When I arrived at school the next morning, I was a bit surprised to find that Gōjun was not accompanying Shunsui. Usually, every morning, the reddish-brown-haired young man would pick the latter up from his house for them to come to school together.
However, even if Gōjun was not with him today, Shunsui was not standing all alone in front of the gate. There was a young man with him, someone of our own age, who was wearing our school uniform, but whom I had never seen before.
'Ah, Hime!' the reddish-brown-haired young called when he caught sight of me, and running up to him, I greeted him good morning all timidly.
'Let me present you to someone!' he declared, cheerfully. 'This is Suzaku Kaneshige! He's an old friend. Gōjun and I have known Suzaku in elementary school. Since his parents are always traveling around, he mostly studies at home. But they have decided to stay in Kokubunji for a while, and so, Suzaku has decided to join formal school again.'
I see…
'Your name is Hime Kirigakure, right?' the young man told me, with a large smile.
He was tall and slender, and had blond hair which was spiked at the back, with long emo-like bangs in the front. His eyes were cerulean blue, and he had milky-white skin. He wore a single piercing on his left earlobe.
'Shunsui was just telling me about you. It's really nice to meet you!'
'It's really nice to meet you too,' I replied, with a shy smile, bowing down.
A car pulled up in front of the school at that moment. It was Gōjun, and the moment he got down from the vehicle, his eyes instantly fell onto the blond male, his expression filling with surprise.
'Suzaku!' he said. 'Long time no see!'
'Yo!' the blond-haired young man greeted him, with a happy smile. 'I'm going to be studying in the same class as the three of you! Isn't that nice, Hime-chan?!'
He looked at me as he said that last part.
Hi- Hime-chan?
'You don't mind that I call you like this, do you?' he asked. 'You're just so cute!'
I couldn't help but blush a little.
'Now, come on!' Shunsui told him, in a giggle, sending his arm around my neck. 'Let's show you to our classroom! It's so much fun to have you back with us!'
We started to walk and the two young men chatted with each other for half a minute, before Shunsui paused down to look over his shoulder at Gōjun, when he realized that the latter was not following us.
I looked over my shoulder too at Gōjun. The latter was frowning unhappily. I was a bit intrigued.
'Gōjun, hurry up! The bell is about to ring!' Shunsui called at him, ignoring his expression, before he got back to walk again, ushering me along with him.
A short while later, after Suzaku Kaneshige had presented himself to the class upon the request of the teacher, the blond-haired young man moved to take the empty seat available just next to my desk.
'I'm going to take this seat!' he told me, cheerily. 'We're now neighbors, Hime-chan! I'm already loving formal school!'
I couldn't help but blush again. The next fraction of a second, I heard a small sound just behind me on Gōjun's desk. It was the sound of something breaking. Immediately, I took a short glance behind me at his table, but I didn't see what he had in his hand that had made that sound. Very quickly, I had to look back to the front as the teacher called the class to attention. And soon, I had forgotten about it.
At lunch, Shunsui invited the blond-haired male to take his meal with us.
'And so, you prepare them their bentō?!' he exclaimed at me. 'All of this looks so delicious to me!'
Putting away his own bentō box, unexpectedly, the blond male brought his chopsticks to my box, asking me, 'Do you mind if I taste?'
Even before I could answer him, he had picked something out of my bentō box and brought it to his mouth, only to exclaim, in a delighted tone, 'Yatta! This is so good! Ne, ne, Hime-chan, would you mind to prepare me my bentō as well? I promise that I'll pay for all the ingredients!'
Eh?!
'O-Okay,' I whispered, blushing once again in shyness.
'Cool!' he cried, and without giving any warning, he ruffled my hair with his hand, playfully. 'You're so kind!'
***
Shunsui Shigeizumi was starting to find it difficult to refrain himself from smiling as he observed Gōjun Shoran's reaction. The latter was not eating. He was fixating the blond-haired young man interact with the dark-haired girl, with an unhappy look.
And when the blond male lifted his hand to ruffle the dark-haired girl's hair, Shunsui saw Gōjun's own fingers tightened on the chopsticks in his hand unconsciously, and they broke under his force.
