smash_logs | Graffitti Free Zone

Who: Hayato and his class and anyone who decided to tag along for funsies
What: A TROPICAL GETAWAY
When: A WEEKEND IN JANUARY.
Where: Isle Delfino
Suggested Listening: NO ESCAPE.

Winter sucks, right? Hayato sure thought so. Well, he didn't hate it, but after a month of cold and dark he decided it was high time for a change. While he could have easily done the selfish thing and fled the city for the entirety of winter break, he liked to consider himself a more generous man than that. Surely his students would love the chance to get away from winter for a few days, too. And if any staff happened to stow away for the trip, well, that was their decision.

So, under the guise of having a swimming class while the school's outdoor pool was out of use, our hero whisked everyone away to lovely Isle Delfino. Once plagued by darkness and vandalism, the whole island had since been kept clean and bright and shiny and boasted a number of tourist attractions. With the only real requirement for the gym class being to get at least some swimming in, there would be plenty of time to explore everything else. Between abandoned eggs that hatch water-soluble yoshis, a giant mall, human pachinko, an amusement park, and the hotel with an abundance of ghost stories, there's bound to be something to do.

All in all, not a bad way to ease in to the new semester. The hardcore classes could start next week, he promised, before setting his class free.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh, even just making a private little prediction in your own head can't be so beneath you."

Hayato would have been just fine with doing that himself, but he much preferred having cold hard proof that he was right about something, and that everyone around him knew it too. That evidence being in the form of cash meant little to him, and he planned to feed it back into the economy through some nice shops and restaurants over the weekend anyway.

Souvenirs seemed like a good idea, though. But like hell was Hayato going to give the kid any hint that he had a head start in something so important. His hand waved vaguely in the bag's direction, nothing more than casual acknowledgement.

"Just what training have you been doing while everyone else is back home?" Just an idle curiosity. Totally.

Was he really trying to goad him into arguing about gambling? Making a simple little guess may not have been beneath Hajime, but this conversation was. Only a roll of the eyes acknowledged it.

Rather, the matter in which they shared actual subjects, that he could argue about all day.

"Naturally, leading the cheer squad is an opportunity to reaffirm the basics by teaching others." Just the basics. Because it's what he knows. Because no one's teaching him.

"But I'm assuming educating is not enough for you? I keep myself quite busy around campus, honing my body for peak performance, and run missions whenever possible." Which is not that often. For such a screwed up place, he can't do much unless people actually ask for help. That doesn't come up often. "I'm surprised I haven't seen you around as well, but I'm sure you've been quite busy with something or another."

It was so tempting to turn it into a challenge of who was working harder, who was getting more accomplished, who helped more people on campus (or who was having better luck further out in the city, more accurately). But Hajime was already riled up and on the defensive, it seemed. It would be detrimental to Hayato's real goal to feed his hostility. Walking on eggshells sure was a pain in the ass.

Okay. Focus on Hajime's achievements while downplaying his own. Ugh. He could do this. He just had to think of it more like a mission and less like a rivalry. He was the Asahi PR Guy, this should have been a god damn breeze for him.

"Busy enough. Even a class without written assignments to go over has a lot of paperwork, among other things." PR Guy, not Paperwork Guy. Never Paperwork Guy. "It's a fine job, but in focusing so much in teaching others, I do worry that in time I'll simply stagnate without anyone more experienced I can learn from."

His frown twisted deeper, though not quite directed at Hayato. The fear of stagnation had passed through his mind more than once, but it certainly wasn't a matter to be taking to a rival, and absolutely not one so full of himself as this. Instead, he forced himself to bare his teeth in a grin. "What a shame, that Ryuuta couldn't stay and educate you a little better. I'm sure you could have figured something out."

Much as he enjoyed the image of Ryuuta bossing his opponent around, saying his leader's name aloud brought a new wave of melancholy at his departure. Hajime looked away, with a shrug. "Well, I did start before you, if you ever need pointers."

Oh, Hajime, you know just how to hit all the right buttons. For a self-destruct sequence. It wasn't often a sneer so brazenly crossed that pretty face of Hayato's, but there it was.

"Ippongi is--" He cut his words off with a strained noise, an obvious stumble but without falling completely into the trap. He wouldn't allow himself to be played by some kid. Even if being compared to Ryuuta still pissed him off. He could freely admit that they were equals, now, but he couldn't stand to hear it implied that the other was any better than him. Basically, someone was still a bit of a huge baby. ~~spoiler: it's everyone~~

He cleared his throat, shrugging one shoulder like it was nothing more than some offhand comment about the weather. "Well, I'd hate to take away from all the time he was surely spending training you instead. You are a few years behind now, after all."

"Ryuuta is gone."

If Hayato's button caused a snap, Hajime's led to a full bite, even baring his teeth as he glowered at the man who dared to stay behind when his friend had left him. He didn't like to think of training with him, learning from him, laughing with him anymore, after it had been dangled before him and then snatched right back out of reach.

"...if you haven't noticed." A heavy breath sucked through his teeth, and he barely managed to reel himself back. "I suppose he trusts me to handle things."

He shouldered his shopping back far too roughly, and the souvenirs clattered inside. They probably weren't fragile, at least. "All I need to worry about is what decade these will get sent home to."

Hayato may not have been all that sorry for rubbing salt in the wound, but he knew that it definitely wasn't something he should continue with if he wanted to get anywhere with this. He used the growing hum of rapidly approaching karts as an excuse to take a moment to consider his words, waiting until the racers passed before he spoke up.

"You aren't the only one he's left behind," he muttered, idly watching the mall-goers resume crossing over the race track here and there. "Answer me honestly, Tanaka. Humour me. Do you trust yourself to be able to handle things for him?"

Hajime watched after the racing cars, biting his tongue. He would have liked to confess that he didn't know anymore. He would have liked to admit that he didn't trust himself for anything, these days. He would have loved to divulge that he was lonely, and scared, and tired, and just wanted someone else to tell him he was doing all right. He'd have loved to answer that question to someone he could trust, someone who wouldn't look down on him after answering. He wasn't sure, anymore, if that person existed.

Hayato certainly wasn't that person. But he wasn't someone that could be lied to, either.

Fists clenched, Hajime took a deep breath. "I trust that he trusted me. That's enough." It would have to be, because it was all he had.

Graffitti Free Zone

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject