Chapter 5

The following week Minami stood in the hallway during lunchtime talking on the phone. “Yes, I know it’s a lot to ask.” She said as Ryusuke poked his head out the door to see what she was up to, “I just honestly feel like I can’t do this without you. It’s a new place, and it’s going to be scary, but I think you can do it.” After a few moments passed, Minami smiled as she said, “Really?! Thank you so much!” She turned and saw Ryusuke before saying, “Alright, I gotta go; I love you.” She then hung up the phone and walked over to Ryusuke,

“I love you?” He asked, “Have you been going out with Yakuza behind our backs?”

“No, I haven’t; I’m still single.” She responded, “However, I was just talking to my best friend. I want them to come out for our first game.”

“Huh?! We have a game?!”

“Yeah,” she said with a nod, “I talked with the principal this morning, and he said we have a qualification match in about a month! This will then let them see where we are at with our skills, and we might be able to compete regionally!”

“Wow! That’s great!”

“Yep! We just need another member of the team, perhaps even two, and we should be good. Hopefully, we can get one before I have to order the uniforms.”

“I’m sure we’ll get one!” He said with a smile, “You seem to have recruited an All-Star team, Choki-San!”

“Thanks,”

“Hey, uh, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Well, the guys and I were wondering; I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but….”

“But what?”

“With being an exchange student and all, plus with us barely knowing anything about you, we were wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out tonight? It’s the weekend, and we aren’t really doing much!”

“Oh, uh…” She paused to think for a second, “Where would we be hanging out?”

“Well, we had one idea to go to the pool, and then eventually go have dinner somewhere, and then we could go back to your place and-“

“Oh, I don’t know about that…my apartment is really small, and the air conditioning barely works.”

“That’s fine; we can go to my place!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah! Of course, I am!”

“Oh, well, alright then.”

“Sweet!”

“However…” She began, “I don’t actually have a swimming suit….”

“What?! You don’t?!”

“No,” she said as she shook her head, “So maybe we could go swimming another time?”

“Oh, uh…” He then paused before saying, “The pool actually sells swimming suits! You can get one there! It’ll be on me!”

“What?! You don’t have to buy me a swimming suit!”

“No! I want to! That way you can go with us to the beach or pool anytime you want! Or even by yourself if you’d like!”

“Y-You really don’t have to do that,” She said as she started to blush,

“I want to! It’ll be fine!”

“Oh, well,” She rubbed her arm before she smiled at him and said, “Alright! I’ll find a way to pay you back! I promise!”

“Yeah, of course!” He said as he started to head back for the classroom.

“U-Um, wait! Serizawa-San!”

“What’s up?” He asked as he turned to look at her,

Ryusuke’s eyes widened before she said, “I…well…I’ve been wanting to ask you for your number for a while now. However, I wasn’t sure what you would say.” She swallowed nervously before saying, “Can we…um…” she then held up her phone and said, “Can we exchange line numbers?”

“Yeah, of course.” He said with a smile as he walked over to her to exchange their numbers. “You don’t have to be shy about it; you’re one of my best friends Choki-San.”

She gave a soft gasp before smiling and saying, “I’m glad to hear that; I feel exactly the same.” Minami followed Ryusuke into the classroom before she sat back down at her desk and continued to eat her lunch. Every now and then, she’d look up at Ryusuke before she then took out her phone and texted him,

Choki Minami: Hi best friend! ^_^

Ryusuke felt his phone buzz before taking it out of his pocket. He sighed and texted back,

Serizawa Ryusuke: Hi!

Eventually, the school day came to an end. After Minami went home, showered, and got details from Ryusuke about the pool’s location, she headed out. As she walked from her apartment to the nearest bus stop, she thought about what she might tell her teammates about herself. She could tell them basics such as her favorite food, colors, and hobbies. Perhaps she could tell them about her training in Okinawa. She didn’t think of what to say to the team for too long before a black car pulled up beside her and the window rolled down.

“Where are you headed?” Yakuza asked from inside,

“O-O-O-Oh, m-me…?! Well, I, uh-“

“Do you need a ride?”

“A ride…?!” She then took a deep breath before saying, “Yeah! Sure!” He then opened the door for her, and Minami got inside and sat on the cream leather seat beside him.