The dark-haired girl and blond young man looked at him instantly in puzzlement, while Shunsui turned his face slightly to the side to cover his mouth with his hand, trying his best not to giggle.
Oh, Gōjun! Gōjun! Gōjun! Is this jealousy that I can read on your face?!
***
Sports class was atrocious.
The new sports teacher seemed to take keen pleasure at tormenting his students, especially Shunsui and I. And when the class was over, he picked only the two of us to give us the responsibility to carry all the equipments back to the gymnasium.
'Why us?' Shunsui demanded, complainingly.
'Because I'm the teacher and therefore, I decide!' the man answered, in a dismissive tone, walking away, and I thought the reddish-brown-haired young man was going to jump at his throat.
'Is he looking for me or something?!' Shunsui roared, balling up his fists in front of himself. 'It's clear! He's looking for me! If he continues like this, he's going to find me!'
Taking a deep breath, I let out a heavy sigh, and turned to face the basket of footballs. It looked so heavy!
'I'm going to-' Gōjun started to say to me, moving exactly in direction of the said-basket, but out of the blue, Suzaku Kaneshige picked the basket up in both his hands and started to carry it in direction of the gymnasium, telling me, with a smile, 'I'm going to carry this for you, Hime-chan! It's too heavy for you!'
'Oh! Th- Thank you,' I told him, returning the smile, before I looked at Gōjun's face, wondering if he had been about to propose to me to carry it for me just before the blond male had picked it up.
His expression caused me to flinch.
He- He looks so angry!
I guessed that the answer was yes.
'You could help me put this inside!' I told him, in a nervous giggle, pointing at the volley ball net, but he turned his face away and started to move towards Shunsui, muttering at me that he was going to help the latter.
Closing my eyes, I let out another nervous giggle.
Why is he so angry?
After school, Shunsui decided that we would not go to his house, but instead, we would attend extracurriculars.
'Eh?!' I flinched. 'Are you- Are you serious?'
'Yes. If he thinks that we're going to stop going to the club just to avoid him, he's dead wrong!' he stated, with fervor.
'You do realize that we almost never go to the club, don't you? Wisdom would dictate that-'
'Almost never. Not never,' he interjected. 'There's a nuance! I'm going to show him who is the strongest!'
'It's childish!' Gōjun stated.
But Shunsui was not listening. 'If he thinks I'm not going to run away in front of him!'
His decision was made.
And inevitably, I could not escape extracurriculars either.
I hung my head and sighed.
'Well, I have my own club to attend!' Suzaku Kaneshige told us, with an awkward smile, and on this, he was gone.
'And, I'm going to my dōjō!' Gōjun asserted, leaving too.
EH?!
This meant that I was the only one left to deal with Shunsui and the red-haired male's conflicts!
I started to panic, but even before I could say anything, the reddish-brown-haired young man was already dragging me towards the gymnasium by the back of my collar.
And as could be expected, extracurriculars didn't went by without there being frictions between Shunsui and our new sports teacher. The atmosphere became electric whenever these two found themselves in each other's presence. And instead of concentrating on the activities of the club, these two became busy at getting back at each other.
I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, because this conflict between the two of them had arose because of me in the first place; if I had not been late for sports, I would not have been punished, and Shunsui would not have had to defend me.
When we left the club in the late afternoon, I was exhausted both physically and mentally. But Shunsui was still full of energy. He dropped me off at my house to go on a rendezvous with a group of girls.
I wondered how long this situation was going to last at school. If I dreaded sports before, it had turned into a complete aversion now.
***
The following day, during Osoji...
'Gōjun!' I called at him, ecstatically, when I caught sight of him in the corridor, and running up to him, I held my hair with my hand, telling him, 'Look at this! It's beautiful, isn't it? It's Suzaku who has done my hair like this!'
The blond-haired young man had a real talent at doing people's hair. It reminded me of Byakuya Nosaku. He had tied my hair up in a chignon with a Kanzashi. I didn't know how to tie my hair like this and I was loving it.
'And the Kanzashi is a gift from him to thank me for preparing his bentō!' I informed Gōjun, with a cheery smile when, unexpectedly, he pulled the Kanzashi off violently, undoing my hair.
