OKAY. BEFORE YOU THROW YOUR STICKS AND STONES AT ME LET ME SPEAK. I KNOW THIS CHAPTER IS LOOOOOOONG OVERDUE. I KNOW, OKAY? I WAS BUSY. AND I WAS STUCK. I'M SORRY. I'M DEEPLY SORRY. But hey, this is an extra long chapter, and oh my god, it is gooooood. Personally, this would be one of my favorite chapters, and the end, oh the end. I would say it's quite worth the wait. However, that'll be up to you. Please enjoy!


The name Shintaro Kisaragi has appeared at the top of the exam charts every time, no matter it be Science, Math, English, or History. My tests would be returned with a huge 100 on the top marked in red, and the paper would be filled with red checkmarks. Every day was boring, so boring. Nothing new happened.

I didn't have friends. Nor did I think I needed any. I was fine alone. The people in my classes didn't want me as a friend either. Nobody talked to me, nobody hung out with me, I was all alone. Then again, that didn't bother me at all. Who cares? I can manage by myself. Other peoples' thoughts would disturb my own.

I had thought I would be alone for my whole school life. However, on the first day of my third year as a middle schooler, a girl talked to me. She introduced herself to me, smiling, in a manner that was so kind that my ideals changed for just a second. She became my first friend.

She was Ayano Tateyama.

Ayano introduced me to her younger siblings and we became a group of ten friends. Along with a new member that joined a few years later, Actor, we were the Blindfold Gang.

It was all because of Ayano that my everyday became filled with fun and laughter.

But I was never able to do anything for her.

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It was after school. I had stayed at school for an errand I had to do (involuntarily) for the teachers: I had to grade the tests of the students of my class. Obviously, this task was given to me by our homeroom teacher, Kenjirou Tateyama.

He was also Ayano's father.

At the end of school today, he had shoved these papers in front of me and told me to grade them because he was too lazy. Sighing, I wondered why I didn't refuse on the spot and threaten to tell the chairman. Spinning my pen around my fingers, I took a sip of my can of coke. I put the paper I just finished grading into the other pile, and the name written on the next test made my eyebrows raise.

Ayano Tateyama. Class 3-B.

It was her test. Oh god, I'll be having a headache after grading this from her stupidity. I turned my attention back to her test.

After a few minutes, her paper was filled with red x-marks and checkmarks. A number was written in red on the front page: 68. It was better than I expected. So she was actually studying. I smiled slightly.

Finishing off the other tests, I stood up and stretched. I took the pile to the teachers' office, and I walked out of the building to get some fresh air. Grading tests was harder than I thought. Maybe I'll get another can of coke.

"OH MY GOD!"

I looked up, hearing a scream. I squinted my eyes up at the school rooftop, wishing that I had Hibiya's eyesight. I saw that someone was falling, falling from the rooftop. My eyes widened. That obviously wasn't something good. Someone was falling from the school rooftop. That height could kill someone! I squinted harder to try to see who it was. Did I know this person?

My eyes widened even further. I felt the whole world spinning, and my head started to hurt. That person... That person...

It couldn't be. But it has to be. That brown hair. That clad of red.

Ayano...?

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It seemed like forever that I was standing there, gaping, shocked. My legs could barely support me, and they didn't carry me forward to where Ayano was. My head was still hurting, and the world was still spinning. I was shaking, shaking as if I was trapped in eternal winter and I was getting frostbite. But the shivering was not because of cold; it was because of shock and fear.

Ayano. Ayano. Ayano.

I have to get her. I have to get to Ayano.

I forced my legs to move forward, slowly at first, then breaking into a run, sprinting to where Ayano was. I needed to be beside her.

If I didn't reach her in time, what I would do? What if she got hurt? What if she was in a coma? What if... What if she was gone from the world forever?

My heart ached at the possibility that popped up finally sinking in. What would I do? I shook my head. This was not the time. I needed to prevent that.

Ayano. Ayano. AYANO.

I soon came to the row bushes that she should have fell into. I scanned the bushes for the familiar clad of red, and sure enough, I saw her. I sucked in a breath of cold air. Her brown hair was messed up, most likely by the wind that accompanied her fall. Her hands were spread out on the bush, and her position was like she was jumping into a pile of autumn leaves or the winter snow. There were many cuts on her legs, with a fair amount of blood oozing out. Her beautiful face had a few scratches, and her eyes were closed tight. It looked as if she was only sleeping, but I knew that wasn't the case. Her signature red scarf had come quite undone, but still clung to her neck. Leaves scattered over her uniform, twigs were in her hair, and the wind was blowing stronger and stronger by the second.

