Chapter 33 The Past

Chapter 33 The Past

In the middle of their conversation, Mrs. Tsukishima came over from the kitchen carrying a tray of freshly baked cookies. Under her expectant gaze, Tsukishima Akiteru and Hoshino Haruna each took one and bit into it.

"How are they? How are they?" Mrs. Tsukishima immediately asked Hoshino.

"Oh—they're super good!" Hoshino Haruna exclaimed with a satisfied look. "And they're shaped like stars, so cute!"

"Oh, I'm so glad you like them, Haruna!" Mrs. Tsukishima said, then pulled out a teapot and teacups like a magician. "But eating cookies alone might be a bit dry—here's some freshly brewed rose tea to go with them!"

"Really? Thanks, Auntie—" Hoshino Haruna accepted the teacup with sparkling eyes.

Meanwhile, Tsukishima Akiteru was frantically signaling her with his eyes.

"What about me? What about me?" he asked.

Mrs. Tsukishima gave him a cursory glance: go grab it yourself from the kitchen.

Tsukishima Akiteru: ???

The favoritism is unreal!

...

After finishing the tea and cookies, Tsukishima Akiteru suggested looking through their family photo album together with Hoshino Haruna.

"Huh, me?" Hoshino Haruna pointed at herself. "Are you sure it's okay for me to see this?"

Even though Tsukishima Akiteru and Mrs. Tsukishima seemed very supportive and even a bit eager (?), shouldn't they ask permission from others who might appear in the photos as well...?

"It's fine, Dad doesn't mind that kind of thing. And don't worry about Kei at all." Tsukishima Akiteru waved his hand grandly. "He'd be happier than anyone else."

Hoshino: ?

"Ah, no, no, I mean... I'll explain it to him later." Akiteru quickly covered up.

"Oh, oh, that's good then..."

And so the two of them openly—well, like they should—flipped through the photo album.

The Tsukishima family album was an A4-sized brick of a photo album, and just from its thickness you could tell what a loving family this was. Not to mention the content—trips, New Year's, birthdays, graduations... almost every important moment was recorded.

But for Hoshino Haruna, her focus was a bit unusual.

"No way! Is this really Tsukishima?" She pointed at a round-faced kid in one of the photos.

"Yeah, that's from his kindergarten graduation. Cute, right?" Akiteru acted as the guide.

...

Hoshino felt like either her eyes or her brain was broken.

No way! Is this really Tsukishima? Did this guy actually have such an adorable childhood phase?? Wasn't he born a human poison-spitting machine who automatically unleashes sarcastic attacks??

Hoshino flipped a few more pages.

"This... isn't this also Tsukishima?" She pointed at another photo of a bespectacled boy with crescent-moon eyes and a big smile.

"Yeah, that's from his elementary school volleyball match. Cute, right?" Akiteru nodded and said.

...

Hoshino felt like both her eyes and her brain were definitely broken.

"Who the heck is this!! This can't be Tsukishima!! This guy can actually smile normally without it being sarcastic?! And Akiteru, your vocabulary is worrying!! Stop using the word "cute" to describe Tsukishima, it's terrifying!!"

Hoshino continued flipping through the album, and every time she came across Tsukishima, she felt like her worldview was being torn down and rebuilt. That didn't feel great, so she decided to focus on the other members of the Tsukishima family.

Then she noticed...

"Huh?" Hoshino pointed at another photo. "Is this Akiteru?"

In the photo, Tsukishima Akiteru, wearing a Karasuno uniform, smiled brightly at the camera, with the words "Entrance Ceremony" faintly visible in the background.

"So, Akiteru, you were also a student at Karasuno High before!" she exclaimed.

...

Akiteru: "Eh?"

Hoshino: "Eh?"

Akiteru: "You didn't know?"

Hoshino: "I didn't know."

Akiteru: ...Oh dear.

So Kei told Haruna about himself but didn't mention that incident back then?

Hmph, this guy... he's way too awkward!

"That incident?" Hoshino caught the key phrase from his muttering. "What incident?"

Tsukishima Akiteru briefly explained his experience on the Karasuno volleyball team, focusing on the team's last match in the prefecture.

"Talking about 'last match'... it's only for this team, really. It's pretty cheap of me, someone who never even made it to the bench, to say that, isn't it?" He smiled sheepishly.

"No, of course not, how could it be..." Hoshino waved her hands repeatedly.

She never imagined there was such a past between the Tsukishima brothers.

A scene of locking eyes across the stands must be a painful memory for both of them, right? Hoshino quickly apologized for her slip of the tongue, but Akiteru told her not to worry at all—it was a distant enough memory for him to laugh off, and he had learned to love volleyball again.

"Besides, I think Kei wanted to tell you too, but he hesitated because the other person in the story is me..." Akiteru said.

After all, in that memory, the lamest person was him, the older brother.

