Happy Valentines day to my wonderful readers. I am sorry for the wait, but I hope this makes up for it. Anyway this chapter is notably larger than the last one and I feel that it's appropriate for the day of love. So enjoy. Also big thanks to Fear Silencer for his continued aid, unfortunately still no word from Onezerozero. However despite his absence I will not give up. I endeavor to finish what we started.
Life at the Shinozaki's
Chapter Ten:
It was Tuesday morning, the kitchen table had just been cleared, and Yoshiki had returned to his room to finish getting ready for school. Looking out the window he noted that the weather was a stark contrast to what it had been the last few weeks. Gray clouds blocked out the sun, but refused to rain down on the city for the time being.
The bed creaked slightly as Yoshiki's weight pressed down onto it. The blonde breathed a wry sigh as he reread Miki's text. Her message was informing him that she had found someone who said that he could wait until tomorrow to meet with him.
{He seemed pretty nice, a lot better than that last guy...} Miki's text had trailed off.
Sunday's search for people looking for roommates had been a bust. The first guy they visited had already found a roommate, he just hadn't taken down the ad. That had annoyed the trio of teens but they had no choice but to move on to the next prospect. The following address on Miki's list had been a disaster.
Knocking on the door the blonde allowed a moment to pass by. No response. Glancing at the two girls behind him the gray-eyed male raised an eyebrow, before turning back, and knocking with a little more force. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" Yoshiki lips dipped into a frown as he realized he recognized that voice. With a sense of dread he watched the door swing open to reveal Konishi, his ex-coworker. "Kishinuma-kun, to what do I owe this pleasure?" He asked with unwanted familiarity, while patting the blonde's shoulder as though they were old friends.
Ayumi raised an eyebrow at this turn of events. What were the odds of them running into another person that Yoshiki knew? Though looking at this guy, and considering Yoshiki's stiff posture, she deduced that the relationship between them was not as friendly as the one with Kensuke. 'I don't like this guy...' She immediately thought, he didn't seem to really respect boundaries. .
As much as the blonde wanted to gripe at Konishi for invading his personal space he held his tongue and tried to be polite. "Konishi, haven't seen you in awhile." Yoshiki, noticing Konishi's wandering eyes taking in the presences of Ayumi and Miki, grumbled out. He made sure to stand in front of the two girls, so as to keep Konishi's attention solely on him.
Momentarily setting his sight back to Yoshiki he offered a grin. "I quit that place, I was tired of dealing with that jackass Kanzaki." He said with much distaste.
Yoshiki frowned at that, barely keeping his dislike from showing. 'More like you were tired of always getting yelled at for slacking off.' He wisely didn't say. "I see." The blonde was trying to think of a way to silently communicate to Ayumi and his sister that he did not want to check this place out anymore. There was no way he would be able to handle living with Konishi.
"Who's at the door?" A new voice asked. The door opened wider to reveal another man, roughly same age as Konishi. He was average height with shoulder length oily hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in a couple days. He had dark circles under his eyes, and from the smell of his breath it was pretty obvious to the three that he had been drinking.
'This early in the day?' Miki thought to herself as she glanced at her brother, about to tell him that they could leave. Even if Yoshiki had once been considered a delinquent, she knew that he would never want to associate with losers like these guys.
"Oh, who's brought the babes?" The new guy slurred as he sized up the two girls. Looking at Ayumi he frowned. "They're kind of scrawny aren't they? This one looks like a middle schooler, no chest." He muttered in disappointment.
Ayumi's scowl couldn't have gone any deeper as her face reddened in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. She did not like these sorts of people, drinking in the middle of the day, and the second guy, freely making such disgusting remarks. Forget Tsubota, these had to be some of the worst people she had ever met. That teacher might have been a horrible, horrible excuse for an educator, but compared to these two he was a saint.
Having had enough Yoshiki found that he could no longer hold his tongue. "Hey, don't talk like that in front of my friend or my sister!" The ex-delinquent verbally lashed out, taking a step forward.
Before Ayumi or Miki could get in the way and pull him back the new guy was in his face. "Oh? And what are you going do about it, blondie?" He asked while shoving Yoshiki.
Planting his feet firmly on the ground Yoshiki pushed back. He made a disgusted face at the stench of alcohol that threatened to invade his nostrils. "You really don't want to find out." He threatened, his gray eyes becoming sharper.
Even Konishi was frowning at his friend's behavior. "Aki, dude, there's no need for this, Kishinuma-kun and I are buddies." Now that Yoshiki took a moment to realize it he could smell the booze on Konishi's breath as well. Though he didn't seem nearly as messed up as his friend.
"I wouldn't that go that far..." Ayumi heard Yoshiki mutter under his breath.
"Haha, I'm just having some fun, Konishi. Right Kishinuma-kun?" He said the last part mockingly before trying to push Yoshiki.
Ready for it this time Yoshiki avoided Aki's push before shoving back. "Piss off." He snarled, ready for a possible fight.
Ayumi felt her lips fall into a determined frown as she saw the scene on the verge of escalating. Stepping forward she placed a hand on Yoshiki's right arm. "Kishinuma-kun, come on let's go. He's not worth this trouble." The dark haired girl urged him, really wishing not to see her friend get into a fight.
The drunken man stumbled back before steadying himself with the doorframe. Hearing Ayumi's tone he snarled at her. "What was that you bitch?!" He took a threatening step forward.
Ayumi's blue eyes became as wide as they possibly could. Her voice cried out in a mixture of shock and pain as the man grabbed her thin arm and yanked her towards him.
Before the man could say anything more Yoshiki had lashed out, landing a punch on the man's cheek satisfaction filled him at seeing the drunk hit the floor. "Touch Shinozaki again, and the next one will knock your damn teeth out." He threatened in a dangerously low tone as Miki led Ayumi away. Once Yoshiki got started, there wasn't much that would stop him.
As the man picked himself back up Yoshiki knew the fight was inevitable, Ayumi would chew him out later but he wasn't about to let some punk attack her and do nothing. "Fuck you!" The drunk screamed as he flew at Yoshiki.
At the last possible second Yoshiki ducked and kicked Aki in the stomach, sending him back to the floor. "Don't get back up." The blonde warned him, a small part of him hoping the drunk would pick himself back up just so he could keep going.
"Ki-Kishinuma-kun?" Ayumi's worried voice was enough to momentarily cut through his bloodlust. Yoshiki snapped his gaze up to see her and Miki standing away from the fight. She stepped towards him. "Pl-please stop! I don't want you getting hurt because of me, let's just leave!" The small statured girl pleaded to him.
Yoshiki's response never made it past his throat as a meaty fist pounded against his right cheek. Stumbling back he felt another hit to his face as the drunk rounded on him. "Huh?! You like that blondie!?" Aki cried out as he threw another punch. Quickly recovering Yoshiki managed to avoid the third hit.
