Chapter 10: Week 2 : Day 2-1 (morning to evening) : Yamamoto : Sword Song, Baseball, Boxed Lunch and Forgetfulness (Past 2)
Next day…
"Wait a bit longer, it's fine," Fong said as he walked beside Saya. She was pushing her bicycle out of the house after locking it up. Although the rain had just started drizzling, it had only been less than ten minutes since it began.
The sky above was quite cloudy, though not as dark as it was on the day the elemental rain appeared. Just less than ten minutes after, small raindrops began to fall gently from the sky.
"Reborn called to tell me, Yamamoto-kun has work at home. I agree that it would be more convenient to visit him myself," she said before locking the front door and turning to crave to Fong. "I really have to thank you for everything that happened."
Fong smiled and also bowed in a Chinese style. "I also wish to thank you, Saya-chan. Please take care of your health."
"Thank you. Well then, I'll be going now, Mr.Fong," Saya smiled, then mounted her bicycle, pulling up the bright yellow hood to shield from the rain. She began pedaling forward as the rain steadily intensified.
After the sakura blossoms in Namimori bloomed together, the flowers began to fall slowly, leaving only a few now, but the petals still carried a faint sweet fragrance, mixing with the rain.
"Ah, good morning, Saya-chan," Yamamoto greeted as he carried a foam box containing seafood. He was dressed casually in a t-shirt and sweatpants. The girl stopped her bicycle and walked over to him, leading it by hand. "Wait a moment, I need to put these things away first. Come inside while you wait, Saya-chan."
"Excuse me…" Saya followed Yamamoto inside. She ducked under the cloth sign hanging over the doorway just before the rain started pouring down harder. The interior of the shop was all wood, clean and with several seats. There was also a display case at the front for customers to view fresh ingredients. "This is Yamamoto's sushi restaurant, isn't it?"
"Yeah, next year my dad said he'll try to get us a Michelin star," he said before nonchalantly sitting Saya at the counter. She looked around in mild surprise as she had never been to a sushi restaurant like this before. The young man behind the counter, noticing her curious gaze, smiled faintly. "I'll get you some tea first."
"Ah, suddenly the rain is coming down hard. It's a good thing we finished moving everything in time."
'Yamamoto Tsuyoshi' – a man who looked similar to Yamamoto, with tanned skin, short black hair, and matching eyes, came out from the back of the restaurant. He was quite muscular and had an expression that reflected some aging, though his smile gave him a surprisingly approachable demeanor. He casually greeted her, much like his son had.
"Who's this girl with you? Takeshi" he asked with a hint of curiosity and affection. "She looks like a model or actress."
"She's my classmate. She just moved in," Yamamoto explained. "Dad, you talk to her first, I'll go get the tea."
"Alright then. Hey, young lady, my name's Tsuyoshi, I'm Yamamoto's father. Please take care of my son, Takeshi," the middle-aged man said as he stood behind the counter in his sushi chef attire.
"Good morning, Mr. Yamamoto. My name is Saya Tomoe," Saya bowed gracefully, as was her habit from her upbringing. "I really want to thank your son for helping me with so many things."
"Oh, you're the daughter of Mikasa Tomoe, the actress, right?" he exclaimed, before laughing. "You look just like your mother. I'm a big fan of hers, you know!"
"Thank you very much, Mr. Yamamoto," Saya replied. "My mom would be so happy to hear you say that."
"Hey, Saya… if Takeshi is a bit clueless or too straightforward sometimes, don't hold it against him," Tsuyoshi whispered with a wink. Saya nodded with a smile.
"I understand, thank you. But I actually like how Yamamoto is like that. It makes me feel at ease when I'm around him," Saya said.
"Really? So, you can count on him?" Tsuyoshi said thoughtfully after watching her for a moment. He then clapped his fists together. "By the way, have you eaten yet? We've got some good ingredients here. Let me make you something to eat."
"…No, it's okay," Saya said politely, making the man smile even more widely.
