Work Text:
2013
The first time she noticed something had been after Riseki got pelted in the nose by the stray ball she'd protected Rintarō from with a clipboard. The way he turned bright red under Ryōko's concerned gaze and, from her angle, a rather gentle touch had alerted her to the possibility that the first year might just be feeling something towards her best friend.
It wasn't until the two returned from the infirmary that she started to grasp what that something might be.
Before that, she hadn't considered the idea that Riseki harboured a crush on her best friend, but she'd be a fool if she hadn't noticed the budding signs of infatuation: the lingering looks, flushed ears, and shaky hands covering the back of his neck.
He had been ridiculously transparent about his crush on Ryōko post-nosebleed. She was fairly certain everyone else, except Ryōko, knew about his crush on her by the end of the school year, if not right after their return from the infirmary.
Riseki would zone out in the middle of conversations just to stare after her best friend with such an awestruck expression crossing his face that it left her and everyone else around them getting second-hand embarrassment on his behalf.
She often overheard moments where whoever he'd been talking to would call his name multiple times before managing to snap the boy out of his daze. Ryōko doesn't even notice it, she couldn't help but heave in bewilderment.
Riseki would jump at the opportunity whenever Ryōko would carry anything that looked heavy, and he would mimic the kicked puppy look on his face whenever somebody would beat him to the punch. Eventually, the team caught on to his not-so-secret crush on her best friend, and they would pretend to be preoccupied whenever Ryōko required some assistance, freeing Riseki to be at her beck and call.
And lately, Inori could practically see a cloud hanging over his head whenever the third years would discuss their plans post-high school, especially when Ryōko would contribute to the discussion.
It was so painfully obvious the boy had feelings for her best friend, so much so that she couldn't help but secretly cheer him on.
Riseki wasn't the best looking or the most charming of the bunch, unlike guys like Yoshida Ryōsuke, but his actions were all so sincere and endearing that her best friend might just fall for him if he ever took the chance.
Anyone's better than Yoshida, she mused to herself, recalling the discomforting suave and brimming confidence the star basketball player had exhibited during his confession. To think that Ryōko had a crush on the guy—to the point of turning red at the mere mention of his name—was incomprehensible now that she thought about it.
All that aside, Inori had an inkling that things weren't entirely one-sided for the second year.
While Ryōko was hardly the type to let the team off easily considering their chaotic antics (something she wholly supported no matter how harsh the punishment), she had been shocked by the vigour her best friend demonstrated upon her return from the infirmary.
Back then, she and Rintarō had the foresight to stand on the sidelines to prevent Ryōko from falsely identifying them as Atsumu's accomplices.
The twins, and the rest who hadn't moved out of the way in time, were forced to kneel down to Ryōko's unfathomable wrath.
Her best friend had a strong protective streak, but she was also lowkey about displaying it in front of a large group. Inori had been downright shocked to witness Ryōko rip everyone in the gym a new one when they made fun of Riseki.
That was all to say if, or when, her best friend decided to share that she was more than just a senpai to Riseki, she wouldn't bat an eye.
Honestly, if she had to rank who the number one obliviot ("an oblivious idiot," Suna declared one time their topic strayed to the twins) was, then it'd be a sure-tie between Ryōko and Riseki. They both remained unaware that everyone on the team had caught onto Riseki's feelings for Ryōko.
Osamu even started a bet for when they'd get together—one that was still going strong despite Ryōko's guaranteed ire (nobody forgot the 'infirmary incident' as the twins dubbed it).
Inori felt a tinge of guilt for participating in the bet, but she couldn't help it; the entire team outside of Kita joined in on it. Plus, she grew up with the twins, so she took after their mischievousness. Hell, she was sure that even the coaches were in the know.
It was a harmless game of waiting for all of them.
It was also a carefully guarded secret around the would-be couple.
Some things were better left unsaid.
