A/N – This is a short series of scenes about Kominato and an OC (Because Shuko should totally have ended up with Tanaka-sensei). Based almost entirely on the Ao Haru Ride live action movie, because it had the best casting I have ever seen and Ryo Yoshizawa (Kominato's live action actor) made me fall in love with a character that I didn't even like much when I watched the anime.
So… yeah. Enjoy. Leave a review. Anything.
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"Your hair looks like sunshine," was the first thing Kominato Aya ever said to her.
Natsumi had been standing at her desk, gathering her things after her second day at the new high school. She hated being the new girl; it was difficult trying to know so many names and faces, while everyone seemed to remember hers. A girl whom she'd spoken to earlier in the day but whose name had already slipped her mind, waved at Natsumi as she exited the classroom.
"Sayonara, Natsumi-chan!" the girl chirped before leaving.
"Uh, sayonara!" Natsumi called back, hoping that she would remember the girl's name by tomorrow morning. She sighed to herself as she gathered the rest of her things and began stuffing them into her school bag. It wasn't until she'd finished and looked up that she noticed a boy was standing in front of her. He was smiling, perfectly still. How long had he been there? Natsumi smiled nervously.
"Hi…" she said slowly.
"Your hair looks like sunshine," he blurted out, gesturing towards her light brown hair. Natsumi had gone out on a whim and gotten golden highlights in it before she started at her new school, although she now regretted how much it stood out in the sea of black. Plenty of people had complimented it, but this was the first time someone had compared it to sunshine. Natsumi reached up and fingered a curl self-consciously.
"Arigatou…" she said hesitantly. She didn't have a chance to say more, because another taller, dark-haired boy had approached them, and grabbed Aya by his collar. Natsumi watched in surprise as Aya was dragged away by the boy who was muttering under his breath.
"Been trying for days… this is what he finally comes up with… pathetic…" the boy grumbled as he managed to pull Aya out of the classroom. Natsumi stared after them in surprise, flushing red. What had just happened? She hurriedly zipped up her bag before she noticed a group of girls giggling behind her. She whirled around to face them and they seemed a little surprised at being caught.
"Hello," greeted the one with short, bobbed hair and a cute smile. "You're the new girl, Hisakawa Natsumi, right? I'm Yuri Makita. This is Futaba Yoshioka and Shuko Murao. It's nice to meet you!"
"It's nice to meet you too," Natsumi replied politely. She was still a little uncomfortable. Had they been giggling at her? She wasn't sure she wanted to talk to these girls if they only wanted to mock the new girl. She'd had enough of that.
"Gomen'nasai. We didn't mean to laugh at you," the one named Futaba apologized quickly. She seemed a little embarrassed. "To be honest, we were laughing at Kominato-kun. He's a friend of ours. The one who just said your hair looks like sunshine?"
Natsumi smiled. "Oh. No, that's all right. I misunderstood."
"He talks a lot and thinks very little," Shuko replied simply. Her long, straight hair covered her face and Natsumi was almost jealous of its texture. "You see, he's been trying to get your attention ever since you came here, so we were amused that was the first thing he chose to say."
"I was a little surprised too," Natsumi said and flushed, embarrassed at the thought that the boy had a crush on her. He was kind of attractive, in a cute and class clownish way. She wondered why she hadn't noticed him before. Natsumi smiled and swung her bag on her shoulders, hoping to leave before these girls noticed she was embarrassed. However, Futaba gently grabbed her arm.
"We're going to get donuts after school, Natsumi-san. Would you like to join us?"
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The next time Natsumi came across him was a day or two later, outside the school gates. She was waiting for Futaba, who had promised to walk home with her since Yuri and Shuko had some club work. She tapped her shoe on the sidewalk, wondering why it was taking Futaba so long to come out of the school building. Had she forgotten?
"Hey! Sunshine!" a voice called out loudly. Natsumi glanced up and noticed that it was the same boy heading towards her, happily. He seemed to almost bounce on his feet as he waved his arm and Natsumi's eyes widened. Was he addressing her? Her doubts were confirmed when he came to a breathless stop in front of her. "There you are! I've been looking for you!"
Natsumi raised an eyebrow at him. "I have a name."
"I know," Aya replied with a grin.
"Then why are you calling me sunshine?" she demanded. Natsumi wasn't really feeling angry; in fact, it wasn't a terrible nickname to be called, but she wanted to see how he would react. He seemed completely unperturbed and grinned.
"I told you, your hair looks like sunshine," he replied simply. He was still smiling. "Besides, it's not too far off from your real name, is it, Natsumi-chan? Summer beauty. It suits you."
"Natsumi-chan?" Natsumi asked, surprised at the liberties this boy was taking in addressing her. He didn't seem to care at all. She liked how open he was, but that didn't mean that she should encourage such behavior. "Is that how you address a girl you're speaking to for the first time?"
"We've spoken before," Aya pointed out simply.
"You said one cheesy line and then your friend dragged you away. I don't even know your name."
"You can call me Aya," he replied happily.
Natsumi raised an eyebrow. "I'd rather not, Kominato-san."