Ducking down he landed a blow to the man's stomach before pushing him back. Stumbling back the drunk snarled at Yoshiki, ready to throw another punch. Before Aki could advance on Yoshiki again a pair of arms slipped under his armpits and wrapped around his chest. "Wha? What the hell?! Let go of me yah asshole!"
Konishi had seen enough, even if Aki was his friend he knew that he was in the wrong. "Shut up you dumbass." He told him before looking at Yoshiki. "Sorry, Kishinuma-kun I'm guessing you came here because of the ad? I don't think you'd want to live here." With that he dragged the struggling drunk back into the open apartment.
The fight ended as abruptly as it started. At the soft click of the door shutting. Yoshiki allowed his shoulders to sag in relief. Bringing a hand to his stinging cheek he flinched at the pain. For a drunk that Aki could hit surprisingly hard. Turning to look at Ayumi and Miki he allowed a relieved smile to show, since thankfully they were unharmed. "Huh?" He uttered as his wry gray eyes met blue tear filled ones.
Stepping forward Ayumi frowned disapprovingly at Yoshiki. Blinking away her tears she shook her head. "Wh-what were you thinking?! Why did you have to fight with him?!" She shouted at her friend, appalled at what she had just witnessed.
Honestly Yoshiki hadn't expected any words of thanks from Ayumi, though it would have been nice. However her ire was not wholly unexpected. Yoshiki sighed, unable ignore the feeling of disappointment in Ayumi's response and in himself for rubbing her the wrong way again. "He was attacking you! I couldn't just stand there and let it happen!" The blonde still felt the need to defend his actions.
Ayumi's watery eyes narrowed, not one bit swayed by Yoshiki's words. "There was no need to fight him, violence solves nothing! We could have run away!" She argued, not giving him an inch.
Miki frowned at the growing argument between her brother and Ayumi. While she would normally agree with Ayumi's stance of violence not solving anything, she couldn't agree with her on the current situation. In her eye Ayumi was being attacked, her brother was being a good friend by protecting her. Despite her disagreement with Ayumi she wisely kept her mouth shut, for fear of escalating the argument.
Yoshiki paused as he didn't have a real good argument to that. Sure they could have ran, but when he saw that Ayumi was in trouble his body just moved to protect her. He saved her the best way he knew how. "Well I'm sorry, but I don't regret it." Yoshiki responded to her emotion-filled words, slightly calmer.
He was sorry that he had gotten into a fight in front of Ayumi, but he wouldn't apologize for defending her. "Shinozaki, you're my friend and you were in trouble. I just reacted. If this happened again I'd probably repeat my actions all the same. I'd rather get into a fight on your behalf and deal with your anger than see you get hurt." The blonde told her truthfully.
Hands clenched into fist Ayumi frowned, while she didn't agree with Yoshiki a small part of her appreciated his sentiment. But she definitely did not like the idea of her friend getting into fights because of her, and she wouldn't allow Yoshiki to think that she approved of this sort of behavior. "I don't want that Kishinuma-kun. I don't like people getting hurt for my sake." The blue haired girl told him as she took in his rough appearance. There were a couple nicks on his face, and she could see that his cheek was starting to swell.
Now was not the time to lecture him, she realized. Sighing she stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. "Come on," She said abruptly. "Let's go see if the building manager has some ice we can put on that." The dark haired girl explained before leading him to the elevator.
Yoshiki was seated on the bottom step of the stairs in the lobby. He watched Ayumi accept an ice pack from the building manager as Miki sat by him. The younger girl didn't say anything, but she did offer a light pat on his shoulder, as if silently conveying her acceptance of his actions. Knowing that Miki was on his side did improve his sullen mood somewhat.
At the building manager's parting words Ayumi nodded, a frown still on her face as she went over to go tend to Yoshiki. "Gah! That's cold!" Yoshiki cried out as she pressed the ice pack to his cheek, non too gently.
Ayumi frowned at his whining. "You wouldn't have to worry about this if you didn't fight." She told him, not too bothered at his lack of comfort.
Miki couldn't help but snicker from her spot next to him. She knew that sometime later she'd have to tease her brother for getting Ayumi to play nurse for him.
Yoshiki frowned but didn't say anything. Gray eyes took in Ayumi's appearance, her clothes were slightly wrinkled but there were no marks on her. She was okay, that's all that mattered to him. 'Worth it...' He told himself before bracing for the cold sensation as Ayumi pressed the ice pack to his face. To his surprise this time she wasn't quite as rough in her treatment.
Meeting her eyes with his he saw her barely hidden concern, Yoshiki allowed a small smile to slip. In someway he liked to believe, that despite her harsh words and lack of gratitude, she was thankful for him protecting her.
Shaking away his memories of his latest failed apartment hunt Yoshiki looked over at the clock. He had about five minutes until Ayumi would be knocking at his door. "How am I going to do this?" The blonde muttered to himself. Standing up he walked over to the table with the globe, next to the globe were two slips of paper he had placed upon returning from work last night.
Picking them up he studied them from both sides and sure enough they were real. Concert tickets, the name of the band, date, time, and place were printed on them.
'I can't believe Kanzaki-senpai actually went through the trouble...' Yoshiki was still in disbelief.
It had been last night, during his first break when Kensuke took a seat across from him. Yoshiki had glanced up at the older male, surprised to see a somewhat smug look on his face. "What?" The blonde asked, wondering why his boss was looking at him like that.
Kensuke didn't say anything, he reached into his pocket and produced two slips of paper. Sliding them over to Yoshiki he waited for the blonde to pick them up. Upon reading the writing on the pieces of paper Yoshiki's eyes widened. "What the hell? How did you get these tickets? They sold out last month!" The blonde cried out, hoping his boss didn't pay a scalper's ridiculous price for these.
Kensuke grinned. "Haha, Kishinuma I have friends in high places. My little brother's dating their manager, it wasn't hard to score a couple tickets. You're welcome by the way." He added the last part with a cheeky smirk.
Yoshiki raised an eyebrow. "Wh-why are you giving me concert tickets?" The blonde asked confused at these turn of events.
Kensuke's grin widened as he leaned forward. "Come on, Kishinuma. I saw how you were with that girl yesterday. I wanted to do something nice for my best employee."
Yoshiki frowned at Kensuke's words before trying to return the tickets. "Kanzaki-senpai, we told you yesterday we're not like that. And besides I can't accept these from you."
But Kensuke wouldn't take no for an answer, sliding the tickets back to Yoshiki he shook his head. "Nope. You say that you and that girl aren't like that, but I can read you like a book. You want it to be like that, I'm giving you a chance. Take it, show her a good time." He firmly said before standing up. "Good luck Kishinuma."
With that he walked off, prompting Yoshiki to sigh before looking down at the two tickets. "It won't accomplish anything. Shinozaki will never say yes." He muttered, picking up the two tickets. Despite his forlorn words he did allow himself to daydream.
