Thank you for those who reviewed, favorited and followed this story. I'm aware that this story has more holes than a trypophobic person's nightmare, plot-holes that is, but meh, fuck it, I'll fill them up when it's time.

Anyway, enough of my poor attempt at humor and let the plot-holing festivities begin.

"Be careful! I don't want you to screw this up, especially now that we're doing this for real."

"Geez, calm down, boss. I got this and even if I screw up, technically, it's you who screwed up in the end."

"…don't pull out your technicalities on me you stupid clone."

"You know, insulting me means you're calling yourself stupid, boss."

It's like arguing with your own reflection on a mirror. Except there's no need for a mirror, because I can make real and physical copies of myself. Speaking of mirrors, there's one nearby for me to look at once my clone has finished with what I've instructed him to do. Oh, don't mind the mess, he'll clean it up later.

"Aaaaaand there! I'm done, boss!" my clone informs me. "It was hard since this is our first time using a matrix this complicated, but I don't think that there should be any problem." Then, his tone turns into a questioning one. "Remind me again, why didn't we do this, like, a loooong time ago?"

I was tempted to sock the gut of my physical doppelganger right there and then, then I reminded myself that I'll need someone to clean out the crumpled papers, mop the inks that were spilled and throw away the empty ink bottle to the trash.

"The reason why I-WE didn't do this sooner is because I was not even aware of my chakra fucking me up from the inside." I answered my clone. "I mean, we got that something was wrong, but there was nothing wrong, right? Today's the first time we truly feel the effect of our condition…"

"Then… what do you deduce from all of this, boss?" my clone asks me, confusion on his face.

I sighed. "To be honest… I do not know… I don't quite know, but I kind'a have an idea at the same time."

My clone snorts. "You're weird boss."

I returned his snide comment with a glare. "You're weird." I sighed again. "But these are what we know: my chakra has not been working properly this whole time, not using chakra is giving me negative side effects physically, chakra circulation is messed up because of how different my body is now and I can't really gather chakra from outside means again…"

My clone nods in understanding. "So?"

"So… these" I trailed my finger across the sealing matrix that my clone has drawn on my body. It begins from the heart, forming a spiral core, then it branches all over my body, covering them in black ink. It's like a very detailed, specific and complicated tattoo design. Great, all the more reason for me not to use the public baths. (1) "will remedy our condition."

In the meantime, at least.

What my clone, ultimately me, have drawn all over me is a complex matrix that should be able to stabilize my already inconsistent chakra. It won't do much, but at least it will spare me from other negative physical side effects such as fainting and whatnot. I came up with the conclusion that my ailments are due to me not using chakra as actively as I used to in the past, and these seals will remedy that. Upon activation, they will require continuous flow of chakra in order to keep them activated. While it will deplete my reserves, I doubt that it will suck me dry of my chakra… hell.

But, just in case if it does happen, let me tell you, it won't be pretty.

The thing is, it's not only MY chakra that resides within me. I also have Kurama's chakra in me.

Normally, a human's reserves would not be able to hold a tailed beast's chakra along with his own, but let's just say that I'm a very special snowflake when it comes to having big chakra reserves. Yes, currently in me, I contain two chakra entities. One that is my own and another one being that of a tailed beast. My body has done a great job preventing Kurama's chakra from mixing with my own, because if that happens then the world will have to deal with a Kurama's-chakra-induced me.

My body 'shelved' my chakra, while Kurama's remain where it has always been; inside the seal. Since Kaguya took away chakra, aside from my own, I could not replenish chakra on my own so should my chakra depletes, I should die, but I'm immortal so I can't die… gah! This is confusing! Man, not only did that bitch made my life miserable, she also made it complicated! Logically, when my original chakra is depleted, my body will immediately seek out the other source of chakra available inside of me, which is Kurama's chakra. So, then, theoretically, I'll be living off from a tailed beast's chakra reserves for the rest of my immortal life!

My clone notices the mixture of complicated expressions flashing on my face so he calls out to me worriedly. "Eh, boss, you okay?"

I noticed his call and took a deep breath. I breathed out. "I'm… not okay." My expression contorted into a hard one. "We're not okay, dammit."

"But… at least we'll be okay for the meantime, right?" he asks me.

I nod, though hesitant. "Yeah." I sighed out tiredly.

He smiles. "Good." He rubs the back of his head, an action I'm all too familiar with. "And, eh, boss, I know this seems weird coming from your clone – yourself basically – but try not to do anything stupid, mmkay?" he flashes me an all too familiar smile. I can see the worry on his face.

I looked at him pensively, my eyes fixed on my clone. I nodded, this time with more confidence than before. "Sure. But you know yourself, he's known for doing stupid stuffs."

The bastard laughs heartily, one that prompted me to smile too. "Anyway, I'll dismiss myself, call me again, boss!"

Aaaand my doppelganger bursts into a cloud of smoke, disappearing from existence. I looked around my apartment room, now realizing that the mess around me.

"That bastard tricked me into dismissing him early!"

Damn you, me… damn you…

Thankfully, tomorrow's a holiday, so I don't have to worry about dealing with Yukinoshita's 'touching' words or Yui's airheadedness. The last of my fresh batch of clones have dismissed themselves after making this apartment sparkling clean. I don't know how a Shadow Clone actually works, but if I have gotten the bastard that tricked me into dismissing him earlier with his smooth talking…

Haaaah.

I slumped back into my couch, after stretching my body. Whilst my clones were cleaning the apartment, I did a last minute adjustment on my seal. Nothing much, really, just finishing touches that will ensure the probability of it working is higher than usual. Leaning forward, I raised my back from the couch so that I'm sitting up straight. I should be doing this on the floor, but I'm too lazy to move currently.