“Where to?”

“Oh, well, I’m just going to the Aquatic Center,” she said as she closed the door and held her phone up to him, “This one.”

“I see,” he responded before he turned to the tinted windows that separated the front and back seats. “Didymus, she’s going to the Sumida-ku Sports Health Center.” A few moments passed before the car then took off. Minami gave a soft smile before she looked down and tucked her hair behind her ear as her face turned red. “How are you?” He asked as he crossed his legs and leaned over onto his fist.

“Hm? Me?” She responded as she looked over at him, “I’m fine, how are you?”

“I’m alright,” he said, “So how’s it going with the dodgeball team?”

“Oh, uh, it’s fine,” she said as she cleared her throat, “My teammates are very nice to me, and we’re doing our best to train as hard as possible.”

“I see,” he responded, “Tell me, why don’t you just ditch that school and come and be on my team?”

“Well…” She then sighed before saying, “It’s hard to explain, but I’ve already got a good thing going with them. I don’t want to abandon the team I’ve made, not to mention my friends. And besides, I like the team I’m on, mostly because you get to be my rival.”

“How is that a plus?”

“You’re really strong! It makes me excited, and I want to train and push myself harder than ever before!”

“You sound like a martial artist from a Shonen manga.”

“Well, that sort of makes sense; I am a martial artist after all.”

“What do you do?”

“I do Karate.”

“What style?”

“Shuri-te, Tomari-te, and Motobou Ryu. My surname is Choki, and I’m a descendant of the martial artist Motobou Choki, so I was raised and trained in his styles.”

“But his surname was Motobou.”

“It was, but my father’s surname was Choki. I’m a descendant of his on my mother’s side.”

“I see,”

“What about you?” She asked, “I noticed when you took everyone out, you clearly used a fighting style of some sort along with your dodgeball skills.”

“Kyokushin, Shotokan, and Shito-ryu. Hojōjutsu as well.”

“That probably explains why you could take them out easily,” she said with a smile, “My older brother was taught the same ones as me, but later he eventually learned Kishimoto-di, Enshin, and Gojo-ryu.”

“Have you incorporated your martial arts into dodgeball?”

“No, not really.” Minami said as she shook her head, “In fact, I’ve been a bit lazy with some of my martial arts recently. With dodgeball, I often take what I learned from other sports.”

“You did other sports?”

“Kind of…I traveled around a lot and transferred to different schools trying each of the sports. I didn’t get on any of the teams, and eventually, I made it to Kiryu Academy, and I got onto the dodgeball team. Not only that, but I became the captain as well.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Transfer schools.”

“Oh…well….it’s complicated. I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“That’s fine,” he said as they started to pull up to the Sports Health Center,

“Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?” He asked as the car came to a stop,

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Yakuza gave a dull groan which caused Minami to panic, “Oh! No! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you! I’ll just-“ as she went to open the door, she then realized it was locked.

“Choki,” he said, “Beating me at dodgeball isn’t going to be easy; you’d be better off joining my team than trying to do the impossible.” He then turned to her and looked her in the eyes. Chills ran down Minami’s spine; his brown eyes seemed to now be glowing red and almost demonic looking, “The only way you’d be able to beat me is if you pulled a gun on me, but even so, I’d destroy you before you could empty the clip, even so, it still wouldn’t kill me, that’s how impossible it is to stop me. Do you understand?”

Minami swallowed before she responded, “Nothing is impossible; even if it takes the whole school year to train and prepare, I am definitely going to win.”

“Fine,” he said, “Just don’t take the loss too hard.” He then unlocked the door, and Minami popped it open before she went to step out, “And Choki,” she then turned to him before he said, “For the record, no, I don’t have a girlfriend.” Minami nodded before she got out and closed the door. She watched the car drive off before she sighed and placed her hand over her soaring heart,

“Oh my god, he’s so cool!!!!” She said to herself as a slight breeze picked up, and her hair began to blow in it. Inside Yakuza’s car, he leaned back as a voice then came to him,

“Well, what do you think of her, sir?”

“She’s fine, Didymus,” he then gave a soft chuckle as he smiled, “I like her burning spirit; none of the captains at Kiryu Academy have ever had such a drive. Our qualification match against them will be interesting.”

