Several days had gone by since that little talk I had with March, and the time for our return to Kasamatsu had finally come. We made sure we were discreet—we didn't need any extra commotion following us as we went back home. So the only thing I did was bid Inari One farewell during the early morning before we drove to the airport.
A couple hours of flying later, and we landed back in Tokyo. But our travelling was far from done. The moment we landed, we immediately boarded the Shinkansen and began heading towards Kasamatsu. It was another 5 hours stacked on top of the flight we'd already done, and by the time we reached Kasamatsu it was already the late afternoons.
Understandably, no one was particularly happy about all the travelling.
"My…back…!" Kitahara grimaced, wincing as he pressed both hands into his back.
I grinned at him. "Getting old already?" I said, though I didn't look much better. I was sitting on a bench just outside the train station, my face pale as I slowly massaged my ears. I could barely hear anything with all the ringing in the back of my ears.
"Nn…" Oguri whimpered, practically smooshing her face into my shoulder as she squeezed her eyes shut. Apparently she'd gotten a headache after the flight, and the long trip on the shinkansen had not helped in the slightest.
March didn't even have the energy to say anything, her expression completely dull as she slouched on the bench. If it wasn't for the fact that I could hear her still breathing, I could've convinced myself that she was dead.
Belno chuckled wryly as she saw how we all looked. "It'll get better eventually." She promised.
I returned an unimpressed stare, particularly annoyed at the way Belno looked completely fine. And it was all thanks to the fact that Belno had been smart enough to save some of that medicine everyone had gotten during the flight to Okinawa, sparing her from feeling the anguish Oguri and I were suffering.
As expected of the Divine General. Such tactical acumen is difficult to contest.
Well, that aside,
"Looks like not much's changed." I said, smiling slightly as I took in the familiar sights. The same old buildings, the same sparse roads, the same empty skyline—even after another year, the rampant growth happening throughout Japan had yet to change the tranquil simplicity of Kasamatsu.
Kitahara shrugged. "This is Kasamatsu. Nothing ever changes here." He grinned. "It's our starter base, after all. Can't let things change too much."
I smirked. I suppose he wasn't wrong on that part. I mean, Kasamatsu barely changed throughout the years I spent growing here, and even after Team Kitahara began growing in popularity, the town remained the same as always.
But still, calling Kasamatsu our 'starting base'...
He probably started playing video games again.
I groaned as I slowly stood up, staggering slightly. "Alright, enough resting." I smiled, pulling my hands away from my ears. "Let's go to my parents' izakaya. Everyone's probably wondering where we are by this point."
And like magic, Oguri immediately sprang forward, her ill complexion vanishing immediately at the promise of food. "Let's go!" She said, grabbing my hand and immediately pulling me along. My eyes widened as I tried to get her to stop, but inevitably I found myself separated from the others as I was pulled away.
Watching out departing figures, March just let out a weak gurgle. Belno giggled as she helped March stand up.
Naturally, Oguri and I were the first to make it to my parents' izakaya. Just like the rest of Kasamatsu, the place looked exactly as I remembered. The same menu written on a chalkboard, placed just outside the door. The same warm orange light filtering through the sliding paper door.
Oguri's tail was wagging as she stared ahead, but in an incredible show of restraint, she didn't immediately rush in. She instead stared at the door like it was her most hated nemesis, her feet impatiently bouncing as her tail wagged with impatience.
I grinned. "Not going in?"
She shook her head. "Not yet." She said. "Everyone needs to be here."
I chuckled and gave her cheeks a little pinch. She blinked at me in confusion, but I just smiled.
Eventually, everyone else did catch up. Belno looked particularly shocked when she saw that Oguri hadn't rushed in, and I gave her a sympathetic nod. March still looked a little pale, but she at least looked well enough that I wasn't afraid that she'd collapse.
With everyone here, we finally went in. And–
"So much food…!" Was what I heard before a grey blur rushed past me, settled down at one of the tables, and began devouring the giant okonomiyaki that'd been strategically placed there. Just as she was about to take another spoonful, she turned to me with sparkling eyes. "Star! Come on!"
