I Asked Her Out, Supposedly

As the next couple of weeks went by, Katsuo managed to pick up on most of his classmate’s names from conversation and asking Hayami, as their teacher either didn’t seem interested in doing roll call or didn’t need to. Katsuo was also happy to learn that midterms still seemed to be held around the same time, so he didn’t have to take them again.

Hayami began walking with him and Kanna to school each morning. Neither of them asked or agreed on a set time, they just gradually started arriving at their shared intersection closer in time each day until eventually they were in sink. Katsuo spent almost every lunch with Kame and Hayami.

Before he knew it, a month in this new world had already gone by. In this time, he learned that he was in the Chubu region, as he was in his world. It even had the same name, which he supposed made sense, as it was still the middle region. All the basic things and concepts appeared to be the same, such as names of food and traditional clothing. He and Hayami had yet to discover any that were different. Even most of the festivals seemed to be almost identical.

And yet, there were some glaring differences. For instance, they were currently in Atakoro, in Katsuo’s Japan, it was called Shizuoka. From conversation with Hayami, a little wandering and occasional shopping, he’d discovered that there wasn’t much difference between the two prefectures. Mount Fuji was also the same.

Neither he or Hayami had read very much on time travel or alternate worlds, but to their best guess, it seemed this world’s only real divergence was the change in prefecture name. Well, that, Katsuo himself and his family of course. But they also hadn’t proven that a different version of Katsuo was already here and Hayami just lost her memory of him. Upon discovering all of this, Hayami had suggested a different train of thought.

“Maybe you never were in a different world, perhaps you just have a false memory of one. And I somehow lost mine?”

Although this was technically more probable, Katsuo felt that it was too much of a coincidence to be true. Besides, once you were talking about alternate worlds and timelines, there really was no limit to what was possible.

Beyond all of this, Katsuo nor Hayami could come up with any physical evidence to support or discredit any of their hypotheses. At least not any of their existing ideas. Perhaps they would find something eventually. 

In the first week of class in June, Katsuo saw Tasou carry in a sports bag with the handle of a tennis racket poking out. He stared at it for a moment, thinking about whether he should join a sports team. He played baseball back in his world up until this year. Would that be next year? The difference in time between worlds but his age still being the same was a little confusing. He discovered in this world that he had been born a year earlier than in his own.

“Do you play?”

Katsuo looked up, realizing someone had spoken to him. It was Tasou.

“What?”

“I saw you looking at my racket, I was curious if you played?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve played. Never on a team or anything, just a couple times with friends.”

“You should come play with me sometime, I’d like to try out for the tennis team this year and would love to have someone to practice with. Afterall, I can’t get Toshihiro-san to play with me.”

He said this as he poked his friend in the ribs, causing him to jump up in his seat.

“Uhh, sure. I don’t know how much help I’ll be with practice, but I wouldn’t mind playing with you. I’ll need to get a racket though.”

Tasou shook his head at him.

“No need, I already have a spare.”

And with that, it was settled. They agreed to meet the next day after school. Katsuo was a little uncomfortable with the idea, but he supposed he couldn’t see the harm in it. He also felt some anticipation as well, maybe because he hadn’t played a sport in so long? He couldn’t be sure, but one way or another he supposed he’d find out tomorrow.

The rest of the school day went by as normal, lunch and all. On his way home, Hayami asked him about his conversation with Tasou.

“So, you’re going to play tennis with Tasou-san tomorrow?”

He shrugged, keeping stride with her as they headed towards the junior high building.

“Yeah, apparently so.”

“What made you decide to say yes?”

He shrugged again.

“Dunno, just sounded like something to do I guess.”

He paused before continuing.

“And I kind of want to, I think.”

She peered at him questioningly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“So, do you like to play? Or did you used to?”

“Yeah, I guess. No, what I told Tasou-san was true. I’ve only played a few times. I’m not very good, I actually prefer baseball.”

He looked up at the passing sun, trying to think of a way to describe what he was feeling.

“I think my body wants to play. Does that make sense?”

Hayami looked at him as if she didn’t quite understand. Then looked at him askance, before pulling an arm across her chest.

“Wh-what’s that supposed to mean?”

He glanced at her. Rolling his eyes internally, he opted to sigh instead of shrugging again.

“Nothing like that, just that I feel like playing, but I don’t necessarily care either way.”

She still looked as if she didn’t totally understand but nodded anyway. To be honest, Katsuo didn’t know if he did either. He was just sort of - Winging it?

Kanna gave her usual wave of greeting as they approached, before joining them on the walk home. Katsuo informed her that tomorrow he wouldn’t be coming by her school immediately after as he normally would. To this, Kanna sounded a little displeased. Not totally disgruntled, but perhaps a little jealous of potentially being left out of something.

“Aw, why not, onii-chan? Where are you going to be?”

“Just to play tennis with a friend after school. Nothing else.”

