Chapter XV.

After I had changed myself, I came out of the empty gymnasium in search of Shunsui and Gōjun to thank them for all that they had done for the scholarship students and I. If they had not taken a stand for us, what happened on this day wouldn't have been possible. 

But where are they? I asked myself. They were nowhere to be seen. As I approached the corner of the building, searching for them, suddenly, I heard Shunsui and Tsubasa-sama's voice. 

Mother and son were walking together into this direction and they were busy talking to each other. I had been about to round the corner to run to meet up with them, but I paused down when I overheard the content of their conversation.

'I can't believe that you've gone as far as to make yourself sick for the sake of realism!' declared Tsubasa-sama, in half a giggle.

Shunsui has "made" himself sick? Does it mean that-

My breath caught.

'How did you guess about everything?' he asked, his tone filled with surprise, and Tsubasa-sama replied, tenderly, 'You're my son!'

'But say,' she carried on to say, 'I don't understand something. Why did you do that? You could have won your match without any effort.'

Shunsui didn't reply immediately, and when he did, he spoke slowly, to say, 'I don't want Hime to feel grateful towards us for anything. I want her to know that her efforts have counted too.'

My heart skipped a beat.

Oh Shunsui! I already am very grateful to Gōjun and you!

Their footsteps grew closer now. 

I had been about to scoot away, but just as I turned around to make a run for it, unexpectedly, I bumped into somebody head-on. 

Looking up immediately, I saw that it was Gōjun.

My eyes widened at him in shock.

How long had he been there, standing behind me? I didn't hear him arrive!

My cheeks took a shade of red in embarrassment at having been caught eavesdropping.

Lowering my eyes, I asked him, timidly, 'Did you... hear that? Did you know... about it?'

'No,' he replied, in answer to my second and real question.

I looked up to meet his eyes again. 

So, he was not in it with Shunsui...

The reddish-brown-haired young man and Tsubasa-sama caught up with us at that moment, and instantly, my whole attention was caught by the fact that Shunsui was wearing the T-shirt that Tsubasa-sama had brought for him.

As he followed my eyes onto his T-shirt, he let out an unhappy growl and turned his face away to scratch the back of his head in frustration. 

Ignoring his reaction completely, Tsubasa-sama exclaimed at me, ecstatically, 'Did you see this?! We're now wearing the same T-shirt! I have to admit that it was not easy to convince him to wear it, but my love has won in the end! Yosh!' And, putting her fist up in the air, she made a small jump in triumph, while Shunsui let out another growl, but again, she ignored his reaction. She took my hands into hers, after that, to tell me, in a gentle tone, 'I'm really happy that I have finally been able to meet you! I hope that we'll see each other very often from now on!'

I smiled happily and nodded in response; I was looking forward to meeting her again too. 

She said goodbye to us then, and left. The moment she was gone out of sight, Shunsui looked down at his T-shirt to murmur, almost to himself, 'I need to take this T-shirt off before somebody sees me in it!'

'You should keep it on! It's adorable!' I told him, sincerely, with a smile; the two young men and I having begun to walk now.

'Huh? Are you crazy!?' he demanded. 'And I defend you from wearing in public the one she has given you!'

He shook his head at me, while I made a disappointed face.

But, never mind! I told myself, gaily, in my mind. If I were to wear it, it would become used over time. I have a better idea! I think I'm going to put it in a frame instead! It's the most original and beautiful demonstration of the love of a mother, and deserved to be safeguarded with care! He-he!

'Uh… Can you tell me exactly what you're thinking about that's making you smile like this?' the reddish-brown-haired young man demanded me, in a suspicious tone, cocking an eyebrow up at me. 

Immediately, I wiped off my smile, replying, 'Nothing!'

If only he knew what I was thinking, I was sure that he would burst a vessel.

'Say, Shunsui,' I asked, after a minute or two, 'How did you know that it's Satori Hasegawa who would be my opponent during the match?' 

I had been wondering about this ever since I had overhead his conversation with Tsubasa-sama.