At the Sports Health Center, Minami walked into the doors to see her teammates gathered by the front desk. Ryusuke noticed her and waved at her as they walked over to one another. “Hey! I’m glad you made it!” Ryusuke said,

“Yeah, I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

“The guys and I have already paid for us, as well as you.”

“What?! You didn’t have to pay for me! I brought my own money to pay for myself!”

“Seriously, don’t worry about it.” Ryusuke said with a smile, “Now come with me; I’ll show you where they have the swimming suits!”

“O-Okay,” she then followed after him over to the store that was inside the building as they began to look around for swimming suits. She looked around for a while before she found a suit she liked. It was a two-piece in a white-pink pearly color with black polka dots. The top of the suit was somewhat frilly, and the bottom of the suit was smooth with a bow on both of the hips. She looked it over before she took notice of the price tag and her eyes bulged.

“Hey,” Ryusuke said as he came over to her. She panicked before spinning around and hiding the suit behind her back.

“H-Hi!”

“What have you got there? Did you find one you like?”

“Yeah, well…sort of…”

“What’s the problem?”

“Well…I-“

“Is it not your size?”

“N-No…that’s not the problem, it’s-“

“Here, let me see,” he said as he shoved past her to look at the suit, “Oh, wow,” he said, “This would look really cute on you!” He said as he took it off the rack, “Want to go try it on?” He asked as he pointed to the dressing room.

“Wha-“ She turned to the dressing rooms before she looked back at him, “It’s just…well-“

“Come on; I’ll go with you!” He said as he grabbed her wrist and took her over to the dressing rooms. “I’m not going inside with you, but just take as much time as you need!” He then handed her the swimming suit before gently pushing her into the changing room. Minami then sighed as she started to undress and get into the swimming suit.

“Can I ask you something…?” She said from the other side,

“What is it?” Ryusuke asked as he sat down on a bench across from the room Minami was in,

“Do you…well, why are you doing this…?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you being nice to me…? I was going to pay for myself today, and now you’re buying me a swimming suit…not to mention it’s very expensive, nearly 6,000 Yen….”

“Well, the guys and I paid for you because you’re the captain of the team. It’s the least we could do.” He said with a smile, “And…well, I guess I’m buying you a suit to say thanks.” He sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck and said, “To be honest, I was pretty pathetic during tryouts…even later when we practice, I’m still very pathetic; Daisuke even asked me if I was sure I wanted to be on the team today.”

“Your brother said that…?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of mean, but I do see why he said it. I’m nowhere near as big as everyone else, I’m not athletic, and I’m kind of scrawny. However, after you beat him and became captain, you added me to the team despite knowing nothing about me. You gave me a chance, Choki-San, so I guess I’m just repaying you for being so nice to me.”

“I didn’t know you felt that way….”

“Yeah,” he said,

“I promise I’ll find a way to pay you back.”

“You really don’t have to-“

“No, I really should.”

He sighed before saying, “If you insist.”

“I do,” she then sighed before she unlocked the changing room door, “Well, what do you think?” She then stepped out wearing the swimming suit, and Ryusuke’s eyes dazzled as a hot red blush decorated his face.

“You look…” he then swallowed nervously before saying, “You look so beautiful….” Minami blushed before she cleared her throat and said,

“Thank you,”

“Yeah!” He said with a smile, “You’re extremely beautiful!”

“Th-Thanks…” Minami said,

“Here,” he said as he walked behind her and took the tag off, “I’ll go pay for this! You go ahead and catch up with the guys!”

“Oh, but, I don’t really-“ She said as he ran off. She sighed before she went back into the changing room and picked up her clothes, and went over to the girls' locker room. Inside she placed all her belongings in an empty locker before going to the large pool area. Her eyes dazzled as she took everything in, “Woah…this place is super cool!”

“Hey! Choki!” Daisuke called from a table not far off. She turned to them and waved,

“Hey, guys!!!!” She said as she walked over to them. Naturally, all the guys' eyes shifted down Minami’s body….where they were locked on her abs.