On the last day of their free time, she organized an after-school study session at Ryōko's place. Out of the four of them, the Ashiya's lived the closest to the school, so while she hadn't exactly gotten permission from Ryōko, her best friend relented and let her parents know that there'd be guests coming over just before they got on the train.
The kotatsu is so warm, Inori hummed before she sighed in appreciation and relaxed in the living room.
Gin and Ryōko had left her and Rintarō to set up the room since they needed some snacks and drinks before they focused on their reviews, but since they weren't back yet, she decided she'd take the opportunity to ask a question that'd been on her mind since the infirmary incident.
"What do ya think of Riseki and Ryōko?" she mused as she turned her head to face Rintarō. It had taken her quite some time before she was comfortable enough to call him by his name, but only because he insisted that he could only think of his father whenever she called him by his last name.
The silence didn't bug her at first, but the longer he stayed silent, the more she couldn't wait for his response before she repeated her question. As she swept the loose strands of hair out of her face, she also kicked out in his direction below the table since she couldn't resist the impulse.
Besides, he seemed to be out of it as he remained splayed out over the table.
"...what?"
She stared at him as he yawned open-mouthed in her direction, and with a shake of her head, she heaved a heavy sigh, "Riseki and Ryōko: what do ya think of them?"
She couldn't help but sneak a quick peek towards the kitchen even though she couldn't see through the fusuma sliding door covered in ginkgo leaves. Rintarō had yet to answer her, and she didn't know when the two would return. From her seat, which was furthest from the kitchen, she could hear Gin and Ryōko arguing over what they'd bring and what they'd leave behind, but how long would they be distracted over their snacking choices?
Why do we even need tonkatsu? she furrowed her brows as she poked the arm that continued to take over more than half of the tabletop. "Just answer me already," she bit out.
"You're asking about Riseki and Ashiya as a couple?"
"Not so loud!" she hissed as she kept an ear out for their friends.
"Gin and Ashiya won't hear us over the sound of their argument. I can't hear you with how loud they are."
Inori levelled him with an impatient look, trying to draw his focus back to the topic at hand.
"Alright, alright," she heard her friend drawl out as his palms retreated from the table in mock surrender. His chin remained stubbornly on the tabletop, and she resisted the temptation to do the same.
The kotatsu was both a blessing and a curse.
"I guess—" she watched him yawn and rolled her eyes as he took his time responding to her inquiry, "if I had to say...they could work."
"And?" she huffed, "Why do ya think that?" She nudged his knee beneath the futon—it was a mixed shade of grey and patterned with geometric shapes. Ryōko's father still has peculiar tastes.
Rintarō shot her a look as if she was the obliviot, and she bared her teeth at the insult. "They balance each other out? I don't know. Ashiya could ground Riseki while Riseki could...help Ashiya feel valued? Does that answer your question? Can I rest now?"
Inori propped her chin on her hand as she considered his point, waving him off to his rest as she hummed in agreement.
She could see the two balancing each other out by making one another feel valued and all. Besides, Riseki would treat Ryōko like a princess given the way he'd already been treating her ever since the nosebleed incident, so she knew that her best friend would be in good hands.
If he doesn't treat her well... She'd put 'have a friendly conversation with the lovestruck pup' at the top of her list.
"We're back! Get your head off the table, Rintarō, or I'll sic Inori on ya!"
If Ryōko found out they discussed her non-existent dating life, she didn't know whether the girl would laugh or cry.
She obligingly helped Gin shoo Rintarō from his slump over the table as they arranged the beverages following their seating arrangement. The bowls brought over included the customary mikan, various flavours of senbei, multiple packs of konpeito, and a wide variety of other snacks that she was sure the Ashiya's had a say in making them bring out.
She grabbed the roe-flavoured umaibo and stuck her tongue out at Ryōko when her best friend narrowed her eyes at her. They liked to snack on different flavours, but sometimes they had to fight for it, so it was safe to say that Ryōko was distracted long enough by Gin that she managed to nab the snack faster than Rin's awful habit of filming.