'Gōjun,' I breathed, feeling a bit shocked.
Why did he do this?!
I had been so happy. It was so unkind of him.
But I was going to be further shocked by his next action.
Staring at me angrily in the eyes, he broke the Kanzashi in his hand into two, only to throw it on the floor at my feet and fling around to flounce away for our classroom.
Gōjun…
I stared after him for a whole minute, before I got down onto my knees on the ground to pick the broken Kanzashi up in both my hands, feeling a bit dejected.
Why did he do this?
***
Shunsui Shigeizumi backed away into the doorway of the classroom without losing a second the moment he saw Gōjun Shoran coming into this direction. And when the latter entered the room, the reddish-brown-haired young man kept his expression neutral, pretending as if he had not seen anything.
'Did something happen?' he asked him, in an innocent tone.
'No!' Gōjun stated, coldly, making his way past him, without looking at him.
Eh! He's angry!
Shunsui couldn't help but giggle silently to himself at his friend's back.
Ah, Gōjun! Gōjun! Gōjun! You're feeling jealous, aren't you?
***
Shunsui decided that we would attend extracurriculars that day as well, and evidently, this ended up in more frictions between our new sports teacher and him.
Earlier in sports, we had both found ourselves in charge of taking all the equipments back to the gymnasium once again just like on the previous day, while usually this task was supposed to be assigned on rotation. This had unnerved Shunsui quite a lot, as it was clear that we had become the red-haired male's favorite target.
Gōjun decided to attend extracurriculars with us that day, and when Shunsui tried to jump at the throat of the red-haired man, he managed to restrain the reddish-brown-haired young man.
'If I don't get you sacked before the end of next week, I promise that I'll get my name changed!' Shunsui shouted at the man.
Pausing down in his way towards the door of the gymnasium, the latter muttered with a defiant smile, 'Yeah! I would like to see that!'
'Stop provoking him!' Gōjun stated at the man, with a severe look, and the new teacher stared at him seriously for a minute, before he made a mocking sound, and flung around to continue for the door, disappearing out of it.
'Dammit! I hate that guy!' Shunsui roared, stomping his foot on the ground, angrily.
A few minutes later, as we came out of the building after having changed ourselves, in all of a sudden, we came across of the director, and as could be expected, the reddish-brown-haired young man confronted him, seizing him by his tie, Gōjun helping him in it.
'Oi! You old geezer! What did you go saying to that guy, huh?' Shunsui demanded at the him, giving him a murderous look.
I cringed away, and so did the man.
'Wh- Wh- Who are you talking about?' he stammered. 'What guy?'
'He's talking about the new sports teacher!' Gōjun groaned.
'I don't understand what you're saying!' the man stated, taking his handkerchief out to wipe his forehead with it.
I thought he was going to have a heart attack.
They're so terrifying!
'Now, let go of my tie! Come on, let go of my tie now, if you don't want me to sue you for assault!' the man exclaimed, with more rigor, even if his whole frame was shaking.
'G-Guys! Stop it!' I said, putting my hands up at them pacifically, but they weren't listening.
'Eh?! We want an answer from you!' Shunsui snapped at him, tightening his grip on his tie.
'That's enough! What is this school?! I'm fed up! More than fed up!' the director shouted, losing what he had left of composure, and holding his head in-between his hands, he started to swing it round and round.
At this, Shunsui released him, backing off with Gōjun, and looking at each other's face, they both wondered, cynically, 'What's up with him? Is he going crazy?'
Taking advantage of the opening, the old man took to his heels, still holding his head in-between his hands, only to pause down in the distance to shout at them testily that he was going to complain to Tsubasa-sama, before he ran out of sight.
I giggled awkwardly to myself as I stared after him.
They're going to give him a heart attack someday!
When I turned to face the boys again, I flinched at the look in Shunsui's eyes. He had put one of his fists up, his expression more than determined, his eyes having a terrific glint in them.
'Saien Natsume! It's going to be a total war!' he asserted, with an even more terrifying grin, and I could almost see his brain working, devising all kind of plans.
Pressing my eyes shut, I giggled nervously.
I had never seen him so out of himself before.
