Hello hello! I hope you are all doing well. I've been doing a lot with this story lately! A lot of it is me messing around with the outline, and I'm thinking this story will probably come out between 16-20 chapters depending on how closely I follow it one way or another. Not as many as my other two but there is no doubt the word count on this bad boy will far surpass them both, haha. I'm really excited about where it's gonna go!
Also I'm rewatching the anime bc I'll never be able to let this story go lol. And I'm hoping it'll help me with some of my transition issues heh. And I'll stop talking now ^^
Somehow nearly a week and a half had passed without my notice. And the only reason it came to my attention was when my mom pointed out that I had been cooped up in the house for all that time.
"Really?" I asked her one morning over breakfast. I hadn't even realized how much time had passed.
"Yeah, what have you been up to that's making you so distracted? I know it's summer vacation, but you really should try and go outside once in awhile," she said.
"I don't know," I said absentmindedly. I supposed I had a lot on my mind these days, and by a lot I mostly meant Ikuto. Despite the resolve I had felt after talking with Nagi, it had all but faded completely before I had a chance to act on it and I felt like I was back to square one. I almost missed having a big bad to fight; at least it was a distraction from other pressing matters.
"Why don't you call some of your friends? I'm sure they'd like to see you since they are used to being with you almost every day," my mom suggested.
She made a good point. We hadn't all been together since the wedding, so maybe hanging out would be a good idea... And a good distraction. There was a part of me that still wanted to see Ikuto, but I wasn't sure how things would be after our last conversation, so that was off the table. But getting together with the rest of the gang seemed like a fun way to get me out of whatever slump I had gotten stuck in. I nodded thoughtfully at her proposal. "Maybe I'll see if any of them can get together today," I told her.
"That seems like a great idea," she smiled, collecting my plate from in front of me and taking it into the kitchen.
I took that as my cue to exit and returned to my room where I found my phone lighting up with messages. I had three messages from Yaya that could have easily been sent in one.
Amu-chiii
Hiii
Kairi and I are getting a head start on some of this year's guardian responsibilities :( You should come join us for old times :p
It sounded like she just wanted a distraction from whatever Kairi was trying to make her do, but lucky for her I was looking for one, too. I couldn't believe they were already getting started on guardian duties when school had just gotten out a few weeks ago. I was even more surprised Yaya agreed to help with school stuff during her vacation. Perhaps she was so bored at home she thought doing work with a friend would be more fun. I questioned how those two would get along in the year to come with such conflicting work habits... But at least I had some plans for the day. I replied to her saying I'd be at the royal garden as soon as I could. I told my charas where we were going and they were more excited to get out of the house than I was. I got dressed and headed out soon after.
I arrived at the garden about an hour later. The walk over was pretty miserable in the heat, and Ran and the others complained the whole way over, but I was looking forward to seeing some of my friends. All the flowers that had been planted around the school during the spring were still blooming in all sorts of colors. If it wasn't for the heat it would have been a nice place to sit and relax.
As I approached the entrance I heard Yaya complaining loudly about something, followed by what sounded like Kukai. Had she invite him too? When I entered the building I saw Yaya and Kairi standing around clearly trying to sort out some issue with Kukai as the moderator. At the table I spotted Tadase and Nagihiko watching the other three with amused expressions. It looked like she had invited everyone, which was a pleasant surprise for me, but Kairi looked irritated.
My charas flew off to greet their friends and Yaya spotted me as I walked up the stairs. "Agh, Amu-chi, tell Kairi that giving everyone at school a survey to fill out about their complaints is too much work," she cried and I let out a laugh. I guess Kairi wasn't cutting her any slack.
"Hi to you, too," I greeted as I reached the table.
Kairi looked like he was about to go off. "It's not just for their complaints," he told Yaya and then turned to me. "The survey will be available for students to make their complaints, comments, and suggestions known to the guardians so that we might better serve them," he explained. He didn't have to justify himself to me, but Yaya appeared to have completely blocked him out.
I weighed both sides of the argument. "I don't know, it seems like a survey might be a valuable thing to utilize," I admitted, and false tears streamed down Yaya's face at the prospect of doing extra work. "But maybe you could make it an optional survey? So that way you won't have so many papers to sort through?" I suggested, looking at Kairi.
He adjusted his glasses in response. "Duly noted, Hinamori-san," he said. Yaya still looked reluctant to take on any more work than she had to. I turned my attention to Nagi who was sitting to my left.