Aya's eyes twinkled in delight. "I thought you didn't know my name, sunshine?"
Natsumi sighed and shook her head, unable to hold back her smile. She couldn't help it. She liked mischievous guys like him, guys who were unpredictable and who could make her laugh. Aya seemed surprised at her sudden change in character, but he grinned too. "All right. You got me, Aya-kun. Call me whatever you want, I don't really mind," Natsumi said with a smile.
Aya smiled, hitching his bag higher up on his shoulders. "Would you allow me the honor of walking home with you, Natsumi-chan?"
"Gomen'nasai, Aya-kun. I'm waiting for Futaba-chan."
"She's right here," Aya pointed out, waving at Futaba, who was approaching them. Futaba was running towards them, one of her hands pulling along a taller dark-haired guy. Natsumi recognized him as the boy who'd dragged Aya away a few days ago. They both reached them quickly.
"Natsumi-chan, gomen'nasai! I didn't mean to keep you waiting," Futaba apologized. She was a little out of breath and suddenly seemed to realize that she was holding hands with the boy. She released his hand with an embarrassed smile and hurried to introduce them. "Kou, this is Natsumi Hisakawa. Natsumi, this is Mabuchi Kou."
Natsumi greeted him with a smile and Kou responded politely, although he didn't seem like the overly smiling type. He seemed like the quiet mysterious type, which, Natsumi supposed, was attractive in it's own way. Futaba certainly seemed to think so. As they all began walking home, Natsumi found herself lagging behind Kou and Futaba, while Aya walked beside her.
"Are they together?" Natsumi asked, surprised that Futaba had never mentioned a boyfriend. Aya looked at the couple in front of them, and shrugged lightly. He didn't seem to really know the answer.
"Something like that, I suppose. I don't think even they're sure where they stand." Aya glanced at her with a grin. "Personally, if I liked a girl, I'd make sure everyone knew she was mine."
"I'm sure you would," Natsumi replied, rolling her eyes. "You're quite the flirt, Aya-kun."
Aya looked at her, a hint of seriousness in those playful eyes. "I never say anything I don't mean."
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At the end of that week, Aya confessed to her.
He didn't make a big deal out of it. In fact, it was probably the most casual confession Natsumi had ever seen. Not that she had seen many besides the overly dramatic ones on television. Still, no matter the setting or place, the guy usually looked a little nervous. Not Aya. He confessed with the same emotional intensity of commenting on the weather.
"But that doesn't give you an absolute value," Natsumi protested, twirling her pen as she glanced at the paper. She was sitting with Aya, Futaba and Yuri after school, the four of them trying to work out the math homework. Natsumi had a lot of work to catch up on, and Aya had promised to help her with it. "It only gives you the value of x with relation to y, but we don't know y so how do we bring it down to a number?" She glanced up and noticed that Aya wasn't paying attention. He was watching her calmly, his eyes twinkling. "Aya-kun! Concentrate, you promised to help me!"
Aya casually rested his chin on his hand. "I like you, Natsumi-chan. Will you go out with me?"
Natsumi stared at him. Her eyes widened and her throat closed up. What was he doing? Yuri and Futaba were sitting right there! The two girls stared at Aya open-mouthed and then looked at Natsumi, who was flushing red.
What do I say? Natsumi wondered, panicked. She had an inkling that Aya liked her, considering they'd been flirting back and forth for the past week. But part of her had thought it was a joke. She certainly wasn't prepared for a confession, not in front of her friends! Her face turned redder and redder, and Aya laughed, amused.
"You're so kawaii when you're embarrassed, Natsumi-chan," he told her with a grin. "You don't have to respond right now. You can take your time. What problem were you talking about? Oh, this one. You can get the value of y by solving that equation and substitute it here to get x."
Natsumi nodded, her face still red. She managed to make it through the rest of the study session, despite the awkwardness that had now taken over the group. Futaba and Yuri left in a hurry, probably intentionally, and Natsumi found herself walking home alone with Aya. He offered to hold her bag for her, but Natsumi clasped it herself, trying to frame the right sentences in her mind.
"Aya-kun," she said slowly. "About… what you said earlier…"
Aya glanced at her with a smile. "Hai?"
"I don't… I don't know if I want to get into a relationship right now. I've only been here for just over a week and I'm still trying to get settled in," Natsumi replied quickly. "It's not that I don't like you, I mean, you're sweet and funny, but I don't really know you well enough to put my heart into it."
Aya blinked at her, looking thoughtful. He rubbed his chin almost comically as he seemed to contemplate and Natsumi watched the weird character beside her, confused. "So that's not a yes," Aya said slowly. "But it's not a no either. To me, that sounds kind of like a keep trying."
"That's not what I meant-" Natsumi began hurriedly, but Aya cut her off.
"You don't not like me, do you?" Aya asked eagerly. Natsumi stared at him, unsure what the question meant. It didn't make a lot of sense to her. She frowned slightly.
"I don't really know whether I like you or not," she explained.
