Jerk.
Ryuuji woke with a start. The sun was dim. It was five o'clock in the
morning.
Waking up from a dream he couldn't really remember, a small flame
of anger still burned in Ryuuji's stomach even after sleeping on it. It wasn't
the same fury that had riled him up like the day before but rather a low
flame that smoldered steadily in his chest.
I was so angry I even woke myself up, Ryuuji thought, which made
him even angrier.
He got up, scratched at his head, went to the bathroom, and crossed
the cold, wooden floor of the kitchen with his bare feet to wash his hands.
He opened a cupboard, taking out the special, high-quality ham
Yasuko had brought back from the bar earlier. It had apparently come from
one of her customers. He had intended to save it for a special occasion.
For the time being, he would make the bento.
He was awake now, and if he did nothing, he'd just get annoyed. He
didn't care about the match between Taiga and Ami anymore; he'd deal
with the weather, the pool, and summer vacation later. For now, he was
making bento. Luckily, he had some leftover minced meat, and he could use
the chicken leg he had been meaning to cook for that day's dinner. He'd
start off with onions, and for the rest of the vegetables, he had eggplant, bell
pepper, and shiitake mushrooms. On top of the plentiful and complex side
dishes, the main course would be a ham maki roll. He would grill the ham
with plenty of butter and a little salt and pepper. Then, he would make a
giant, unvinegared maki roll with a sweetened omelet roll and the ham.
I'm going to do it. He was nearly desperate as he opened the
refrigerator.
The front door unlocked with a click.
"Oh, deary dear?"
Yasuko popped her head inside, looking perplexed. When she saw
her son, she grinned. "Why is Ryuu-chan uwp?~" She jumped up and down
happily, the strong smell of alcohol wafting around her.
"I woke up, so I thought I could make the bento."
When he poured her a glass of cold buckwheat tea, Yasuko was so
drunk she downed it in one go.
"Ahhh, yumm~ Oh, so did you mwake up wiss Taiga-chan yet?~"
"Not yet."
As he diced an onion, Ryuuji shook his head. There was no point in
saving face in front of a drunk person.
"Izzat so? Bwut, Ryuu-chan, you getting into a fight with someone,
that's a firsht isn't it?"
"Yup."
It was as his mother said.
Embarrassingly, until now Ryuuji had never once raised his voice to
anyone or gotten into a real fight. He'd had disagreements before and times
where he'd been angry on the inside and smiled to cover it, but this was the
first time he'd ever actually shown anyone his anger. It was the worst.
Yasuko exhaled loudly. "Whew! Why're you fwighting, what
haaappened? You went to the pwool on such gwood terms…"
And with that, she slumped to the kitchen floor. Ryuuji didn't bother
scolding her.
"Taiga said she didn't care what I did, and I got angry I guess."
"Hmmm, is that sooo? Buuut, Ryuu-chan…don't yoo get it? When
Taiga-chan shays stuff, she means the opposite, right?"
With splendid knife work, he finely diced the onion on the cutting
board in the blink of an eye. His eyes stung. This is a good onion, Ryuuji
thought.
"Shurely Taiga-chan must have given you a hint, right? Taiga-chan
would, definitely, 'cause she likes you, Ryuu-chan. She definitely…cares
about…what you do…"
Should probably dice one more.
"Maybe she dwoesn't know if she wants to be with you, but if she
really hated you, Ryuu-chan, a girl like that'd die before sharing the same
plate as you…is what…I think…"
Yasuko's chilly hand softly patted Ryuuji's leg, as if to cheer him up
or comfort him.
"Zzz…"
And with that, her hand slumped to the floor. Her snores reeked of
alcohol. Yasuko was wasted. Again.
"Jeez, you haven't even taken off your makeup…"
He washed the onion smell off his hands and carried his drunken
mother to her bedroom. He laid her on the futon he always put out for her
before he went to bed and was hit by a sudden wave of nostalgia.
The smell of perfume coming from Yasuko's chest was the same as it
was in the past; it never changed. Like spice, the refreshing and not
particularly sweet fragrance suited Yasuko unexpectedly well.
He remembered the dim, single room of a childcare facility in a
building and city that was even more rundown than this one. When Yasuko
arrived at dawn for him, he was so happy he had jumped into her arms,
even though he was sleepy. "Ryuu-chan! Sorry! Sorry!" she would say, and
he could smell her perfume.
Even though it was the middle of winter, there had been sweat
clinging to the nape of her neck. Whether she was wearing high heels or a
miniskirt, she had dashed as fast as she could from the bar to come get
Ryuuji.
Even though I tend to forget it, she's definitely my mom, Ryuuji
acknowledged. He was old enough to sleep alone now, but Yasuko's sweet
words still calmed him.
He put Taiga's bento box next to his own. Despite his anger, and
them being in the middle of a fight, in light of Yasuko's words, he would at
least make her bento. At any rate, they rarely had such amazing ham, so he
intended to make a special gourmet bento.
Am I a mama's boy?
What was wrong with that?
A gentle drizzle continued from the clouded, silver sky.
"Taiga! Hey, wait up!"