She looked at him a bit surprised.

“Since when do you play tennis, or sports for that matter?”

“I don’t, I was just invited.”

She harrumphed but didn’t say anything further. She did wear a classic Kanna pouting face. Katsuo had to admit, the look was well practiced. Although, she had a way to go before she could pull off the professional look her older self managed. Older Kanna’s pout was a true work of art, Katsuo often found that he couldn’t tell whether it was an act, or she was actually upset. Younger Kanna on the other hand, had minor details that gave away the lack of seriousness of her sour face.

Katsuo doubted most people could tell. If asked, he doubted he could point out any flaws in the deception. He could just sort of tell, likely from the years of experience. Apparently Hayami couldn’t though, because she seemed to fall for his little sister’s trap.

“Kanna-chan, I’ll still walk with you if you’d like?”

Kanna seemed somewhat pleased by this, but Katsuo could tell by the look on her face that she had already formulated a plan.

“That would be great! Oh, I know! Hayami-san, we could go watch onii-chan play! Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Hayami seemed a bit surprised by this but didn’t hesitate long before responding.

“Uh, sure. I don’t have anything going on after school tomorrow.”

“Great! Then I’ll meet you in front of the high school! Oh, we should invite Kame-san too!”

And with that, it was settled. Shortly after, they reached the intersection and parted ways. Once they were home, Kanna excitedly informed their parents about tomorrow. Both of which seemed a bit surprised by their son’s willingness to play sports, as he hadn’t since junior high. He could never quite ignore the irony of learning about himself from others.

The next morning, Katsuo packed some gym clothes to take with him. That was part of the reason he and Tasou had opted to play today and not yesterday. He didn’t think it would be right to wear his school gym clothes after school hours for a personal activity. And on top of all that, Tasou didn’t have his extra racket with him at the time.

Katsuo and his sister headed out, met Hayami at the usual spot, and then began their day at school. After school, Katsuo got changed in the locker room, then headed to the school tennis courts. Tasou was already there doing some stretches when he arrived. Hayami and Kanna walked in shortly after Katsuo. They took a seat on a nearby bench, Hayami promptly opened a book and began to read.

“Hey Katsuo-san, are you ready to start?”

“Sure.”

Tasou was already on one side of the net, so Katsuo grabbed the spare racket off the bench and headed for the other. He spun it in his hand, feeling the balance and grip. Tasou hollered to Katsuo.

“Are you familiar with the rules?”

Katsuo looked up, looked around the court. He gestured to the lines at either side and to the one behind him.

“That’s the perimeter, second bounce means it’s a point, and serve to the opposite block.”

He shrugged, indicating the limit of his knowledge.

“Just the basics. But I think I can manage.”

Tasou nodded in understanding, tossed up a ball and then bounced it with his racket. A question occurred to Katsuo then.

“What about points?”

Tasou shook his head.

“No points, we’re just practicing for now. Ready?”

Once Katsuo gave his approving nod, Tasou served the ball to him. It was a soft serve and came straight to him. Just as Katsuo began to move his racket, a strange feeling crept over him. It felt a little tingly at first, like a small adrenaline jump. Then his foot turned, almost without his desire to turn it. His racket hit the ball square on, giving it just enough power to send it smoothly back over the net, and with just the right angle to send it to the far end from where Tasou had been standing.

Tasou stepped in that direction, but it was already too late. The ball landed just within the lines, then bounced over into “No Man’s Land.” Tasou looked a bit surprised.

“Wow, I’m impressed. That was a good hit!”

“Oh, uh thanks.”

“Yay, onii-chan!”

His sister cheered from the bench. Hayami had looked up from her book, but Katsuo couldn’t tell whether she had seen or not. Tasou grabbed the ball and prepared to serve. Katsuo nodded and Tasou struck. Katsuo smoothly returned the ball back to him. Tasou, no longer underestimating his opponent, sent it back to him. They rallied briefly, before Katsuo finally fell short. Tasou was grinning at him, seemingly quite pleased.

“Maybe we’ll have to play for points after all.”

Katsuo shrugged, not caring one way or the other. He did feel really good. Like his body was enjoying this, more than he was. He wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“You start us off, Katsuo-san.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Katsuo grabbed the ball he had missed, waited for Tasou’s nod, and served. Katsuo made the first point, and the second. But after that it was closely matched between them. Tasou did end up winning the first set. They stopped to take a water break after that.

“You’re actually pretty good, Katsuo-san. You should consider trying out for the team with me.”

Katsuo gave it some thought, tilting his head side to side as he did so.

“Yeah, maybe.”

Tasou didn’t press any further, and another set began. Katsuo won the next two, but only barely on the second. He did notice a couple more people had joined in watching. Toshihiro, and Harui now sat on the other bench. Harui turned her head away when Katsuo looked over at them.

“Hey, Tasou-san. Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, of course. What’s up?”

