Make a Choice

Inei approaches his chair, Azami sitting on his desk with a smile on her face.

"I texted you yesterday, why did you not answer?"

Inei turns his head in confusion, Azami pressing on.

"Aneko and you both got kicked out of class yesterday, then neither one of you answered your phones. You also did not show up for practice yesterday, Yui told me so."

Inei rubs the back of his neck, looking down and to the side.

Oh, that is right. I kind of feel bad for Yui, I did not even tell her I was not coming and she showed up expecting me.

Aneko then walks in, wearing the dress Inei had bought her the night before, Aneko having done her hair as if she was going to an upper-class party, approaching the two of them, Aneko lightly touching Inei's back.

"Hi Inei, hi Azami, look at my dress?? Does it not look amazing on me?!"

Inei nods, Azami looking at the dress, then the both of them and frowns, regaining her composure without notice, a smile being posted on her face.

"That does look great on you, Aneko. Where did you get it from?"

Aneko twirls, striking a pose afterwards.

"I went to the mall afterwards, it was a good price too! I only had to spend half of my allowance!"

Inei looks at her, barely showing his concern.

She's lying through her teeth, to her best friend. What would she need to lie to Azami for?

Azami tilts her head keeping the same gentle smile.

"That is so good Aneko, I am so happy for you."

She then turns her attention back to Inei, the same smile.

"So what did you do yesterday?"

Inei looks at Azami, then begins typing on his phone.

I just got on Aneko's good side, I cannot lose that now.

He hands Azami his phone, Azami reading it.

"I went home to study and make up for the lecture I missed in class. I ended up taking a nap and missed practice."

Azami looks up at Inei with a straight face, then smiles softly at him.

"Okay, Inei."

She hands Inei his phone back then jumps off the desk, walking to her desk and sitting down without another word. Aneko and Inei look to each other with concern, Aneko going to speak when an arm lays across Aneko's shoulders shocking her, Chura looking at her with a huge smile.

"Wow Aneko I could not even tell it was you! You almost look as good as I do!"

Aneko giggles and rolls her eyes.

"Yeah right, I totally look better."

Chura giggles, squeezing Aneko to her with the arm on Aneko's shoulders.

"You wish you did, no one looks better than me!"

The professor walks into the door, looking at Inei and Aneko, the two of them looking back at the professor.

"You two, meet me in the hallway."

With that, Inei and Aneko walk out into the hallway, the professor standing with his head hung low, he then looks up at the two of them.

"I want to sincerely apologize to the both of you. I was not having a good morning. My cat got hit by a car and my wife took him to the vet and I had spilled my coffee on the way here and my parking spot was occupied when I arrived. I was not in the greatest of moods and I apologize. Azami came to me after class and chewed me out about how much you two care about the class."

Aneko and Inei stand silently, both lowering their heads a little, feeling guilty for just lying to Azami about what happened yesterday. Aneko then speaks up.

"On behalf of Inei and myself, we accept your apology. It was a rough day for you, we will pay better attention in class."

The professor nods and opens the door, Aneko walking in first then Inei, everyone taking their seats. The professor begins to instruct as Inei zones out.

I feel too bad, I left Yui stranded, and then I lied to Azami about yesterday. This is a day of guilt; I have to make this up to the both of them, but how?

The class goes on as normal then the class ends. All of the girls and Inei walking together, Aneko on his right and Chura to his left. When they reach the table they all take their seats, everyone talking as usual. Then suddenly, Azami stands, walking over to Inei and grabbing him by the hand, walking off to a nearby hallway, all the girls watching them. When they reach the hallway out of sight, Inei looks at Azami with a confused but aggravated look. Azami points her finger at him.

"Hey, do not look at me like that! I do not think you are telling me things as your friend. You said you could not pick anyone, now it seems like you are taking people on dates. I know Aneko could not afford that dress, I saw it the last time me and Aneko went to the mall together."

Inei turns his head, rubbing his arm, Azami puts her hands on her hips.

"You are going to have to make a decision, are you going to play around with the girls or truly be their friend? It was nice of you to buy her that dress but that much money on one of us? That's romance money!"

Inei doesn't budge, remaining the same.

It really is not like that, Azami. If only you knew what was really going on.

Inei takes out his phone, typing on it, then hands it to Azami.

"Azami, I am sorry if it seems that way. I am just trying to cheer them up, you all make me happy and I want to pay it back by helping out."

Azami stands for a moment then hands his phone back to him, crossing his arms.

"Then why did you lie if that is all it was? Why did you lie to me?"

Inei hesitates, then types, handing his phone again to Azami.