He chased the light lavender umbrella, avoiding puddles as he ran.
He finally caught up to her under a large Zelkova tree.
"I won't ask you to walk with me! The bento! Just this, take it.
'Cause I worked hard to make it. You didn't eat anything yesterday, right? I
put your breakfast into a separate Tupperware, so eat it when you get to
school."
"…"
Taiga was strangely silent, and her eyes were full of rage. She was
looking down at Ryuuji's feet with a cold expression, as if he were an
annoying pebble in her path.
The bento bag he held out to her hung in vain between them.
Then he took a single step, getting closer. He pushed the bento bag
into her hand. Droplets of rain splashed on the back of Ryuuji's hand.
"It's raining, huh?"
"…"
"I was really hoping for good weather."
Taiga looked up at Ryuuji's face for just a moment. He searched for
words as he kept holding the bento out to her. Not even he knew what he
should say to her. But they had already stretched the fight out into overtime,
and he wanted to make an excuse for giving her the bento in spite of the
argument. It's not like I'm asking for your forgiveness or anything, he
thought.
"I wanted the weather to clear up since it would be nice if you could
come out to the swimming match and…"
Huh.
As he was talking, Ryuuji tipped his head. Is that right? Do I want
Taiga to swim at the match? Maybe he did want her to go. That's what his
mouth had said.
But why?
It was because if he had to go to Kawashima's villa, that would cause
trouble.
But couldn't he just tell Ami, "I can't go"? Wouldn't that end the
conversation? It wasn't like she would kidnap him.
Even so, he wasn't able to say it. He hadn't said it.
Why didn't he say it before? Why hadn't he said it, and why had he
assumed Taiga would win the match for him? Was it because he'd gotten
dragged into all this without his consent? Was it because he hadn't had a
chance to say anything for himself? He had made excuses. He had assumed
she would actually be overbearing. He had assumed she would ignore his
feelings. But what exactly were those feelings?
Just as Ryuuji held back the words that would answer his own
question, it happened.
"Ah."
Taiga snatched the bento from Ryuuji's hand. "The bento didn't do
anything wrong," she said, her eyes cold. "So I'll just take it. But I won't
forgive you."
She closed the lavender umbrella forcefully.
A dazzling light shot into Ryuuji's eyes and he closed them tightly.
"I don't know about the match at the pool."
It doesn't matter that you don't know when the weather is like this.
Ryuuji finally opened his eyes. He dropped his umbrella in shock.
The silver clouds split for just a moment.
As they watched, the summer rays flowed through relentlessly,
warming their skin. The blue sky spread. A drop of light glittered on Taiga's
long, upturned eyelashes.
***
"Hey, you're always around the physical education room, and don't
show your face around the teachers' lounge much. So, I was thinking it
might be fun to talk with you. You never even come out with us for drinks."
"Nah, I'm a lightweight."
"Really, what do you do at night? Like on days off? Do you spend
time with your girlfriend?"
"I drink protein shakes and go to the gym."
"What, really?! Oh, wow, that's nice. Actually, I've been meaning to
go to the gym. I was thinking of starting up yoga or Pilates or something"
"The gym is great! They've got workout machines!"
"They have stuff like hot yoga there, too."
"And then there's weight lifting! Muscle building and power lifting!"
"Uuum… I'm not sure about weight lifting…"
"You know, recently, I've been feeling good! I've really built up my
body! What do you think?! What do you think about my back? Or my
shoulders? Or my thighs? What do you think?!"
"Y-you're really burly, wooow… Very brawny…"
"Please, I'm 'huge!' Hnghk!"
"Y-you're huge."
"And now say, 'You're ripped'! Right! Hah!"
"You're ripped."
It was no use, she couldn't get through to him. It was impossible.
Koigakubo Yuri (twenty-nine and unmarried) shook her head and stood up.
Haruta pointed and laughed. "Oho! Yuri-chan's leaving! How sad!"
Haruta sat next to Ryuuji under the very blue sky. Ryuuji's skin began
tingling as he started to quickly warm up.
"But the leading lady hasn't shown up yet today."
"Even though the weather's finally clearing up."
The dazzling midsummer sun blazed down on the students from class
2-C, but even though the pool was inviting, not a single person attempted to
go in. They sat in a row by the poolside, saying, "They're late!" or "How
much are you betting? On who?"
The tanned and muscled PE instructor had given the students
autonomy for the event and seemed quietly absorbed in sunscreen
application.
Ryuuji sat, as usual, beside Haruta, Noto, and Kitamura. He wiped
the beading sweat from his temple.
Pouting, Haruta poked Ryuuji's shoulders. "Eyy, Takasu. The
Palmtop Tiger's definitely coming, right?"
"I've got no clue."
Even to Noto, he couldn't say he thought she wouldn't come because
of their fight from the day before. Without his knowing it, the class had
cranked up the illegal gambling, and Ami and Taiga's fans were all but
starting a rivalry. Supposedly, there was even a tough guy who had bet
twenty shares. Everyone who bet on Taiga had said their reasoning was
"Because Takasu is brimming with confidence." If they learned Ryuuji was
the reason Taiga had abandoned the match, the atmosphere would sour
quickly.
