Chapter 16:A sudden request

The hallway buzzed with voices and footsteps, students eager to escape the confines of class as the final bell rang. Yaso walked at his usual pace—neither fast nor slow—his gaze trailing along the polished floor tiles beneath his feet. He hadn't taken more than a few steps from the classroom when a familiar voice chirped from behind.

“Yaso-kun ! Wait up!”

Yaso didn’t stop. “No.”

Daichi skidded slightly as he caught up to him, grinning despite the cold response. “Come on, man, at least listen to what I have to say this time!”

Yaso sighed, his hands tucked into his blazer pockets. “You have thirty seconds. Make them count.”

Daichi pressed his palms together dramatically, then launched into his pitch with the energy of a child unwrapping a birthday present. “Alright! So, the school festival is coming up, and I’m teaming up with Sunohara-Chan—you know, childhood friend, cute, a little bossy. Anyway! We’re planning to run a takoyaki stand. And we need one more person to help out. Just someone to greet customers, look pretty—uh, I mean, presentable—and maybe wear something fun.”

Yaso narrowed his eyes. “Something fun?”

Daichi’s smile twitched. “Details, details. Point is—you’d just be standing there, looking cool, maybe saying ‘Irasshaimase!’ now and then. That’s it! Easy. And it’ll be fun! Probably.”

Yaso didn’t respond immediately. The last time he got roped into one of Daichi’s whims, he ended up face-first on the gym floor thanks to her spike. The memory of the volleyball match—and waking up in the nurse’s office to Hoshiko-sensei’s teasing smirk—was still painfully fresh.

Still… something about Daichi’s request didn’t feel entirely unwelcome. After all, trying something different wasn't always a bad thing. The rooftop lunch, the accidental conversation, the surprise judo match—each odd encounter had tugged him, little by little, out of the quiet shell he’d kept wrapped around himself.

“I’ll think about it,” Yaso muttered at last, and walked away before Daichi could say more.

He didn’t have a destination in mind, but his feet carried him automatically through the building, past windows streaked with the gray of a cloud-covered sky. The air was heavy with the promise of rain, but it hadn’t started yet. Somewhere between daydreaming and avoiding the noise of the courtyard, Yaso found himself standing before the stairwell that led to the rooftop.

He hesitated for a second. Then, without much thought, he started climbing.

When he pushed open the door, the wind greeted him with a soft gust. The rooftop was quiet, framed by the stillness of cloudy skies and the distant hum of city life. And there—by the railing—stood Hoshiko-sensei, her arms folded loosely as she gazed out over the school grounds.

She hadn’t noticed him. 

Yaso walked over and sat on one of the benches, a fair distance from her. He didn’t say a word. Just stared out ahead, his thoughts still tangled with Daichi’s pitch, the odd days behind him, and the weightless way time passed when he was here.

A few minutes passed.

Then her voice cut gently through the breeze. “If you're going to come up here, Yaso , at least announce yourself. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

He glanced her way but didn’t offer an apology. “You looked busy.”

She turned, walking over and taking a seat beside him—closer than he expected,  so. “What were you thinking about?” she asked, tilting her head just enough to catch a glimpse of his expression.

“I was thinking about whether or not I should accept Daichi’s offer.”

Hoshiko raised an eyebrow. “Daichi? Don’t tell me he dragged you into another sports club.”

Yaso smirked faintly. “No. A takoyaki stand. For the school festival.”

“Ooh.” She leaned back slightly, her tone amused. “I can already picture it—Yaso in a cute apron, handing out fried octopus balls with a deadpan face.”

He turned away. “Not helping.”

“Why the hesitation?” she asked, her voice softening just a bit. “You survived volleyball.”

“Barely,” he muttered, then added, “And that was you spiking a ball into my face.”

“Hmm, true,” she said, feigning innocence. “But that was just an accident. You made a great cushion for the gym floor.”

Yaso shot her a dry glance.

She chuckled. “Jokes aside... you’re really thinking about it?”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah. I guess… it’s not so bad to try something different now and then.”

“Growth,” she said with mock drama. “Our silent prince is blooming.”

“Please stop calling me that.”

“Make me,” she teased.

He sighed again, but didn’t move away. She rested her hands behind her on the bench, lifting her chin toward the clouds.

“I might stop by, you know. If you end up working that stand.”

Yaso blinked. “Why?”

“To see you squirm in public, of course,” she said sweetly, then added, “And maybe because I like takoyaki.”

He turned his face away slightly. “I was going to say yes anyway. You didn’t need to show up.”

Hoshiko leaned a little closer, trying to catch his expression. “Hmm? Did you say something just now?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.”

For a few moments, neither of them spoke. The wind tugged gently at their hair . Below, faint echoes of students still lingered in the courtyard, laughter and chatter mixing with the hush of coming rain.

Yaso’s fingers curled slightly in his lap. There was something quietly stirring in his chest—something he was starting to recognize. It wasn’t the confusion of before, or the blank unease he used to feel when confronted with unfamiliar things.

No.

Now, it was something he could  name.

Something he wasn’t quite ready to say out loud.