I had thought about what I would do when I got to her while running. I would carry her to the nurse's office, ask someone to come help, or even call 911. But when I finally stood in front of her, I couldn't move. I just stared at her, my mind wiped completely blank. I stood for what seemed like eternity, before I heard a voice from behind me.

"Oi, Master! What are you doing, standing there?" It was Ene. I heard footsteps coming from behind, not of one person, not of two people, but three.

"What's up, Shintaro?" asked a voice extremely similar to Ene's, but a little deeper and less of Ene's annoying excitement. It was Actor. Konoha must be the third person, then. They had come up to me, and they were now standing next to me. They followed my gaze, and even though I wasn't looking at them, I could tell their eyes widened at the sight in front of them.

"Ayano...-chan?" Actor said. Ene had suck in a huge breath. She took my by the shoulder and shook me until my vision was blurred.

"What happened to Ayano-chan? WHAT HAPPENED? I'M ASKING YOU HERE, KISARAGI. WHAT HAPPENED?" She yelled. I clutched my head in pain.

"I don't know! I DON'T KNOW! Enomoto, save her. Please... Please save her!" I yelled, breaking down. She didn't have to be told twice. She looked to Konoha, who nodded. Kneeling down, she picked Ayano up carefully. Actor quickly took out her phone and dialed three numbers.

"Hello? A girl is terribly hurt here, 17 years old, at Kagerou High. I think she fell from the rooftop. Many cuts and stuff, but there might be internal injuries too. We're not quite sure. Please send an ambulance over!" Actor said into the phone. After nodding a few times, she ended the call and put the phone back into her pocket.

"They're coming in a few minutes." she said. Ene nodded and turned to me. She must have noticed that I couldn't move.

"Get a grip, Shintaro!" she said, shaking my shoulders. "Ambulances are coming. Relax for a sec." I let out a huge breath of air, and I collapsed onto the cold, hard ground. Ene left to go check on Ayano. I took a few deep breaths and then stood up once more. I walked over to the bench that they had set Ayano down on. Ene, Actor, and Konoha had taken off their hoodies to make the hard bench more comfortable. Without thinking, I took off my hoodie and covered it over Ayano for a blanket. It was the least I could do. I kept on pacing, waiting for the ambulance.

We only waited for about three minutes, but it seemed like forever. The ambulance came rushing in, the sound of the siren loud enough to make us deaf. The doctors and nurses came running out, putting Ayano onto a stretcher and carried her into the ambulance. I stepped in behind the doctors, and Ene, Actor, and Konoha were about to do the same but a doctor stopped them.

"Only one of you all can come." he said. We looked at each other, and they nodded. They had formed a silent agreement that I was the one to go. I thanked them under my breath and the ambulance doors closed. Even though it was my first time on an ambulance, I didn't take the chance to look around. Instead, I sat right next to Ayano. I extended a shaking hand and gripped hers. It was so cold.

"I understand your concern for your girlfriend, boy, but don't worry too much. She's going to be alright." said a doctor, who was rummaging through a drawer close by.

"She's not my girlfriend." I said, not taking my eyes off Ayano, fearing that if I did, she would disappear from my sight. The doctor had looked up for a sec, surprised.

"But you wish she was, don't you?" he asked. I stayed silent, wondering if all doctors were this pesky. The next few minutes in the ambulance was a blur. I couldn't remember much that happened, since I was lost in my own thoughts. When we finally arrived, the ambulance doors opened quickly and the stretcher was quickly pushed out. I jumped off and ran along. I followed them all the way until the emergency room, where they shut the doors in my face and the light went up. I took a few shaky steps and sat down on a chair. My back was against the wall and I leaned my head back, looking up at the ceiling.

I didn't know how much time had passed when the rest of the Blindfold Gang showed up. Kano took me by the shoulders and shook me hard.

"What happened to Nee-chan?" he asked, his voice oddly calm. I wanted to reply him, but I found no sound coming from my throat. Seeing that I didn't reply, Kano became frustrated. I wouldn't blame him.

"I asked you what happened to Nee-chan!" shouted Kano, already holding up a fist to punch me. Momo pulled him back, trying to restrain him from beating me up.

