Chapter 10: The Exercise of Family Ties
"So, you spent the morning with Senpai-kun, and his mother, huh? Someone's making herself look good for her future mother-in-law," Sakura teased Hayase as she stretched on the practice mat at Gamo's gym. Although Sakura was the least athletic of the group, unlike Gamo with her mixed martial arts, Hayase and her Judo, and Yoshi with her track and field prowess, she made up for it with her many years of yoga and ballet lessons, which gave her a similar flexibility.
She sat on the floor next to where Hayase was sparring with another judo student, reaching to her left to stretch her body towards her toes. "It sounds like you've already been accepted by his parents, Hayacchi, so what's the hang-up?" Hayase pivoted and sent the other girl to the mat for a half-point throw. From the other side of the mat, a pair of hands clapped, interrupting the flow of the sparring, "Nice throw, Hayase, your movement was more fluid than before, you're starting to really recover your form."
Hayase looked back at her older sister, Misaki, sporting her own judoka with a black belt, "you think so, Sis? Maybe I can finally knock you off your feet, then," she said with her mischievous grin. Misaki waved off her sparring partner and tied her hair up in a ponytail, "All right, little sister, show Me what Senpai-kun has awakened in you." She immediately grabbed her sister and rolled her into a throw. Hayase groaned as she landed on her back, while Sakura giggled a little, "You're still holding back, little sister. Senpai-kun is going to be so disappointed with you when you get intimate," Misaki's face held her normal sinister grin that she reserved for Hayase alone. In an instant, Hayase began to fluidly attack her sister, her body moving like a series of tendrils, looking for an opening to take her down. However, Misaki seemed to go as fluid as her younger sister, countering her moves with her own fluid motions. "Come on, Hayase, do you think Senpai-kun is going to appreciate how quickly you can pin him? He'll be a lot easier than Me."
Hayase began to heat up at her sister's taunting. For years, Misaki would easily goad Hayase into losing her cool with the easiest of teases, in an effort to throw her off her judo game. She even did it to her the day Hayase lost to Orihara, although she had forgotten about her sister's teasing after the loss. However, Hayase suddenly felt a calming come over her as she thought about Naoto and them being together later. The thought of being with him took her mind off of her sister's teasing and noticed a small opening in her defenses. Hayase grabbed her sister's gi and flipped her onto her back for the Ippon.
Misaki grunted as she hit the floor, "What was that?" she exclaimed. Hayase rolled over and jumped up on her feet, "After all these years, I finally figured out that you were getting me riled up so I wouldn't be focused on my opponent. It took Senpai's encouragement to get me to see through your psych job and it got me a win." She grinned at her sister as she held out her hand to help her up.
Misaki took her hand and hopped up, pulling her little sister into an embrace, "You've done well, little sister, you've finally achieved your true potential," Hayase put her arms around her sister to return the hug, "But never let your guard down, sis, you never know when you're going to get blitzed!" she gripped her tightly and spun to throw her to the floor.
Hayase countered and rolled her up onto a tight pin. "I know, Sis, I've learned from the best," she grinned as Sakura slapped the mat for the pin.
Misaki started to laugh as she patted her on the back, "I concede, sis, I concede," the two unrolled and laid on the mat, side-by-side, panting in exhaustion. Misaki started to laugh a bit, then Hayase joined in. From the boxing ring, where Gamo and Taiga were sparring, Taiga looked over and yelled, "Oh! The Queen has Fallen, Long Live the New Queen!" Gamo laughed then hit Taiga in the ribs with a side kick. "Hey!" he shouted, "What was that for?"
Gamo grinned through the headgear, "We were in the middle of a round, would you have left me alone if I was open like that?" Taiga had to concede the point, while his sisters giggled on the mat.
"Geez, Bro, you left yourself wide open there, Gamo's going to not pass up a chance to get in close," Hayase said, grinning like her sister, who looked at the two in the ring and echoed the grin. "Oohhhh, do tell, little sister, should I start preparing to call Gamo-Chan Aniyome then?"
Gamo turned a bright red, then quickly pulled off her gloves, "I gotta use the bathroom!" And jumped over the ropes, rushing to the restroom. Sakura watched as her friend beat a hasty retreat, "Wow, even Yoshi's never moved that fast," she said with a grin, as all three girls started giggling, while Taiga stood frozen on the ropes in the ring.
A couple hours later, the Nagatoros, Gamo, and Sakura all headed out, dropping off the girls at their respective homes before heading to their place. After dropping off the girls, the three Nagatoros had a serious talk. "Hayase, I want to know what you want to do with your Judo future, setting Senpai-kun aside for the moment, what do you want to do now?"
Hayase was thinking about this for some time now, "Would it be wrong of me to want to focus on the InterHigh Judo Championship this year?" Misaki's smug grin quickly melted as she realized that her little sister had finally caught on. "You think I can't do it?" she asked.
