Renji Yanagi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
youweresaying) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
synergetic2024-02-20 07:51 pm
youweresaying) wrote in synergetic2024-02-20 07:51 pm
Entry tags:
Inquiring Minds
"What are you working on?" Genichirou asked, with perfectly innocent curiosity. No hint of suspicion or disingenuousness blighted his tone.
If Yanagi was capable of it, he might have felt guilty.
"Calligraphy."
Instead, he lied.
"By practicing Yukimura's name?"
Yanagi made a note in the margin of the page, Genichirou can read upside down. More data. Wasn't sure how this variable would affect anything, but there would be time enough for that when he was done with Seiichi.
"Important data needs to be gathered, and I have to be prepared before questioning Seiichi," he answered, which was all true.
Now Genichirou looked a little suspicious, even defensive of Seiichi, and while it was ridiculous to be so fond of the deep lines in his forehead and the tension at the hinge of his jaw, well. He'd also been told it was ridiculous to play tennis by the numbers, and he'd proven that entirely wrong.
"What data do you not have on him by this point?" Genichirou asked, the plainness of his honesty only making Yanagi feel better about his endeavors, and not worse, which probably wasn't the Emperor's goal in the slightest.
"Data he's never had an opportunity to display," Yanagi said, "and I have therefore never been able to analyze."
"On an ordinary school day?"
"Better that it's ordinary; less variables to account for."
"You must be making something out of nothing," Genichirou pronounced, unscrewing the cap to his water bottle and lifting it, and Yanagi, in that moment, felt a brief moment of kinship with Niou and a less brief regret that he'd not asked Fujimiya to meet with him about activity coordination 13.43 minutes earlier than he had. She would have enjoyed this as much as Yanagi planned to.
He waited for the bottle to reach an angle that indicated Genichirou was in the process of drinking, but not so much that he'd be in danger of much more than embarrassment when Yanagi asked him, "You think it's nothing that Seiichi was holding hands with Von Aegir in art class today?"
Sanada swallowed. "I can't believe Kudou-sensei would allow that kind of brazen disregard for the comfort of others," he said calmly.
He took another drink, coughed, and promptly spat it out, while Yanagi hoped against hope that Fujimiya ran instead of walking off the courts, and didn't need to speak to Nami today.
"WHAT did you say?"
If Yanagi was capable of it, he might have felt guilty.
"Calligraphy."
Instead, he lied.
"By practicing Yukimura's name?"
Yanagi made a note in the margin of the page, Genichirou can read upside down. More data. Wasn't sure how this variable would affect anything, but there would be time enough for that when he was done with Seiichi.
"Important data needs to be gathered, and I have to be prepared before questioning Seiichi," he answered, which was all true.
Now Genichirou looked a little suspicious, even defensive of Seiichi, and while it was ridiculous to be so fond of the deep lines in his forehead and the tension at the hinge of his jaw, well. He'd also been told it was ridiculous to play tennis by the numbers, and he'd proven that entirely wrong.
"What data do you not have on him by this point?" Genichirou asked, the plainness of his honesty only making Yanagi feel better about his endeavors, and not worse, which probably wasn't the Emperor's goal in the slightest.
"Data he's never had an opportunity to display," Yanagi said, "and I have therefore never been able to analyze."
"On an ordinary school day?"
"Better that it's ordinary; less variables to account for."
"You must be making something out of nothing," Genichirou pronounced, unscrewing the cap to his water bottle and lifting it, and Yanagi, in that moment, felt a brief moment of kinship with Niou and a less brief regret that he'd not asked Fujimiya to meet with him about activity coordination 13.43 minutes earlier than he had. She would have enjoyed this as much as Yanagi planned to.
He waited for the bottle to reach an angle that indicated Genichirou was in the process of drinking, but not so much that he'd be in danger of much more than embarrassment when Yanagi asked him, "You think it's nothing that Seiichi was holding hands with Von Aegir in art class today?"
Sanada swallowed. "I can't believe Kudou-sensei would allow that kind of brazen disregard for the comfort of others," he said calmly.
He took another drink, coughed, and promptly spat it out, while Yanagi hoped against hope that Fujimiya ran instead of walking off the courts, and didn't need to speak to Nami today.
"WHAT did you say?"
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He carries just enough pique from it all that he can't quite help smiling uncomfortably at one of the nearby participants and asking, "What's all the fuss today? Do I have something on my face?" She has the decency to look mortified, and it's horrible that he feels a measure of satisfaction from it.