"That's good enough. That means I can woo you." He turned to her with a bright smile and beamed. He seemed almost delighted at the thought and Natsumi stared at him. How could he be so happy after a girl had sort-of rejected him? Aya hitched his bag on his shoulder and stopped walking. "That's right. I'm going to woo you. I'm going to make you fall in love with me, sunshine, and when you do, you can come confess to me yourself."
And then he continued walking, a slight spring in his step.
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The next morning, there was a rose lying on her desk.
Natsumi entered the class and noticed that there was a small group of girls gathered around her desk. She greeted them with a smile, wondering why they were all standing there before class. It was only after she set her bag down on her chair that she noticed the single, red rose, at the end of a long stem. Natsumi smiled and picked it up, before glancing back.
Aya was sitting a few rows behind her. When they made eye contact, he gave her a subtle wink before resuming his conversation with Kou. Natsumi blushed and twirled the rose between her fingers as she sat down at her desk, ignoring the eager questions from the other girls.
There was one thing that Natsumi knew for sure.
She was going to enjoy being wooed by Kominato Aya.
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"It is so sweet that your boyfriend waits for you to finish work!" Kaori gushed, as she passed Natsumi at the counter. Natsumi glanced up from the account books she had been checking, and raised an eyebrow. Was Kaori talking to her? She twirled her pen.
"What?" Natsumi said.
"Your boyfriend. The short one that's been standing outside for the past half hour?" Kaori said, before narrowing her eyes suddenly. "He is your boyfriend, right, not some crazy stalker?"
"He's not short," Natsumi muttered, shaking her head. She snapped the account book closed, with a sigh. Looking at all the numbers was a pain; nobody maintained account books anymore, but the store owner was unbelievably old-fashioned. "Are you serious, he's been waiting there for half an hour? We didn't have any plans…"
Kaori grinned. "Maybe he wanted to surprise you. If you're done with the accounts you can go, I don't mind closing up myself. Far be it from me to get in the way of young love."
"You're just a year older than me," Natsumi grumbled, but she grabbed her bag and gathered her things anyway. Maybe there was a reason Kominato had come by the bookstore. But to stand outside for half an hour? He could have just come in, there was no reason to wait outside. She hurried outside and saw him leaning against the wall outside, kicking a stone absent-mindedly. "Aya-kun!"
Aya looked up and grinned. "Sunshine! I was wondering when your shift ended. Do you have any plans?"
Natsumi shook her head. "Not really. I was just going home. Have you been waiting out here long?"
"Just a few minutes, I was on my way back from a club meeting at school," he said simply, although the excuse was poorly made. Natsumi noticed that he wasn't in his uniform, and there was no way a club meeting would go on for this long. It was almost dark outside. She smiled to herself quietly, wondering why Aya was reluctant to admit that he'd come all this way just for her.
"I see," she said simply.
"Anyway, I found myself craving peach tea. What do you think, are you up for it?"
Natsumi shrugged. "I don't know, I've never had peach tea before."
Aya's eyes widened. How could she never have had peach tea before? He linked his arm with hers playfully, as he began to pull her down the street. "Well, you're in luck, Natsumi-chan, because I am about to take your peach tea virginity."
Natsumi flushed.
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"Let's see," Yuri mused, as they stood in line at the cafeteria. She and Natsumi had offered to go buy lunch for the others; they were waiting in line, trying to remember what everyone wanted. "Futaba-chan likes the cheese bread, and she said she wanted juice. Shu-chan always wants the soy milk…. Oh no, we forgot to ask Kominato-kun what he wanted!"
Natsumi glanced at the menu. "Peach tea and the yakisoba bread."
"Oh, you asked him?"
Natsumi flushed. "What? No, that's what he always buys. I just remembered. He made me try the peach tea once, it was disgusting." When Yuri gave her a big smile, she hesitated. "It's nothing special! We eat lunch with him all the time, it's not weird to notice what he eats!"
"Do you remember what Mabuchi-kun eats?" Yuri asked curiously.
"Of course I do! He, uh, he likes the erm… the milkshakes?"
Yuri shook her head. "Wrong," she replied, as they reached the front of the line. Natsumi turned red, but luckily Yuri was too busy placing their order to notice. She was glancing around when she noticed a stack of chocolate bars on the counter. Black Thunder. Aya liked those too, he was always munching on them. Before she could stop herself, Natsumi turned to the cafeteria lady and told her to add one of the chocolate bars to their order. Yuri shot her a surprised look, but said nothing.
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"It's going to melt," Mabuchi told him matter-of-factly.
"I don't care," Aya said with an almost dazed grin, as he clutched the chocolate bar in his hand. It was a Black Thunder; the same Black Thunder bar that Natsumi had brought back for him during lunch and given him, with a slight blush on her cheeks. He'd tried to pay her back for it along with the rest of the food, but she'd refused to take the money for the chocolate bar. "She remembered what chocolate I like. She didn't even let me pay for it. It's a gift!"
Mabuchi raised an eyebrow. He'd never seen anyone treasure a chocolate bar more than Kominato was doing to this one. "Fine. Don't eat it. It'll go melt and become an ugly lump and all Natsumi-chan's efforts will go to waste."
