Preparing for The Dance

The cafeteria which sold the most delicious foods was on the west of the campus. Since it was far away from faculty buildings, it was usually desolate. Eita and his friends had two free hours until the next lesson and they decided to go there. While they were going closer there, Eita suddenly stopped walking. One of his friends noticed that.

"What's wrong, Fumikaze?" he asked. Eita didn't answer that question. Then his friend looked where Eita was looking at. A group was studying their lessons on a table out of the cafeteria. They were drinking their teas.

Eita gulped once. "I just remember I have a work to do, Tachibana. You catch others," he said and left there. Tachibana found Eita's behavior suspicious. He thought for a while what he should do. Then he went after Eita.

"What happened, dude?" Tachibana asked.

"Nothing. I say I have work to do," Eita answered.

Tachibana was bumping someone because he was trying to walk with Eita and at the same time, he was looking at Eita not the road. He didn't care bumping and went on.

"On the other day, you left there while we were going to basketball court on east of the campus. You made an excuse again," said Tachibana. Eita denied that and said it was coincidence.

Tachibana was out of his patient so he suddenly stopped at the road. "You are behaving like there is a monster on east of the campus," he said.

Eita got surprised that reaction. He stopped walking, too. "You're exaggerating," he said. "I'm not exaggerating! I know you've been like that since you visited medical faculty." Tachibana answered without waiting.

Eita got panicked since they were talking about that in a crowded place. He came closer to Tachibana and "How do you know that?" he asked.

"Ah, as a Liberal Arts Prince, you should know that you're been watching, man," Tachibana answered angrily. He waited Eita to say something.

After a few seconds, "It's really annoying to learning from the girls what you do. You're dealing with something and I don't know that. How can you say I'm your best friend, then?" he continued. This time he didn't wait an answer. He left there and sat on the grass beyond them.

Eita sighed once. Then he walked and sat next to Tachibana. After he thought for a while, "I do not think I can explain to you while I haven't been able to explain to myself yet," Eita said.

Tachibana looked at his friend with surprise. He didn't wait that his reproach worked. "Even if you can't tell everything, when you get in trouble you can ask my help, dude. I want to help you how you are helping me," Tachibana answered.

Eita smiled at his sincere friend. He put his hand on his friend's shoulder and, "Thank you, Tachibana. You're my only friend who knows my family situation. But I can't tell everything about my issues," he said.

"You're cutting it off by saying family issues again. You can't get away with "you're my only friend who knows" stuffs," Tachibana answered without waiting. That made Eita laugh. Tachibana looked at him as if he wanted to ask why Eita laughed.

Eita's face suddenly changed to more serious expression. First, he looked around. Then he turned to curious face of his friend. He moved his hand to his chin and "Is it normal to have wet dreams about the same person in this age?" he asked by whispering.

"What?" Tachibana asked by surprise. Eita got up suddenly and "Anyway, just joking. Let's eat something at a different place," he said. He started to walk without waiting an answer.

At first Tachibana thought that Eita was really joking. After he saw the redness on back of his neck, he laughed. "I shall talk with Yamato-san soon," he muttered and caught up Eita.

...

A week later, after their class had ended, Tachibana turned to Eita and "Are you going to come with me to club, right Fumikaze?" he asked. "Yeah. How many times do you plan to ask that?" Eita answered.

Nowadays three kendo fighters were going to be chosen for national tournament. There were three faculty which had kendo clubs in the university. The oldest and biggest one belonged to Liberal Arts.

As the last year kendo students, Eita and Tachibana had no future plans for kendo art. They were visiting the club rarely. But they were called for help about choosing the students who would go to nationals.

"You promised to masters, you can't quit," Tachibana said. Eita couldn't get why Tachibana insisted on that so much. He puffed and "I said I would go, right?" he complained.

...

When Eita enter the practice hall, he petrified what he saw. A few students from different faculties were practicing. He saw brown haired medical school student and turned his back. He was about to leave there but Tachibana's voice stopped him.