Minori was the neutral referee. With a whistle hanging around her
neck, she sat quietly on the diving board.
Suddenly, one corner of the spectators stirred. Ryuuji looked up.
"Sooorry! Putting up my hair took a while~"
The ground seemed to shake with voices of admiration.
"Whoooooooooooo!"
Even Ryuuji automatically leaned forward and joined in.
Ami had jogged up to them. Her hair was in a beautiful braid, her
face was adorable, and her figure was just as perfect as it had always been.
But this time…
This time, she was in a jet-black bikini.
"A-a bikini!"
"I'll remember this day until the day I die!"
Her captivating cleavage cast a distinct shadow beneath triangles of
cloth that barely looked like they could hold her in. Her stomach was
muscular and sculpted, her small, vertical navel exposed. Ami had
graduated from angel to alluring demon.
"It's been raining constantly, so I couldn't dry out my regular
swimsuit," she said. "No way! What's with everyone?! Don't look at me,
that's embarrassing! I-I wonder if I'm breaking any school regulations! I'm
a little worried." Ami blushed, pouting her lip as if she were worried.
Couldn't dry her swimsuit? The last pool class was weeks ago. If
Ryuuji said that, it would probably be considered boorish. Still, he watched
the situation with his mouth half-open like an idiot.
Haruta grabbed his right ear. "That pretty Ami-tan's about to swim in
the pool, isn't she?"
Noto grabbed his left. "And she's doing that to take you, Takasu, out
to her villa, isn't she?"
"It's always about Takasu, why, why, why, why, why?"
"Why, why, why, why, why is it always about Takasu?"
"Owowowow!"
Envious, they glared at him.
"Jeez, cut it out, guys!" Ryuuji cried, squirmed in pain as they tugged
his ears. "I really don't know if there's going to be a match! For starters, if
Taiga doesn't come, that's a forfeit."
"Huh? The Palmtop Tiger's not coming? Why?"
"I don't know. This has gotten stupid and out of hand. She didn't care
about the match in the first place."
Uwaaaaaah! There was a second commotion, but this was slightly
different from the previous one. Ryuuji looked.
"Uwaaah!"
Everyone was astonished.
"That scared me! I thought the Palmtop Tiger finally came up in
arms!"
"I totally saw that in Full Metal Jacket!"
Taiga had appeared.
Her hair was in two buns, and her swimsuit was also a bikini. Kind
of. It was still the dark blue swimsuit with the faux boob pads. But her
small form was surrounded by a variety of flotation devices. She had swim
rings in all kinds of sizes blown up and attached to her. She held a
kickboard in each hand and carried beach balls and mats tucked under her
arms and elbows. It was a smorgasbord of things that would float. They
could barely even see her skin.
"W-wait a minute, you! Do you intend to swim like that?!" Ami
pointed at Taiga and raised her voice.
Taiga jutted her jaw. "That's right," she said calmly. "Is that not
allowed? Is there a ban on 'foreign objects?'"
"Of course there is, right?! If you can't swim, then you forfeit!"
"Is that so? Then take off your swimsuit. Swimsuits are foreign
objects, right? Are you planning on swimming naked? Whoa, that's
amazing. Though I'm pretty sure you'll be arrested."
"Y-you're twisting your own words!"
"Maybe. Or maybe you're just scared of losing? That's right, if you
somehow lost to me when I can't swim, that would be humiliating! That's
it, right? I get it."
Ami bit her tongue but immediately recovered her composed smile.
"Hmph. Then go ahead and do what you want. I honestly don't think you
can swim like that, but at least it's better than you drowning like you did
before."
"Thank you so much for your concern. You watch yourself, too.
Accidents in the water can be scary. You never know what might happen."
The preliminary skirmish ended, they turned away from each other.
With that, Minori stood up. "Well then, let's start the twenty-fivemeter freestyle, one-game match! Amin, give us a word of
encouragement!"
"Okay! Let's just have some fun, that's iiit," Ami said.
There was enthusiastic applause and the boys' burgeoning shouts of
joy echoed over the poolside.
"Ami-taaan! You're so cuuute!"
"Ami-tan, good luck!"
"I love you!"
"I'm serious!"
"Taiga, can we get a word from you, too?" Minori continued.
"Right. In that case, I'll be blunt. You there! With the bad
expression!"
Ryuuji jumped up in surprise at this sudden callout. On the end of
Taiga's extended index finger was a flake of seaweed… Upon closer
inspection, there were seaweed flakes around her mouth, too. Apparently,
she had diligently eaten the seaweed maki he'd made for breakfast.
"Don't let this get to your head," Taiga said. "I didn't come here for
you. I just saw this dumb Chihuahua—"
"Who are you calling a dumb Chihuahua?!" Ami exclaimed.
"…and her dumb bikini and wanted to embarrass her!"
"What do you mean by 'dumb bikini?!'"
"That's a dumb bikini. It's the first time I've seen an idiot wearing a
bikini to the school pool."
"You got a problem with it?! It's pretty!"
"'Pretty' ugly."
"What's with the air quotes?!"