It's a relief when lunch arrives, and he can retreat to the men's tennis club room to enjoy a meal with his best friends.
"Sorry I'm late," he says as he enters the room, closing the door behind him. He wasn't really, but it was the polite greeting as the last one arriving. His attention shifts quickly to Sanada, however, and the apparent difficulty he was having with his water.
"Are you okay...?"
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"Yes, and I mean to ask you directly about Von Aegir," said Yanagi, knowing Seiichi preferred it that way. "This is the first time I'm seeing you since the aforementioned rumors came to me."
He tapped his pen against his notebook thoughtfully. "I question the categorization of it as strange, however. It is surprising, given what we already know about Seiichi over the course of a long and valued friendship. "But it is hardly strange that two likable people like each other, Genichirou."
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So while the subject is a bit awkward, he feels relaxed as he smiles. "Well, let's back up a little. What have you heard? Until I know that much, I can't clarify the record."
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Renji, meanwhile, was back at his notes, and Sanada started to wonder if planned to actually eat before time was up-- and on that note, realized he hadn't opened his own lunch yet.
"The base of the rumor is that you and Von Aegir were holding hands during your art class," Yanagi said. He flipped back a page. "Common but not universal elements include you blushing, her blushing, both of you blushing at the same time, and Niou said something about a marriage proposal, but that I mention merely for its comedic value."
"Its comedic value is a negative integer," Sanada said crossly, sitting back down. He knew where Niou took his lunch period, and he was tempted for a moment... "Bordering on an imaginary number."
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After a few moments, he lowers his hand and starts to unpack his lunch. "I see. I'd like to spend lunch discussing other things, but I don't mind a moment of fact-checking." That's his tacit request to Yanagi to keep the subject brief alongside his assent to fill in whatever gaps his friend has. "The premise itself is flawed: Von Aegir-san briefly put her hand over mind in a gesture meant to comfort after the subject of hospitals came up. I don't think she was prepared for how it was going to be taken by the class."
After a brief pause, Yukimura sighs. "Even so, I hadn't imagined it would go this far. What a problem..." That invitation for tomorrow wasn't going to help things, either, but he could deal with that later.
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"But from what you say, you weren't even holding hands. I don't know who had the time or even the motivation to twist things so egregiously," Sanada said. "There ought to be a rule."
"It's just the nature of information," said Yanagi. "Oral traditions always have some flair added as they're passed along, depending on the speaker. My favorite so far is the variant where you and Von Aegir continued holding hands for the remainder of the class period, but my source on that has verifiably not been in the same class as you since fourth grade, so I gave it as much credibility as Niou."
"How many variants have you heard?" Sanada demanded. "They're going to start saying Von Aegir is some kind of flirt."
"That is variant..." Yanagi flipped back another page. "Thirty-two. Includes a claim that she was flirting with Marui during practice and is two-timing him and Seiichi both."
"That needs to be dealt with immediately," Sanada said. A lady's kindness being warped into something perverse, and Yukimura's past struggles becoming the high school equivalent of tabloid fodder all at once? Absolutely disgusting.
"No one outside the underwater basket weaving club is promoting that version, and no one believes them anyway," Yanagi said confidently. "The lack of oxygen to their brains for extended lengths of time says it all, really."
"Her father might," Sanada said darkly. "We don't need anymore of his scrutiny. Yukimura, how do we cut this off before it gets any worse?"
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"Denials are just going to seem defensive, especially from the two of you. The most effective countermeasure is going to be challenging what's heard with questions and observations that make every rumor sound as credible as variant thirty-two. No one wants to sound gullible; if the rumors themselves become implausible, people will stop sharing them."
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"I, Yanagi Renji, will do whatever it takes to ensure that this does no harm to Von Aegir or anyone else," he said solemnly. Von Aegir was a people-pleasing innocent, but 'anyone else' was Seiichi, one of the people he cared about most. While he was interested in knowing how the presence of a significant other watching might affect Seiichi's already spectacular tennis, it was secondary to knowing whether or not something happening would make his life happier or harder. Anything that increased his burden was unacceptable to Renji.
"On that note, I suggest enlisting the sewing club. Their version of the rumor, variant number seven hundred forty-six, was almost word for word as you relayed it, Seiichi."
Sanada almost choked. "There's that many?"
"And it took that long to hear the correct one," he said gravely. "But at least the correct version is out there. Admittedly, I was somewhat disappointed to hear that Seiichi wasn't shamelessly flirting with someone in the middle of class, because it sounds like it'd be something he'd enjoy, but I wasn't surprised."
