Seated beside him, he felt Hiiragi tense. He leaned in just enough for it to look natural, arm brushing against her sleeve. Don't mind them.

"The rest of us wouldn't be able to catch up with Matoba even if he takes the entire semester off," the guy continued glibly, "but you're a different matter entirely."

Was that supposed to be a compliment? But no, it sounded too bitter. Shuuichi gritted his teeth; he didn't trust himself to reply.

The girl seated in front of them tilted her head back. "You definitely need all the extra practice you can get," Sasago said to the guy, her remarks as cutting as she is pretty. The combined effect meant she could get away with much; a boon she took full advantage of.

"W-What was that!?"

The coach looked in their direction. "Is there a problem?"

"...No, coach." The guy turned away, and Shuuichi heard Hiiragi sigh in relief.

-

"I'll clean up," Seiji offered. No one protested.

The sun hung low in the sky as they filed out of the gymnasium, the school grounds bathed in orange light this time of the day. Most of the other members trooped towards the gates, while some wandered off to spectate the basketball club's activities; Shuuichi could hear shouts and the squeaks of rubber on concrete.

"You were distracted during practice today," Hiiragi pointed out quietly, in her typical blunt fashion.

"...Sorry." He knew every single mistake she'd had to cover for him, and regretted them. "I don't know what got into me..."

Hiiragi looked at him, her gaze steady above the mask she always has on. Shuuichi found it hard to meet her eyes.

"Ah, I-I think I've forgotten something." He sounded desperate to his own ears. "In the- gym. You go on ahead."

"...Alright." Hiiragi nodded, evidently not fooled but too kind to call him out on it.

With a grateful smile that felt more like a grimace, Shuuichi turned and jogged back to the gymnasium.

As he approached the building, there was the unmistakable sound of footsteps landing on metal.

Shuuichi watched, hidden in the doorway, as Matoba Seiji leapt from one pair of pillars to the next, very notably against the coach's prohibition.

What is he doing? With one eye covered, he would be having trouble with his depth perception, regardless of his usual skill. Yet Shuuichi couldn't quite bring himself to move, to stop Seiji from practicing.

His mouth was set in a grim line, sweat sliding down his face. It was a different expression than the airy one he usually had on during club activities, when he practiced with a partner. The one that said he was completely in his element, and was that the best you could do?

Positioned on Seiji's right, Shuuichi realized that perhaps, if he stayed right where he was, he would be in his blind spot, as unthinkable as the idea of the Matoba Seiji having a blind spot was.

He observed quietly, intently - for the sake of his own improvement, Shuuichi told himself - noting each of Seiji's movements. The graceful leap over the gap, the hops of the dance... No energy wasted, every move calculated to bring the costume to life, even if it was only Seiji up on the pillars. Shuuichi could almost see the lion moving along with him, the regal, dignified black-and-red lion of the Matoba troupe.

It was mesmerising; Shuuichi could barely breathe, much less look away for a single heartbeat. Which was why he caught the exact moment Seiji missed a step by just a few centimetres.

Up on the delicate balance of the pillars, the most minuscule of errors could lead to a devastating downfall.

There were mattresses laid down so the club members could practice safely, of course. Still, Shuuichi moved before he even realized what he was doing, reaching out.

"Seiji!"

He thought he caught the frustration on Seiji's face blinking into one of surprise, right before the impact. When he opened his eyes again Seiji was already smiling up at him, the curve of his lips slid into place smoothly, a shield. "Why hello, Shuuichi-san. Did you forget something?"

"Why were you practicing? Can you even see properly with one eye covered?" Shuuichi demanded, ignoring the question.

"Even if my vision is causing me trouble, I can still remember where the pillars are." Seiji's smile widened, and he tapped the side of his head.

If both of his arms hadn't already been occupied with supporting Seiji's weight, Shuuichi would've shaken him by the shoulders.

"You- ugh. Unbelievable. What do I even do with you?"

"You could put me down, for starters."