Perhaps both, she mused as she recalled the year before; it was fortunate that Yoshida never realized her best friend had a lapse of judgement for him (she really did not want to call it a crush, but it was a crush) even though everyone in their class (and the neighbouring classes) had known it. Considering Ryōko's stance on words before fists, Ryōko would only threaten those who wouldn't keep their mouths shut with their grades whenever the basketball player was within hearing range, so it was fair to say her best friend had played a large role in the boy never knowing.
Fortunately, that lapse of judgement ended by the end of their first year because she wouldn't be able to watch the second-hand embarrassment of her best friend falling for that boy. Riseki better treat her right, she decided as she dragged her notes out of her bag and flipped over to the solution she'd written for the question Gin found himself stuck on.
After all, they were here to review their studies since they had exams coming up.
Extra: Reporting Live
2014
Their graduation ceremony had ended quite some time ago, but a lot of them had remained behind just to capture the scenery. If she didn't know they'd be staying in touch through SNS communication, she'd think that they'd be moving overseas because of how dramatic they were with all the talk about spending their last day together.
She planned on visiting their homerooms before they all left, but her plan had been interrupted when one of their kōhai called for her best friend. Ryōko had apologized and parted from their group after she took another photo for memory.
Inori watched from afar as her friend smiled with an invisible question mark floating over her head. While she didn't recognize the girl, she did recognize the ever-familiar passing of an envelope hidden behind the back.
Distracted as she was with keeping an eye on Ryōko, Inori still managed to take some photos with their other classmates and exchange contact information for their most-used social media platforms. When her best friend continued to stand in the same place, looking as lost as she'd been in the beginning, she took the opportunity to say her goodbyes before sneaking over to get a glimpse of the unfolded letter.
The letter's contents weren't short, but she couldn't say it was long either:
Ashiya-senpai,
Please meet me [here] behind the gym. I would like to tell you something.
The note included a crudely drawn map of the location in question—a clumsy yet cute effort. And considering the way the sender addressed Ryōko, she had a feeling she knew the sender's identity.
"Is this...some kinda prank?" she heard Ryōko murmur in disbelief.
Ryōko, you're not serious, are you? Inori wondered as she followed her best friend. If the sender was who she thought it was, she hoped that her friend would seriously hear them out for the sender's sake.
She kept her following to a further distance as she carefully avoided the leaves on the ground. It was one thing to ask for details and another to hear it live. Besides, if Ryōko discovered her tailing, she'd be figuratively kicked away. I'd never hear the full story, she lamented.
Ryōko could hold a grudge for ages—Yoshida still wasn't allowed to go near her without some form of intervention from their classmates. One reason was that Yoshida had confessed to her in front of their peers, which ended up embarrassing Ryōko because everybody had known that she had a crush on him, so for Inori to be the one he confessed to had brought the gossip-mongers out.
The other reason? She couldn't declare it for sure since her best friend refused to say, but in her opinion, Yoshida was an idiot with zero tact. She was just glad that Ryōko had placed their friendship higher than her crush because she didn't know who to trust if she lost her best friend over a classmate.
I still don't see how they're friends now. She clicked her tongue before peering past the corner of the mapped location. It wasn't an isolated area by any means, but she could see there were less and less people hanging about the closer they got to the back of the gym.
"Senpai!"
I knew it.
Her best friend had been called out for a confession, and she had been correct in identifying the letter's sender.
From Ryōko's body language, she could see her scrunched up shoulders, and she pleaded for her best friend to stay for the confession. It's not a prank! she sent over in thought before steadying her hand as she zoomed in from her screen.
The subjects of her film didn't realize she was filming them.
She'd prefer they remained ignorant of her presence because she knew that they'd thank her later (if he's successful, she noted). Besides, in the unlikely event that they denied the occurrence of a confession, she would have irrefutable evidence to shut down their claims.
"Riseki-kun? Are you—uh...Did you need something?"
