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Lately with all the things happening at school, Gonzaburou. He could barely keep up with the track of time. He held onto a cardboard box, carrying additional decorations for the cultural festival. Tasuku and Yoshikazu had been so busy participating and preparing for the drag aspect of the show. Between things to prepare for class display at the festival, the ping pong club, helping around at the bath house, and studying at school Gonzaburou needed a break.
Then he laid his eyes on the most beautiful girl in the whole world. She had silky black hair that haven’t even touched past her shoulders. She wore a different school uniform unlike the coed school thirty minutes away. Gonzaburou stepped forward attempting to get another look. She covered her face using a hand fan. She gently flashed a wink in front of him. “What's your name?” He asked the girl now as maybe just maybe his days of being single were now over. Suck it Kyouji.
“Tasuko” the girl now said.
Her voice sounded a bit muffled. Tasuko? Gonzaburou tried recalling where he heard a name similar. It reminded him of his friend Tasuku, but he currently isn't here now. Tasuko cleared her throat
“It’s me” now hearing that familiar tone. Gonzaburou is taken aback. “Wait” his voice getting louder by the minute as laughter now filled the classroom. The earlier box he had in his hands dropped. Luckily there was no glass in it.Now red in the face as he covered his face using his hands. He wished he could just hide in a hole from this. He knew Tasuku of all people will never let him live this down.
“Didn’t expect you to forget it’s me” He chuckled as he pulled out his phone to text his girlfriend about it.
At lunch he avoided Tasuku’s gaze for the day. Telling himself he’ll be fine by the morning. It isn’t until Kyouji stops him afterschool.
“You okay?” he raised his brow observing his best friend.
Gonzaburou nodded. He felt strange feeling but he couldn’t explain, he at least knew it wasn’t love. Yoshikazu had spoken about how Masato is helping him in the festival preparation and how Tasuku is the backup option. For some reason, Gonzaburou couldn’t actually picture Yoshikazu dressed up as girl. His mind fixated on earlier at how well Tasuku passed just wearing a wig.
He wondered if Yoshikazu’s BL conversations were finally getting to him now. He snapped out of it and decided to watch Kyouji play basketball that day to get things off his mind. It’ll all be normal in the morning he desperately hoped.
He is amused when this memory of all memories flash before him as he now laid in bed thinking about Masato. He imagined Kyouji in his ear about getting a girlfriend but no matter how much group dates he went on, he always wanted to be somewhere else talking with Masato. He wasn’t particularly sure when such thoughts of seeing the previous ping pong captain came to light. Despite that he isn’t opposed to such thoughts after all Masato is a nice guy. Masato had sent him a text message nothing too personal as it was a simple check in message to see how his kouhai is doing.
Gonzaburou held onto his phone as his phone screen lit brightly once more to his response. Masato had just returned from karaoke with his college friends. “You can sing?” Gonzaburou withholding any malish intent had asked his senior. He noticed the three dots awaiting his next message only for it to turn into a small microphone at the end of the screen. Gonzaburou waited patiently as he wondered what kind of vocals his senior would surprise him with.
Masato had sent the voice message. Gonzaburou pressed the voice recording message as he listened to the most beautiful vocals he ever heard in his life. When he was just about to message back Masato his finger slipped and pressed the call button. His heart pounded as Masato picked up the phone immediately.
“Tashiro?” Masato asked
“Sorry, that was a mistake” Gonzaburou held the phone against his ears. Masato’s voice seemed to change somehow? He sounded more serious. Is that what university is like?
“Ah, I forget you have slippery fingers” Masato chuckled as he teased his kouhai. “Maybe that’s why you haven’t won against me in a singular match of ping pong” Masato listened as Gonzaburou scoffed on the other line.
“I have you know that I almost defeated you” Gonzaburou rolled his eyes. That is the Masato he knew. The cheeky instigative person he knew. Not the stranger whose voice deepened. Not the guy who was always out at karaoke with his college friends.
“Key word, Almost” Masato chuckled.
“Yeah yeah but I was close” Gonzaburou thought for a moment recalling their last match. “How about we schedule a rematch? The school’s festival is coming up soon” Gonzaburou had rolled over to the other side of the bed. His eyes laid on the wall in front of him. The wall was blank as the moon light had reflected from his window onto the wall.
“Yeah I’ll like that” Masato agreed. His voice now lowered in octave as the words simply melt off the tongue.
Gonzaburou found it quite strange. In one instance he sounded like the Masato he knew well and other times in this conversation he sounded different. He had no issues with it as he knew Masato is growing to become an adult, but it made him feel his heart race faster. If he didn’t know any better, he would ask Masato to just keep talking about college, read him a bedtime story, or just mumble random words. Gonzaburou snapped out of it as he wondered if playing those games with Kyouji were now getting to him.
He had a bad habit of imagining Masato as the perfect boyfriend. He thought how tall Masato is which made it easy for someone to slip into his arms, how he always smelt good, his cunning personality. Snapping out of his thoughts of Masato was his breathing. The other line had a slight hitch which reminded him to about the real reason he called Masato.
“You sounded amazing” Gonzaburou complimented bringing the conservation back to the topic of his singing. The hitch on the other line had gone away as he heard Masato chuckled, satisfied with his reaction to his vocals. “Truly unbelievable” Gonzaburou smiled.
“Thank you, I never do this type of thing as I like to surprise people with my spectacular singing ability” Masato said which made Gonaburou curious. “How come?” he asked as if he a fraction of a voice like that he’ll never keep quiet.
“Some things are good to be hidden” the sly fox spoke again. Gonzaburou liked this side of Masato. He felt glad that he seemed to be doing well now out of high school now.
On top of that Gonzaburou felt glad that he is seeing his senior again. One day he will unpack these feelings but for right now he will remain by Masato’s side no matter what the future holds for them.
“Or are you scared that I sound better” Gonzaburou spoke in a singsong like tone. Masato groaned which meant he rolled his eyes at him. “Maybe I have a spectacular singing ability too” Gonzaburou had rolled over to the other side of the bed now facing his window staring out at the night sky.
“Goodnight Tashiro” Masato ready to hang up as he heard enough singing for one evening. “Wait! I-” Gonzaburou halted the idea of singing only for Masato to smile. “Surprise me at the school festival..deal?” Masato spoke.
“Deal” Gonzaburou now felt it is his duty to pick the right song to surprise his senpai with.