I don’t know why, but there’s this embedded belief in society that sports clubs are wholesome. A lot of older people will write off minor crimes as just a bit of childish mischief. They’re strangely generous toward any hot-blooded young people working up a refreshing sweat. But are they actually wholesome? They’re not, and there’s some incident every year that some team has to apologize for by abstaining from activities or withdrawing from competitions. Lately, it seems like lots of stuff is coming to light with sexual harassment, abuse of power, violence, and drugs!
But I would hate to back down now. Even knowing it was pointless to fight this, I had to negotiate. You’ve gotta do it, or there’s no point. Praying that Hayama Magic would make the call for Chiba, I opened my mouth. “…So how about as an individual? Would you help us out as Hayato Hayama, the man, with titles off the table?”
“I want to help you as an individual even less.” Hayama’s nose wrinkled in sincere distaste. He made me think of a boxer who’d been struck in the liver.
Okay, then this is the spot to attack! “You can just let us borrow your name, though.”
“Yeah, and I doubt I’d get it back.” He got a clean return hit with a sharp counter, and my head slumped.
“Well, true…” Fair enough—if I borrowed Hayama’s name, I’d do whatever I pleased with it. I’d use it to the grave. I’d even forge his signature to take out a home loan without permission. I did it, Zaimokuza! Now we can buy an apartment!
When I nodded hmm, hmm, Hayama glowered at me. “At least try to argue… You’re the type to write your own name on a video game you borrowed and then sell it, aren’t you? Yeah, no way.”
“Don’t misjudge me. I don’t do stuff like that. I’ve never had a friend to lend me a game in the first place,” I retorted proudly.
Hayama heaved a deep sigh, while beside him, Tobe waxed nostalgic. “Oh, I remember that guy—he wrote it in permanent marker, then went to sell ’em at Geo… I wonder how Akkun’s doing.”
Yuigahama’s mouth was hanging open in surprise as she just stared at us without a word. Curious, Hayama smiled gently at her and asked, “Is something the matter?”
“Oh, that was just a little surprising.” Yuigahama looked between me and Hayama, then laughed with a hint of pleasure.
Hayama closed his mouth uncomfortably and pretended to adjust his seat, but really he was trying to shift away from me.
Well, if you only knew Hayato Hayama as a nice guy, maybe seeing him being so mean to me was a bit shocking. Oh, that Hayama does have something of a personality, though…
As I was thinking this, Tobe, who had to know Hayama better than me, suddenly swept up the hair at the back of his head with a hint of pride. “Well, Hayato can be kinda savage sometimes.” Tobe grinned at him as if to say, Right?
Hayama cleared his throat and avoided the question. “Why is this even happening? I haven’t heard anything from Yukinoshita about this bait event.”
“Course you haven’t. We’re doing it on our own.”
Hayama cocked his head a couple of degrees, asking with his eyes, What’s that supposed to mean?
But it was because I didn’t want to explain that I’d given him such a short answer. I said nothing more, continuing to lean my face on my hand as I fell silent.
Though I’m sure Hayama could sense I wasn’t going to talk, he asked again, “You’re not doing it together…? Did something happen?” He maintained eye contact, setting his elbows on the table as he laced his fingers. He was going to wait as long as it took.
I quietly sighed. “That’s our business. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Instantly, something black wavered, stirring deep in Hayama’s eyes. I couldn’t quite say anything, but I managed to shrug back at him.
That didn’t mollify him at all, and I could feel the air drying and becoming tense. The others at the table must also have sensed that, too, as Tobe squirmed around uncomfortably.
Yuigahama’s eyes were lowered sadly, but eventually she broke the silence. “I think Yukinon…wants to prove she can do it herself. Like, she thinks at this rate, she’ll become dependent, so…she won’t rely on me…or Hikki. That’s what she’s decided.”
Hayama inhaled sharply, a little rattled. Then he asked slowly, emphatically, “…Is that what she said?”
Yuigahama didn’t look up, just nodded back.
“I see…” Hayama heaved a sigh and closed his eyes. I didn’t know what that meant. But I could pick up on his distress in the way he bit his lip.
A suffocating stillness passed, while the chatter in the restaurant felt like it was becoming louder. Yuigahama and I both closed our mouths and focused on our hands.
“Uhhhh, so, like, have you guys eaten? You aren’t hungry? Wanna order something?” Tobe gave us a forced grin and opened the menu. Either he found the awkwardness unbearable, or he was trying to be considerate.
Yuigahama looked over at me like, What’ll you have? I gave her a little shake of my head in reply.
“No, I’m good. I’m gonna get going soon.” I didn’t feel like I could say it out loud, but I hoped he got my silent Thank you.
Tobe seemed a little confused, though. “O-okay…”
Now that the silence was broken, Hayama breathed a short sigh. “I’ll offer my full cooperation for the prom itself. But I can’t help you—not with the captains’ association or as an individual… But I won’t stop any members from helping out if they want to… That’s as much of a compromise as I’ll offer.” Hayama’s gaze was focused on the cup in front of him. The reflection of its swirling black surface was all that his eyes revealed, and I couldn’t see any light in their depths.
“…Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. That’s enough,” I said.
Yuigahama looked at me with some unease. “Is that okay, Hikki?”
“Yeah.” I didn’t mind if the captains’ association was working with Yukinoshita and the student council. Just getting that promise from Hayama himself was enough. My end goal was to make their prom happen. It was just that she’d played her card first in the matter of the captains’ association, and the effect was about the same.
For my part, I just had to prepare another card for myself.
“I’ll handle the bill. Sorry for making you come all the way out here.” Snatching up the receipt, I stood from my seat, and Yuigahama hurried after me.
When we left the booth, Hayama seemed to debate whether he should get up, but in the end, he rose to his feet with a resigned sigh. As the last one at the table, Tobe quickly bolted down the rest of his pilaf and washed it down with cola before following us out the door.