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When Sugishita arrived back on campus, voluntary patrols were already over. No one else was there to see a man on the roof with a gun.
It was summer break. Aside from clubs and remedial classes, Furin’s campus was closed. There weren’t faculty members here that often. That made it easier for Bofurin to run patrols around Makochi straight from the building. It also left the school open to break in. If someone was up there,
They could be after Umemiya. It was too far away for Sugishita to tell who was there, only that it was someone.
If Sugishita stopped, he might have thought to call for help. He didn’t stop.
In the time it took Sugishita to recognize his next breath, he was already charging through the door. “Drop your weapon! I know you’re here!” What he didn’t know was why.
Sugishita’s eyes rushed to adjust to the light. He couldn’t see the gunman. All he could make out were the leaves.
“Hey, Kyo-chan! Of course, I’m here! I’m with the tomatoes!” Umemiya rose from the leaves like a gopher stretching from its burrow.
Any other day, it would’ve been a welcome greeting. With what Sugishita saw, it was a target.
“Get down! Gun!” Sugishita shouted, as quickly as he could make the warning. “There’s a—!”
“You mean, this?” Umemiya raised his hand, and pulled a neon gun along with him. Though the sides were green and yellow, the shape was clear.
Sugishita caught his breath. He should have known that whoever was up here, they weren’t a match for Umemiya. “You already disarmed him. I see…”
“Disarmed what?”
“The weapon.”
“Weapon? …You mean, this?” Umemiya He flipped the gun over in a circle, then spun it like a baton. He caught it just as carelessly. “It’s not a weapon! It’s fun!”
“…Fun?” Sugishita meant the word as a question. It didn’t come out that way.
“Yeah! Look!”
Umemiya raised the gun. Sugishita fought the urge to duck. If what he expected to happen did, they’d both be in danger.
Umemiya pulled the trigger. A stream of water spurt from the barrel, straight into a bush. The leaves shook, droplets splattering, as the branches rose in a wave. The impact rattled, the bush trembling in excitement.
“See? They like it!” The shine of pride in Umemiya’s smile was as bright as the missing sun. The sheer force of his grin was almost convincing.
Sugishita pointed at the brightly colored toy gun. “You’re gardening with… that?”
Umemiya’s grin bloomed that much more. “Fun, right? It’s so hot out. With this buddy, I can cool them down all at once!”
If what Umemiya was saying didn’t give Sugishita pause, then the way he said it did. “The gun. It’s your ‘buddy’…?”
“Yep. It’s not just a gun. It’s a squirt gun! Pew-pew!”
Umemiya pumped the toy gun. A burst of water spit from the barrel, spritzing over a bush.
Sugishita didn’t move. Umemiya did the same. He held the gun a little closer, his head tilting.
“You don’t know what a squirt gun is?”
Sugishita didn’t answer that. His silence answered for him. He stared at the squirt gun. No matter how he looked at the plastic, he couldn’t just see the colors. He saw the shape of a weapon. If he ever held something like that, it wouldn’t just be a toy. It would be another reason for someone to assume he was a thug, brandishing something to hurt them.
If Umemiya saw him hesitate, he didn’t care. He raised the gun.
“Catch!”
Sugishita braced for impact. The impact never came. Umemiya didn’t throw the water pistol. He held it in reach, where Sugishita could take it. He just had to reach out, first.
Sugishita stood in place. He didn’t reach. He stayed, waiting. Umemiya waited, too.
Sugishita watched his senpai waiting, until he understood. He took the squirt gun.
As soon as Umemiya’s hand was open, he pointed towards the pots. “How about there? Let’s get watering!”
“I couldn’t,” Sugishita said. “It’s yours.” He meant to pass the toy back. Before he could, Umemiya reached behind his back. He took out a second water gun.
“So’s this one! So, let’s share!”
However much he wanted to, Sugishita couldn’t disagree.
Umemiya waved Sugishita towards him. Sugishita followed along. They settled in front of a pot of kale.
“First, you gotta pump it. Like this.” Umemiya pulled the lower part in and out, adjusting the gun. He aimed the barrel towards the potted plant. “Then, sploosh!”
Umemiya pulled the trigger. A jet of water spit from the water gun. The kale leaves shook, water dripping into the pot.
Sugishita held his squirt gun to his chest. He pulled the same part, guiding the gun in. “Like…?”
