Reliability

By: Aviantei

22—Ryokan

Even when stagnant, the wind pushes us forward

Megumi thought she might scream, though it was more out of frustration than fear. Instead, she swallowed the sound down, not wanting to cause any more of scene than necessary. "Sorry," she managed to say, "I didn't see you."

"Yeah, I noticed you tend not to do that," Mayuzumi said, his tone so neutral it seemed intentional. Even so, Megumi couldn't help but feel like he was taking a shot at her, especially since his expression didn't change at all.

"Whatever," Megumi said, very much at the end of her rope. "I am sorry, Mayuzumi-senpai, but I don't have the energy to argue with you right now." She hardly had the energy to exist; dealing with someone else's attitude wasn't worth it whatsoever. Mayuzumi raised an eyebrow at her, which was the most expression that Megumi had ever seen him make. "I'm going to take a bath. If you want to complain at me, do it in the morning."

Part of her felt bad for saying it, since usually Akashi was the only one she bothered to sass back at. All Mayuzumi had done was point out the truth, because Megumi still could hardly notice him, and that was rude enough in itself. But if she didn't leave now, she wouldn't have the guts to even attempt the bath, and that would just lead to spiraling even further, which was the last thing she wanted to do while on a club trip where she had responsibilities.

Mayuzumi didn't say anything else, and Megumi didn't bother to look back—knowing her luck, she wouldn't be able to see him anyways. What was he even out wandering about close to her room, anyways? Not to mention he could have at least avoided her; it wasn't like the hall was super crowded right then or anything.

Why is it that every single one of our first-string starters is a piece of work? Akashi could handle them, but Megumi wouldn't have been able to if she were in his position. Maybe it was a side effect of attending somewhere prestigious like Rakuzan? I don't know, and I don't care. I just want to sleep.

"Oh, hey, Kaizuto-san." The urge to scream intensified, but at least it was Higuchi who had greeted her. He was a bit further down the hall, standing by the vending machine there. Judging by the collection of drinks on the floor beside him, he was in the middle of picking up stuff for his roommates; a manager's work was never done, it seemed. "Are you doing alright after today?"

"I want to melt into a puddle and never see another person again," Megumi said, which was the truth. At least Higuchi would understand and not push too hard. Come to think of it, Megumi had meant to text Choukou and let her know how things were going, but that wasn't going to happen tonight. "I was just going to take a bath and pass out, if I'm being honest."

Higuchi managed to catch onto her mood and gave a reassuring smile. "Yeah, these sorts of trips can be a lot. But you did a lot of good work today, so be proud of yourself." Oh, Megumi wished that it was just the trip that was exhausting, but admitting the situation with her brother to Higuchi felt just a little like the concept of ripping her heart out with her own hands, so that wasn't happening. "Well, I won't bother you anymore if you want a break. Let me know if you need anything, and I'll see you in the morning, Kaizuto."

And Higuchi headed back towards his room, but not without pressing a can of cold tea into Megumi's hands first.

Despite every worn down and busted thing inside her, Megumi smiled.

The bath, as to be expected of such a large and well-maintained inn, was gorgeous. There were both indoor and outdoor options, and Megumi craved sinking into the water and flopping over a nice and heated rock with a vengeance—but that wasn't happening with her bruises still so visible. At least all the steam and the ample space in the washroom meant that Megumi was able to hunker down in a private corner to herself to wash up. The provided soap and shampoo smelled like yuzu, and Megumi felt a little less like she was about to have a breakdown by the time she was all clean and dry.

Wrapping herself tight in her provided yukata so as not to expose the edges of the couple of bruises over her chest, Megumi retreated back to her room without causing much of an incident. It was such a waste not to use the bath, but she couldn't risk it, not with her injuries unable to be passed off as an accident. The last thing she wanted was some stranger noticing and the info somehow getting back to Shirogane, not to mention the possibility of it leaking out to the team.

Akashi may not have judged her for it, but Megumi knew that other people weren't anywhere near as kind.

Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll heal up enough to be able to use the bath at least once before we leave? They were going to be there for over a week, after all, so the possibility wasn't that impossible.