"Let go of me! Are you on his side just because he's your brother? Or are you scared that I'll beat him up too badly?" Kano said, glaring at Momo.

"Just shut up already, Kano." said Kido quietly, before Momo could say anything. Everyone looked at Kido, who was standing in a corner.

"But, Kido-!"

"I said just shut up already!" Kido shouted. Visible tears were swimming in her eyes and they rolled down her cheeks one by one. At the sight of her tears, Kano quickly closed his mouth. He looked slightly guilty. The other members sat down quietly. Kano was pacing back and forth, waiting for the doors to open. Kido let the tears drop silently, still leaning against the wall, occasionally wiping them away with her hands. Seto comforted the crying Marry quietly, although he himself looked like he needed some comforting. Momo was biting on the nail of her thumb, something she did often when she was nervous or thinking. Hibiya sat by himself, and he looked as if he was thinking about something. Ene laid her on Actor's shoulder, and the both of them squeezed each other's hands. Konoha had his hands clasped together, touching his forehead, and he was silently praying.

We all wished for Ayano's safety.

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After the longest wait of my life, the light above the emergency room's doors switched off and the doors flew open. We all stood up immediately, and we saw the doctors roll Ayano out. She was so pale, and her eyes were shut firmly. Her beautiful brown hair was matted, knotted, and a total mess. Her scarf was removed from her neck and was placed next to her.

"Ayano-" I called out, but she was quickly rolled away on the stretcher by the nurses and doctors. We were about to follow, but the remaining doctor stopped us.

"The patient is alright." he said. "No big internal injuries, but she's in a coma. It'll be all up to her if she wakes up."

"What do you mean 'if' she wakes up? Are you saying there's a possibility that Ayano-chan will just sleep like that eternally?!" asked Ene.

"I am not rejecting that possibility, as it is likely. Like I said, it'll be all up to her." said the doctor. "Please refrain from visiting the patient today. You can come back tomorrow." After a few moments of silence, everyone gave a hasty bow and walked back to the base in complete silence.

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The whole Blindfold Gang decided to skip school for the day in order to see Ayano. Nobody was in the mood for learning or studying.

The news that Ayano Tateyama fell from the school rooftop spread around the school like wildfire. Soon, even the freshmen who didn't even know her knew of what happened. It was all everyone would talk about.

"Kuroha told me about it," said the one who informed us of it, Actor, upon being questioned how she knew. "He said that everyone was making up stories that weren't true. A lot of the girls were acting as if Ayano-chan was their best friend and they're terribly shocked, even though they probably never talked to her before, just to get attention!"

"Those bitches," said Ene. "They don't even know anything! How dare they!" We soon approached her hospital room. Kido knocked once, and opened the door. We all filed into the room, and we saw that other than Ayano, there were two other people in the room. Kenjirou Tateyama and his wife. Ayano's parents.

"Oh, you guys came." said Kenjirou, standing up to greet us. His wife did the same.

"Dad-" Kido was cut off by her father's embrace. It only occurred to me now that since Kido, Seto, and Kano were Ayano's siblings, her parents would be their parents too. Kenjirou looked to Seto and Kano and nodded. The two brothers looked at each other, nodded, and also hugged their father and sister. While Kenjirou was hugging his children, Ayano's mother walked up to the remainder of us.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ayano's mother, Ayaka Tateyama. Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter." she said.

"It's us that were taken care of by Ayano, really." said Momo, laughing a bit. Ayaka smiled.

"I see," she said. "She really is a kind child, Ayano." She cast a sad smile to the direction of the hospital bed.

"...She'll wake up, won't she?" asked Konoha. Ayaka smiled.

"Of course. The world can't be so cruel to give me two deaths of family in one single year." she said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hibiya look up sharply.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, but who...?" Hibiya stopped mid-sentence awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, no, it's okay." said Ayaka. "My younger sister died a few months ago. She was crushed by a truck." She laughed dryly. Hibiya's eyes widened, and to my surprise so did Momo's, although not to the extent of Hibiya's.

"U-um, what was her name? The name of your younger sister?" asked Hibiya, his voice urgent. It sounded as if he could break down any moment.

"Hiyori. Her name was Hiyori Asahina." Hibiya sucked in a breath at Ayaka's words.

"...I'm sorry, please excuse me." said Hibiya, after a few moments of silence when he tried to find his voice again. He ran out of the hospital room.

"Hibiya-kun!" Momo called out, and after giving a hasty bow, she ran out after him.