"The army must march on its stomach, you know, Saya. Wait a moment. Do you like sea urchins? We have Amaidai here as well," Tsuyoshi said as he walked into the back of the shop, speaking as he went. Saya could only meekly accept his offer.
Tsuyoshi saw his son coming out of the back of the shop with a tray containing two cups of tea. They crossed paths, and it was the perfect moment for Tsuyoshi to pat his son's shoulder and whisper in his ear.
"She passes, son," he said, patting him a couple more times as his son remained silent. "Is She my daughter-in-law in the future, right?" His voice sounded serious but with a playful tone. "Compared to the previous one, she got my vote."
"Saya's just a friend, Dad, and she's a guest of Vongola. Don't joke like that," Yamamoto replied with a difficult expression, while his father chuckled softly.
"I'll wait and see how long this friend of yours will remain just a friend," Tsuyoshi's words made the young man flinch in his mind. "I'll prepare a proper ceremony fit for the wife of the successor to the Shigure Soen."
"If you say so, I'll leave it to you, Dad," Yamamoto replied, before adding, "I'll go check on Saya then." With that, he walked off, leaving his father watching him from behind. The young man then approached the counter where Tsuyoshi went to the back kitchen to prepare food for Saya.
Meanwhile, Yamamoto placed a green teacup from the tray in front of Saya. He was behind the counter, wiping his hands clean. He noticed that the elemental rain flame didn't flare up today as it had before, but her bracelet shone with a blue light.
"Excuse me," Saya extended her hand, and Yamamoto activated the Rain flame from his ring before taking her hand.
The rain outside had ceased, even though the clouds remained thick, and no more raindrops fell. Both of them could feel the sound of the rain slowly fading away until there was no sound left.
"By the way, do you have anything planned for today, Saya-chan?" Yamamoto asked, while Saya took a sip of her warm tea, then shook her head and asked in return.
"Yamamoto-kun, do you need anything?"
"I have baseball practice today, so I might be back a little late," he explained. "I wanted to ask if you have anything planned, since I might be back around 7 or 8 P.M. in the evening."
"No, I don't," Saya said with a bright smile. "By the way, next week you'll be playing in the semi-finals, right?"
"Yeah... it might be the last time I get to play like this," he said. "I plan to focus on it as much as I can." He added, "After I graduate from high school, I won't be playing baseball anymore."
"Why?" Saya asked in confusion. "I heard you're really good at it."
The young man looked at her, a resigned expression on his face as he exhaled. "It's something I had to choose, and I've already decided to focus on what I want."
Even though he said that the girl still didn't understand. At that moment, Tsuyoshi came in with two bowls of rice, each topped with luxurious sashimi, the fish and roe glistening. Yamamoto's jaw dropped, surprised at how fancy the food was for breakfast. "Here, eat up, both of you, and then go conquer the day!"
"It looks so delicious. I haven't had this dish in a long time," Saya said, gazing at the bowl before Yamamoto spoke up.
"Let's eat quickly so we can head to school," he said. Saya nodded, pressed her hands together in thanks, and began eating slowly and delicately. Her pale blue eyes, which had darkened slightly, sparkled with delight as she tasted the food. Her face shone with joy as the delicious flavors spread through her mouth.
Yamamoto smiled softly as he watched her, before beginning to eat his own meal.
"Club huh?" Saya repeated the question when Kyoko-chan handed her the club registration form. Kyoko was a short-haired girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She was one of the school's stars at Namimori High and also the younger sister of Ryohei.
Kyoko was a kind and gentle girl. Many times, when Saya felt shy about approaching her classmates, Kyoko would talk to them for her or even start a conversation. She also helped with other things like the class schedule or giving advice on daily life. The past week since Saya transferred to this school had been a good one.
Although Saya wasn't sure if it was a coincidence or if Kyoko just had an excellent intuition, she always seemed to help her at the right moments. Saya was grateful to her, just like everyone else. What's more, Kyoko was friends with Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto, and even knew about the Vongola family.