Forming a ram seal with my hands and fingers, I pulled myself into a state of semi-meditation. I said 'semi' because I don't want to get in too deep into subconsciousness. I can't exactly describe what it is that I'm feeling, but it's along the lines of having every single hair on your body standing upright the moment you activate the seal.

"Fuin!" My chakra spikes.

A small burst of energy rattles my room, causing some of the pictures I hanged on the wall to rattle and tilt.

I opened my eyes and lowered my hand. Looking around, I can confirm that my vision's not affected in some way, the same goes for my hearing and touch. I stood up from my couch, standing tall on my full height. I bounced up and down from my spot, making sure that my sense of equilibrium is working properly. After several laps around the room, walking, everything seems fine.

"Hm…" but I'm not sure just yet. I walked to my bed, where the large mirror that I used earlier is at. Taking off my shirt, I took a look at my reflection shown on the surface of the mirror. The black ink flashes white, typical for a seal to do so moments after being activated, but the shining died down, returning to its unquestionable and innocent appearance. I smiled and it's reflected back to me on the mirror. "Good."

Oh, I can already feel it. It's slow but… it's definitely expelling my chakra alright, in small amounts of course. Now, I need to put my shirt back on again…

Now that I'm sure that the seal is working properly, I can congratulate and celebrate with a cold can of beer.

Let me grab it… oh, here it is.

Asahi Super Dry.

I took a quick chug, burped and squashed the can thin before dunking it inside the trash bin like any true man would do.

"Hm?" I felt vibration going off from my pocket. Naturally and obviously, I pulled out my phone to check. "A message from Komachi?" I slid the screen open, viewing the message.

From: Best Imouto 4evah Komachi!
To: Oniiiiiii-chan

Hey, don't judge her.

Onii-chan! Can u come over and
eat dinner with us? Mom will be home tonight
and she wants 2 eat dinner with u (^_^)

Oho? Now this is something that does not happen every day. Tanaka-san, Komachi's mom, is always busy dealing with work related stuff. With me. I'm not trying to make it sound like it's impossible to meet her without any prior notice or anything, which is not the case for me since I see her all the time I'm needed in the publisher's office. Maybe the higher ups finally gave her and her team a break after a month full of schedule? Yeah, it's the most reasonable reason.

Anyway, I better text her back.

From: Oniiiiiii-chan
To: Best Imouto 4evah Komachi!

K. I'll meet u 2 ur house.

And send.

Okay, now that Komachi is notified… I guess I'll go and take a bath now? Yeah, I guess I should. I wouldn't want to come over to Komachi and Tanaka-san's house all sweaty and smelly now do I?

Hey, personal hygiene is important after all.

Entering my bathroom with my towel in hand, I closed the door behind me. I don't bother locking because, obviously, I live alone. I placed my towel in the sink and then I proceeded to undress. I have both a shower and a bathtub, the bathroom's big enough to have two of those. Since it's almost time for dinner, I guess I'll just take a quick shower.

Stepping into the shower, I twisted the knob that releases the cold water. The moment the ice cold water hits me, my body shivered in delight. I like taking cold showers, it helps me deal with all the troublesome things that I've done during the day.

And today's not an exception.

My mind lingered back to my encounter with Orimoto earlier this evening. Knowing Orimoto, despite how blunt and bubbly she is, it must've taken her every single ounce of her confidence to talk to me in that café. And I just had to leave her there, crying. In my time 'dating' her, she never cried once. She'd get upset a lot of times, but not to the point of crying. Which is why I… 'overreacted' when I saw her cry. But I still can't help to think that she's in no position to cry.

Even now, I'll admit that I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to raw brain power, but even I know what she did wrong. She wanted to start over, as she's stated in her own words, but what right did she has? She was the one who told me that it was best for us to break up and not see each other again, and I agreed with that, I really did. She even said that our time together was dull. If it was dull then… why start over?

And to begin with, it's not like she's really in love with me, right?

Our 'dating' status wasn't even known, because of my concern that she'd be treated badly and Orimoto also revealed that her friends were beginning to get suspicious about our relationship. So, technically speaking, I did nothing wrong. In fact, I did the right thing. And she should be happy that she got to spend time with her friends in the end so, why cry? If she said that she'd be happy if we end our relationship, why did she ask for a start over?

"Ngggh…" I stretched my grunt as I leaned forward, using my hands to support myself so that I wouldn't fall… again. I raised a hand to touch the spot around my head where I was bleeding from and, as expected, I'm not seeing or feeling any blood. If only regeneration works as fast as this when it comes to broken bones…

I continued showering for another minute before stepping out to dry myself with my towel. I got a quick change of clothes which consist of a dark red t-shirt, a pair of black slacks and an orange tracksuit. I stepped out of my apartment room after putting on my sneakers and I made sure to lock the door.

I may not be in the best of moods right now, but I'm sure that it's nothing Komachi's cooking could not fix.

"Ah, Onii-chan, come on in!"

I stepped into the house as if I'm a member of this household, which I kind of am, and made sure to take off my shoes and socks on the shoe rack placed inside the house. I heard Komachi's voice from the kitchen, she must've just finished setting the tables. I looked around, inspecting the hallway of the house. This is house is kind of large, but it's not that large. Living in a house like this is probably better than living in an apartment… hm… maybe I should find myself a house?

"Meow~"

Oh!