“WOW!!! CHOKI-CHAN IS REALLY STACKED AINT SHE?!?!!” Pocha said,

“YEAH, YOU SAID IT, PACHINKO!!!!” Gaoma added,

“I WONDER IF WE COULD GRIND A WHOLE STEAK ON THOSE!!!” Yaguchi then said,

“WHETHER ITS GRINDING MEAT OR OUR FACES, CHOKI-SAMA IS TRULY A GIFT FROM THE GODS!!!” Daisuke said as the four of them got up and rushed over to her. It didn’t take long for Ryusuke to regroup with them, and they started to enjoy themselves. Gaoma figured he wanted to test out Minami’s strength, so he sat on Pocha’s shoulders and interlocked his hands with Minami’s.

The two pushed against one another before Pocha turned, and Minami slipped and fell under the water. Gaoma gave a loud laugh of victory before Minami reached up from under the water and pulled him and Pocha into the water before getting on top of them. With an evil chuckle, she held their heads underwater until Yaguchi ran over to her and picked her up from under her arms. She gave a soft scream before she and Yaguchi fell backroads. She sat up and looked around at her teammates before they all laughed.

Later Minami found herself wanting to go down the slide. On the slide, you’d sit in a large inflatable tube in which two people could sit. The guys stood there arguing with each other for so long that eventually, a little boy came over to Minami. “I’m a bit scared to go down the slide…” the little boy said, “Can you go down with me?”

“Yeah, of course!” Minami said with a smile as she took the little boy's hand and headed up the stairs. The guys on the team all gasped before the little boy slowly turned his head to them and gave them a smug grin. The faces of Minami’s teammates burned to a hot angry red before they went to run after them when a loud whistle blew, followed by a lifeguard telling them not to run.

After Minami went down the slide with the young boy…and then each of her teammates individually, the group eventually grew tired and decided it was time to head out. They showered off before getting dressed in their regular clothes. Minami didn’t think to bring a bag, so she folded her new suit into a nice square before holding it close to her body. As they left the health center, Minami was shocked to see them come over to a van that Daisuke unlocked. “You have a car…?!” She said,

“I do,” Daisuke responded, “Well, I mean, it’s a van,” he said as he slid open the side door to let everyone else in, “And it’s not even mine; it’s my mom’s.”

“I didn’t know you could drive,”

“I can,” he said, “I mean, not officially. I’m 17, so I should only be allowed to drive a motorcycle; however, I knew I had to make an exception for today.”

“Yeah, thanks for today; it was a lot of fun.”

“You say that like it’s over; there’s still more to do! Hop in! You can have the front.”

“Oh, alright,” Minami said as she went around the vehicle and got into the passenger side door. As soon as Daisuke got into the car, they headed off. On the way to their destination, they turned on the radio and sang along to the songs. However Gaoma got a few words and names wrong, so they’d have to stop to correct him. They eventually came to a more suburban area where they stopped at a house. Gaoma was the first one from the car before he raced over to the front door.

“Aha!!! I won!!!”

“So what is this?” Minami asked as she followed the group to the front door,

“Oh, this is my place,” Ryusuke responded,

“What?! Your parents are fine with so many people over?!”

“They’re out of town for the weekend,” Daisuke said as he opened the front door letting the other team members go inside, “Even so, I’ve done this before with the other team. So it’s not like they don’t know what’s going on.”

“Oh, okay,” Minami said as she walked through the front door followed by Daisuke and Ryusuke,

“Everything is going to be in the backyard; you can hang out there until I get everything ready,” Daisuke said,

“Oh, alright!” Minami said as she followed Ryusuke to the backyard. Her eyes dazzled at how spacious it was, there was a fire pit in the center of the yard, and a large tent was pitched beside it. On the back patio stood a grill and several lawn chairs. “Woah,” Minami said, completely breathless, “This is pretty cool.”

“Yeah,” Ryusuke said, “However, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Do you have anything to wear to bed?”

“Wear to bed?” She asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, uh-“

She then gasped as her eyes popped open, “W-WAIT!!! Y-YOU’RE EXPECTING ME TO STAY THE NIGHT?!?!!!”

“Well, yeah,” Ryusuke responded, “It’s sort of a team bonding thing.”

