of wind blew. Miura, you probably don't know… …about this special sea breeze that comes around at the end of lunch time, unique to Soubu High and its surroundings.
The ball was completely shaken and swept up by that wind. It got away from Miura and hit the edge of the court, but Hayama was running for the ball already. Hayama, you probably don't know… …this wind doesn't blow just once. I was the only one who knew about it: I, who for the entire year had sat there alone, not talking to anybody, just spending my time quietly… And that wind was the only one that knew about that tranquil time I'd spent alone. And so that was the miracle curve ball that I, and only I, could hit.
The ball spun quickly and bit through the breeze. It was carried along as if by magic as it hung in the air.
The second gust of wind swept up the ball even as it bounced back up. Like that, the ball fell to the ground in the very corner of the court and rolled away. Everyone's mouth was shut, their ears were strained, and their eyes were wide open.
"I-impossible…" Miura seemed completely shocked. Her muttering began to set the audience off.
"We failed… That sure was some miracle curve ball there."
Hayama faced me and gave me a bright smile. He was smiling like we had been friends for years… As I was hit with that smile directly, I gripped the ball tighter and stood there, stock still.
I really didn't know how I should respond in situations like this. So instead, I just struck up a pointless conversation. "Hayama. Did you play baseball when you were younger?"
"Oh, yeah. I played a lot… So what?"
Hayama looked puzzled at the question I had suddenly thrown at him, but he still answered me directly. He really might be a good person…
"How many people did you play with?"
"Huh…? If you don't have the full eighteen players, then you can't play baseball."
"Yeah, that's what I thought… But, you know, I played by myself all the time."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Hayama asked me back that question, but I don't think he'd understand even if I told him. I didn't just mean solo baseball. Do you people honestly know the pain of pedaling a bike alone like an idiot through swelteringly hot summers and blisteringly cold winters? All those things you distract yourselves from with complaints among yourselves-'It's too hot, it's too cold, this is terrible'-I got through all of them by myself.
As if you could know… As if you could understand the fear of not asking anyone about the content on an upcoming test, and instead just studying silently alone and then facing the consequences directly later. You lot have come this far by checking answers with each other, by comparing test scores, by calling each other idiots or overachievers and escaping from reality, while I've faced that reality head on.
How do you like that? Don't I seem like the strongest? Swept away by those emotions, I prepared to serve the ball.
I bent one leg in front of me and drew the other one taut, tightening my body like a fully drawn bow. Then I tossed the ball high in the air. I gripped my racquet tightly with both hands and rested it on the back of my neck.
The blue sky, the departing spring, and the oncoming summer… I'd take all those things and send them to hell. "Adolescence, GO SCREW YOURSELF!" With all my might, as the ball fell towards me, I hit the ball up into the air with an upper swing. The ball made a crack! as it connected right on the hard frame of my racquet and flew up into the air, being swallowed by the blue sky. The ball kept on rising and rising. At one point, the ball just looked like a speck smaller than a distant grain of rice.
It really wasn't a big deal… It was just a game of bat and catch.
Let me explain: When I was a kid, I didn't have many friends, and so I invented the new sport of one-player baseball-I would throw the ball by myself, hit it by myself, and catch it by myself. When I tried to devise a scheme to make the game last as long as possible, I realized that super bat-and-catch was the best way to lengthen the game.
If I caught the ball then the batter was out, and if I missed the ball at first but caught it on one bounce it was a hit. If I hit the ball way too far off, I counted it as a home run. The one weak point of this game was that once I decided to root for one side (either the batter or the catcher), then the game would get completely one-sided. To play this game, it was important to be as objective as if I were playing rock paper scissors with myself. Boys and girls, please don't learn from me; play baseball with your friends.
But that was the symbol of my isolation, and it was also my strongest weapon. It was the hammer that would fall down from the void and crush those fools who glorified youth. "W-what the hell is that?" Miura looked up at the sky in bewilderment. Hayama also stared up at the bright sky, but his expression suddenly became panicked and he shouted.
"Yumiko! Get back!" Hayama yelled at Miura, who was now standing stock still with a look of shock still on her face. As expected, Hayama had realized what was going on… But he was too late.
The tennis ball continued to go up and up but gradually lost speed under the influence of gravity, until the two forces balanced out and it stopped.
And then, when that balance was broken, the ball's potential energy converted into kinetic energy. The ball began to freefall. Upon impact, that energy would explode.
After its long, long trip through the sky, the ball whipped up a cloud of dust and once again soared back into the air.
Miura chased the ball through that dust cloud with uncertain steps, trying to hit it. The ball flew unsteadily towards the wire mesh fence in the back of the court.
Oh, crap… Miura was going to crash right into the fence.
"Ugh!"
Hayama tossed his racquet away and ran for Miura.
Would he make it?! Would he not make it?!
The two of them disappeared momentarily from view in that cloud of dust.
There was a moment of sheer silence.
I heard the sound of someone gulping… In fact, it might have been me.
And then, the cloud of dust dispersed, and the two of them came back into view.