I saw a white, feline creature approaching from the halls towards me. I kneeled down and ruffle the white bundle of cuteness. "Hey there Dog, been a good cat?"

God that sounds so weird.

"Meooow~" of course, his intelligent reply is to meow at my question. I smiled and began to stroke his head, eliciting a purr from the cat. I let Dog go and he slinks away as soon as I do so.

"Onii-chan, please wake mom up in the living room! She's probably asleep at the couch or something."

I walked into the living room and, indeed, just as Komachi said, her mom's asleep on the couch. What are you, an ESP? I stared the sleeping form of Tanaka-san and I could not help but contemplate. Why do the mature women around me have such a weird behavior? I mean, it's enough that I had to deal with Hiratsuka-sensei who complains about her single life most of the time, why does my editor have to be a closet slob too?

Currently asleep on the couch, in front of the TV which is airing a live Manzai performance, is Hikigaya Tanaka, Komachi's mom. She's a beautiful woman, I have to admit, and she's the reason why Komachi has her dark hair and greyish blue eyes. She looks like a taller, bustier and longer haired version of Komachi, except she's not as cute nor is she as… gifted when it comes to kitchen skills like her daughter. So, Komachi must've gotten her aptitude for kitchen skills from her dad, either that or she had to learn how to cook all by herself due to her mom being like this.

And the fact that this woman is currently asleep while beer cans are littered around her does not help her image as a responsible adult. I mean, Tanaka-san's good at doing her job, but this and that are two different things. Sighing, I poked her on the cheek. "Tanaka-san, wake up."

She does not budge.

I tried again. "Wake up."

Again, nothing.

I sighed. "Tanaka-san, if you don't wake up, I'll quit writing for real this time." I crossed my arm and waited for the result.

And the result is instant. Her eyes snapped open like a character from a horror movie and she jumps off the couch to land on her two feet. She looked around quickly, trying to find the person who has uttered the forbidden words, namely, me. Oh, she's finally looking at me. Her expression twists into anger, then horror, anger, horror, delight, anger and finally horror. Without warning, she grabs me by the collar, giving me a dangerous glare that could make a new employee piss their pants. But I'm used to violent women. Story of my life.

"What did you say?" her voice is like the sound of a gas tank hissing. It reeks of danger.

However, I did not hesitate replying. "I said, if you don't wake up, I'll quit writing for real this time."

Her glare hardens. Her arms are shivering, probably from fury. Then, her grip loosens. She lets me go, but nothing changes since I'm taller than her. "You… if the guys back at the office heard you say that, they'll seriously riot y'know?"

I placed my right hand akimbo, maintaining my flat stare. "I know, which is why I threatened you with that." otherwise, nothing else would've worked. "Now hurry up, your daughter's almost done with preparing the food." I glanced over her for a moment. "And did you just return from work?"

The both of us walked to the dining room, where Komachi's just done putting up the eating utensils on the table. Finding our place on our respective places, she finally answered me, with a grumble.

"Yeah… the higher ups are being unreasonable again." She pouts while glaring at me at the same time. "And you're to blame for that."

I raised an eyebrow, while my hand accepts an empty bowl that is handed to me by Komachi. "My fault? How is that my fault?" what's with me and my tendency to get blamed for the things that I may or may not do by women?

And the way she's pouting; she's Komachi's mom alright…

"Let's just say that your latest book is doing… a little bit too well." She says. Komachi places a bowl of steaming rice in front of her.

Oho? "And how is that a problem, woman?" I asked with a raspy voice. "Shouldn't you, you know, be happy?"

She shrugs in a cynical and sarcastic manner in response to my question. "If we aren't the ones who print them, then it wouldn't have been a problem." Rudely, she points her chopsticks at me. "Do you know how busy we were with all the printing request we received?" she articulates her words slowly, trying to sound as serious as she could. Something that I can't seem to take her for at the moment.

"Uh, a lot?" I've seen several book stores run out of stock on the way here…

"Yeah, a lot." She sighs, shaking her head with a complicated look on her face. "To be honest with you, I'm both happy and mad at the fact that your book is actually selling well. Too well." She sinks her chopsticks into her rice bowl, picking up rice and putting them inside her mouth.

"That's not a really good reason to blame me for, Tanaka-san… in fact, I think that I've been doing a great job."

"Yeah, too great of a job…"

Komachi suddenly intervenes, chuckling after watching our interaction. "Maa, maa, isn't it great that Onii-chan's doing a good job with his job as an author? That way, Onii-chan can come here and buy me stuffs whenever we'd go out on a date!"

I snorted at my (un)related little sister's cheekiness and obvious playfulness. But apparently, her mother does not share the same sense of humor.

"What?! You've been going on dates with him?!" Oi, woman, don't point your chopsticks at me, it's freaking rude. Not to mention, you're the owner of the house here!

"Well, yeah!" Komachi answers her mother as if she's the one who is wrong. "What's wrong with that?"

"Komachi, do you know the kind of dangerous and vulgar thing that that man writes for a living?"

"Those dangerous and vulgar things that man writes are books that YOUR company publishes!" I snapped, now it's my turn to point the chopsticks.

It's like, an Asian dinner battle where we point our chopsticks at each other and ultimately discuss about our lackluster jobs and how much money we're making.

Instead of correcting and apologizing for insulting my work, she scoffs. "Still doesn't make it any better, Uzumaki-kun." God, why is this woman so unreasonable?! She returns to her food, but in the midst of our eating, she speaks to me again, albeit in a more serious tone this time. "And once you're done eating, let's talk outside, I want to talk to you about something."

I noted the lack of cynicism and scolding tone in her voice. Looks like she wants to talk to me for real.

