The summer vacation ended and the group was back at school. Jurina's parents were back but so far, they haven't touched her. They're keeping their relationship a secret except to Kosuke and Anna. After Kosuke found out that Ren had told Jurina who he really was, so he took a chance and told Anna. She was, of course, shocked at first but then got used to the idea and stayed with him. They, too, are now a couple. As the school year progressed, Ren and Kosuke grew ever more popular. Ren joined the archery club while Kosuke joined band, opting to play the Saxophone instead of shoot an arrow. Both club's members grew with each passing day, all of them hoping to sneak a glance or impress the handsome boys. Throughout the school, they were called the "Mysterious Princes" because of their tendency to not associate themselves with anyone unless necessary… except for Jurina and Anna. Many of the girls… and some of the boys were beyond jealous of them. Some went as far as to send hate mail to the girls but every time, the boys would be there and whenever they see a hate mail in the girl's locker or sent to their phone, you can see the anger radiating from them. So instead of sending it, the other girls decided to confront Anna and Jurina… face to face. Jurina was walking down the hallway after changing for gym. As she walked, a group of girls came out from the other intersecting corridors and blocked her way.
"Um… please excuse me."
"Heh. Someone as shy and useless as her… how can she be so close to Ren-sama?"
"I know right? I mean… look at her. She's nothing. You're way better than her Nana."
"U-um… c-can you please excuse me? I have to get to class."
They cornered her and slammed her into the wall glaring at her with a sick smirk on their faces. She shook under their glare, remembering that look her parents would give her when they wanted her to… pleasure them… mostly her father.
"Here's the deal little Jurina. You get Ren to like one of us and we'll leave you alone. Until then, we'll make your life miserable."
"B-but…"
"No buts… do you understand me?"
"…"
"I said do you understand me you little bitch."
After Jurina's silence once more, the girl raised her hand, ready to slap Jurina right across the face. As it was coming down, a pale hand caught her arm and stopped the process. She turned around and found herself face to face with the two princes of the school. Both looking incredibly angry. Kosuke looked murderous while Ren had a calm but icy look but you could feel the anger seething off him.
"A—ah… Ren-sama… Kosuke-sama… I was just…"
She was cut short by Kosuke's growl and glare. This was the first time this group of girls saw these two so angry… it was probably the first time the whole school saw them like this. Ren immediately ignored the girls and ran to Jurina who had slid down to sit on the floor, burying her face in her knees. Ren heard sniffling and immediately knelt down and placed an arm on her shoulder.
"Jurina-san… Jurina-san… it's me… Ren… don't cry… I'm here."
He sat on the floor and hugged her as she cried into his shirt. As he tried to calm her, he looked up and glared at the girls. The girls backed away, ready to run, until they heard Kosuke's voice ring out behind them. His voice was full of anger and disdain.
"You girls. Tell me the truth of what you were doing to Jurina-chan."
"W-we… we thought she was being a burden to you two. She was never really what you can call 'normal'. The only friend she ever had was that Anna girl… we were going to tell her to back off too… we are so much better than those two."
There was silence for a moment and the girls wondered why. They looked at Kosuke and Ren, who had stood up already with Jurina in his arms, and nearly screamed. Earlier, they were already radiating anger and murderous intent. Now, they seem capable of turning into demons and slaughtering everyone. Kosuke spoke first, his voice scaring all the girls to nearly bolt.
"You and anyone else shall NEVER hurt or insult Anna-chan OR Jurina-chan. If you do, I will make sure there is hell to pay."
"Yes. If you are to hurt Jurina-san and Anna-san in any way, you will wish you hadn't. No one here has the right to tell us or decide for us who we should be friends with and who is fitting. We decide that on our own."