"Did I say something to upset him?" asked Ayaka, worried. Hiyori. That name did ring a bell. I realized that Hiyori was the girl Hibiya had been talking about months ago. The girl he would quit the gang for. She had died...! I didn't know. Hibiya never brought her up again.

"...He knew your sister." I said finally.

"Oh, is that so..." she said, giving a sad smile. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up again. "Could I talk to you for a second alone please, Kisaragi-kun?" I looked up at her, surprised. I nodded, and we stepped out of the room.

"I just wanted to thank you, Kisaragi-kun. I heard that you were the first one to find Ayano. You saved her. Thank you very much, my dear. We all owe you so much." said Ayaka. My eyes widened, and my fists were clenched. My vision was starting to get blurry. Within seconds, tears were running down my cheeks.

"But I... I couldn't do anything...! I could only stand there, watching her, not able to even move when she was in pain... I'm the reason that she's still in a coma... If I had gotten to her sooner, then I-" Ayaka put a hand on my head, stroking my hair.

"Don't cry, Kisaragi-kun. If you hadn't found her, then she would have been hidden in the bushes for a longer amount of time. She wasn't that easy to find, was she? You saved her life, Kisaragi-kun, so don't cry. It's alright." Ayaka's words brought more tears to my eyes. I kept on crying, and Ayaka kept patting my head. When I finally stopped crying, I looked up at her.

"You're a very kind person, Mrs. Tateyama." I said. Ayaka smiled.

"Thank you, Kisaragi-kun. You are, too." she said. "Now, shall we go in?" We walked back into the hospital room, and I pulled up a chair beside Ayano's hospital bed, where she lay peacefully.

Ayano wasn't suicidal at all. She wouldn't have jumped off the rooftop on purpose, trying to kill herself. There must be a reason she did this.

Don't worry, Ayano. I'll definitely find the reason why this happened.

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Alright. Time to solve this mystery. I can't just sit here like junk, doing nothing while Ayano was in pain. I had to do something to help her. I couldn't bear being so helpless when she was in this sort of state.

She had always loved heroes. She'd always try so hard to be like the heroes she loved so much. Now, it's my turn.

What were the facts that I already knew? I went over them in my head. This Tuesday, I had heard a scream from the rooftop, and therefore looked up and saw Ayano falling. I went over to the bushes and found her, and she was sent to the hospital on an ambulance called in by Actor. My brows furrowed as I recalled one detail that I could investigate on: that scream. That scream I heard that brought me to the attention of the rooftop. Thinking about the voice, I knew it didn't belong to Ayano. It belonged to a girl, but who? And how could I find out?

I opened up my computer and tried to hack the surveillance cameras of the school. Since it was after school, not many students stayed at school, so it would have to be one of the ones that did. I cursed under my breath as I scanned my eyes over the codes that popped up on the screen. The school's system wasn't easy to hack.

"Oi, Ene." I called out, seeing that Ene walked into the living room and right pass me. She took a can of Sprite out of the fridge and looked over her shoulder.

"What?" she asked.

"I need you to help me on something." I said. Ene raised her eyebrows.

"You need my help? On what?" she asked. Ene was no longer the energetic, peppy Ene that the Gang had known; she had reverted back to the mean, sarcastic, and tsundere Takane Enomoto. Was it her way of coping with fear? I didn't know.

"I need to hack the surveillance cameras of the school. But with my skills, it's too hard. You've always been good with computers and hacking. So help me." I said. "Please." I added.

"Why are you hacking the cameras?" she asked, looking confused. She took a sip out of her can of Sprite.

"I'm going to figure out what the reason behind Ayano's fall is." I said. Ene froze, her eyes wide. She walked over to me and sat down on the couch. She took the computer out of my hands and started typing. Codes flew across the screen, more complex than the ones I just witnessed.

"I want to help, too." said Ene. "What else do I do after cracking these cameras?" I looked away. Having Ene help me would definitely boost my chances of success. It would be great if the whole Blindfold Gang cooperated and tried to find that reason. But... I wanted to do it myself.

"...I want to do this myself." I said. Ene stopped typing and she looked up at me.

"Ayano-chan's my friend too. She's our friend. I want to do my part in finding what made her jump." she said.

"I understand. I understand, Ene. But even so... I want to do this alone. I've never... Done anything for Ayano. This is the least I could do." I said. There was a small silence following my word, then Ene resumed typing.