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Hearing just how high the rumor count had become might nearly have caused him to choke too, had he been in the middle of a bite. As it was, his eyes widened with concern and disbelief. Over 700... With that many floating around, they had their work cut out for them. With that many floating around, the smart, safe option was to forget about lunch tomorrow. It was out of the question; he wasn't going to let the school chatter dictate who he could and could not be friends with. If she decided not to show, then and only then would he re-evaluate.
The subject sounds like it's winding down, so the last thing he should give Yanagi was more ammunition, but since he was going to help out with squashing these rumors (and because he was a close confidante), he'll allow a small divulgence between them.
"Well, not shamelessly at any rate," he concedes with a perhaps too-pleased smile. "She is certainly fun to talk to."
He really does know him too well, that Renji.
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Sanada, meanwhile, leaves nothing to interpretation.
"Don't be shameless in the middle of class," he said, unable to really imagine it but a bit perturbed by the thought (and, like Renji, aware that Yukimura has never been properly ashamed of anything in his life). But he can't force any bite into the admonishment when Yukimura smiles like the cat with the cream. Something in his chest aches a little at the thought of his best friend preferring the company of someone who can so effortlessly bring out a smile like that, but pain was the prerequisite for everything worth having in life, wasn't it?
"Poor Von Aegir won't know you're being shameless, if nothing else," Yanagi added. "I thought shameless people were more your type, anyway."
"Since when does Yukimura have a type?" Sanada snapped, suddenly animated again.
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"Sanada is right," he said calmly, hoping to help his friend come down off the ledge a bit (though he's at a loss as to why he's on it to begin with). "Now, I'm going to share one more thing about this and then I'd like a subject change. I'm planning to eat lunch with Von Aegir-san tomorrow. I think the stir her response made in class left her shaken up. I want her to know I still want to be friends. I won't be here tomorrow because of that. Okay?"
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"We're not going to hold you hostage at sword point, if that's what you mean," Sanada said.
"Or we'll stand guard for you, if that is what you mean," Yanagi added mildly.
"What could they need guarding from?!" Sanada paused to breathe. "Not that I wouldn't, if you asked."
Riling Genichirou up again was going to have to do for the day, Yanagi thought wryly, though he could hope Seiichi might bring up this subject again if he was allowed to leave it aside for now. He was dying to know what drew him to Von Aegir of all people, when the data points he did have pointed in other directions. People in the tennis clubs, and especially in their friend group, tended to be so in awe of him that Seiichi was forced to assume a distance if he didn't want to risk overwhelming them. In Yanagi's opinion, he could really only be himself among equals, and equaling the Child of God was, well, a Herculean task. Yanagi and Sanada could only manage it up to a point.
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That could go either way. Was it worse if they were spotted eating lunch, or if they were guarded and everyone left to draw their own conclusions about what exactly they were doing up there together? Of course, Yanagi might be making some conclusions of his own simply from the indication Yukimura liked the idea.
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"Sa~na~da-kuuun!" She called. "Guess who."
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"Na--" No, not mischievous enough. "Fujimiya," Sanada groused, briefly, before gently taking her wrist and gently moving it aside to check if he was right. He huffed, trying to slow his heart rate back down.
"Someday you're going to surprise the wrong person," he scolded. "What if I'd had a racket in my hand? Or a bokken?"
Being friends with both of them meant Yanagi had no conflicting loyalties, and could silently do what was best for them both.
Which was discreetly collect the data for future use.
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"Sanada-kun would never hit a girl like that. Don't think I don't know you at least that well!" She winked with the tip of her tongue poking out. In what was perhaps an act of mercy, however, she turned her attention to the other two afterwards and greeted them properly. "Afternoon, Yukimura-kun, Yanagi-kun. Sorry if I've interrupted anything. Am I too early?"
Yukimura catches the scribble of Yanagi's pen out of the corner of his eye but makes no comment on it. "No, your timing is perfect. We just finished what we were talking about."
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Yanagi smiles, and manages not to look too all-knowing when he does. Really, Fujimiya was better at this sort of thing than he was. The harmony in his own mind was too precious for him to really commit to a lack of it anywhere in his vicinity, so her creativity just had more room to bubble and bloom and temporarily discomfit people who really should know better by now.
"I have the proposal for the spring festival written, too, just waiting for your edits," he added, before ceding the floor back to Yukimura.