With that, Taiga looked away.
Ryuuji's eyes glinted dangerously as he continued watching Taiga.
He wasn't trying to cut her swimsuit apart into a bikini with his eyes—he
was just surprised. Not by the number of flotation devices on her body, but
that Taiga had appeared at all.
He didn't think she'd actually participate. Because she said that,
didn't she? That she wouldn't forgive me. That she didn't care about the
match. And now she's saying it's because Ami's in a bikini…
Leaving Ryuuji in the dust, the peanut gallery applauded just as much
as they had for Ami.
"Show me the money!"
"The legend of the strongest continues on!"
"Fight!"
"My master!"
The cries were of a slightly different color but still more than
supportive. The pool trembled.
"Shut up, you idiots!" Taiga seemed to have plenty of morale of her
own. She bared her teeth, which only encouraged her team to cheer louder.
Then, at Minori's instruction, the two of them began stretching.
"And now…take your positions!"
Ami, with the learned movements of an athlete, bent over at the
diving board.
"Hey, can the Palmtop Tiger even dive?!"
"Wouldn't it be better if she went in from the side?!"
"Don't force her to do the impossible!"
Then Taiga stood imposingly on the diving board in a way that made
the audience uneasy.
Ami smirked at Taiga. Taiga saw this and looked away, completely
ignoring her.
"Ready!"
Minori, with one hand up, put her whistle in her mouth. The crowd
went silent. Ami's legs flexed as she gripped the diving board.
Then Taiga looked at Ami's lower torso and pointed unexpectedly.
"Oh, look. A hair."
"Huh?!"
Shrrreeeeee! The sharp sound of the whistle reverberated, starting the
match. Ami looked up, unsettled and then—
"Fnmuh!"
Huh?!
Taiga threw all the flotation devices, everything she had, at Ami.
Fwump! Ami wavered and began losing her balance on top of the diving
board, her timing completely messed up.
The tiger bared her teeth, and her eyes were like flames. She raised a
wooden sword, hidden until now by the flotation devices, in one hand. In
her other was a kickboard. Her red mouth open, she jumped on Ami.
"There!"
"KYAAAAAA!"
Taiga flew into a soundless, amazing roundhouse kick. She didn't hit
Ami, but the jump was picture perfect. Then she pushed Ami, who had
completely lost balance, headfirst into the pool with her pivoting foot. A
great column of water rose into the air, and Taiga jumped into the pool after
her.
As Ami sank, Taiga clung to her. Were they grabbing at each other?
Or fighting?
"What's going on?!"
"It's hot! It's too hot!"
In the middle of the screams and cheers, Ryuuji's mouth was also
wide open. What kind of person does that? Aisaka Taiga. You're… You're
okay with this?! You're okay with a match like this?!
Four white arms thrashed, rapidly slapping the water's surface as the
submerged fight continued.
"Pwah!" Taiga emerged first. She clung to the kickboard with a
crooked smile that would have sent even the devil running the other way.
Ami emerged, too, her large eyes wide. Hanging from the tip of the
wooden sword Taiga held high in one hand was…
"Eee!"
"Like I told you, it's a dumb bikini. And easy to take off. Both you
and the bikini are stupid!"
On the tip of Taiga's sword was the top half of Ami's bikini.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAA!" Ami shrieked.
"WHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAA!" the boys roared.
Hiding her exposed chest with her hands, Ami's angelic mask was
completely gone. She looked desperately for her swimsuit, but Taiga had it.
"There! If you want it, go and get it!"
Taiga waved the wooden sword as if she were casting a fishing line
and flung the wet swimsuit in the air. Splat. It landed on the fence behind
the starting line.
"I can't believe this! I can't believe it! I caaaaaan't!" Ami's crying
and fussing did nothing to change the reality of the situation. She was
hiding her chest with her hands but couldn't move one step forward from
where she was.
Taiga took her chance. Holding firmly onto the kickboard, she
kicked, skimming across the water at an unbelievable speed.
"Whaaa! This is definitely going to be a win for the Palmtop Tiger!"
"Damn it, you coward!"
"I'll save Ami-tan!"
Naturally, Ami's fans weren't going to stay silent while Taiga gained
more and more of a lead. They dashed to get Ami's bikini back to her.
"No way!"
"Sorry, Ami-chan, but we're not going to let you move!"
The Taiga fans began running. The two hostile forces collided, and
the bikini top landed in the hands of…
"Oh, wait a sec, let me smell it."
"Let me touch it, just even for a second."
The boys. They began trying to grab it from each other until someone
said, "We're all in this together! I don't care about the money or anything, I
just want to keep seeing Ami-tan like that!"
Yeaaah! They all looked over at Ami in agreement.
Ami, her pale, bare skin exposed, sank into the water to her chin and
yelled, "Hurry and give it back! You idiots!"
"Seriously, you horn dogs! Hand it over! Hey, Ami-chan, pass!"
"Thanks, Maya-chan!"
Maya, who had somehow cut through the group of boys, nabbed the
swimsuit and threw it toward Ami.
"Ami-taaan! I'll save you now!"
"I want to be near her, too!"
