NOVEL NEXT Chapter 68: Second Chance, Stolen
Kanzaki paces his small apartment, the glow from the muted TV painting the room in shifting colors. The memory stick with Ryoma's matches still sits on the table where he left it, untouched. His jaw tightens every time he glances at it.
That smug face… twice Interhigh champion. Tch.
But the unease gnaws at him. He can't shake the thought of Ryoma growing sharper, stronger, while he's here, stewing. Finally, with a grunt, Kanzaki snatches up his phone and dials.
"Kobo. We need to talk. About your spar with Ryoma Takeda, I want to hear the details"
On the other end, laughter bleeds through the line before Kobo answers.
[Ah… Kanzaki-san? About that… we just came out of karaoke. Heading to a café now.]
Kanzaki frowns. "A café? What, just you and Tsutomu?"
[Nah, our girls are with us.]
Kobo says it with his voice lowered a notch, like he doesn't want to be overheard.
[We're going to that old kissaten near the station. You know the one with the yellow sign, looks like it hasn't been renovated since Shōwa era? Perfect spot to sit and talk.]
Tsutomu's voice pipes up faintly in the background, teasing.
[Oi, Kobo, don't make it sound like a date spot! Kanzaki-san will think we're fooling around]
More laughter follows, muffled and careless. Kobo clears his throat, returning to the call.
[Anyway, it's just around the corner from here. You wanna join us?]
Kanzaki doesn't answer right away. His grip on the phone tightens, lips curling into a crooked smile.
And then…
"…Send me the location."
[Got it. See you soon, Kanzaki-san.]
The line clicks off. Kanzaki shoves the phone into his pocket, throws on his jacket, and snatches his cap from the rack.
***
Outside, Kanzaki drifts with the crowd, neon flashing off wet pavement. Everywhere he looks, couples walk arm in arm, laughing, leaning close.
They look in happy mood, enjoying their lives. But it grates something in Kanzaki's mind.
Tch. Waste of time. That crap just weakens you.
He repeats the excuse he's clung to for years.
No girlfriends. Not until I'm Champion of Japan.
After that… maybe.
And then, his phone buzzes. It's a call from Kobo.
[We're at Kissaten Yamabuki now. Got a booth. And hey, there're a few pretty girls sitting right next to us. Real cute.]
Kanzaki's lip curls into a scoff… but his mind betrays him. The vow, the excuse, all of it slides aside as a sharper thought takes root.
Pretty girls, huh? Maybe this is a chance. No harm in looking. No harm in taking, either.
By the time the call cuts, he's already forgotten his own words. His steps quicken toward the yellow sign of Yamabuki, hunger burning behind his eyes.
***
Kissaten Yamabuki…
The bell above the door chimes softly as Kanzaki steps in. The café is small, almost old-fashioned, the kind with wooden booths and the bitter scent of dark roast lingering in the air.
Not many customers at this hour. Just Kobo's group tucked in the corner, and a table of three girls with one guy a few seats away.
Kobo waves him over with a grin. Kanzaki starts toward him, but his eyes stray, almost by instinct, to the girls. Three of them, chatting and laughing, the guy with them barely getting a word in.
Kanzaki's mouth twitches into a smirk. "Not bad", he thinks, "might as well pick one to play with tonight."
He drops into the booth across from them, tossing his phone on the table.
Kobo grins, leaning forward. "You made it, senpai. Thought you'd hole up in that cave of yours again."
"Tch, shut it. Figured I'd throw you two a pity visit," Kanzaki mutters, his eyes sliding past them toward the other table.
He scans the three girls, keeping his smirk tight, casual, not letting on he's already sizing them up. But then, Tsutomu steals his attention with a chuckle.
"You don't look like a guy out for pity. Already hunting, huh?" he teases with a restrained giggle.
Kanzaki snorts, leaning back. "Hunting? Please. I'm just scoping the scenery."
Then, in a flicker of movement, one of the girls slightly turns her head. In that instant, Kanzaki's chest seizes as he sees a bit of her face from behind.
It's Kaede Hayama.
"What the… what's she doing here?
Her profile is unmistakable, even after all these years. It's the same Kaede from high school, the girl who used to sit by the window two rows down. The one he once swore he'd confess to before graduation.
"Kaede… How long has it been?"
Back then in the third year, he thought he was good enough. Thought he had the confidence. But every time he worked up the nerve to approach her, there was always someone else at her side.
A first-year kid.
Ryoma.
Always tagging along, sticking to her like a little brother who didn't know his place. Kanzaki never understood what she saw in letting some underclassman hover around her, but the sight of it was enough to make him turn away, pride stinging.
Even now, sitting only a few tables away, Kaede hasn't noticed him. She's laughing with her friends, just like back then, her world spinning without ever needing him in it.
But today… maybe today was fate. Maybe God was giving him a second chance. Kanzaki swallows hard, summoning the courage he never had in high school.
All he has to do is stand, call her name.
But then..
The café door chimes.
"Aah, Kaede, your boyfriend," Aemi says brightly, leaning close.
The word detonates in Kanzaki's chest. His jaw tightens at knowing she already has a boyfriend.
And then he hears it, Kaede's voice, warm and familiar, rising above the hum of the café.
"Ryoma, over here!"
Kanzaki's breath catches. The name hits him like a body blow. He turns toward the door, and there he is, Ryoma Takeda, his next opponent.
That's the same first-year brat who'd always hovered around Kaede, the shadow that kept him from ever stepping closer.
Ryoma steps inside, smiling as he lifts a hand in return. But halfway across the room his gaze collides with Kanzaki's. His stride falters, that easy smile draining into something sour, wary.
Kaede notices the shift in his mood. Curious, she turns in her seat, following Ryoma's line of sight.
Her eyes widen slightly. "Oh… Kanzaki-kun. Is that you?" she says, casual, almost surprised.
But Kanzaki doesn't answer, doesn't even look at her.
His chair scrapes back as he rises to his feet, his eyes locked on Ryoma, burning with a recognition far older than this café.