Triple checking that every door and window to the room was locked, Megumi stood before the mirror in the restroom and let her yukata slip off, surveying the damage. She…hadn't had to courage to look at home, not with Yūta still around, but now she saw the full extent of the harm in all its purple-blue-yellowing glory. Bruises crawled up her arms all the way to her shoulders, and the majority were scattered over her belly to the point that it was near impossible to tell where one injury started and the other began. Just the memory of those injuries was enough to make her stomach turn all over again, and Megumi turned around, craning her head over her shoulder to see much of the same there, though those injuries seemed to be much more scattered, what with more of a target to hit. She—maybe she'd be okay to get into the bath later, or at least be able to pretend that she'd fallen over? If nothing else, her legs were clear, just an expanse of untouched, smooth skin that let Megumi pretend that she wasn't broken, even if it was for nothing more than a moment.

The shame of looking at herself undressed in the mirror caught up to her, and Megumi turned off the lights in the room with the intention of curling up in bed and never thinking ever again. All she accomplished was sinking down into a ball on the floor, the chill racing through her skin as she hunched over, too cried out of tears to produce anymore.

Dear gods, she hated Yūta. She hated, hated, hated him so much.

But, if she were being honest, Megumi hated herself even more than that.

Sleep, as it tended to do, dulled the all the nasty emotions into something not gone, but at least manageable. She wasn't anywhere near her best, but Megumi could function. She hesitated to call it numb, because it wasn't quite that extreme, but saying it was good would be an alright lie. She'd settled on neutral a long time ago, though even that seemed a bit too benign. But when she was in such a state of mind, it would be okay, short of any extra stimulus kicking her down. She'd be able to do the job she was supposed to without issue.

She was more than grateful for Higuchi. The two of them had set up their duties and daily schedules for the trip before school had let out, so Megumi already had a checklist of everything she needed to take care of that she could follow until her mind was functioning again—well, that was assuming that she was functioning by the end of the trip, but there was no point in trying to predict her highs and lows. The best she could do was be aware of them and try to navigate the ebbs and tides with a fraction of success.

Focusing on her own morning routine (somewhat modified to account for the new surroundings and the fact that the ryokan was providing breakfast), Megumi was surprised to hear her phone ringing for a call. There was the flicker of panic that Yūta was trying to contact her, but, after she mustered up the courage to check the caller ID, Megumi realized that it was the number she'd saved for her landlord, Togō-san, and that it was best to pick up.

"Kaizuto speaking."

"Megumi-chan," Togō said, and their easy tone indicated that nothing was wrong, which was a relief. Megumi didn't need anything else dropping on her to make everything worse. "I know you're out right now, but I just wanted to let you know. We've been doing some inspections just to make sure things are okay, and we're going to update the locks on the apartment doors. I'm sure the work will be done by the time you get back, so stop by and see me whenever you're done with your trip, and I'll give you your new key, alright?"

"A-ah, yes!" Megumi's voice trembled from the pure shock of it all. Since she'd left before Yūta, there hadn't been too much choice but to leave him with her backup apartment key, and Megumi knew better than to think he wouldn't make a copy for himself before going away. It wouldn't be often, given the distance, but the prospect of having easy access to his favorite punching bag would be hard to pass up. But if they were replacing the locks, it wouldn't matter what he did. "That's alright with me. Thanks for letting me know, and I'll be sure not to forget. I'm sure that after this trip I'll want to just flop into bed when I get back."

Togō chuckled. "I don't doubt it. But that's all I need from you, Megumi-chan. Be sure to work hard on your trip."

"Yes, I'll do my best!"

And with the last few pleasantries exchanged, Megumi hung up the phone, a giddy sense of satisfaction bubbling up inside her that she hadn't felt for a long time. It felt like a sort of dream, but she replayed the conversation over and over again to assure herself it was real, and she became elated to the point that she punched her fists into the air with a happy squeal loud enough for the occupants neighboring rooms to hear.

For once, Megumi didn't mind a bit.

