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Kusakabe's been a little weird lately.
It's not like Tani's complaining or anything, though. Four straight weeks of sending Kusakabe out for food after he turned up late to band practice again was actually really great (so many free hamburgers) and if the band wasn't about to break up for good reason, he'd almost like to keep it going just to see how many more Big Macs the guy would have to shell out for by the end of high school. But still, Kusakabe's been a little weird, running out of the choir recital like his hair is on fire for no reason. And Sajo of all people following him?
It's just kinda weird.
If he hadn't seen Kusakabe date all those girls before, Tani would almost think he and Sajo were —
Nah.
But.
Nah.
Sajo's like…a different genre of music. Like he'd be all classical piano to Kusakabe's wailing rock guitar. They don't really fit together in Tani's mind, that quiet guy who actually studies and the idiot loudmouth he'd once watched eat three entire earthworms for a bet back in middle school.
But. Tani wouldn't actually be surprised either. Boys' schools are super weird, lots of stupid teenage hormones but no one to look at during class besides a bunch of gross dudes and the one lady math teacher who has to be at least 107. Sajo, though, always kinda looks like he's floating along separate from everything else, like he's a different genre of music from the entire school. And Kusakabe likes different kinds of music, more than anybody else Tani knows.
The metaphor is really getting away from Tani now. Sajo isn't actually music or anything, he's just some guy, so maybe he's wrong and Kusakabe just acting kinda weird because he's acting kinda weird. Too many hamburgers or too many Harasen lectures or something.
But.
Nah.
But.
Maybe.
Maybe he'll just ask, though.
Y'know, now that he thinks about it, Tani isn't sure he's actually seen Kusakabe date anyone for real. There were always girls hanging around after performances — he'd met his own girlfriend after their very first show, even, being in a band was great — and Kusakabe was always happy to hand out his phone number, maybe chat them up for a while. Some of the braver ones would hang on his arm for a couple weeks, maybe a month, but eventually they'd disappear, replaced by another pretty girl soon enough. They were all kinda interchangeable and somewhere in the back of his mind, Tani'd just assumed Kusakabe was a playboy.
But Tani had just watched him give his number to that cute Miki girl and then absolutely jet off without another word because Tani'd told him Sajo'd been there in the audience for their performance.
So maybe he doesn't actually need to ask any more.
Kusakabe seems kinda less weird when he looks at it that way. Everybody acts different when they actually like somebody.
What that means about Sajo, though, is now an even bigger mystery.
"What kind of music do you think Sajo is?"
Tani can't actually see the huh? that has to be written on Kusakabe's face — he's gonna defeat this level if it kills him and he's sure not gonna turn away from the video game now — but he can sense it's there. Yeah, it's a weird question (everything's weird now, even the word "weird"), but Tani's been thinking about it for weeks, Sajo's genre and how it fits with Kusakabe's.
"What kind of music he is? Like, what kind of music he listens to?"
"Nah. Like what kind of genre he is. As a person."
"Genre of person…hmm…"
The silence stretches on long enough for him to finally beat the level after one more try, and Tani thinks maybe Kusakabe'd dozed off, but no. When he looks over, Kusakabe is wide awake and red as a tomato, trying futilely to hide his face in his shirt.
Nope, noooope, Tani regrets everything he's said in the last few minutes, he takes all of his words back, he doesn't want to know what Kusakabe thinks about his kinda-maybe-boyfriend, not if it makes him blush that bad.
"Sajo has to be rock music becausehe'sthebest," Kusakabe says all in a rush just as Tani turns to find a cushion to throw at him.
Well, that's gross, like something your grandma would say. And kinda sweet too, if Tani's honest. His girlfriend would probably love to hear him say something like that about her. It's so sweet, he even stops to think for a moment before he decides that, yes, he would definitely like to follow through with throwing a cushion at Kusakabe's gross blushing face.
The ensuing cushion tussle goes on for long enough that Kusakabe's blush fades back down to nothing more than the faint red brought on by a hard-fought pillow battle and by the end, they're both flat on their backs on the floor.
"Sajo's actually like choral music, I think," Kusakabe says just as Tani starts to consider getting up and getting something to drink. "You don't hear it much except at school and maybe not everybody likes it but it's kinda cool how different it can be."
Hmm. Tani can see it. It fits a little better with Kusakabe's guitar than the piano he'd imagined — Harasen liked to play the guitar when they sang during music class sometimes, it was always kinda nice — but still definitely a different genre than everybody else.
Maybe not such a weird question after all.
"Do you ever think about what'll happen after high school?"