“I-I HAD NO IDEA!!!” She then groaned before saying, “I SHOULD’VE PACKED!!!”

“Oh, uh…” He then paused to think for a few minutes before saying, “Oh! I know! You can borrow one of my mom’s nightgowns!”

“What?! No! I’m not going to wear your mom’s nightgown!”

“Hmmm,”

“You know it’s probably for the best,” Yaguchi said as he walked over to them, “With your height, it would probably look more like a skirt or even a house dress.”

“Ugh, this is the worst! I had no clue I’d be spending the night!”

“Didn’t you get the list I sent you?” Ryusuke asked,

“List?! What list?!”

“The one I texted you,”

“You texted me?!” Minami said as she took out her phone and started to go through it. Ryusuke looked through his own phone before saying,

“Oh, I see…I forgot to hit send.” Ryusuke said sheepishly,

“You forgot to hit send?! Minami said,

“Yeah, do you want me to send it now?”

“There’s no point now; I’m here now, aren’t I?! I’d only be wasting time!” She then sighed before saying, “Whatever…I can just sleep in the clothes I have on.”

“No!” Ryusuke said, “Here! Come with me!” He said as he turned and raced into the house. Minami sighed before she followed him through the house and eventually upstairs to a bedroom. Ryusuke went into a dresser and started to look everything over before pulling out a shirt and taking it to her, “Here! This is my dad’s! You can wear it!”

“Your dads…?!” She asked as she unfolded the massive shirt, “Well…uh…I don’t know, will he mind?”

“I don’t think so,” Ryusuke said with a smile,

“Well…alright then,” she said with a sigh, “Hey…by the way….”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you…for the swimming suit, and paying for me, and your dad's shirt, and having me over…I don’t know how to repay you enough.”

“Choki-San, seriously, don’t worry about it!”

“But I can’t not worry about it!” She said, “Everything you did today was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Even when we first met, and every day after, you’ve been nothing but kind to me.”

“Seriously, it’s okay. You were new, and I wanted to make a good first impression.”

“Yeah…” She said softly as she looked down. After a few moments, she said, “Hey…I’ve got an idea,”

“An idea…? About what?”

“You can’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t,” he said, “What is it?”

Minami’s face started to turn red as she twisted the shirt in her hands before saying, “To repay you…” she then looked him in the eyes before saying, “I’ll let you touch my boobs….” Ryusuke’s face turned bright red as he began to study,

“W-W-W-Wait! H-H-Hold on, Ch-Choki-San, I don’t th-think that’s a good-“ Minami then snickered before she started to laugh, “Idea….”

Minami continued to laugh before she wiped tears from her eyes and said, “I’m joking with you; you should’ve seen the look on your face!”

“S-Sorry…”

“And hey,” she said before she quickly planted a kiss on Ryusuke’s cheek before she headed for the door and said, “We’re best friends,” she then turned and looked at him with a smile, “You can call me Minami from now on, okay?” Ryusuke’s eyes widened as his face turned bright hot pink.

“Y-Yeah…”

“Now come on, let’s not keep everyone waiting!”

It eventually came to nightfall. The team members sat around the fire pit after having eaten dinner. Daisuke eventually stood up and said, “Alright, we’ve all had fun today, yes?”

“Yes!” They all said in unison,

“Good,” he said, “You know, I was the captain of the dodgeball team for a whole two years until Choki-San beat me.”

“I’m sorry…” Minami said as she hid her face,

Daisuke and the other guys gave a soft chuckle before Daisuke then said, “However, I’m glad she did. I realized I can’t always be the best forever and that there’s always someone bigger and stronger than me. I’m just glad that it was someone other than Yakuza.” He then looked into Minami’s eyes before he smiled and said, “I’m honestly just glad that Choki-San decided to keep me on the team after she had beaten me.” Minami blushed before smiling, “Now then! I think it’s time Choki-San says a few words!”

“What?! No!”

“It’s not that bad,” Daisuke said, “Just tell us about yourself.”

“About me…?” She said as he sat down, “Well, alright.” She then stood up before saying, “I guess…I’ve always been really active and fit. Growing up, I learned Karate, and I kept doing it and got really good at it. My mom actually taught it to me, and before that, she taught it to my dad, so they kind of took turns training me. I always wanted to be the best martial artist around, but eventually, I had to go to school, and I transferred over to Kiryu Academy. After that I met you guys.” She then gave a soft sigh before saying, “Was that good?”