"Hello, Amu-chan," he gave me a belated greeting. "We were just talking about when you would arrive."
"How long ago did you guys get here?" I asked, trying to tune out the bickering going on to my right.
Tadase sighed with a smile. "Yuiki-san texted me before her and Sanjou-san were even on their way, so I've been here for quite some time," he explained. "And–
"And I found Tadase passed out on the table when I arrived," Nagi cut him off with a grin.
Tadase blushed. "Nagihiko-kun, you could have left that part out," he said and I giggled. I couldn't deny he looked cute when he was flustered.
Nagi laughed, too. "Yaya showed up with Kairi and Kukai a little while later," he finished. "I'm almost surprised you didn't beat them here," he joked.
I scratched the back of my head. "I had a bit of a slow morning," I confessed. Time was passing by faster than I could keep up and I felt like I was trying to run underwater. But I was glad I hadn't missed too much.
"I see," Nagi replied. Then he leaned forward a bit. "So, how are you and your problem?" He asked, his tone of voice clearly referring back to our conversation from last week. I was sure he worded it vaguely to keep the others in the dark, but the ambiguity only spotlighted the issue. I wasn't really worried about Tadase overhearing, but the others...
"Problem? What kind of problem?" Yaya interjected, her attention shifting onto me.
How did she even catch that over arguing with Kairi? I looked at her peering eyes for a moment but returned my gaze back to Nagi. "Um, it remains unresolved," I confessed, also attempting to be as obscure as possible. I came here to try to avoid thinking about it and I hoped it wouldn't become the center of attention.
Of course my vague wording only piqued her interest further. "Amu-chi, what are you talking about?" Yaya pressed, leaning in close to me.
I anxiously angled away from her. When Yaya wanted something she could bore straight into your soul. "It's nothing, really. Don't worry about it," I tried to convince her with a faltering voice, which had the opposite effect. I saw Tadase and Nagi laughing to themselves. Perhaps I had made a mistake making my issues known to parts of the group. I was unsure how long I could keep it from the rest of them at this rate.
I still felt Yaya scrutinizing me but I did my best to ignore her. "So Kairi, what do you have planned for the coming year?" I asked in an effort to redirect the conversation.
He had previously been pouting by himself but brightened up at my question. I guess everyone else had been trying to disregard his graphs and charts talk. He sat up straight, looking reenergized. "Well, I've only been doing a small amount of brainstorming, with no help from our senior member," he muttered the last part, but I was sure Yaya still heard him based on her annoyed expression. "But, I've come up with a few different proposals." He sifted through the alarmingly tall stack of papers on the table until he found what he was looking for. "When the quarter begins we'll be hosting a game night on the school grounds so that the new and old students can get a chance to meet before classes begin," he explained. "And since summer will just be coming to an end the weather will be good, so we'd be able to accommodate everyone outside and have a wider variety of events available."
That was quite a bit of thought for a simple brainstormed idea. "That seems like a great plan," I commented and he nodded in thanks, continuing to read through different papers.
"Yuiki-san suggested a trip to an amusement park or skating rink, but that vast number of people and cost makes it seem impractical if not impossible," he said, shooting Yaya a look that she aggressively ignored. "And I proposed a book exchange of some sort, but the Ace said that wouldn't go over well," he continued to glare at her over the top of his glasses.
Yaya turned away from him. "Books are boring. Why not have something more fun like a toy or dessert exchange?" She objected. I recalled that she liked those comics Rima used to read, but I think she was just trying to find a way to pick a fight with whatever he suggested because it meant putting off actually working on it.
I sighed. What happened to the teamwork that went into creating the paper mâché confetti ball for the promotion ceremony? "Why not include the exchange idea in your survey?" I butted into their never ceasing bickering. "Ask people which one they'd prefer and go from there. Or have them at separate times during the semester. Or find a way to combine them into one event," I suggested. "And if you include events in the survey maybe it will motivate more students to fill it out so you'll be able to get more opinions on other topics, too," I listed off a handful of options in hopes that they could both agree to at least one.
"Amu makes an excellent point, asking them what they want rather than planning one or the other and hoping for the best might be the most productive way to go about it," Tadase agreed. Maybe if we all ganged up on the two of them they'd come to a compromise.
Kairi and Yaya crossed their arms in unison, clearly not wanting to agree with each other. But after a few moments of silence, Kairi eased up a bit.