"Then I'll wait for you," I stood up from my seat, "I'm done eating anyway."

"So fast!"

"Wow, you're like a food ninja, Onii-chan!"

If only you know… Komachi… if only you know…

I made my way out from the dining room, to the halls, to the living room and then outside to the backyard. It's not a big yard, just a few square meters wide with grass and plants that Komachi grows on the side. But there's a wooden veranda connected to the living room, separated by a sliding glass door. This is normal for Japanese houses; at least, those that are meant to have a family living in it. I sat down on the wooden tiles of the veranda, letting the warm yet breezy evening wind breeze past me.

I'm joined in my peaceful state by a still-dressed-in-her-work-attire Tanaka-san. She holds a pack of cigar in one hand. She takes the empty spot to my left then she nudges me by using the cigarette pack as contact.

"Wanna smoke?" she asks me with a raised eyebrow.

I narrowed my eyes. "…you don't look like the type of person who smokes, Tanaka-san."

She snorts. "Speak for yer'self..."

But I took her up on that offer anyway. I took a stick of cigar from the pack, she then lights it up for me. Again, I don't always smoke, but I suppose it's fine for me to smoke here since it's not somewhere in public. I inhaled cancer, and then I exhaled it back to the world.

Hey, that was actually very poetic. Let me write that down in my mental notepad…

The scent of tobacco lingers around us as we, two smokers, populate the air with carbon monoxide.

Then, out of the blue, Tanaka-san speaks up. "Uzumaki-kun, do you know how… important your reputation is in the literature community?"

I took a moment to smoke, before eventually answering her question. "Not that important. It's not like I'm a celebrity or anything, hell, what's the reason I used a penname for then? I don't want attention, don't need it, if that's what you're asking…" do you know how violent a fanbase can be, woman?

She nods, as if agreeing with me. Whether she agrees of the unimportance of my real identity or my lack of interest in getting public attention, I guess it's the former. "True. You're Uzumaki Naruto, a delinquent," Oi, "high school student with the tendency to get hit by moving vehicles" Oi, "and you have a very unhealthy obsession with ramen."

"…are you just going to insult me or what?" if so, then I'm gonna head inside.

"But, in the world of literature, you're Jiraiya. A famous erotica writer known for his Icha Icha series, a seventeen year old teen author who's broken sales record that most veteran authors couldn't and my… insurance policy for Komachi's safety." So that's how you view me as, huh?

"So, what does this have to do with you wanting to talk to me outside?" I asked. "And what about my identity as Jiraiya? What does it has to do with my personal life?"

"While it's true that your author identity is completely separate from your real one, it kind of matters when people know what you look like."

I'm… sorry?

She notices the confused look on my face. "What I'm saying is that you're quite well known in public, in fact, you have people stalking you on social media, posting pictures of you coming out from a public restroom on their Facebook page."

"Yeah, I noticed that. But what will a harmless stalker post do to my rep?" I asked, this time sounding confused. "It's not like I'm involved in a scandal."

"It's not a scandal." She pulls out a small rectangular object from her blazer's pocket. It's her phone. "Yet, at least." She hands it to me.

I looked at the screen and it's a Youtube video.

My eyes gradually went wide.

"W-Wait…"

"Let go."

"N-No, Uzuzu, w-wa-"

"Let go of my hand, Orimoto."

…the video shows me exiting a familiar looking coffee shop leaving behind an all too familiar girl crying to herself. The bastard who filmed the whole thing mutters something that I didn't bother listening to because I was just so damned… stupefied. I mean, look at the title!

EPIC REJECTION WENT WRONG!

Whoever posted this must've watched too much prank channels…

Someone actually caught us on camera? And they posted in on Youtube?

Curious, I looked at the view.

A hundred thousand views?! Shit, don't you guys have like, better things to do?! And it's on trending?!

I closed my eyes, my face distorting into annoyance.

What is this… I… it's…

"Yeah, now you see why it matters?"

"No." I bite back. "It does not matter, Tanaka-san… this…"

"Oh yeah, look at the comments."

And I did.

Lol, isn't that Jiraiya-sensei? wwwwww did he make that girl cry?

Awww, so mean of him. Too bad he's good looking too.

Dis is y good looking men r the worst. dey think they can break a girl's heart jus cuz they're handsome.

Man… can't believe my favorite author is such an ass… now I feel bad recommending his work to my friends.

Well you can suck my cock, buddy…

I returned the phone back to Tanaka-san. Taking a really long drag from my cigar, I exhaled the smoke back out along with a sigh. "Is… the company bothered by this?"

Tanaka-san shrugs. "Not really. Your books are selling too well for something like this to hinder their sales, so financially, we're just as good as if nothing happened. But… it's your image that's taken the shot."

Heh.

…

…

"…what should I do, Tanaka-san?" I didn't know what I exactly mean by that, but she answers me anyway.

"Do what you gotta do. Again, it's true that your private life is separate from your author identity, but it won't do us any good if anything like this pops up again. Be thankful that we got some guys ready to take the video down for you, but by now, copies of the video are probably already spreading locally as we're speaking. You know how fast social media is." Don't forget how cancerous people can be over there…

"Yeah…" I tasted bitterness in my mouth, not really sure if it's the cigar… "I'll… be careful from now on."

Rather than giving me any more advice like any reasonable and responsible adults would do, she waves her hands. "It's fine, we're still doing well. Besides, just as you've said, it's not like you're in scandal or anything." Then she glares at me. "Just make sure that Komachi doesn't find out about this."

