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Chapter 352: Subtle Changes (Double-Length)
🕑 Added 2025-04-05 15:21:11 +0000 UTCDays of continuous matches had left Aoba Johsai's players physically and mentally drained. To help them relieve stress and recover their strength, Coach Irihata introduced the team's second perk of their Tokyo trip—a full day off for sightseeing.
Come to think of it, despite participating in the Nationals twice last year, Aoba Johsai had never actually gotten a chance to explore the vibrant metropolis.
"Tokyo Skytree!"
"Sensō-ji Temple!"
"Shibuya!"
As his teammates excitedly shouted out potential destinations, Fukurodani's female manager, Shirafuku Yukie, approached Chiba Kaho with a special recommendation.
"The Woof Meow Show."
A name that sounded utterly ridiculous. In simple terms, it was an exhibition centred around pets like cats and dogs. Of course, even those who weren't fond of furry creatures could find other exotic animals on display.
"The atmosphere there is really nice!" Yukie said with a knowing wink.
"Ooh, then I wanna go too!" Bokuto Kōtarō suddenly appeared behind them, his enthusiasm as unrestrained as ever.
Without missing a beat, Shirafuku Yukie swiftly stuffed a pineapple bun—who knew where she got it from—into Bokuto's mouth. Her smiling eyes carried an unmistakable hint of menace.
"Bokuto-senpai, you promised to go shopping with me tomorrow, didn't you?"
"Mm—mm!" Bokuto, unable to speak, could only nod frantically under her intimidating gaze.
"Terrifying. I'd better stay out of this," Akaashi Keiji muttered, lowering his head and quietly retreating.
As the lively discussion continued, Chiba Kaho calmly extended an invitation to Kaedehara Taichi.
Feigning calmness, that is.
Under the sharp gazes of his teammates—who looked ready to tear him apart—Taichi seriously considered it for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.
"Maybe we should just keep training tomorrow," Yahaba Shigeru whispered to Coach Irihata, the pencil in his hand groaning in protest.
-----
May 4th.
A bright, cloudless day.
Despite staying at the same hotel, Taichi couldn't understand why Kaho insisted on meeting at the station.
"Isn't this completely unnecessary?" he thought with exasperation. Still, out of courtesy, he arrived early and waited in front of the station.
As the clock neared nine, he debated pulling out his phone to send a reminder when a voice spoke up from behind.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
A cool breeze accompanied her words as Chiba Kaho approached.
She wore a light sky-blue, collared short-sleeve jacket over a neatly flowing dress, tied with a ribbon just below the chest. The skirt, cut just above her knees, bounced lightly with her steps. As she walked, her simple sandals made a crisp yet quiet tapping sound against the pavement.
"…."
For a brief moment, Kaedehara Taichi was stunned.
"Not long at all," he finally muttered.
"Is that so? That's good to hear." Seemingly pleased by his reaction, Kaho adjusted the woven bag on her arm and smiled. "The train's arriving soon. Let's go."
The train was filled with a mix of people, and Taichi and Kaho swayed slightly as they held onto the hand straps in the semi-crowded carriage.
"Whenever he's not playing volleyball, Taichi looks so quiet," Kaho thought, her eyes lingering on his hand.
The last time they had gone out, they'd ended up in an absurd situation—being chased by a sketchy talent scout claiming to be from an entertainment agency. In the chaos, Taichi had grabbed her hand and dashed away without a second thought.
She knew better than to read into it. Taichi likely hadn't given it a second thought either.
Since then, their relationship did seem to have changed slightly. But Chiba Kaho understood one thing—they were probably thinking about entirely different things.
"Kaho, we're here."
The train came to a smooth stop at their destination.
The moment she had been quietly anticipating…never happened.
Despite its name, the Woof Meow Show first welcomed visitors with an exhibit of pet birds.
Brilliant yellows, deep reds, and vibrant greens—parrots of all shades fluttered through the air, their iridescent feathers catching the light. The entire space shimmered with colour, like a living, breathing kaleidoscope.
"So pretty…" Chiba Kaho murmured in awe.
Kaedehara Taichi frowned slightly.
Bright colours usually meant poison, didn't they? Like toxic mushrooms…(Not that anyone was thinking about eating parrots!)
Before he could voice his thoughts, something Yahaba had once said suddenly popped into his mind.
