(chapter xxi)

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

It was a whirlwind of conversations. Yuna's morning was filled with meetings with her music club's leader and her teachers as she explained her decision to them. She made sure to be thorough in expressing her perspective and the reasons behind her choice.

Her teachers were undoubtedly surprised to learn that Yuna had interests outside of music, and they were understandably curious about it. But she decided not to satisfy their curiosity and left them to grapple with their questions on their own.

The club leader was more hesitant but they also accepted her decision, knowing that her happiness and goals were paramount.

Throughout the day, Yuna was consumed with the task of adjusting her schedule and preparing for her new role as the first manager for the boy's volleyball team. The position itself was not one that had been filled in many years, so the necessary preparations took significantly longer than anticipated.

She also had to talk to the current Captains of the team, with whom she had only ever exchanged polite greetings. Surprisingly, the captains had no objections and were excited to accept the idea of her being their new manager.

As days passed, Yuna's encounters with Hajime and Tooru became limited, which only further piqued their curiosity regarding what was going on. However, neither of them was receiving any explanations or information.

Tooru's curiosity and impatience were at an all-time high. With each passing day without any new information about what was going on, he was growing increasingly frustrated. His usual cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced by a sulky and irritable attitude.

He would often find himself sitting alone in the gym, staring intently at the door as if expecting Yuna to walk in any minute. But every time the door opened, it was always a teammate or a coach. This only fueled his annoyance further, and he would let out a loud sigh, banging his head on the wall.

Hajime, on the other hand, showed more restraint but his curiosity was just as intense as Tooru's. Despite his calmer demeanor, he found himself constantly sneaking glances at Yuna whenever he saw her in the halls or during class. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on and why she was avoiding their questions.

As they were both heading to their next class, Hajime couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. He turned to Tooru and said, "Do you ever wonder what's up with Yuna lately? She's been avoiding us like the plague."

Tooru, who was walking beside Hajime, grunted in response, "Yeah, I've been thinking about it too. But every time I try to talk to her, she either runs away or changes the subject. It's really annoying."

Hajime nodded, his annoyance evident in his expression,"It's driving me crazy. We used to talk all the time, and now she barely even says hello. Something's definitely up, but I have no idea what it is."

Tooru grumbled in annoyance, "Now you see why I've been so insistent on getting an answer from her. If I had just kept asking, I probably would have gotten one by now."

Hajime rolled his eyes and retorted, "Or you would've just made things worse."

Tooru shot Hajime a glare, clearly not appreciating the comment, "Hey, I wasn't making things worse. I was just trying to get some answers. She's the one being all secretive about whatever is going on."

Hajime raised an eyebrow," And how were you planning on getting those answers, by nagging her to death? That never works on her, you know that."

Tooru's expression darkened, "Well, what would you have me do? Just sit back and wait for her to tell us when she feels like it?"

Hajime shrugged," That's pretty much our only option. You know Sugawara, she won't say anything until she's ready."

Tooru let out a frustrated sigh, leaning against a nearby wall, "Ugh, I hate admitting it, but you're right. She's stubborn like that."

...

As the final day of preparation came to a close, Yuna found that she had finished her workload much earlier than expected. With a few spare hours on her hands, she decided to spend the remainder of her time at her own club room.

Going home early wasn't a possibility for Yuna as the timing of the school day and train didn't align. As a result, she often found herself with extra time on her hands, which she usually spent either with the boys during their practice or in the music room to pass the time.

Attending Aobajohsai had its drawbacks, and one of the reasons her brother had initially objected was because of this. However, Yuna proved herself to be responsible and cautious, and it eventually alleviated her twin's concerns.

As her phone vibrated in her pocket, she briefly paused her steps and fished the device out. She took a moment to look at the name displayed on the screen before answering the call.

"Hello, To-kun," she replied calmly, only to be met with a sarcastic response.

"Finally, you answered your phone!" Yuna couldn't help but blink in surprise at the snarky tone. Anxiety crept up within her as her silence only prompted the male to sigh heavily.

"Yu-chan, what's been going on since Coach spoke with you? You've been all secretive," Tooru echoed, his impatience seeping into his words.

Yuna bit her lip, and with a lowered head, she replied softly, "I...promise it's nothing bad."