He envisioned bringing up the existence of the tickets, her curiosity as to why he was talking to her about a concert. Her doe-eyed expression as he asked if she'd go with him, then her cheeks would tint pink and she'd agree with a shy nod.
He imagined them going and listing to the music, the two of them talking. Maybe their hands would brush as they walked side by side towards and away from their seats. Maybe he would mention his desire to spend more time outside of school together and she wouldn't brush off his offers to hang out anymore. Maybe it would lead to him confessing and her awkwardly accepting. Maybe her hesitation would fade, she'd realize that she liked him, and she'd hold hands with him.
Yoshiki felt his cheeks tint as his thoughts went further. 'Maybe she'd let me kiss her...' Shaking his head the blonde chased away those sweet thoughts.
As nice as it was to dream, he knew the likelihood of such a thing might as well be impossible. "Damn it..." It was in times like this that he hated this stupid crush. He hated the thought of Ayumi never noticing his feelings, much less reciprocating them. But then again there was that faint hope that perhaps one day she'd turn her gaze away from Satoshi long enough to see him looking at her.
Returning to the present Yoshiki reread the information on the tickets. The concert was for an indie band that he really liked. It was actually a band that Satoshi had introduced him to. They were an indie rock group that had gotten popular a few years back before disbanding due to various circumstances, though now they were back together and playing local shows in parts of Tokyo.
'I wonder if Shinozaki would like them.' He didn't really know much about Ayumi's taste in music or if she even really had any preference. But he'd like to think that she'd like their music. "Maybe I could at least try..." The ex-delinquent muttered uncertain.
A knock sounded, followed by a muffled. "Kishinuma-kun, are you ready?" Yoshiki flinched before shoving the tickets into his pocket. "Ye-yeah. I'm coming." He called out before grabbing his bag and opening the door.
Ayumi, unaware of his inner turmoil, greeted him with a cheerful smile. "Let's go Kishinuma-kun." She urged, heading for the door.
As the two teens slipped on their shoes Asuka called out from the living room. "Don't forget to bring an umbrella, it looks like it's going to rain!"
"Already got one!" The twin tailed girl answered her mother before stepping outside with Yoshiki in tow.
Despite the overcast the air was still pretty warm and humid. As Yoshiki and Ayumi walked to school he couldn't help but glance at her. He had gotten pretty accustomed to walking to and from school with her. But today it was different, maybe it was because he was seriously considering Kensuke's suggestion.
'If I ask her will she be mad? Will she never want to talk to me again? Will she be grossed out?' These thoughts and more passed through his mind. 'But if her reaction is positive it could be very good...' The idea of having these feelings possibly returned was tantalizing.
Despite his conflicting thoughts, he refrained from letting Ayumi become aware that anything was amiss with him. The twin tailed girl was in a fairly pleasant mood. She had already lectured Yoshiki enough Sunday night when they got home. The blue haired girl had all but twisted his arm to get him to swear that he would avoid fighting, even if it was on her behalf. Whether or not he'd keep that promise remained to be seen, but for now she was placated.
Ayumi was relatively oblivious to Yoshiki's inner conflict, though she did notice that he was being unusually quiet. Since they started regularly walking to school together he often tried to make small talk on the way. However today he hadn't uttered a single word since they left. Frowning she peered over at him, noticing that his lips were set into a worried frown and his brow was furrowed. 'Is he still concerned with finding a place?' She wondered. She could understand his worry, since he had been with them for just under a month and nothing promising had come his way.
Deciding to break the silence Ayumi spoke. "Kishinuma-kun?" She ventured, hoping to get his attention. So lost in his mental musing he didn't even notice the object of his thoughts speaking. Frowning she called out to him again. "Kishinuma-kun?" Wow he really was lost in thought, wasn't he? "Kishinuma-kun?!" She snapped, certain that would get his attention.
That broke him out of his thoughts, flinching the blonde looked at her wide eyed. "Sh-Shinozaki?" Seeing her slightly displeased expression Yoshiki sighed. "Sorry..." He awkwardly said. It hadn't been his intention to ignore her.
Normally Ayumi would reprimand him for spacing out. Seriously, how can you learn anything if you don't stay focused? However that didn't seem like the right thing to do right now. Deciding that she'd been hard enough on him for one week she allowed a more gentle approach. Offering him a concerned frown she voiced her concern. "Is everything okay, Kishinuma-kun? You seem off today?"
Yoshiki's wide eyes conveyed that he surprised by Ayumi noticing his absentmindedness, then again. 'Shinozaki's always looking out for people...' The blonde reminded himself. Of course she would notice that something was bothering him. Forcing an easy going smile he assured her. "Don't worry, Shinozaki. I'm okay." He tried his best to play it off.
The dark haired girl knew when he was trying to cover up his problems. Even if she didn't watch him nearly as much as she watched Satoshi she was quite adept at reading her ex-delinquent friend. Ayumi knew something was distressing him, though she didn't realize that it had nothing to do with what she thought was currently troubling him.
"Kishinuma-kun, I know that you're worried about finding an apartment." Ayumi told him hesitantly. "We've had very little success these last few weeks. But I know something will turn up. Miki-chan said that she found another place, right? Lets do the weekly classroom clean up today, so that way tomorrow you can head straight there after school." They had been elected for clean up duty that week. Usually the students chosen did so on Wednesday, but it wouldn't hurt for them to do it a day early. The dark haired girl hoped that her suggestion would help ease Yoshiki's mind.
Yoshiki looked back at her in silence. 'She thinks that's what's bothering me?' To be fair that subject had been on the back of his mind, though it had been superseded by his current predicament. 'Then again...' Was this really the time to be worrying about asking her on a date? 'We're currently living together, if she says no then it's going to get horribly awkward.' The blonde argued to himself, feeling that was another good reason not to ask Ayumi out.
At his lack of response Ayumi shot him an annoyed look. "Ahem." Snapping out of his thoughts the blonde looked at her to see narrowed blue eyes, hands on her hips, and the prefect class-rep look on her face. He'd best answer soon.
Yoshiki flinched at having allowed his mind to stray from the conversation at hand. "So-sorry Shinozaki...um...thanks."
Ayumi relaxed and smiled at his hesitant thanks. "No problem, Kishinuma-kun. Just remember to keep giving it your all. It's not over yet." The blue haired girl cheerfully encouraged.
Despite Yoshiki's conflict over what to do with the concert tickets residing in his pocket he couldn't help but feel light at Ayumi's encouragement. Every time she motivated him he really felt like he could do anything. It was amazing just what kind of power her words held over him. Offering a slightly more natural smile he nodded. "You're right, Shinozaki." He said before the two fell into silence and continued on towards Kisaragi, the mood between them slightly more relaxed.
