The last bell rang over the school PA system, and the teacher disappeared into the hallway. Chairs rattled as students started chatting and heading to clubs or to hang out after school.
Everyone looked refreshed, perhaps because we’d finally received all our exam results.
The big guy sitting in front of me—my buddy Maru—got to his feet and grabbed his bag. I figured he was heading to baseball practice as usual, but…
“Oh yeah. Asamura.”
…he called out to me instead, taking me by surprise. Maru usually left right away without saying much.
“Yeah?”
“I need to head to practice, but would you mind coming with me?”
“To practice? Why?”
“There’s something I want to give you.”
“Well… Okay.”
I didn’t have anything else to do, so I took my bag and followed Maru. I figured I’d head straight home once we were done.
I glanced out the window as we walked down the hall. The trees along the side of the building had lost all their leaves; winter was here in earnest. Through their bare branches, I could see the school’s small courtyard. The only spot of color remaining was the evergreen hedge, and no one was sitting on the bench beside it. A single dead leaf was swirling in the wind near the edge of the lawn—a forgotten vestige of autumn.
“Hey, Maru. How did you do on your exam?”
“Hmm? My total score was 828.”
“Wow.”
Maru was something else. He managed to retain his spot as a regular on the baseball team and still scored high on all his tests. I’d only managed 819.
“I worked pretty hard this time,” I said, “but I still have a long way to go to catch up to you.”
“Hmm. There’s no need to compare yourself to me, though.”
“Still.”
I’d brought my score up significantly since last time, and I was steadily catching up to Maru.
“I get the feeling you’ve been improving a lot since summer,” Maru said.
“It must be thanks to those summer courses I took.”
“Is that really the only reason?”
“Hmm?”
“Oh, never mind.”
With that, Maru stopped talking and simply continued on ahead.
We headed out the entrance, and I shivered in the chilly wind. My fingertips were already starting to go numb. I couldn’t believe our school’s athletes practiced outside in this weather until the sun went down. A guy like me, who went straight home after school, just couldn’t compare.
Soon, we reached the club building. It was two stories high and built like a cheap apartment building. Both floors were taken up by sports clubs, and the baseball team occupied the front room closest to the field.
As soon as I went through the door, the smell of sweat hit me, followed by the scent of the citrus spray used to mask it. The walls were lined with cubbies for the players’ equipment. Each one reflected its owner’s personality—some were neat and tidy, while others were crammed with a jumble of spikes and gloves. In the corner, I saw several metal bats stored in what looked like umbrella stands.
Club members were chatting and laughing as they changed into their uniforms. When they noticed Maru, they called out to him and greeted me politely. He introduced me as his classmate, and I gave a small bow.
All the younger guys looked at me with respect, even though we’d never met before. Was it just because I was Maru’s friend? I felt like a fish out of water, and I barely said a word.
As I waited by the entrance in a daze, Maru strode across the room, took a paper bag out of his locker, and tossed his backpack inside in its place.
He’d only walked across the room, but his club mates kept calling out to him in friendly voices and stopping him.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said once he got back to me.
“Not at all.” It felt pretty good to see how well-liked my friend was. It didn’t have much to do with me, but it made me happy anyway. “So what was it you wanted to give me?”
“Here you go. I didn’t want to leave it in the classroom.”
Maru handed me the paper bag. It was small enough to fit under my arm. I peeked inside and saw three volumes of manga—and not the typical size, either, but the slightly bigger ones that were typically meant for an older crowd.
Suddenly, it made sense; it wasn’t easy to bring manga into the classroom.
“Are these for me?” I asked.
“They’re my latest recommendations, and they’re fantastic! Personally, I’d like to nominate them for the Next Biggest Hit Award.”
“Yeah? I can’t wait to read them.”
That said, he didn’t have to bring them if it meant hiding them in his club locker. He could have just waited and handed them over the next time we met up outside school. Or so I thought, but…
“I bought extra copies so I could proselytize. Your birthday’s coming up on Sunday, right?”
