Yui was a little freaked out when she learned that she would be riding on the back of one of the motorbikes. From questions about how safe it would be to statements of how embarrassing riding behind a boy would be, Yui had a lot to say on the issue. 'Probably the most you've spoken all day.' Emma commented as they made their way to where the boys waited.
Aiko introduced Draken and Mikey to Daichi who offered both boys a greeting fit for an upper member of any class or group. Like Aiko, Daichi was used to meeting with wealthy and important people at the various ceremonies their parents attended, and he knew the etiquette that went along with a lot of those meetings. Aiko was surprised though that he relayed the intention with sincere respect. Not too long ago he had been a profound advocate against gang members, and now it seemed after such a short time of knowing Baji he had softened his whole stance. At least for the Toman members.
"Can't I ride with Daichi?" Yui asked as the boys began mounting their bikes. Chifuyu had already been instructed to carry Yui, and both had quickly become flustered after their initial introduction, although Chifuyu had hidden it better.
"Probably not a good idea," Chifuyu said. "Daichi's only just learning to ride now. There could be an accident."
Aiko agreed, that she would be a lot safer riding with someone experienced and Chifuyu would take care of her so she needn't worry.
Chifuyu got on his bike and waved Yui over to join him.
"Look, you can sit with your legs to the side if that's more comfortable," Aiko said before coaxing Yui up onto the seat behind Chifuyu. "Now, just hold onto him."
Chifuyu smiled brightly as Yui placed her hands lightly against his sides.
"You can hold on as tightly as will make you feel safe, Yui-chan," he said to which Yui nodded.
"Hey, Chifuyu," Aiko said leaning into him. "Can you take Daichi round the front and wait there, please. It might be a little awkward getting on the bike with Baji if he's watching."
"Sure," Chifuyu said, before calling to Daichi to follow him out front.
Baji finished giving instructions to Draken and Mikey about the route they were planning to take and then came to mount his bike. "You ready?" he asked.
"Of course," she said, climbing eagerly onto the back of his bike. "I've been ready since I got here." And then she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing as tightly as possible and snuggling her head into his back. This was her favourite moment every time. It had become the single thing that she thought about more than anything else.
Baji let out a high-pitched roll of laughter. "Okay, you can loosen up the grip a little," he said, tapping Aiko's hand.
What was that? Aiko wondered, Baji never laughs like that.
Aiko loosened her grip and tried as best she could to look over Baji's shoulder at his face. "I didn't think you would be ticklish."
"I'm not. Normally."
Being ticklish was a side effect of nerves or feeling nervous about something, Aiko remembered reading somewhere once. I wonder what he could feel nervous about. But then Aiko often felt nervous when she thought about riding with Baji, every time she imagined wrapping her arms around him the same thought came into her head. A tight embrace followed by a simple kiss. She let out a low giggle. Could it be that he thinks about things like that too?
Aiko reached up to his shoulders to get a good grip and pulled herself up to kneel on the seat of his bike.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Baji said, dropping his feet to the ground and steadying the bike.
Aiko didn't answer. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered herself to press a kiss on his cheek, holding it for a few seconds before backing up to watch his expression.
A huge smile overtook his face as he turned back to look at Aiko over his shoulder, his golden eyes catching her gaze. "What was that for?"
Aiko took a deep breath while she considered an answer. Time with Baji was short, if she didn't work towards solidifying some kind of relationship, who's to say how long Baji would take to get around to it. One thing Emma taught her was that sometimes you had to make the first move because boys were hopeless when it came to expressing how they felt. "Because I like you," she said.
His gaze dropped slightly as he made a low 'Hmm' before cupping his hand around hers, which still rested on his neck, and lifting it to press it against his lips. "I like you too, Aiko."
Aiko's heart burst into a stampede of wild beats. Yes! she silently celebrated. Should I have said love instead? Would his answer have been similar? A moment of silence passed with neither knowing what to say next until Baji eventually spoke.
"We should probably catch up with the rest, you know? Do you wanna ride like that or are you going to sit down?"
"Oh. Yeah, I guess," she said, lowering herself back down into a seated position. She wrapped her arms gently around him and stated that she was ready.
"Aiko," he said, resting his hand on hers. "Thank you."
Aiko nodded against his back and he set off to catch up with the others.
It was a long smooth ride along back streets and a small country road until they reached a high slope that led to a small grassland, overlooking the area below. Everybody else was already seated or playing some kind of dodgeball game when they arrived.
"Have you been here before?" he asked and put out his hand for Aiko's support as she got off his bike.
"Have I been anywhere?" she said with a small laugh.