"I suppose those suggestions could work out in the student's best interest, which would be the ideal," he confessed. "And survey results would be more accurate if we got a wider variety of students to fill it out," he added with a tone that said, 'why didn't I think of that before?'. I nodded and then turned to Yaya, who didn't appear like she was about to budge. I gave her a hard look.
She pursed her lips for another second before giving in to the peer pressure. "I guess that would work," she admitted.
Kukai threw his hands in the air. "Alright!" He exclaimed triumphantly and put his arms around their shoulders, drawing them close. "See, agreeing isn't so hard," he grinned widely, and the two of them grumbled. "Now what's the next topic?" He asked and Yaya quickly shot that idea down.
"No more ideas! That was way too much work," she complained and tried to break out of Kukai's grasp. Her fidgeting quickly turned into an all-out wrestling match between her and Kukai, and Kairi got dragged into it because of his close proximity.
"Guys, we have important business to work on!" He struggled to say as Kukai dragged him back into the fray.
"We can work and play at the same time," Kukai said while holding Kairi in a loose headlock and I laughed. Kukai always had a way to get people working on the same team.
I was more amused as I watched Daichi, Ran, and Rhythm join in the tussle. The new members reignited the scuffle and they were back at it again a moment later. I almost felt bad for Kairi, but loosening up a bit would be good for him.
"How do you think they'll fair without us?" Tadase asked, breaking me away from the brawl.
I shook my head, not entirely certain. "Well," I hesitated. I was pretty sure they'd be fine… pretty sure.
Nagi chuckled. "You should have more confidence in them," he said. "I have a feeling when we aren't here they get along better. But you know Yaya, she always has to put up her childish act," he reminded us in a low voice so she wouldn't hear.
That was true, no one could out-do Yaya at going over the top. "Well she never fails at that," I said fondly, still watching the three of them bicker. I was going to miss these get togethers once our journey to middle school began. I was sure we'd still see each other often, but I imagined it would be difficult to get us all together at once like this. Everything was going to be so different in just a few months.
"So, Amu-chan," Tadase started. "How are you and Ikuto-niisan?" I was abruptly torn from my thoughts. I knew deftly avoiding this conversation was too good to be true.
Somehow the question had caught the attention of Kukai, Kairi, and Yaya, who broke up their squabble to tune in. Another stroke of luck. I tensed at all the attention on me.
"Huh? How do you mean?" I tried to play it off casually. Why was everyone so keen on knowing what was going on between us. I glanced at Nagi who was resting his chin on his hands, clearly interested in my answer, too.
"What about Ikuto?" Yaya interrupted, her curiosity ignited once again.
I couldn't have Tadase or Nagi clarifying the specifics. "Um... I haven't seen him since we were at his house last week, so," I trailed off. It seemed like a fairly harmless answer, and definitely better than Tadase trying to explain the whole story, but I realized too late it opened up an entire new realm of questions.
"Eh Amu-chi, why were you at his house?" Yaya asked with that suspicious look again.
My face reddened. I was basically digging my own grave. "I was just visiting," I tried not to act too defensive, but I was sure it came off as just the opposite.
Yaya folded her arms in front of her and frowned. "Jeez, first Kukai and now you," she complained.
Kukai let out a laugh but her remark made me more apprehensive. What was that supposed to mean? I buried my face in my hands. "Please, we are just friends," I groaned, though I doubted anything I said would help me right now. I was beginning to accept that I was doomed to be picked apart by my friends.
"Sure, sure, that's why you're turning so red," she slumped in her chair, obviously not happy at the thought of another one her friends being involved with someone like Kukai and Utau were.
I dragged my hands down my face. If I had known it was going to come to this I would have just stayed at home for another week. "It's because I'm overheating! It's the middle of summer and we are sitting outside in a glasshouse," I made a feeble attempt to deflect her statement, but I didn't place much hope on it.
I watched her closely, waiting for another accusatory response. Instead she seemed to be pondering what I said. She looked deep in thought for a brief moment but then she sunk into her chair more. "Ugh, it's way too hot," she moaned, completely changing directions. In that moment I was incredibly grateful for her short attention span, but she only hunched for a few seconds before popping up again. "We should all go to the beach!" She said with new resolve. I exhaled in relief as she got further and further away from the previous topic.
Kairi, who was still trying to fix his disheveled appearance, looked upset at the notion. "Yuiki-san, what about the work we were supposed to do?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No more work. It's summer vacation, we are supposed to be relaxing and having fun," she explained, completely rejecting him. He didn't bother trying to argue with her, and I couldn't blame him; she was relentless.