I snorted. "I may be dumb, but I'm not dumb enough to let my dear little (un)related sister worry about me over something like this."

"Uwaaah… looks like it was a mistake to let you hang around Komachi after all. You siscon." She sports a teasing grin.

"I'd have to be her real brother to be a siscon."

"Then lolicon."

"Hey, now that's too far."

I like the internet… while it's definitely a fun place to explore, it can also be scary, dangerous and downright cancerous most of the time. The internet is like an ocean and what we usually see when we open search engines like Google or Yahoo or even Bing, god who use that anyway, we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg. The more time to spend on the surface, the more you'll likely to find yourself sinking into the deepest, unfathomable parts of the internet. Now let me say this, I don't wanna be responsible for whatever trauma or PTSD inducing aftermath that you might experience, but there are times when… things that belonged in the deep web, surfaced to the surface web.

Like, all sorts of nasty shit, urgh.

I'm not gonna talk about that, and I don't think I'll ever talk about that, but what I'm trying to say is that the internet's a very big place… and what happens when you have a very big place that with a very large amount of people residing in it and a very fast means of transferring information?

You have social media.

And what happens if you have a video of you making a girl cry going viral on the world's number one video-sharing website?

You get rumors. Nasty, baseless rumors about you being talked about and spread throughout the whole entire school.

"Hey, hey isn't he…?"

"Yeah, it's totally him…"

"He's the guy that made that girl, cry, right?"

"Yeah… what an ass…"

I haven't even reached my classroom yet and I'm already being talked about. How pleasant. How fucking pleasant.

Haah…

Forgive me if I sound or appear… mad or frustrated. It's just that this whole thing is bugging me out more than it should be. For some reason, I could not ignore the whispering and judging looks sent my way like usual, I found myself to be more sensitive towards them, in fact. I've had people talk shit about me a lot of times in this school, but for some reason, this is getting under my skin.

Sliding open my classroom's door, I can feel everyone's eyes on me. They looked away when I returned their look with one of my own. I walked to my seat and the moment I reached it, I plugged in my earphone and cranked the volume up to the max. I don't care if the sound of Daft Punk's Instant Crush is bleeding out from the earphones, they can enjoy the music for all I care.

I can still feel their stares at me, of course, but I don't feel like competing with them in a staring contest. With my face buried into my arms and against the flat surface of the table, I closed my eyes, trying to drift off into sleep.

…but I couldn't, someone just had to poke me on the arm.

With minor annoyance, I looked up to see the concerned and worried expression of one particular clubmate of mine, Yuigahama Yui. My expression softens and I cranked down the volume, just low enough to hear her voice while still listening to the music.

"Sup." I said, albeit casually.

"…are you okay, Maki?"

I blinked, then I waved my hand. "I'm fine, I'm not hurt anymore, see?" I turned my head, so that she can see the lack of wound at the back of my head. "No need to worry about."

But that does nothing to wipe the worried expression on her face. I frowned. Dammit, Yui, if you're giving me that look then I have no choice but to talk to you…

Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose while sucking air through the gaps of my teeth. I looked at her again. "So… you saw the video?"

She fidgets around, looking mighty uncomfortable. I'm the one who should be uncomfortable here, girl. "Yeah, someone shared the video on the school's public webpage… everyone saw it."

I nodded. "I see." Then, I snorted. "Great."

"It's not great, Maki…" Yui purses her lips, shaking her head at my sarcastic remark. "You'll… your reputation is at stake here, people will spread false rumors about you."

I shook my head, but I answered her. With a question.

"Do I look like the type of guy who cares about how other people see him as?" it's meant to be rhetorical, so don't answer. "And my reputation wasn't that great to begin with, anyway, so this is nothing." I said to her, before giving her a smirk. "It's you who should worry about your reputation, Yui. You wouldn't want to be seen with the guy who made a girl cry in public, after all."

"N-No."

She answers, albeit stuttering, immediately. My smirk fades away when I saw the persistence and seriousness of her expression.

She shakes her head. "I don't care too." she says with a firmer tone than the one before. "I know that Maki would not just make someone cry like that, I know that. So… later, at the club, let's talk about it along with Yukinon, okay?" she smiles.

Does she… pity me?

No… she's way too sincere for that. Yuigahama Yui is a nice girl who tries to understand other people, even if they are as enigmatic as me. She knows that I hate being pitied, she learned about it when I confronted her about that accident with her dog and Yukinoshita's car. I saw a clear and familiar look flashed on the surface of her eyes.

Desire. Want. Understanding.

…Yuigahama Yui is a nice girl. Too nice for her own good.

That's the conclusion that I came up with.

"Sure." I replied, reassuring her with a small smile. "But I don't think I can come to club in time, the school might want to talk to me about this whole thing." I told her.

It's obvious since the video was shared in the school's webpage and I happened to wear the Soubu's uniform. It's an unspoken but widely understood rule in every education institution. If you did or were involved in something stupid, serious or dangerous while wearing your school's uniform, the school is indirectly responsible for whatever happened to you or what you did.

And since Soubu's a prestigious school, I can guarantee my ass being called to the counselor's office after school today.

Yui nods in understanding. "Un. Okay, I'll tell Yukinon…"

So homeroom period started and surprisingly, Hiratsuka-sensei didn't say anything. But she did give me a look before leaving the class. First period, which is Statistics, was over before I even knew it. Maybe it's because I wasn't listening to the lectures at all, but same difference. Second period is English and luckily, the teacher does not bring up my name to read any passage or walk up to the board or anything like that. Third period comes and it's Biology. I tuned out the teacher's explanation about hormones and how our body responds to certain stimuli such as fear, pain and pleasure.