Her good mood was obvious enough that Higuchi gave her a handful of surprised looks over breakfast, but he ended up not asking any questions in the end. As far as he knew, she had just been having a bad mental health day yesterday, so an improved mood wasn't something to complain about. Akashi, being the one party privy to what else had been influencing her mental state, just looked a smug sort of satisfied whenever they caught each other's gazes for whatever reason, but Megumi didn't bother thinking too hard about it, not wanting to spoil her good mood.

The summer training camp was going to be a positive experience for her. She'd make sure of it.

Choukou had sent several encouraging messages in the morning, and even Kenta had done the same (in far less volume). Megumi hadn't worked up the courage to let him know about the shogi board tucked away in Akashi's bag just yet, but she'd get to it another time. Maybe he'd bring it up first and she could mention it that way…

Well, that was an issue for another time. Now that her head was clear enough, it was time for Megumi to get started on the goals that Higuchi had set for her.

Though there was still most of the school year left, the time that Rakuzan's Boys Basketball Team had left with Higuchi Shōta as their manager was limited. Megumi was going to have to step into his position soon enough, and there was no guarantee that she'd have anyone volunteer to be her support. Thus she needed to build up all the essential skills. The past few months had been focusing on managing support like laundry and towels and water bottles and trip logistics, but that was just the barebone basics.

Rakuzan would never settle for someone operating at no more than the bare minimum.

And so her major goal for the summer training camp was to focus on working with the second string as more of a proper manager. She'd put in the effort to memorize their names and general skills, along with the basketball basics. A truly skilled manager didn't just take care of chores; they contributed to the team. Whether that was through things like noticing player's weaknesses, helping with training regimens, or even just being able to tell when someone needed to push more or less, it was all on the table, and maybe she was getting it? It was a lot of information to process.

But it's starting to make sense. Between her studying and Higuchi's files, she felt like she got the shape of it. It was like understanding the basics of how a car ran without being able to fine tune all the little pieces of the engine just yet. At the very least, Megumi could understand the flow of a practice game, could see whenever the momentum shifted one way or another, could tell whenever some players were pushing too hard or not hard enough. Whenever she was between passing out water bottles or collecting stray balls that had rolled too far off the court, she was scribbling notes in the Second String binder she had brought along, hoping that some of it would be worth something, and she'd been reviewing what she'd written the first day's afternoon practice over breakfast.

She'd had every intention of using the second day's morning practice to talk with Shirogane about how to interpret some of her information—but Akashi always had a way of interrupting her plans, crumpling them up, and throwing them all out the window.

"You're coming to the first string's practice today," Akashi said, all crisp and ordered and not at all like he'd made Megumi spill her emotional guts out to him the day prior.

She couldn't tell if she was tired of him not giving her a break or grateful that he acted like it didn't matter. Either way, though, her response was the same: "I'm supposed to be working with the second string, Akashi-kun."

"Shōta will handle it." Megumi frowned, but she didn't say anything in immediate protest. She didn't like the idea of kicking her senpai out of his job, and she liked it even less whenever it would be even clearer what all her faults were. "I'll permit you to go back in the afternoon, but there's something you need to observe first."

Was that supposed to be a compromise? It was hard to tell with the boy, but Megumi didn't quite feel like arguing on the matter. Oddly enough, she didn't quite feel like sighing, either. The good news of Yūta not being able to get into her apartment had done wonders to her mood. "And what, Captain, might this thing I need to see be?"

"You have yet to watch us play. Not in any proper setting, at least." The first string, he must've meant. She'd seen them practice, yes, but not in any full capacity. She tended to be much too busy with other chores to observe. And, well, even if she had, Megumi doubted that she would've understood anything. Even after all her practice, she doubted she'd understand much, but it also couldn't hurt to see what they were like.

Rakuzan's first string.

The undefeated.

Emperor of Creation.

"Alright," Megumi said, as if she'd been given a choice in the matter. "I'll come along. But just for the morning." Whatever plans Akashi had for her, she had her own goals and ambitions to work towards, and she wasn't in the mood to be derailed—or at least not any more than she already had with the start of her summer. Managing a detour, however, didn't seem too bad, considering it was one that would help her ambitions in the end. "Are you going to tell me what it is I need to see, or do I get to be in suspense until then?"

A little heads-up doesn't seem like too much to ask, but this is also Akashi we're talking about.