Shinohara Seiko had fallen into the habit of standing by the shoe lockers, waiting for Yoshiki and Ayumi to show up. It was still so much fun to tease them as they arrived side by side. She noticed the mop of blonde hair first, and of course she spotted the class-rep of 2-9 an instant later. Putting on a wide grin she waved them over.
"Good morning, love birds!" She called out to them.
Both of their faces flushed at Seiko's call, thankfully there weren't very many people loitering around. Ayumi composed herself fairly quickly before changing her shoes. "Shinohara-san, I already told you-."
"I remember, helping him study, right?" Seiko placed her hands on her hips. "With red faces like that I can only imagine what kind of studying you two have been doing." Ayumi's face flushed further at the implications in Seiko's words.
"Shinohara, do I need to remind Nakashima to tighten her leash again?" Yoshiki asked as the dark haired girl sputtered for a response.
Seiko grinned. "Oh, I love it when Naomi does that, it's always so exciting. Though I wish she'd let me tie her up for once." The bubbly girl said with an exaggerated perverted grin.
Yoshiki raised an eyebrow as he saw Naomi approaching them from behind Seiko. "Does Nakashima know that you talk about your tryst like this? I'm certain she wouldn't appreciate that." He watched the girl in question speed up her steps, as she realized that Seiko was being her usual self again.
"Fufufu, Naomi-chan won't mind me telling the dirty deeds. She loves me too mu-gak!" Seiko cried out as Naomi lightly grabbed one of her curls and gave a slight tug.
"What's this, Seiko? Are you spreading rumors again?" She asked playfully yet threatening voice while giving another light tug. "Have I not disciplined you enough for it?" The short haired girl asked, her tone falsely sweet.
Seiko, overcoming her initial surprise, grinned as she threw her head back. "Oh, Naomi-chan I love it when you pull my hair like that." She said with a low moan. "Though I thought we agreed to save that for the bedroom?" She snickered as Naomi released her hair as though it burnt her.
"Seiko..." Naomi dangerously said as her friend whipped around to face her. Seeing her best friend's playful expression was enough to make her mask slip and a small smile appeared.
Ayumi allowed a small laugh as she looked at Naomi. "Good, I'll leave Shinohara-san's punishment to you." She told the short haired girl before going on ahead as Yoshiki pulled his shoes on.
Seiko grinned at Naomi. "Naomi you wouldn't really punish me would you?" She asked before winking. "Would you?" She asked in an overly exaggerated excited voice.
Naomi chuckled playfully and pretended to think it over. "I don't know, Seiko. You might prefer the Class-rep's punishment to mine." The short haired girl said, trying to make herself look menacing.
Seiko glanced at Yoshiki before snickering. "Fufufu, I think the only person who prefers the Class-rep's punishment is Kishinuma-kun."
Gray eyes narrowed at the curly haired girl. "What are you saying, Shinohara?"
Seiko grinned before sauntering over to Yoshiki. "Come on, Kishinuma-kun. We all know you and the Class-rep have been getting closer as of late." And it was true. Everyone in their group had noticed a shift in dynamic between Ayumi and Yoshiki, while it was subtle it was definitely noticeable.
Suddenly Seiko noticed something sticking out of Yoshiki's pocket. Curious she darted for it and pulled out two slips of paper. "What's this?" She asked before turning away to analyze them. 'Concert tickets?' She looked confused before grinning at Yoshiki. "Kishinuma-kun, you sly dog. Planning on asking the Class-rep out? Fufufu. I knew you had it in you."
Yoshiki's head whipped around as he felt Seiko's fingers slip into his pocket. "Hey!" He shouted as she pilfered the tickets. "Give those back." HIs embarrassment became apparent as Seiko deduced the reason for him having the tickets. "N-no I'm not. Shinozaki would just say no anyways." He said, doing his best to keep from appearing as dejected as he felt by that statement.
Seiko's bubbly expression flashed to concern for a moment before she grinned. "Why would you say something stupid like that?" She asked, confused by his doubt.
Yoshiki frowned before making a pass for the tickets. "Because it's the truth." He stated as Seiko managed to keep them out of his reach.
"What?" Naomi couldn't help but look confused. "What makes you say that? I can't see the Class-rep rejecting you, I mean you guys seem to have gotten closer over the last few weeks." While Yoshiki's and Ayumi's closer relationship didn't appear that drastically different to the casual onlooker, their friends had noticed that in addition to arriving to school as a pair. There was an air of comfortableness between the two that didn't previously exist.
The way they interacted with each other was also different. Ayumi's expression when dealing with the ex-delinquent, used to hold barely hidden annoyance, but now seemed somewhat more gentle. Yoshiki also seemed to be more comfortable around the dark haired girl as well. 'What's to say that they couldn't become more?' Naomi thought, supporting her blonde friend in his desire for the class-rep's heart. "I'm sure if you properly ask her out she won't be able to say no." Her words were encouraging enough that Yoshiki actually found himself reconsidering. "The Class-rep cares about you."
Seiko nodded along with Naomi's statement. "Yeah, what she said." The girl said with a joking chuckle before becoming serious herself. "Kishinuma-kun, The Class-rep won't make light of your feelings if you're honest with her. Naomi is right that she cares about you, tell her how you feel and ask her on a date. And take pictures too, we all want to see you sweep her off her feet." The bubbly girl said with a wide grin as she offered the tickets to Yoshiki.
Yoshiki averted his gaze, somewhat embarrassed by their encouragement. "Tch, I'll consider it." He said before making to swipe the tickets out of her hand.
Seiko yanked them back, keeping them just barely out of his reach. "That's not good enough, Kishinuma-kun. With an attitude like that The Class-rep might not feel the full brunt of your feelings. Do you want to be with her or not?" Her expression was surprisingly serious.
Say what you will about Shinohara Seiko, but while she did come off as a spaz, she did care about her friends, and she also took matters of the heart very seriously. She could see the affection Yoshiki carried for Ayumi, and while Ayumi may not exactly reciprocate at the moment she could see them being good for each other. She wanted to see her friends happy.
Yoshiki frowned. "Fine." He managed. "After school today I will ask Shinozaki out to the concert, and I'll show her the best time." The blonde said before making another lunge for the tickets, this time Seiko allowed him to take them.
"All I wanted to hear, Kishinuma-kun." Seiko told him with a teasing grin. "Now go get her, tiger." She winked playfully.
Naomi offered an encouraging smile to the blonde. "Good luck, Kishinuma-kun. I hope you and the Class-rep have a good time." She said, as if there was no chance that Ayumi would say no.
Embarrassment filled him at all of their encouragement, but at the same time he was thankful to have friends like this behind him. It was always a nice thing to remember that he had people rooting for him.
The day seemed to drag on at a snails pace for the blonde. With each passing class he felt his nerves get the better of him. By the time the final bell rang and he bade farewell to the rest of his friends he had talked himself in and out of asking Ayumi out six times. Currently he was set on asking her out.