"B-but it's filled with her love," Aya pouted, looking down at the bar.
"They were on sale at the counter. She just saw it and picked it up. Shut up, now."
Aya shook his head and smiled. Nobody could ruin this for him.
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"Don't you get embarrassed?" Shuko couldn't help but ask one day, as she and Natsumi left the classroom together after school. Aya had walked out moments earlier, screaming out 'We will meet again, my summer beauty!' across the entire classroom. Most of their classmates had laughed, although everyone was used to Aya's loud and attention-gathering attempts to flirt with Natsumi by now. "If it were me, I would be really embarrassed," Shuko added.
Natsumi turned to look at her. "Yuri told me that Aya-kun used to like you."
Shuko frowned. "I guess he did. There was never anything there, though. I kind of like someone else. Besides, he never tried to pull stunts like these on me."
"He probably knew you wouldn't like them," Natsumi replied. She hitched her bag up on her shoulder. "I know Aya seems a little loud and reckless, but he knows his limits. He's actually very perceptive of other people's feelings. He wouldn't have done that if he thought I really didn't like it."
Shuko couldn't help but smile. "Somebody's fond of Aya-kun."
"I've always been fond of him," Natsumi replied with a laugh. "Being around him gives me a very freeing feeling. He's so open, and he shows his emotions without hesitation. That's why it's so easy to get comfortable around him."
"You should just go and confess already," Shuko pointed out. "If you like him so much."
"I don't know," Natsumi replied with a smile. "He rather seems to be enjoying himself right now. I think I'll hold off for a little while longer."
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"Hello there, my summer beauty," Aya greeted Natsumi with a big smile. He motioned for her to stop just as they passed a vending machine, and he hurried over to it, returning with two cans of soda. Natsumi took the one he offered with a smile, relishing the cold touch. Aya popped his open with a fizzing noise. "So, are you excited for summer vacation?"
Natsumi shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not a big fan of summer."
"What?" Aya demanded, horrified. "Are you serious? My Natsumi-chan, my sunshine, my summer beauty doesn't like summer? That's absurd! It makes no sense! I don't believe it."
"Well, it's true. I can't stand the heat. I'm just waiting for spring."
Aya clutched his chest as though she had stabbed him. "Oh, you cold evil temptress! I might as well start calling you Ice Queen! I had so many plans, so many things to do this summer! We were going to go picnicking and swimming and boat-riding and flower-picking –"
"Flower-picking?" Natsumi asked with a laugh. "I didn't know that was the hot new thing to do on dates. Where do you get these ideas from, Aya-kun?"
Aya ignored her, wiping away fake tears from his eyes. "All my plans, ruined!"
"Well, maybe I'll still see you at the summer festival," Natsumi suggested with a smile. "My younger brother wants me to go, so my parents asked me to take him. He's never been to one before, so he's really excited."
"I've never met your otouto," Aya mused, rubbing his chin. Then he turned and gave Natsumi a grin that could only be described as lecherous. "I'm sure you look gorgeous in a yukata, Natsumi-chan."
Natsumi narrowed her eyes at him. "What's with that smile? I have a feeling you're imagining me in something other than a yukata. Don't give me that perverted look."
Aya shook his head. "No, no. I was just wondering how one takes off a yukata. I'm not too sure, but I think it might be fun figuring it out, don't you?" he asked cheekily, leaping out of the way when Natsumi swatted at him. He grinned before taking the turn for his own house. "Well, I'll see you at the summer festival, Natsumi-chan! Don't forget the yukata!"
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"That's so pretty," Yuri commented, noticing the small gold-colored chain that was hanging off Natsumi's neck as she bent over the sheet of colored paper, tracing shapes onto it. Aya was standing next to her, cutting out the shapes that he was tracing. He was actually supposed to be outside putting up decorations; but no matter what work he got, he somehow always managed to drift back to wherever Natsumi was. "Where did you get that?"
Natsumi looked down at her neck and smiled at the small golden chain that ended in a sun pendant. She'd been wearing it under her uniform, although it had slipped out when he bent over the table. She reached up to finger it and smiled at Yuri. "Aya-kun got it for me at the summer festival," she replied, glancing at Aya. He paused his cutting to smile.
"Really? That's so sweet!" Yuri gushed. "It's so kawaii!"
Aya nodded. "I thought it was symbolic, and it suited Natsumi-chan."
Natsumi grinned. "Hai. Aya-kun saw it at a stall and tried to buy it, but the shopkeeper said it was a prize for a shooting game and that he had to win to get it. So he tried, but he couldn't win. And he tried again and again and he kept at it until the man at the stall just started to feel bad for him and let him have it," Natsumi said, unable to resist laughing. Aya frowned at her, a little annoyed, but she reached over and pinched his cheek fondly. "Don't worry, Aya-kun, I thought it was adorable."