Sugishita aimed the gun into the same pot. He slowly pulled the trigger. A dribble of water fell from the barrel, over the plant.
Umemiya pumped his gun again. “Yeah! That!” He thwacked Sugishita on the back. “You gotta hit a little harder, but that’s it! You’re ready for water war!”
His senior’s enthusiasm was so infectious, Sugishita almost didn’t notice the words.
“War?” Sugishita repeated.
Umemiya stepped back. He pulled one hand behind himself, just short of a bow.
“Remember. The hose is by the daikon patch. They’re just sprouting.” Umemiya turned briefly in that direction. He took another backwards step, his back blocking any view of where he was going.
“Fill the tank from the top,” Umemiya explained. There’s a plastic plug. Pinch it to take it out, then put the plug back in. Pump the bottom bar to load it. Aim the trigger, then…”
He held the last word.
Umemiya stopped between a cluster of 5 gallon pots. Between each swaying leaf on the trellises of vegetables waiting to bloom, Sugishita almost didn’t notice the pot closest to Umemiya was empty.
Umemiya bent into the empty pot, and took out a second water gun. In the same smooth motion, he pumped the water in and fired. An arc of water blast across the rooftop, straight for Sugishita.
There wasn’t time to dodge. The most Sugishita could do was swerve. He picked up his plastic gun and raised it in front of him. Umemiya’s blast hit the side of the plastic. The water stream broke to a spray, a spurt of mist rising in every direction. The warm water brushed Sugishita’s cheeks, his hair turning damp, but not cold. The way that he ducked left Sugishita just short of a bow.
There was something unrefined about this kind of a weapon. Even the yellow green plastic form of a gun left some concern for being seen as a brute. Sugishita pushed those concerns aside. Whoever would judge him for this, those people weren’t his senpai. No, his senpai was watching with expectation, and the same, eager gaze of a dog just waiting for someone to throw a ball.
Sugishita tightened his grip. He held the water gun close. One hand tensed on the pump. His other finger found the trigger.
“If this is what you require, senpai…” Sugishita uttered, just short of a vow and a bow.
Umemiya’s smile grew that much more. He raised his arms. “Now, shoot me!”
The sudden flail made Sugishita stop. He squinted. Umemiya flailed that much more.
“I mean it! Over here!” Umemiya raised his arms. The toy gun flopped with him as he beckoned Sugishita. “Woo hoo! Big target!”
Despite the heat, Sugishita froze. His hand tensed just short of squeezing the trigger.
Sugishita held onto the gun. The next time he remembered to move, he fell into a bow. “I can’t. No. Senpai…”
“You sure? It’s not a fight. It’s fun.”
While Sugishita wasn’t looking, Umemiya took the gun. He twirled it like a baton, then offered it back.
“No one’s scared, yeah? Not unless you are,” Umemiya encouraged. He turned his wrist, beckoning Sugishita’s focus right back on him. “C’mon! Hit me! Hit me!”
In any other context, it could have been a terrible idea. It still might be a terrible idea. There wasn’t a chance that Sugishita could beat Umemiya at anything, not unless Umemiya let him win.
Whatever terrible idea this was, though, it came from Umemiya, so it couldn’t be that bad. He had no reason not to trust him.
Sugishita held the gun. He cupped one hand under the barrel, and felt the water shift inside. A wave rocked and receded, as harmless as a tide on the shore.
Sugishita’s grip stayed steady. He aimed towards Umemiya’s chest. Umemiya pointed down.
“Remember, check the tank. That feels full? Then, pump the pumper. Then, shoot.”
If it was anyone else explaining, Sugishita would’ve questioned how ‘pumper’ was helpful. Umemiya pointed at the lower bar on the water gun, to show what he meant.
Sugishita did just that. Then, he changed aim. Slowly, Sugishita fired into the bush. The stream shot from the water gun, catching sunlight on the way, before falling into the soil next to Umemiya.
“Ooh. So close. You’ll get there!” Umemiya cheered.
“I aimed there,” Sugishita corrected. “You’re watering plants. That’s a plant.”
“Then, water me!” Umemiya stretched higher. “C’mon! Don’t make me do it myself!”
However impressive Umemiya’s flailing could be, Sugishita didn’t blink. He faced forward with all the attention Umemiya deserved. No matter how much attention Sugishita gave him, he couldn’t understand.