The bell rang and it's break time. I walked out the classroom and the moment I exited the class, everyone's whispering already. The way to the mess hall is filled with people giving me judging looks, whispering nonsense about me and yadayada. Anyway, when I reached the mess hall, I'm thankful that the waiting line's short so that I could buy bread, milk and then enjoy them back in class.

"Katsu sandwich. And chocolate milk." I ordered.

"Here you go." The mess lady hands me my orders. "That'll be 400 Yen."

I handed her the necessary amount of money, before turning to leave.

"Oi, oi, if it isn't Uzumaki…"

I stopped dead on my tracks.

"I'm talkin' to ya' mister I-made-a-girl-cry-in-public!" the owner of the voice jeers in his unpleasant and rowdy glory. Of course, he has friends to back him up with laughter.

I turned to look at the source of annoyance. I was greeted by six dudes with atrocious hairstyle that violates the school's rules and regulations about personal appearance. They're all shorter than me, duh, so I had to look down on them to meet their eyes. I stood silent, unknowingly creating tension that everyone is beginning to feel. But my lack of response to their appearance or remark seems to only serve as a source of irritation for their leader.

"I'm talkin' to ya', blondie!" the leader growls, her expression twisting into pure irritation. The mess hall is silent, no doubt, and everyone's looking at us as if we're performers in an opera. Their leader is the tallest of the bunch, but he's like, what, 170 centimeters? He stood right at my chin's level, so from where I'm standing, his glare is… not doing a good job of being intimidating. Oh, I'm perfectly aware of what he's trying to do here, but I don't really see the necessity in confronting me in front of a huge crowd like this. There are just too many downsides for him and his friends.

One: since he's made it obvious that he's the one who confronted, spoke and showed aggression to me first; the consequence would hang heavily on his and friend's side of the scale. That is if I did not respond to his approaches, remarks and comments.

Two: everyone is staring. While I could only careless about my and their reputation, I'm sure that him and his gang cared about theirs. If… let's say… they were to be the ones humiliated, then they'll have to carry that humiliation for the rest of their school year. But who knows, I'm not in a position to speak about humiliation… at least not after what went viral.

And three: this will all be recorded as a part of their behavior in the reports. If things do indeed goes… south and the end result ended in bloodshed, broken jaws, fractured ribs and major lacerations all over someone's body, it'll be recorded as a misconduct on their part – maybe mine too – and it will affect their future. Colleges and other higher education institution tend to avoid violent students nowadays.

Ah, by the way, with how long I've been ignoring him, it's safe to say that he's pissed. But I'm a jerk, so I don't care.

I stared at him, long and hard.

Hm…

"Do I know you?"

I can hear the sound of his vein popping.

"…do I know you…" he mutters, darkly. "Do I know you… he said…" then, he snaps. "IT'S ME! THE GUY WHOSE BIKE YOU PISSED ON!"

His bellowing echoes throughout the silent mess hall.

I… shrugged. "Sorry, doesn't ring any bells." I said, flashing him a sincerely apologizing look.

"LIKE HELL IT DOESN'T!"

I glared at him. "Oi, oi, don't shout, you're hurting my ears here…" and look at everyone, you're making things awkward! "And what's this about pissing on somebody's bike? The last time I pissed on somebody's bike is that one time where I pissed on this crappy looking tricycle near the corner of a convenient mart around he-"

"THAT WAS MY BIKE YOU ASSHOLE!"

Oh… "Ooooooooh…" I played around with how I said my 'Ooooh's'. "So that was your bike…" With my free hand, I tapped a knuckle on my forehead. "Sowwy, teehee!"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" He went all Terry Crews on an Old Spice commercial.

Shouting is not going to do anything to me, unless you're a human with the soul of dragon, tasked with the birth-bound duty to slay a world-eating dragon somewhere in Viking heaven and saving the world to which then you could use a form of Unrelenting Force projected from the sheer power of your voice. (2)

Yeah… I need to stop playing too much videogames; my analogies are getting worse by the chapter.

Anyway, it's looking obvious that the guy isn't doing too well in restraining himself. His face is so red, I'd liken him to an apple if it wasn't so damn ugly.

"You…" I can feel the fury shaking in his voice. He might not be a Dragon-born-hero, but it's definitely enough to show that he's pissed. "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

There are three types of people in this world. One is those who can control their emotion and vent them out during the right time and using the right means. Another one is those people who could not, despite their best effort, control their emotions at all and will burst like a balloon when pressured. And the last one is those people who are too damned lazy to even control their emotion but somehow managed to contain and refrain themselves from exploding into a flurry of righteous yet unreasonable fit.

And my senpai in front of me, who has his fist cocked back and aimed at my face, is none of those three examples.

He just needs a way to release the frustration, humiliation of being ignored and not recognized.

In my eyes, he is moving at a veeeery slow speed. It's like looking at that one slow motion video in the internet. My eyes are not special, aside from being a gorgeous shade of blue, but they're trained enough to a point where they could capture his 'punch' – and I'm using the term loosely – at a very slow speed. So slow that it gave me enough time to think of what to do in order to respond to the act of violence.

Obviously, I'll need to avoid or at least prevent myself from being hit. Or I could just take the hit, which won't come close to hurting me, and act like nothing happened. But that'll just aggravate my oppressor even more… hm… it's harder than I thought. Let's see… I could side step and just dodge, but he'll definitely follow up with another punch. And his friends will join in the fray and I'd have to deal with them in the end.