They were cut off by Shuko coming over to them, banging a large box down onto the table with force. Natsumi smiled at her, but Shuko didn't look happy. "Mabuchi seems odd since second semester started," she pointed out with a sigh, opening the cardboard box. Natsumi turned and noticed said boy sitting a little distance away, alone, typing into his phone while everyone else was working. He'd always been sort of quiet, but he was distancing himself even more these days.
"He doesn't even come for meetings," Aya added, a little put out. I've been saying that we need to prepare for the cultural festival, but he's just always texting."
Shuko hesitated. "Kominato. Do you know if he's seeing someone?"
Aya shrugged and shook his head, as though this had already occurred to him. "No, he just dodges the question when I ask him. But it does sound like a girl. One from when he was in Nagasaki."
Natsumi's eyes widened as she turned and saw Futaba standing behind Aya, a cardboard box in her hands. It was clear from her expression that she'd heard what Aya said, but she hurriedly put on a big smile and greeted them all. "Hello, everyone! Oh wow, kawaii! These are great, how did you make them?"
Natsumi felt a sudden burst of compassion for Futaba and could do nothing but avert her eyes from her friend to allow her to recover from the news. Natsumi bit her lip and paused in her drawing, when she felt a hand cover hers under the table. Surprised, she looked up and saw Aya smiling at her gently, while intertwining their fingers together. She smiled and sat like that for a while, enjoying the warmth of his hand, even though it prevented her from drawing.
She only wished Futaba could feel the same warmth from Kou.
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"Kominato, put on some pants, it's creepy," Mabuchi scolded him as they stood at the entrance to the cultural festival café, greeting the guests in their maid costumes. Both of them were dressed in frilly black and white dresses, and the girls walking past were giggling at them uncontrollably.
"Forget pants," Aya grumbled, shifting in his dress. "If you want to help me, get Natsumi-chan to stop groping my fake breasts every time she passes by. It's really disturbing. She thinks it's funny."
Mabuchi didn't quite smile; but the corner of his mouth turned up in something resembling one. "Who am I to tell your girlfriend not to grope you? Handle it yourself."
"She's not my girlfriend yet," Aya began, but the next group of guests came by. Aya smiled at them sweetly, pretending to be a blushing young girl. He was actually quite good at it, though he stopped abruptly when Natsumi came walking by, dressed in a suit with her hair tied back. She wasn't doing as good a job of pretending to be a man as Shuko, but the lecherous grin she gave them was enough to make her look like a teenage boy.
"Well, well, sugarbuns, how's it going out here?" she asked, taking the opportunity to lightly smack Aya's ass. He jumped and glared at her, but Natsumi was laughing hard, seeming to find it funny. The boys looked at each other, slightly bewildered. Aya rubbed the back of his maid uniform.
"Stop doing that, it's weird," he muttered, pulling her away from Mabuchi. Although he had to admit that in a weird way, Natsumi's lewd groping was kind of turning him on. He hesitated as Natsumi moved nearer to him, her fingers pulling on the tie at his neck and another one going around his waist to pull him closer.
"Really? Because I just want to take you into the closet and ravish that curvy little body of yours," Natsumi teased, whispering lowly into his ear. She was shocked when Aya growled and wrapped his own arms around her, pulling their bodies flush against each other. Her breasts pressed into his fake ones, and his head leaned down to the curve of her shoulder.
"Don't make promises you can't keep," he muttered hotly, before pressing his lips to her neck. Natsumi gasped slightly and melted into his arms, a rush of pleasure going through her as she felt Aya gently kiss the curve of her neck. Her hands grasped his maid uniform tightly and Aya grinned as he pulled away, resting his forehead on hers. She could feel his breath on her face as he spoke. "I think we both know who the girl is here."
"Pervert," Natsumi breathed out, pushing him away gently. She smiled at him slightly, though, turning as she walked away. "Maybe if you're lucky, I'll put on that maid uniform for you one day. I kind of like it."
Aya grinned. He couldn't wait.
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It was the last night of the cultural festival that Natsumi first saw another side to Kominato Aya. She, Shuko and Yuri were cleaning up the café, considering Futaba and Mabuchi had conveniently disappeared. As Natsumi picked up another heavy box, she cursed Mabuchi Kou for not being here. Damn it, he was supposed to be doing the heavy lifting! She would have asked Aya, but he seemed tired enough.
"I'm exhausted," Shuko muttered. She gathered up the box of cutlery and handed it to Aya, who took it with a grunt. "Kominato, these go in the cafeteria, you don't mind, right?"
Aya sighed. "No. Damn it, where's Mabuchi? He could do some of this lifting," he grumbled as he left the room. Natsumi turned around to fold another tablecloth, when a crashing noise came from outside the room a few moments later. It was unmistakable; Aya had dropped the cutlery. She sighed, following Yuri into the corridor outside.
The box of cutlery was lying on it's side, the contents spilling out. Natsumi gasped when she spotted Kominato; he was holding some guy in the school uniform by the collar, and had shoved him against the wall. He looked almost murderous, and Natsumi panicked at the sight. "Aya! What are you doing, let him go!"
