[UshiTen: Just another rainy day in Paris]

Part 5

***

The next time they met, it was a set-up. Wakatoshi thought of it as a trap.

It was Semi again, but, in all fairness, Semi-kun was the only one who had his new phone number.

== Come on, Cap! It will be just us! It's been 5 years, Ushijima-san! You can't be sulking for 5 whole years! ==

== I'll kindly decline your invitation. I am not into parties. But you guys have fun. Bye. ==

== No, no, don't leave me hanging like this! Come on! Even the lame Goshiki is coming! Can you imagine??? Oh, and by the way – what's a team without its Captain, ehh? ==

== Not interested. You are not my team any more. ==

== Please! Please, Wakatoshi-san. We miss you. Most of us have only seen you on TV since we finished high school. Please. ==

Wakatoshi hesitated. Those words triggered a painful memory, and his heart skipped a beat. There used to be someone in his past who had told him just that.

I am always watching your matches on TV! I watch all your games...

It took a full hour, but he finally typed, very slowly:

== Is he going to be there too? ==

Semi bit his lips. He didn't have to ask. But knowing what he knew... he had to lie.

== Nope! I don't think he's coming! I don't think he's been home... in quite a while. ==

It was two days later when his last text received an answer; he had already lost hope that he ever would.

== I'll come. But I'll only stay for 30 minutes. No more. ==

== Perfection! Booze and food's on me! ==

A new address was typed in, and a new spasm froze Wakatoshi's extremely regular heartbeat. A new regret bloomed in his mind; he vaguely thought that he was making a mistake.

He didn't know the address, he had rarely been to that part of town, but he had no hard time finding it, a week later. The ex Shiratorizawa boys had reserved a pub, for the whole evening, and even though Ushijima felt a little strange to put on any clothes that were different from his track quit, he had chosen quite plain clothes for tonight. This reunion was a nuisance for him, and he was in a way only going it for Eita-kun. He owed him, in a painful way.

When he approached the entrance, he sniffed the air: someone was smoking nearby and he scrunched his nose, frowning. Cigarettes and alcohol in general were a no-no for the profis, but he harbored a deeply-rooted disgust for both anyway.

He had to duck his head a little, so that he could enter, but the moment he set foot inside, truly hoping that he was late enough, he was met with loud booing and cheering at the half-drunken information that:

- Captain, you just missed the Coach! He just left! I swear... How can you be so late??? What time is it??? The meet-up was set for 6 p.m.! The great Ushijima-san is NEVER late!!! Ha ha!!!

Wakatoshi's frown deepened.

- I won't be staying. – his voice boomed, and there was a sudden cut to all the cheerful voices, only the background music played on. – For long. – he added, seeing that the spirits got crushed quite quickly.

Semi waved at him and prompted to an empty seat by his side, and Wakatoshi indeed settled there, ordering a plain meal, and some mineral water, but also noticing that there was one vacant seat, besides his own. His eyes now quickly roamed around the table, accounting for every single person who was here, and also for the ones who were absent.