Or I could avoid it and run, but I don't want to play a game of cat and mouse when it's still recess, I mean, I wanna eat my katsu sandwich here man.

Either way, I had to deal with them and the teachers in the end so, might as well strike while the iron is hot.

But…

I remembered what my clone told me.

"…but try not to do anything stupid, mmmkay?"

'Try not to do anything stupid'. Will retaliating to violence considered as something 'stupid'? I suppose, taking into consideration of my already sinking reputation, it is rather foolish to retaliate… with violence at least.

But what if I retaliate with pure, unfiltered jerkishness?

Yeah, I suppose that'll do.

So, where was I, oh right, the punch. It's just inches away from hitting my chin, and being the reasonable human being who definitely did not want to get hit – even if it was from a rather lame and poorly executed uppercut – I leaned back, letting his fist hit nothing but air.

I did not stop there, of course, no sirree.

I ducked, fiddled around with his belt, and swiped it faster before you could say 'Naruto no swiping!' (3). The guy, due to the lack of target for his fist to connect it, stumbles forward into me. I stopped him from falling onto me by breaking his fall.

"Whoa, there senpai, watch out." his left shoulder crashed to my palm, causing him to cough at the impact. While his attention's all jumbled up from the slight pain, my left hand swiftly and sneakily swipes the leather wallet peeking out from his back pocket. Of course, I did all of this without him, his friends or our audience knowing. I transferred the wallet to my right hand, which is still holding his belt and now his wallet too. "You might fall and hurt yourself there." Not as much as your ego.

"Y-You…!"

But I wasn't done. I raised my right hand, and everyone – including the guy and his friends – sees the two items I'm holding. I could hear several people giggling from the sidelines. Doing this, I've successfully redirected the attention of my senpai over here elsewhere. And in the meantime, my other hand proceeds to work. The collar of his shirt, which is already messy and unbuttoned for me to work with, makes for an excellent target for me to mess around with. His tie, which is tied loosely, is just disheveled enough for me to fully untie and swipe from his person.

Now I have three of his possessions with me.

"O-Oi! The fuck yer doin' with my stuffs?!"

The laughter, giggling, chuckling are getting louder. My supposed-to-be bully cannot help but notice this.

"I'm just taking them off from you, senpai." I said in the most nonchalant voice that I could muster. "You don't look like you'll need your belt with how tight your pants are, your tie's not doing that good of a job making your uniform look proper and your wallet…" I took a peek inside and a moth flew out of it. "…is filled with nothing but air. Oh, you have a 500 Yen ramen voucher, neat. Looks like it's not completely empty after all."

I peeled out a picture which is slipped into one of the many compartments of the wallet.

"Who's this, a picture of your sister?" I showed him the picture of a good looking lady.

"That's my mom you asshole!"

"…"

…

Everyone, including some of the guy's friends, erupted into laughter.

I took a step back in shock. "W-Whoa… she's your mom…" I raised the small picture in front of me, comparing it side by side with the guy. "Meh, could've fooled me."

The laughter grows in volume and when he's red with anger, now my senpai is red with nothing more than embarrassment.

I slipped the picture back into the compartment where it originally belongs and shut the wallet close. I leaned forward and began to dress my senior properly.

I started with the belt.

"You see, senpai, if you're going to use a belt, make sure that it's not too small for your waist." I clipped the belt, although there's slight resistance in doing so.

Next, the tie.

"It's hard at first, but if you do it all the time in front of a mirror you should be able to figure it out yourself." I chastised him, akin to that of a mother to her son. "See, it's simple. You start with the wide end of the tie on the right and the small end on the left… move the wide end over the small end to the left like this… up into the neck and loop it from underneath… down the left… around the back… up the center like so… through the loop and down the right… across the front to the left… up into the loop… down the loop… aaaaand then you tighten the knot by pulling down on the tie like-

I… might have pulled a little tad too hard.

-this."

Okay, now I can liken him to an apple. His whole form is shivering in pure and unfiltered shame, his eyes refuse to look anywhere else but the floor and his friends are not doing anything other than laughing at him. I smiled.

Like the devil I was.

Then I patted his head.

"There you go, senpai, now you look… eh… about four percent better than before!"

Oh, by the way, while doing all of that, I had to place my sandwich and chocolate milk at a nearby table.

I took a moment to admire my work. "Hm, hm. Yes, this is definitely better than before." I nodded one last time before grabbing my lunch and then making my way back to class.

"Woohoo! Way to go Uzumaki!"

"Yeah, that'll teach that punk not to mess with us juniors!"

"Hahaha! This is sooooooo getting into twitter!"

How to get rid of a viral video about you?

Well, you don't, but what you could do is give the public a better material to exploit.

"Ah, Maki!"

I returned Yui's greeting with a wiggle of my eyebrows. "Sup."

Yui walks over to my spot on the table, leaning towards the table. "Say, say, what happened in the mess, was that you who did that to a senpai of ours?" she asks like the curious little hamster she is.

"Did what, Yui? I need you to be more specific here…" despite the serious tone that I used, my grin is threatening to split my face.

Yui pouts, realizing that I'm messing with her. "Muu… you know what I'm talking about, Maki… the senpai who you humiliated in front of everybody else!"

"Oh, what's this about Uzumaki-kun humiliating someone in front of a lot of people?" it seems that the topic of our conversation has garnered the undivided attention of our esteemed club president. Yukinoshita tilts her head as she directs her gaze upon me and Yui, like a princess addressing her court.