Aya ignored her. He glared at the boy, who seemed equally angry, but just a little scared. "Go inside, Natsumi. I'll handle this bastard," he said calmly. Natsumi exchanged glances with Yuri, who looked equally helpless. How were they supposed to sort this out? Should they just leave?
"No way!" Natsumi protested. "You're going to be in huge trouble if you hit him, Aya-kun," she said, moving closer hesitantly. She grabbed hold of his elbow gently and pulled him back, forcing him to let go of the boy, who moved back, still glaring at Aya, and straightened his shirt.
"Watch yourself, Kominato," the guy snapped, before disappearing down the corridor. Aya stood there, breathing heavily, while Natsumi gently pulled him inside by the elbow.
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"What happened to Mabuchi-kun? He's been off all week," Yuri mumbled, as they all sat around Futaba's desk, glancing at Mabuchi's empty desk. Natsumi couldn't help it; she felt a burst of irritation. Perhaps it was because she didn't know Mabuchi Kou as well as the others did, but his behavior angered her. Why did he not realize that he was lucky to have friends who cared about him this much? Maybe he was in pain, but all he was doing was hoarding his own pain and causing more to others. If he just stopped to share his feelings with them, things would be so much simpler. If anything, his actions were selfish.
"Narumi-chhi seems to have it pretty hard staying with her mother," Aya said quietly, his hands in his pockets. Natsumi looked at him quietly, feeling somewhat ashamed. Here she was, feeling angry at Mabuchi while Aya was only concerned about Narumi. "So he'd taking care of her," Aya explained. "Her relatives are arguing over who is going to keep her.
Yuri frowned. "I wonder what Mabuchi-kun will do if she has nowhere to go."
"He might feel he has to take care of girls who are that weak," Shuko pointed out. "Their circumstances are even similar."
There was a long pause, during which Natsumi turned to look at the silent Futaba. She had to be the one worst affected by this; she was clearly in love with Mabuchi. Futaba looked at her desk, before speaking slowly. "I want to take back Kou's smile."
Futaba slowly stood up and grabbed her bag, before leaving the classroom. The others stared after her slightly, and there was an awkward silence before Natsumi grabbed her bag as well and smiled forcefully at the others. "Well. Shall we go?"
Aya followed her as she left the classroom, his arm brushing against hers as they walked down the crowded corridor to head home. Natsumi flushed when he gently reached out and took her hand in his. "What do you think will happen?" he asked quietly.
"With Mabuchi-kun?" Natsumi asked quietly. "I don't know him as well as you do. But until he starts sharing his pain- surely nothing good."
Aya stopped and his grip on Natsumi's hand tightened, causing her to be pulled backward by the force. She turned to face him in surprise, only to realize that he had a very serious look on his face. It was true that he wasn't joking around as much since Mabuchi's problems had started; but she'd never seen such a serious look on Aya's face. "Will you promise me something, Natsumi-chan?"
Natsumi turned and took a few steps closer to him. "What is it?"
"If something ever happens," he began slowly, taking a deep breath. "Like you fall in love with someone else, or if there's something troubling you, or you need help, or anything… Promise you'll tell me about it. Don't close off to me like Mabuchi does to Futaba. I know I seem like someone who turns everything into a joke, but I swear I can be serious when it's needed. I'll listen."
Natsumi looked at him in surprise. Aya had never said something so serious to her; even his confession hadn't been this seriously said. Her breath hitched in her throat slightly, and all she could choke out was, "I promise."
Aya grinned, his cheerful demeanor returning. "All right. Why don't we stop for some peach tea on the way home?"
Natsumi glared. "If you even try to make me drink that crap again…"
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Aya blinked at her. "Kikuchi? Who the hell is that?"
"He's in our year," Natsumi explained. They were sitting on a ledge in the school gardens, and Natsumi swung her legs absent-mindedly in the air. She glanced up and noticed that Aya was staring at her curiously. "Futaba was telling us during gym glass. He confessed to her. She thinks she can forget about Mabuchi-kun if she's with him."
Aya stared. "What?"
"I know. It's pretty risky, Aya-kun. I don't think it's that hard for Kikuchi to get a girl with a broken heart who wants to move on to fall in love with him. If Mabuchi-kun doesn't do something, he's going to risk losing her. We can't let that happen."
"Damn this guy," Aya grumbled, running his hands through his hair. "What's he like? I mean, attractiveness-wise? Really good-looking? Is he a serious threat?"
Natsumi frowned, her legs still swinging as she thought about it. "Well, he's better-looking than you, but not as good-looking as Mabuchi-kun," she joked, smiling when Aya glared at her. She laughed and reached over to pinch his cheek fondly. "I'm kidding, Aya-kun, you're adorable."
"Looks like Mabuchi's girl isn't the only one this Kikuchi character is trying to steal," Aya grumbled. He glanced up and saw Natsumi smiling. Did Aya consider her his girl? That annoyed her slightly, but as the same time it made her feel warm inside. Aya looked embarrassed as he realized what Natsumi was thinking about. "Uh, so tell me more about him."