"Like I'd let you! The money, the swimsuit, and Ami-tan's white skin
are all mine!"
"I'm going to be the one to plant my flag!"
"Nooo!"
The idiots, brains clouded by perversity, were aiming for all sorts of
things as they jumped into the pool together, following the swimsuit.
Minori fervently blew her whistle.
"Hey, don't approach the athlete! I'll have you arrested for sexual
harassment! Gah! Seriously! Listen to me!"
But no one was listening.
"I got Ami-tan's swimsuit!"
"Give it to me!"
"Ami-tan, are you okay?! You're not hurt?!"
"Eek! Don't come near me, don't come near me, don't come near
me!" Ami bellowed.
"A-Ami-tan?"
"You sounded so scary just then!"
"No way ♥. Maybe you misheard me?" she said.
The girls signaled to each other, their angry expressions directed at
the boys.
"We won't forgive you!"
"Get a hold of yourselves!"
"You sexual harassers!"
The girls jumped in to forcibly pull the boys away from Ami and out
of the pool.
Haruta and Noto also jumped in, too.
"I want in!" Haruta shouted.
"How can I stand by for something as fun as this!" Noto said.
And they pushed Kitamura in with them, with a, "You come, too!"
Only Ryuuji, stunned, was left behind. His eyes met those of the
person who was trying her best to stay out of the bikini-stealing ring but
had a central role in the fight.
And Ami, even in a time like this, was grinning at Ryuuji.
"Tee-hee, do you want to see?~"
"You idiot!"
She gently shifted the hands that were hiding her chest. How could
she be so calm at a time like this?
Behind her, like a strange bird, the bikini flew above Ami's head.
"Pass it here!"
"Don't give it to a boy!"
The girls passed Ami's swimsuit around, back and forth, like an
amazing water polo play.
"Ami-chan, it's coming! Pass!"
"Yes, thank you!"
Finally, the swimsuit returned to Ami's hands. Ami sank deep into
the pool for a moment, and when she raised her head back up, her swimsuit
was back on. She went into an all-out front crawl right away.
The peanut gallery all focused their eyes on Ami. Only Ryuuji was
looking at Taiga. Is Taiga actually swimming? Is she going forward without
drowning? Is she being a klutz, is she running into trouble? Even though
they had fought the day before, he couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Whoa!" His exclamation was thick in his throat as he raised a cry.
Taiga had been struggling forward, but the next moment, her small
body sank into the water. Ryuuji stood; no one else had noticed. He ran
from the poolside and jumped in. With all his strength, he swam.
He could only see Taiga's arms slapping the water's surface. There
was no mistaking that she was drowning. But she has a kickboard, so how?!
Why?! he wondered as he swam, but there was no way to tell without
asking Taiga herself.
"Taiga! Are you okay?! You're doing a pretty good job at drowning!"
Holding her, he brought her face up out of the water, but Taiga
desperately flapped her arms and legs. Even though she was drowning, she
tried to tear herself from Ryuuji's hands. Her face twisted in anguish, and
her eyes were red with tears.
"Let go!" she cried. "Get away!"
"I can't let go of you when you're like this!"
"Shut up, I hate yooou… owowowowowow!"
"What's wrong?"
"M-my leg's cramped up!"
"It's karma for cheating!"
The match was done. Ryuuji tried to signal that to Minori.
"Heeey, I can still do it! The kickboard, the kickboard!"
Even though she was grimacing and coughing, Taiga slapped away
Ryuuji's hand and latched onto the kickboard once again. She pulled on her
apparently cramped right foot and forced herself to stretch it.
"Y-you're doing it?!"
Taiga stared straight ahead. "I'm doing it!"
"But you're—"
You just said you didn't care. You just said all you wanted to do was
embarrass the dumb Chihuahua. If you were just embarrassing her, you've
done more than enough. Ryuuji was at a loss for words.
Taiga stared hard at him and said, "You're happy, right?!"
"Wha…?"
"Don't 'wha' me! Your master's doing her best for you. Be happy,
you slow dog!"
Ryuuji didn't have time to say anything else before Taiga began
trying to swim again. He just grabbed Taiga's waist and pushed her
forcefully forward.
"Then go!" he said. "I'll wag my tail for you or whatever you want!"
Using the momentum he'd given her, Taiga restarted her flutter kicks
and smoothly resumed swimming.
But everyone had jumped into the pool. The swimsuit theft had
spawned an all-out boys vs. girls battle. They were tossing each other into
the pool, splashing water everywhere.
Then, someone was thrown forcefully in right beside Ryuuji.
"Huuuh?! Ryu—Ryuuji?!"
"Gwah, blergh, burble…"
Their elbow, or knee, or something made a clean hit on Ryuuji's
head. The strength left his entire body all at once, and he felt himself
sinking. Just as his vision began fading, he saw Taiga, who had apparently
turned around in surprise at the splash. She looked at him with her round
eyes. The noises of the pool became rowdier, and he knew no one else had
noticed.
"Ryuuji! Ryuujiii!" Taiga's voice became more and more muffled,
and his breath… Wait, no, he could breathe.