Shuuichi held him for just a few moments longer, mostly to glare at him and to show that he wasn't obeying his order or anything. Then he set Seiji down with a gentleness he was sure would annoy the other.

"I think I'll call it a day," Seiji said.

"I'll help with the cleaning up." It wasn't an offer.

Seiji raised a brow, but remained silent.

When everything had been put away, they closed the gymnasium doors behind them. The sun had sunk lower in the sky, and there were barely anyone left on the grounds.

"...Don't overdo it," Shuuichi muttered.

"Oya?" Seiji grinned. "Is Shuuichi-san worried about me?"

"Seriously..." He'd get nowhere trying to reason with this guy. Shuuichi turned to leave. "Bye."

"See you tomorrow, Shuuichi-san."

It'd have been a grave insult, if Seiji were to ask Shuuichi to keep this incident a secret. Perhaps, Shuuichi thought as he trudged home, they had come to understand each other better before he even noticed it.

Oh.

Sakura was now looking at the same mask of terror again. With a jolt, he realized Natsume had moved in front of him, one arm raised as if to keep him back.

"There's something else here," Sakura said quietly. His voice felt foreign in his own throat. "Isn't there?"

"Ah!" Natsume nearly dropped his sandwich. "It's you!"

Head darting up at Natsume's exclamation, there was a split second of genuine confusion before the guy glared at him. "Hah? The hell you lookin' at?" He stabbed the wooden chopsticks irritably at Natsume. "This ain't some freak show."

The guard seemed to agree with this point. "Make it quick."

"Very well."

Hayato was pulled into a sitting position; he wriggled his fingers to get some feeling back into them.

"Please..." He looked up at his brother in desperation. Surely, surely..? Surely he would not let this happen to Hayato?

His brother had held his hand so tightly during the procession last year.

Now he didn't even meet his eye, tugging at the ropes methodically. Hayato lowered his head, angry at the weakness he had shown. He was trained to be dignified at all times.

Something sharp and cold was pressed into his hands. Hayato felt it being maneuvered until it was out of sight, hidden by his bound hands and the thick coils of rope.

Could it be..? His heart banged painfully in his chest.

"Alright," his brother called, pushing Hayato down again.

"No love lost between you two, huh?" the guard sneered, but by then his brother was already halfway down the steps.

-

The moon was a pale orb between the branches of the dead tree above him. Hayato stared up at it, set out on the cold stone slab like the main course on a banquet table.

"I would like a word with him." A familiar voice caught his attention.

"No."

"It won't be long; I'll stay within sight the whole time." His brother suddenly put on an expression Hayato had never seen before. "Please."

Submissive, imploring. Somehow, that scared Hayato more than anything. He found himself struggling to breathe.

"Fine." With an annoyed jerk of the head, permission was granted.

His brother set up a transparent barrier around the slab as he drew near. Hayato recognized it - it stopped sound from travelling out from within its perimeter.

"You'll doom the whole village," Hayato said. If - no, when - he escaped, the beast would surely bring its wrath down upon the villagers.

"That remains to be seen." His brother smiled sadly. "And I find myself unable to care."

Hayato wanted to say something more, but no sound made it past his lips.

"Run, and never look back. Don't come back to the village. Not for me, or anything else." A hand settled upon his head. "You've been brave, but now you will have to be braver. Promise me, Hayato."

Hayato was desperately trying to commit the warmth of his brother's hand to memory. "I promise."

"Good." The hand left. "Have you started work on the ropes?"

Hayato shook his head. "Didn't want anyone to be suspicious." Of you.

A sigh. "I knew it. You've always been so kind, Hayato. That may be your downfall one day."

"But not today."

"Not today," his brother agreed with a flicker of a smile.

Later, after the villagers had turned their backs on him and left him to his fate, Hayato positioned the knife and sawed at the ropes with single-minded determination.

He did not stop when birds erupted from the canopy somewhere nearby. Neither did he stop when faint reverberations traveled up the stone slab, signaling the arrival of some great beast.

He did not stop until the last coils of rope fell from him.

Suo Hayato was trained to be dignified at all times.