JSWGAS Chapter 4

Chapter 4 4.

Since the start of school in September, the campus of Seijo Elementary School had returned to its usual lively atmosphere. The older girls, at that hazy, budding age, would quietly roll up their uniform skirts a few times, buy delicate hair clips, and were like flower buds waiting to bloom. Most of their attention was focused on the popular figure in Class 3, Grade 5.

Girls who unfortunately weren’t assigned to Class 3, Grade 5 would pretend to be getting water or going to the bathroom during each break, just to pass by the classroom door. If someone could call out to them during this process, that would be even better: that way, they could take the opportunity to stop and chat, secretly peeking into the classroom. If the person they cared about happened to be sitting in their seat, they would feel as elated as if fireworks had gone off in their hearts. If that person wasn’t there, they could only regretfully retreat.

The students of Class 3, Grade 5, quickly accepted the fact that students from other classes often passed by their classroom door after their initial fluster. Skilled ones would even curiously ask during their conversations: “Who are you looking at?”

This sentence meant that this auspicious place wasn’t just known for one famous person.

One of these people was leaning back in his chair, joking with his companions. He was sitting in the middle of the back row, his eyebrows and eyes lifting with a spirited air. The sunlight danced on his black hair, highlighting his smile to a dazzling degree—a passing girl withdrew her gaze, saying with some regret:

“Although Kinomoto is very handsome… he’s not my type.”

The person she was talking to understood immediately: “So, you’re looking for the other one? He went to the classroom next door to find Oikawa.”

As the protagonist of his words entered the classroom door of Class 2, Grade 5, the noisy commotion suddenly seemed to be put on mute, and everyone couldn’t help but wonder if they had entered the wrong class.

In such an environment, the complaints of those who hadn’t stopped chatting became even clearer.

“Koiwa, I forgot to bring my lunch when I left this morning, I’m going to starve to death without food at noon! So…”

“No, then just starve to death.”

“Koiwa, how can you just watch me die!”

Unlike Oikawa Tōru, who had his face buried in his arms, moaning and groaning, Iwaizumi Hajime had already noticed the sudden silence around them. He turned his head and saw their friend from the next class scanning the classroom, finally focusing his gaze in their direction.

Kokonoe, with his black hair and gray eyes, raised an eyebrow as if to greet him, and then silently walked towards them carrying a cute, pink-packaged lunch box. Iwaizumi heard someone gasp softly—he could understand, after all, a sticky color like pink was completely out of character for his friend. If anyone they knew would use it, it would only be the childish guy next to him who was still complaining.

“Idiot!”

Iwaizumi didn’t hesitate to smack the childish guy’s head, making a very loud sound of his head hitting the desk, followed by the childish guy shouting in a frenzy: “Koiwa, are you a violent maniac! What if my brain gets dumb?!”

But the ending trailed off and disappeared into the air. Oikawa Tōru finally noticed the familiar figure carrying his lunch box, unceremoniously taking the chair next to him.

He suddenly became mute. Compared to him, the students in the classroom returned to their usual state of laughter and chatter, but there were still occasional, subtle glances falling on the three of them in this corner.

Kokonoe Taka said calmly: “Your lunch. Mrs. Oikawa said you left too quickly this morning, and she couldn’t stop you even when she called out to you, so she asked me to bring it over.”

Oikawa Tōru thought to himself: Did Mom call me this morning? I only remember her holding a spatula, frustratedly but authoritatively ordering him to slow down and wait for the neighbor classmate who lived next door and was also in the next class at school.

Oikawa Tōru was completely unwilling, and he didn’t even finish his breakfast. He hurriedly grabbed a milk bread and ran out the door. Mrs. Oikawa didn’t call out to him or remind him that he hadn’t taken his lunch.

He was silent for too long, and Iwaizumi smacked him again: “What are you pretending to be mute for?”

Only then did Oikawa Tōru mumble and accept the lunch box, but he looked left and right, refusing to turn his head in Kokonoe’s direction.

“Thanks for the trouble, but I think it would be fine if you just ignored this guy.”

“It’s okay, I happened to see Toru running all the way when I left the house… You guys are going to play volleyball later, right? You can’t not eat well.”

“It would be great if this jerk was half as worry-free as you are, I always feel like I have another son…”

“A-one is too reliable.”

Damn it, how dare you two ignore the great Oikawa!

That shout was cycling through Oikawa Tōru’s mind, but he didn’t dare to interrupt, looking restless.

Clearly, he was the first to meet both Kokonoe and Iwaizumi. But as soon as these two met, they quickly abandoned him and became friends at a speed that made Oikawa Tōru gape.

Faced with his question, Iwaizumi clenched his fist and asked back: “Do you have any objections?”

And Kokonoe Taka said approvingly: “A-one, the most handsome I think you are is when you beat Toru up.”

Iwaizumi replied: “Thank you, but I don’t want to become handsome because of that, it’s too lame.”

After Kokonoe Taka thought about it: “You’re right.”

