Transition and Restart, book one: Arrivals

Chapter two, 2016, buddying emotions, part two

"Pretty good for a geek, ha." A bunch of students were entering the locker room, and the comment had come from the door opening.

What's with them? Ulf looked at Yukio in search for a clue.

"Because you're an idiot." Yukio handed over the plastic bottle with shampoo together with his verbal assessment. "Towel."

Ulf exchanged bottle for towel, and then they left their locker room. Two more classes, and it would be club hours. If they had had a club that was.

"My lack of brains. What about it?" he asked as they climbed the left wing stairs to the third floor.

"Those were 3:1," Yukio answered as if it explained everything.

"So?"

"They're in the right wing."

"And?"

"For being so damned old and smart you're really a moron sometimes." Yukio looked slightly disgusted. "Old geezer, you act on experience when you should be thinking."

Ulf blushed slightly. This wasn't the first time they had this discussion. One of the advantages with being older was that you had a vast pool of experience to use. The main disadvantage with being older was that you usually used that pool automatically.

"Right wing, so?"

"Their windows face the soccer field. You know, where we played during lunch break when 3:1 was filled with a full two classes worth of students?"

Oh, crap! Ulf could see where this was going.

"You know, when you displayed those amazing athletic skills of yours. Those that you share with every other average member of geek squad."

"I'm no good at football," Ulf countered.

"It's soccer over here, not football."

"Played with your feet, hence football. UEFA, FIFA, notice the lack of an 'S' there?"

"Football is another sports. It's..."

"Played with your hands. I know. Yanks aren't known for their brains to begin with. Had to be an idiot from the states to mistake handball for football."

Yukio gave him a cold stare, and then they both laughed.

"You're still an idiot, you know that?"

Ulf sighed. Just as he pulled open the door to their classroom he turned to his friend. "I guess I am at that."

Yukio shook his head, and they entered.

"Think 3:1 lost out on their monopoly?" Ulf asked over his shoulder as he went for his desk.

"No, not yet," Yukio answered from behind. "But you're pulling too much attention. Someone will start asking questions."

That was bad. "You don't think she...?"

"I don't know." Now it was Yukio's turn to blush. "Takeida-san was there."

That was correct. Ulf had seen the human sun shine from one of the classrooms, and wherever she was Kyoko wasn't far away.

His personal problem was that lately the two large gangs of admirers had merged into one, so if you found Christina you were likely to find Ryu as well. And that meant Noriko, and there was a risk she would remember him.

He was running out of time. If he was found out and rumours started to spread he could wave goodbye to his plans.

If I could only redo! But he couldn't go back, only forward. He wasn't redoing high school. This was a new experience, and as such it had to be handled with the respect it deserved.