“Yeah! That was fine!” Daisuke said as they all began to clap for her.

“Alright, my turn!” Gaoma said as he stood up. He then looked to Miyami and said, “YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO SIT DOWN CHOJI!!!”

“Sorry,” Minami said as she began to laugh before sitting down.

Gaoma then cleared his throat before saying, “Alright! I’m Gaoma! I like to eat every kind of meat, and I live at my house! Although I’m independent enough to live on my own! I’m also going to be the one to carry this team to victory single-handedly! Any questions?!”

“I have a question,” Yaguchi said, “Why the hell can’t you get anyone’s names right?”

“I GET EVERYONE'S NAMES RIGHT, YAKITORA!!!”

“IT’S YAGUCHI!!!” Yaguchi screamed in return,

“OH YEAH?! WANNA BET?!?!!!!”

“I have a question,” Minami said, “Why is your hair gray? Did you dye it?”

“No!!! It’s a medical condition called Mary And Tony’s Drone!!!!”

The team then looked to Minami in hopes to translate, “He means Marie Antoinette Syndrome….” She said with a slightly flat expression,

“THAT'S WHAT I SAID!!!”

“It really wasn’t…” The team then said in unison,

“WH-WHATEVER!!!” He then turned to Pocha and said, “IT'S YOUR TURN PACHINKO!!!”

“Well, alright then.” Pocha said as he stood up before Gaoma sat down, “Well, there’s not much to say about me. I had a pretty nice childhood, and growing up, I thought my dad was the coolest. Like you know, he’s a Sumo Wrestler, not only that, but he’s a Yokozuna. My favorite memory of him is when he took me to see a bout, which changed my life forever. He eventually started to train me, and I got really good at it! I only really use my Sumo skills for self-defense, and I rarely get angry or violent.” He then nodded before saying, “Alright, any questions?”

“How much do you weigh?!” Daisuke asked as his hand shot up,

“Currently, I weigh about 275 pounds!”

“Huh?! You’re only 35 pounds heavier than me?!” Minami said, totally shocked,

“YOU WEIGH 240 POUNDS?!?!?!?!!!!” The team said EXTREMELY shocked,

“Yeah,” Minami said sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head, “Muscle really weighs a lot more than fat,” she then turned to Pocha and said, “Not that you’re fat Pocchan! I mean, you are, but it’s like, the good kind, I guess!”

Pocha gave a laugh as he said, “I get what you mean, Captain.”

“Anyways, I have a question,” Minami said, “How would you feel if you and I had a few exhibition matches.”

Pocha’s heart skipped a beat as he felt a sudden spotlight shine down on him. He looked over at Minami and couldn’t get over just how beautiful she was, “The most powerful woman in the world wants to spend time with me so she can beat in my face! Tell me I’m not dreaming!” He then cleared his throat before saying, “Come again?”

“Would you like to have an exhibition match with me? Just to test out strength and skill.”

“I’M NOT DREAMING!!!!”

“Maybe you could teach me a few things as well,”

“THIS JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER!!!!!” He then cleared his throat before saying, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Cool,” Minami said with a smile,

“Alright,” Yaguchi said as he stood up to destroy the extremely uncomfortable and awkward tension in the air. “I’m Yaguchi, did track and field, tore my ACL, and eventually got into automotives. However, I wanted to be on the dodgeball team for a long time, but I was given the short end of the stick.” He then turned to Minami and said, “I really owe it to Choki-Kouhai for giving me a chance.” Minami blushed before turning away, “Alright, no questions.”

As the night went on, the team grew closer. The fire was eventually put out, and the team all laid there together in the large tent. Gaoma had somehow found a way to sleep from the large mesh strip that hung from the ceiling. It was usually used for bags, but he assumed it was a hammock. As Gaoma snored in his sleep, he’d occasionally give an evil chuckle as if he had just killed something in a dream he was having.

Minami lay awake looking out the mesh window up at the moon. “Choki-San,” Ryusuke said softly,

“Hm?” She responded as she rolled over and looked him in the eyes,

“S-Sorry…Minami…”

“You’re fine; what’s up?”