He jerked to a stop to stare at me, his expression discomposed. 'You heard us earlier?!'

Pausing down equally, I nodded in reply, even if it had not really been a question.

'Are you angry?' he asked me, sheepishly, and I shook my head in answer. 

If the scholarships students and I will be able to attend school from now on without the fear of bullying, it is only thanks to Gōjun and he! 

I was utterly grateful to the two of them. 

Both young men gave me a surprised look.

'I wanted to...' I murmured, my voice catching with emotion, 'I wanted to thank both of you for what you have done. And so...' Bowing down, I told them, earnestly, 'Thank you infinitely!'

'Do you remember all the incidents that had happened between Hasegawa and you during the last week?' Shunsui asked me, and I lifted my head slightly to look at his face, feeling a bit confused.

Several incidents had occurred between Satori Hasegawa and I ever since our second day of school, and all of these incidents had involved my accidentally doing something to the said-young man that would unnerve the latter further against me. On one occasion, I had unintentionally hit him with my broom in the face during Osoji, and I didn't even dare to think about all the other things that had done in inadvertence. I had even begun to think that I was jinxed, for it was not possible that every time I would come across of Satori Hasegawa, something untoward would happen that would further rile the young man.

But why is Shunsui talking about this right now? 

'Do you really think that they were all just mere "incidents"?'

'Huh?' I uttered, and made a small jump backward, understanding rushing through me at that moment.

Shunsui had planned everything! Everything was planned, so that Satori Hasegawa would want to be my direct opponent during the match! 

My mouth went agape.

I can't believe it!

The reddish-brown-haired young man gave me a diabolical smile, followed by a large pat on the back, before telling me, cheerily, 'Now, come on! Let's go to my house! You're going to prepare us a nice dinner, together with a few desserts!'

And, sending his arm around my neck, he began to usher me away with him, while I continued to stare at his face in perfect disbelief for a whole minute, before I shook my head and smiled.

He's really something!

'Oh, but I'm warning you, it's got to be something light!' he added, with a grimace. 'I've taken some medication, but my stomach is not fully recovered!' 

'Hai!' I replied, in a giggle.

'Well, you're going to have to excuse me!' Gōjun told us.

We both stopped to look at him; we had reached the car now. 

'I won't be able to accompany you.'

'Oh right! I forgot!' declared Shunsui. 'You have to go to the dōjō!' 

To the dōjō?

'Gōjun is a Kendōka of the local dōjō. That's where he has been training ever since he was a kid,' Shunsui informed me, and my mouth hung open.

He's a member of the local dōjō?! 

The local dōjō of Kokubunji was one of the most prestigious Kendō academy in the whole country, with its members participating in both national and inter-national competitions!

I was filled with awe.

I had thought that all his training had come from the school!

'See you later!' Gōjun stated, and digging his hands into his pockets, he turned around and walked away. 

I stared after him for a minute, voicelessly, before I turned back to the car and remembered that I had something to ask Shunsui.

'Ne, Shunsui,' I said, looking at the floor timidly, and squirming a little in embarrassment, 'do you think... I could take a day off tomorrow?'

I knew that I had an engagement with him, but I had something very important to do on the morrow; something that counted a lot for me and that I held on to do.

He looked at his watch, and for a minute, I thought that he was checking the date. But why would he do that? I asked myself. It was not possible for him to know that tomorrow is my mother's birthday and I wanted to spend the whole day with her at the hospital.

'Alright,' he agreed. 'But your debt will be extended, okay?'

'O-Okay,' I replied, hanging my head a little, and smiling awkwardly. 

At this train, I will find myself still indebted after I have finished high school!

I sighed.

***

The following day…

The moment Gōjun Shoran walked into class that morning with Shunsui Shigeizumi, the first thing that he noticed was that the seat of the dark-haired girl was empty.

Surprised, he paused down to tell to the reddish-brown-haired young man, without thinking, 'She's not here yet?! That's strange! Usually, she always arrives before us!'