"If a girl says, 'That's so cute' or 'That's so pretty,' your answer should be, 'Yeah, but my girlfriend is even cuter and prettier!'"
Taichi gave his head a quick shake, trying to clear away the ridiculous notion.
Just then, amidst the dazzling sea of colours, his gaze was inexplicably drawn to something even more striking—the strands of Chiba Kaho's black hair, cascading smoothly over her shoulders.
Against the vivid, chaotic backdrop, its deep shade seemed all the more mysterious and pure.
"…Really pretty."
The words left his mouth before he even realised it.
Chiba Kaho blinked, looking slightly surprised.
She had expected Taichi to be indifferent to the animals.
After wandering through the exhibit for a while, their initial fascination with the parrots began to fade. Kaho glanced around to confirm the exhibition hall number before checking the pamphlet in her hands—her frown growing deeper by the second.
"…So, you're actually bad with directions?"
Taichi recalled their last outing, when Kaho had tagged along to buy a game disc. Back then, he had assumed she was simply unfamiliar with game stores, but…looking at the situation now, there might have been another reason.
Well, it happened. Some people just had a poor sense of direction, even with a map in hand. Especially in places where all the areas looked similar, maps weren't always that useful.
"Let me see it."
Due to his height advantage, Taichi easily took the booklet from Kaho's hands.
"Ah, no!" Kaho jumped slightly and quickly snatched the booklet back.
"Ah, sorry. Is there something I'm not allowed to see?"
"…Uh, well, there are all sorts of things in it." Kaho did her best to avoid Taichi's gaze, trying to act as if nothing had happened while hurriedly putting the booklet away.
"Ohh, okay then," Taichi responded casually.
But…it was probably about cats.
In the brief moment he had held the booklet, he had caught a glimpse of the section about cats circled in red. Unfortunately, there seemed to be other markings as well, but he hadn't gotten a good look at them.
"Then let's go to the cat area!" Taichi declared confidently.
"Mm…that's fine too…" Kaho replied softly, her face slightly flushed, unsure how much Taichi had actually seen from the booklet.
Leaving behind the extravagant tropical-themed exhibit, the next area left Kaedehara Taichi utterly speechless.
Separated by grand metal railings, the enclosure housed creatures with sharp beaks, razor-sharp talons, and powerful wings exuding an air of majesty.
Hawks and Falcons!
This is amazing…! To think I'd see such incredible birds of prey here—should I say this is Tokyo's true power?!
Taichi couldn't help but stop in his tracks, standing by the railing in awe. He never expected to find such an impressive exhibit here.
"Look, look, Yukie! Hawks and falcons! They're so cool—!"
"Idiot, don't shout so loud!"
"Hm?" Kaho turned back. "Taichi, did you hear a weird sound just now?"
"Nope." Taichi snapped out of his daze and reluctantly looked away. As much as he wanted to admire them longer, today was about Kaho's interests.
"I think I just heard Bokuto-senpai's voice," Kaho muttered, still glancing around.
"No way, isn't he shopping with Shirafuku-senpai in Shinjuku?"
"Hmm…" Kaho pondered for a moment before sighing, "Alright, let's move on to the next area."
Despite saying that, she remained standing in place.
"You're lost, aren't you?" Taichi teased as he took the lead.
Passing through the bird exhibit, they entered the small animal section featuring hamsters, rabbits, and ferrets. For an event supposedly focused on cats and dogs, it was strange that they still hadn't seen a single one.
Most of the small animal enclosures had signs that read "Petting Allowed". Kaho seemed interested, slowing her pace and occasionally stopping, but she never reached out to touch any of them.
"They won't bite you, you know," Taichi said nonchalantly.
If anything, to the animals, humans—who were much bigger—probably seemed more terrifying.
"Really?"
Noticing Kaho's hesitation, Taichi grabbed her hand and guided it toward a hamster's head.
"Ah—!" Kaho let out a startled yelp.
"See? Not scary at all!" Taichi held her hand in place on the hamster's head.
A few nearby men were already shooting irritated glares their way. Meanwhile, Shirafuku Yukie stood at a distance, snapping photos furiously with a beaming expression as if she had just discovered a gourmet feast.
"Yukie, you won't capture the hamster properly like that. Let's move a bit closer," suggested Bokuto.
