Bite the hand that feeds one || Ayato Aishi/Male Rivals

Chapter 3

—-Ayato Aishi

  When I returned home, I was bombarded with questions from Ayano and my mother; where I was, what I was doing, who I was with.
  Naturally, I told them about the cooking club, an impulsive decision made based on a simple goal. Ayano was the first to leave me alone, my mother persisted later after dinner.

It was my turn to wash the table ware we had used when I heard her lean against the door frame.
"What are you planning?", She asked in a tone I've never heard but immediately recognized: her natural state. My lips parted, eyes trained onto the bowl with rice stuck on it. I was more or less surprised that she caught on just by a small decision I made.
"What do you mean?", I knew playing dumb was useless, especially with my mother who knew body language like the back of her hand. "Your sister meets her Senpai and you come home late without warning. If you were born... relatively normal I would have disregarded it.", Ouch. "But you were born an Aishi. Have you found your Senpai, Ayato?"

I turned around from the sink, my hands clutching the edge of the counter. Suddenly the word "Senpai" made my stomach churn and threaten to gurgle, despite hearing that same word for most of my life. I had no idea why she called crushes "Senpai", but something in my brain told me that I didn't want to know, so I didn't dig into that. Not today. Probably not ever. I hoped not ever.
"I have not. I prefer to use the term 'Crush'. It's.. more modern.", I turned back, drying my hands with a paper towel. "Perhaps you just want to help your sister?" My mother talked with a smirk, not even having to face her to hear it.
"If that's the truth.", I faced her once more, I began to feel sick again, as if I doubted myself. She stayed quiet, finding something to talk about. Finally, with an idea in her head, she spoke, "That cooking club you are in. It's about the time they have their annual Bake Sale." I nodded. "It's supposed to be big, the school wants to raise money... something like that."

My mother smiled, and just like her tone, I had never seen that smile, but recognized it. It was a smile of pure excitement, an Aishi excitement. "I have many ideas..."
And that night, going to bed at 12:00 in the morning, I would be going to school with half a note-pad's worth of ideas scrapped up from my mother's brain. This wasn't like how parents would help their children with math homework and also be struggling, this was almost like she had been through this many times; like she knew the works.

____

  Me and Ayano walked side by side, she held onto my arm and talked my ear off about the concert Destroy Boys would be having and how she wanted to invite Taeko. Every now and then I would nod and look at her.
  "How much even are they?", My eyes counting the cracks on the sidewalk as I asked, knowing I'd regret it. "15,400¥, somewhere around there" She responded. "How are you gonna pay for that? Your broker than a college student" She playfully rolled her eyes, "I'll get a job"
  "That cafe place is hiring", I suggested. "That's true! I heard the cuter ones get paid more.", She joked. "Maybe we can both get jobs there, the more the merrier"
  I shrugged. I looked from Ayano to Amao, who just appeared in my vision. My eyes softened as I took in the couple of scratches on his arms, patched up with bandaids and he looked a little less eccentric today.
  I tightened the grip on my bag as it contained the notebook filled with ideas me and my mother came up with. Ayano noticed my stare, "It looks like he was beaten.. Unless he had those days before.", Ayano knew something. In order to keep Amao focused on me, I had to rely on Ayano.

  "What do you know?", my voice was flat, but she smirked at the hidden determination. "I know that his cafe usually gets harassed by townie delinquents. Sometimes when he's coming home from school, they would beat him." My stomach churned, like it did when I talked to.. my mother last night.
At this point, we were switching our shoes out when Osano and Taeko greeted us, unintentionally interrupting our gossip. I didn't even have to look at Osano to know something was up with him too. Just hearing his breathing was enough. Ayano greeted Taeko and Osano almost immediately, becoming oblivious to Osano's subtle state of mind.

I finally turned around and analyzed Osano. He was much taller than me, a little taller than Amao. Maybe I was just short.

Taeko was doing great, she was smiling and giggling with Ayano but Osano would often look to his left or right, his eye would twitch and he wouldn't smile. I squinted at this again, noticing how I should probably stop that habit. Osano returned to his original demeanor and he greeted me. I opened my mouth to greet back when someone called his name, we both whirled around like deers in headlights.
A girl called his name, I recognized this girl but only by her last name. Fumetsu, she wasn't very important to me at the time so I didn't consider making note of her first name. "Ah! Raibaru, hello!", Osano was quick to put a plastic smile and greet her. Fumetsu Raibaru was an orange haired girl who used to be martial arts club leader before she retired.
She noticed me before Osano and held out her hand, "Hello! My name is Fumetsu Raibaru! Nice to meet you!", I took her hand, she had pretty light yellow nails with white blending into the bottoms "Aishi Ayato", and her eyes gleamed, "Oohh! I've met your sister Aishi-Chan!" Ayano faltered from her conversation with Taeko, both of them looking over. "Oh. Hello Fumetsu-Chan" Ayano greeted, her hand waving casually, Taeko smiled brightly at Fumetsu.
I was not used to being called by my last name, an unspoken rule people have created was to call me by my first name. I didn't mind it anyway.
I nodded in response. Out of the corner of my eye was Amao walking to his club room, his head tilted down, and Osano immediately noticed my distracted state.
  "Odayaka-kun?", he muttered under his breath. "Ah! Please excuse me, Fumetsu-Chan. I have club", I gave a slight head tilt and Raibaru gave me a giant smile, "Don't even worry about it, Aishi-Kun! Have fun!" I waved goodbye to Osano as well and followed Amao from a distance. Ayano was right, it did look like he was beaten. It also looked like he knew nothing about foundation.

  He had patches of a foundation that didn't match his skin tone, normally nobody would be able to notice but ever since Ayano pointed it out, I was able to catch it. I gripped my bag again, that's right.. I had the notepad too.
  Amao was quick to notice I was following him and stopped in front of the stairs. "Oh! Ayato! Hello!", Amao turned around and greeted me. I didn't flinch at the newly swelled eye, I didn't wince at the cracked lip. Although, when I opened my mouth I caught sight of my own sister in the other hallway. Walking down with a bucket of water in her hands. Amao seemed to take notice as well and furrowed his eyebrows at the sight.

  Amao was the first to speak, his head still turned. "Is that your sister?", I cleared my throat, "Yeah.." Amao just looked back at me and smiled. "Kind of an oddball, I like her already" He joked and nudged me. I looked up at him and I opened my bag, slipping out the notepad and giving it to him with both my hands. He furrowed his dirty blond eyebrows and slowly took the notepad, flipping through it. He did a slight double take, his lips pressed in a fine line as his eyes widened just a little bit.

  "Oh.. you did this for me..?" He asked, the edges of his mouth curled up. "For the club.." I corrected, "I noticed how stressed some of you guys were..." Amao's eyes softened as they met mine, he put the notepad in his bag, "That's so sweet of you! It must've taken so long to come up with those ideas.." He trailed off, I picked up right where he left off with a shake of my head. "No.. not really, I mean-... well yeah it did.. but.. y'know.. I had inside help.." I didn't meant to be as vague as I did, but it seemed like he didn't mind. He tilted his head, clutching the straps to his school bag.

  "Thank you again.." He spoke softer than his eyes, the look he gave me sweeter than chocolate. "I'll see you after lunch..?" He asked and I nodded. He'd see me...

  Status: edited