A small smile tugged at the corner of the reddish-brown-haired young man's mouth. This was the moment that he had been awaiting. He wanted to see if Gōjun would notice the girl's absence and whether this would leave him indifferent or not. 

Putting on a smug face, he walked past Gōjun, telling him, 'The "she" has a name. It's Hime Kirigakure. HI-ME. KI-RI-GA-KU-RE. When will you start calling her by her name?!' 

He went to take his seat, and Gōjun followed right behind him, ignoring what he had just said to look at the girl's empty seat once again.

Sometimes later, the bell rang, and Shunsui could now smile freely at Gōjun's back, where the latter could not see him. Gōjun had been alternating between watching towards the door and the dark-haired girl's empty seat all this while, and Shunsui was enjoying every minute of this! 

He continued to observe Gōjun who, as the periods went by, began to show more and more signs of restlessness. 

When the bell finally rang for lunchtime, and both young men were out of their seats, the first thing that Gōjun did was to declare Shunsui, in a grumble, 'What is she doing?! It's already noon! Where is she?!' 

And this time, Shunsui really had to force himself not to smile in his face, and he decided that it was probably time that he broke the suspense. 

'She's not coming today!' he informed Gōjun, in a matter-of-fact way, and the latter flung around to look at him, in puzzlement, uttering, 'What?!'

'She's not coming,' Shunsui repeated, keeping his voice casual. 'She told me yesterday that she's taking a day off!'

'What were you waiting to tell me?' Gōjun demanded at him.

'Oh! But you don't have to be worried! She has prepared us our bentō!' the reddish-brown-haired young man informed him, in a cheery tone, and picking the multi-storied bentō box up, he showed it to him.

'You think that it's the only thing that I'm thinking about?!'

'Oh?! It's not the case?' Shunsui asked him, in an innocent tone. 'What else are you thinking about? It's her absence that's bothering you?'

'Huh?!' Gōjun was taken aback. Turning his face away very quickly, and scratching the back of his head, he muttered, 'Of course not!'

Right! Shunsui thought to himself, refraining yet another smile.

'Come! Let's go to our usual spot to eat!' he told Gōjun, with a large grin, and already, he was dragging him away with him towards the door.

'Without her? Do you want to give rise to rumors or something? If people see only the two of us picnicking under a tree like that, they're gonna think we're a gay couple!'

'So what? We love each other!' Shunsui countered in a coo, and he began to rub his cheek against his affectionately to tease him. 

Inevitably, Gōjun ended up trying to push the reddish-brown-haired young man's face away, and shouting, 'Ah, stop that, will'ya!' 

But again, inevitably, all his efforts were vain. 

A few minutes later, the two young men were sitting at their usual spot by the side of the gymnasium for lunch, eating their bentō, with Gōjun wearing a sullen face. 

'Ah! It's really not the same without our Hime!' Shunsui declared, with a large sigh, and putting his chopsticks down, he looked at the place where Hime would usually sit- with her back against the trunk of the tree- longingly. Within the same second, he took a glance at Gōjun to see his reaction at this comment of his, and saw that the latter had stopped eating too to look at the place where the dark-haired girl would usually sit. Gōjun would then return to eating his bentō again, though this time more rapidly than before.

Picking his chopsticks up again, the reddish-brown-haired young man placed some food in his own mouth to prevent himself from giggling.

'Did she tell you why she's not coming?' Gōjun asked him, grumpily, after a short moment.

'Why don't you call her up after school and ask her?' prompted the latter, with a cocky smile, and grabbing Gōjun's cellphone, he went out to save the dark-haired girl's number on his phone.

'Why would I do that?' Gōjun demanded at him, with irritation. 'And don't save her number on my phone!'

He had been about to reach out to snatch his phone back from Shunsui's hand, but the reddish-brown-haired young man tossed it at him by the same moment, telling him with a shrug, 'It's already saved! You can delete it if you want!'

However, as Shunsui expected, or at least hoped for, Gōjun did no such thing, and simply went back to sulking.

Thank you for reading!

Glossary

Dōjō - a hall for martial arts practice

Kendōka - practitioner of kendō