samurai ei imuroi

"Hmm~~, mmmmm~...ahh~...What on earth should I do...how can I convey my passionate feelings to Mahoro-chan!"

One young man is groaning loudly while holding his head in agony. This is Tomoshibi Arajin.

"Hey, Matakara! How do you confess to someone!?"

"Eh? Confessing? Hmmm...just be serious and tell them how you really feel, isn't that enough?"

The one who gives such an honest answer is Asamine Matakara. He has known Arajin since childhood, when they'd been best friends who aimed to become Honki People together.

"Just expressing my feelings seriously huh...Hmmm...I'm the type of guy who believes actions speak louder than words..."

Arajin is muttering something like that before he says,

"Matakara, show me how you'd do it."

"Ehh!? Me!? But confessing..."

"Just try it, try it! Okay!"

"Um...wait a minute...a confession huh..."

Matakara is flustered for a moment, but finally, as if he's made up his mind, he lets out a sigh, clears his throat, and says,

"P-Please, let me make miso soup for you every day!"

"Why are you the one making it!?"

"I see...it's more fun to make it together than by yourself! As expected of you, Ara-chan!"

"That's not the point! In fact, what you're saying is basically a proposal!"

Arajin holds his head in his hands, realizing that he has consulted the wrong person.

"Yo~"

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, Zabu and Komao."

The people who call out are Zabu Kakeru and Sakigake Komao, the usual lineup.

"Hello! What are you guys talking about?"

Komao doesn't care what the topic is and just gets into it.

"Ara-chan was wondering how to confess."

"If you're so keen to confess, then just tell the other person, right Zabu?"

When asked about it, Zabu grins.

"Yeah you should, if you really are that popular."

"But...I don't like Ara-chan being too popular."

Seeing Matakara's indecisive attitude makes Arajin confused.

"Hey what's all that about!?!? There's no such thing as being too popular!"

"No, it's not like that..."

"Matakara is Minato Kai's second best after all! Of course he's super popular."

Komao speaks without any ill intent, not knowing what the person in question is actually thinking.

"Stop it..."

"Grrr...I guess this guy's popular after all!"

Arajin grits his teeth as Zabu presses on.

"Weren't they waiting in line for you the other day?"

"Wh-What did you say!? Girls were waiting for him?"

"Grrrrr!"

Arajin growls with rage.

"It was just because that place was small! It's really not that great. They're girls, so I can't hurt them...but I can't just ignore someone who's coming at me with all their might..."

"Pyuu~" Zabu and Komao whistle as they turn away, ignoring Arajin.

"What is it? Tell me quickly! Tell me!!"

Zabu puts his hand on Arajin's shoulder in an attempt to calm him and continues with a serious look on his face.

"Listen here, Ichizu High has a time-honored tradition of matchmaking."

"Matchmaking!? Isn't matchmaking when a man and a woman who want to get married are introduced to each other at some arranged dinner??"

"In our case, the person who falls in love first comes forward and says 'Let's make a match!' and the other person accepts by saying 'Sure, I'd be happy to make a match!' and that's how it begins. If you fight seriously and defeat your crush, the two of you can have a special relationship."

"Huh!? Isn't that more like a wrestling match!? What does wrestling have to do with matchmaking?"

"That's just how it is, a match is a match, that's all there is to it!"

Komao says, showing off his skills as he grabs Zabu in a headlock.

"By the way, guys can ask out other guys."

"A lover of men I am not!"

Arajin watches with dead eyes as Zabu is taken down by Komao's suplex.

"Ara-chan, if you'd like, wanna practice together? I mean, I could try being your matchmaking partner? By the way, my specialty is hoisting people up, so it's a technique that won't hurt girls..."

Arajin interrupts Matakara who was making a misguided proposal and glares at him.

"No way! The confession I want to make doesn't involve hoisting, or headlocks, or finishing moves! Isn't there a more normal way to confess your love?"

"That is normal..."

"Zabu, how would you confess?"

"Wh-What do you mean...just the normal way. I'd ask the other person to go out with me, like normal."

Zabu stammers nervously after Matakara suddenly turns the conversation toward him.

"Is it okay to just do that without thinking too deeply about it? What do you think Ara-chan?"

"Hmmm...but you know 'going out' just doesn't feel right..."

"What do you mean?"

Arajin tilts his head, searching for the right words as Komao looks at him confused.

"Going out, 'dating' that is, it's more like a contract, right? 'I won't date other people so you shouldn't either'."

Perhaps caught off guard by the word "contract," Shinpo mutters, "Well, you could say that, but..." He seems a bit dissatisfied.

"Aren't you overthinking it? I'm just saying 'let's go out' because I'm too embarrassed to say 'I like you'."

As Zabu looks on in disbelief, Arajin continues.

"But you know, I still don't feel comfortable with just 'I like you' and 'Me too'. For example, even if you find your partner on a date with someone else, if they say they like that person too, you won't be able to say anything."

"That's true, dating implies that 'neither of us will like anyone else' but that's only one possible meaning."

Matakara, who had been listening to Arajin's story, nods in agreement.

"Right? You don't want to get married, but you still want to date, it's kind of half-hearted, even unfair...If you really love the other person, you should just propose and get married!"

"I see...that's right!"