"Thinking back now, I was so pathetic back then. Not only did I fail to enjoy volleyball properly, but I also let my little brother see me at my worst..." Akiteru sighed lightly. "The reason he later acted so dismissive toward volleyball probably has a lot to do with that whole thing."

Hoshino Haruna felt the cloud of confusion finally start to clear.

She had always wondered why, despite Tsukishima's calm and rational personality, his attitude toward volleyball was so dismissive. When they beat Date Industrial at the Inter-High, everyone was cheering, but he alone displayed not just joy but anxiety as well, as if afraid that the ever-growing expectations might be shattered by an impending defeat. When they later lost to Aoba Johsai, he was the only one on the team who didn't cry, and he kept emphasizing to her how rational the result was, as if trying to convince himself more than her.

Later during the amusement park trip, she heard him open up on the Ferris wheel.

"With so many shortcuts, why choose the most troublesome path? Why go to such lengths?"

If you give it your all and still don't get what you want in the end...

...I see.

So that's it. Tsukishima's doubt about the meaning of effort came from his brother's experience, and that's why he didn't want her to go through the same pain.

That was also why Tsukishima approached volleyball practice with a "just good enough" attitude, leaving early while other team members did extra training, and even turning down the ace from Fukurodani High School's invitation for extra practice... Even though what he said to her that night was infuriating, Hoshino now felt she could sort of understand why he got so worked up.

However, there was one thing Hoshino Haruna wanted to correct about Tsukishima Akihiro's words.

"I don't think Akihiro was lame at all, and I believe Tsukishima thinks the same way," Hoshino said. "If I had to pick who was more lame, I think he'd choose himself. I imagine he'd think, 'If I hadn't been so enthusiastic back then, my brother wouldn't have had to force himself to lie to me'... or something like that."

"What? I never thought that way!" Akihiro hurriedly said.

"So Tsukishima definitely never thought that either, Akihiro, that your idea of 'it's all my fault that my brother is cold toward volleyball' is wrong," Hoshino said seriously. "Just like you wouldn't blame Tsukishima's expectations of you for the pain of pretending to be an ace back then, I believe Tsukishima wouldn't blame his own negative attitude toward volleyball on your failure. He acts this way simply because he's been pondering the question 'Why do I even try?' and hasn't found his own answer yet. And besides..."

Hoshino Haruna smiled softly.

"Besides, didn't you say so yourself, Akihiro? Tsukishima has always had a strong mind of his own and never forces himself to do things he doesn't want to," Hoshino pointed out. "So the fact that he's still playing volleyball now and has been more proactive in practice recently—isn't that the best proof of what I'm saying?"

Tsukishima Akihiro stared at her, as if witnessing something incredible unfolding.

"Ahhh... damn!" Akihiro ran a hand through his hair. "That kinda makes me jealous of the kid!"

Hoshino: Huh?

"Ahem... never mind." Akihiro quickly put on a casual expression. "Let's keep looking at the photo album!"

"Okay!"

...

An angel, she's definitely an angel! Tsukishima Akihiro marveled. He finally understood why his brother liked this girl so much.

Kei, your big brother can only do this much for you! The rest is up to you!

—Tsukishima Akihiro offered a silent prayer.

Everything else didn't matter, but at the wedding, please make sure he gets a seat at the head table!

***

Meanwhile, at the Hoshino residence.

During the time Hoshino Akiko had stepped away, Tsukishima Kei stood quietly by the living room bookshelf, flipping through Hoshino Haruna's manga. He finished one volume after another, completely unaware of when Akiko had returned.

Tsukishima Kei was stunned.

Although he had seen Hoshino Haruna's portfolio before, that was just a collection of materials she hastily compiled to join the club—mostly selected panels, not complete stories. After skimming through them, he only got the impression that she was "pretty good at drawing," without truly understanding her ability to tell stories through images.

But now...

After reading one complete story after another, Tsukishima Kei suddenly realized that her drawing skill was the least of her merits as a manga creator. Compared to the content she expressed, even her art seemed somewhat rough. Intricate plot design, delicate emotional expression, unique themes—every aspect was deeply moving.

...

"How is it?" Hoshino Akiko whispered to him.

"Exceptional," Tsukishima Kei answered without hesitation.

"What do you think—when did she create this?" Hoshino Akiko's gaze rested on the volume in Tsukishima's hands.

"...Middle school?" Tsukishima guessed.

Hoshino Akiko shook her head.

"Second grade of elementary school," she said.

Tsukishima Kei was astonished.

"Hard to believe, right? I think so too," Hoshino Akiko said slowly. "Haruna is usually such a lively child, always acting free-spirited, that sometimes I forget she also has this sensitive, creative side as an artist. This trait is actually quite outstanding among her peers."

Hoshino Akiko took the manga from Tsukishima's hands and gently flipped through it.