Oikawa Tōru: “…So why does Koiwa become handsome when he beats me up?! And are you disliking me? Are you disliking me because you beat me up!”

Sadly, no one refuted that.

Oikawa Tōru was usually the one who was sanctioned among the three. Whether it was Iwaizumi or Kokonoe, they could often easily suppress him—Iwaizumi was the same age as him, and Kokonoe, who was a year younger than him, was not only about the same height as him, but also stronger than him! Why! He didn’t understand!

During his silence, Iwaizumi had already switched from criticizing him to another topic: “This weekend is the Japan Junior Tennis Ranking Tournament, right? I won’t ask if you’re confident,” he paused, “How about you treat us to dinner if you lose?”

Kokonoe Taka crossed his arms in front of his chest, and upon hearing this, he subconsciously poked his cheek, “Do you want me to win or not want me to lose?”

Iwaizumi: “Is there a difference between the two?”

“The difference between treating you to ramen at the entrance and Australian steak?” Kokonoe Taka joked, but his tone had a calm confidence, “Don’t worry, I’ll win.”

“That’s really cool,” Iwaizumi said with a sigh.

In Iwaizumi’s impression, Kokonoe Taka seemed to be either in a competition or on his way to a competition, winning various junior group championships in tennis competitions for three consecutive years. His bedroom was full of various trophies and medals, and there was also a gym in his house specifically for exercise. In the first grade of elementary school, after Oikawa Tōru started trying to play volleyball, this gym became a place where the three of them often hung out.

It was said that in the first few years when Kokonoe Taka just started learning tennis, his father Kokonoe Hikohito wasn’t so demanding of him. But at a certain point, Kokonoe Taka’s time was quickly filled with all kinds of training, and he even took a half-year leave of absence because of it.

Half a year later, Kokonoe Taka, who returned to school, was obviously free, and he reunited with the two of them. When asked how he escaped from the difficult time before, he himself said that ‘his mother and father had a big fight because of his increasingly harsh and strict training plan’, without mentioning how things developed afterwards.

However, Oikawa could judge that things were not optimistic from the increasingly rare appearances of the car from the house next door. Kokonoe Taka would still participate in the various competitions that his father had signed him up for, but he rarely saw Kokonoe Hikohito himself again. Most of the freed-up time was taken up by Oikawa Tōru and Iwaizumi, who were increasingly addicted to volleyball.

When the class bell rang, Kokonoe Taka said goodbye and hurried to his class. Iwaizumi watched the other person leave, impatiently slapping Oikawa Tōru’s arm. He had remained silent since Kokonoe Taka appeared, not at all like him.

“What? Did you and Taka have a fight?”

Oikawa Tōru didn’t want to answer and tried to change the subject. Iwaizumi didn’t let him go easily, but he couldn’t pry his mouth open either, and could only say with frustration: “This time I’m definitely going to stand on Taka’s side.” Then he returned to his seat.

On the other side, Kokonoe Taka, who had returned to his class, had just sat down when the teacher walked in. He lowered his head to find his textbook and heard the classmate next to him ask him: “The soccer team has a game with the junior high school this weekend, do you want to come?”

He was sitting in the last row of the classroom by the window, and when he turned his head, he could see the lush green tree next to the teaching building. On the other side of the seat was Kinomoto Touya, a famous member of the school soccer team who shared the title of class heartthrob in Class 3, Grade 5, and also intervened in the school heartthrob election.

By the way, another candidate for school heartthrob was Oikawa Tōru from Class 2, Grade 5.

Kokonoe Taka’s physical fitness was unimaginably excellent. He could easily master any sport, and after the sports meet, he became a popular figure in various sports clubs at the school.

The presidents of the clubs had a fierce competition for this: if he joined one club, then all the clubs other than that club would turn to besiege the lucky one. In the end, they reached a consensus: it would be best if Kokonoe could join all their clubs.

Oikawa Tōru mercilessly ridiculed him after learning about this and turned green on the spot after being reminded that the volleyball club was also a member of the many clubs. Iwaizumi maintained his usual reliability: “Will there be a time conflict?” He added, “And you still have to participate in various tennis competitions.”

Kokonoe Taka affirmed his thoughts. He was a very self-centered person, and he didn’t accept the presidents’ proposal. He joined a new club every week, and after trying the sports he was interested in, he immediately withdrew from the club, as justified and unrepentant as a scumbag.

After this round, most of the clubs were kept at a distance by the venom and ridicule he showed during the training process. Only tennis and soccer stubbornly held on—the former because they knew his strength and fully accepted the sharpness he showed in sports, and the latter already had a famous member, Kinomoto Touya, who could tolerate the small shortcomings Kokonoe Taka showed.

He was in a nominal state for both clubs and sometimes went to competitions with them.

But this time: “Sorry, I have a competition this weekend.” He rejected the classmate next to him. The other person oh’ed without interest, obviously not expecting the invitation to succeed in the first place.