It's been almost three months since the day that he cut off his friendship with Mizutani-san, and Yamaken can honestly say that he's slowly getting better. There were still days where he sat next to her and wallowed in self-pity (not that he ever showed it) and the end of their prep course came as a relief to Yamaken, who had by that point grown sick of her sitting next to him and reminding him that he had lost.
It's a nice, cool day out and Yamaken is enjoying a quite, peaceful day at the library. Tomio is out of town, Maaji has somehow managed to score himself a date and Jyouji is busy with a personal project, so Yamaken decides spending the day at the library reading a book sounds better than spending the day listening to his sister gush about Yuuzan as he slowly dies inside.
Of course, his plan to read the entire book in one day is ruined by the fact he gets lost on the way to the library...6 times...and it takes him an hour to get to the aisle where the book of interest is located, so he's only read half of it by the time he decides to take a lunch break. He puts down 16 Steps To Personal Success with a yawn and is about to get up when she rounds the corner, stopping in surprise while he freezes.
"Mizutani-san," Yamaken intones once he quickly recovers his wit, his eyes dull and expression stoic, trying to give her the same attitude he used to give her back before she snared him in her web. He thinks he succeeds, but perhaps it's just wishful thinking.
"Yamaken-kun," she replies quietly.
They stare at each other, him with increasing trepidation as he sees something like resolve build up in her eyes. She takes a few purposeful steps forward and plops down into the seat in front of him, the book in her hands finding its way unto the table. "I would like to speak with you, Yamaken-kun."
He fidgets. "I was just on my way to return this book," he says, party because it's true but mostly because he wants to get away from her.
"It will only take a few minutes," she says, her cold eyes locking into his own, and he feels the familiar tendrils wrapping around his limbs, the familiar beating of his heart and somehow he feels that he can now extend his arms and break free if he so chooses to. It is that knowledge that permits him to give her a nod and he waits as she gathers up her mind. However, she does not seem to know where to start and the silence begins getting to him. He places his chin on one hand, propping up his head and glancing down at her book, where he sees some papers sticking out and notices that they're math problems. He scans her work, focusing on the first question.
A farmer's storage shed was burned down in a fire and he decides to rebuild it. He begins by buying twelve-
"I don't regret choosing Haru over you."
Yamaken nearly faceplants into the table as his elbow slides, but he quickly recovers, mortification and anger mixing and keeping him in place.
'Then why the hell are you here?' he wants to ask, but instead all he says is, "I see. Congratulations."
"Yuuzan-san told me that if a person makes the right choice, they won't regret the outcome."
"Do you think it's wise, listening to Yuuzan?" Yamaken asks with a raised eyebrow, but she does not react to the bait, her eyes off to the side, focusing on the shelf to the left of them.
"If I had to choose between losing you as a friend and losing Haru, my choice would be the same a hundred times over," she tells him.
Yamaken stares at her with incredulity. Is there any reason that would make her think he wants to hear this? He's wondered, since the decision, why she chose Haru over him. She has more in common with him than with Haru but there are enough differences for them to not feel like they're dating themselves. He's rich and intelligent while Haru is jealous, possessive and borderline psychotic. In the end, he chalks it up to the fact that Mizutani-san is cold like him and Haru is warmth, a boy with a large heart and warped innocence. Now, however, he's realizing that the reason that they go so well together is that she and Haru are both idiots. Keeping the hurt from his voice, he makes to stand as he says "I understand. If you'll ex-"
"Yamaken-kun," she interrupts, redirecting her eyes so that she once again locks gazes with him. Her voice does not hold a plea, because she never pleas, but there's a polite request for him to remain in place and he complies, sitting back down and staring at her math problems with a burning gaze.
"I think Haru is rubbing off on me," she says. "I've become rather selfish." She takes a deep breath, "I've become rather selfish because while I don't regret choosing Haru over you, I'd be much happier having both of you rather than just one of you."
Shock runs through his system as he stares at her. He doesn't quite know what to say as Mizutani-san stares back, gaze unwavering.
"I would like to renew my friendship with you, Yamaken-kun. Not trying to do so at least once would be something I'd regret, I think."
He continues to stare at her in disbelief. Such an admittance is out of character for her and he wonders if she's actually an impostor. Perhaps he fell asleep at the table and is now dreaming.
As if reading his thoughts, she elaborates. "It has come to my attention that my friends leave much to be desired when it comes to intellectual conversation. Haru and Natsume are...well, you know. Sasayan-kun doesn't really have any interests that we can discuss in earnest."
A quick, efficient explanation. How very like her. A small part of him relishes in the fact that their separation seems to have created a hole in her world, even if it's nowhere near as large as the one she left on his heart. However, he really does not know how to be her friend. One day she was the girl Haru liked and the next day, he had already fallen for her. He'd have to rebuild their shattered bond from scratch and he's not quite sure how to do it or if it's worth it.
"I have to return this book," he answers.
He watches as her firm stance wavers. He sees it, the flash of hurt, sadness and humiliation that passes through her face at his rejection. It's only there for a second before she masks it. "I see. I won't keep you, then. Goodbye, Yamaken-kun."
"Take care, Mizutani-san," he replies and he begins walking away. He hears her shuffling through her bag and the sound of her pencil case opening.
He remembers telling her once that there are only two types of people in the world: Dumb people and intelligent people. He wonders when he crossed to the other side.
"Mizutani-san," he says, his back still to her. He listens as she stops moving. "Your answer to the first problem is incorrect."
He can picture her perfectly as she glances at her paper in surprise. There's a moment of silence before her voice reaches him. "You're right."
"You forgot to carry the three and lost an x somewhere in the middle. You were probably rushing it because Haru was bothering you."
He takes her silence as confirmation.
"You can't rush when you're rebuilding, Mizutani-san," he says, glancing back at her. She's turned in her chair and has been watching him the whole time. He flashes her the cover of his book. "You've got to take things one step at a time."
He sees the corner of her mouth quirk upwards into the small smile that makes his heart race as her posture straightens, looking less dejected. "I see."
"Good luck with your homework," he says.
"Thank you. I'll see you around," she replies tentatively.
"Of course." He goes his way, leaving her sitting at the table to work on her problems.
It takes him half an hour to find the front entrance and the sky is darker than when he first arrived, but to Yamaken, the world seems a little bit brighter.
Relatively new to this fandom and I'm not sure I kept either Yamaken or Shizuku in character, but it's a start, I suppose. Reviews are appreciated. Constructive criticism even moreso.
Thank you for reading!