"It seems a little late in the day to go all the way to the beach," Tadase noted.
Yaya looked like she was about to argue against that, but then let out a defeated sigh. "And I have to watch my little brother later," she grumbled. "What about tomorrow?"
I was going to agree, but then Tadase spoke again. "I have plans with my family all day tomorrow," he said. "What about the day after?"
Nagi shook his head. "I can't then. We could try for Thursday?" He suggested.
They were going in circles. I remembered that Rima would be coming back to town Friday night, and this seemed like something she would want to be a part of. "Why don't we go Saturday? Rima will be home by then and we can all go," I said.
Yaya looked upset that she'd have to wait so long, but she agreed to it.
"I think that will be nice," Nagi commented.
"Then it's settled! Beach on Saturday," Kukai said enthusiastically. "I hope you're all prepared for a day of endless water action," he half threatened. I smiled. We hadn't all gone to the beach together in ages. I was excited for an entire day out with my friends.
Once the plans were set we all elected to head our separate ways, agreeing it was too hot to get anything else done. I shared a look with Nagi and Tadase who seemed totally oblivious to my discomfort with what had almost happened. Overcome, I said my goodbyes and made the sweltering walk home.
"Man, that was way too close," I breathed a sigh of relief. I wondered how long I could keep Yaya off my back about this.
"Why does it matter if your friends know? It's not like they would judge you for it," Dia asked.
"I don't know about that," I replied. I could come up with a dozen things Yaya would say if she knew the details, and none of them were on the supportive side.
"Besides Yaya-chan," Dia added, reading my mind.
I brooded over the thought. I guess the rest of them would probably be encouraging enough, but that didn't mean I felt comfortable sharing it with them. Talking about something I was so unsure of seemed like a recipe for trouble and that simply wasn't an issue I felt like dealing with. Plus, the more people that knew the more real it became. And the risk of the person at the root of the problem hearing about it grew substantially.
"I'm sure it'll come up eventually whether I like it or not, but I'd rather put it off while I can, I guess," I explained. Although I was growing more and more suspicious everyone already had an inkling of it to some degree. "Ugh, love is way more obnoxious than I thought it would be," I complained. Saying the word out loud still felt weird, but not necessarily wrong. I took my frustrations out on a rock and kicked it down the school sidewalk.
"What's so obnoxious?" A familiar voice startled me as I turned a corner and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I spun around and saw who I feared I would. "I-Ikuto, what are you doing here?" I asked hysterically. How did he always manage to appear at the worst possible moment?
He lithely pushed himself from the wall and strolled over to me. "I was in the area and it's been a while, so I thought I'd swing by to say hello," he said.
I clutched my racing heart, still trying to recover from his ambush. "How did you know I would be here?" I asked, feeling exceedingly self-conscious at his presence.
"Hmm, call it my cat-like instincts," he smirked. "But Tadase also mentioned he'd be seeing his friends today, so I figured I might find you here," he added.
I gave him a bewildered look. "Was Tadase at your place earlier?"
He nodded. "My parents invited his out somewhere for the day and he tagged along for a ride to your guys' school. I just put one and two together," he explained with a shrug.
"I see," they really were like a big family. I never would have imagined they were all so close, but I was happy to hear they were getting along just fine.
Ikuto started walking and I followed after him out of habit. "Have you been spending a lot of time with his family?" I asked.
"More or less. It's mostly my parents and his planning things together," he explained. "Tadase and I just keep getting dragged into the mix," he said with a slight smile.
"You sound like you're enjoying being dragged into them, though," I looked at him with a quizzical grin. He couldn't hide behind his aloof persona around me.
He met my gaze and chuckled at my expression but didn't answer the question. "So, what were you talking about that was so obnoxious?" He brought back his previous comment to steer things in a different direction.
I crossed my arms and averted my gaze. "Nothing important," I lied. It was very important.
"Oh, is that so," he remarked, clearly seeing through my weak attempt of deceit.
"It is," I argued. I heard my charas giggling behind me and I wanted to strangle them.
"Doesn't seem like it," he pried, and I could feel his eyes on me. "You only ever get worked up over important things," he pointed out.
I could feel my cheeks flushing. "Why do you care so much!" I demanded, my defensive talk only making matters worse. I tried to stay a few steps ahead of him so I didn't have to face him, but it was difficult to stay ahead of his stride.