Now if only he could get the words out. "I had thought this would be easier..." Yoshiki muttered under his breath as he moved the desks around. Glancing over to his right he caught sight of Ayumi in his peripheral vision sweeping. It was after school and it was their week for the classroom clean up duty. Also the perfect opportunity to ask Ayumi on a date, now if only Yoshiki could muster the courage to go through with it.
The tickets felt heavy in his pocket, reminding him of their presence. 'Come on, you said you would do it so do it already.' The blonde urged himself. Opening his mouth he prepared to speak only to be interrupted.
"Kishinuma-kun, why'd you stop? You need to move the rest of those desk so I can sweep there." The twin tailed girl admonished lightly, a curious look on her cute face.
The blonde mentally sighed before nodding. "Sorry, sorry." He uttered as he went back to the task at hand.
Rolling her eyes Ayumi continued her menial task. "Once is enough." She reminded him, no real ire in her voice, only mild exasperation.
Ayumi kind of found it interesting that the longer Yoshiki and her cohabited together the less she became annoyed with her friend's blunt and rough way of speaking. Sure she couldn't say that she didn't feel any annoyance at his tactlessness, and she still scolded him when presented with the opportunity. But her words lacked their usual bite, almost as though she was casually reminding him to do something instead of yelling at him to do it.
As time went on the two teens did all of the required work. Yoshiki took out the trash, and Ayumi wiped down the desks. He cleaned the blackboard, as the blue haired girl wrote in the school journal. Ayumi checked the teacher's desk to make sure that all of the necessary homework packets were in place for tomorrow's lesson, while Yoshiki began moving the desk back to their original spots. They had been working for a little over an hour and it was almost time to head off.
Throughout the entire process Yoshiki kept trying to say it. Who knew the words "Do you want to go to a concert with me?" would be so difficult? It seemed like every time he was on the verge of getting it out something held him back. Whether it was being cut off by Ayumi ordering him to do something else, the sound of a nearby car honking it's horn, or the loud bang as Ayumi dropped a heavy book onto the teacher's podium. Yoshiki's request was unable to reach her ears.
Ayumi sighed as she locked the drawers to the teacher's desk. Everything was done, and they could go home. 'Well first I need to return this key to the faculty room.' The dark haired girl reminded herself as she stood up. Brushing imaginary dust off her skirt she went over to her desk and grabbed her bag. Just as she was about to tell Yoshiki to head off first so she could return the key he spoke up.
"Shinozaki?" His voice conveyed nervousness, which was odd.
Ayumi made a curious face as she turned to look at him, his expression was kind of intense. Despite his apparent discomfort he looked very determined to say something. "Something wrong?" She asked him, wondering what he needed.
Yoshiki took a deep breath, his right hand was gripping the tickets in his pocket. This was it, all he had to do was ask her. What's the worst that could happen? 'Don't think about that...' The blonde reminded himself as he prepared to take the plunge. "I was wondering, if you're interested that is...would you like to-?" Sadly it was not meant to be.
Ayumi watched him, her head tilted in question as to what he needed. But her attention was soon diverted as one of the classroom doors opened and revealed their homeroom teacher, Yamazaki. "Oh good you're still here." He said his attention on the blonde. "Kishinuma-kun, Shishido-sensei asked me to give this to you." He walked over to the blonde handing him an envelope with his name on it.
Yoshiki knew that he should be annoyed at being interrupted. He had been on the verge of asking Ayumi about the concert, but a small part of him was thankful for the intrusion. Maybe this was a sign that he should just forget about it, if Ayumi reacted negatively this would make things very uncomfortable for the both of them. And despite his pining for her, Yoshiki knew that he valued the relationship they had now.
"Ah, thanks." He hesitantly thanked the older man before accepting the offered envelope and slipping it into his jacket pocket.
The teacher offered a simple smile. While he wasn't as affectionate with his students as Yui he did care about them. And he was pleased to note that in between his recent absences that Yoshiki had improved under his teacher aide's supervision. "Think nothing of it." He said before taking stock of the two. "If you're both finished with cleaning up, I can take that key back, Shinozaki-san."
Ayumi smiled lightly at not having to walk all the way to the other side of the school before going home. "Thank you, Yamazaki-sensei." The class-rep politely said before relinquishing the key. After the teacher left she turned her attention back to Yoshiki, remembering that he had just been about to ask her something. "So what were you saying before?" She questioned, not quite remembering what they had been talking about.
Yoshiki tensed up momentarily, hand still touching the tickets in his pocket. Sliding his hand out he offered a nervous smile, trying to cover up his own conflict. "No-nothing important, Shinozaki. I just wanted to know if you remembered what today's math assignment was?" He mentally grimaced at his weak cover up, thankfully she didn't question his earlier nervousness. 'Coward...' He chided himself. Ayumi nodded before promptly answering him.
With their obligated duties out of the way the two teens closed their classroom door behind them. As they exited the school small droplets of rain started falling from the sky. It was only a light drizzle, but Ayumi was thankful that she had remembered the umbrella. Opening it she handed it to Yoshiki, who was the taller of the two and they walked home in the rain side by side.
Yoshiki was thankful for the pitter-patter of the rain landing on their umbrella, for it seemed to drown out the sound of his erratic heart. 'She's so close...' He felt her shoulder brushing against him more than a few times.
Shaking off the rainwater from the umbrella the two teens entered the house. "We're home!" Ayumi announced their presence to a mostly silent house. They could smell tonight's dinner being made by Asuka, at the very least she was home. Yoshiki checked the time on his phone to see that he had roughly forty minutes before he needed to be at work.
Seeing as the kitchen was currently occupied they decided to start on their homework in Ayumi's room. It was ten minutes later and Yoshiki found himself unable to concentrate. He had answered maybe two problems, and even then he was certain that he had done them wrong.
Despite deciding against asking Ayumi out he still couldn't ignore the regret his decision brought him. 'Coward...' His own mind taunted him. Yoshiki frowned as he tried to remind himself that he made the right choice. 'It's better this way, I should be happy that we're as close as we are.' The blonde told himself. Before coming to stay at Ayumi's house that they had never been this friendly with each other. He should be happy with what he had.
And truly he was happy with the way things were between them. Sure they still clashed, mostly due to their day and night personalities but it was surprising how well they could get along. 'Things are good now, why do I need to risk ruining it by wanting more?' Yoshiki frowned down at his work, hopelessly lost in thought.
Ayumi glanced up at her friend, noticing that his pencil had stopped moving yet again. Raising an eyebrow she wondered what was up with him today. He had been acting odd for the most part today. During class she had noticed that he hadn't been paying much attention but hadn't thought too much of it. And throughout the lunch period he had seemed bothered by something, Ayumi hadn't noticed Seiko's encouraging winks sent in the blonde's direction.
