บท 8: A Challenge From A Senpai

In the guidance counselor's office, Kazemachi Sota and Hinokami Koenji sat in tense silence. The room was small and dimly lit, the walls adorned with motivational posters that seemed out of place in the current atmosphere. The guidance counselor, a middle-aged man with graying hair and a weary expression, sat behind his desk, his eyes fixed on the two boys in front of him.

"So, explain to me what happened," the counselor began, folding his hands on the desk.

"He started it," Koenji immediately accused, pointing at Sota.

Narrowing his eyes, Sota glared at Koenji as if he had just spoken blasphemy. If looks could kill, then his stare was the exact letter definition of it. "I didn't start anything. You were the one who blocked my way and provoked me."

Koenji scowled. "You're just a coward who doesn't want to admit he's afraid of playing football."

"Afraid my butt. Your throw sucks." Sota shot back.

The counselor sighed, rubbing his temples. "Enough. Both of you need to calm down."

Koenji opened his mouth to retort, but the counselor held up a hand. "I don't want to hear any more blaming or name-calling. We're going to resolve this calmly and maturely."

The tension in the room was palpable as the boys glared at each other, neither willing to back down. The counselor's eyes flicked to the clock on the wall, clearly hoping this session wouldn't drag on for too long.

Outside the office, Aiko paced nervously. She could hear the muffled sounds of the argument inside and clenched her fists in frustration. While she worked hard to recruit such a rare gem into their team, Hinokami just had to go full blast and ruin everything.

"Urgh~!" She let out a grunt as she clenched her fists. In an instant, her nervousness was replaced with indignation, and her emotions ran wild, giving her the courage to step forward and deal with the situation herself.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. With a determined expression, she pushed the door open and marched inside.

"Enough!" Aiko yelled, drawing the attention of all three in the room.

Koenji turned to glare at her. "What are you doing here, Tachibana-san? This has nothing to do with you."

Aiko's eyes flashed with anger. "It has everything to do with me! You're the one who provoked Sota. You're the one causing all this trouble. You should've..."

Before Koenji could interrupt what she was about to say, she gave him a sharp whack on the head. "Stop being such a hothead! Apologize to our kouhai!" She continued, pointing at Sota while wearing a livid expression on her face.

Koenji rubbed his head, glaring at her but staying silent. The counselor seized the opportunity to step in. "Alright, that's enough. Clearly, this situation has escalated beyond what it should have."

He stood up, looking at both boys sternly. "Since neither of you can seem to control your tempers, here's what's going to happen. You're both going to do community service after school. You'll be sweeping the entire section around the school grounds. Together."

Sota and Koenji both started to protest, but the counselor silenced them with a look. "This isn't up for debate. You need to learn to work together and understand the consequences of your actions."

Aiko folded her arms, nodding in agreement. "That's a good ide— wait, Sota is included too? But he—"

As the counselor mentioned, nothing was up for debate. He just raised his hand to silence everyone, a clear threat that if they were to continue talking, all three of them would face a much harsher punishment. "Just be thankful you don't have to pay for the broken windows." He continued, rubbing salt in their wounds.

Gulping, Aiko decided to zip her mouth. She totally forgot about the broken window when she lost her temper back there.

Koenji scowled, but Sota sighed, feeling a mixture of relief and frustration. At least this would put an end to the immediate conflict, even if it meant spending more time around Koenji.

"Fine," Koenji muttered, avoiding Sota's gaze.

Sota nodded reluctantly. "Fine."

The counselor relaxed slightly, glad that the situation seemed to be resolved. "Good. You'll start your community service immediately after school. And I expect to hear no more complaints or incidents between the two of you."

With that, the session ended, and the boys left the office. Aiko followed them out, giving Koenji a final warning look. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

As they walked toward the section of the school grounds they'd been assigned to clean, Sota felt a sense of dread. This was not how he had envisioned his second day at school going. But as frustrating as it was, he knew he had to see it through.

Koenji glanced at Sota as they started sweeping. "This doesn't mean I'm backing down, you know."

Sota didn't respond, focusing on his task. He had bigger things to worry about than Koenji's bruised ego. Like how he was going to get through the rest of the school year without letting his emotions get the better of him again.

—

"Great," Sota muttered as they proceeded to the next section, brooms and trash bags in hand.

Koenji shot him a sidelong glance. "This is your fault."

Sota glared back. "No, it's yours."

Aiko walked out behind them, watching as they went to sweep around the school grounds. She shook her head, muttering to herself about hot-headed boys.

As they started sweeping, Koenji took his chance to talk. "So, what's your deal? Why are you so against playing flag football? Did your girlfriend dump you during the finals or something?" He asked insensitively.

Tightening his grip on the broom, Sota imagined hitting Koenji squarely on the head with it. "I don't want to talk about it."

Koenji scowled. "Then, are you too good for us? That's why you don't want to play? Whatever it is, I guess Tachibana-san here is just wasting her energy on you."

Sota whirled around, his patience snapping. "I said, I don't want to talk about it!"

"Oi~! We were already told off by the guidance counselor! Don't make this any harder for—" She was about to give both of them a good whacking when a figure suddenly appeared between the two.

A yellow-haired upperclassman, with bright orange eyes, seemed to materialize out of nowhere. He placed a hand on both their chests, stopping them in their tracks.

"Hey hey, stop with the hot-headedness you too. It's still spring you know, summer's not bound to come until a couple of months. Save your energy for the game." He calmly said in an authoritative manner.

"Kaminari-senpai?" Aiko asked, still wondering where on Earth he came from. He seemed to have teleported out of nowhere.

"Fighting isn't going to solve anything." Aozora Kaminari continued, his blondness fluttering in the wind as he let out an exhale.

"Che~!"Koenji scowled but didn't argue. Sota, on the other hand, felt a mixture of relief and frustration. He didn't want to fight, but he also didn't want to explain himself.

Kaminari looked at them both, his orange eyes gleaming with determination. "If you want to settle this, do it on the field. Prove your skills in a game, not with your fists."

Sota and Koenji exchanged glances, both taken aback by the suggestion. "A game?" Sota asked, his voice uncertain.

Kaminari nodded. "Yes. If you want to prove who's better, do it in a fair match. That's the only way to truly settle this."

A mischievous smile appeared on Koenji's face. He seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding. "Fine. I'll take you on, Kazemachi. Let's see what you're really made of."

Sota hesitated, his heart pounding. He didn't want to play, but he also didn't want to back down from a challenge.

"Alright," he finally said. "Let's do it."