He let out a laugh and I turned to see him shaking his head. "Calm down, I'm only messing with you," he said with a grin.
I looked away from him. "Hmph," was all I could come up with. He always got me so agitated and then backtracked just to drive me crazy.
"So, what have you been up to since the last time we saw each other?" He asked, taking the conversation down yet another road.
I loosened up a bit since he seemed to have let go of the previous topic for the time being. "Nothing in particular," I told him. I didn't really want to go into the boring details that had been my life this last week.
"Ah I see," he said. "Then you've just spent the whole time at home?" He guessed.
When you said it out loud it sounded kinda lame. "So what? I've been enjoying being able to relax while I can," I explained. Truth be told I hadn't even noticed all that time had passed, but he didn't need to know that.
"You're gonna get fat if you sit around doing nothing all day," he said and I found myself returning to my defensive mode.
"I'm not that lazy," I snapped back. "I didn't have much else to do," I told him. I couldn't even have a moment of peace. I wondered if we'd ever have a single serious conversation.
"If you were bored you could have asked me to go do something," he said, and I was surprised to hear him say that.
"Haven't you been busy spending time with your dad though?" I asked.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't have any free," he said.
"Oh," I replied. I figured he'd been so absorbed in family time that he didn't really have the opportunity for other stuff lately. Even if I had known that a week ago I doubt I would have had the courage to call him up, but it was comforting to know he was willing to make time for me if I wanted.
"Ne, Amu-chan," Suu unexpectedly whispered to my left. "You should invite Ikuto-kun to the beach with us," she suggested.
"Huh?" I replied. I saw Ikuto shoot me a puzzled look.
"It'd be fun to have everyone together, don't you think?" She clarified. I pondered that for a moment. I supposed it would be interesting to see him in a setting like that. Maybe he'd even enjoy himself.
"Am I missing something important?" I heard Ikuto ask way too closely to my right and I jumped away, which coaxed another laugh out of him.
I glared at him, flustered again. Would that be a weird thing to ask? I couldn't imagine he was much of a water person, but it could make the day more exciting.
"Are you gonna stare at me all day or is something on your mind?" Ikuto said, breaking up my thoughts.
I blinked a few times, not entirely sure how to ask him. "Um, what are your thoughts on the beach?" I started. I wanted to make sure he was even remotely interested before inviting him.
He gave me an inquisitive look. "Why? Are you trying to ask me out on a date? Because to be honest I generally prefer dryer places," he replied with an honest tone.
I sighed. Nothing could be painless with him. "No, stupid. The guardian squad six and I are going on Saturday and I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come, too," I explained as steadily as I could. I couldn't keep letting him get under my skin like that.
"That's so not a cute way to ask someone out, Amu," he said. I knew he was just trying to agitate me more, but it was working.
"I'm not trying to be cute!" I said angrily. At least we were almost back at my house and I'd be free of his harassment for a few days. "It's just an invitation; you're free to accept or decline or whatever you want to do," I added, folding my arms in front of me.
"You're so cold, Amu-chan," Miki muttered by my ear and I made a swipe at her but she dodged it with ease.
"Even your characters agree with me," Ikuto noted and I wanted to melt into the sidewalk. I couldn't defend myself from every angle and decided remaining silent was better than getting mixed up in that conversation.
We approached the front of my house and came to a stop. I sighed and looked up at him. "So, will you come then?" I asked, clutching my hands together in front of me. He hadn't given a definite answer, but I tried to be optimistic. I wanted him to come.
"Hmm," he started, rubbing his chin. I was sure his pause was intentional for the added suspense. "I suppose I could bear the sun for a few hours if it means I get to see you," he answered.
I felt my face flush at his words. Not because he was teasing me, but because I could tell he was being serious. My expression must have been amusing because it earned another laugh from him and I clenched my fists, "Why do you always do that!" I said with frustration. I couldn't keep up with him.
My reaction just made him laugh harder. "I can't help it, you're too cute," he covered half his face with his hand and I felt my cheeks burn more.
"Ugh, get out of here!" I stomped my foot, not making any effort to hide my childish behaviors. He couldn't throw those sorts of things at me out of nowhere and expect me to not react, though I was certain he was completely aware of that.
He wiped a tear from his eye and then looked at me, still grinning. "What, not even a thank you for walking you home?" He asked.
I scowled at him. I wanted to tell him I never asked him to do that so he would leave, but being so hostile was getting exhausting. I crossed my arms. "Thank you," I muttered.