"I am sorry, okay? I only lied because I wanted to respect Aneko who did not mention me and did not want to lose her trust I just had to earn."

Azami stands silently, then smiles.

"Okay, I understand, but we are going to hangout now. I haven't been around with you recently."

Inei nods, a soft smile appearing on his face. Azami then speaks more following his reaction.

"Okay cool! If you don't mind, I have been getting a little rusty, I would like to train and spar later."

Inei looks at Azami with shock, Azami turning her head.

"Why are you giving me that look?! I can really show you how well I am at fighting."

Inei stops for a moment, then Azami puts her hands on her hips leaning forward.

"Okay Inei, I will make you a deal. If I beat you, you have to take me out to a sushi bar for the night. If you win, we will study for the test on Friday."

Inei furrows his eyebrows with a smirk, nodding his head.

There is no way she is beating me, I have size and strength on top of her, she stands no chance.

Azami smirks then grabs Inei by the hand, going and standing by the table, the girls look at them with confusion. Azami stands proudly.

"Inei and I are going to spar for rewards, we will be back if he wins."

With that Azami and Inei leave, going to Azami's backyard, standing across from each other. Azami readies herself and Inei does so as well but lazily. Azami shouts to Inei.

"Best of three, okay?!"

Inei nods, Azami smirking then taking off towards Inei very quickly. The distance is closed between the two of them before Inei can react, Azami landing a couple of shots to his chest and arm, pushing him down to his butt. Inei sits in shock, Azami laughing and putting her hand out to Inei.

"I win round one, get up for round two."

Inei slowly takes Azami's hand, standing up with ease with Azami's help.

Impossible! How did she move so fast?! I did not even realize she moved until she was right in front of me, I will be ready next time!

Azami and Inei both get back into position, Azami counting down and saying go. Right when she does she takes off forward again, Inei blocking the incoming attacks, barely able to keep up. As he blocks the attacks, he then counters catching one of Azami's legs, tripping her up and making her fall, Inei not letting go of her leg, accidentally looking up her skirt. He then lets go blushing, looking away quickly, Azami obliviously getting up and skips back to her spot.

"You won't get me next time Inei! Time for round three!"

Inei readies himself with blush on his face, Azami smirking.

"It's only been two rounds, it isn't that hot out here, Inei! Tell you what, if you beat me, I will make an excuse for the professor every day so you can study at your own pace."

She then becomes unready, then puts a finger to her chin, looking up and thinking.

"But if I win, I want you to start going to that fraternity Aneko and me tried so hard to sign you up for. You have yet to go to a single meeting."

Inei furrows his eyebrows, determined to win. Azami readies herself again, furrowing her eyebrows with a smirk.

"There's the intensity, although you will not win!"

Azami counts down, then rushes Inei, Inei blocking strikes as he did before. Inei suddenly dodging one every few strikes, becoming accustomed to Azami's attack. Suddenly a couple of strikes that Inei blocks radiated static electricity, dropping Inei's focus and Azami leg sweeping Inei onto his back, Azami then walking over him, standing above his waist looking down on him with determination and pride, her hands on her hips.

"I won! You owe me an outing to the sushi restaurant!"

Inei rolls his eyes and stands up slowly, a shock of electricity flowing up his body, his hairs rising all over his body. Azami then waves for Inei to follow her.

"Come on Inei, let's go right now! The sparing made me hungry!"

Inei stands still for a moment, then follows behind her, struggling to keep up with her pace as he thinks.

She moves so fast, I feel like I would have noticed by now if she always went at this pace. She's not even affected by the pace either!

Azami glances at Inei and looks concerned, slowing herself down and Inei now confidently walking alongside her.

She must be aware of her speed, she is slower now and I can keep up; however, it looks like it hurts her.

Inei glances, watching Azami as a drop of sweat drips down the side of her face. Inei furrows his eyebrows, Azami then looking at Inei with a smile after wiping away the sweat.

"We are almost there, sorry about my pace, I am just excited to get there!"

Inei smiles a little shaking his head as they walk.

That makes sense, Azami is always the one that is full of excitement and joy, I can believe she just wants to be there already.

They finally reach the sushi restaurant, Inei holding the door open for Azami as they walk in. Inei then notices that there is a bar with a belt with sushi on it, Azami having taken her seat before Inei realizes, her patting the stool beside her.

"Come on Inei! We got to get the good stuff!"

