A/N: (i) Standard disclaimer apply. (ii) Be appreciative of the quick updates. Please. Review.
17.
"Goodness, Seika High hasn't changed much if the population rely heavily on the SC," her sister seethed out. Clearly, Misaki is miffed and disappointed at her alumni school.
Suzuna made a noise of agreement, and so does Aoi –as he nods along. They were seated at the back of the café, having their much-deserved break.
"Su-chan, I'd feel indignant if I were in your place!" Erika called out as she entered, probably taking her break too.
Suzuna nodded once again, face impassive. Her mild responses drew irritated glares from Aoi. "Shouldn't you…Ugh. Why do I bother…" the sapphire-eyed boy grumbled out. Suzuna stared at him with her doll's expression. Contemplative, Aoi decides. By now, he is able to read her doll's expressions.
"I am retaliating though, Aoi," she continued with a poker face, "Please inform the Council that I won't be leading the meetings next week. Thanks."
Aoi narrowed his eyes. The 'thanks' sounded as if it were added as an afterthought. "You're just skiving off work," Aoi mutters. However, the girl had already fled to attend to their customers.
18.
"Hey, kaichō, it's time to leave for the Student Council meeting," Aoi shakes the girl awake from their place in the empty classroom.
"Ah, alright," the brunette tells him, "you can go first."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" He rarely threw tantrums, and only with Suzuna was he short-tempered. He figures it might have something to do with his co-worker's usually reckless decisions. He hopes this is not a follow-through action that Suzuna was speaking about a day ago, behind the staff corner at Maid Latte. 'I am retaliating though, Aoi," she continued with a poker face, "Please inform the Council that I won't be leading the meetings next week.' Aoi recalled.
"Ne, why do you think I'm President?" she pops a random question with an impassive face.
Without a beat, he replied, "Because you're Misaki-chi's sister, right?"
"Ah…as expected."
He blinks his sapphire eyes. Suzuna was always more sensitive than her sister, despite her doll's appearance and expressions. Right this moment, the girl sounded...tired, disappointed, resigned. If he were not wrong, she would ask if she ought to quit.
"Maybe I should quit…" she wonders aloud. He was right.
Aoi sighed in vexation. Huffing out "Do what you like", he left, annoyance a cloud billowing after him.
"Do what you like," were his parting words. Suzuna rested her head on the dull blue desks and wondered. What should I do?
19.
She left for Maid Latte, and ditched Student Council work.
In a way, she is not that different from her father. She had chose to abandon important things and people behind. A nicer way of phrasing it would be 'to chose flight over fight'. Unlike her mother or sister, who would bravely choose fight (for a better future), she would choose flight. Like now.
Of course, Suzuna did not think that Aoi would be that angry –she had only thought that the Council would do well with or without her presence.
Aoi stomped into Maid Latte half an hour later. Tick marks were present on his head, and he was probably at the stage where he feels like breathing out fire. Aoi planned to plague the girl like a disease, and he did –tagging Suzuna while she catered to the Masters and Mistresses at the café, and sending her obvious intense stares in her direction. He thinks spitefully, How long can you ignore me?
It got pretty bad quickly, to the extent that a customer called out: "Su-chan, Aoi-chan seems to have something to talk to you about. She's been staring at you for quite a while!"
Suzuna finally excused herself then.
"Suzuna. We need to talk." His glare silenced any excuses from the brunette.
The 'talk' started out normally enough, with "Where were you? I thought you'd come a while later?" and "Did you fall back asleep on the desk again? Is that why you didn't come?" Soon afterwards, Aoi patience burst and as per se, her niece starts to lecture Su-chan. All these the café manager notes while she mulls over next week's theme -or pretending to- while eavesdropping in the freshmen's conversation.
She had not need to eavesdrop, she realises later, when Aoi barely contained his frustration and his voice rose in volume.
"You…do you ever think –what people would think of the SC? You're the school's role model! Did you know that you had everyone of us worried too? We were unable to continue the meeting that it was called off. Really! What were you thinking?" Worry and frustration burst like a dam as he lectured her.
"Maybe Aoi would be more suited for this position," Suzuna interrupted his angry tirade, poker face still plastered on her face -unaffected and uncaring- even if her eyes showed slight remorse. He can read her better now; it's the eyes that give her emotions away, not the expression she wears.
"Don't tell me. You're going to say you've lost confidence in yourself, am I right Suzuna?" Aoi fixed his stern gaze on the Seika High's kaichō, whose response was a simple nod before averting her hazel eyes.
He lets out a shuddering breath to try to calm himself. He needs to remind himself that the brunette sitting across him was more sensitive than Misaki-chi.
