Stealing Thunder

Ichiro was starting to feel more comfortable with the current situation.

This was upsetting to him.

Although it had only been a handful of weeks since Izumi joined their class, she seemed to be adapting well. Gradually, she was learning everyone's names, familiarizing herself with her class schedule, and even memorizing the layout of the school. She had figured out the best spots to be during the day in order to avoid crowds.

The rest of the class seemed to be quickly adjusting to her presence. The initial crowd that had surrounded her during the first week had dwindled. This left only a few polite classmates who greeted everyone in the class no matter what. Otherwise, Izumi found herself alone at her desk, occasionally reading a book or working on classwork.

Even Hina, who once was assigned as Izumi’s new assistant had stuck to her like glue, had now returned to hanging out with Ichiro every moment she could, and if not staying with her tight-knit clique.

Though, Ichiro found himself increasingly frustrated by seeing Izumi sitting alone at the back of the classroom during lunch. He couldn't fully grasp the reasons behind his feelings. While the teacher lectured, Izumi would occasionally glance out at the courtyard, where the intense heat made gym practices challenging.

Now, during the lunch break, she leisurely nibbled on her bento while watching the clouds slowly drift by. The classroom was mostly empty during lunch, with only Izumi and Ichiro present. He continued chewing on his milk's straw, irritated as he watched her sitting there alone.

“Tch” he clicked his straw with his tongue in frustration while watching her sit alone.

“Something wrong, man?” Takuya asked, barely looking up from his melon bread.

Ichiro turned his head, realizing that Takuya was still there. “Uh, it's nothing. I was just lost in my own thoughts.”

Takuya shook his head in frustration, glancing over his meal. “I know you always say everything is okay, but lately, you've been really distracted.”

“What do you mean?” Ichiro snapped quietly through his straw.

“You haven't heard a word of what we've been talking about again, have you?”

“Hey, you two, cut it out!” Hina interjected, setting her chopsticks down. “Ichiro has a lot on his mind. You both have important games coming up, and he's just focusing on that for now.”

“Umm, I'm not—” Ichiro attempted to correct the girl but was interrupted by Hina giving Takuya a sharp glare.

“It's something you should be doing as well.”

As she finished her quip, Hina quickly turned and rested her head on Ichiro’s shoulder with a soft smile spreading over her rosy cheeks. He raised his hands in a worried gesture, careful not to touch the girl who was rubbing her soft hair against him, close enough he could possibly guess what brand of shampoo she was using. He knew any attempt to stop her would only make things worse, as she already had one of her arms worming its way around his arm.

He had known her for practically ever. She had always been really close to him, but strangely she had been getting more and more bold with her clinginess to him. When he was younger, he would try to brush her off of him, but that would normally end with a secret bruise somewhere on him as she would sneak in pinches while no one was looking. So instead, Ichiro would let it happen while showing as best he could, he wasn’t exactly pleased by her actions.

Meanwhile, Takuya glared back at Hina before letting out a deep sigh. “I'm just worried about my bro. If he's not doing well, we won't do well in the games. I want him to be at his best for us.”

“I'm sorry, man,” Ichiro deflated, allowing his hands to slump onto his lap. “I know I need to keep my head clear, but I'm going through a rough patch right now. It's hard to explain. But I promise it won't hold me back during our upcoming games.”

“You better not, or I might have to punch you back into reality, bro,” Takuya chuckled, raising his fist for a bump.

Ichiro laughed and responded by tapping his knuckles against Takuya's. “I'll hold you to it.”

“Oh, but I know what would help!” Hina sprang upright from Ichiro's shoulder, her eyes bright and shining as she spoke. “You need to clear your mind!”

Ichiro glanced at Takuya, who shrugged his shoulders, equally confused by Hina's suggestion.

“Just go out and do something different,” Hina continued, raising her finger with a matter-of-fact air. “Once you come back, your mind will be back on track.”

“Uh…” Ichiro found himself momentarily speechless, trying to make sense of what was being thrown at him.

Suddenly, a sharp slap on his shoulder caught his attention. “I get what she's saying now, man,” Takuya tried his best to explain. “It's like when you're stuck studying, and you grab a snack from the fridge, and suddenly everything clicks. You just need to go grab a snack!”

“I think that only works for you,” Ichiro chuckled, hearing his friend's stomach growl at the end of the explanation, which Takuya tried to cover up with embarrassed arms.

“Not exactly what I had in mind, but it'll do for now,” Hina rolled her eyes and slowly rested her head back on Ichiro's shoulder. “Although, I was thinking of something bigger than just getting food.”

“Oh?” Ichiro asked curiously, gently pulling away from the relaxing girl. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well,” Hina began, fluttering her eyelashes as she looked up at Ichiro, “I happen to have a couple of tickets to Wonder World Park. My friends are going this weekend, and I was wondering if you'd like to go with us.”

As she spoke, her voice grew softer and more timid with each passing syllable, until she was nearly silent. She raised a small balled hand to her lips, her eyes quivering as she looked up at him from his shoulder, awaiting his response.

“Yo! That sounds like a great idea!” Takuya nearly bounced up from his seat upon hearing the tentative plan. “I've always wanted to go there. We should totally go together, man!” He slapped Ichiro's shoulder again, unintentionally altering the original suggestion.

With eyes nearly glowing red, Hina turned towards Takuya, trying to kill him with just a stare. “You're not invited! This is just for the two of us!” She hissed quietly, hoping Ichiro wouldn't hear her admonishing Takuya.

“Didn’t you just say you were going with your friends?” Takuya whispered back, an unamused look distorting his normal grin.

“How many tickets do you have, Hina?” Ichiro asked, looking down at the girl who was mentally throwing daggers.

“Oh, uh, I have season passes,” she nervously answered, her eyes still fluttering. “As many as I want to go with me are free to come with me.”

“See," Takuya interjected, his eyes narrowed at Hina, sparks nearly flying between the two. “There are more than enough for me to tag along. Ichiro wouldn't leave his bro behind, right?”

“Ugh,” Hina groaned as she rolled her eyes, “Don’t just interject yourself into our plans. Go on and tell him Ichiro.

“You want to go with us, Nakagawa?”

The two arguing teens froze, uncertain of what they had just heard. In unison, they looked up at the person who had asked the unexpected question. They saw Ichiro, who had finally taken the milk straw out of his mouth, looking across the room with focused eyes.

Following his gaze, they found Izumi, lifting her head from cloud-watching and looking over at them, equally puzzled by the sudden invitation. With a raised eyebrow, she pointed to herself as she responded, “Me?”

Ichiro simply nodded in confirmation, while his friends gasped loudly.

“““Huh!?””” said all those left in the room who weren’t Ichiro at once.