"Some people say that people often encounter obstacles in expressing emotions in reality, and that's why they create art. In their works, authors can freely depict the world they envision and express their thoughts. So when we read a work, we are essentially reading the author's soul."

"—But I think that's only half true."

Hoshino Akiko gently closed the manga and placed it back on the shelf.

"I don't deny that works reflect the author's will, but some deep thoughts cannot be voiced even through the mouths of fictional characters. These thoughts cannot be spoken aloud or written down. Perhaps only the author themselves understand them, or perhaps even the author doesn't know."

...

For a moment, many images flashed through Tsukishima Kei's mind.

"How can others come to understand such thoughts?" Tsukishima Kei asked earnestly.

"With your heart," Hoshino Akiko replied immediately.

"...With my heart?"

"Yes," Akiko nodded. "What you hear may be false, and what you see may not be true. But emotions felt with the heart will never deceive."

Tsukishima Kei fell into deep thought.

...Is that so?

"You might not believe it, but Haruna was a very introverted child when she was young—even quieter than most kids known for being reserved," Akiko said calmly. "This has changed a lot since then, but I think the impact of those solitary years in childhood on her personality isn't something that can be easily erased."

Tsukishima Kei knew exactly what she meant.

Although Hoshino now seemed sunny and outgoing, no different from a child raised in a normal family, and she herself took her time at the orphanage in stride, never hiding it from those around her...

But to overcome the trauma of being abandoned by her birth mother and become the person she is today—only she knows how much pain that took.

"So even I wouldn't claim to fully understand her thoughts now," Akiko admitted. "I can only infer from the fact that she's mentioned volleyball club much less frequently lately—or more precisely, mentioned you—that something might have happened between you two. But as for the specifics, I probably know less than you do."

Tsukishima Kei seemed to realize something: "So you inviting me in today was actually to learn more about Hoshino from me..."

...Unfortunately, as one of the parties involved, he apparently hadn't provided much useful information.

Seeing his serious expression, Hoshino Akiko couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself! I just saw you at the door and thought I'd invite you in for some tea. I really didn't think that far ahead," she said. "Besides, who says I got nothing out of today~"

Tsukishima Kei, who hadn't caught her last sentence: "Huh?"

"Oh, nothing."

Hoshino Akiko waved her hand, telling him not to worry.

“As for me, I can't help but worry too much about Haruna... If I've overstepped in any way, please don't take offense, Tsukishima-san.” Akiko said sincerely. “After all, I truly hope that Haruna can live happily and contentedly forever...”

“You're being too kind, Ms. Akiko.” Tsukishima Kei quickly replied. “And besides...”

He looked up at her, looking unusually serious.

“As for that last part, I feel the same way you do.”

—He too genuinely wished for Hoshino Haruna's happiness.

It seemed that Akiko Hoshino had not expected Tsukishima Kei to give such a firm, almost vow-like response. She widened her eyes slightly, visibly moved.

“Ah, in that case... that's wonderful.” She smiled.

With that, she could stop worrying so much.

Perhaps because of this exchange, as Tsukishima Kei was about to leave, Akiko Hoshino suddenly called him back and decided to give him a little something. Tsukishima Kei said it wasn't necessary, but Akiko insisted it was nothing—at most, it was just a hint:

“Haruna really struggles with her studies, but in other areas... she might not be as stupid as you think, okay?”

—So, don't underestimate her.

***

At the same time, Hoshino Haruna also stood up from the sofa at the Tsukishima residence.

After thanking the warm-hearted Tsukishima Akihiro and Mrs. Tsukishima for their hospitality, she walked to the front door, only to hear Akihiro calling from behind.

“Hey, Hoshino-chan!”

“Hmm?”

Hoshino Haruna turned around, a little puzzled.

“I think I haven't finished answering your question from before.” Akihiro said.

Hoshino opposite him paused for a moment, as if trying to recall which question he meant. But before she could finish thinking, Akihiro had already given the answer—

“When you first came here, you asked me how Kei talks about you to us, right?”

At this, Tsukishima Akihiro couldn't help but smile.

“When he mentions you in front of us... he seems really happy.”

...

Hoshino: ...Eh?!

“R-Really?” She couldn't believe it.

“Yeah!” Akihiro nodded emphatically. “I don't have a superpower like you, but as his older brother, I can tell at a glance—that's the expression he makes when he's really happy!”

Hoshino Haruna felt her cheeks inexplicably warming.

“He even told you about that...”

—The superpower thing, that is.

Even after stepping out of the Tsukishima house and walking onto the sidewalk, feeling the cool evening breeze hitting her face, Hoshino felt the heat in her cheeks had not subsided one bit.

...

Oh no, she thought.

She wondered if Tsukishima was as happy talking about her to his family as she was right now, knowing this.

-TBC-