Cross-training for the Cross-brained Bird (A Hatoful Boyfriend fanfiction)

The Cross-country Cylinder

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"... You're.. Bored, you say...?" Hiyoko managed to ask, quite slowly as she was still trying to let her brain digest the answer.

"Coo coo! (Yes, indeed! Okosan is very bored, indeed he is, yes indeed, yes!)" Okosan cooed loudly, and in the blink of an eye he appeared to have regained all of his steroidic excess energy; he rushed to his feet and stood pridefully on the plastic chair with his beak held high, his white wings extending above Hiyoko's head majestically as he cooed: "Cooooo! (Okosan's body is overflowing with passion! He needs something to channel this... infuriating power out of his body! But, as horrible as it might sound," he coontinued drastically, "the after-school sports activities, including any free running exercises for the track team, have been cancelled!!"

The horrified and agonized expression that Okosan gave her was downright patronizing. Hiyoko probably would've thought that any pigeon getting depressed over something as trivial as the "sports activities being cancelled" would be something of a severely overreacting drama queen... But then again, she was also fully aware of the fact that Okosan was not your average pigeon, not even close to one. And Hiyoko was therefore fully able to comprehend that for someone like Okosan, any form of physical activity was vital, and he would naturally get really upset if they were to be taken from him. Speaking of which, he might even suffer some serious mental damage...

Having thought of that, now Hiyoko really wanted to help her friend. But how?

Okosan's agitated cooing disrupted her thoughts: "Coo coo!! (Poor Okosan only wants something to stimulate him! That's all...!)" He gazed down at Hiyoko, and the young hunter-gatherer felt a pang of sympathy upon seeing his face, which was now painted in sorrow.

Hiyoko felt her comradeship-senses tingling, and her eyes automatically found their way to the billboard that hung on the wall on the other side of the corridor. She frantically scoured each and every one of the wallpapers for anything bearing any sort of resemblance to "something stimulating". And what do you know; merely a few seconds later, her gaze fixed on an interesting poster that read:

"The Cross-country Cylinder -

An all-new race that will be inaugurated the 1st of May by the Captain of the LTAA (Leisure Time Activity Association), Hagetaka Baza himself!

This breathtaking course has taken 'racing' to a whole new level as the track's path forces you on an exclusively harsh, flashy, rigorous, chaotic and brain-erupting high-speed journey all over Japan, and through newly-discovered and dangerous special passages of which only the Captain and his closest men know of, that can break even the toughest of birds.

Not too much about this race is to be disclosed in this humble advertisement, but we can ensure you that if you are a competitive competitor of the higher class who seeks a real challenge, then the Cross-country Cylinder is as more than a blessing from the heavens!"

It wasn't even necessary to read the remaining paragraphs, for Hiyoko had gotten just as much information as she needed; the ingenious idea that just struck her triggered a wide smile on her lips, and it was with enthusiasm and triumph that she twirled around in her chair so that she was right underneath Okosan's beak. "That's right, I've got it! You'll enter the Cross-country Cylinder course!!" she exclaimed right in his face.

And Okosan, who was momentarily taken aback by her sudden movement, tilted his head and met her glowing gaze, uncomprehending. "Coo coo? ('the What-country What what?)" he mimicked.

"Yes of course, Okosan! Don't you see what a great idea that is?!" Hiyoko breathed impatiently, and she realized that she was getting a little too excited about this thing and tried to tranquilize her nerves before continuing, inhaling deeply. "Um... the Cross-country Cylinder is the name of a race, apparently," she explained, casting a swift glance at the paper ad. "So wouldn't that be the greatest of great opportunities for you? I mean, since you're going nuts from your lack of physical activity--"

"COO COOO!!!" Okosan's shriek cut her off in the middle of the sentence, and it was so blatantly clamoroused and inarticulate that Hiyoko wasn't even able to catch its translated significance. "COO!! (YES!! An excellent idea, Hiyoko!!)" he exclaimed, and he looked entirely prepared to spread his wings and take off from the ground. "Coo coo! (No, a brilliant idea!! A full-fledged race is exactly was Okosan needs in his current state!)"

"Right??" Hiyoko nodded in agreement. "And on top of that, according to that ad over there, it's held only thrice a year. You just can't let this chance slide, Okosan."

Telling him that turned out to have been a total waste of words, as the crazy fantail already appeared to be gushing with excitement and rock-hard resolution, and he seemed to positively and unyieldingly have set his mind on entering this race. And the overjoyed beam of satisfaction of which he gave her was in turn more than enough to curl Hiyoko's lips into a wide and equally happy smile, for the young girl was sure that she would have to tarry for many, many days before she would even catch the faintest glimpse of that sad face from a few minutes ago. And quite honestly, that inflicted her more happiness than Okosan's participation in this race would probably ever do.