To her relief, Tooru's tone remained calm as he questioned her again, "Is it really not?"

Yuna nodded instinctively before cursing silently, realizing her mistake due to their conversation being over the phone. But before she could say anything, a laugh behind her made her flinch and turn around to find Tooru standing there, snickering.

She puffed her cheeks in annoyance as she lowered her phone and ended the call with a hint of attitude.

"You couldn't have just called out to me?" she asked, her irritation evident.

Tooru couldn't contain his laughter as he hung up his phone, "Sorry, Yu-chan, I just thought it was a little funny," he replied, still snickering.

In response, she playfully huffed, crossed her arms, and turned her back to him, feigning offense.

"Darn," Tooru sighed dramatically, his voice loudly expressing his disappointment. "I was going to invite you to this new doughnut shop that just opened up. I heard that it's inspired by music," he added, exaggerating his steps as if he was about to walk away, creating a playful scene.

Yuna's ears perked up when she heard the words "inspired by music," and she slowly looked over her shoulder. However, as she did so, she nearly shrieked when she realized Tooru's face was right in front of hers. She took a startled step back, causing the male to chuckle in response.

Tooru began to speak, "So, do you—"

However, before he could finish, Yuna interrupted him with a small head nod as she mumbled, "I want to...yes."

Tooru grinned and gestured for her to walk beside him as they left the school grounds. Despite her nervous apprehensions that he might ask her questions, Tooru didn't bring up her business. Instead, he engaged in casual conversation, speaking about whatever they passed in the streets and turning it into a topic of discussion.

Initially, she was surprised that he didn't bring up the topic, considering his persistent pestering in the group chat. She felt relieved but also a bit suspicious about his sudden restraint. However, Tooru's ability to divert her thoughts prevented her from dwelling on her suspicions, as he effortlessly distracted her with conversation.

It was nearly impossible to feel bored in Tooru's company because he seemed to have a talent for making every moment lively and engaging. It was as if he had silently declared a personal ban against any hint of boredom in his presence.

As they sat on a park bench near the temporary stall of the doughnut shop, Tooru suddenly turned to her and inquired, "Where do you normally have your recitals?"

Yuna paused to consider his question, lowering her food as she responded, "Well, a few months before the actual recital, musicians from all around the world attend a private performance with each of us. Depending on our performance, the people who enjoy it the most will usually request us to perform at their location. As there are only five of us in the club, we travel together to different places. Last year, most of us performed in the United States, and only one of us performed in England."

"Really? That's pretty interesting," Tooru responded, his tone genuinely fascinated. "I never knew how the other clubs worked."

Yuna nodded in agreement. "You could say it's somewhat similar to the process you guys go through for Interhigh, Representative Playoffs, and if you make it to Nationals," she added, drawing parallels to the volleyball tournament process.

Yuna froze and turned to glance at Tooru as he looked at her curiously, stating, "Hmm, you sure know a lot, Yu-chan."

Suddenly it dawned on her that the only reason she knew about the process was because she was the volleyball club's manager, a fact that she had yet to disclose to him.

"It's not much..." Yuna responded before nibbling on her doughnut. She quickly changed the topic back to the music club, saying, "For the music club, if half of the members successfully perform at the private recital, we get to participate in the grand final performance which is usually located in Korea. Although none of us have achieved that yet, we are hoping to make it closer to Korea by being able to compose our own music this year or the following year."

Tooru inquired, "How is your progress?"

Yuna let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back on the bench. "It's in a current state of no change," she replied, her tone tinged with frustration.

Tooru inquired hesitantly, "Is it... because of me?" He couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the 'sound' he had given her months ago, a topic they had never really discussed.

She turned to look at him and smiled, "Well, partially, but I think I'm glad you haven't come up with it yet... there's something about the sound that feels worth waiting for."

Tooru blinked, caught off guard by her statement, and bashfully turned away in response.

Tooru knew his face was probably red, so he casually hid it by eating and avoiding her gaze until his flustered state slowly eased. He was uncertain whether she had intentionally had that effect on him or if she was unaware that her words had rendered him in his current state.

Tooru found himself readily acknowledging that the girl was stirring something within his heart, but he couldn't quite comprehend this new feeling in its entirety.