"Master, Fumikaze and me have come to help you as you order!" Tachibana said loudly. Since master saw them by this calling and greeted them, Eita had no option but staying. Eita sensed that Tachibana did that knowingly. He looked at Tachibana and saw his grinning.

After their master greeted them, they headed to changing room. But Tachibana walked faster and moved away Eita because he knew what would happen. Eita began to spell his name "Ta-chi-ba-na..." and flew onto him. He kicked Tachibana's back. Tachibana were still grinning even his pain on the ground.

He turned to Eita and "Don't run away from your problems. Just face it," he said. Eita got angrier and prepared another kick but Tachibana dodged that this time and run to the changing room.

Their juniors were watching beyond them. The students who knew them in the same department were laughing. Others were watching them by surprise.

"Aren't they the last year kendo students in Liberal Arts?" one of them asked. "Perhaps they are going to attend to selections," other one asked nervily. He knew he had less chance if two experienced seniors would attend for nationals.

"No, they have come to help for selections. Don't mess around. Go on knocking up!" one of masters said. Ando was one of kendo club students in medical school. He watched behind Eita by smiling. He had some predictions about the situation.

...

Half an hour later Ando and Eita were looking at each other for the battle. At first Eita couldn't understand how they matched with him between a lot of students. Then he turned to Tachibana and saw his smiling. He got that Tachibana had a hand in matching.

Eita got closer Tachibana by clenching his fist which he wanted to punch with. Tachibana believed that Eita couldn't harm him in crowd and he got closer Eita, too.

"Dude..." Tachibana said.

"I'm not your dude anymore," Eita answered. They were whispering to each other.

"You're breaking my heart," Tachibana said by howling.

"I want to break your head, too," Eita answered without thinking.

Tachibana acted like he didn't hear Eita, and "However..." he said. He lowered his sound more and "It's better that you don't remember your wet dreams while you're in a battle against him," he added.

Eita hit Tachibana with his elbow and got him down. He hit Tachibana one more time and made him welter. He pressed Tachibana's back with his food, took his arms backward and started to pull them.

Some of the students were watching them by surprised and smiling. They startled and stopped that when the grand master words.

"Eita, Ren! Stop your ridiculous knocking up style and get work!"

...

Ando and Eita's turn came. Eita was going to match with two other students and Ando was first student. Eita took a deep breath. He saw Ando's farceur smile and asked him why he was smiling.

"Are you alright?" Ando asked as if he didn't hear Eita's question.

"Why are you asking?" Eita asked.

"I'm just worrying about someone who smokes how he can deal with a sport which he hasn't done for a long while," Ando answered with a smile.

"I won't be easy on you," said Eita angrily.

"I hope you won't, senpai. Or you seemed like you want to run away before to me," Ando said calmly. He wanted to say that he was aware of everything by saying that.

Eita got that and got angrier. "You asked for it," he said and took his attack position. They started with a sign.

"Hey, Fumikaze is getting harder, isn't he? His attacks are so fast," one of masters who watched the match said.

"I wonder how he can be so good even though he quitted the kendo club," other one added.

"Kendo is like a hobby for him. I guess he trains somewhere, too," third one said.

Eita got carried away Ando's adaptations to his attacks. After a bunch of defenses Ando finally could find a way for a counter-attack. Eita dodged that attack with a stronger defense but that style made Ando fall to the ground.

Ando got up without waiting. He wanted to go on match but one of masters asked a break. He wanted to check Ando if he was alright. Because Ando fell down severely.

Before Eita moved away, "As your words I would like to see a harder battle," he said. He gave his sonkyo (greeting style in kendo) and turned his back.

As soon as he turned his back, "Eita, you fool! What if you hurt him! You believed his tricks so easily! I hope he is alright!" he whispered himself.

Both of his words and panicked face were not being seen and heard in his bogo (cap in kendo). The second part of the battle went softer.