Toradora! Vol. 8 Read online

  It wasn’t that Ryuuji was thinking, “If you look at my girl Kushieda like that then, why, I’ll—I’ll—I’ll kill ya!” He was just genuinely taken aback by DJ Minori.

  “Give it a rest, Kushieda… You’re embarrassing other people. I’m going to go ahead of you.”

  “Whyyy? I’ll go with you.”

  “No. It’s hard to keep up with you and Taiga.”

  He had dispelled the awkwardness of the other day. That was enough for now. Ryuuji started to hurriedly walk ahead.

  “Ohh! Minorin, Ryuuji’s running! Grab him!” Taiga wailed from the other side of the light.

  It wasn’t just Ryuuji who didn’t understand what Taiga was getting at. “Huh?! I need to grab him?!” Minori questioned back.

  “Yeah!” Taiga replied.

  Ryuuji’s eyes met with Minori’s when she turned around, and he reflexively whipped the other way. Minori was also acting on reflex as she reached out a hand to him before he could escape. His cold hand and hers hit each other. Minori’s fingers latched on to Ryuuji’s.

  “Ack!”

  She held his fingers for barely a fleeting second.

  Naturally, Ryuuji leapt up. He was so surprised, he couldn’t even yell. He felt like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning that worked itself from his fingertips all the way down to his tailbone. However, Minori was the one who let go first.

  Ahh! She might have even said. Or it might have been, Gyaa!

  Minori’s fingers went limp. She pulled her hand to her chest as though she had been burned and enveloped it in her other hand. Her face was red. It was as though Ryuuji had done something wrong to her or she was scared. Her mouth was set in a line. She leered at him.

  “Ahh, damn it, don’t underestimate me!” she barked. She reached out her hand again for a second try.

  “Deeeetaaaaaaiiiiiiinnnnn!” she yelled self-importantly, but all she grabbed was the cuff of his school jacket…and only the very edge of it to boot. He would have been able to shake her off just by lifting his arm, but Ryuuji simply let himself be detained. Actually, to be more accurate, he was just so shocked that he couldn’t move.

  At that point, the light turned green. Taiga looked right and left and right again one more time before she started running. She looked at Ryuuji as Minori held him by the sleeve, and then she looked at Minori. After that, she smiled.

  “You got caught, so you get to hold the bags!”

  “Whoa?!”

  She threw her bag at Ryuuji. The bag traced a parabola, and Ryuuji caught it without thinking about it. Taiga pointed at Ryuuji and danced slightly. “Hah!” Having lightened her load, she spread her arms out to the sides like an airplane.

  “He fell for it! He fell for it! I’m heading out first!”

  Her skirt billowed as she ran away.

  “You’re going first… Wait, Taiga, you’ve got to be kidding me! What?! What am I supposed to do with this?! You’re seriously making me carry it?!”

  The bag Taiga had left in his hand wasn’t really that heavy, but he was bitter. First she teased him for being a dog and a bug, and now she made him her bag carrier—even if she did it so he could walk to school with Minori, couldn’t she have accomplished that some other way?

  He watched her disappear into the distance in mute amazement.

  “This is your fault, Kushieda. Why did you have to catch me?” Ryuuji looked at Minori. Minori, in her own way, was dumbfounded where she stood.

  “That Taiga…Taiga…Taiga…” she repeated like a prayer. Suddenly, she shook herself like a wet dog, and her eyes went wide. She swung her arm around coolly, like a hero that was about to change into their costume. Then she brought her fist up to her chest. “No…this isn’t a big deal. Now! Give me a cord!”

  “A cord?” said Ryuuji.

  “I mean one of these!”

  She took one of the two handles of the bag that Ryuuji was holding. The bag hung between them, almost as though they were small kids holding a shopping bag.

  “All right. Seriously, Taiga’s just hopeless. I’ll finish her off when we get to school.”

  She grinned up at him from a close distance. Her cheek had the texture of a peach, and the smell of her hair… Ryuuji froze now, of all times.

  “Right!”

  “Uh…yeah!”

  They swiftly decided to finish off Taiga right then and there.