"Bokuto-senpai, if you take another step forward, the amount of event funds you still owe me will double." Yukie replied, her tone carrying an unmistakable threat.
"—!"
Bokuto froze on the spot. "Understood…"
Meanwhile, Kaho hardly noticed the hamster's soft fur. Her gaze had unconsciously drifted to their intertwined hands.
Taichi's palm was large and warm, enveloping her hand completely, making her feel strangely flustered.
"How is it?" Taichi asked when she didn't respond, lightly moving their joined hands to stroke the hamster again.
"U-Um…" Kaho stammered, her body slightly stiff.
"Haha, guess it wasn't what you expected," Taichi laughed as he released her hand, surprised by how hesitant she was around these small animals.
When he looked up, he noticed the pet shop owner glaring at him.
"What's with that? The sign literally says we can touch them. Che. So stingy," Taichi thought to himself.
-----
At last, only the cat and dog areas remained.
The moment they stepped into the dog zone, Kaho suddenly slowed her pace and quietly shifted behind Taichi.
Uh…what's this?
"Don't tell me you're not good with dogs?" Taichi asked, puzzled. Just how much do you love cats that you're forcing yourself to go through this?
"Ugh, I just…I'm really not great with them…" Kaho's gaze darted around uneasily.
"Even with small dogs?"
Taichi glanced around. The event organisers seemed to have considered people who were afraid of dogs, so only small breeds were present in this section.
"Even small dogs…" Kaho mumbled. "Taichi, do you like dogs?"
"Hmm, they're okay. I don't particularly love them," Taichi replied. He didn't mind playing with friends' dogs, but the thought of owning one himself felt like too much work.
"Then…can we walk a little faster?" Kaho gently pushed against Taichi's back.
"Alright, alright, I got it."
The two hurried through the "Woof Woof Zone." Because dogs were so popular, this area was bustling with visitors.
Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, and Corgis were all present, as well as Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Beagles, and Bulldog puppies.
Ever since stepping into the "Woof Woof Zone," Kaho hadn't spoken a word. She was so silent that Taichi wondered if she had even stopped breathing.
"…Do you need me to hold your hand?" Taichi offered, extending his hand backwards.
"…Mm."
A soft voice responded, and then a delicate hand slipped into his.
For the first time, Taichi became aware of their actions. He gently held Kaho's hand, and an inexplicable sensation surged through him.
Kaho's hand was small and cool, her skin soft like a delicate cloud.
Weird…Why didn't I notice this feeling before?
Neither of them spoke as they walked through the dog exhibit. Taichi could feel Kaho's fingers trembling slightly, and the faint tremors sent ripples through his heart.
Not good…
Taichi felt his heartbeat quicken involuntarily—each beat carrying a mix of nervousness and exhilaration. He thought he could catch a whiff of Kaho's faint scent, and at the same time, his palm grew increasingly warm.
"We're here!"
At last, they reached the "Meow Meow Zone." Taichi let out a breath of relief.
Kaho stepped up beside him. Taichi's gaze unconsciously fell on her face—her flushed cheeks, her shimmering eyes. A strange feeling welled up in his chest.
"Ah, um, let's go see the cats." Taichi hastily changed the subject, suddenly realising their hands were still tightly clasped together.
"…Ah, sorry."
Flustered, Taichi quickly let go. Yet, the moment he did, he felt an inexplicable sense of loss.
Kaho opened her mouth as if to say something but merely stole a glance at him before shifting her gaze aside. Then, without another word, she walked toward the cat exhibit alone.
"Wow, so cute!"
The moment she entered the "Meow Meow Zone," Kaho was back to normal. A gentle smile graced her lips as she knelt down, gingerly petting the kittens, occasionally swaying with excitement.
It was obvious—she was genuinely happy.
"She really loves cats, huh?" Taichi muttered to himself as he sat on a nearby bench, finally feeling at ease.
-----
"Thank you! I had so much fun today!" Kaho said cheerfully.
"That's good." Taichi hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Next time…wanna hang out again?"
"Mm!"
Kaho didn't turn back, but her voice carried undeniable joy.
-----
[T/N]: Shirofuku Yukie was supposed to be in the same year as Bokuto. IDK why the author changed it...
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Igor Ryan
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