章節 107: New Year New Me New Troubles

"We'll see you in the future, near or far, but who can say when," Yuji said, his voice trailing off as his wife, Kohana, enveloped Yasushi in a tight embrace.

"I know... but Mom, you're going to kill me if you squeeze any harder," Yasushi mumbled, making no move to extricate himself from her grasp.

"I only got fifteen hugs in during our trip. Let me have this last one. I'm going to miss my baby," she murmured, her grip tightening.

Yasushi sighed silently through his nose, hugging her back. Embarrassment tinged his cheeks, but he remained still, resigned to the moment. Nearby, Jingliu and Xinyi stood awkwardly, mirroring his discomfort.

Their parents finally boarded the larger jet, engines roaring to life as it prepared for departure. The island's air seemed to hold its breath. Yasushi watched the jet recede into the horizon, a sliver of metallic promise against the vast blue.

Then it was their turn. Xinyi joined their group, her presence a quiet addition to the scene. They moved towards their own waiting aircraft, the island's tropical warmth slowly giving way to the cool, conditioned air inside the jet. The future, near or far, awaited them.

"We still have a week before school starts again," Xinyi suggested, her voice carrying a casual lilt as they settled into their seats. "And only a few months until summer break. How about we hang out for the last week together?"

Yinhaie moved gracefully through the cabin, preparing drinks while the plane's engines hummed with anticipation. Yasushi leaned back, eyes closed, letting the vibrations of the plane lull him. "...Maybe in a few days. I need rest," he murmured, a yawn following his words.

"Jeez, talk about no energy, Yasushi," Xinyi teased, giving his leg a light kick. She wasn't one to let a conversation drop easily. "Then, where should we go afterward?"

"I don't mind... just pick somewhere that's not too far," Yasushi mumbled. He felt Jingliu's hand rest gently on his, a silent gesture of comfort.

"Then—"

"No beaches or surfing for now," he interrupted, his voice firm despite his exhaustion. Xinyi crossed her arms, her face settling into a playful pout.

The cabin fell into a comfortable silence, the only sounds the soft clinking of glasses and the rhythmic hum of the plane.

Xinyi's pout deepened as she turned to Jingliu and Yinhaie, eager to brainstorm potential destinations for their last week of freedom before school resumed. Yinhaie, the dependable adult and maid to Jingliu and Yasushi, offered a suggestion with a gentle smile. "Why not have a small outing with the rest of your friends around the city? Lady Jingliu and Xinyi haven't explored every nook and cranny yet, right?"

Jingliu and Xinyi exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. The city still held many hidden corners and undiscovered gems for them.

"Then have Laura, Reina, Furuya, and Yasushi show you those places," Yinhaie continued, her voice soothing and practical. "It could work in your favor, and they may not know everything here either. It'll be an adventure for all of you."

Xinyi's eyes sparkled at the idea. "That doesn't sound bad. We found a bunch of cool spots when we worked on the Halloween event. Doing this in our last week off isn't a bad idea. If they agree, it'll be fun, right?" She turned to Jingliu, seeking her approval.

Jingliu smiled softly, the corners of her mouth curling up as she met Xinyi's gaze. "It sounds like a plan," she said, her tone warm and approving.

The cabin filled with a newfound energy as the plane continued its ascent, the sky outside a vast expanse of blue. They chatted animatedly; their excitement palpable as they began to imagine the adventures that awaited them in the city.

+-+

"Ugh…" Yasushi groaned as he emerged from a deep sleep, his senses slowly coming back to him. The plane's descent was steady, the familiar landscape of Japan coming into view beneath the wings.

"Morning, sleepyhead. You get to go back to sleep since it's nighttime here," Xinyi said with a teasing lilt, her finger poking Yasushi's cheek.

"Sleep…" he mumbled, eyelids heavy as they threatened to shut again. But Xinyi wasn't having it. She shook him gently, tugging at his arm, nudging him back to wakefulness. Reluctantly, he roused himself, stretching and yawning, then gathered his belongings. Another sigh escaped his lips as he leaned against one of the seats, bracing for disembarkation. "What time is it?"

"Around nine or ten at night," Yinhaie replied from behind him, her hands expertly massaging his shoulders. "We need to reset our internal clocks, so going back to sleep isn't a bad idea."

"Then, I'll do just that," Yasushi said, eyes fluttering shut again. Exhaustion clung to him, but his mind was restless, swirling with thoughts. The New Year's Eve conversation with the three fathers replayed in fragments, adding to his mental clutter.

The plane touched down smoothly, the hum of the engines quieting. They began to gather their things, the familiar sounds of the airport filling the cabin. Yasushi's fatigue battled with the thoughts that wouldn't let him rest, a delicate balance between exhaustion and contemplation.