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"Thank you for taking some of your lunch to meet with us, Fujimiya-san. I'll get straight to the point: I'm interested in setting up another mixed doubles match. Since Nami-san was kind enough to host the last one, I'm offering use of the men's courts for this one."
Aya, for a moment, lost her cheerful smile and looked confused. "I see-- that sounds exciting! But why did you want to see me instead of Nami-san for this...?"
"Because Nami-san isn't one of the participants I have in mind. Don't worry: I'll schedule this for the end of club activities-- you won't miss any duties for practice. What do you think? Can you play?"
Aya pauses. It hasn't escaped her notice that she's the only female present. If this was going to be a mixed doubles match, shouldn't that mean--?
She breaks out a grin that she wishes she felt all the way down inside. "You're being really cagey! Who else is playing?"
"I'm sorry. I was trying to be brief, and I've left out too much. Von Aegir-san expressed an interest in playing doubles with me. I thought you and Sanada would make an exciting pair of opponents."
Aya immediately brightens. "What, you should have said so from the start!" And she laughs, mostly at herself for getting nervous. Of course, taking on Yukimura would be terrifying, but if Sanada would be her partner, she knew she'd have all the courage she needed.
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On the other hand, perhaps she was instead like Echizen Ryoma, and being thrown into the deep end like this would light the fire under another tennis arms race. But that was unlikely-- Flayn was an amateur and Echizen probably learned to walk by chasing down his father's and brother's stray balls.
Or, wait.
"Are we doing another one of those 'fun tennis' exercises?" he asked. Playing against Yukimura was always a mixed bag for him-- here was the greatest rival anyone could ask for, and also his best friend, but even Yukimura knew what he did to his opponents.
But that thought just strengthened Sanada's resolve. Yukimura was capable of losing, even if not to Sanada, and he'd never taken a loss that didn't make him stronger in the end.
"I think Seiichi is just being sweet," Yanagi said, mostly to the new page of his notebook he'd just written about three paragraphs on. "In that spirit, try not to be Tezuka and Chitose, hm? Sadaharu enjoyed that, but I doubt Von Aegir or Fujimiya would be so willing to accomodate."
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"From the sound of it, you must not think we're a match for the two of you. Is that true? Sanada."
Aya, for the moment, has gone silent, though she continues to smile, and her attention has become rather focused on Yukimura. Yukimura isn't entirely sure he likes it.
"That's true," she says to Yanagi's point. "Don't expect either of us to stand on the sidelines and watch. Sanada-kun!" Aya practically springs from her seat and seeks his eyes. For the moment, her easygoing playfulness has vanished, having given way to a cheerful but fierce competitiveness. "Let's meet up between the final bell and afternoon practice to talk strategy. We're being underestimated. Let's show him what a mistake it was to challenge Rikkai's two vice captains."
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Then Aya takes up his entire line of sight. It's so much easier when she speaks to him as a fellow vice-captain. When she's being girly, he has no idea what to do, but this he understands.
"Right," he says, and they'll have to come up with something good, because Yukimura knows everything he can do. Knows and knows how to counter it. But he'll be compensating for Von Aegir, too, and while Sanada has limits, potential is limitless.
"No one will ever underestimate either of us after this," he said firmly, and Yanagi smiled back into his notebook, because his fondness was irrational and unquantifiable.
It made him look to Seiichi with some interest. Fujimiya certainly has a theory, and while her methods are not strictly scientific, they are profitable lines of inquiry.
"The rumor mill is going to be very disappointed to hear that you and Von Aegir talked of nothing but tennis, Seiichi," Yanagi observed. Not that he expected Seiichi to care.
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"That's right," Aya agrees, and looks to Yukimura with a bold expression. "Prepare yourself, Yukimura-kun! You may be used to fighting Sanada-kun, but you're going to learn you aren't the only one who can play dirty."
"Oh? Are you going to take my five senses away? Fujimiya-san."
"Like I'm sharing my plans with you~!" Aya pulls down an eyelid as she sticks her tongue out.
Yukimura doesn't rebut her, and he has a strong suspicion she's bluffing, but he appreciates her spirit all the same. It will be interesting to see what kind of combination she and Sanada have on the court.
Looking to Yanagi, his smile became somewhat less nice. "Well, good. It was a big fuss about nothing in the first place. If everyone gets carried away over a normal conversation, I can't do anything about that."
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"That's true. It might come to that. Kudou-sensei paired us together for an art project. It seems the school will have plenty of chances for desensitization."