Natsumi shrugged. "I don't know. He's sort of baby-faced. He's really shy and he blushes amazingly for a guy, although if that's the sort of thing Futaba likes… I mean, Mabuchi has those girly eyes too, right? But Kikuchi sings, and that's kind of hot, so points for that. And Kikuchi smiles a lot. But I don't know if that's a good thing, because Mabuchi doesn't smile and Futaba's into that…" She paused for a moment and seemed to count absent-mindedly on her fingers. "I'd give him a 6.5 on 10."
Aya stared at her. "Really? You just rated him?"
Natsumi flushed. "What? But you asked! It's not like I go around doing it to everyone."
Aya laughed. He found it adorable how Natsumi seemed to think she could just rate people off her fingertips. He jumped down from the ledge and moved to stand in front of her, resting his hands on either side of her legs. Their faces were level with each other and he smiled. "Do me, sunshine."
"What?"
"I meant rate me, like you just rated Kikuchi."
"Oh," Natsumi mumbled, before looking up at him. "I don't think so. It was a pretty superficial rating based on outward appearances. Depending on how highly you think of yourself, it could either boost your ego or cripple your self-esteem. I'd rather not."
Aya moved closer to her, his face inches away from hers. "I promise I won't take it too seriously. Just do it."
"Fine," Natsumi gave in, frowning as she thought about it. "Well, let's see. You have nice hair, so that's a plus point, although you could comb it a little better. And you're funny, which is good, but on the downside that's pretty much the only talent you have. Besides, comedy doesn't work on girls who like the mysterious type. You can be a little dense at times, but you're good at Math, so it's not like you're stupid…" She trailed off, looking thoughtful. "Overall, you're pretty good-looking, but when you stand next to Mabuchi-kun, you look pretty short."
Aya glared. "I'm not short!"
"You are next to Mabuchi-kun," Natsumi grinned. She counted silently on her fingers again. "Overall, you're maybe a 7.5 or an 8."
Aya bit his lip. "That's not so bad," he mused, looking at her. "What's Mabuchi?"
"Mabuchi-kun's a flat 9," she replied simply. Aya gaped at her.
"What? That's not fair!"
"Sure it is. He has girls falling in love with him; he's tall and he has that shoulder slouch thing going, that's pretty attractive nowadays. He's mysterious and effortlessly good-looking. He's a 9."
Aya looked put out for a few moments, and Natsumi smiled, moving her head forward slightly to bang their foreheads together. He was adorable when he was pouting. He looked up at her in surprise and Natsumi smiled, nudging him with her leg. "Okay, go ahead. You can rate me."
Aya smiled lightly and shook his head. Their faces were close together and he reached one hand up to gently brush her cheek and push a golden brown strand of hair aside. He pressed their foreheads together again. "I don't need to rate you, sunshine. You've always been a 10 to me."
Natsumi's breath caught in her throat, and he flushed red, pulling her head back away from him as she tried to compose herself. Aya smiled as he saw her trying to hide her blush. "Cheesy pick-up lines, eh?" she asked, her voice a little high. "Bad choice, Aya-kun, you just got knocked down to a 7."
Aya laughed. "I don't care. It was worth it to see you blush." He smiled, before he noticed someone behind Natsumi. She turned around to follow his gaze, and saw Mabuchi walking out of the school building. There was that same, dead aura around him and Aya clenched his fists.
'What is he even doing to himself?" Aya muttered, angrily. "I can't take this. Just because Narumi-chi… he can't let that affect him, baka!"
Natsumi nudged him. "You should say this to him."
"He'll just get upset."
"No, he won't. Not when it's coming from someone who cares as much as you do," Natsumi said quietly. "You're his friend, Aya-kun. He trusts you. You owe it to him to tell him when he's straying off track."
Aya looked up at her, and nodded. Before Natsumi could react, he'd leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek, lightly, before he turned and ran after Mabuchi.
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"So this is Nagasaki," Natsumi mused as they got off the bus. She'd spent the whole time cramped in next to a girl who kept falling asleep on her, because Kominato had been determined to change the seating arrangements and put Futaba and Kou together. It was an admirable effort, but Natsumi doubted a simple seating arrangement would help sort of the complexities of their love life. "Seems pretty."
"It's supposed to be really beautiful," Yuri insisted, as they both joined the group of people waiting to get their bags out of the bus. Natsumi smiled at her and they waited, spotting Aya out of the corner of her eye. He was standing a small distance away, talking to Futaba.
Natsumi turned and started to pull her and Yuri's luggage out of the compartment of the bus. She was just grunting under it's weight when Aya came running over to her and took the bags, "Let me help you with those. A lady shouldn't have to carry her own bags," he insisted with a smile.
Natsumi laughed, and took her bag back from him. "I'm fine Aya-kun, I can carry it myself. Eto… what was Futaba-chan saying to you just now?"
Aya's face fell a little bit and frowned as he lugged his own suitcase out of the bus compartment. "She said she was counting on me to take care of Mabuchi-kun."
Natsumi nodded quietly, following him to the entrance of the hotel. Just as they were about to go enter the lobby, she stopped, reaching for his hand and pulling him back. Aya turned and frowned, looking surprised. "Is something wrong, sunshine?"
