NEO-POP | Iwaizumi Hajime ✓

EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE
class of 2013

AFTER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

In the swinging pendulum of life, there are ups and downs.

A bird poops on Iwaizumi's cap during graduation, and Hanamaki trips on his way up to the stage. He and his friends all decide to go to different universities in different countries, and Birtwistle University offers him a full-ride scholarship. Over the summer, Iwaizumi bumps into Takahashi at the grocery store and—

Well—

Admittedly, he has yet to find an up in this case.

In the swinging pendulum of life, it is, for the most part, predictable. Iwaizumi knows that things haven't exactly been civil between him and Takahashi, like, ever and it's not like anything has changed even remotely since the last time they spoke to each other nearly four years ago. Thus, it comes off as no surprise when the boy sneers obnoxiously and glances over at him from the literal top of his head to his toes before speaking to him with a dry lilt to his tone, as if trying to pass off vocal fry as disinterest, "What are you doing here?"

"To... buy groceries," Iwaizumi says slowly. Takahashi simply tsks and rolls his eyes as a response, like he didn't just?? Ask??? It's unnerving how this conversation plays out almost like a scene in a stereotypical American high school movie between two rivals, just only less riveting because after that short exchange, it's awkward.

Takahashi shoves his hands in the pockets of his jorts and looks at his surroundings aimlessly. Iwaizumi has an internal debate between staying or walking away.

"If you don't have anything else to stay, I'm gonna go now—"

"Yesterday, I was at this place," Takahashi blurts out. "It had some art displayed up on the walls."

Another foreboding silence falls between them.

"...Okay."

He continues, "I recognised the name under a lot of the paintings, y'know, which is weird because I don't really know anything about art and artists or whatever, but then I remembered: your friend's an artist, aren't they? Or at least wanted to be one, anyway, last I remember. The name under the paintings was something like— [L/N]..." He snaps his fingers repeatedly like that'll help jog his memory. "[L/N]-something—"

"Yeah, that's them. [L/N] [Y/N]," Iwaizumi confirms. He can't help the feeling of pride that swells in his chest as he says this.

Takahashi hums and an amused expression overtakes his face. "So they've actually decided to do it. Pursue a career in art."

"If you're going to make fun of them again like you did at my fifteenth birthday party, I don't want to hear it—"

"I wasn't!" He huffs, crossing his arms. "I was actually..." The last part of his sentence comes out an incoherent mumble.

Iwaizumi blinks at him. "You were what?"

"I was..." Again. He's mumbling.

"What?"

"Hey! I'm speaking loud and clear, aren't I?" Takahashi snaps defensively, growing red-faced for a moment, but then quiets down to say, "I said I was impressed. By their art. And how— I don't know. Successful they are. I mean, having your art displayed in the building of some really popular business downtown that's not even art-related — it was a fucking foot spa salon. But that's gotta mean some amount of success, right?"