And after school while they had been cleaning up he had been unusually silent, save for the end. Frowning she looked back up at Yoshiki, noticing that he was still just staring blankly at his homework. Clearing her throat she spoke up. "Kishinuma-kun, is everything alright?" Her voice holding genuine concern for her friend. 'Maybe he's just not feeling well?' She considered, mildly worried for his health.
At the sound of her voice Yoshiki glanced up and offered an awkward smile. "Nothing's wrong, Shinozaki." He answered casually. "I guess I'm just having trouble concentrating is all." He paused before thinking up a better way to assure her. "Maybe if we put some music on it'd help?" He suggested. At the very least it might relax him, usually when he studied by himself he'd have music playing through his speakers to help him focus.
Ayumi raised an eyebrow at his suggestion, but found no problem with it. She rarely listened to music when studying, but as long as it was nothing obnoxious playing she wouldn't be bothered. "Okay, I don't mind. You can use my computer if you want." The blue haired girl offered, pointing to her laptop.
Yoshiki offered a relieved smile before hopping up and scurrying to Hinoe's room to grab one of his CDs. Placing the disc in the CD tray he pushed the it in and accessed the files on the CD. Clicking the first song he set it to automatically play the next song and sat back down.
Ayumi watched her computer as the song started to play, the sound of quick guitar riffs filled her room. Before long a woman's voice started singing. The song was pretty fast-paced, but not annoying. She kind of liked the upbeat quality to it. "What song is this?" She inquired after a moment.
Yoshiki, actually having managed to turn his attention to his work, looked up. "It's called No Music No Future. It's by an indie band that was really popular a while back." He told her after a moment. Despite the fact that this song did remind him that he still had those concert tickets he didn't feel quite as wound up. Music always had a way of relaxing him.
Ayumi nodded, not recognizing the song's name. She wasn't very big on the music scene, but she decided that she liked this song so far. "I like it." The dark haired girl quipped simply before returning her attention to the schoolwork before her.
Yoshiki looked at her as she resumed her school work. A small smile etched itself on his face, she liked his taste in music. 'You could...' No. Yoshiki narrowed his eyes before looking back down at the sheet. His decision was final. He wouldn't ask her out, not yet.
Even though a part of him felt compelled to by her latest remark, Yoshiki still wasn't prepared to take such a risk. He liked what he and Ayumi had right now. The fact that they could sit together in her room, listening to the music he liked, and working on homework was nice. 'Why have I been so worried about this all day?' Suddenly the tickets in his pocket didn't feel quite as heavy.
Maybe one day he'd get the guts to confess to her. He would tell her just how important she was to him, but now was not the time. For now he was content to enjoy the slowly growing friendship between them. 'Shinozaki...I want to have more moments like these with you.' Yoshiki felt a warmness in his chest before smiling. Shaking away the warmth in him he composed himself and managed to return his focus to his school work.
For the next twenty minutes the only sound came from Ayumi's laptop, the two teens quietly worked on their homework, enjoying the music filled atmosphere. Unfortunately Yoshiki had to leave for work. "I'll finish up on my break at work." Yoshiki decided, sliding his closed text book into his bag.
Ayumi glanced up from her nearly completed homework before nodding, finding this to be acceptable. "Okay. If you have any trouble feel free to text me." She offered with a helpful smile and Yoshiki swore his heart fluttered at her offer.
In response to the twin tailed girl's words Yoshiki nodded. "Of course. Thanks, Shinozaki." He told the twin tailed girl before heading out of her room, closing the door behind him.
"Kishinuma-kun, are you heading off to work?" Asuka asked as she caught him exiting Ayumi's room. At the blonde's answer Asuka smiled. "Well if you want I just finished making dinner, you can take some to work for lunch if you want." She kindly offered.
Yoshiki couldn't help but be overjoyed at Asuka's kindness. After the whole cigarette incident a part of him had feared that the relationship between them had been forever tarnished. While she wasn't quite as affectionate to him as she had been at first her initial kindness had eventually returned. "Thanks, Asuka-san. I appreciate that." He thanked her. Asuka smiled warmly as she went to the kitchen to set some aside for him to take with.
Bag slung over his shoulder, lunch wrapped up, shoes on, and he was out the door. 'It's not raining anymore.' The blonde thought to himself as he looked up at the clear night sky. Yoshiki felt his spirits finally lifting up after the somewhat stressful day.
The first hour of work was somewhat slow, but at around 7:15 a familiar face walked in. "Satoshi?" Yoshiki called out in surprise from the register, as his brown haired friend entered the store. His best friend had come to Yoshiki's place of work before, but only once or twice so it was kind of surprising to see him here. "What are you doing here?"
Satoshi offered a friendly smile as he walked up. "Oh I just came to buy a couple CDs. I hear that you guys might still have some of the new Deardrops CD. And I figured that I might as well say hi." He offered with a shrug as he browsed some of the CDs by the register.
Yoshiki nodded before pointing over to the other side of the store. "Try checking over there, that's where we keep the new releases." He informed the brunette.
Satoshi nodded before heeding his friends words. As his friend looked for the CD in question Yoshiki felt his eyes scanning the store. It was Tuesday night and there weren't a whole lot of people shopping for music related items. He saw a girl who couldn't be more than twelve with her dad, looking at the available clarinets. Not too far from them the blonde took note of a high school student, still in uniform, with a pair of headphones on his head. Yoshiki sighed as he wished he was still in Ayumi's room listening to his music.
Glancing over to the guitars on display he wondered how long after finding a new place it would take before he could save up to buy a new one. It had been a couple weeks since he played and he was sure that if he tried to play one of those stringed instruments the sound that would come out would be horrible. 'Ah, too depressing.' He chided himself before glancing over to where he sent Satoshi.
The moment he turned to look at the brown haired teen he seemed to have found what he was looking for. Satoshi, after plucking the CD of his choice, headed over to Yoshiki. Handing over the item Satoshi asked. "So, how's the search going?"
Scanning the item Yoshiki frowned before placing it in a bag. "Not very well. Miki and I checked out a couple places on Sunday. First guy had already found a roommate, and I ended up getting into a fist fight with the second guy's drunk friend." He explained before telling Satoshi the price of his purchase.
The brown haired boy's eyes widened at that bit of news as he pulled out his wallet and handed him a bill. "Whoa, how'd that happen?" Satoshi was aware that his friend could be violent at times, but he also knew nowadays it took something pretty upsetting to actually get him to jump into a fist fight so easily.
Yoshiki frowned as he remembered how Konishi's drunk friend had grabbed Ayumi. At the time he had been so blinded by rage that if Ayumi hadn't called out to him who knows what he would have done to that guy. Frowning the blonde filed those thoughts away.
Clearing his throat Yoshiki hesitated as he knew he had to revise his story slightly. "The jackass grabbed my sister, so I didn't hold back. He's lucky his friend pulled him out before I could rough him up anymore." The blonde explained, managing to keep his voice casual.