"I'm not saying this because I don't care about Mabuchi-kun, but because I care about you," Natsumi said slowly. She looked up at him, her eyes determined. "Do you remember what you said to Mabuchi about not letting Narumi-chi bring him down? Well, that applies to you too. Help Mabuchi as much as you can, but don't let him bring you down."
Aya looked surprised, but he broke into a smile. "Okay. I won't. But why are you saying this suddenly?"
'What do you mean, why am I saying this?" Natsumi demanded. "You were the one who made me promise I would tell you if something is bothering me. If you let Mabuchi's mood affect you, then that's indirectly letting Narumi-chi's mood affect you. I don't want any girl except me to have the power to make you upset."
Aya stared at her. "You want to make me upset?"
"No. I want to be the only person who can. It's the only way I can ensure you're not upset, because nobody else can make you that way, and even though I can, I never will." She turned a little red as she spoke the last sentence, and pulled her bag behind her, quickly, walking into the lobby. Aya followed her with a slight smile.
"You're oddly possessive," he mumbled to himself, watching her long golden brown hair swing behind her.
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"They're still not back?" Natsumi asked, as Aya walked up to her. It was dark outside, and Mabuchi and Futaba had been gone for a long time. It had been a while since the others had come back to the hotel and changed into warm clothes. Natsumi prodded the kettle that was lying on the counter slightly.
"No. But Mabuchi messaged us. He wants us to come out and see the sunrise," Aya replied with a smile. Natsumi grinned back at him as the kettle clicked off and she reached for mugs. Thank god. So Mabuchi was finally letting his friends in again. She noticed the relief on Aya's face.
"That's amazing," Natsumi said quietly. "You should go."
Aya froze for a second, suddenly seeming to realize something. "I'm sure he meant to invite you too. He probably just didn't have your number."
Natsumi shrugged and laughed. "It's okay, Aya-kun, I wasn't even thinking that. I wasn't there the first time you guys watched the sunset either. I don't mind, it doesn't make the friendship any weaker." She reached for a few mugs and began to pour milk into them calmly. Aya grinned at her.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter. We're not going. Mabuchi and Futaba can manage on their own," he said with a sneaky grin. Natsumi looked at him in surprise, before laughing and hitting him on the arm. She should have known Aya would try to set them up.
"Baka!" she scolded fondly, as she filled up the mugs. "Well, for their sake, I hope your idea works."
"Hai," Aya replied, before tapping his hands absent-mindedly on the counter. He watched as Natsumi added the chocolate and stirred. The smell of the drink was mouth-watering and he sighed happily. "Can I help?"
"Sure. You can add sugar in that one," Natsumi replied, handing him a packet of sugar. "You like yours sweet, don't you?"
"Yup. Sweet like you," Aya said casually as he tore the packet open. Natsumi laughed and shook her head.
"I'm not sweet!"
"That's right. Maybe I just like it sweet because I have to compensate for your bitterness," he replied jokingly, pouring the sugar into the drink. He stirred it with a spoon quietly, and neither of the spoke for a long time. Natsumi leaned against the counter, quietly watching him stir the sugar in with perfect precision and childish eagerness.
"I love you."
The stirring stopped. Aya dropped the spoon into the mug with a small clatter, and looked at Natsumi with wide eyes. She was watching him calmly as she leaned against the counter, a hint of a smile on her face. She flushed red slightly as he stared at her, and moved to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously. She'd meant to be really cool about the confession, but she hadn't expected him to start staring at her like that.
"What?" Aya blinked.
"I love you," Natsumi replied, avoiding his gaze. "Wasn't that what you wanted? I'm going to make you fall in love with me, sunshine, and then you can come confess to me yourself. Well, yoku ganbatte ne. Good job, you succeeded."
Aya grinned, as he ignored the hot chocolate mugs and moved to stand in front of her. He lifted a hand to her cheek, and gently ran his thumb over her lips. "I guess I did. Well. I didn't know I had it in me. I kind of lost hope after you rated me a 7."
Natsumi flushed, moving closer to him. "You are a 7. But you're my 7, so that's all I need."
Aya leaned forward, trapping her against the counter, his lips moving in to brush against hers. Natsumi closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of his lips caressing hers, and his fingers stroking her skin. She tasted of hot chocolate, which made Aya wonder if she'd already had a cup before this, but he lost that train of thought when her hands entwined into his hair and she pressed her body against his tightly.
"Wow," Aya mumbled as he pulled back slightly. He stared at her, a small smile crossing his lips. "I was going to say something, but I completely forgot."
"Oh. Well, take your time," Natsumi replied, before playfully kissing his jaw. He laughed at she placed butterfly kisses on his jaw and chin, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug. He took a deep breath as he nuzzled his face into her hair.
"I remember now," he mumbled, his voice coming out muffled. "I love you too, sunshine."
Natsumi smiled, and they held each other for a moment. She buried her face in his chest, feeling his soft sweater against her skin and inhaling his scent. "Let's go watch the sunset with Yuri and Shuko."
"Okay."
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