Baji let out a small chuckle. "That sucks." Still holding her hand, he entwined his fingers into hers and led her to the edge of the hill. "I like coming up here when it's quiet like this."
"I didn't think someone like you would enjoy the silence," Aiko said.
"I hate silence," he corrected. "I like quiet. Listen ... It's different."
Aiko remained quiet and listened.
There was the soft sound of the wind mixed with the song of the birds and the distant laughter of the boys as they played on the field. Baji closed his eyes for a moment, his face the perfect picture of peace. A soft smile curved its way onto Aiko's mouth. How can someone who loves hitting people as much as Baji does, be comforted by such a simple thing?
"I've never listened to the quiet before," Aiko admitted.
"I know."
Aiko tipped her head to look up at him from under her furrowed eyebrows.
"I think you watch your starlights. That's your quiet, right?"
"That's my quiet?" Aiko repeated. "I like that."
Baji's golden eyes sparkled as he looked down at Aiko for a moment. Aside from his love of violence, his social class was the only thing that separated them. Baji was refined in one of the best ways she'd seen. He didn't look down on people or try to use people for his own interests. He spoke honestly rather than just saying what the people wanted to hear, and, aside from his obvious delinquent behaviour, which may or may not have included theft, he was generally a good-hearted guy. Aiko surmised at that point that even his delinquency was due to his social class and the difficulties that he and others like him must face.
"Tell me one of your stories," Baji said.
"What do you mean? What stories?"
"Anything," he said, looking out over the view as he spoke. "I just like hearing you talk, and I like the way you view things."
A slow smile apread across her lips, and she gripped his hand a little tighter. He had a way of making her feel special with the simplest of statements. Even more so with how he listened as she spoke, asking questions and interjecting with small comments of chuckles and the occasional full-blown laughter which warmed Aiko's heart every time she heard it.
They stood on the ledge looking over the streets below, talking for some time before joining the rest for an hour of stories and jokes. Then they returned to the dojo to await their driver.
"Will you call me tonight?" Baji asked before she got into the car.
Aiko nodded.
Baji raised his hand and gave Aiko's ear a quick flick which, strangely, added an extra piece of warmth to her already smouldering heart. "I'll speak to you later then."
* * *
Yui rounded the tables, in their next maths lesson, handing out the worksheets.
"From Daichi," she said and handed a folded note to Aiko along with the worksheet.
Aiko carefully unfolded the note and placed it discreetly underneath the worksheet.
'Can we meet at lunchtime to talk? Tech room. Without Ichika.'
A meetup note from Daichi? Aiko read through the note a second time hoping to find some clue as to the reason Daichi would want to meet in such a way. There's no way he plans to make a move on me, is there? she wondered. He had so much as said that he still liked her, but he also seemed to like Baji a great deal too, if his constant reminders of the cool things Baji had done with him were anything to go by.
It had been three weeks now since they had started going to the dojo, and each week he spent an hour of his time out the back with Baji, Chifuyu and a few other boys. Aiko and Yui had had to start learning martial arts for real to keep up with the pretence. Daichi had also started learning, and, with his newfound hobbies, friends and a lot more relaxed attitude he had actually become pretty cool to hang out with. So what could his message have been about?
Aiko dragged her feet to the tech room, practising ways to let him down if he did intend to make a move. She'd told Yui and Ichika she'd promised a lower-class girl some help with her studies. So she'd been left to venture alone to the tech room after promising to meet up with them after.
Daichi was sitting at a desk with an excited smile spread across his mouth when she entered the room triggering a whole new set of nerves.
"What's up?" Aiko asked, trying to sound casual.
"You heard about the party, right?" he asked.
There was only one party coming up that she was aware of. Was that really what his excitement was about?
"You mean Mitsuya's?" she asked.
"Yeah. Are you going?"
Aiko looked around the room briefly, suspicious she was being lured into a trap. "Is that what your note was about? And why you're so excited?"
"Yeah, Aiko, a party with Baji and the guys. Probably the best party I'll get to go to in ... I don't know ... a lifetime?"
"Who are you?" Aiko asked, almost not recognising him for a moment. She'd already noticed he'd started slicking his hair a little higher than usual, only enough to get away with it without the school complaining. But right then there was a glow in his eyes that she had never seen on him, just as she'd never seen the wildness that hid behind his smile.
"What do you mean? It's me. Look, I ..." he trailed off, his eyes drifting away shortly as he contemplated the answer. "All we do is study, Aiko. That's it. And I don't have any complaints, but having fun with the guys is like really having fun. There are no bars or restrictions, or always trying to be perfect."
Aiko let out a small sigh. Yeah, that was exactly what it was like. But ... "Daichi, please don't become a delinquent," she said.