“Well…I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Well…what do you think about me?”

“You’re honestly very kind,” she said, “You all are.”

“Well yeah, but-“

“However, you’re the one who’s always been the nicest to me.” She then rolled onto her back and rested her arms behind her head before saying, “I didn’t have any friends back in Okinawa, and when I transferred schools, I was so scared I wouldn’t make any. However, I then met you, and you were just so kind to me, and it really meant a lot to me. After you, came the team, and with the team came more friends.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Can I ask you something in return?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Do you like me?”

“L-Like you…?!” He said as his face turned red, “Like, what do you mean like you? Like as a friend, or like-“

“As more than a friend.” She clarified, “I mean, I really really like Yakuza. I even got to know him a little better as he gave me a ride to the pool.” Ryusuke swallowed heavily before he sighed and rolled onto his other side, “But…if you asked me out, I’d…well, I’d probably say yes, I don’t know, is that crazy?”

Ryusuke laid there for a moment before he sighed and rolled onto his back, “I think you should follow your heart,” he said, “I mean, come on, there’s a thousand guys out there like me, and there’s only one of Yakuza. If you like him, then go for him.”

“Oh, so you don’t like me then?”

“No,” he said, “I mean, yes, I do like you, but more as a friend.”

“Thank god,” she said with a sigh, feeling a little heartbroken, but she made it seem like she was relieved. “I would hate to be at the peak of a love triangle.” She then stretched before she rolled over and grabbed onto Ryusuke and held him close to her. She gave a soft giggle before she said, “Thank you for being my best friend; it means more to me than you can imagine.”

“Y-Yeah, of course.”

She then smiled before saying, “Say, have you ever been kissed before?”

“Wh-What?! N-No! I haven’t; I haven’t even had a girlfriend or-“

“Maybe we should kiss, just once.” She said softly as she closed her eyes and started to move closer to him. He panicked before he suddenly closed his eyes and loosened his lips. She then placed her thumbs on his lips, and her face lit up as she saw him turn red. Minami then burst out laughing as she rolled onto her back and gave him a playful shove, “I can’t believe you fell for my stupid charm a second time!” She then stopped laughing, and her and Ryusuke froze as Gaoma gave a dull growl before he went back to sleep. Minami gave a soft giggle before saying, “We should probably get some rest.”

“Yeah,” Ryusuke said as he began to settle in, “Minami….”

“Yeah?”

“If…Yakuza doesn’t want to go out with you, then what’ll you do?”

“I don’t know,” Minami said as she rested her hands behind her head, “Probably get so depressed I’ll die.” She then sighed before saying, “However, I wouldn’t let it keep me down for too long. Yakuza is one of many guys out there who are stronger than me. Even so, I don’t think I’ll keep looking for stronger guys after him.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because maybe I need to focus on what I want, and not something my dad suggested for me. Besides…” She smiled before she said, “I met this one guy today, and he’s really cute. I totally want to go out with him, so I”ll ask him out if Yakuza rejects me.”

“Oh, I see…” Ryusuke said, not catching on,

“What about you? Do you like anyone?”

“I…” He paused for a moment hoping he could choose his words carefully, “I do, I really do. However, she likes someone else.”

“That’s lame. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“Can I tell you something?”

“What is it?”

“At the pool…when you called me beautiful,” she smiled before saying, “Thays the first time a guy has ever called me that. They all look at me and see me as just big and strong, and because of that, I’m unattractive. So it’s just…I don’t know, thanks.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Anyways, we should get some sleep.”

“Yeah, okay,”

“Goodnight, Ryusuke.”

A//N

Hey! I dropped another chapter haha I just felt bad I couldn’t publish a new chapter on time! Plus this chapter is VERY important, and I couldn’t wait to share it! I wanted to show how the group resonated not only as teammates but as friends! We also see that Minami has a little crush on Ryusuke, so she slightly feels the same way about him that he feels about her! We also get more interactions between Yakuza and Minami showing how they behave as rivals. I’ll try to get a better uploading schedule I promise! It’ll be easier now that I’m more than halfway finished with this first arc!