Satoshi nodded along with the blonde's brief story before accepting his change. He could understand Yoshiki's position. 'If someone made a grab for Yuka I don't think I'd be able to hold back either.' While the brunette was not a fighter like his friend he knew that if his sister was in trouble he'd do whatever it took to protect her. "Well I'm glad Miki-chan has a tough older brother to keep her safe." He told him as he pocketed his wallet and accepted the offered bag.
Yoshiki smiled in appreciation of Satoshi's praise. "Thanks Satoshi."
"Well man, have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow." He told the blonde before turning to leave.
Suddenly Yoshiki realized an opportunity. 'No point in letting them go to waste.' The blonde thought as he realized that his friend would appreciate this. "Hey, Satoshi hold on a minute." Hand reaching into his pocket, he called out before the brunette could leave.
Glancing over his shoulder Satoshi looked confused. "What's up?" He asked, wondering what Yoshiki wanted. Walking back over to the register he glanced at the floor. "Did I drop my wallet?" He questioned slightly worried.
Pulling out the tickets Yoshiki chuckled at his friend's worried look. "No, nothing like that." He said before presenting the two slips of paper. "I think you might appreciate this." He told the brunette, who accepted the offered tickets with a curious frown on his face.
Satoshi's eyes widened as he read the information printed on the two tickets. "Tickets to a Deardrops concert next Saturday?!" His voice actually raising in excitement. "How did you get these, Yoshiki? They've been sold out for so long!" The brunette coughed as he realized that people were looking at him now.
The blonde chuckled in amusement. "A friend gave them to me. But I can't really go, so I figured you'd be able to use them."
Satoshi offered a wide grin, thankful for his best friend. "Oh man, I don't know what to say. Thank you, this is awesome."
The blonde returned the grin before smirking. "Maybe try seeing if Nakashima would like to go with you?" He suggested, not so subtly.
The brunette's earlier excitement was replaced by embarrassment. "Haha, I don't know, Yoshiki..." He trailed off uncertainly. While he would love to go to a concert with Naomi he was just as nervous as Yoshiki to confess to his crush.
It was kind of fun not to be the one being teased for once. Yoshiki smirked. "Come on, Satoshi. Everyone in class is just waiting for the two of you to stop dancing around each other. Maybe this is the opportunity to make a change?" He encouraged his friend.
Satoshi hesitated, considering his friend's words before nodding. His expression slowly shifted from nervousness to determination. The brown haired teen nodded. "You're right, Yoshiki. I'll ask if she wants to go." He decided before his bravado lessened. "B-but it's not a date, this is just to you know...test the waters?"
Yoshiki chuckled at his friend's red face. "Whatever you say Satoshi." His smirk turned into a light smile. "Good luck." He told the brunette who nodded in response.
"Thanks Yoshiki. I really owe you one. I'll let you know how it goes." He promised before pocketing the tickets and leaving.
Yoshiki's smile remained as he watched Satoshi exit the store.
As the door closed behind Satoshi a pair of feet stopped besides Yoshiki. "Hypocrite." Kensuke having watched the interaction between the two friends, teased. The blond flinched lightly, not having heard the older man sneaking up on him. Offering a chuckle he spoke. "I saw you handing out those tickets for your friend for his girlfriend."
Yoshiki frowned lightly before nodding. "Yeah, I did." He couldn't deny what had just happened. "I didn't ask Shinozaki out." He told him after a slight pause.
Kensuke raised an eyebrow at that. While he had intended for Yoshiki to ask out his crush he was at least happy that the blonde hadn't been rejected. "Why didn't you ask her?" He asked curiously. "It's obvious you like that girl."
The blonde's expression became wistful. "I tried. Throughout the day I tried to bring up the tickets, but every time something interrupted me." Yoshiki admitted before smiling. "Then before work I realized something. We were at her house, doing homework, listening to the music I like. And I realized that I want to have more quiet moments like that with Shinozaki."
While it was true that he did want a romantic relationship with Ayumi, a part of him still wanted to enjoy the easy friendship they were starting to have. There was no need to rush. "Maybe someday I'll tell her what I feel. But for now I just want to enjoy what we have. If that makes sense." The blonde said, his cheeks tinting in embarrassment at the personal conversation he was having with his boss.
Kensuke chuckled lightly at the blonde, not having taken him for a romantic. "Never realized you were such a hopeless romantic, Kishinuma." He lightly teased, causing the blonde to roll his eyes. "But I do understand that view point. It doesn't hurt to stop and breathe in the fresh air along the way." He said as he thought of his own relationship.
Yoshiki frowned at his bosses teasing. "Shut up..." He had muttered. At Kensuke's understanding words he regained his smile. "Yeah. That's about how I feel with Shinozaki. Up until recently we weren't that close. But in the last couple weeks we've become better friends, and I think I'd rather enjoy that then try to get her to go on a date with me." Eventually he would muster the courage to ask her out, but that was far off.
The rest of the night passed on relatively quick. During his first break Yoshiki resumed working on his homework. As he tried to get through the problems he made good on Ayumi's offer to text her if he needed help. Thankfully the dark haired girl's responses, although strictly professional, were quick and pleasant. Near the end of his final break he managed to just barely complete his homework before having to get back on the floor.
After closing the store up he made his journey back to the Shinozaki residence, then was let in by Ayumi, before promptly going to bed.
The next day school went by in a blur. In the blonde's opinion it had been a pretty good day. He had woken up to the usual setting of the Shinozaki residence. His interactions with Ayumi that day were still positive, and he was able to see the rest of his friends. Speaking of school he was also pleased to see that his grades were improving with each passing day.
He was nowhere near top of the class, but with Ayumi's help he was finally doing more than just barely getting by. It was nice.
Sadly this relatively pleasant day was set to end on a particularly awful note. The final bell rang and Yoshiki, having planned on checking out the apartment Miki had mentioned the morning prior, bolted out of the classroom.
"What's he in such a hurry for?" Sakutaro grumbled in annoyance after the blonde had sped past him, nearly bumping into him in the process.
Satoshi, having heard the blue haired boy's question, looked at the door Yoshiki had just exited. 'Yoshiki's usually off on Wednesday. Maybe he's going to look at more apartments?' He considered but didn't say. The blonde had asked him not to tell their friends about his situation and he would uphold to that promise.
Offering a shrug he threw in a guess. "Maybe he works early tonight?" For all he knew Yoshiki could actually have to go to work tonight. The blonde did often try to get as many hours as he could. Satoshi didn't hear Sakutaro's annoyed response as he caught sight of short brown hair in his peripherals.
Ayumi glanced over to the two boys, having heard the tail end of their conversation. The dark haired girl's eyes trailed Satoshi's profile as he moved to leave the room. She watched as his expression brightened, as though he'd seen something pleasant. Following his line of sight Ayumi felt her stomach sink slightly at seeing that he was watching Naomi who was leaving with Seiko.
