Chapter Text
The trip to Kasai was quite a distance, and since they’d set out after finishing their afternoon patrol, they didn’t reach the gates until after sunset. Umemiya had deliberately left Sakura and the others behind, claiming he needed to survey the location first before deciding on the next steps.
Sakura didn’t accept this right away, of course, but Nirei somehow managed to persuade him to wait. After all, the situation was complicated, and if Suo refused to cooperate again, Sakura might not be able to keep a cool head.
Everyone knew how fragile Sakura’s emotional stability was right now, and that was why Umemiya firmly asked him to calm down before rushing off.
“Is this the place?” Hiragi muttered. “It’s so crowded.”
“Hm, you’re right!” Umemiya folded his arms in front of his chest, gazing up at the buildings of varied architecture surrounding them with an admiring look.
Endo just rolled his eyes, dismissing Umemiya’s reaction as tacky, but happily snapped a photo of Takiishi posing in front of the water fountain. He always had double standards, and never hesitated to hide it.
"So, where’s Suo?" Umemiya looked around. This city was clearly much larger than the school grounds, so it was almost impossible for them to find the kid without walking further in.
"There," Takiishi pointed, directing his finger toward one of the stalls selling sweet pancakes. “I want to eat that.”
Hiragi, who had turned his head to follow the direction of the finger, thinking Takiishi had spotted Suo, could only stare blankly when he realized their conversation made no sense at all. In any case, Endo naturally went along with his friend’s whim, and Umemiya had also said they had plenty of time.
Sweet pancakes are not common in Makochi. They seem to be a dish from outside East Asia, and Hiragi couldn’t fathom why Takiishi was eating them without hesitation.
“Hey, what about Suo?!” He finally protested too, when Takiishi ordered a second serving and Umemiya even followed suit by ordering the same dish. Did these people think they were on a picnic?
Endo licked the tip of his finger, then stood up and approached the pancake seller. “Can I borrow your phone? I want to call someone but I’m out of cell credit.”
Hiragi furrowed his brow, tapping one foot reflexively as he watched in confusion while Endo scrolled through the contact list instead of typing in a new number. “What are you doing?”
“Calling that officer, of course.”
“Hah—”
“Don’t you guys do the same thing in Makochi? Share contact numbers so anyone in trouble can report it right away.”
However, Endo hadn’t even had a chance to press the call button when gunshots rang out from outside and people started running to the nearest building to take cover. Umemiya peered out through the frosted window, watching as a group of people began fighting fiercely. Just by looking at this scene, it was clear this city had a different level of violence compared to Makochi. The troublemakers Bofurin dealt with were sometimes armed, but never with anything more than kitchen knives or bats.
“Their weapons come from all sorts of cultures, you know?” Endo interjected, peering out as well and noticing the arrows stuck in the ground. “Alright, let’s see if a commotion of this magnitude is enough to get one of their officers to step in.”
Fifteen minutes later, there were no more gunshots or other loud noises suggesting a battle. Instead, there were cheers in various languages, the euphoria of which was similar to when they had successfully defeated the troublemakers and the residents of Makochi expressed their spontaneous joy at their victory.
“That’s Mr. Sun Fei!”
"He’s really back, huh?"
"Mr. Sun Fei, thank you for your hard work!"
Sun Fei...?
Who?
Umemiya and Hiragi exchanged glances, then stepped out of the tavern to get a clearer look at exactly who everyone was talking about. They joined the other residents, pushing their way through the crowd. In the middle of the crowd stood a figure who looked incredibly familiar, even though he was no longer wearing the Furin uniform and had a sword sheath tucked at his waist.
"Suo?!"
The teenage boy held back his reaction so as not to look surprised, but there was a flicker of shock in his eyes, since no one in this town had ever called him by that name. Nevertheless, he turned slowly, raising one hand—a single gesture that was enough to make the residents immediately disperse.
Well, except for four newcomers who seemed completely unaware of that unwritten rule.
"...You are Suo, aren’t you?" Hiragi almost reached out to shake Suo’s shoulder, but with all his self-control he held back. There was a bullet fragment split in two, lying just an inch away from Suo’s right foot, and he didn’t want to risk having his hand sliced off while the teenager in front of him was still holding the katana’s hilt.
“I don’t know, really?” Suo replied gloomily. He tilted his head, sheathing the long blade back into its protective scabbard. “No one calls me that. Maybe you’re mistaken—”
“In that case, uh, Sun Fei? Is that what people call you?” Umemiya cut in. “If you won’t speak to us as a Furin student, how about you treat us as guests from another city?”
Suo sighed with a complicated expression, seeming to weigh whether to lead them inside or direct them to the outer gate. Hiragi watched his junior with a knot forming in his stomach. He barely recognized him as the first-year student who used to pick on people, since the Suo of now looked far more mature.
“You’re right. Master would be angry if I treated visitors disrespectfully. How about a cup of tea and some sweets? After that, promise me to leave peacefully.”
“Great, give me the same snacks as yesterday.” Endo waved his hand, placing his order casually.
“You used up your allowance yesterday, Endo-san. And I won’t serve you a single cup of tea if you still refuse to pay for the plate you broke.”
Ah, or maybe not. This is still the same kid who deliberately stirred up trouble between Sakura and Sugishita. Still the underclassman who was great at telling horror stories during summer vacation. It’s still Suo Hayato, who’s always wiser than his peers. So, what exactly made that kid speak so formally? What made him decide to suddenly leave like this?
Besides—
“Huh? Endo was here yesterday?!” Umemiya exclaimed.
“Are you deaf or something? Didn’t I tell you I ‘verified’ the information?” Endo scowled. “Well, I just happened to run into him in person and confirm it. Right, Eyepatch?”