  As they walked, Minori said, “Oh, time out.” She pulled out gloves from her pocket and put them on her hands. Still not saying anything, she rubbed her hands together. “Okay!” She once again took up half the bag.

  Now that he was suddenly alone with her, he couldn’t escape anymore. It really wouldn’t have been appropriate for him to run now. He wouldn’t do that. As Ryuuji walked, he attempted to strike up a natural conversation. Like an idiot, he tried to calculate the right time to talk. “Ah, I, uh…”

  “Hm? You trying to get me in my pressure point?”

  “No. I…I just think your hair looks pretty neat.”

  He’d finally said it.

  “Oh, si. I wanted to make it shorter, but the beautician said that I’ve got a large crown, and I shouldn’t go short. She said my hair is stiff, so it’d probably stick out and make my head look super big. She kind of scared me out of it.”

  She kept facing forward. As she breathed out white, Minori’s voice lowered as though she were a little disappointed. “I wanted to get a pixie cut, though. I wanted it to actually be kind of like…like a man’s! I wanted it to have a force behind it. Like a boy cut! Like a bowl cut! …No that’s not right… Like an undercut! That’s wrong, too…”

  “Well, maybe it would have looked good short?”

  Minori raised her face and looked at Ryuuji. She smiled and said, “Yeah, you’re right.” She used one knit-gloved hand to lightly push up her hair several times. “When I was in elementary school, I pretty much had a buzz cut. I went with my little brother to this place called The Barber. They really only cut hair for men, but he’d just shear everything off with the clippers. My nickname used to be Mister Lady.”

  “Really…well that’s… Mister Lady… Wait, you’ve got a brother? He’s a high school baseball player, right?”

  “Yeah. He’s one year younger. Their school is pretty good, and they go to the Koshien Stadium championships pretty often. Of course, he’s not one of the main players, but next year he might pitch at the Koshien mound. I can’t believe that jerk’s a pitcher.”

  “Wow, I had no idea. That’s pretty amazing. You must be proud of him.”

  “Well, I’m super jealous of him. Ahhh, when we were in little league, I was way ahead of him. Now I’m just like a lamb chop that can’t even get a shear.”

  “I think you’ll be fine without that. Actually, you mean a lamb, not a lamb chop, right?”

  “Oh, Takasu-kun, you said such a shockingly lame thing that I’ve got static in my hair.”

  “It’s because you’re playing with your hair with gloves,” he said back as he side-eyed Minori. Her hair was standing on end. He saw her neck peek from under her scarf and thought, It really would have been fine short.

  That was when he noticed it. At some point, he’d become able to smile without making a conscious effort. He could walk next to Minori while holding the bag with her. He had gathered up the pieces of his shattered heart and squeezed them together, like making a rice ball. He wouldn’t run. He would hold his ground.

  He was sure he could keep going like this. It was almost as though nothing had happened. It was like he could start afresh.

  Right. The upcoming school trip was another chance. That was when he would slowly come to face her.

  If he did that during the trip, just as Taiga had told him, there was a chance he could get a different answer from Minori.

  Ryuuji believed it. The time was right to have courage and face forward.

  “Okay, let’s finish off Taiga! Where’d she go?!”

  “She’s not here. How about the bathroo
m? The lockers?”

  “We’ll find her even if we have to turn over every blade of grass! This is punishment! It’s Hamburger Hill!”

  No sooner had they gotten to the classroom than Minori had started to huff and puff as she began looking around for Taiga. Though he was a little exasperated, Ryuuji was with her after having agreed to it earlier.

  At that point, he locked eyes with Ami, who it seemed had arrived at school earlier. Ami was chit-chatting with Maya, Nanako, and the other girls who surrounded her. Seeing Minori arrive with Ryuuji, she turned toward them with slightly narrowed eyes. However, before he could understand her expression, Minori also noticed Ami.

  “Oh! Ahmin-senpai! It’s the first time I’ve seen you this year! Have you seen that girl Taiga?”

  “Oh my, good morning, Minori-chan. I haven’t seen Tiger but…well, how do I put this, it’s like, ugh.”

  Right, Takasu-kun, she kept going.