"Oh, no, not that, I'm surprised that you would consider it, Hayase." she said as they drove on. "I think the preliminary qualification events start in November before the main tournament gets underway in January, so if you really want to go for it, now's the time to focus." Hayase closed her eyes and she put her hands together over her nose, getting herself focused for a moment, "I think, No, I KNOW I can get far into the tournament this year, and if I don't win now, I have one more shot next year."
In the passenger seat, Taiga nodded, "If you give it your all like you did at the Summer Tournament, sis. You've got a fighting chance. But you know that Orihara is moving up to the next weight class, so you two won't be facing each other." Hayase looked out the window as they drove home. "It's all right, I proved myself in the tournament, plus, I will have one more chance at the end of the school year, we made a deal on that one." Misaki looked sideways at her younger brother, mouthing, "did you know about that?" Taiga shook his head in response, surprised as well by his younger sister's statement.
"So, what did you and Senpai-Kun buy this morning at the market?" Misaki asked, changing the subject. Hayase smiled as she looked forward, "oh a few things for one of his best dishes, but I'm going to let you find out tomorrow when you eat it. I will say that Senpai's family has been going to that market in Yokohama for generations, and all the shop owners have known him since he was a baby." She was bubbling as she recalled that morning with the boy she loves, feeling closer to him than ever. Despite his trepidations, even Taiga had to admit that the two seemed to be in sync with each other.
While the Nagatoros were heading home, Naoto and his mother were in the kitchen, preparing the vegetables for the big dinner the following evening. "Well, I think we have enough done to let them chill for tomorrow, right Nao-kun?" Naoto nodded at his mother's question, Yeah, you're right, I just hope her parents appreciate this. " Oh, are we making Obasan's marinade for the meat?"
Chisato pulled some ingredients from the pantry and the fridge and started combining them, "Grab the steaks and rinse them off and pat them dry, I'll have the marinade ready shortly."
He paused for a moment, "So, Mom, I'm nervous about tomorrow, and I really want to make a good impression on her parents." Chisato smiled at him, "You remember how they reacted when you showed up for the funeral services for her uncle? That alone went a long way for them to know your sincerity." Naoto sighed, letting his mother's words sink in.
The doorbell rang and Naoto slipped off the cooking apron, "I got it, Dad." He ran to the door to see Hayase standing there, decked out in a pretty blue dress.
"Ready to head to the movies, Senpai?" she asked, her cheeks blushing. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, "Yeah, all set, Mom, Dad, Hayase and I are going to the movies," he called back. His Dad poked his head out from his office, "You need a ride there?" He grabbed his keys, "No, we're going to the one in town, then I'll walk her home," He took her hand as she waved to his father, "bye, Mr. Hachiouji." she said as the two headed out and into town.
It was about a 20-minute walk to the center of Hayama where the local theater was showing the latest movie based on a long-running Police Drama set in Tokyo. Hayase had mentioned during their train ride from Enoshima that weekend they spent together that she had been a fan of the show since she was little, she had found the main character charming and granny as he solved crimes while the other detectives looked down on him. He surprised her when he mentioned that he thought that the best of the main detective partners was the one right after his original partner left to join his wife in Africa. At some point in the movie, Naoto lifted the arm rest that sat between them and put his arm around Hayase's waist, letting her cuddle next to him. She was shocked for a moment, then smiled as she settled in, feeling strangely giddy over this show of affection.
She grinned and whispered in his ear, "oh, someone's bold, are you trying to do something lewd to me in the dark, Senpai?" Naoto seized up for a moment, then remembered that she was teasing him, turned and said softly, "Curses foiled again!" she snickered quietly and leaned into his shoulder, happy that he was no longer flipping out over her teasing. By the end of the movie, she held him around the waist while his arm slung across her back, holding her at her side. They waited for the credits to end before they departed, since they were at the back of the theater, they waited until the rest of the audience sitting in front of them departed, before they left. "Hey, do you want to see if the Shave Ice place is still open? I was thinking we could split one," He said as they walked out. "Oh, that's a great idea, Senpai, I could go for some shaved ice." She took his hand and they headed for the store, a little ways from the theater. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the store was already closed for the evening.
"Come on, Hayase, We'll get some Conbini ice cream, it always hits the spot." She smiled and held onto his arm as they walked to the local 7-11, grabbing a couple of treats and some drinks, then sat down on the bench under the vine-covered walkway leading to the park. They ate their ice cream and talked about the things coming up at school, like the cultural festival, but then heard a familiar voice, but not in the way they normally expect.