They then turned and walked out, Ren still carrying Jurina to the infirmary while Kosuke went to find Anna to inform her of what has happened. The girls watch the boy's back disappear. They were scared of Kosuke's tone of voice but what scared them the most was Ren's. It was deathly calm. It showed no anger but it didn't show any other emotion. The look however, was all it took. One icy glance and they were depleted to nothing but puddles of fear. Even after this encounter, they still couldn't stop to think how cool they were and they couldn't stop chasing the boy's figure with their eyes. As Ren carried Jurina to the infirmary, he felt her shake in his arms. Each sob wracking her lithe body. As he heard each sob, his heart broke some more. By the time they were halfway, he was sure his heart had shattered into a million pieces. He endured each sob she let out until he reached the infirmary. Once inside, he noticed that the nurse was gone. She was never here really… He set her down gently on the bed in the farthest corner, away from prying eyes if they were to look in. He slipped her under the blankets and pulled up and chair and sat down next to her. Her hands covered her face as she cried. He reached over and caressed her hair.
"Shhh… don't cry Jurina-san… it's going to be alright. I promise."
She stopped crying after a while. He kept his hand there, petting her hair softly. She left her hands on her face and Ren thought it odd. He reached over and tried to take her hands away.
"No! Don't… I look ugly after I cry."
Ren only chuckled and drew her hands away. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and there were tear streaks on her face. He offered her a small smile and she smiled back. But he noticed it was a strained smile. He frowned a bit, got up, and sat on the bed next to her. She looked up at him and he noticed tears start to well up again. He quickly leaned down and placed gentle kisses on her eye lids. Once the tears fell, he kissed them away and rubbed away the tear streaks.
"What's wrong Jurina-san? Something's troubling you… I can see it. Tell me about it."
Jurina hid under the covers for a minute before peaking out. He smiled at her and encouraged her to tell him what was wrong by gently squeezing her hand.
"Its… w-well I was thinking about w-what those girls said. About us… me…. Being a burden and not normal... I mean… you have to pay for my parent's food… and you have to walk me home… and you have to cook for me and everything… I feel like I'm depending too much on you. I want to do something for you too… I mean… I'm taking everything from you and Kosuke! Anna gives back… she cooks sometimes and she gives gifts… I can't cook, I can hardly clean. I'm also not normal! Look at my parents… I have no friends except for Anna who has known me since childhood. I'm freak and I know it… It's just… I feel that they are right…"
Ren was silent for a minute before he moved down and placed both his arms on either side of Jurina's head. He looked into her eyes, searching for the truth and he found it. What she said was truly what she was feeling. He slowly bent down, allowing her time to turn away but she didn't so he captured her lips in a sweet and tender kiss. He then pressed a little harder, trying to convey his emotions in that one kiss. Before he parted, he summed up his courage and licked her lips lightly before pulling away. He heard her gasp but he quickly touched their foreheads together and stared into her eyes.
"You… are NOT a burden to me nor are you a burden to Kosuke. You are normal despite what your parents have done to you. You are not freaky… they just never tried to know you. We both love you dearly and we both also love Anna. Rest assured however, that I do love you more. I would have rejected you but instead, you are now my girlfriend. I like you just as you are. What those girls say are entirely untrue. Everything I do… everything we do… we don't do it out of pity… we do it because we want to. Do not worry about being a burden. You are not. Don't listen to those girls. Alright?"
Jurina watched him for a bit before nodding her head. He felt her arms encircle his neck and pull him down into a hug. He felt her breath against his ear and he shivered slightly.
"Thank you… Rena-senpai… for always being there for me. I don't care whether you're a girl or a boy… my feelings remain the same… it may be too early to say this… and you don't have to return this but… I love you… Rena-senpai."
"And I love you too Jurina-san…"
Ren pulled away slightly from the hug and looked at Jurina. Jurina looked back with her kitty smile and Ren stuck out his tongue a little. He leaned down once again and this time, she met him halfway. The kiss started out sweet and tender once more until Ren licked her bottom lip. She gasped a little and he took this opportunity to explore the new area. As he explored, he came in contact with something wet, warm, and velvety. He then found out it was her tongue and her taste was overwhelming. They began a duel for dominance until Jurina gave up and let Ren's tongue coax her into his mouth. Once there, he began to slightly suck on it making Jurina give out a moan since she hasn't felt anything like this before. He pulled away and smiled at her. She smiled back and he gave her a quick peck and she pulled him down into a hug again. He felt her smile and nuzzled his neck as he held onto her.
"I love you Jurina-san…"
"I love you too… Rena-senpai."