"I thought you had a thing for delinquents," came his quick reply.
"What? .. No, Daichi .. why would you ..."
Daichi burst out into laughter. "It was a joke. Geez. I'm not going to become a delinquent just so you'll like me."
Aiko stared back at Daichi, her mouth slightly agape until he calmed his laughter and apologised.
"Okay, back to the party. Are you going?"
"Of course not. I doubt even you could pull that one off with my father," she said, slightly jealous that he apparently was going.
"It seems you have little faith," he said, pulling out a school brochure from Mitsuya's school.
Aiko skimmed over the brochure, noticing a small inset about some of the high achieving school clubs that would be receiving awards, among them was the Home Economics club - Mitsuya's club.
"So, he's getting an award at his club?" she asked, puzzled by the relevance.
"Yep, and do you know who the vice president of his club is?"
Aiko shook her head, by that time sure he was about to reveal his epic plan. And epic it was.
Turned out that he knew the vice president, Yasuda, through a friend of a family friend. He'd even met her once or twice. So, after discussing the idea with Baji, he'd called Yasuda, and during a long talk of all of her sewing activities, in which she mentioned Mitsuya a great number of times, something that could only mean one thing Daichi explained, she told him about the awards coming up. Daichi had then explained that he in fact knew Mitsuya, as he had met him on his last visit, and would be attending a birthday celebration with him next week. Then, this is when it got interesting. Daichi had somehow managed to convince Yasuda to have his party hosted at the school in honour of his service to the club all the while allowing her to believe it was her idea.
"So, long story short. A birthday party will take place at his school as part of a club event."
"And Baji agreed with this idea?" she asked.
"Well, he thought it was lame, but it was the only way we'd get you to attend a party with us, so I guess he was cool with it. Plus, I think he liked putting the whole thing on Mitsuya who was planning on bailing out of the awards altogether. He has a thing about awards, apparently."
"And you reckon my dad will be cool about it?"
"Why not? I'll ask him if you can accompany me to a school event that a friend is hosting. It's a home economics club, absolutely nothing suspicious about that."
Daichi raised his eyebrows in anticipation of her answer, but Aiko felt a chill run down her rather than the excitement she had hoped to be feeling.
"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing her hesitance.
"I don't know. It just has a little bit too much 'Junichiro' written on it. I didn't know you could be so manipulative."
Daichi's mouth dropped open as a look of complete shock overtook his face. "Wow ... that ... hurt," he said, his words staggered. "I literally did all of that for you. And you likened me to Junichiro?"
Aiko's eyes dropped to the floor. "I didn't mean it to come out like that. I just didn't know you could be like that."
Daichi picked up a book that he had sitting on the desk in front of him and dropped it into his backpack. "I'll see you later," he said and rose from his seat.
"Wait, Daichi please don't go like this. I didn't mean it like that."
"Come on, Aiko," he said, stopping directly in front of her. "I don't even want you to be with him, but I still tried to work this out to make you happy. But you're never happy are you?"
That hit.
He probably could have gotten around going to the party as it was. It was always a lot easier for boys to slip through the gaps than girls, and he could have offered a whole array of excuses to get away with it. But he had bothered to take the time to concoct this whole plan just for her sake. And he was partially right, although she didn't exactly have a thing for delinquents, she'd let any of Baji's transgresses slide, so why was she finding it so difficult to see such changes in Daichi.
"No, please," she said again, grabbing hold of his arm to stop him from leaving. "It's just that you're changing and it's weird. I don't want to be the reason for you changing. I liked how you were just fine."
Daichi let out a small laugh at that. "No, you didn't. That's why you fell for Baji. But it's not even about that. It's just ... I see you so happy lately. You're always smiling, like real smiles. And I know it's because of him but I just want to see it more. I know it's stupid but ..."
Aiko's eyes dropped again, the feeling of shame weaving around her. Could she ever love Baji so much that she would be happy just to see him happy even if it was with another girl? I doubt it, she thought and leaned forward to grab Daichi into a hug. "Thank you, Daichi."
Daichi froze, unable to ascertain if the hug was really happening or not until Aiko let go and stepped away again.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to act so ungratefully," she added.
"Does that mean you'll come?" he asked after a moment of silence.
"If my dad says yes. I'm there."
Aiko confirmed with Baji that evening and got her father's permission two days later.
She had left out the end part of the conversation with Daichi when she'd spoken to Baji, although it was weighing slightly on her. Of course, she didn't have any reason to feel guilty as it was only a friendly hug and Baji had still yet to make anything official between the two of them.
But that's exactly the kind of thing that usually happens at parties, isn't it? she wondered as she fell asleep that night.