His unmoving body was pulled up by something strong and put…
onto a kickboard?
"Someone… Hey, someone…glug, glug…cough! Damn it!"
He could hardly call the small hands that held onto him strong. But
Ryuuji couldn't move his own arms, and his vision was black, and he was
definitely half-unconscious. He couldn't move; he couldn't even raise his
cheek from where it was stuck to the kickboard.
The kickboard rocked. Ryuuji began slipping, cold water flooding his
mouth. Right before he was about to choke, small hands firmly went around
his head. They were warm and gentle as they supported his chin. The water
that touched his skin tickled as it flowed evenly around him. They were
probably moving forward very quickly.
Finally, he was able to open his eyes a crack. Everything around him
was rocking even more intensely than he'd thought. Taiga was crying.
"Weeeh!"
But she kept her arm around Ryuuji's neck. Half-sinking, with one
hand desperately gripping the kickboard, she paddled. She was still heading
toward the finish line. Even though it had come to this, she couldn't let the
words I give up out of her mouth. Even though she was crying like a baby,
she wouldn't lose.
But something moving at great velocity began closing in on her…
something like a dolphin, picking up more and more speed.
Someone shouted, "Why are Takasu and Tiger both on the
kickboard?!"
"Waaah, they're being left in the dust!"
"Takasu, why you!"
"Go, go, Ami-taaan!"
Ryuuji couldn't argue. Still half-unconscious, he saw the dolphin
easily cut through the water. In the middle of the hoarse screams and
cheering, she easily breezed past the awkward, two-person kickboard team.
"Goal! Justice wins!" she said.
At the same time, the small hands cradling the kickboard lost the last
of their strength. "Oof."
Cheers rose up then immediately fell silent.
Someone muttered, "Huh, do you think Takasu and Tiger are
drowning?"
Yes, we are.
We're drowning.
Actually, Taiga, with an already injured foot and having used all of
her strength, had left Ryuuji and the kickboard on the surface as she sank.
"Whaaat?!" Ami shrieked.
SPLASH! A large, abnormally buff mass of muscle jumped into the
pool.
Kuro-muscle, who was responsible for supervising them, was in
trouble now.
"Cough…cough, cough, cough, cough!"
Taiga was on her knees and coughing painfully.
Next to her, Ryuuji was still half-unconscious. He was limp, laid out
on the ground by the pool and couldn't lift a finger. He could hear someone
far away asking, "Takasu, are you okay?!"
"He's breathing!"
"Okay, let's get him to the nurse's office!"
No, I'm fine. Finally, he got a lungful of oxygen. His dizziness began
clearing. Ryuuji attempted to rise onto his elbow to reassure everyone.
"Don't touch hiiiiiim!"
In his narrow field of vision, he knew something outrageous was
happening. Her hair limp and her eyes red, Taiga gave them a terrible look
as she straddled Ryuuji like a tiger.
"You're all idiots, idiots, idiots, idioooooots! Why didn't you notice?
Why didn't you help? You morons, don't come near him! Get away! I hate
all of you! Get away, get away!"
She had snapped; she had completely snapped. Kuro-muscle's hot
bod couldn't compare to Taiga's hot anger, and he flinched. The girl with
the name of a tiger had lost it. Her growling smacked of the wild, and her
shouts were mixed with tears.
"Ryuuji is miiiiiiiiiiiine! No one touch him! Ryuuji is miiiiiine!"
Everyone in class 2-C was silent.
The pool was silent.
The sky was blue, and the sun was hot.
"Hm? Huh?"
Taiga realized the meaning of the words she had unexpectedly yelled.
I'll pretend to still be unconscious for a little while longer. Ryuuji
closed his eyes firmly and let his consciousness slip away.
It may have been because he was literally unconscious, but Ryuuji
was smiling slightly. He was happy; his feelings were clear.
What Taiga just said made him happy. He'd been happy the whole
time.
The time when Taiga had taken his wrist and hidden him behind her
back.
The time when she said she didn't want to let him go to Ami's villa.
The time when she said she would keep practicing even as it rained.
And, also, probably the time when Taiga was angry when she saw
him with Ami.
He hadn't realized it until now, but he'd been happy. So even though
she had ignored him and he had been annoyed and they had fought, now, he
was smiling.
Taiga said to be happier, right? I'm happy, I was happy from the
start. He smiled.
"Eek?!"
"T-Takasu's plotting something!"
"Everyone hide!"
***
"It was like hell!"
BAM!
"H-hey…are you okay?"
Her head on the table, Taiga only raised her eyes as she glared at
Ryuuji. There was so much bloodlust in her gaze that it practically dripped
down her cheeks.
"Don't ask if I'm okay," she said, her low voice pitiful.
It had been two weeks since the last day of swimming classes and the
end-of-term exams. Even for the Palmtop Tiger, it had all been too much.
They were at their usual non-smoking sofas in their usual family
restaurant. Although their end-of-term ceremonies had ended, and it was
lunch, it wasn't crowded. Maybe it was because it was a weekday?
In any case, it was probably a good thing there weren't other
customers watching as Taiga kicked her feet like a child and verbally
abused Ryuuji.