Suzuna took this opportunity to speak, "I'm not my sister. I'm not that great; not like onee-chan. I'm just…me."
"Did you know what the school has been saying ever since you took the role of President?" his sapphire eyes were serious, "They were –and still is– saying that you might be as great as your sister; like a second wave of change. Misaki-chi does a lot to transform Seika High co-ed, and you'll most likely—"
"That's why! I can't do it!" the brunette across him uttered in a harsh whisper. She shakes her head furiously, expression clearly distressed. Aoi has never seen Suzuna as expressive as now, it surprised him. And made butterflies flutter in his stomach. The sapphire-eyed boy brush aside that thought, maybe I'll dissect what it means later.
Aoi feels like hitting something. Or at least shake some sense into the girl. "Even so, don't do things half-heartedly before it's over! How…would you know whether the school's changed till you see it through?"
Suzuna bit her lips as his lecture gets processed in her head. Finally, she offered a soft apology and gratitude. "Sorry for worrying you, Aoi. And…thank you."
"Lovers' spat?" Honoka whispered to the café owner as both women witnessed Aoi's apple-red cheeks while staring at a smiling Suzuna.
To Phantomsmile, in response to her review:
Kekeke, I don't mind if you're bad or good at typing reviews. Appreciative and encouraging ones are the ones I like and receive the most. Critique is harder to come by, but it's all right. You still managed to read through all 10 updates and reviewed! Thank you so, so much~! Unlike you, I can't really imagine his puppy face. Haha, maybe 'cos I'm bad at remembering faces. But don't mind me, hope you like this too (though I won't count on it, this update is...not good enough.)
To aira2889, in response to her review:
The apples part is the one I remembered the most vividly, perhaps 'cos of the number of times it happened! I have trouble recalling the exact ongoings for their summer vacation, so I had to do a little check before I can write it down. Maybe I'll post up the summer vacation part soon. Because it's winter. And we all need a little warmth; by reading about summer vacation! Haha.
I'm envious of you; who's been in love before. I tried re-enacting once -I got the idea from the manga 'Watashi ni xxx Shinasai!' I'm never doing it again -try dating with someone that's...ah, nevermind. I'm getting off track. Anyway, I think everyone has one or two weird points. Not being jealous when a guy talk to other girls, well. That's just nice of you. To give space to a guy when he needs it. ^_^
Hope you like this update, thanks for reading & reviewing~!
To perfect pen, in response to her review:
Hey to you too! Nice to hear from you again and while I'm at it, let me thank you for reading and reviewing! Ah, once again, I have read too much into things. But still, many thanks for the compliments, I'll try to 'keep up the good work'. ^_^ It is true that the love complication is rather...familiar. Like I said, it's tres cliche so it could have come from one or more manga, anime or drama I've watched.
Without saying, of course I liked reading your reviews! Encouraging, is what I call them; they let me want to continue the fic and not drop it like I did to the others. Once again, thanks for reading and reviewing. Hope you like this too (though I'm not confident).
To lovin-yoochun, in response to her review:
Haha, I see -so that's why you reviewed later than normal. Usually you would be the first or second person I'd receive the review. Did you know? I waited a few more days -for your review- before posting it up. Haha.
I hadn't notice that Suzuna is opening up more...until you mention it. But yes, I suppose you're right. ^_^ I re-edited those chapters, and I guess it was worth the trouble. You're right. Chapter 10 was my longest chapter yet. I'm not sure about Chapter 11 -'cos there seems to be lots more reviews to reply to. Haha, it's alright. Who's not a hypocrite nowadays? It seems that I can do long chapters...that's just. Wow. I wonder if I can do that again. Hehe.
Oh my god. Honey, you're too sweet. Because of this sentence: "one thing I hate the most is a lot of fluff . when I say cute , it's .. the perfect amount of fluff ." I...words alone can't say how happy I am right now. My mouth is tingly with the sweetness of it all. That's so, so, so nice of you!
My god, when you mentioned 'first kiss', I remembered. That I need to make them acknowledge each other soon. Hmm...I'm thinking of it right now. But right now, they are still in 'oblivious'. Not even in 'denial'. So it might be quite a wait. i'll try to make them kiss, hold hands etc soon, hopefully without it being abrupt or sudden -that would sound so fake. I'm not confident of this chapter, I'll say so now. Still, thanks for reading and reviewing once again!
To Yupina123, in response to her review:
I'm glad that I did this too! Haha, I think there is a lack of Aoi/Suzuna here, but I hope that others might be inspired to write this coupling too. But I guess I'm not that inspirational a writer. Sigh.
Anyway, thanks lots for reading and reviewing! Hope you like this update -a sort of gift of gratitude. Even if I wasn't confident of this chapter.