Sugar and Pepper (20)
Edited: 2012.12.01
NINETEEN
* TWENTY *
01.
On a scorching summer mid-afternoon, Jun faced an imminent problem; his emotions boiling as hot as the stifling day. Only his will to suppress them kept himself from erupting. He tried not to make his jealousy so apparent. Despite his effort, he still quietly fumed, his foot tapping impatiently against the cement, as he waited beside Satosh quite happily talking to his friend Sakurai Sho on his phone.
"Bye," Satoshi repeated after some time (a long time, Jun thought) and ended the call. He nonchalantly turned to Jun at his side as if he had not ignored his brother for five minutes.
But having his attention, Jun perked up. He straightened and cleared away the scowl on his face. Jun asked in a carefully controlled voice, trying not to seem like he cared, "What was that about?"
Satoshi half-heartedly shrugged. "I... I told him I couldn't meet him at all during the summer, so he said it's alright. He's going with his family to stay in their vacation house for the rest of the summer."
Vacation house? Jun thought, alarm quickly turning into surliness. Rich bastard. He reached out and slung an arm around Satoshi's shoulder. The contact comforted him. At least now he stood on even ground with Sho.
They sat under the shade of a tree in the crowded square. They had stopped there on the way home from school where Jun had had to face their coach and request time off for his wrist to heal. On the account that Jun continued to exercise daily so his body did not wear down when he returned, his coach had said. Jun had readily agreed, because he would do anything as long as he had time to spend with his brother.
Satoshi broke into Jun's smug certainty as readily with a statement. "So I'll just go to the festival with Nino."
"Who?" Jun asked, appalled, dragged from his short happiness. His arm dropped and he frowned.
Satoshi did not show his shock that Jun did not know Kazunari, Jun’s classmate and teammate. "Ninomiya Kazunari," he emphasized.
"You call him Nino?" Jun asked once he connected the name to a face. His horrification showed. When had Satoshi gotten so close to Ninomiya that he'd call him by nickname? Jun remembered Ninomiya's few friends used the same shortened and intimate name.
Satoshi observed his expression and could not understand why Jun behaved so. He feared that Jun disliked Kazunari. His junior wasn't the greatest person in the world, and more often than not Kazunari confused him, but Satoshi knew him to be a good person at heart. He pointed out, "You're going to the festival with Ooshima," because in his mind it was the same. He didn't particularly dislike Miyuki, but he did not like Jun dating her. Whenever he remembered, a knot formed in his gut.
Distracted by his personal frustration, Jun snapped. “But we said you could come along.” He glared at the ground. So Satoshi had refused their offer because he was going with Kazunari.
Sometimes, Satoshi wondered if Jun understood that he was not dense enough to intrude on a date. He stared at the ground and waited in silence for Jun’s illogical anger to subside.
Eventually, Jun sighed. “Can’t you and Ninomiya come with us?” The idea of Satoshi being alone with Kazunari disturbed him.
Satoshi shook his head.
02.
Two and a half hours ago, they had been at the school still packed with a number of their peers and faculty. Students in sports teams, members of the student council, gardening, and science clubs, and other groups continued to use the school facilities over the break. Students required to take supplementary lessons were also crammed inside the sweltering building with their teachers.
Jun and Satoshi had been out at the baseball field. While Jun cheered on his teammates and spoke with the baseball coach, Satoshi had distanced himself from them to stand out of their way.
He was contentedly watching everyone when his junior came along.
“Aren’t you going too far by following him here on a day off?” Kazunari asked, suddenly appearing at his side.
Satoshi pursed his lower lip in a frown but did not deny the implication that he was stalking Jun; that he had actually come at his brother’s request.
Kazunari crossed his arms and grinned. He looked to the field where Satoshi’s attention had been focused. Jun was scribbling down a workout plan with the coach. Satoshi expected the usual jibe from his junior, but to his surprise Kazunari no longer cared to pursue the topic. Losing interest, his eyes turned to Satoshi instead.
“You never called me. Our soccer team had a friendly scrimmage two days ago. We should’ve watched it together.”
Satoshi blinked rapidly. Again, Kazunari surprised him. He stared, wondering about his junior, until Kazunari burst into laughter.