“You want to fight?”
“Yeah! A play fight!” Umemiya’s rubber gardening boots squeaked against the roof. His eyes stayed open, locked and eager, as blue as the summer sky. “Let’s do it!”
He hadn’t left room to argue, only to take aim. Sugishita found his aim.
“I won’t hold back.”
Umemiya clapped. “Great!”
Against Umemiya, Sugishita not holding back might not matter. There was a good chance that Sugishita’s all would barely keep up.
Sugishita lined up the shot, straight at Umemiya, until the barrel of the water gun was clearly at his chest. He pumped the water in, then found the trigger.
“Fire–”
Sugishita knew he’d spoken, but he didn’t hear his own words. At the same second the sound should have passed him, the door slammed open. Someone else charged in.
“Everyone down!” Sakura shouted ahead. “Gun! There’s a—“
Sakura shouted. He charged in.
Not only had Sakurs stepped into the roof. He also charged between Umemiya and Sugishita—and directly between the streams.
There wasn’t time to stop the trigger. The shot Sugishita meant for Umemiya went off early, directly in Sakura’s face.
Sakura’s shouting turned to gurgling. The water stuck in his throat. He spit it out. “Wha—?!”
“Oooh,” Umemiya whistled. “Got ‘im.”
“Got me for what?!”
“Not being watered!”
Sakura swiped his sleeve across his face. “Why would someone water me?!”
“Cuz it’s fun! Here!” Umemiya reached into his pocket. He threw a water balloon across the roof, straight towards Sakura. “Catch!”
The balloon arced across the sky, straight towards Sakura. Sakura didn’t catch it. His arms outstretched, his hands waiting. The balloon landed directly in between them, and burst against his chest.
“Whoops!” Umemiya laughed. “Try this one!”
“Huh–?”
Before Sakura could see clearly, or Sugishita could think to stop him, Umemiya threw his gun. That time, Sakura caught it. The plastic rattled in his grip.
Umemiya pointed between the two. “You, and you…” He brought his hand back to his chest. He tapped there. “…against me. Two on one. It’s water war.”
As far as Sugishita understood, declarations of war weren’t usually so cheerful. That was as far as he understood it. Sakura understood even less.
“Why would I work with him? He shot me!” Sakura gestured at Sugishita. What the gesture was supposed to mean, Sugishita didn’t care to guess.
Umemiya kept on grinning. “Friendly fire!”
“That’s friendly?” Sakura repeated in disbelief. “Friendly to who?!”
The way Sakura asked, he hadn’t been looking for an answer. Sugishita still knew it.
“Umemiya-san. That’s who said it.”
Sugishita grounded himself. His feet fell flat in his shoes. The air around him stayed heavy, weighed down with the swelling summer heat. It didn’t bother him, now. He pulled his hair across his shoulder, and faced the man who’d invited him there, whether he meant to or not.
Umemiya stood tall and unbothered, just soggy enough to be cool in more ways than one. Most importantly, he kept smiling.
Sugishita nodded to both of them.
“I won’t hold back,” he said, sure it was true. Before he met Umemiya, most people found Sugishita scary. It was possible that was still true. The way Umemiya faced him, if it was, it didn’t matter.
Umemiya didn’t answer. He reached into a bucket behind him, and brought out a new balloon. He launched it.
Sugishita saw it coming. He raised his arm to deflect it. The balloon bounced off his elbow, right back towards his senpai. Umemiya raised his hand. The balloon landed in his palm. He caught it.
“Ooh. Good shot—“ Umemiya started to say. Before he could find his grip, the balloon burst in his hand.
The water splattered everywhere. Plastic scraps sprayed with it. The sudden splash soaked Umemiya straight through.
“You got me!” Umemiya shouted, his laughter breaking, too.
Sugishita couldn’t help but watch, drawn that much closer in.
However enthralled Sugishita was, he wasn’t alone.
Sakura pumped his water gun, reloading it. “Not yet!”
Sakura lined his shot, at the ready. Umemiya grabbed two more balloons. He held them like active grenades, if an active grenade could be pink.
If anyone else saw them up on this roof, it was going to be a problem. Heck, the roof was crowded with Sugishita and Sakura as is. It was already a problem.
As much as Sugishita saw that coming, he understood something else just as well. This was the right kind of problem to have.