"Seriously, I am not interested, okay? Just let me go home, I'm done with this," Sakura's voice could be heard coming from around the corner. Both of them stood up as their friend appeared, dressed in the same outfit she wore when Naoto went on a "staged date" to catch one of the Video Game Club members who was stalking her. She rounded the corner, followed by the last two guys Naoto wanted to see, Kazuya and Rintaro, the two third-year jerks that hit on every girl they saw, including Hayase and her friends one time after school.
"Come on, Sakura, we know what you're really like, you don't really say No, it's all an act," Kazuya said, "Yeah, come on, you'll have a great time with us," Rintaro added as he grabbed her by the wrist.
"Let her Go!" Naoto shouted at them, stopping them in their tracks. Rintaro let go of her and she ran into Hayase's arms, "Hayacchi-chan, Senpai-kun, Help me", she pleaded to them.
"She said no, now get lost you two," Senpai said as he stood between the two and the girls. "Well, well, look who it is, that uppity little wuss from the Art Club," Kazuya sneered. "Yeah, that's the bastard who took Nagatoro and her friends away last year, we owe you for that one, wuss." He swung hard at Naoto, but was surprised when his punch was easily deflected and his momentum sent him sprawling. Kazuya looked shocked then swung away himself, also getting his punch deflected, but he kept himself from losing his balance and spun around, trying to kick Naoto in the back.
"Senpai, Look Out!" Nagatoro screamed as she leapt into the kick and grabbed Kazuya's leg, spinning him around and knocking him into a staggering Rintaro. The two crumpled into a heap as Sakura cowered behind her friends. "GET OUT OF HERE!" Hayase shouted at the two, who scrambled to their feet, but had no intention of running off.
"Listen, you ungrateful Gyaru, we'll make sure all of the school knows you're nothing but a tease, that you're really one of this loser's sluts, like Nagatoro here," Kazuya said, grinning as he rubbed his face. Naoto stood up and gritted his teeth, "Don't you EVER talk about one of My Friends like that, you bastards! Nobody wants to be around you because you two are horrible people! Now get out of here and Leave Her Alone!" Senpai's face got bright red as a drop of blood began to fall from one of his clenched fists. Rintaro pulled on Kazuya's shoulder, "Come on, she ain't worth it, let's go find that Big-boobed slut, Runa, she'll put out for an Onigiri," he pulled his buddy away and they took off into the dark.
As soon as they were gone, Sakura began to cry uncontrollably, grabbing onto Hayase for comfort, "I'm sorry you got dragged into that, I was coming back from Nekoba's house when I ran into them, but I wasn't in the mood for those two, but they wouldn't leave me alone," she said between sobs. Naoto put his hand on Hayase's shoulder, "Maybe we should get her home, I don't think she should walk alone right now."
She looked at her boyfriend, seeing nothing but worry for their friend in his eyes. "You're right, Senpai, let's walk her home," She kept her arm around Sakura and held onto Naoto's hand on her other side. It took about 15 minutes to get their blonde friend home, where they talked to her father about the two third-years accosting her. He thanked the couple for getting her home and being concerned for her safety. As they headed back to Hayase's house, she texted Gamo to tell her what happened. Gamo was livid by the time they got to her house, promising to talk to them on Monday.
A couple blocks before they arrived at her house, she stopped a moment. "Senpai, where did that whole "Super Saiyan" mood of yours come from? I've never seen you like that before." He scratched his cheek, "Umm, I guess that I had finally had it with those two. In a way, they're like everyone who's ever bullied me in the past, and I just…" he paused as he looked down. She put her hand on his cheek, which was heating up, "Naoto, you can tell me."
He put his hand over hers, "I just got this momentary picture in my head, what if it had been you being harassed like that? I couldn't let that happen, not to you, and not to our friends, so I kind of went off on them," he smiled weakly. She smiled and kissed him, "Senpai, you don't have to show off for Me, but I love that you want to protect Me." He hugged her and sighed in relief. "Come on, I don't want your Mother mad at me right before tomorrow's dinner." She took his arm and hugged it as they finished their walk to her home, kissing her goodnight at the door. "See you tomorrow, Hayase." he said as he headed home. She watched him head out into the dark and went back inside. "How was the movie, Hayase-chan?" Misaki asked as she sat on the couch watching a judo competition from Europe. She sighed as she sat down next to her sister.
"There was a little trouble after the movie, our friend Sakura was being bothered by a couple of third-year jerks. But Senpai, he…" she paused for a moment, "He got angry at them and defended her, he even managed to throw the two of them to the ground, it was surreal." a grin emerged from Misaki's mouth, "Well, Well, Senpai-kun is really being influenced by you, Hayase-chan," she said as she patted her knee. On the screen a blonde woman executed a perfect Ippon throw earning her the match. "Damn, Lundeberg is going to be a problem come the Worlds this year, you think your friend can take her?"
Hayase stood up and headed to her room, "I guess we'll have to see when the Spring Qualifiers come, right, Sister? Good night," she said as she headed into her room upstairs.