Title: Compass
Authoress: LittleBottle
Summary: "If soulmates are connected like compasses and magnets... Then who's the compass and who's the magnet?"
Genre: Humor, Friendship
Rating: K
Character: Nao Kobayashi/ Junosuke Sasaki

Nao intently watched the small red arrow of the compass shift inside the little instrument. Returning the compass the teacher had forgotten was a pain, but she lost the group's rock-paper-scissors so she had no right to torture her groupmates for making her walk the distance.

-Who the hell thought of a survival class in geography? Why do we need to know how compasses work? When the hell would I be stuck in the jungle? The old man even taught us how to use magnets to tell the way even when there's no compass! What a waste of time!- she thought to herself, irritated.

"Seems like it's broken," she muttered to herself, concluding on the randomly moving arrow.

-Please don't let the old man unleash his wrath on me... Maybe he won't even notice?- she thought hopefully.

"Broken..." She repeated as she remembered her visit to Kahoko's house a few days ago.

"Kaho? Did you drop this canon music box we gave you for your birthday? One of its carvings is broken..."

"Yes... But someone fixed it for me," she said, her face lighting up at the thought of her mechanical man.

"Ooh! It might be fate! Who is it? It's one of the concour participants, isn't it? Go date him!" Mio eagerly chirped in a high-pitched voice, drunk in her love fantasies.

Just as a normal person would do, Kahoko did not give the name of the person who helped her. After all, she did not need the constant teasing that would come from Mio.

"Now magic arrow, tell me who fixed it," Nao commanded jokingly.

As if attracted by a magnet, the red arrow swiftly moved an angle of around thirty degrees and Nao turned her head in the appointed direction, an amused smile plastered on her cheeky face. Just a little distance away, Kazuki could be seen enthusiastically blowing his trumpet on the roof.

"I wonder if it's right..." she said to herself while imagining Kazuki and Kahoko as a couple.

They have had a couple of encounters, almost as if they were constantly attracting each other, Kazuki the magnet and Kahoko the compass. After all, Kahoko did somehow walk her way up to the roof and meet Kazuki that first time, as if pulled by a force. But based on the stories Kahoko told her, Kahoko was a broken compass, just like the one on Nao's hand that exact moment. She got attracted to several magnets.

She met Ryoutarou accidentally that one time, a life-threatening story where he saved her from falling down the stairs. She also met Len that same day, Len who happened to be entering the class that same second she was delivering the equipment.

What were all those, if not the work of compasses and magnets? Kahoko was definitely hiding a few events from her. It kind of hurt, really, but there was nothing that she could do. If Kahoko did not want to tell her then she had no right to ask her about it. But then again, all the magnets seem to want to attract the broken compass, which left a unevitable question, who was the real magnet, really? Maybe the broken compass itself was magnetic.

"Aaaah!" A scream broke out.

Kazuki could not stop himself from letting out a disappointed wail as his music scores were stolen from him by the michievous wind. They fluttered down effortlessly like a group of weightless feathers, closely followed by Kazuki's miserable amber eyes.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo!" He called out to them, his hands desperately reaching out to the unsteadily falling papers that were flying away from him. Nao could have sworn that his eyes were tearing up. With his hands scratching the empty air in front of him and the balustrade of the roof holding him back, he kind of looked like a fighter toddler trying to get out of his baby cage.

Nao let out a chuckle. It was really hard to believe that Kazuki was her senpai.

"But he's kinda like those papers. Just so free. Even when he's falling, he'll probably try his best till the end... Approved for Kahoko's boyfriend!"

Then the force happened again. The papers finally reached the ground, one of them falling on a certain redhead. The broken compass was once again attracted by one of the magnets.

"Hino-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

"Hihara-senpai?"

"Help meeeeeeeeeee!"

Kahoko laughed and nodded her head while picking up Kazuki's music scores.

"Thank youuuuuuuuuu!"

Watching the scene, Nao was filled with warm happiness and just a little hint of jealousy. After all, what girl did not want to meet the perfect crush?

"Little compass, take me to my soulmate..." She whispered, putting all her faith in her secret wish.

Within the blink of an eye, the little arrow turned a full circle before swiftly pointing to the direction right behind her.

She stared at the circular glass enclosing her arrow of fate. For the time she held the compass, the compass has never stopped moving. It had always continuously shifted from left to right, never staying still for more than one second. Her mundane black eyes could not help widening when the little red arrow stayed frozen for more than five seconds and counting. It did not even twitch. It seemed like it was supposed to be pointing that way, behind her. It seemed like the force granted her wish. Her soul mate was behind her or somewhere a little further but in that direction.

Nao's heart started beating faster. She felt like she was running a marathon as she could feel the rapid hammering of her heart in her ears. The right hand that was holding the compass started trembling. The magnet of her soul mate was calling the compass of her soul.

"Here goes nothing..." She muttered as she slowly turned around.

The increased rate of her heartbeat did not stop and her eyes just widened even more, an act that she did not think was possible. He was right behind her, not even a meter away.

Her shocked eyes met his neutral ones. His face slowly turned from blank to confused. She knew she had to say something. She could not just stand there gawking at the man's face like an idiot. It was just a stupid arrow right? She had to snap out of it! Just ask him why he was there! Her lips moved to ask but all that came out was utter silence. She stood there with her oogling eyes and her constantly opening and closing mouth.

"You look like a fish," the man said, bursting into laughters.

After the comment, Nao managed to get a hold of herself. She gathered what was left of her dignity and took a deep breath.

"Shut up, Junnosuke!" She tried to scold him, her face dying a deep shade of red.

Sasaki did not stop the laughter erupting from him. Nao wished that a hole would just suddenly appear and swallow her as she frowned at Sasaki and the laughter that was ripping his body, the laughter that was infuriatingly grating her nerves.

"That's enough! What are you doing here?" She asked as demanding as she could, which was not very demanding in her state of shame.

"Oh I was just gonna give you this magnet to return to the old man. I found it under the table... I was ticked off because I had to walk all the way here but... It's all worth it... You should've seen-" but he could not continue as he burst into another fit of laughter.

Nao managed to flash an annoyed grimace before snatching the magnet and going on her way.

"He was carrying a magnet! That's why!" She muttered angrily, stomping her way through the hallways.

Or was it?

Thanks for reading!