Chapter LVIII: The Avoidance, Part 1
One day during their arrival at school, since Kota was the first one to arrive there, he opens up a book for advance study. Although many also have arrived, the ambiance is still silent until Gin arrives.
"Hey bro, how was your—", says Kota but gets stopped as Gin stops him with the hand gesture and glares at him. Intimidated, Kota looks away.
As he puts down his bag, he rushes out to the toilet. Kota then deeply thinks why he could do this despite their good times. He texts Akiko if she'll go to school today but she can't because of a urgent family business in Tokyo. He asks if how long she'll be gone, the latter replies that it will be a week. Asahi then arrives and as he is putting down his bag, Kota approaches him and says,
"Bro, can we go to the restrooms"
"Sure, I'mma just fix my chair", the latter replies as he fixes his chair and goes with him to the restrooms.
"You know, it's been weird you know" (Kota)
"Yeah? What's weird?"
"For the past few days, it's like Gin is distancing himself from me"
"Well, just have him some space, maybe he has something else to think about"
Kota nods at his suggestion. For the whole afternoon, Kota and Gin won't talk to each other. One of their teachers makes a groupwork in a which a group must consist of 6 members. Since the class has 24 students, there will be 4 groups. Since the teacher doesn't trust the tolerance of the students if each leaders pick their members, he makes each one count to 6 starting from the rightmost student until it reaches the last one. At the same number, Kota and Gin are in one group. Whenever Kota talks out his idea, Gin looks down and writes something. The leader of the group smells something fishy with them but doesn't mind it at all.
The next day, the Class 2-A students have a conference for a whole day in another school. Kota and the others hop on the bus to get there. As they arrived, they get down from the bus. As they are at the gate of the school,
"Gin, I'm really sorry about-"
*pushes him away* "Get away from me you bastard!"
Kota is shocked of that, the class representative is also behind him, shocked as well.
As the whole program begins, Kota sits beside Asahi while Gin is at the back of the audience. At their lunch period, the students need to find lunch at the different stalls that are lined up outside the school. Gin feels a slight headache at the moment so he tells Asahi that he'll not be going this afternoon.
Kota, Asahi, Enmei, and Hanako goes to the stalls to order some food. They go order some shokupans since most of the stalls have many people lining up. Though it's just bread, it can satisfy their hunger enough for the afternoon session.
"Hey, where's Gin?" (Hanako)
"He went home" (Asahi)
"Isn't he gonna attend this afternoon" (Enmei)
"I'm afraid not, he apparently has a raging fever and headache" (Asahi)
"Hey, you've been silent with him. Did anything happened?" (Hanako to Kota)
"Well, he just needs some space. But at the meantime, I don't know why he's glaring at me sometimes when I say something" (Kota)
He then looks at the time and it's apparently 12:50 which is just 10 minutes before the continuation of the program. Then hurriedly eat their lunch and rush to the school auditorium. They all go to the audience but still the others are still not there. As it begins, they all enjoy the program until 4. They then go back to their school and each of them goes home afterwards.
The following day, they go back to school. The tension keeps rising up as both of them recites as well as being groupmates. Gin sometimes calls Asahi to the restrooms to have a little talk. Kota suspects this although he's busy answering some assignments.
In the afternoon, as they are having their Taiku, Kota notices that Enmei and Hanako distances themselves from him. Although he is practically trying to persuade them by acting out that he's down, it isn't worth it enough for them just to notice him. At the bench, Enmei and Hanako are far from Kota. Tengen passes by and sees him down in the dumps.
"Hey bro, what's the long face?" (Tengen)
"Um, nothing" (Kota)
"C'mon, I know there's something bothering you. I'm here to listen" (Tengen)
"Well, it's just, I've been noticing some changes in the group. Though we were having our Taiku earlier, they don't notice me. It's like they're distancing themselves from me." (Kota)
"The Squad?" (Tengen)
"Yes. It's like I had done something bad to them. They don't approach me or anything. Gin was the one who started the whole distancing and I'm bamboozled to figure what is it about. The others also, except for Akiko, Natsuki, and Asahi. If there's something wrong that I did, hope they could forgive me if whatever shortcoming I have brought on them" (Kota)
*sighs* "Look bro, it's hard to think about it but I know you're doing the best to be with them again. But they maybe need some space. The functionality of true friends are being there for one another. Despite hardships, they should be there for one another, venting out problems, comforting one another, having all the good times, that's the essence of a one-of-a-kind, and unique friendship" (Tengen)
"You know, they keep on speaking about games, though I don't have time and sometimes knowledge about those, I'm up the creek without a paddle, man" (Kota)
"Bro, just be yourself. It's not them who defines you, it's you being yourself. They should know how to adapt to you instead of you adapting to them. Look at me and Toshiro's squad, we know how to value one another. I ask them what's their likes, we not force one another because it's the uniqueness of an individual. Cheer up, get up, it's just a step-back for you to climb much higher" (Tengen)
Tengen pats Kota on the back and the latter smiles.
"Thanks so much bro for listening and advising me on this predicament" (Kota)
"No worries, happy to help" (Tengen)
They then go home, but Kota feels something heavy on his chest.