Inori slowly leaned a tad bit closer as she semi-hugged the wall in continuation of filming. Unlike Rin, she preferred her videos to be as steady as possible. There was no point in watching a video that was blurry since no one would be able to tell what was happening, so she propped her phone against the wall at an angle to get the two of them in clear vision.
"Ashiya-senpai, I would like to date you with the intention of marriage!"
She smiled in victory as she watched Riseki bow with his head facing the ground. She had seen it coming, and her silent congratulation was on the tip of her tongue because Ryōko remained silent.
The poor boy kept waiting without any sign of moving.
"Are you serious?"
Ryōko, why? Inori quietly groaned, hoping he didn't get hurt by her best friend's callous words.
Her worries were chased away at the sight of a shocked yet determined Riseki lifting his head to gaze at her best friend.
"I am willing to prove myself if that means senpai will consider me!"
She switched the hand holding her phone and didn't even bother hiding as she stretched her hand out in the open. The two were so focused on each other that they seriously overlooked her arm popping out from behind the corner.
"And how will you prove that?"
"I—" she heard the second-year sputter as she tiredly leaned against the wall. By this point, she had given up on actively watching the scene, but she'd still keep an eye out to make sure they weren't out of the screen.
"I'll protect you! More than your parents, more than your friends! I'll protect you and—and be there for you even when you don't need me there!"
A fond smile spread across her lips as she listened to Riseki's heartfelt confession. She had always liked the boy for his sincerity and dedication. Returning her attention to the screen, she could see the visible difference in her friend's expression as her ear turned bright red.
She silently chuckled.
Riseki might just succeed.
The actual confession hadn't taken that long, but the response was taking far longer than she'd assumed it would be. Inori swallowed her complaints as she silently urged Ryōko to give him an answer.
"Okay."
With a quick tap of her thumb, she hurriedly ended the video and quietly moved to rejoin the other graduates. Whatever happened after would remain between the two since she wouldn't be there to witness it, but she'd fish for the details as soon as Ryōko told her the news.
"There you guys are," Inori called out when she spotted the team taking photos together. To her pleasant surprise, the prior graduates had all showed up to celebrate their graduation with them, and she couldn't resist showing her palm face-up as she re-greeted them with a smug grin. "Pay up. You all lost."
Everyone outside of Kita forked over what they'd wagered, and she put her earnings away as swiftly as she could when she spotted Ryōko in the distance.
Fortunately, Ryōko hadn't seen their transaction, keeping an eye out for Riseki, who trailed behind her at a slight distance.
She made a silent promise to share the earnings once they were alone, and she didn't spare the group another glance as she headed over to bring Ryōko over while taking care to watch their surroundings.
Riseki continued to follow them at a slower pace, and she noted how his ears remained bright red even though it had to have been at least ten minutes since his confession took place.
I need to know what's up, she decided as she chanced a curious glance at her best friend. The tips of Ryōko's ears rivalled Riseki's deep blush, and she mentally squinted in wonder of what else had happened after she made her escape.
"Place yourselves!" Gin called out, and she was startled to see that he had set a tripod down with a somewhat bulky camera connected to it. She was just about to call out in question when he ran over with a wide grin.
"In three, two, one—"
She'd been standing between Ryōko and Rin when the camera flashed, and she scowled over the result when Gin showed them the aftermath.
The twins behaved themselves up until the last second, so no one had been prepared when they suddenly jumped out of their positions and nearly knocked over the entire group. They caught her completely unawares on top of Gin holding the group photo session out of nowhere.
Well, I'm not the only one who stumbled, she couldn't help but snicker as she nudged her best friend with her shoulder.
The permanent image of Ryōko hugging a flailing Riseki (though it was really just Ryōko losing her balance and clutching onto the closest shoulder during her fall) was almost as bad as her waist being held by Rin because the entire front row had lost their balance.
I'm still going to kill the twins, she vowed as she made eye contact with Ryōko and tipped her head in a silent promise to wreak havoc.
It was great that they both agreed on that.
The twins wouldn't know what hit 'em.