"Alright then. I get it. I'll keep it from everyone else, too." she said. "But you'd better tell everyone once you find it!" She hit enter, and many different windows popped up. They were videos from every single surveillance camera on Tuesday, from the moment school ended to the time we found Ayano.

"There." said Ene, stretching. She stood up and walked back to her room.

"Ene!" I called after her. She turned around. "Thanks." She smiled at my words.

"Anytime, Master." she said, and disappeared down the hall. I turned my attention back to the videos on my computer. First, I have to hide the videos that would not be of any use so they wouldn't be distracting. The rooftop did not have cameras, but the staircase that led to it did have one placed in a great position. That video I definitely needed. I could also probably use all the videos that captured what was happening all around that building. I closed all the videos I didn't need and started watching what happened at the stairs leading to the rooftop.

Apart from Ayano, there were three other girls that had gone up to the rooftop. The last girl was most likely the girl who had witnessed what had happened to Ayano and screamed. Her timing fit perfectly, and when she came down the stairs she looked a little shaken. It must be her.

I squinted at my computer screen to see who this person was. I immediately groaned when I realized who it was.

The queen bee, Mangetsu Katsuragi. The leader of her army of skanks. Evil that takes on a human form. A bitch that I did not want to associate myself with at all.

With a name like that, she was already in the center of attention. You don't see the name 'Mangetsu' every day, and naturally she was known by everyone in her grade on the first day of school, even by some of the upperclassmen. She was, also, rather pretty, in that gyaru type of way. She would come to school everyday with makeup fully-equipped, a skirt that seemed to get shorter as the days went by, and her hair tied up perfectly. She's the most popular girl in school, and she's had multiple boyfriends, all of them jocks and popular as fuck.

How am I going to talk to a girl like that?!

Calm down. Calm down, Shintaro. There must be something else I could do. Somewhere else I could start from. Another approach. I could take another approach to the problem...!

I watched the video over and over again, but no luck. There wasn't anyone that looked suspicious, and if there was, he or she must have known about the camera's blind spot. I sighed. Looks like I was left with no choice but to talk to Mangetsu Katsuragi.

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I decided to go to Mangetsu during break, and look for a time she was alone. The gang must have realized I had something to do, so they didn't really come bug me. Ene must have told them not to or something. My eyes were on Mangetsu the whole time, and when she went to the vending machine to get a drink alone, I decided that was the best time to converse with her.

"Katsuragi-san," I said as I approached her. She looked at me. She was extremely beautiful up close, but... She wasn't the type that I liked. "Can I have a word with you?" She seemed to think for a while, and she smiled.

"Nope!" she said. I suddenly had the urge to punch this bitch. "I'm quite busy, you know, unlike you. I have things to do. I hope to not have to talk to you anymore in the future." Mangetsu says these things with such a bright smile on her face. Usually I would be scared as fuck, but today I felt something snap inside me.

"This is very important! Somebody's life is on the line, and you can't just listen to my words for a bit?!" I yelled. Clearly a little taken back by my words, Mangetsu nodded.

"O-Okay then, I'll listen. But make it quick." she said, playing with her hair.

"Did you see how Ayano fell from the rooftop on Tuesday? Do you know anything that nobody else does?" I asked. The unopened can of juice fell from Mangetsu's hand. She had froze, and her eyes were wide.

"Why would I know anything? And even if I knew, why would I tell you? I don't care about Tateyama-san, anyways. It's not like we're great friends or anything." she said, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Katsuragi-"

"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" She shouted, quickly crouching on the ground, clutching her head. I was quite shocked by her outburst.

"I don't know anything... I don't know anything...! So don't come ask me again!" she said, shakily. I left without another word. Now was definitely not a good time to pester her. Once she calmed down, I'll go ask her again. I always thought that Mangetsu Katsuragi was someone superior, but she might just be... A normal girl.

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"Katsuragi-san." I stopped beside Mangetsu's locker at the end of school. She sighed and kept on packing her bag.

"I told you, I'm not going to tell you anything." she said.

"I'll do anything." I said. At this, she looked up at me. "I'll kneel at your feet in front of the school if you want me to. I'll be your servant for the remainder of my high school life. Anything. So please." I bowed. She stopped what she was doing and faced me.

"Alright then." she said, after a long hesitation. "I'll tell you what I know, but after you accompany me." I looked up at her, confused.

"To where?" I asked.

