Casual Chat

The noisy discussion faded into background noise. Amid all those jumbled names and adjectives, only one figure came clearly to mind.

Chestnut hair, eyes as blue as a cloudless sky, and a smile that was warm with a hint of slyness. It wasn't about having a body that stood out; it was the vitality and beauty of her balanced figure as a whole. It was the genuine softness and warmth he'd felt when she'd thrown herself into his arms in his dorm room yesterday evening, and the trusting warmth of her fingertips when she'd held his hand.

—Honami Ichinose.

For him, there was no need to discuss the question. There was no second choice. The names and features of the other girls were like unfamiliar notes passing his ears, unable to stir a ripple in his heart. His "answer" had long since been etched in stone. It had nothing to do with these casual rankings during break, nor with the restless, hormonal comments of adolescence.

It was a more private, more profound certainty, one that carried a far more complicated history and deeper feelings.

Watching his classmates horse around, excited over nothing more than a topic of conversation, he let the corner of his mouth lift almost imperceptibly. There was a touch of understanding in his smile, along with a hint of detachment, as if he were somehow apart from them.

"Hey, Yun Lan! What do you think?" the tall boy suddenly called, noticing that Yun Lan had been quiet. He seemed to want to draw the transfer student, who looked a little like a loner, into the conversation.

Yun Lan looked up and met the boy's curious gaze. He offered a mild but insubstantial smile and shrugged, his tone casual. "Oh, that? I haven't really paid attention. You guys carry on. I'm going to rinse off."

He chose the safest excuse he could think of to avoid answering, then turned naturally and headed toward the showers, leaving the laughter that resumed behind him.

His answer belonged to him alone, and he would reveal it only at a particular moment, to a particular person. In this changing room filled with hormones and open discussion, he chose to keep it carefully tucked away in his heart, like a one-of-a-kind treasure.

After quietly slipping away from the noisy discussion about the girls' figures in the changing room, he followed Ryuji Kanzaki, who had already set off toward the pool entrance. Kanzaki's pace was as steady and measured as ever, as if he weren't heading for a pool full of noisy students, but another data-gathering site where he needed to make observations and take notes.

Yun Lan walked about two steps behind him at an unhurried pace, neither deliberately closing the distance nor lagging behind.

Kanzaki seemed to have eyes in the back of his head—or perhaps he'd simply deduced from the footsteps and subtle shifts in the light around him that someone was following. He didn't turn around. He merely asked in his even voice, the words carrying clearly through the chlorine-scented corridor:

"Why are you following me?" There was no irritation in his tone, only pure curiosity, as if he were asking about the motives behind a test subject's behavior.

At that, Yun Lan didn't break stride, though a half-smile appeared on his face. Instead of offering an ordinary excuse like "I'm going the same way" or "We just happen to be headed in the same direction," he answered with an almost willful, blunt, and childishly direct tone:

"Because I want to follow you." The reason was so simple it was almost unreasonable, yet impossible to refute.

Kanzaki's steps faltered almost imperceptibly. He turned his head slightly and glanced at Yun Lan out of the corner of his eye, his gaze behind his glasses full of scrutiny. Then he faced forward again and, in the same calm tone he might use to state an objective fact, voiced a startling conjecture:

"According to some non-mainstream, but nonetheless documented, case studies in adolescent psychology and behavioral science, as well as scattered reports on certain recent social phenomena..." He paused, as if arranging his thoughts into the most precise wording. "You wouldn't happen to be... sexually attracted to the same sex, or at least curious about exploring that possibility? I have heard recently that people with similar tendencies exist, and may show excessive interest in or seek out a particular person of the same sex."

His language was academic and composed, as if he were discussing a rare animal's behavior. He showed none of the surprise, contempt, or curiosity that an ordinary person might display when bringing up such a subject.

"Pfft—cough, cough!" Yun Lan nearly choked on his own saliva, his composed expression instantly crumbling. He took a couple of quick steps to reach Kanzaki's side and stared wide-eyed at his profile as he earnestly considered the question. His tone was emphatic, even carrying a rare hint of exasperation.

"No way! Absolutely not! Don't make things up, Kanzaki!" He waved his hands repeatedly for emphasis. "My sexual orientation is very, very normal! I have the usual... um, taste in girls and the usual reactions!" His last words came out a little awkwardly, but his denial was utterly firm. (What on earth is going on in this guy's head?! Following him means I'm into men?! That's one hell of an imagination!)

Ryuji Kanzaki seemed slightly intrigued by his vehement response. He glanced sideways at Yun Lan, apparently making a quick analysis of his microexpressions and behavior, then slowly nodded as if accepting this data point. "Your denial was strong and immediate, accompanied by slight defensive body language. My preliminary assessment is that your stated sexual orientation is likely genuine. However, the motive behind your excessive attention to a person of the same sex still requires an explanation."

Yun Lan rolled his eyes halfway and decided not to discuss this perilous topic any further. Fortunately, they had already reached the glass doors leading to the pool.

The moment they pushed the doors open, bright, almost blinding sunlight and an even stronger smell of chlorine washed over them. Several boys who had come out early were already standing by the broad pool, while the girls were also emerging in twos and threes from the women's changing room on the other side. Most wore matching dark blue school swimsuits, their wet hair hanging over their shoulders or tied back in ponytails. They gathered in the designated area by the pool, chatting and laughing with youthful energy and a hint of shyness.