"Hey, Naomi wait up!" She watched the brunette chase after the short haired girl.
Ayumi frowned dejectedly at this, though she wasn't surprised. Everyone, including her, knew of Satoshi and Naomi's mutual feelings for each other. 'I don't even know why I keep hoping...' The twin tailed class-rep thought to herself. Satoshi just didn't see her that way and she knew that. She released a sigh before lowering her head to her desk.
Of course though if Naomi and Satoshi ever did confess to each other Ayumi would take it with grace. Sure she might privately sulk for a while, but the twin tailed girl knew that she would congratulate the two and put up a brave front. A part of her wish they'd just up and do it already, maybe then she could start getting over him. 'Why does he have to be the only reliable boy?' Ayumi questioned wistfully.
Shaking her head Ayumi decided that she had dawdled long enough. Slowly she began packing her school supplies, standing up she grabbed her bag and prepared to leave the room. Surprisingly she was the only one left, everyone else had been much quicker to leave than her. Hand on the door, ready to pull she was stopped as a loud vibrating noise sounded out.
*Vibrate, vibrate, vibrate*
"Huh?" Ayumi turned around. "What was that?" Tilting her head she questioned. Walking to the back of the classroom, where the sound had originated, she starting looking at the back row of desk. She didn't find anything until she peeked in Yoshiki's desk. "Kishinuma-kun's cell phone?" The twin tail haired girl muttered while pulling said object out.
It was opened, and the message screen was on display. 'Was he texting in class?' She wondered disapprovingly before looking down at the screen. Her eyes widened in shock and she nearly dropped Yoshiki's phone as she read the words.
{Naomi said yes. Thanks for the concert tickets, Yoshiki. I owe you one. Also good luck with the apartment hunting, I hope you find something today.}
Ayumi felt many emotions from the mid-length text. She felt jealousy, anger, betrayal, sadness, hurt. She felt hurt. It hurt that Satoshi had asked Naomi out, it hurt that Naomi had agreed to go on the date with Satoshi, it hurt that Yoshiki was the one to provide that opportunity, and it hurt that Yoshiki had broken his promise. 'H-he said he wou-wouldn't tell anyone.' Tears of frustration and embarrassment started streaming down her cheeks. "Why did he tell Mochida-kun?" She sniffled.
Her mind was a muddled mess as many questions started swirling around. How could Yoshiki do this to her? Just when things between them were going so well, how could he go behind her back and tell Satoshi the one thing she asked him not to tell? And why did this reveal have to be coupled with Satoshi and Naomi finally agreeing to go on a date? 'And why would he spend money on concert tickets when he's supposed to be saving for an apartment!?' Ayumi, her frustration festering, scowled as she reread the offending text.
"Man, I can't believe I forgot my phone again." Hand ruffling his hair, Yoshiki briskly walked down the mostly deserted halls of Kisaragi. "At least this time-." He had just opened the door to his class and noticed Ayumi with his phone. "Oh, Shinozaki. I see you have my-." He stopped talking when he noticed that something was wrong. 'Why is she crying?' He thought, immediately concern that she might be hurt.
Closing the door behind him he quickly moved over to her. "Shinozaki, what happened?" He asked worriedly, not at all considering that the cause of her being upset was his phone.
Ayumi gritted her teeth as her sorrow was overtaken by anger. "I can't believe you, Kishinuma-kun!" She exploded, standing at her full height. At her outburst the blonde took a step back. "You told Mochida-kun about staying at my house!" She accused, not even caring if there were any stragglers in the halls listening.
Yoshiki's gray eyes widened as he looked down at his phone. 'What?! Why would she think that?!' He thought before his eyes darted down at his phone in her hand. 'Did Satoshi send a message that gave that impression?' The blonde felt sick to his stomach at the betrayed expression on Ayumi's face. He needed to fix this. "No I didn't!" Yoshiki defended.
Ayumi didn't give him the pleasure of further defending himself. "Liar!" She snarled at the blonde, unleashing all of her anger at him. She was angry at him for lying to her, she was angry at him for telling Satoshi, she was angry at Satoshi for asking Naomi out, she was angry at Naomi for accepting, but the root of her anger was at Yoshiki for breaking his promise.
"Then why does Mochida-kun know that you're looking at apartments?!" Yoshiki's face paled. Biting her lip she shook her head. "I can't believe anything you say, we agreed not to tell anyone!" She shouted. "And why did you buy concert tickets!? That's so irresponsible of you!" The blue haired girl demanded with venom lacing her voice.
Yoshiki felt irritated at Ayumi not giving him much of an opportunity to speak up. Seeing that she had momentarily stopped shouting he started arguing. "My boss gave me those tickets!" He explained, believing that justified the ticket's existence. 'To ask you out...' Shaking those thoughts away he continued. "And what does it matter to you how I handle my money!?" He asked, feeling offended that she would point out his supposed lack of responsibility.
Ayumi, taking a step towards him, pointed a finger at his chest. "It matters because you've been staying at my place for nearly a month, and you still haven't found anything!" Any fire Yoshiki felt from the argument left him at what she had just said. Ayumi, not caring for the pained expression of his, cried out. "I can't trust you! You're no better than Otou-san!" Throwing the phone in her hand away she rushed passed him, leaving him behind.
Yoshiki didn't stop her as she left, he couldn't. The blonde was shell-shocked, he couldn't believe that Ayumi had just thrown that in his face. 'How the hell did this happen?' The blonde thought to himself as he looked at the door the crying girl had just ran out of. Now that she was gone all of the fire that he had felt in the heat of their argument had been snuffed out.
Swallowing thickly he walked over to where she had thrown his phone. Looking at the, mercifully, undamaged screen Yoshiki saw the text that Ayumi had read. Without any sort of context it looked like he had broken his promise to Ayumi. He understood why she thought what she did, but he'd need to set her straight. The blonde breathed a shaky sigh. "I'll tell her tomorrow." He decided. In the heat of the argument he had been unable to convince Ayumi of anything, but hopefully once she cooled down he could get her to listen to him.
He wasn't even really mad at her, even if she did say some pretty hurtful things. Yoshiki could tell that she was hurting just as much, if not more than he was. 'If her tears were any indication...' Seeing her cry like that was horrible. Especially when it was because she was hurting due to him. Yoshiki sighed again as started typing out a message to Satoshi.
{Hey man, I need somewhere to stay for the night...can I come over?}
He figured that Ayumi would not want to see him for the rest of the night. He'd give her the much needed space she'd require. Thankfully he didn't have to work tonight, hopefully he could have this mended by tomorrow. After grabbing his bag he exited the classroom, the blonde didn't even bother checking out the apartment he had planned on going to. Right now he wasn't in the mood to do anything save for curl up and close his eyes.
Bet you all weren't expecting that end, either way I hope you all enjoyed this story. Happy Valentines.