"Oh, just the mall." she said. "Don't take this wrongly! I just need someone to carry my bags and stuff." She looked quite flustered, and her face was red. Mangetsu at this moment reminded me of Ene as Takane.

"Okay then. But you promise that you'll tell me what you know afterwards." I said. Mangetsu smiled.

"Of course. I swear on the Angel." she said, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. We walked out of the school gates and to the mall.

"I didn't know you liked that series. I didn't even know you read." I said. She looked offended.

"Of course I read! I might be the queen bee and a bitch to the public and all, but it's not like I'm stupid or anything!" she said. I stopped walking and glanced at her. She realized that I looked surprised at her words, and she smiled bitterly.

"I do know of my reputation at school. Queen bee. Evil that takes on a human form. A bitch. Right?" she said. She started walking again, and I followed. "I know you think I'm like that as well, just like most of the students at our school. But you're not wrong. I think so as well, and I know I act that way at school. I've done really bitchy things before, and I'm so, so evil. But what can I do? I can't fix any mistakes I've made." She laughed. "Why am I telling you this? I'm sorry, I shouldn't-"

"I admit I thought you were a bitch before." My sudden words made Mangetsu turn to look at me. "But now that I've actually talked to you more, I start to wonder if all those rumors are true. I feel really stupid that I believed the rumors." Mangetsu stared at me, her eyes wide. She quickly turned away, but before she did, I thought I saw a tear trickle down her cheek.

"Thanks, Kisaragi-kun." She paused. "Could you... Do me a favor?" Seeing that I didn't object, she continued. "Could you... Call me by my first name?" I blinked.

"Sure, but why-"

"The reason doesn't matter, does it?" Mangetsu quickly cut in. "Now, we're here! You'd better hold all those shopping bags carefully!"

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"Thanks for accompanying me today." said Mangetsu. It was time for her to go home, since she, apparently, had an early curfew. "I had lots of fun. I'll tell you what I know, but can I ask you something first?"

"What?" I asked. She took a deep breath and looked at me, the seriousness showing in her eyes.

"You like Tateyama-san, don't you?" My face flushed at the sudden question. I clenched my fists. What was I hiding from? I've known what I felt ever since middle school, haven't I? I just didn't want to accept it. It's time that I should accepted the truth already, right? I can't deny it for the rest of my life. I'll definitely regret it. So...

"Yeah. I love her." I said. After a small pause, Mangetsu smiled.

"This is the first time I've lost..." I heard her murmur. Before I could say anything, she quickly slapped me on the back. "You'd better confess to her soon!" I nodded absently.

"Listen, Kisaragi-kun. Tateyama-san's fall was definitely not an accident. It was intentional. She was pushed down by somebody." she said. My eyes widened. Of course, this possibility had occurred to me, but I didn't think somebody would do that. I didn't know a person who hated Ayano, or anyone who was that cruel. I was already shaking from the shock and horror.

"Did you see who it was? Who was it, Mangetsu?!" I said, clenching my fists. She looked away.

"Seiji Kurozawa." she said. I searched my mind, trying to remember who it was. I believe I worked with him once for a science project during sophomore year, and this year, he was in our class. He was a nice guy, good-looking, and quite good at pretty much everything. I didn't think someone like that would be the one.

"...Thanks for telling me." I said finally. Mangetsu nodded.

"You'd better beat some sense into that guy!" she said. "That'll be it. See you at school tomorrow, Kisaragi-kun!" With that, she left. Realizing that it was late, I headed back to the base.

Seiji Kurozawa.

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"Now, you said you wanted to talk to me, Kisaragi?" said Seiji. We stood on the rooftop, the same place this guy pushed Ayano off. "Now, if you're confessing your love to me, I'll have to reject. I don't swing that way, you know." I clenched my fists.

"You're the one who pushed Ayano off this rooftop." I said. A single, simple statement made his smiling expression turn serious. "You don't need to try to deny it. Mangetsu told me. She saw you push Ayano off."

"What, you've figured it out? That's a shame." To my surprise, Seiji Kurozawa did not show any remorse. Instead, he looked bored. That bored expression made me even angrier.

"Why did you do it? What did Ayano ever do to you? She would never do anything to make anyone angry!" I shouted. At this, he laughed.

"She rejected me." he said. "She rejected me. Everyone's rejecting me, rejecting my existence... From my parents that abuse me, to my friends who betrayed me, to my teachers just stand around and do nothing... This world is hopeless, so why not end it with my own hands? Starting from her..." He looked at me, smiling. "Maybe you'll be next." Without another word, I rushed up to him with a fist aimed at his face. He easily blocked it and sent me flying.

