"Hey guys," Hayasaka greeted them in a pleasant tone. "Can we have a game against you?"
They stopped and paid attention to the newcomers in their area. One of them gave a welcoming gesture. "Sure! Some of us might need the substitution. Say—"
"I think something went wrong with what was said," Shinzo clarified. "We want a game against you."
The player didn't understand what they meant. "Wait, you mean... us against the two of you?
The two nodded with innocent looks.
"But you do know we'll be having six against two."
"Ah, no worries," the two said. "We could use the challenge."
"You're out of your minds," said another player as she confronted them.
Then Hayasaka gave a smug look. "Just wait and see."
They agreed and had a match.
On one side was Hayasaka and Shinzo warming themselves up for the game and on the other side were six players, expecting this to be a ridiculously easy game.
I mean, it was a two-against-six play, what did you expect?
"Service!" one of the players hollered and gave the first serve. It soared in the air and was heading for Hayasaka.
With a steady stance, she hit the ball and soared back to the other side.
But with quick succession, they receive it and one player made a spike, sending the ball off like a bullet at an blind spot.
"Easy point," the player thought.
But he almost choked at his words as with blinding speed Shinzo dove and hit the ball back, sending it high in the air. Then Hayasaka jumped and drew back her arm to initiate a spike. In an instant, the ball hurtled toward their opponents like a flash.
Without realizing it, the ball landed on their field.
One point to the two.
"Darn kids..." one of the players said as he stepped back to serve the ball. "Service!" and immediately another ball flew through the air.
Shinzo was quick to receive and spat it back to the other side. But his eyes widened as the three players at the forefront suddenly formed a wall to block the ball. It hit it and was about to tumble to the ground.
Until.
With dust clouding the air, Hayasaka kicked the ball upward, saving them. It soared up, to the jaw-dropped reaction of their opponents.
But Shinzo grimaced at this.
"You're not the only one who gets to do those moves!" he shouted. Then he headbutted the ball (which sure as hell hurt a lot) and travelled back to the other side.
In shock, the team ignored the ball landing on their field as they stood in awe at what was probably the strongest set of opponents they had in their whole lives.
A couple of high-schoolers with insane levels of skills.
Another point to the duo.
"Just who are these guys?" one player asked his teammate. The other shrugged, half-confused and another half terrified at the potential they had.
They wanted a casual game, not this.
"Just one point," a player said as she stepped back. "Service!" another ball swerved through the air.
Seconds later, it hit the ground in the maid's and butler's favor. Another service. Moments later, with a devastating spike from Shinzo, it fell to the ground. Another point. Another service and Hayasaka slammed the six players with a cunning placement at their blank spot. One point to them once more.
And another.
And another.
Another one...
Another—you know this already.
By the time they reached 15-0, the six players were on the sand, eating the dust of the two champions. Hayasaka stretched her arms while Shinzo yawned and approached the team.
"Still up for another game?" he innocently asked.
But they flinched as in their eyes the red-eyed demon was taunting them for another match, another match to pummel them to the ground.
"No! No, please!" they cried, leaving Shinzo with an odd stare at them. He shrugged as he approached his teammate.
"Hayasaka, they said they don't want to play anymore."
"Aww, that's a shame," she said, giving a small pout. Then she looked over to them, "Are you sure you don't want another round?" she asked in a courteous, slightly-raised tone.
But they remained distrustful at the two (well, considering the fact that they were obliterated by them) and even flinched when the blue cat-eyed demon tried to get their attention.
Suddenly, the two approached them. and they were prepared for the worst.
Shinzo raised his hand.
"Maybe this was going to be another shameful slap—" one thought.
"C'mon, don't leave me hanging here when I want to help you get up on your feet."
The player looked to see a cheery Shinzo and a cool-faced Hayasaka behind him. After giving it some thought, he took the offer. He stood up as he looked at his friends who were also getting up from the ground.
"Well, I gotta admit," he said, turning to the two, "Y'all got to be one of the most maniacal people I've ever met in volleyball."
"Well," Shinzo thought, "I do get that term sometimes in my line of work."
"I suppose," Hayasaka also thought while scratching her head, "I've heard that description thrown at me a couple of times."
But suddenly, the players started to surround the two, giving Shinzo a bad feeling.
"Why," he thought, "this is like the time I had to fight that gang downtown. Thankfully, the hospital was nearby." He gave a wary stare around them, his fists clenched tight. Even Hayasaka was a bit worried about the situation.
