Chapter 7 — Team Hinata

It was pitch-black outside; winter ended a few weeks ago, yet night still falls just as quickly.


Clutching a bag, I made my way down the empty corridor, heading to the infirmary. To my right, a few classroom lights were still on, and students from the prep classes kept working hard even at this hour.


I peeked at the window and saw the board-sized equations they were trying to solve. Hm... that equation's missing a variable. Flagging their mistake would save them a lot of time, I think.


Nah... it's better not to; the moment they find the answer will be all the more rewarding this way. Hang in there, guys.


On the second floor, after a turn to the right, I slid open the infirmary door.


"Ah, Harumaki-san. You didn't take long." Gondo Iyasu, the school nurse, greeted me in her lazy manner. Her voice was so low that I barely heard what she said.


According to Ryûko, Iyasu-sensei is a lazy person. Considering that, it sounds like her presence here outside of her shift is a miracle.


Considering how she took care of everyone, I would say that she is also a person who is committed to her work.


In front of her, Tsukishima Mori, she woke up shortly after the end of our Trial.


Iyasu-sensei was peering at the glass-wearing girl, looking for any injuries.


"Harumaki-san, please bring me the other corpse."


"Got it."


In turn, I woke Akira and Yôsuke up for their check-up. I doubt calling her patients 'corpses' is in the doctors' code of conduct. But she's the professional, not I.


"If I'm correct, Harumaki-san did that to them, right?" Iyasu-sensei glared at me sideways while taking Yôsuke's pulse.


I agreed with a nod.


"Students sure are violent nowadays. Because of you, I have to work overtime..."


That was the fifth complaint about her work time since we came. Not that she is wrong, but they attacked me first, not the other way around.


"That's Iyasu-Sensei for you. Hasn't Sensei chosen this work herself?"


Iyasu froze, wrapping a bandage around Yôsuke's chest. She stared gloomily at the young man, it looked like Yôsuke's playful remark had struck a chord.


"Kids like you wouldn't get it, especially when they are such savages," Iyasu-sensei replied while tightening the bandage.


Yôsuke laughed it off lightheartedly as if immune to adult sarcasm, although her response seemed to be anything but that.


That's not really the kind of interaction I imagined between a high school student and the school nurse.


At my former middle school, talking to the nurse was like a last resort because she scared everyone so much. Besides, I don't remember ever seeing a male nurse in my entire life... Surely it's just a coincidence.


"Has Odogiri-san known Iyasu-sensei for a long time? You also look close."


Yôsuke waved his hand to deny. "No, but everyone knows Iyasu-sensei's habit of complaining whenever she can. Or that she falls asleep at her desk all the time."


Yeah, I saw that. Having such a reputation after a week of class is kinda impressive.


"To think that it happened during the entrance exam, it felt like my luck had peaked that day. Iyasu-sensei is the sole reason I got here." Akira continued, like Yôsuke, he woke up right away. Iyasu-sensei's healing Kikai is incredible.


"Haha. We worked day and night for the exams, and you passed by one point, speak of having a horseshoe up your ass."


Now that Yôsuke's treatment was over, he stood up beside me, letting Akira take his place.


"What about you, Harumaki-san? What was your score on the entrance exam? "


... Actually, I don't remember...


"Because you didn't take it." My mind mate helped me recall those events.


"I didn't take part, I didn't even know there was an entrance exam in the first place."


"Is Harumaki-san one of those who were accepted based only on their academic record? Like a genius."


"A genius... I wouldn't say that. My grades were high, that's all."


"So you're a genius."


"Yeah, he's a genius."


I have earned the title of genius now. What if I put it on my job applications? It's a quality like any other, I suppose.


The sheets on the still-occupied beds moved in unison. Waguri and then Ryûko woke up, the latter now sitting up, supported by Mori.


We gathered around her. The orange-haired girl looked lost, her gaze shifting to each of us.


"Newbie...?" She reached out her hand to me, as if trying to catch something in the distance.


I held it as well, our fingers intertwined as I felt the faint warmth of her palms.


Colours spread back on her face when she realized that it was really me. She clung tightly, like she feared I'd vanish if she let go.


"Newbie, you are really with us, right?! It wasn't a dream, right?!"


"It wasn't. Team Hinata has a new member."


"Haha! Heard that guys, we're winning that tournament!!"


"Ahem..." Waguri scoffed from the other bed. Her twintails were still in place. So was her displeased expression.


She continued, "If Ryûko wants to win that tournament, she should start by registering first. They close at 6, remember?"


"Ah..." Ryûko took a closer look at the clock on the wall: 5:55. Just five minutes left, huh? "HA!! Let's go already, we're gonna miss it!!"