"Yeah, this school has clubs, Saya-chan," Kyoko said, and Saya took the document to read the details before responding.
"Well… I really like swimming," Saya said, "but I wanted to try something new, so I thought I wouldn't join."
"I see… Hmm…" Kyoko paused to think. "So, what do you want to do, Saya-chan?"
"I'm not sure yet," the girl said, pausing thoughtfully before giving a dry laugh. "But maybe if I visit each club, I'll figure it out."
After school, Kyoko took Saya around to visit several clubs. While asking for details about each club, Saya wrote everything down on a piece of paper.
In the past two years ago, Saya had started helping her father by taking notes in meetings, both in Japanese and English, and even summarizing reports. So, when there was something that needed to be written down, it came naturally to her. But since Saya had become independent, she hadn't done that much anymore.
"By the way, Saya-chan, which club are you interested in?" Kyoko-chan asked after taking her around more than half the clubs.
"Actually, there are a lot of interesting clubs," Saya said, handing Kyoko the paper she had written on.
"The music club, home economics club, literature club, cheerleading club… Eh, baseball?"
"I just put that there, just in case. I wanted to check out the football club too," Saya explained.
"Sorry, Saya-chan, but we don't have a girls' baseball or football club here," Kyoko smiled. "It's a shame, but it can't be helped. But if you want to go watch, you can, just be a little careful, okay?"
"Thank you, Kyoko-chan," Saya smiled back.
Saya thought to herself that she made the right decision to transfer here. This must be fate, the goddess of cherry blossoms leading her to a new life filled with happiness.
Kyoko took Saya to the football field. It was quite large but looked run-down, especially the football club building, which was full of dirt and signs of neglect. From just looking at it, it was clear that the building had become a hangout spot.
"What are you two doing here?" a young man asked. He had brown hair and sea-blue eyes. He was sitting nearby in his football uniform, but they hadn't noticed him before. Kyoko turned to look and smiled.
"Oh, it's Senior Rinji," Kyoko said. The boy named Rinji looked at both of them as he sat on a bench with a football in his hands and a towel on the back of the bench. "I'm just showing Saya-chan around the clubs."
"…I see. But there's no football practice today," he said, before his blue eyes turned to Saya and then back to Kyoko. "I don't think there's much to see here… but the baseball club has practice today, I heard."
"Thank you, Senior Rinji," Kyoko said, then turned to Saya. "Shall we go?"
"Hey, Kyoko-chan! Saya-chan! Over here!" Yamamoto waved his hand, calling them over. Saya waved back before they both said goodbye to Rinji and walked over to the baseball player. Meanwhile, Rinji returned to his seat and began practicing ball juggling again.
Yamamoto quickly arranged for them to sit by the sidelines before the practice began. The session was simple. Yamamoto was the batter, while the other player was the pitcher.
"Let's continue practicing," the pitcher opposite Yamamoto said, then threw the ball, and Yamamoto hit it, running to score every time.
"I'll throw it harder next time!" the pitcher said.
"Bring it on!" Yamamoto replied.
The pitching and hitting grew more intense, and now Saya could sense some hidden power from both of them.
Saya wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she could have sworn she saw an imagined battle between a swallow and a sparrow ready to clash behind both of them. Dust started to rise, and at that very moment, Saya suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, as if some instinct was warning her.
"K... Kyoko-chan, should we move somewhere else?" she asked, but Kyoko still looked confused.
"Huh? Why? We're having fun!"
And then...
"I'm serious now!" the pitcher yelled loudly. "The Southern Star Sparrow Punch, Baseball Comet!"
The baseball that was thrown disappeared in mid-air, only to reappear right in front of Yamamoto, who was waiting for it.
"The Shigure Soen-modified baseball technique, thirty percent!" the young boy whispered. "Swallow Legion!"
The baseball collided with the bat with a massive force, causing Yamamoto to grip the bat tighter to counter it.