Suo turned around, starting to walk to lead them to the small building that was more aptly called a temporary residence rather than a headquarters. The officer pulled out cans of cold tea from the fridge and a plate of yokan, apologizing that he didn’t have enough time to brew a fresh pot.
“Wasn’t our deal that you’d make Sakura-kun and the others give up?”
“I already said that. Do you think they’ll listen?”
By the way, Suo was serious about not offering Endo anything. It wasn’t until the Noroshi leader handed over a sum of money equivalent to the price of a ceramic plate that he was given a can of tea whose contents had frozen solid.
Suo still had a sense of humor, it seemed, and this was a sort of expression of frustration because he didn’t like his affairs being meddled with. Takiishi himself didn’t seem the least bit stressed. He sipped his tea calmly, like a child brought along on a visit who doesn’t care about adult matters as long as he can enjoy the snacks. He even took more pieces of yokan, knowing very well that Umemiya and Hiragi weren’t in the mood, while Suo avoided eating in front of others and Endo would willingly hand over his share.
Umemiya Hajime rarely felt nervous, but this was indeed a situation he had never prepared for. The table arrangement placed him directly across from Suo, while Hiragi, Endo, and Takiishi were seated to the left.
“I’m representing the other leaders of Red Chanpuru…”
How could he have guessed that his helpful underclassman was now staring at him with an unreadable calm? Not as a member of the 1-1 Tamon team, not as a first-year Furin student, not as a kid he could treat casually like his own younger brother.
"What brings the Makochi protection team all the way out here?"
Suo asked, and Umemiya cleared his throat briefly before he could answer. "First, the reason you left school...?"
"I think I wrote it in my withdrawal letter?"
Change of residence, or some cliché excuse like that. Umemiya was completely unsatisfied, especially because of how absurd it was. Didn’t Suo also fake his address? So why did he suddenly stop commuting back and forth of his own free will?
“Well, we wouldn’t make a big deal out of it if you were just switching schools. But why cut ties with everyone in Makochi?”
“That’s only natural.”
What’s natural about it? Hiragi thought, glancing at the empty plate of yokan and Takiishi, who was still chewing on the last piece. It only sounded convincing because of the tone Suo used when he said it. As if he really didn’t care.
"You hit Nirei."
"Because he was in the way."
"And you let him hit you."
"Because I wasn’t paying attention."
Umemiya massaged his temples, feeling dizzy. It was a good thing he hadn’t brought Sakura here, because the kid definitely wouldn’t have the patience for this kind of circular conversation.
“Suo, let’s just have an arm-wrestling match.”
“I know your philosophy is to understand each other through a contest of strength, but I never said I agreed.”
Good point.
“Suo, is this city in trouble?” Hiragi spoke up. “Is that why you have to handle it, and keep us as far away as possible so we don’t get involved?”
Suo fell silent.
“How dangerous is it? Is it threatening your life, which is why Nirei said you looked like you were suffering?” Umemiya pressed further. “If that’s the case, let us help.”
“Guests shouldn’t—”
“Then, you’ve been nothing but a newcomer in Makochi all this time, and you’ve already helped us a lot.”
“That’s different. Besides, I haven’t really done anything.”
“Cut the crap, for once!” Hiragi lost his patience. Suo got up to fetch more yokan, and the conversation didn’t progress much further, so Endo nearly fell asleep while waiting for his iced tea to thaw.
That was when Takiishi suddenly chimed in, for the first time since entering the room. “The Master disappeared, didn’t he? And you had to take his place on suddenly."
Everyone fell silent.
“Huh?” Hiragi glared at Takiishi, whose expression remained impassive. “The Master? Suo’s Master? Why do you know him?”
Suo himself was also stunned for a few seconds, not anticipating that Takiishi would join the discussion. His mouth hung open in silence before he finally found his words again. “Wow, I thought Takiishi-san didn’t remember us at all.”
Endo’s drowsiness vanished. He jumped up from his chair, shaking Takiishi’s shoulder so hard that the other reflexively slapped him. “Takiishi! You never told me you were from here!”
“You didn’t ask.”
“Eyepatch! Explain it in detail, right now!"
Suo scratched his cheek, hesitating. “Well, it’s not like we were close friends or anything. Takiishi-san didn’t like rules, so he didn’t join the dojo. However, he was interested in the Master’s martial arts, so he’d come and watch our practice from outside the fence every day.”
After that, Takiishi’s parents got a job in another city, and they left Kasai. It was only in that new place that Takiishi met Endo, as fellow troublemaking elementary school kids.
“I don’t really remember much either,” Takiishi admitted with a mumble. “But you guys did light fireworks on the roof, right? The view was amazing.”
So, that’s how it was. Takiishi Chika never joined the dojo, but he didn’t hesitate at all to join in eating watermelon or lighting fireworks on the roof of a building.
Endo quietly recalled how Takiishi had a particular enthusiasm for throwing fireworks high into the air, and Umemiya hadn’t forgotten how the students of Class 1-1 lit fireworks on the roof—and it was Suo who had initiated it, with Nirei too.
“Back then, you weren’t wearing an eyepatch yet.”
“Takiishi-san, you hadn’t dyed your hair either.”
Endo’s eyes widened again. “Hey, Takiishi?! What’s your natural hair color?!”
Takiishi ignored him.
“Look, they’re just outsiders, but you don’t have to hold back with me.” It seemed there was some truth to it—that the solidarity of this town’s residents was something special, to the point that even Takiishi Chika, who didn’t care about anything, was affected to some extent. “Tell me, what really happened to the Master?"
Suo still wore that complicated expression, but Takiishi glared at him, and he focused intently—as if he wouldn’t look away even if Suo remained silent until morning.
“Guess I don’t have a choice, huh?”
And the nearest windowpane suddenly shattered from the impact of a rock.