"It's your fault, you dog! Because of you, I've had nothing but
horrible experiences! Menu!"
Ryuuji handed her the menu.
Indeed, the last few days had been difficult for Taiga. "Ryuuji is
miiiiiine," had apparently convinced the class that Taiga and Ryuuji were a
thing.
No matter how much Taiga denied it or made a fuss, they refused to
believe otherwise. In the end, even Kitamura and Minori were saying things
like "It was a long time coming," and "You've finally sealed it." They may
have been joking, but they still said it.
"Have you made up your mind?~ Hee hee, you're so steamy even in
the early afternoon!"
Like that.
"Minorin!" Taiga said. "I told you to stop already! You're terrible!"
"Sorry, sorry! It's a joke, a joke! Don't cry, don't cry!"
Minori, who had gotten to the restaurant one step ahead of them,
patted Taiga's head with a bowl. She was in her pale orange waitress
uniform.
"What a mess," she said, looking at Ryuuji.
"You're the one who made her cry."
"Did I? Ha ha!"
Don't laugh. Go do your work. He couldn't say it out loud. They
weren't close enough for him to joke with her like that.
Ryuuji looked quietly at Minori's smile and thought, She really is
dazzling. He couldn't even look at her directly. It filled his chest with a
mysterious buzz. He couldn't pass it off as the completely unqualified,
unrequited love of before. He was still in love with Minori, but…
That reason he was doubting himself was because of the grumbling
person before him right now. It was because of that tiny person who was
telling Minori off for rubbing her head. Since the incident at the pool,
Ryuuji had been slightly confused.
First off, he was happy about her saying, "Ryuuji is miiiiiine." It was
true, and lying to himself wouldn't help. And the feeling was mutual, to an
extent: He liked Taiga. If he didn't like her, he wouldn't take care of her.
And he himself had said that a tiger and dragon came as a set.
But he didn't just like her like a guy liked a girl, did he? Maybe it
was just friendship or brotherly love. There were a lot of other emotions
like that, weren't there? That's probably what this was. Whatever it is, Taiga
is Taiga, and liking her like that is fine, he decided.
The problem was Taiga.
What had Taiga been feeling when she declared "Ryuuji is miiiiiine"?
Could it be…? Ryuuji couldn't help wondering. As a result, his stomach
was in knots, and he couldn't feel at ease.
"Wait! I told you to stop that, didn't I?! You broke dog!" Taiga shook
him violently, as if trying to produce money from his pockets.
Someone at the next table said, "Excuse me, can we order?" and
Minori had to rush over to do her job.
"What is it with you?" Taiga was clearly in a bad mood.
"Huh?!"
A dubious presence drifted into the toxic atmosphere between them.
"You were looking at me just now. What? What is it? Do you have
something to complain about?"
"N-no. I wasn't looking at you."
"You were! You're the worst! You've been ogling me since lunch and
imagining unspeakable things, haven't you?"
"What?! Why would you think that?!"
"…"
"Don't ignore me!"
Agitated, he clambered to his feet—just as people he recognized
walked in.
"Yo! Did we keep you waiting?"
"Takasu-kun, sorry for making you wait! Oh, sorry for making this
little one wait, too."
Ami, as if it were natural, sat herself down next to Ryuuji at the fourseater table. Then, out of necessity, Kitamura sat next to Taiga.
"What's wrong, Aisaka?" Kitamura asked. "Why are you gulping
down your water? You're going to get a fountain drink anyway, aren't
you?"
Taiga turned away, still guzzling her water. She couldn't bring herself
to look at him. The ice in the bottom of her glass tumbled against the tip of
her nose.
"Ahhhhhhhhh! Taiga! You're spilling it!"
"Uhhh." Like a child, Taiga let water dribble over her chin.
Ryuuji quickly pulled out his pocket tissues and wiped the table,
cleanly and methodically mopping up anything that might spill onto Taiga's
lap.
There! He nodded amicably.
Ami nestled up to his arm as though to fawn on him. "Hey, Takasukun, why did you call me here? Oh, maybe it's because of the villa? In that
case, next time we meet up, we can start planning the trip."
"I called you here, you dumb Chihuahua."
"Huh?!"
Taiga turned her body completely to the right to keep from touching
Kitamura, but the left half of her impish face was the color of cherry
blossoms. "I decided I'm going, too. To your villa. Because I lost at your
match. I'll be in trouble without Ryuuji to take care of me. Ryuuji's mother
can fend for herself, but she can't look after me. So there's no helping it!
I'm going with him. Deal with it!"
"Huh? Wait a second!" Ami exclaimed. "How can you suggest
something so selfish?!"
In actuality, it was Kitamura who had suggested taking Taiga to
Ami's villa, and he had asked them to try to get Ami to agree.
"I'm also planning on going, and Kushieda is going, so in that case,
don't you think everyone should come along?" Kitamura had said. Ryuuji
and Taiga still couldn't figure out what his true motives were. Still, it was a
chance for Taiga to go on a trip with Kitamura. Taiga had hesitantly agreed
on the condition that if Ami said no outright, they'd back off.