Whoosh!
"This is bad," Yamamoto muttered as everyone's gaze followed the blue light streaking toward the school building.
Inside the regulation committee room...
Boom!!!
"Ah, I hit too hard again," Yamamoto said as he watched the school building create a large hole, part of the concrete wall collapsing, revealing the classroom, with cracks running through the structure.
"This is bad….run, run! now! Quickly!" After saying that, the pitcher rushed off the field, followed by several other members, running for their lives. Only the newcomers and Yamamoto's group stayed behind, and in that brief moment, a figure emerged from the dust that was slowly clearing.
"Who dares destroy my regulation committee room?" A familiar cold voice spoke slowly, followed by a familiar figure covered in dust, walking toward them. Another young boy walked closely behind him. "How bold."
Saya imagined seeing a white tiger drawn with Chinese ink. Its eyes glowed, surrounded by a purple aura swirling around it, ready to pounce and tear into them.
"Sorry, Hibari, it was just an accident during training. Please forgive me," Yamamoto said, clasping his hands together in a form of apology, his face showing sincere remorse in the way only Yamamoto could.
"No forgiveness. I'll tear you apart," Hibari said, pulling out his tonfa, while Yamamoto still held his baseball bat, sweat beading on his cheek.
"You're really not going to forgive me, huh?" Yamamoto said, his voice tense, but Hibari stopped when he noticed someone beside Yamamoto. His memories began to flood back, remembering how she had taken care of him when he was sick, making him sick herself and falling that day. He remembered some other things as well.
"Please take your medicine, Hibari."
After hearing those words, he could still feel Saya's arm lifting his neck, feeling the softness of her lips on his own, a gentle sensation that lingered in his heart in a strange way. But oddly enough, his mind couldn't process what exactly it was, especially when he was sick at that time.
Even after leaving the hospital yesterday, the feeling still lingered, as if it was a half-dream, half-reality. When Tetsuya spoke about what happened with Saya during the fire element explosion, the young boy felt even more confused, his thoughts were a mess, not knowing what to make of it. Hibari had been irritated by the feeling that had stuck with him for days.
But there was one thing the boy could clearly remember and understand the most.
"Hey! You there... did you forget something?" Hibari said seriously, as Saya was still confused by his shift of attention toward her.
"Don't tell me you forgot," Hibari said. "I'll tear you apart just to make you remember."
I'll make you a bento every day.
Saya suddenly went pale.
I... I completely forgot! What a disaster!
"Where's my bento for today, Saya?" Hibari walked toward her, tonfa in hand.
At that, Yamamoto quickly moved to shield her, looking at Hibari with a tense gaze.
"No matter what, I have to protect Saya-chan." Yamamoto said with himself.
Saya, now panicking at Hibari's arrival, snapped out of it when she realized that Yamamoto was trying to protect her. She quickly thought of a way out and shouted.
"I... I understand, Hibari! I'll go make it right now!" Saya shouted in a rush, forcing a smile, her lips twitching. "W... What would you like to eat today?"
Hibari froze in his tracks, while Yamamoto furrowed his brows.
"She just got better, Kyoya," Tetsuya said. "And Saya took care of you almost the whole day until she got sick herself."
Hibari kept a blank face, while everyone else stood still, letting the wind blow through. After a moment, the head of the regulation committee finally spoke.
"…Yakisoba," he said, putting his tonfa back while Yamamoto also relaxed his tense posture.
"Got it!" Saya shouted, rushing off in a cloud of dust toward the school building, straight to the home economics club. She suddenly swung the door open.
"Sorry! Hibari is hungry! May I use the kitchen, please!?" Saya shouted, her face red from the sudden run. "A... And from now on, for the peace of mind of... well, of the school! I... I'll be joining the home economics club starting now!"
Something fell with a loud clang, and everyone in the room fell silent at her sudden announcement. Saya didn't care anymore. Who cares what anyone else thinks when Hibari is hungry!