Inei rolls his eyes, sitting next to her and looking at the belt, different kinds of sushi on plates slowly passing by. Azami quickly snatches one and begins to dig in, eating it quickly. Inei picks one up and places it in front of himself, looking over to see Azami has already eaten two plates. Inei stares at her for a moment, then begins eating his. Suddenly there is a grasp on Inei's shoulder, Inei turning and looking, seeing the other four starters of the basketball team looking at him. Takiya removes his hand, all the members not looking pleased.

"We usually do not listen to Connor because we figure he is jealous of you starting over him, but he was right. You are skipping practice to go out with women."

Inei furrows his eyebrows, Azami instantly speaking up for him.

"I invited him to come eat. Connor knows better than that, Inei would not skip practice for us."

Takiya raises an eyebrow, tilting his head sarcastically.

"So Inei, you planned on coming to practice after eating raw fish? I do not think so. You're going to go soft and we are going to get destroyed in our next game. We're playing a ranked team! We all need to be practicing!"

Inei doesn't react, sitting silently and unfazed, Takiya gritting his teeth.

"The fame got to your head. Are you coming to practice or are you going to keep playing play date with women?!"

Azami stands up and gets in between Inei and Takiya, going to say something to him when Inei grabs her wrist, Azami glancing back to see Inei, making eye contact with her. A moment goes by, and Azami slowly pulls her arm away and sits back down, continuing to eat. Inei then meets Takiya's glare, then looks down, typing on his phone. He then hands Takiya the phone, letters displaying on the screen. Takiya takes a moment then clears his throat.

"Read out loud; I admire your concern on keeping the team linked and close. However, I do not appreciate you accusing me of dodging practice when Connor has no clear idea what he is talking about. If what he has spoken of is true, why is he not here with you instead of cowering away? I am hurt by everyone's belief in the accusations. I will not return to practice this week and I will be at the game on Saturday, see you then."

Takiya grips Inei's phone harder as he reads, then tosses it to Inei, halfway turning before speaking.

"Good luck on Saturday, I doubt you will put on the same show as you did last time. Enjoy your little sushi date."

The four guys turn and walk off, Inei turning back to the sushi, then glances over at Azami who is looking away, the same amount of empty plates remain, meaning Azami had not eaten at all since the confrontation started. Inei looks at her and taps on her shoulder, Azami displaying a frown on her face. Inei tilts his head to ask her what is wrong, and Azami starts, taking her chopsticks and nervously tapping them on the counter like drum sticks.

"I am sorry if I caused that wrath with your teammates. Am I causing you trouble? Is this too much like a date?"

Inei then shakes his head, typing on his phone and handing it to her.

"They are jealous, not because I am here with you and am with women but because they will not amass to the talent I possess."

Azami looks up with a frown, placing Inei's phone in front of him, crossing her arms.

"That's a bit arrogant of you, is it not, Inei?"

Inei leans back, his eyes open wide with shock. Azami leans forward, speaking in a stern voice.

"They trust you, Inei. They rely on you to give them the hope that this team has been missing for years. I do not blame them for being upset, but they should not have approached you the way they did. You need to understand that they came here because they believe in you."

Inei is shocked for a moment, left speechless even though mute. Azami turns to the sushi belt, speaking while grabbing a plate off the belt.

"I apologize if that is stern, but it is the truth, and no friend of mine will be arrogant like you were and get away with it."

Inei turns to the sushi belt, lowering his head and looking down for a moment.

For as much as it pains me to admit; Azami is right. I should not be taking my talent for granted and being so mean to my teammates about it. I will text the team group chat when I get home to apologize, but for now I will enjoy my time with my closest friend.

Inei looks to his phone, typing on it and sliding it over to Azami, then begins grabbing a sushi plate. Azami glances down at the phone, reading it to herself.

"Thank you, Azami. I don't know what came over me."

Azami smiles then punches Inei in the arm.

"That is much better, Inei. Please, make good choices."

Inei nods without looking, Inei and Azami proceeding to eat more. As they finish eating, Inei grabs the bill, wincing a tad then inserting his card into the machine. Once he is charged, Azami and Inei walk out of the restaurant, walking down the sidewalk as the sunset stretches far along the horizon. They walk in silence until reaching a part that goes in two opposite directions. Azami and Inei both stand in silence, then look at each other, Azami speaking first.

"Do you remember which way we came?"

Inei shakes his head, Azami putting her hands on her hips looking side to side with confusion, attitude radiating from her posture.

"Well, let's take a guess Inei. The gamble is that we either get to the campus or we don't and we walk for a while in the wrong direction. You pick."

Inei looks at her with worry, then at each of the two directions.

I have to remember what it felt like coming here, just the opposite.

Inei looks in both directions once more then makes no reaction.

Who am I kidding? I have no idea! It truly is a gamble on what way is the right way! I literally have a fifty-fifty if I get us where we need to be or not!