  He wondered what would happen if he walked right over there and just gave her a double slap. What’re you trying to say?! He wouldn’t do it, but he wanted to. What in the world was she suddenly trying to start?

  “Ugh?”

  He didn’t know what she was trying to say, but he knew the words aimed directly at Minori were meant to be prickly, and they had left Minori standing stock-still. He wasn’t sure he knew what was going on, so he ended up just standing stock-still, too.

  “Well, I wonder what it could mean. What could it be?”

  Like a ripple, something stirred delicately between Ami and Minori. At that time, Taiga, who had no idea what was going on, came into the classroom through the hallway.

  “Oh! Found Taiga!”

  That ripple was drowned in their normal, everyday life.

  ***

  They had their long homeroom that afternoon.

  Leaving the class to Kitamura, the bachelorette (age 30) was reading some thick magazine… If you looked really, really closely, it was a free housing information magazine you could get at the station. She was completely in her own world. The groups in the class were also in leisure mode and filling up on their lunches. There were even a few of them already dozing off.

  “Now, we’re going to start the long homeroom. Stop messing around and open your eyes, everyone.” Kitamura started talking from the teacher’s platform, but he also seemed relaxed somehow, and there wasn’t any power behind his words.

  “Today’s the day we’re going to decide on groups for the school trip you’ve all been waiting for.”

  We haven’t been waiting for it, someone heckled. Kitamura, who probably wasn’t waiting for the trip either anyway, didn’t say anything back.

  “We’re making eight-person groups with four girls and four boys each.”

  He started writing on the blackboard in squiggling script. The 4, 4, 8 he wrote was slanted and distorted.

  In the lax classroom, Ryuuji was the only one with a grim expression, his spine ramrod-straight. He felt like a swordsman, but he looked like a delinquent. He was trying to be enthusiastic, but he was worried about the atmosphere of the class.

  To Ryuuji, the school trip was an incredibly important affair. There wouldn’t be any other opportunities to revive his relationship with Minori after this. But the class seemed lifeless, like they hated the idea. A few of them even whispered here and there that they would rather have the class trip canceled. Naturally, no one seemed to want to go to a snowy mountain in the middle of the winter.

  “Okay, let’s start making the groups. During this time, we’ll make a list of names to present.”

  At Kitamura’s lackadaisical order, some of the students started to stand up and walk around as they exchanged dull conversation.

  “Ah well, this is so lame.”

  “Ugh, let’s pair up.”

  “Hey, Takasu. We’re teaming up, right? Also that idiot and—”

  Noto trotted (uncutely) over to Ryuuji’s seat. Then he pointed at Haruta, who was sleeping out of disappointment that the Okinawa trip had been canceled. His eyes had rolled up into his head to the point that they could see the whites.

  “Plus the master!” Noto pointed.

  “Add me in, too,” Kitamura was saying as he waved his hand gracefully like a politician in an election from the teacher’s platform.

  “Now we’ve got four—boy team complete!”

  As Ryuuji looked at the happy-looking otter’s face, he felt a little like he had been saved. They wouldn’t have the added flair of the sky, sea, and sightseeing anymore for the school trip, but if he were with his friends, he would be having more than enough fun. If he wanted to make the trip fruitful, then he would need to take the lead. He would need to show them he was having fun and make his friends excited, too.

  He cocked his chin up. He’d put them out of their misery…no, he meant he’d end their misery. Ryuuji’s eyes glinted as he opened them wide—he wasn’t mimicking the face of a raptor going after an otter, though.

  “Right! All we’ve got left is the girl team.”

  He wasn’t mimicking a pervert ogling the girl team, either. He wanted to be in the same group as Minori. That was all he desired. However, in a move completely unrelated to Ryuuji’s motives, Noto prodded at Ryuuji’s elbow and laughed uncutely. “Nah ha ha ha!”

  “Let’s pair up with Tiger’s group! We’ll put Kitamura and Tiger in the same group, right?!”

  “You’re still trying to do that…”

  “We’re going on such a plain ski trip. Don’t you want to add a little spice with some love?”