Kitamura, enjoying himself, pushed up his glasses and spread out a
calendar he had drawn with freehanded lines on loose-leaf paper.
"Good!" he said. "So then, let's choose a schedule. First, I have a
student council retreat here, and softball club retreat here, a practice match
here…"
"Y-Yuusaku?! What are you deciding that on your own for?"
"Hey, Kushieda, are you free now? We're deciding the trip schedule."
"Oh! Let me see?! Ummm, I have club at the same time as Kitamura
here, and here, and I'm in work shifts all through here, so I think this time
might be the best."
"I don't have anything in particular. I might need to visit some
graves, but I can do that any time. Taiga, you don't have anything either,
right?"
"No. I wouldn't go on a family trip even if it killed me."
"In that case, let's make it this week—"
"W-w-wait! Wait a second! Why are you making these decisions
about my villa?! Why is everyone else calling the shots?!" Ami stood,
raising her voice. She snatched up Kitamura's calendar.
Looking up at Ami's flushed face, Taiga whispered, in her usual
monotone, "Is the villa too small?"
"Huh?! Of course not! My parents pay a ton of money for it!"
"Ahhh, so it's so run down you don't want anyone to see."
"Of course not! It's super big and pretty and the scenery is great, and
it's waaay better than your condo!"
"Then show us."
"Wha…?"
"Why not? Show me. I want to go, too."
Ami opened her mouth, at a loss for words for a moment. She
frowned sullenly. "Seriously?"
The angel was gone. Ami thumped into the sofa as she sat down hard
and threw the calendar back onto the table. "Fiiine. I'll do it. Gladly. I'll
blow your mind with my super celebrity villa. Even if I say no, you'll still
find a way to come anyway, right?"
Taiga smirked, lightly contorting her lips. "Good."
Kitamura laughed. "Ami, this summer seems like it'll be a lot of
fun," he whispered, but Ami either hadn't heard him or pretended not to
listen. Either way, she didn't reply.
They returned to their conversation about the schedule.
"Oh. I see," Ami said, her voice thick with laughter. What didn't kill
her just made her stronger. She really wasn't a normal person. "Aisaka-san.
You have anxiety about being away from Ryuuji? Right? You're thinking
I'm going to steal him so you want to come along? After all, 'Ryuuji is
miiiiiine'…right? ♥"
Oh no, this is dangerous, Ryuuji looked at Taiga. Ami had practically
body slammed a land mine—she wouldn't escape unscathed.
But when Taiga raised her head, her expression was unexpectedly
calm. "Right. I guess I'll clarify that."
She lifted her chin, her posture perfect. She was facing everyone
rather than just facing Ami. "You know, how should I put this? I feel like no
one's going to approve."
Ryuuji was uneasy. What's with her? What's she trying to say?
"I admit it. I saw this dumb Chihuahua and Ryuuji together, and I
was super angry about it."
Even Minori, who finally had a moment to spare, had heard and
almost dropped her bowl at Taiga's confession. Kitamura pushed up his
glasses. Ami was on the verge of saying something but held her breath.
Somehow, Ryuuji knew Taiga was about to say something
monumental. Her face was that serious.
"I said Ryuuji is mine. I won't ask you to pretend that didn't happen.
I do really feel that way. Because that's…basically…" Taiga quietly closed
her eyes, placing her white hands on her chest.
Nobody could speak, and Ryuuji felt like his heart was about to jump
out of his mouth. No way. No way, why would you say something like that
in a place like this? If you're going to say something like that, we should
talk it over alone together and, in a calmer, more normal—
"Uh…"
Taiga opened her beautiful, glittering eyes, staring intently at Ryuuji.
Ryuuji was so unsettled, he backed away as far as he could go. Then the
following words issued steadily from her rosy lips: "Because he's my dog."
"Huh?"
"He's my dog. I thought I didn't care what he did with other people,
but that's not the case. For example, as his owner, I can't let my own dog
get excited and pant and breathe all over an old man I don't know. What if
he started humping his back or something?!"
Without thinking, Ryuuji sank down, down, down into the sofa. He
didn't know whether he was exhausted or relieved, or… Well, it's fine. It's
fine, really.
"What's with that face? What were you expecting?" Taiga stared
Ryuuji down with a venomous, teasing smile.
"I wasn't expecting anything." Ryuuji righted and recomposed
himself, and dropped his eyes to the calendar. Summer vacation began the
following day. He would forget all the dull things and have a good time. I'll
have fun, he thought.
He would have fun, even if he spent the majority of his vacation with
Taiga, who he was always with. The good times they had together would
continue through summer vacation.
Ryuuji felt a cold sensation against his leg. Under the table, Ami had
her fingertip on his knee. "What?"
Ami smirked. In a quiet whisper that no one else could hear, she said,
"Too bad it's not just the two of us. But don't worry, we'll have lots of
chances to be alone." Her profile was gentle and angelic; there was no
apparent evil in her expression. No one noticed, and his heart jumped
slightly.
"Good! Then let's decide on this day for the trip!" Kitamura said.
They applauded.
And so, the curtain closed on the first semester of Takasu Ryuuji's
second year of high school.