Ryûko tried to rush off the bed but fell headfirst. At the same time, the infirmary door slid open. A girl stepped inside, joining us around Ryûko's bed.


"There you are, Team Hinata.."


Ryûko's eyes widened, just as she lifted her head, the Student Council President, Narukami Rachel, stood before her.


"Miss President? Why are you here at this hour?!"


Her long ponytail fell to her legs, fading from black to a soft purple. The rest of her hair framed her face, her bangs split in two and held up by a headband.


Her uniform was atypical as well. She wore a plum jacket over her shoulders. Usually under a green sweater, her black shirt, with a red tie, was just below, making her fit uniquely. And on her shoulder, she had the red band of a student council member.


She handed me a pile of papers, her face beaming with a radiant smile.


"Here are the forms for the sign-ups. I brought them back for you."


Ryûko looked at the pile of paper now in my hands. Her stress suddenly melted away into a nervous laugh.


"Someone told me to meet you here if you hadn't registered before 5:52," she said, looking at the group with a satisfied expression. "So, has Hinata-kun found her last members?"


I slowly raised my hand to Rachel's surprise.


"Harumaki-kun? Are you joining their team? What about your plan of winning?"


Rachel seemed genuinely confused by my sudden decision. Isn't it mean, though? To say that just in front of them.


"I still plan on winning, the only difference being that it will be by their side."


I surprised myself by saying that. I, who wanted to avoid this situation, ended up accepting it without any problems.


Judging by all the reactions, it seems I'm not the only one who's surprised...


"Your dumbass changed tunes so fast, what the hell's your problem?"


Ryûko flashed a confident grin. She puffed out her chest in pride, attuned to Waguri's line.


"All thanks to my extraordinary sagacity—what a genius I am!!"


"A leader has to know how to rally their troops, both in words and actions! Hinata-kun is proof not to judge a book by its cover!"


"Hehe! Someone finally gets my genius!"


Rachel's remark isn't really a compliment. But if Ryûko is happy with it, I won't argue.


We filled out the registration forms until we reached the final two choices: the captain and the last team member. By default, our gaze turned to Waguri. It made her face twist into an expression worse than her usual.


As usual, it seemed like the last thing she wanted to do was have a positive reaction. Both verbally and visually.


"Count me out, I've had enough crap happen this month."


Ryûko leapt forward just before Waguri's face. "So next month's fine, right?!"


Waguri pushed her aside. "Talking to you makes me lose brain cells, you dumbass."


Pouting to show her discontent, Ryûko stuck out her lips. Her friend didn't care and glanced sideways at me.


"I helped you 'cause I wanted that guy to shut up for once. Now that it's done, I've nothing to do with any of you."


She's talking about them as if they weren't friends to begin with. Maybe she wasn't trying to be so vehement after all.


Waguri's theatrical tendency to turn everything into a negative may not be intentional.


In any case, her closed posture, arms crossed, gave every indication of her decision. And to be honest, I shared it.


"We can compete with five players for now; the add-on rule is still a solution, after all."


The add-on rule lets a team swap one member during the elimination phase. However, the new member couldn't have been registered with any team before.


"That would work," Rachel nodded in understanding of my decision. "However, you start each fight with one point less."


Yôsuke flashed a wry smile. Everything suggested that he would tease Akira again, but he didn't.


"Our captain is The Strongest, there's not much to worry about, right?"


"The Strongest...?" Rachel echoed Yôsuke's intervention; he piqued her curiosity. Her intrigued expression gave way to a curious smile.


"The strongest? Even stronger than me?"


Her reputation preceded her, the sole heir to the Narukami clan, defeated only once in single combat.


My résumé is nowhere near as impressive as hers, but I do not doubt my abilities.


"That's how you win the Erabareshimono no Kyousou, right? By being stronger than everyone else attending."


Rachel laughed wholeheartedly, even holding her stomach.


"Harumaki-kun's resolve is inspiring. I hope we can fight it out then. Let's look forward to Tuesday's draw."


She tidied the papers, preparing to leave.


"Now that everything's sorted, you may consider yourselves chosens. I may like you as my students, but I hope that we will defeat you later on."


She shot one last glare at me before leaving. I must admit that she looks strong, but she's no match for me.


Iyasu-sensei appeared behind us. She delicately brushed a few strands of hair off her face while looking at Ryûko.


"Hinata Ryûko, your mother is on her way here."


"Again!? I thought we agreed not to the other day!!"


Iyasu answered with a silent look, searching her memory... and, given her lack of reaction, she found nothing.


"Either way, rest well this weekend, you suffered a slight injury to your ribs. Be more careful picking your opponents next time."


The nurse left us alone in her office. One by one, just like a normal day ending, everyone left.


I had to carry Ryûko to the school gate, where we met her mother.