"Eh? Don't just go along with whatever he says! It's way too much responsibility. You can't just get married!"

"Propro~pose, pro~po~se~~!"

Maho readily agrees, but Zabu retorts, and Komao does a little dance.

"In that case, the 'miso soup' thing Matakara mentioned before might actually be on the right track..."

"What I said earlier, 'Let me make you miso soup every day'?"

"Yeah. There's that vague feeling of wanting to spend the rest of your life together...I guess a man is only as good as his sense of responsibility. That's a true companion."

Arahito pushes his hair back to look cool.

"Ha, stop trying to look cool when you've never even dated."

Zabu looks at Arajin with an expression of amazement, wondering what he was talking about.

"Eh, perhaps..."

"Have you ever dated, Zabu?"

Startled by Arajin and Matakara's words, Zabu lowers his head. He then speaks in a small voice.

His answer:

"No...not yet, for now..."

As time passes quietly by, Maho suddenly blurts out something.

"I wonder what it would be like, to date someone..."

"Ah..."

"That's right..."

The three of them look off into the distance, thinking about the relationship they have yet to realize.

"It's nothing that special."

It is Komao who says this so nonchalantly.

"You have no idea, you've never even gone out with anyone."

"There is someone."

"Ehh!?" Three boys shout in unison.

"No way..." Zabu mutters while Arajin and Matakara are speechless. None of them can hide their surprise.

Komao!?!? Experienced!?!? And nobody's heard anything about it!?

"I mean, we're going out right now."

"Ehhhh!?"

"Seriously...."

Zabu is unable to hide his shock and can't even look Komao in the eye.

"What's it like? Going out..."

Matakara asks a straightforward question.

"Hmm? Usually we stay together overnight."

"Overnight!?"

"Yeah."

Looking defeated and timid as he raises his hand, Arajin asks,

"Um, well~...Excuse me for asking, but when you say staying the night, does that mean you'll be going to bed together...?"

"'Going to bed'?"

"Well...he means if you're going to sleep in the same room together."

Matakara kindly explains.

"You mean, in the same futon?"

Zabu asks, finally joining in.

"Of course. We always take baths together."

"Baths!?"

"Yeah. But he doesn't like the heat."

Beside the group, who are frozen in place, Komao laughs heartily.

"I see... that's it..."

Matakara manages to squeeze out a reply.

"Do your parents know about this?"

Arahito can only use polite language now.

"Hm? Of course! I mean, they heard his voice the other day too."

"My parents!"

"His voice!??"

"That guy has such a loud voice~, so I quickly covered his mouth but that just made him go crazy..."

"Stop it already! Stop it, Komao!!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Zabu screams out loud enough to drown out Komao's voice.

Zabu's mind is in turmoil, like a small boat in a storm. They had been talking about what it meant to be in a relationship...but this was too sudden.

Only one of them was going too fast! Where are you going, Komao? No, does that mean the Komao he knew wasn't really Komao after all!?!?

It's no good, Zabu doesn't know what's going on anymore...

"What's up with you Zabu~, don't just scream so suddenly~. Now my ears are ringing."

Komao pouts in dissatisfaction. Zabu looks down and clenches his fists.

"That's not the Komao I know... the Komao I know... isn't like that..." His clenched fists tremble.

"What do you mean? You're joking, aren't you? It's just a game."

"!!!"

"Just a game...that's all? You're seriously calling it that?"

Matakara looks at Komao with a stern expression that he rarely shows to his friends.

"I'm disappointed in you, Komao."

Zabu states, clenching his fists so hard he was close to drawing blood.

"Eh~? Aren't you guys being too serious?"

Immediately afterwards, Zabu grabs Komao by the collar.

"What, what are you talking about! I can't believe you were that kind of guy!"

"Huh!? You guys should just go along with it instead of whining about it."

"What do you think, Ara-chan? Listening to Komao's story."

Matakara's usually soft voice hardens and his expression turns serious as he asks Arajin.

"Me too..."

Arajin quietly bows his head.

"You're right, this kind of thing can't be tolerated, right? Not being serious about the person you love..."

Arajin clenches his fist.

"Me too..."

"That's definitely not okay, Ara-chan..."

"I want to lose my virginity!!!!!"

。。。

The roar blends into the wind that rustles the leaves.

No one speaks.

All that can be heard is the rustling of leaves and the cries of crows...

In the silence, one person speaks up.

"Oh, it's him!"

Komao looks up towards the sound of the crow.

"What? He's...?"

"That's who I'm going out with right now, Caw-chan the crow!"

"Caw! Caw!"

A crow with round eyes, large wings and a lustrous black body flutters down near Komao.

"...A...crow...?"

Komao and this crow? They're going out? They're staying the night together? They were heard by his parents? While Zabu and the others stand there confused, Komao speaks to the crow in a friendly manner.

"Let's take a bath together again today~"

"If Caw-chan is going to cry, I guess I should go home~,then~,see you tomorrow~!”

"Caw!"

"So... you're saying... you take baths with a crow?"

"Caw! Caw!"

As Arajin stands there in a daze, watching Komao leave, Matakara replies, gazing up at the crimson sky where Caw-chan has flown away.

"Well, they do say that crows like a quick bath..."