I stared at her for a moment, glanced back at the dozen other people watching us, and then back to her. "Come on. At least greet everyone." I weakly said, before I placed a playful grin on my face and waved at them all. "Yo."
My father snorted, before my mother gave him a slap on the back. He winced and quickly cleared his throat. "Welcome back, Star." He said, though still struggling to keep himself from smirking as he watched Oguri tear through her second plate of okonomiyaki.
My mother rolled her eyes before she smiled gently. "Welcome home."
Home.
"Yeah." I smiled back. "I'm home."
Our homecoming party lasted well into the night.
My family had come prepared. This time around, knowing that we'd be returning home, my parents had prepared a massive feast to satiate the Grey Monster. Dozens upon dozens of plates, each filled with so much food that it'd put a dietitian into cardiac arrest from the amount of calories that was present.
Of course, such a massive feast would require a similarly staggering amount of ingredients. But money had long stopped an issue after I started sending back a portion of my race earnings back to my parents. At this point, even if they no longer worked, they could coast for the rest of their lives without worrying about money.
That aside, this wasn't just a party for me, but for everyone. White Narubi, Belno's parents, the ex-bully trio and their trainer, and Trainer Shibasaki—it was essentially the same line-up as the party held last year. The only one missing was Musaka, and that was because he was on his own vacation this time around.
And since Shibasaki was here–
He stared at his mug of beer for quite some time, silently processing everything I'd told him about March's situation. His hands had gone white from how hard he was gripping the mug's handle, before he abruptly brought the mug up. He didn't stop drinking until the entire mug was emptied.
He didn't slam the glass as he placed it back down, but he might as well have. "...I see." He eventually said, followed by a tired sigh. "March…"
I closed my eyes. "It was my fault." I freely admitted, because it was true. I'd gotten so taken by Inari One that I'd completely forgotten about how March usually felt. I already knew about how she often felt jealous of everyone in Team Kitahara, and yet I didn't consider what she could've felt like after she saw that trial race.
Shibasaki shook his head. "No, it's…" He sighed. "I'm at fault too. I-, she'd called me many times about it. I know what she's been feeling." He grit his teeth. "I should've at least tried and visited."
"You were busy preparing for the exams." I said.
"It doesn't make it any better."
…
"Fine. It's both our faults." I said, and while Shibasaki looked like he was about to argue otherwise, he eventually nodded. "But enough regrets." My eyes narrowed. "Right now, what's important is making sure to right our wrongs. For how composed she can be, March is still a teenager."
"You say that as if you aren't one." He commented.
I didn't give him a response. "She needs help. Even if she doesn't think so." I said instead as I turned to him. "She's lost her reason to run. Or maybe she never had one in the first place." I shook my head. "Whatever the case, she needs something to fight for. A reason to step into the gates. Something beyond just 'wanting to win'."
Shibasaki slowly nodded. "That's how she's always been." He whispered, his expression dark. "She hasn't really explained her past to me, but I can infer a few things." There was anger in his voice as he spoke. "She's always had expectations shoved onto her. They've never let her be herself."
I hummed. I couldn't deny that I felt somewhat curious about March's past, but I forced that curiosity aside. "Maybe, but for a while, that wasn't the case."
Shibasaki paused. "What do you…?"
"You've been chasing after her ever since we brought her to Central." I turned to him and smiled. "And she's been doing the same. Even there, she has always been your trainee. You became a reason for her. It was your dreams that allowed her to keep fighting."
I bumped a fist into his chest. "Remind her." I told him, my expression serious. "Show her that she's not alone. That you're still there, chasing after her."
Shibasaki stared at me for a moment, before determination shone in his eyes. "I will. Thank you, Blossom-san." He gave me a quick bow before he stood up from his seat and made his way to where March was. March's eyes lit up when she noticed him approaching, and a gentle smile came onto his lips.
I turned away. I didn't need to spy on something so intimate. Instead, I turned my focus back onto the plate of yakisoba I'd left untouched for the past several minutes.
…Hmm.
Umai.