“Why does Harui-san dislike me so much?”

Tasou gave him a half smile.

“Come on man, you know she’s been like that since first year.”

“Huh?”

Tasou sighed, wiping the back of his neck with a towel.

“You know, since you asked her out. And she turned you down?”

“What.”

It didn’t really come out as a question; Katsuo just couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Harui had a memory of him asking her out? Still, that didn’t quite explain her totally ignoring him. Unless she just didn’t want to make eye contact with him that badly.

Tasou shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know man; girls can just be like that sometimes. Am I right?”

He patted Katsuo on the shoulder, heading back onto the court. Cleary Tasou misunderstood Katsou’s confusion, and probably for the better. Asked her out? Really? He figured that he would probably need to confront her about it. Seeing as he didn’t have any memory of the event himself, he would need to tread lightly. But he could at least let her know there were no hard feelings, or that he was okay with her rejection.

Something was needed to break the tension. And he certainly wasn’t going to get away with telling her that it never happened. Clearly other students were aware of it too. Thankfully it was already past the awkward stage where it would be the latest gossip. Katsou really didn’t care for that kind of stuff.

Tasou called out to him to serve, and once Katsuo saw the nod, he served. They went back and forth throughout their last sets, eventually Tasou came out on top. As the ball bounced past Katsuo, confirming Tasou’s victory, Harui and Toshihiro cheered. Toshihiro being the louder of the two of them. Though not loud enough that Katsuo didn’t miss his sister’s dissatisfied groan. Toshihiro ran over to them.

“Way to go Tasou-san! That was a great game! You too, Katsuo-san! You guys were really incredible to watch! Katsuo-san, do you plan on trying out for the team too?”

“Uh, thanks. No, probably not. I like to play, but not that much.”

Tasou looked disappointed at this but didn’t comment. He thanked Katsuo for playing with him, then he, Harui, and Toshihiro gave their goodbyes and left the courts. Katsuo watched them walk for a bit, then turned to see Hayami had as well. He thought she must be wondering about Harui.

“Onii-chan! That was amazing, onii-chan!”

His little sister slammed into him, throwing her arms around his waist. He set a hand on her head, giving her a little pat. He noticed Hayami wore a slight smile as she watched them. Kanna looked up at him, now looking a bit dismal.

“But you didn’t win.”

“That’s alright, I don’t mind.”

His sister made a dissatisfied sound, and then Hayami stepped in.

“It was impressive. Er, a little, anyway.”

She pressed her fist to her mouth, clearing her throat, and avoiding eye contact. Katsuo didn’t respond, opting not to inadvertently embarrass her further. He pushed his sister away, pointing out his body odor and sweat. To which she jumped back and plugged her nose, as if him mentioning it had somehow allowed her to smell it.

“Ready to head home?”

“Yep!”

Hayami simply nodded. Together, the three of them headed in the direction of home. With Kanna skipping ahead, Hayami finally spoke.

“So, what do you think is up with Harui-san?”

“Well, I actually asked Tasou-san about it.”

“And?”

Katsuo sighed, partially from embarrassment and partially because it seemed a little stupid to him. He put his arms behind his head before answering.

“Apparently, she remembers me asking her out at the beginning of last year. And she rejected me.”

After a few steps and having heard no answer from Hayami, he turned and looked at her. She was frowning slightly, with a look of consternation on her face. Realizing he was looking at her she replied.

“Oh, I see.”

“That’s it?”

“What else would you like me to say?”

“Uh, I don’t know honestly. Just, more than that I guess.”

“Well, what do you plan to do about this?”

“Confront her, I guess. Let her know there’s no hard feelings.”

He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. Hayami thought for a moment before responding.

“Makes sense. Especially since you can’t really convince her otherwise. Your best option is to just go along with it.”

That pretty much summed it up. Katsuo had to admit, he did appreciate how quickly Hayami processed things. She really seemed to think each thing through.

“So then, is that all?”

He was confused by this and expressed as much.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean do you plan on pursuing her, or anything?”

“Or anything?”

She looked a little irritated now.

“You know what I meant.”

“If you mean, am I going to ask her out, the answer is no. She’s clearly not into me or she would have said yes.”

“So, if she was interested you would ask her?”

“What? No, I just meant… I don’t know what I meant, but I’m not interested in her like that. I don’t even know her.”

Hayami nodded sharply, seeming to be satisfied with this. Katsuo on the other hand just felt confused.

“Good. So, is there someone…”

She spoke so softly, each word getting quieter than the one before.

“What?”

“N-nothing, never mind.”

Her cheeks were glowing, she shrunk into her blazer, like she was trying to hide in it. Katsuo shook his head internally. Tasou was right about one thing, girls were hard to understand. A short time later, they reached the intersection, gave their goodbyes, and headed the rest of the way home. Bringing a close to yet another interesting day in this new world.