…at that, I realized the paper bag was my birthday gift.
“So that’s why you went to all this trouble to give these to me.”
“They might be on the geeky side, but they’re great.”
“Have you ever recommended anything to me that wasn’t geeky?”
“Ha-ha. Brutal. Just so you know, I also read the big-name titles. So don’t concern yourself with my tastes and enjoy yourself.”
“Okay, okay—and thanks. I really appreciate it.”
I wound up teasing him, but I was genuinely happy. I never expected him to give me a present. Maru and I had never talked about celebrating each other’s birthdays, and we hadn’t exchanged any gifts the year before. This had come as quite a surprise.
But come to think of it, about six months ago, Maru had mentioned something about sending someone a birthday present. When I asked him about it, he’d dodged my questions, but maybe that experience had inspired him to give me a gift, too.
I’d have to return the favor when his birthday came around.
“I thought I should give it to you now since I won’t see you on Sunday.”
“Yeah, I know you guys have weekend practice.”
“Sorry I won’t be able to celebrate with you. But I’m sure you have plenty of other people to party with.”
“I really don’t. And I’m really happy you thought to give me a gift.”
“It’s nothing special, so don’t worry about it. I’ll see you later.”
Maru waved at me, then went back into the clubroom. I was about to leave when one of the other players ran up to me. He looked to be in our grade.
“Does Maru talk to you about Narasaka?” he asked, voice hushed.
I hadn’t expected to hear that name here of all places. “Uh, Narasaka…? You mean, um…”
“Yeah, that pretty girl.”
“Oh, okay. But what does she have to do with Maru?”
“Someone said they saw them talking. It looked like they were pretty close.”
“He hasn’t mentioned anything to me.”
I wasn’t lying. Maru hadn’t said anything to me about it. Of course, even if he had, I wasn’t about to discuss his private life with just anyone.
“Oh, okay…”
It seemed he thought the two of them might be dating, since they were both good students. Apparently, he’d asked the man himself, but Maru wouldn’t even tell him what they’d been talking about. He hadn’t denied speaking with her, though.
“Sorry to have bothered you on your way out,” he said at last.
“No problem. Bye.” I bowed, then left the clubroom.
As I made my way to the bicycle lot, I thought over what I’d heard.
Maru dating Narasaka, huh?
I thought the guy was simply overthinking things. But if it was true, that meant Maru and Narasaka were keeping it hidden from Ayase and me. Another secret relationship.
Then again, why would a couple go around announcing their relationship to everyone? Even if it wasn’t the same as my situation with Ayase, it wasn’t that unusual to keep that kind of thing a secret. Was there really a reason to hold up a sign reading, “As of today, the two of us are officially dating!”?
“…Wait a sec.”
Maybe there was a reason. You saw it in the animal kingdom, too, among social groups in the wild. When males and females got together, they let everyone else in the group know. Even humans had rituals like engagements and marriage. When a regular boy and girl got together, those around them typically congratulated them, didn’t they? If other people were going to celebrate it, then there was a reason to tell them.
Or wait. If Maru was dating a girl as popular as Narasaka, maybe he’d have to deal with more jealous male classmates than congratulations. In that case, I could understand the need for secrecy… But hold on a minute. It’s not like she’s a teen idol.
So in the end, isn’t it actually kind of weird for two people who are dating to hide their relationship?
I’ve gotta stop flip-flopping on this.
What’s more, these days, it’s considered wrong to discriminate based on marital status, both in daily life and in the workplace. So there’s no real need to tell the world every little detail about yourself. Right?
“Haah.”
I sighed, overwhelmed by my roiling thoughts.
I didn’t even know if Maru and Narasaka were really dating; there wasn’t much point in dwelling on it.
I threw my bag into my bicycle’s basket and started pedaling with all my might.
I had to head to the bookstore that day for my part-time job.
I was walking through the December dusk. The patches of sky I could see between buildings were already a deep indigo, and twinkling LED lights had begun to illuminate Shibuya Center Gai. Gaudy lights, sounds, and people swirled about all around me.