"What, is that all you've got?"he asked. He laughed, a sly and evil laugh. "I've heard that you're one of the weakest ones of your gang. You're more of the brain, aren't you? If your gang was with you, then maybe I won't stand a chance, but with only you... I have nothing to fear."

That was how the fight began.

I unleashed all my rage at him through punches and kicks. Today, I felt stronger, powered by the rage and anger I felt. This guy could have killed Ayano. I won't forgive him.

I didn't know how, but I... defeated him. What, was this the power of love?

I laughed. That was stupid. This isn't a cliché manga. Then again, the events up to now have pretty much been quite cliché. Life cannot get any better.

"I don't know what you've been through, but what I do know is that Ayano had nothing to do with it. You almost killed someone innocent. You'd better not do anything like that ever again." With that, I left. The moment I left the rooftop, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID, wondering who it was. It was Ene. What did she want?

"Hey, Shintaro! Ayano woke up!"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Ayano!" I shouted, flinging open the door of her hospital room. I had run all the way from school. Who even cares about school?

And there she was, sitting up in the bed, smiling at the flowers she received. Her red scarf was placed on a chair next to her, but she wore her usual smile.

It was so nice to see that smile again.

"Ah, Shintaro!" she said, her smile growing bigger. I quickly ran over to her and I wrapped my arms around her. She was quite surprised, and to be honest, so was I.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Any wounds? Do they hurt? Are you alright? Do you need anything?" As soon as I released her, these questions tumbled out of my mouth. To my surprise, Ayano started laughing.

"That's the first time I've seen Shintaro this worried!" she said. I gritted my teeth. This was the time to say it. To tell her the feelings that were three years late.

I must tell her. I can't risk loosing her again.

"...Of course I'd be worried if the girl I love got hurt!" I said. The moment I said this, both of our faces reddened. I had the urge to look away, but I forced myself not to. Ayano was blushing insanely. It was so cute.

"...E-eh? Eh?! Th-The girl you love... E-eh?! Sh-Shintaro, do you have a fever? A-Are you sick? Oh, did you drink? Are you drunk, Shintaro? T-That's not good, you're still a minor!..." she stuttered.

"I'm not drunk! I'm serious!" I said. "I've been in love with you ever since eighth grade when we met! ...I love you, Ayano. W-Will you bee my girlfriend?" Ah, that was so like me, stuttering at such a touching scene. I turned my gaze back to Ayano, and I saw a tear roll down her cheek. They weren't tears of sadness.

They were tears of happiness.

Ayano nodded, her face breaking into a smile. She gave an answer to me, an answer as transparent was the summer sky:

"Yes...!"


Chapter 10: Shinigami Record

"Ah, uh, hello!" Someone spoke from above me, and judging from his tone, I could tell that he was talking to me. Well, I don't really care, so I'll just ignore-

Wait, he was talking to me. Nobody had talked to me ever since... A long time ago. I looked up to see who in the world it was. To my surprise (actually, not really), it was the transfer student. What was his name again? I forgot.

"Are you talking to me?" I couldn't help but ask. He laughed awkwardly.

"U-um, yeah! I thought I'd introduce myself to you! I'm Tsukihiko, nice to meet you! What's your name?" he asked.

"...Azami." I responded after a long pause. So his name was Tsukihiko... His smile widened when I answered him. He was about to reply, but he must have heard the whispers of our classmates.

"Why is the transfer student talking to the monster?"

"Exactly! Why would he do that? I don't understand!"

"Just look at how he looks like! He's also a monster, isn't he?"

"The both of them are monsters!"


Did you like this chapter? Please tell me you did. So yeah, Shintaro and Ayano are a thing now. Officially. Well, at least in this story. The next chapter will be about Azami, who, surprise surprise, is that leader of the gang AZAMI. Remember that in this story, Azami (and Tsukihiko) have nothing to do with Marry's grandparents Azami and Tsukihiko.

Again, since this chapter is updated on Christmas Eve, Merry Christmas to you all! For more Christmas presents from me, you can go read Snowdrops (my one-shots for HaruTaka Winter) and Evening Yesterday's new chapter if you haven't already! Please give all these stories a read, review etc. I've used up much time and energy for these chapters to be published, so that would be an amazing present! :)

See you!

~Chinnie Ai