Hayama's back had crashed into the fence; he was hugging Miura to protect her. Miura had a blush on her face as she snugly gripped onto Hayama's shirt.
In the next moment, the audience erupted into loud cheers and thunderous applause. It was a full-participation standing ovation. Hayama was comfortingly stroking Miura's head, and Miura's face was getting redder and redder. Still cheering, the audience surrounded Hayama and Miura. "HA~ YA~ TO~ GO! HA~ YA~ TO~ GO!"
In place of a celebratory fanfare, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch break. It seriously felt like we were headed for a kiss scene and then the ending credits.
In the end, everyone was enveloped by a certain feeling of accomplishment and exhaustion, like they had just finished watching some feel-good epic or finished reading some superb youth romantic comedy. And like that, with shouts of "hip hip hooray!" the students lifted them into the air and disappeared off into the school building.
Soon, we were the only ones left on the court.
"I suppose you could say we won the battle but lost the war?"
Yukinoshita sounded pretty apathetic, but I couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't be ridiculous… I wasn't a match for them from the very beginning."
Those who celebrated youth were always the ones in the spotlight.
"Yeah, that's true… It only turned out like this because Hikki is here. Getting ignored even though you won… That's just too sad."
"Hey, Yuigahama, be careful what you say. You should realize that sometimes your honest feelings can hurt people more than words filled with ill will."
I gave Yuigahama a scornful look but she didn't seem apologetic at all.
Well, I guess everything she said was true, so she had no real reason to feel apologetic. From the very beginning, Hayama and Miura didn't really care about the competition or the match or anything like that.
I was amazed that they were able to take a miserable defeat and turn it into just another treasured page of their beautiful youth.
What the hell was that? Youth, just go blow yourself up, dammit… "Ugh, dammit, what the hell is up with Hayama… If I was born and raised differently then I could've been like that too, dammit…"
"In that case, then wouldn't you just be a completely different person…? Well, it's certainly true that you might need a full reset."
Yukinoshita gave me a cold look even as she used a roundabout way to tell me to go die. And I will. Yukinoshita, I will.
"…b-but, I mean, umm… I guess I'm glad it was Hikki, or, umm… Well, it wasn't a bad thing, umm…"
Yuigahama mumbled something inside her mouth. I couldn't hear her at all. Try to speak clearly, please… You remind me of myself in a clothing shop when a shop attendant tries to talk to me.
However, Yukinoshita did seem to hear what Yuigahama had said; she smiled faintly before giving a quiet nod.
"Well, there are a few people who have been saved by your twisted way of doing things… Unfortunately."
Yukinoshita said that and then suddenly looked somewhere else. When I followed her gaze, I saw Totsuka walking over slowly while being careful of his grazed knees. Zaimokuza was also following him over like some creepy stalker. "Hachiman, well done… As expected from my partner. But, unfortunately, there may come a day when we must settle things once and for all…"
For some reason, Zaimokuza went glassy-eyed and began talking with himself. I ignored him and spoke up to Totsuka. "Are your knees okay?"
"Yeah…" At that point, I suddenly realized that I only had guys around me. Maybe it was because Zaimokuza had shown up, but Yuinoshita and Yuigahama had both disappeared at some point.
Hayama was able to get girls to dote on him like he was James Bond, but here I am surrounded by guys. So he gets the James Bond ending, and I get the A-Team ending… What the hell was up with that imbalance?
Romantic comedies are just urban legends. "Hikigaya-kun… Umm, thank you." Totsuka stood right in front of me and stared directly at me. He said that, then seemed embarrassed and averted his gaze. From this position, I almost wanted to hug him and give him a kiss, but then I remembered he was a guy…
This romantic comedy was all wrong, and so was Totsuka's gender. Also, Totsuka had thanked the wrong person. "I didn't really do anything. If you want to thank someone, then you should thank those guys..." I tried to find the people I was talking about and looked around. When I did, I saw a pair of twin-tails unsteadily swaying back and forth by the side of the tennis clubroom. So that's where they were? I headed over to the clubroom, thinking that I would at least thank them.
"Yukinoshi… Ah." She was completely in the middle of changing. The front of her blouse was open, and I could catch brief glimpses of her light lime-green bra. She still had her skirt on, but that sense of unbalance just served to further accentuate her well-proportioned, slender body. "W… Wha wha wha-" Ugh, why are you being so noisy when I'm trying to concentrate and carve this into my memory? Oh, Yuigahama, you were here too.
She was also completely in the middle of changing. It seemed that she was the type of person who buttoned up from the bottom. Her shirt was wide open, and her pink bra and cleavage were peeking through. She was holding onto a skirt with one hand and holding it out to Yukinoshita… Well, in short, she wasn't wearing a skirt. A well-proportioned butt extended out of her matching pink underwear, and her lower legs were covered by dark blue high socks. "Seriously, go die!" Wham! She hit me full-force in the face with her racquet.
…ahh, yes, this was more like a romantic comedy.
pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq
-WG