Inei then looks at Azami who is staring at him, not having moved from her position, then leaning forward a little bit.

"Well, what's the decision Inei? We can't wait all day!"

Inei then snaps back from his mind, pointing left. Azami lifts an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

Inei lowers his finger, looking at both directions obviously being flustered, then points at left again. Azami smiles, then begins walking in that direction. Inei then anxiously follows behind her thinking to himself .

What if I picked the wrong path? I just screwed up getting home for both of us, what if we don't get back in time? What if we end up getting lost and not make it to class the next day and need to be found? What if-

Suddenly Azami turns smiling radiantly, Inei and Azami standing at the entrance of the college before Inei even knew.

"I knew the right path the whole time, I just wanted to mess with you. You picked the right one."

Inei furrows his eyebrows in agitation, pointing at her as if yelling at her silently. Azami laughs hysterically, rolling on the floor with tears pouring from her eyes. Inei rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. Azami finally finishes laughing, standing and wiping away a tear from under her eye.

"That was so good Inei, you should have seen your face! The fear in your eyes was hilarious!"

As she continues to laugh, Inei smiles a little, shaking his head to her amusement of his emotions. When Azami finishes laughing, she slightly leans on him with a smile.

"Thank you Inei, I needed that laugh. I will see you tomorrow, yeah?"

Inei nods with her as she takes off running away to her home, running so fast you could not even see her. Inei stands in amazement.

Azami should join the track team, she would kill it!

Inei then begins walking home, before he hears a woman shout.

"Inei!"

He turns, his face turning pale as Yui is storming her way up to him, anger on her face.

"I have waited for you to practice the past two nights in a row and you have been out and about doing anything but practicing, what is with you?!"

Inei stands still for a moment, Yui lifting a finger and pointing it at Inei's face.

"You better bring that phone out in the next few seconds or there will be consequences!"

Inei gets shivers down his body, feeling Yui's anger through her finger. He quickly pulls out his phone and starts typing. Yui reads the phone once Inei hands it to her.

"I do apologize for my absence. Your friends keep pulling me to different places and will not take no for an answer. I do plan on showing up to practice tomorrow, I will be there; I promise."

Yui frowns and bit, handing him his phone.

"I thought we couldn't hang out because of your practice and that's why we agreed to go on Friday."

Inei looks down ashamed.

I did tell her that Monday, didn't I? What a jerk I am.

Yui crosses her arms, continuing to speak.

"However, you didn't plan on ditching to hangout with them; and you're making them happy. So I will accept your apology, but you better be there tomorrow or else, got it?"

Inei nods quickly, Yui smiling and giggling a little.

"Do you think you could walk with me home though? It is a bit scary out tonight."

Inei nods. They walk all the way to Yui's house, Yui waving to Inei and going into her house. Inei then begins walking home, pulling his earphones out of his backpack, putting them on his head listening to music. As he walks a cold gust of wind blows over him, he quickly lowers his earphones preparing himself in stance. A figure lands in front of him, standing and revealing herself.

Rina.

Rina stands, getting into a combat position.

"Let's see how much you learned."

Rina attacks Inei, Inei dodging her attacks, Rina talking as she strikes at him.

"Not bad, but let's see how you combat this!"

Rina attacks Inei stronger and quicker, causing Inei to block, a stinging sensation entering his wrist, he winces in pain as Rina steps back, Inei's wrist turning blue.

"Do you like it? I can freeze your blood on impact, making your joints unusable and the skin fragile. Do with that as you will. I will not back away next time."

Rina causes a strong gust of wind to blow, Inei covering himself, Rina turning to snow and floating away with the wind. Inei looks confusingly around, then looks at his wrist. He jogs home quickly to try to heat up the extremity, thinking as he runs.

What kind of power is that?! She did not know those powers before and there's no way she has them! She had to have some kind of tool to freeze my wrist like that! I need to get home and warm it up because it feels so sharp! I can't lose my hand or wrist, I won't be able to play!

Inei reaches his house and enters, finding a heating pad he uses for recovery after game days and puts it on mildly warm, resting his wrist on it. As his wrist turns back to normal, he lifts it up, rotating it to test the joint, only being a little sore on a flick. Inei gets up, fists clinched as he swings his arm and landing a punch on his wall, leaving a fist sized hole. He shakes his hand only due to his wrist, grabbing it with his other hand.

I cannot believe that woman! Who does she think she is and why does she keep bothering me?! It is so annoying!

With that, Inei falls to his bed, falling asleep almost instantly, being drained from his emotional rollercoaster of a day.