And there was also Gōjun…
We headed for the reddish-brown-haired young man's house after that, and Suzaku Kaneshige joined us there. Shunsui had invited him for dinner.
As we were all sitting in the kitchen taking our meal together, the blond-haired young man looked at me at one point, to say, 'Ah, Hime-chan! I've noticed that you're not wearing the Kanzashi anymore.'
This made me jump a little in panic.
'Uh- W-Well-' I stuttered, taking a glance at Gōjun. 'It's just that, I-I liked the Kanzashi so much that I didn't want it to get damaged, and so, I decided to put it in my bag.'
'Ah, Hime-chan! You're so adorable!' he told me, in a small chuckle.
Lowering my head, I stared at my plate, feeling utterly embarrassed at the big lie I had just said.
***
Next day...
I was glad that it was finally the weekends, for it meant no sports, no extracurriculars. On top of that, we were on the first of July, in other words, we were now officially in summer.
After having visited my mother at the hospital, I made a small jump at Katsura-san's house to visit her as well, after which, I headed to Shunsui's house to get to the stove. And soon, Suzaku Kaneshige arrived to join himself to the boys. It was Shunsui who had invited him to spend the entire day with them, so that they could catch up a bit over the years that had gone by ever since the last time they had had the chance to sit with one another like this.
When we were done with lunch, Shunsui proposed that they play a small poker match, while they would sip a few beers and smoke a cigarette or two together, and I came in the living room to serve them the wagashi that I had just finished to prepare.
'Hime-chan! Sit with us! You're going to be my lady-luck!' Suzaku Kaneshige declared at me, with a cheerful smile, and grabbing my hand, he pulled me down to make me sit at the low table with them.
'Lady-luck?' I asked, my eyes widening at him a little.
'Yes. I'm sure you're going to bring me chance!' he answered, and picking a Daifuku up, he bit into it, only to ruffle my hair and exclaim, 'This is the best Daifuku I've eaten in my life! You're really very good at cooking, Hime-chan!'
I blushed in embarrassment.
Out of the blue, Gōjun reached out to seize the blond male's hand and yanking it off my head, he twisted it, growling, 'Don't touch her so familiarly!'
I was filled with surprise.
'Ow! Gōjun! You big brute!' the blond-haired young man whined, grabbing his own wrist and wriggling it from all sides in pain, Gōjun having released him. 'Why did you do that?! It hurts!'
But the latter didn't respond. He simply turned his face away, sullenly.
Oh, Gōjun...
What's going on?
A few hours later, Shunsui decided that we should all go out a little and the planner was cinema, dinner at the restaurant, and to finish, a small trip at the karaoke. And soon, we had set out.
As we were heading in direction of the cinema hall on the plaza, suddenly, Gōjun approached me from behind.
We had both fallen backward in the group. Shunsui and Suzaku Kaneshige were still walking a few meters ahead of where we were, busy talking to each other, while Gōjun had disappeared into a shop for a minute, having asked us to continue without him.
As his hand came down onto my shoulder, I paused down and turned my head around to look at him.
'Here! This is for you, Princess!' he stated, lifting his other hand up to give me what he had in his possession.
Automatically, I opened my palms to accept what he was giving to me.
As I looked down, my eyes widened when I saw that it was a Kanzashi.
'I didn't want to put you in embarrassment in front of Suzaku yesterday!' he told me.
'Gōjun...' I breathed, looking at him in the eyes again, feeling both surprised and touched by the gesture.
Looking away, he muttered, poutily, 'You could check on the internet about how to do your hair on your own!'
And on these words, he thrusted his hands into the pockets of his jeans and started to walk to catch up with Shunsui and the blond-haired male, while I stood there, staring after him, completely motionless, still quite surprised.
'What are you doing?' he demanded at me, pausing down in the distance to look at me when he noticed that I was not following. 'We're going to leave you here!'
At this, I got moving on the spot, while I held the Kanzashi he had gifted to me carefully against my heart with both my hands.
It was the first time that Gōjun was gifting me something. I was going to keep it preciously.
Thank you for reading!
Glossary
-chan - not usually used for people one has just met, it is a Japanese honorific expressing endearment