+-+

"Dude, what's wrong with you? You seem out of it." Furuya leaned against Yasushi's desk, his eyes narrowing in concern.

Yasushi blinked, refocusing on Furuya. "No, it's nothing, just thinking about things," he replied, his voice distant. He sighed, a heavy sound that seemed to carry the weight of his thoughts. "Anyway, are you ready for the rest of the year? Next year's our last here. Though, we'll still see each other in college."

"Ugh, don't talk about that yet. We'll be mostly focused on exams and tests. We'll barely have any freedom, you know? This year was our last chance to really enjoy our youth before getting shoved into college or the working world." Furuya's tone was laced with disdain, his shoulders slumping as if the mere thought of it weighed him down.

A week had slipped by since their Christmas vacation ended, and now they were back at school. On this first day, Furuya noticed something off about his friend. Yasushi seemed more aloof, even more so than during their last week of break when they had roamed the city together. This change had worried them then, and it worried Furuya even more now.

Yasushi's mind was a tangled web of thoughts, each one pulling him in a different direction. The conversation with the three fathers on New Year's Eve lingered in the background, an unresolved chord in his mental symphony.

He wanted to explain, to let Furuya in on the turmoil inside him, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, he gave another sigh, leaning back in his chair, and let the silence stretch between them, hoping it would somehow convey what he couldn't put into words.

"Well, enough about that," Furuya said, shifting his weight against the desk. "The snow will start to melt soon, and we'll have the summer months to look forward to. I'm both excited and dreading it. It's just two extremes, right? We freeze most of the time, then sweat our asses off the rest, and then it all restarts."

Yasushi chuckled at Furuya's words but didn't deny the truth in them. Their summer was approaching, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it either. The promise of warmth felt distant, almost unreal after the relentless cold. But before they could dive deeper into their musings, their homeroom teacher, Senbarisu, walked in, her expression suspiciously grim.

"I don't want to be here," Senbarisu grumbled, her voice a mix of annoyance and resignation. "But I have to be to get money, so let's do this!" She slapped the whiteboard behind her with a loud thwack. "We've got things to do and things to prepare, so let's get to it!"

The room stirred reluctantly to life. Senbarisu began taking attendance, her pen moving briskly down the list of names. The students echoed her reluctance, the weight of the returning routine settling over them like a heavy blanket. Yasushi could feel the collective sigh of his classmates, a silent agreement that no one was quite ready to start the day.

As the morning wore on, Yasushi found his thoughts drifting back to the conversation with Furuya. The cycles of the seasons, the way life seemed to flip between extremes, mirrored his own internal fluctuations.

There was a comfort in the predictability of it, even if it brought its own set of challenges. And amidst the mundane rhythm of attendance and announcements, he clung to that thought, hoping it would guide him through the uncertainty of the months ahead.

+-+

"Damn, barely any snow up here too, that's pretty rad," Furuya said, jumping around the school's rooftop where their group had gathered. The cold air bit at their cheeks, but the rooftop offered a strange sense of freedom. He stopped suddenly, turning to the others. "Hey guys, did you hear about—"

A loud commotion from below interrupted him. Heads turned, curiosity piqued. They moved to the fence and peered down at the chaos unfolding beneath them. Two boys were tangled on the ground, neither gaining the upper hand, more a tangle of limbs and tugging hair than a proper fight.

"Is… that supposed to be fighting?" Xinyi asked, her eyebrow arching in disbelief.

Furuya smirked, leaning against the fence. "Ah, I know one of them. I was about to mention them. So, a wannabe gang formed during the school break. One of those guys is part of it. He made a LINE group chat and started bragging. They call themselves the Penguin Brigade Eaters. No clue about anything else except they want to fight people."

Yasushi watched the scene below, a mix of amusement and bewilderment. The absurdity of it all clashed with the tranquility of their rooftop perch. The Penguin Brigade Eaters, of all names, seemed almost laughable in its earnestness. Yet, here they were, enacting their strange drama for anyone who cared to watch.

"Sounds dumb," Yasushi remarked, his interest waning. "We can leave it to the school authorities if they decide to escalate."

Catherine giggled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Knowing Yasushi's luck, we may be involved somehow. You've got quite the track record."

Yasushi gave her an awkward smile. "I will do my utmost to avoid it. I promise you that."

"I'm with Catherine on this," Furuya said, draping his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder.

Yasushi sighed, resigning himself to their skepticism. He turned and walked back to their spot, the others following. They settled down, resuming their lunch amidst the rooftop's chilly breeze. The sounds of the scuffle below faded into the background, replaced by the hum of their conversation.