  Ryuuji sighed. His enthusiasm disappeared into the air with the carbon dioxide he exhaled. Even though he wanted everyone to be excited, he was already getting tired of Noto playing matchmaker half in jest to get Kitamura and Taiga together.

  Of course, he wanted Taiga and Kitamura in the same group. If that happened, Taiga would also be happy. But…how should he put this? He felt like it was so unnecessary having people who weren’t even involved trying to make a big deal about deliberately manufacturing ways to get them together. If Taiga needed any help, then she only needed it from Ryuuji. Someone like Noto would never understand Taiga’s complex, weird personality and behavior patterns, anyway.

  Ryuuji tried to say, “You rubbernecker!” or “Get your neck out of other people’s business!” but got distracted. A little ways away, two girls clung to each other. Their faces were smooshed together.

  “It’s such a boring trip, but if you’re there with me, I’m sure it’ll be fun!”

  “Yeah, I feel exactly the same, Minoriiiin!”

  Minori and Taiga were passionately talking to each other. They were completely joined at the hip. In other words, if he were in the same group as Taiga, then he would automatically be in the same group as Minori. He didn’t know how he hadn’t realized such a simple thing. If he just entrusted himself to Noto’s scheme, then everything would come right together.

  Regardless…

  “You rubbernecker! Get your neck out of other people’s business!”

  “What?! But don’t you think it’d be fun? It’d be super funny for sure if Tiger and Kitamura ended up dating. Kitamura’s probably on the verge of forgetting the patriarch at any second, and Tiger’s in love with Kitamura, so it’d be like she’s finally getting her chance!”

  “I’m saying you shouldn’t butt in!”

  “Takasu, you’re so… Well, it doesn’t matter. Actually, Tiger and Kushieda haven’t got any other girls with them, right? What are we going to do for the other two? I wonder if Ami-chan would join us? That’d be amazing.”

  You mean that girl who started off the morning spouting gibberish and then ignored me the rest of the day since she hates me because I’m an idiot? You mean that Ami-chan? Ryuuji casually looked around the classroom and found Ami, who was forming one part of the usual it-girl trifecta. For some reason, Maya was getting worked up, saying, “Yeah, why not, let’s invite them!”

  Ami faltered, “What? Seriously?” Nanako w
as looking at the two in amusement. Around the three of them, groups of boys were holding themselves in check and just speechlessly watching. All the boys were putting off an I-want-them-to-be-in-our-group aura.

  Nope, not gonna happen. Ryuuji shook his head at Noto.

  “No way,” he said. “Kawashima and Taiga actually hate each other’s guts, and even if they didn’t, she’s always in a group of three with Kihara and Kashii anyway. We’d be off by one.”

  “Oh, you’re right. But it would have been a great plan with Kitamura and Tiger and me and Ami-chan.”

  “Pull your head out of your butt and stop spouting the impossible.”

  “What? In my imagination, I can spread my wings and be free in the skies as I fly! Hey, Kushieda ’n’ Tiger! Would you join us?!”

  Getting carried away, he waved his hand as he headed over to them. Minori and Taiga glared at him in jest.

  “What do you wanna do, Taiga? Looks like some men are heading over to see if they can join our ranks.”

  “How about we slash him shoulder to hip, Minorin?”

  Translated loosely, that was probably a yes.

  Taiga casually looked over at Ryuuji, took a glance at Minori, and once again returned her gaze to him. It was as though she were saying, Look at you, getting into the same group as Minorin. Ryuuji returned the look—well, he didn’t exactly, but he did try to indicate, You got in the same group with Kitamura, too. He was about to try pointing casually at Kitamura on the teacher’s platform.

  “Hey, Maruo! Will you join our group?!”

  Oh no. His eyes peeled open.

  He had been careless, and Maya had found her opening to happily slip over to Kitamura on the teacher’s platform. Kitamura, being Kitamura, didn’t know they were joining Taiga’s group.

  “Yeah, sure,” he readily nodded. At this rate, they’d end up double-booked.

  “Huh?! Wait, wait, master, what do you think you’re doing!”

  Noto headed over to the teacher’s platform in a fluster, cutting between Kitamura and Maya with ragged karate chops.