“You don’t know why I’m bothering you. Am I a fan of our soccer team? Am I not?” he joked, confusing Satoshi even more.
But he dismissed the question with a deep sigh and straightening of his shoulders. “Hey, Oh-chan,” he started, “let’s go watch the fireworks at the summer festival together.” He added playfully, “We will follow Matsumoto and take secret photos of him if you want.”
“No,” Satoshi answered. Jun had just told him earlier that week about his plans with Miyuki and Satoshi had rejected his offer to tag along. He was not going to follow Jun for Kazunari’s entertainment. And, he decided he refused to let Kazunari make a fool out of him when he was already feeling so unhappy about Jun’s date.
“No to which one?” Kazunari asked.
Both, Satoshi was about to say, but as he opened his mouth he saw his junior cringe. For one split second, Kazunari became a person Satoshi did not know. Kazunari’s desperate gaze flickered towards him. Then he covered his expression with his usual arrogant sneer.
Satoshi looked down at his feet because he did not know how to take that small slip of his lowerclassman. “We won’t follow Jun,” he murmured.
03.
When Satoshi left the field with Jun later, he noted Kazunari standing alone among his teammates. Instead of the conceited and proud figure he often saw as Kazunari, he only saw the pale and skinny, hunched figure of an unusually quiet boy.
04.
On the night of the festival, Jun refused to wear the traditional yukata, much to Mrs. Matsumoto’s gloom.
At times like these when she wanted to show off her children, she wished she had also had a girl. She’d love to fit her daughter in a colorful yukata and dress the girl’s hair. How awful, she thought, that her handsome Jun refused to let her take care of him.
Then she turned to Satoshi. He did not own a yukata, but although he was older than Jun, he was small and slender. He had a sweet face and she thought he’d be very pretty in any wear. Jun’s dark blue yukata would work.
Despite his refusal to dress for the festival, Jun supported his mother’s decision. Satoshi couldn’t say no.
05.
“You have to call me,” Jun said. “I want to know where you guys are.”
He checked to make sure the battery of Satoshi’s mobile was full. “And if you lose Ninomiya and get lost, call me and I’ll come. If you run out of money,” Mr. Matsumoto had given them a considerable sum to spend at the festival, “call and I’ll come pay for what you want. I still think we should meet up to at least watch the fireworks together. Don’t forget to call me.”
Satoshi was not used to being pampered. He was especially not used to Jun’s concern. Sure, his brother was patient with him and had done things for him, although he also lost his temper as easily, but this overbearing side of Jun was new. All the attention made him uneasy. He realized he disliked Jun’s fretting over him as much as he liked it. Satoshi stowed his phone away deciding he wouldn’t call Jun unless it was an emergency.
“Call me,” Jun repeated one last time.
Satoshi nodded.
Jun patted his brother’s arm, gently so as not to disturb the dark blue sleeve of his yukata, and then tousled Satoshi’s blonde hair. He grinned. “See you at the festival.”
Satoshi’s heart skipped a beat. He offered a smile in return.
06.
Kazunari was waiting for him at the riverside as promised.
At first, Satoshi did not see him among the sea of constantly moving people, but he quickly recognized the slumped form of his junior in the distance, crouched under a tree. Unlike himself, Kazunari had on a striped polo shirt and casual light-blue jeans with brown sandals.
Kazunari whistled when he approached. “Are we on a date? But our roles are reversed. I should have come late.”
Satoshi allowed his glower to show. He didn’t think the joke very funny.
Kazunari shrugged. “I’m kidding. I know more than anyone about your adoration for Matsumoto. As a matter of fact, I too am loyal to my own sweetheart.”
It was the first time Satoshi had heard of such a thing. Kazunari had a girlfriend?
In an effort to quickly change the subject, Kazunari’s eyes darted away as if he had lost interest in their conversation and said, “Let’s get going. I want to win as many games as possible. You have money?”
Satoshi remembered that Kazunari still owed him a meal. “No,” he lied.
Kazunari smirked. But he said nothing and beckoned Satoshi to follow him.
* *
TWENTY-ONE