She was slightly taller than Ryûko. Her clothes were simple, a soft wool sweater with a long brown skirt. She rushed to meet us.


"Ryûko, are you alright?! Your school nurse called me again, and I was so worried!! Don't tell me you are being bullied...? Please..."


"No, no! Not at all!" Ryûko, the ever-enthusiastic, caught onto her mother's worries. "It was just a Trial for the tournament."


Her mother let out a relieved sigh.


"Sorry that my daughter caused you problems..." she bowed politely. "Here, let me invite you for dinner to make up for it, we don't live far from here."


Well, I think I should be the one apologizing, but either way, refusing dinner would be impolite, right? Right. It would be impolite.


Ryûko's mother's perfect proposition won my approval as we set off for their house.


*


The Hinata household was a casual Japanese house. Ryûko's mother gave me no time to look around, so I was already at the dining table.


"Mama's cooking is the greatest! You'll pass out from pleasure, trust me!"


"I look forward to it, then."


Ryûko's round eyes were locked on me. Her hair was still a little damp from the shower she had just taken, framing her petite face.


She had changed out of her school uniform.


She wore a cute long-sleeved pajama top with dog-footsprint patterns. Along with dolphin shorts and long white tights covering her entire leg, as usual, Ryûko looked really cute.


We have been maintaining long eye contact since then, as if she were peering at every detail of my face. Maybe there is something on it?


"Say, Ryûko. You keep looking at me since we arrived. Is there something on my face?"


"I don't see anything wrong with it, it's as cute as always."


Cute... I'm cute, I know that already. Why is she looking at me then? Just because I'm cute?


Ryûko stuck out her lips. Her happy face made room for a pout.


"Um, you good?" I asked.


"Yup. I'm good." She replied, still pouting.


No, you aren't. Considering that you have a broken rib and that you are sulking.


"Sorry for the wait!"


Before us, Ryûko's mother had set up an entire buffet. Tonkatsu, Karaage, hambagu, also Grilled salmon, and there was miso soup too... about 3 liters of it, and of course, a pile of white rice.


// Tonkatsu is a Japanese fried pork cutlet, crispy on the outside and tender inside. Karaage is bite-sized pieces of chicken marinated in soy, ginger, and garlic, then fried. Hambāgu is a hamburger steak often served with a savory demi-glace sauce instead of a bun. //


"I'm deeply sorry, I didn't have enough for a proper dinner..."


"Not at all, I'm grateful that Hinata-san invited me in the first place. I will gladly enjoy this meal." I bowed politely.


"Oh... you are welcome..."


She rubbed her hands together nervously. As I read her mind, a single thought came through, "I should've made more food..."


"Enjoy your meal. I have a few things to do, so I'll leave you now."


...She is worrying too much. She exited the dining room with a worried face. Will she be alright?


"Mama is always worried whenever I bring someone home. With all the food she makes, I can save some to give to people who need it. That way, there's no waste, hehe!"


"I'm worried about your financial situation, Ryûko."


Ryûko grabbed the biggest hambagu and tonkatsu for her plate, along with a pile of rice.


"Don't worry about that, we are safe. Eat up, or it'll get cold."


She took my plate and filled it as much as hers. Ryûko's mother was a great cook. Even some hotels didn't serve me such good ones.


It's been a long time since I had a meal with someone... the food actually tastes better.


While I was enjoying my meal, I glanced over at Ryûko. She was greedily eating all the meat on her plate.


She will get fat, for sure. But from experience, that's not something I can say to a girl unless you want to die.


Ryûko swallowed with a big gulp before drinking a glass of water.


Before going back to eating, she is lively even while eating. As the dinner went on, her chopsticks suddenly stopped.


Ryûko's eyes began to brim with tears.


"Ryûko..."


"W-we did it, right...? The Newbie's really with us now... r-right...?"


Ryûko was having a hard time talking. The drops spilled over, glittering in the room's lights.


"I mean, I knew it in my head... But my body hadn't caught up yet... It just hit me... We... we really did it..."


Was it that important to her...? Considering the circumstances of our first meeting, I thought that she aimed mainly at my strength. How did my wish affect him so much?


For now, it was best to comfort her. I reached out and stroked her hair. She slowly accepted it, and her sobs faded slowly.


Our meeting on the rooftop, our fight at the school's entrance, and the Trials...


Throughout this week, we did nothing but fight. Yet I ended up growing fond of Hinata Ryûko.


An admirable girl with a big heart, courageous and willing to do anything for what she believes in... Hinata Ryûko... With our promise, I can't help but wonder how much fun we will have together.


Without exchanging a word, the two of us simply ate, letting the evening air carry our silence.


On April 11th, we had officially departed on our journey for the Erabareshimono no Kyousou.



To be continued...