The onsen is relaxing, but Tani isn't convinced it's relaxing enough for a rehash of what'd brought him and Kusakabe all the way here to this motorcycle training camp in Akita in the first place. Bad enough they'd already talked about how Kusakabe feels about Sajo (he's genuinely happy for him but gross, the blushing is gross and weird, he has never seen Kusakabe look like that over anyone before), does he really have to talk about what he's gonna do after high school again?
"Didn't I tell you I was going to vocational school?"
"Nah, not that. I mean…you're dating someone too, right? What will you do after high school?"
Oh. Obviously Tani isn't the only one thinking about how nice a trip like this would be with the person you actually want to see naked instead of the dude you've known since elementary school. Problem is, that question is a whole lot harder to answer.
"Uhhh, dunno. I like her a lot and I'm not planning on breaking up. I haven't proposed to her or anything, though."
A halfhearted "ah" is all Kusakabe says in response and Tani sure is tempted to shove his blond hair under the water. Just for a second. Not long. But before he can actually follow through with the impulse, Kusakabe sighs, heavy enough to actually make him feel kinda bad for the guy.
"Have you ever been to Kyoto?"
"Nah."
"Me neither."
Actually, having Sajo around more often is pretty great because now Tani can mess with Kusakabe in ways he won't expect.
why does he think I like to swim?
this is a PERM, you know my hair isn't naturally curly
what have you been telling him???
This is so much fun, even if his phone blows up with messages every time.
Sorry, Sajo, it isn't personal.
(Though Tani's not gonna say that it isn't fun to mess with Sajo too.)
Kusakabe's been working on a new song for days, which would be great if he'd do it anywhere but right next to Tani's ear when Tani's trying to sleep.
Like, Kusakabe had basically disappeared off the face of the planet any time that wasn't during class for ages (understandable, he'd do the same if his girlfriend were here and they weren't in the same class) and now he's back specifically to torment Tani with his guitar during the lunch break (not understandable in the slightest). Why?
"Why are you playing this at me?" Tani finally grumbles, swatting at the vicinity of Kusakabe's head. He misses — damn — but at least the guitar stops.
"I've got this song… it's almost here but not…"
Kusakabe's voice trails off and his hands pick out a new chord. In fairness, the playing's not nearly as loud as it could be since it's an unplugged electric guitar, but damn, can't a guy get some sleep during lunch any more?
"Go play it for Sajo-kun, maybe that'll help."
The following silence is long and he is absolutely not gonna look over at Kusakabe, because there are zero cushions to throw at his gross blushing face at school and he absolutely cannot see that again without throwing a cushion. Nope, cannot. It's been a blessing that Kusakabe hadn't been around as much with his gross, gross face, tempting Tani to cushion-related violence.
But actually, when the strumming starts up again and Tani sneaks the briefest peek, Kusakabe's face is the same color it ever is, not a hint of red on his cheeks. Instead there's a small smile on his face (weird) and he's humming along with his playing (weirder).
Yeah, he's not gonna ask any more.
"I think I'm gonna try playing music again. Like, getting gigs and stuff."
Already today Tani's gotten a piece of tamagoyaki shoved at him with no explanation from Kusakabe beyond a muttered "try this" and now the guy's talking about playing shows again. It's so nostalgic, almost like being in second year again.
(RIP, the free Big Macs that could've been if only the band hadn't broken up. Dry omelet wasn't really a replacement.)
"Sajo-kun know you're trying to start a new band?"
"Nah, no band, I'm gonna try going solo."
"Yeah, but does Sajo-kun know?"
"Yeah. We talked about it."
Good.
Tani doesn't know why this is a relief, but it is. Kusakabe's a good guitarist and he was always way more into the band than anybody else, so it's not like he couldn't do it or anything. If anybody could try to go pro on his own, it would be him.
(Sure wouldn't be Tani trying. Way too much work for not enough money, thanks.)
But it would've been weird if Tani knew but not Sajo.
Somewhere in there, they'd become a pair in his mind. Weird. But right.
Graduation is kinda boring, actually, for all that Tani's mother had fluttered around him beforehand making sure his hair looked okay for pictures. Boring enough that he notices that Kusakabe never makes it back to their lineup. Boring enough that he definitely notices that Sajo never makes it back to their lineup either.
Boring enough that he definitely notices that the two of them are looking rumpled afterwards. Suspiciously, noticeably rumpled. Not the kind you get when you've left your uniform crammed into a ball in a corner of your bedroom for all of summer break — Tani definitely saw that every year — but the kind you get when you're trying to look decent but you've been doing something you maybe shouldn't have.
Surely they didn't…
Nah.
But.
Nah.
For his own peace of mind, nah.
He'll even ignore that big kiss that Kusakabe just planted on Sajo in the middle of the hallway, thanks.
(But congratulations to them on the engagement anyway.)