Then her eyes darted to one of the player's arms grabbing for something from his pocket.
"A baton, a pocketknife?" she thought. Her eyes became focused, ready to anticipate the imaginary weapon.
Then he brought out a cellphone.
"You guys are wicked!" one player shouted. "Can we take a photo with you?"
Not realizing it, they suddenly converged on the two and they were lifted up in the air, all while one of the players was trying to get a good angle for a shot. As they were carried around by them, the maid and the butler looked at each other.
"Didn't expect this warm welcome," Shinzo said.
"Neither did I," the maid said.
From the view though, they got to see another surprise: a crowd around the volleyball court cheering and clamoring for the two. It was true that after performing powerful aerodynamic, ballistic, earth-shattering moves like those, raining down spikes that broke the sound barrier, flexible gymnast-level turns and swerves to turn the tide in the heat of the moment, speed and agility to make Usain Bolt blush, and jumps that could soar through the air to bring down the heat, a crowd was eventually going to form.
And it did.
With shy embarrassed looks, the two waved at their sudden fans as they enjoyed the moment.
"Looks like Shinzo got a nice homecoming!" one person shouted.
"Thank you! Thank you!" he responded.
"I'd say they did well as a team," another commented.
"Thank you for the compliment," Hayasaka replied.
"Hey, wasn't those two the ones who trashed the arcade place in the amusement park?"
All smiles died down from the two as they recalled that time. The number of games they played, highscores they broke and set, and even getting the elegant privilege of getting kicked out from the park.
Fun times!
To this they gave an awkward look at each other and laughed.
The crowd continued to cheer as people snapped photos of them (one aspect of glory they didn't like). But eventually, the excitement died down. They said their goodbyes to their opponents, but not before begging them to teach their skills in volleyball. They dismissed them as their students (somehow) and soon they were left on their own once more.
Both sat down at the beach where they left their stuff.
After behaving like all-star athletes, of course they were tired as hell, and this gave Shinzo a good opportunity to look at the sunset and relax.
"Oh, beautiful sunset," he muttered. Then he realized. "Wait, sunset?! How long did we play?"
"It's already half past 6," Hayasaka checked the time from her phone. "Dang, we really did go all out." She tucked her hair being her ears as she took the chance to look at the sunset.
"A daily experience yet still good to see now and again..." he said, the orange hue of the sky hitting them.
"Didn't know you enjoyed the small things," she said, eyeing at Shinzo then returning to the scene.
"It's one of my favorite moments when coming down here at the beach," he said. Then he grabbed for something from his pocket. He brought out his phone sealed in one of those plastic waterproof bags. He took it out and snapped a couple of photos.
All the while Hayasaka was giving a disappointed look at him,
He noticed the aura coming off from her. Yes, he could distinguish her look on him at the moment, reminiscent of how she looked at centipedes and cockroaches.
"Yes, any problems?" he asked, his eyes still focused on the screen and snapping more photos.
"You get to be here in a rare occasion and your choice of spending it is taking some photos," she said. This is ironically coming from a girl from the urban city environment.
"Well," the young man justified, "this is a nice view."
"So, drop the phone and enjoy it as it is," she said.
"Sounds like something my mom would say," he remarked before putting away the phone.
And there they were, spending some moments in silence as they saw the farewell of the Sun. A new evening was being ushered in.
Not able to hold it, he brought out the phone once more to the disappointment of Hayasaka.
"Hey! What did I tell you—"
"Relax," the butler defended, "I just wanted to take a picture of us together at the beach. Could be useful when you wanna frame it up someday."
Hayasaka's upset face features softened as she nodded tot eh suggestion. And so, Shinzo raised his phone to take a selfie.
Only for her to realize that he sucked at it.
"You're the only guy in this age who doesn't know how to take a selfie," she complained when she saw the bad angle of the photo. Then she grabbed the phone. "Here, let me."
The two smiled at the phone and snap! It took the photos. The both of them looked at them and Shinzo scoffed. "Please, I could do better photos."
"Liars rot in hell, Shinzo," Hayasaka commented as she locked the phone and handed it to him. He reached out to grab it.
Their hands touched for an instant. Then, it was over.
Afterwards, they sat down for the last time as they enjoyed the dusk at the beach. Most people were gone already and some of them were packing up.
That meant sooner or later they would be alone once more.
Shinzo thought about it.
"The last time we were this close was the darn 'fake date,'" he said. Then he glanced at her. "I wonder how she felt about it."