He shook his head in response. "I'll see you in a few days," he said with a wave before continuing down the sidewalk. I watched him go for a few moments before heading inside. I felt like I was going to lose my mind if I kept getting caught up in these situations.
I was still brooding over Ikuto when I walked through the door and I was surprised when I found my mother waiting attentively near the window.
"Mom? What are you doing?" I asked as I entered.
"Was that Ikuto-kun I spotted walking with you?" She asked with a curious expression.
Had she been watching the whole time? I was caught off guard. "Um, yeah, I ran into him on my way back and he decided to walk me home," I explained.
She clasped her hands together. "That was nice of him," she said. I nodded, wondering if her newfound interest came from our conversation from a little while ago.
"Amu-chan, who is Ikuto-kun," my dad asked from the couch. The emphasis he put on the -kun worried me. I looked over and saw him sulking into the cushions. I guess that thought of my hanging out with a guy I was so familiar with was not the ideal.
"He's one of Amu-chan's friends! They go to school together," my mom answered before I could. She gave me a wink, clearly trying to protect me from one of his over-protective dad incursions. I could have cried. My mom was the only person who was always on my side.
"How was hanging out with your friends, Amu? You weren't there for very long," she asked after getting my dad off my trail.
I took my shoes off and set some of my stuff down. "Yeah, we decided it was too warm to hang out at school so we made plans to go to the beach on Saturday instead," I told her.
"That'll be wonderful, the weather is supposed to be nice this weekend," she said. "Will it just be you and your school friends? Or will you be inviting Ikuto and Utau, too?" She asked, and I hoped my dad wouldn't notice how she separated the two of them from the rest.
"Um, yeah, I think so," I said. I figured Kukai would invite Utau.
"That's great, I'm sure you will all have a fun day," she replied and I nodded. I spotted my dad still brooding on the couch and decided it would be best to keep away from him for a bit.
"I'll be in my room if you need me," I said to me mom before heading upstairs.
I exhaled and collapsed onto my bed. It was way too hot to be this worked up. I looked at my ceiling. Everything seemed like it was happening so quickly, I felt like I was barely keeping up with it. And Ikuto… Always going back and forth between teasing me and being serious, it was draining. "And so annoying," I muttered. My emotions were on the fritz.
"What annoying, Amu-chan?" Ran asked as she sat in front of the small fan I had on my desk.
"Who do you think?" I asked.
Miki took a seat near my head. "I don't know, it seems like you kind of like it when he teases you," she said nonchalantly. I grabbed the closest pillow and tried to squish her with it.
"As if," I told her, now sitting up and waiting for my next moment to strike
"Miki is right, you always seem so happy after talking to Ikuto-kun," Suu said and I was prepared to go after her, too.
"Shut up!" I snapped at her. They were so on my case about this today, even if they were right.
"There's nothing wrong with being happy about spending time with someone you like, Amu-chan," Dia reminded me.
I grumbled at her a bit, still embarrassed at myself. "I guess," I reluctantly agreed. But I couldn't keep myself from smiling. I wonder how the day would go, all my friends… and Ikuto. I could hear the gears turning in my head. The realization hit me and my expression dropped.
"What's wrong Amu-chan?" Ran asked, concerned by the sudden change.
I grabbed the ends of my hair in distress. "What's gonna happen when the friends who wouldn't stop prying about my issues are around my issue?" I despaired. The thought of word slipping to him was unbearable. As far as I knew, only Nagi and Tadase were completely aware of the situation, and I didn't think they'd deliberately throw me under the bus like that. But if one of them stumbled and said something even remotely relating to it, or if Yaya tries to interrogate me again...
"I'll just die," I sunk into my bed, now filled with anxiety over the day I had just been so excited about.
If you guys visit my deviant art misanthropehalf (sorry it won't let me insert a link) you'll see an exciting surprise! I'm not an artist but I thought it was fun hehe
I really struggled with this chapter tbh. Writing the guardians is not as easy as I thought it would be. Writing Amu/Ikuto comes so naturally to me now, but the others… Not so much so thank you for understanding if they come off as a little typical or out of character.
Also fun fact: originally I just planned on having Amu walk home and texting Ikuto about the beach later buuut I figured he hadn't been in the last chapter either and I think I like how this version turned out more so no regrets =3= but sorry for abusing the "Ikuto showing up out of nowhere at the perfect time" trope, it's just such a good one hehe
Also sorry about abusing the ellipsis…
Next time: The beach!