The way that the smile slipped onto Akashi's face didn't alleviate Megumi's concerns one bit. "On the contrary, Megumi," he said, "I'm much more interested in what you can't see."

What? Is this supposed to be some kind of riddle? But of course Akashi hadn't elaborated, so Megumi was left to prepare with the mystery niggling at the back of her mind. Of course, she had been ready beforehand, but the sudden order to go to the first string's practice meant that she needed to pick up a different set of reference materials, so she went back to do that. On the way back out, she ran into Nebuya, and the two of them headed out to the gymnasium together.

Practice had been scheduled to start early, but there was still enough heat lingering in the air to tell it was going to be a scorcher. Megumi was starting to appreciate that Nebuya wasn't the type to make her talk, which was good, because her mind was altogether preoccupied with trying to figure out just what Akashi had meant. By the time it occurred to Megumi that she could just, you know, ask the member of the first string and starting lineup that she'd been walking with, practice had already began and it was too late for that. It seemed that the plan for the day involved practice matches, and Megumi took up residence on the bench beside Shirogane to watch for…whatever it was Akashi wanted her to notice.

Except as she watched, something felt off, and it wasn't just in the way that the starting lineup were taking their time in warming up. Megumi could tell that much, considering that she'd been on the receiving end of Akashi's intensity before, but that didn't seem like enough for the sense of unease she had. Shirogane didn't look bothered, though, and asking would've been simple, yes, but the whole thing was starting to feel less and less like a riddle and more and more like a test.

Can you notice what's going on here, Megumi?

So she focused. She set her notes aside and watched the game, trying to find the answer. Akashi was a taskmaster, yes, but he'd never gone as far as to give her something she outright couldn't do, even if it involved pushing herself. That meant the task was achievable, that even she, with her limited basketball knowledge, could figure out. And wasn't there something basic and simple about the situation at hand?

Aren't there supposed to be ten people on the court at once?

Because no matter how she looked at it, there were nine, which didn't make any sense at all. In an official tournament game, you'd need a complete roster to even step on the court, so there was little advantage in making one side play with one member less—even if it was the side that contained Akashi and the three Uncrowned Generals. Rakuzan would use every single step to its advantage, so then where was the-

The sound of the ball being struck with such force jolted her from her thoughts. There was the sound of confusion from the squad of other first stringers up against the starting lineup, and there was the whoop of Hayama as he snatched the ball and dribbled it down the court for an uncontested two-pointer. But Megumi forced herself away from watching where the ball was going and instead focused on where it had come from.

And at the end of that search was Mayuzumi.

[Author's Notes]

Considering how long I had this chapter mostly written, this took way too long to finish. I gotta get a better system set up for these...

Thank you very much to apple_seed, bloop, Yongjw, Monkeyheart3, Tsukkancs, amgs, kumasher16, AenisEdilina, Damara1, Mythixx, roranda, guremu, Feedi, Zafrina, FandomUnderaRock, saturnianscribe, VG00, JessEwa26, AltarielofNoldor, Kris Guerra, sarah1231, atomicallyimperfect, PrMine54, bloodyredfox, dclliie-mp3, buddleia, Yoyon586, sunshine15r, woldKi05, Betty98, and BlueMoon246 for the faves, follows, reviews, comments, and all around general support on this fic. I know y'all like it and I expected to throw down on it - and then you know how the hyperfixation game works. We're still kicking, though, so I hope you continue to support Megumi going forward!

My appreciation for Mayuzumi has done nothing but grow over the years. He's just not willing to take shit, so here he is! Also Megumi's gotta learn about the whole Misdirection thing, so here we go. Lots of other things happening in this chapter, too, so I hope it was worth the wait!

My drafting and posting schedule is all over the place, so I'm not sure when I'll get back to this, but I'm hoping to not take, like, as long as I did. I do have some other ongoing fics with regular updates, tho, so check those out in the meantime if you have an interest in any of those fandoms. Also also check out the [Twelve Shots of Summer] challenge, which is now in its eleventh year! Plenty of cool authors have written plenty of cool things for it - and I'm there also!

See you next time. Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[22 July 2024]