Whatever was on her mind, Hayasaka wouldn't spill. Her eyes, blue as the sky, were soft and serene. Her fair complexion, look, and personality, was something Shinzo will never forget.
At the moment, perhaps a tug from somewhere, he did a thing he would hardly expect to do for someone else.
"You look nice..." he said, as clear as the sky above. Then his eyes went wide in surprise at what he said.
The same can be said for Hayasaka as she slowly turned to him, already a bit red on his cheeks.
"Were you hit with a volleyball ball or something?" was what she wanted to say as a joke for their banter.
But at that moment, it felt nice to say something else. Something more... genuine.
Breaking from her usual façade of a distinguished cool-mooded girl, she rubbed her shoulder and gave an awkward smile. "Thanks for the compliment."
All the while she was screaming inside, "Dear God! I've wanted this kind of attention from him for so long and now that it's here, I've never felt so good!" but her thoughts halted as Shinzo groaned.
"No, I'm serious," he said, now looking straight in her eyes. "Look... I know I've been avoiding you a lot this day, during the bus trip and here in the beach. And I just wanted to say now that... you do look nice."
"No really, it's fine."
"—No you do look nice, and I wanna put that out there."
"Yeah, thanks, but you don't need to go that long—"
"I mean," Shinzo searched in the air for the right words. "You've looked through catalogs just for this outfit to impress me. That amount of effort is a lot—"
Hayasaka punched his shoulder.
"Ow! Okay, I'll stop!" he shouted in pain. He rubbed his side to ease the pain as he met an annoyed Hayasaka. "First time I acknowledge your outfit and a punch lands on me."
"Well," Hayasaka said, "you do deserve it, especially with that comment you made on my weight."
"They do say that chubby is the new—"
Hayasaka grabbed a clump of sand.
"I mean to say that while chubby is the new sexy for some," he cautiously said, feeling like he was on stepping through a landmine field, "I think the figure you have is good enough."
"Really?" she asked with a tinge of understanding.
"Yes!"
They both stared at each other for a moment. And after that, Hayasaka flung sand on his face. But, quick to block, he shielded his eyes.
"What was that for?" he coughed as he tried to remove the sand on his forearm.
"You should've cautioned me about my weight..." Hayasaka said with a pout and distasteful tone.
"Well, either way," he scratched his head, "you'd look the same to me."
"And that is?" she asked with a hint of venom and slit eyes.
'Well, a maid that anyone could rely on," he twiddled his thumbs. "And drop-down gorgeous at that."
Hayasaka stared at him awhile longer before looking at the sea. Then she turned away, hiding her face from him.
"Stupid..." she whispered to herself. "Stupid. Stupid." She took a deep breath before showing her face to the butler.
"Not a lot," she squeaked.
"Huh? What was that?" he barely heard.
She coughed, getting her vocals straight. "I don't mind getting a lot of compliments from people at school and in home. Sure, it might sound nice, but it's all flattery and drab for me. All they were looking at was a show, a good sight, nothing more but my appearance. And that's why I don't entertain them that much."
"But why seek for my compliment?" Shinzo asked, trying to get an answer from the girl, looking and scanning her a bit more eagerly.
She fidgeted at the question and sighed. "Guess this is what it means to have a guy friend." She leaned on her arm. "You just wanna get that attention." Then she looked at him. "Do you get what I mean?"
Shinzo blinked at the sudden turn of the conversation and hunched a bit. "Yeah, somehow..."
"Good friends, we are..." they said.
A thought lingered on their minds at that moment, something yearning to be explored.
But they pushed it away.
"Friends are honest, right?" Shinzo asked.
Hayasaka nodded.
The sun had vanished and the moon was up in the sky. Venus was twinkling and other stars were beginning to pop up.
Night was already here.
Shinzo wondered as he looked at the night sky. A thousand stars. A thousand ways as well.
What would happen if he chose that path among them?
Hayasaka's eyes drifted to the ground. As numerous as the sand grains were the fates she could have. Could she pick that certain fate?
Only one. Could they?
"Shinzo! Ms. Hayasaka!" a voice shouted, startling the two. They turned to see Mrs. Nagama with little Momoka. Not far behind was Mr. Nagama with a flashlight turned on from his cellphone.
"Oh, there you are," she said as the two stood up and went to them. "Enjoyed the sight, I see. Good thing I got some nice photos from that occasion."
Shinzo snickered. "Yeah, but I do bet someone would get angry Mom if you decided to spend your time like that." His eyes flickered at Hayasaka for a moment. She gave a flashing glance of fury at him before reverting to her normal look.
But Mrs. Nagama shrugged it off. "Naaah. No one can tell me what to do with my life." Then the noise of a stomach grumbling was heard among them.
"Yes, but nature dictates us to do one important thing now," Mr. Nagama said.
"Dinner!" Momoka shouted innocent glee.
"You guys hungry or do you wanna stay for a bit longer?" Mrs. Nagaam asked.
"No thanks," Shinzo said, "I've got enough of the beach. You, Hayasaka?"
"Yeah. Same situation here," she said as she stretched for a bit.
"Well then, how about we grab some food?" Shinzo's dad suggested. Then he recalled something as his face lit up. "Oh, I know a place where we could go."
"Where?" Mrs. Nagama asked.
"Ah. You'll know where soon enough," he replied as he brought out the car keys with their jingling sound.
After they changed and took a good shower, they headed for the car. Shinzo swapped his shirt and shorts with another shirt and some pants. Meanwhile, Hayasaka swapped for a more free-flowing dress of light bearing wool.
Now that got his attention.
Soon enough, they were on the road once more, now lit by nightlights. They were on the highway and already Mrs. Nagama had a guess as to where they would be having their dinner.
"Honey," she said, "are we heading for the café along the highway?"
"Yes," he replied, but wagged a finger while he was on the wheel.
"But it's also a restaurant. They also serve us food."
"But it's officially a café."
"No, cafes serve only hot drinks and sometimes pastries. Since we're heading there for dinner, it is a restaurant."
"But it's a café, dear," Mrs. Nagama squinted her eyes just a bit.
Mr. Nagama gripped the wheel tighter. "Dear, it's a restaurant."
"But it's a café, it serves coffee for most of the time," her voice began to rise.
"A restaurant! It serves food!" he shouted.
Shinzo rolled his eyes as he leaned on the car window, not bothering to listen in on one of the most trivial arguments his parents had. But Hayasaka gave a worried expression and poked him.
"Shouldn't we break them up?" she suggested, already hearing them repeat the same point over and over again.
Shinzo brushed off the concern. "Don't get too attached. "They'll stop when we reach there."
Hayasaka still doubted. "Is this normal?"
"Very," Shinzo replied.
The maid seemed to calm down, especially with the bored look Momoka had while looking at the windshield, completely ignoring the two adults in the car fighting.
Still, Hayasaka was surprised to meet the kid in person. Casually, back in the mansion, Shinzo would mention her name now and again, usually when he was wrapping and fixing up some stuff he wanted to send back home.
"I can't believe this is the young sister of that guy," she looked over at Shinzo, who had not a care in the world as he had a laid-back attitude and tried to take a short snooze during the trip.
"Sister," suddenly asked Momoka as she turned her attention to the girl. This caught Hayasaka off-guard.
"Yeah, sweetie?" she asked in a polite tone. She wasn't that excellent with kids, but she wasn't that bad with them either.
"You are friends with Brother Shinzo, right?" she said.
She nodded and gave a small smile. "Of course, I am. Why, we work at the same place and see each other every day."
"Is he happy there?" the kid asked.
This was a surprise to Hayasaka, but she tried to answer. And someone else was listening while his eyes were closed.
"Wonder what she'll answer..." Shinzo thought.
"Well, I think he's doing well and fine in the Mansion," Hayasaka answered. Then she sighed, "He can be a headache sometimes but he's a whole lot of fun to be with."
"Brother Shinzo must be very happy if he's with Sister Hayasaka," she blurted out.
"Aight kid," Shinzo woke up from his trance and ruffled her hair. "That's enough questions for today. Anyways, we're here now."
The car left the road to a small parking lot. And near it was a small establishment with its lights open.
And the family was concerned already as there were many cars on the lot and there were a lot of people inside the place, just by the look from the open, wide window panes.
"Well, they're busy," Mr. Nagama said as he closed the driver door.
"No kidding, dad," Shinzo said, "this is a popular place and it's prime time to have dinner." Then he paused. "Come to think of it, this is the first time I've heard them serve dinner."
"Yeah it's recent actually, and they serve good food which is worth the wait," the dad said as they headed for the establishment.
The familiar jingle of the doorbell from the top of the door frame could be heard. And the waitress was quick to greet them.