"Listen to this, Yukinon, so, like, when third period starts, everyone was talking about…"

I tuned out Yui's explanation about my public display of humiliation that I committed during recess earlier this morning. Taking out my laptop from my bag, I turned the power on and began my work. Yes, work. I need to start working on a new manuscript, if I delay it any longer than I had to, I'll sink into a slump. And then Tanaka-san will get all violent like that one time I sunk into a slump.

Yeah, the life of an author is a complicated one.

"Oho? Is that so…" I heard Yukinoshita muttering with amusement in her tone. "I must say, while I do not like the attention you've imposed on yourself, handling such matters like that is definitely a better form of retaliation than outright violence." She claps, once. "Well done, Uzumaki-kun, I'm impressed."

"Thanks, your majesty." I replied in an equally sassy tone. "In all seriousness though, I wouldn't have punched the guys and beat his friends black and blue in the first place anyway." Frowning, I elaborate my reason. "If I did that, Hiratsuka-sensei will give me a lot of shit. And by shit I mean extra work… and I don't any right now."

Yukinoshita hums, as if thinking about something. "But really, what sparked that senpai to confront you in such a foolish manner anyway? Bullying? Your threatening looks-"

"Oi."

"-or is it your growing tendency to cause trouble without even attempting to do so?" her eyes gleam in stoic mischief.

I snorted. "Hah, the last one's most likely it." I took my attention off my work, directing it to my club mates. "But, seriously, you didn't know about it?" I asked Yui, "Yui, you knew about it, right?"

She nods, slowly. "Yeah… I was one of the first few students who saw the video…"

This only draws out more confusion from Yukinoshita. "Video? What are the two of you talking about, if I may ask?"

Yui gives me an uncomfortable look. But, I shrugged. "Show her, Yui."

With slight hesitation, Yui busies herself with her phone, probably opening the school's webpage, and then she hands her phone over to Yukinoshita. The volume's not loud, but I can confirm that the video is playing. Yukinoshita's eyes are fixed to the video, paying careful attention as if she's analyzing a well written and detailed essay.

The video ends and as soon as it ends, Yukinoshita sighs.

"Just from this…? Don't they know that it's very childish and low to spread other people's conversation, and don't get me started at how rude it is for them to record this and then posting it on an open medium like the internet."

"It's actually posted at Youtube first then someone from our school posted in on the school's webpage." I told her.

Yukinoshita sighs again, this time double the disappointment. "This is why people are so…" she leaves it hanging.

I chuckled, leaning back on my chair. "Yes, 'people'. To accommodate for their lack of social prowess, some people will have to result to underhanded method such as this. They use other people's misfortune to rise high above the social hierarchy, exploiting all the positive attention for themselves while leaving those people who they have stepped upon ruined for the rest of their life." I shook my head, my sigh identical to Yukinoshita's own. "People…"

Yui, being the middleman in our group, tries to rescue us from sinking into disappointment of society by bringing up another topic. "Maa, maa, some people can be noisy but, like, what… happened with that girl… anyway, Maki?" her voice gets considerably smaller.

Ah, she wanted to ask me this earlier during homeroom too, but I told her that I didn't feel like talking about it. Now that she's said it here, it also prompts Yukinoshita to be curious over this private matter.

But it's not private anymore, now that almost everyone in school knows about it.

And… I guess it won't hurt to tell them a little bit about it.

I let my smile drop, but I wasn't frowning.

"Well… it's complicated. That girl is my ex-" I ignored the flinch coming from both Yui and Yukinoshita. "-girlfriend and, long story short, she wants to 'restart' our relationship." I paused. "I won't go into details about why or how we broke up, but let's just that I prefer if we remain as acquaintances."

My two female club mates aren't able to say anything at first, but Yukinoshita speaks out eventually.

"…I see." She wets her drying lips with a small lick, her little pink tongue poking out a little bit. "But to the point where she cried? What a horrible man you are, Uzumaki-kun." While saying that, she gives me a teasing smirk.

I sighed, slumping down into the table. "You'll know it if you're in my position, Yukinoshita." I said. "It's not that easy, for me at least, to get together again due to the circumstances of our break up." I gave her a look, raising my head. "I won't tell you guys anything about it, so don't bother."

"But… Maki… did you think about what she meant by 'restarting' your relationship with her?"

I slowly raised my head, this time, I'm looking at Yui. "Of course. She wants to get back together."

But Yui shakes her head, as if she's denied my answer. "No. I don't think that's the case. You see, Maki, if she was looking to get back together with you, then I'm sure that she'd understand your rejection. But… I think you rejected her for the wrong reason, Maki."

…

"What… do you mean?" I asked, slowly.

"I think that 'restart' here means restarting an entirely new relationship, not really a… ro-romantic one like the one that you and she had previously… I think." She then shakes her head. "B-But I could be wrong! Of course, since I've no experience when it comes to this field… ehehehe…"

…

"Maki?"

I…

"Maki, are you okay?"

"Leave him be, Yuigahama-san, the idiot is processing the information you've just uploaded into his brain. And currently, he's trying to decipher the codex you've sent."

"Eh? What do you mean, Yukinon?"

"Haaah… sometimes, it's scary being near you, Yuigahama-san."

"Eh?!"

I…

I fucked up.

I fucked up…

I fucked up!

My chair rattles when I stood up quickly, I packed my laptop inside my bag and turned towards my two club mates. "I need to go, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Then, I rushed out the room.

"O-Oi! Maki, where're you going?!"

"Let him be, Yuigahama-san…." Yukinoshita sighs, but a small smile fixes itself upon her face. "Let Uzumaki-kun deal with this on his own."

"Huh… okay, if you say it's fine, Yukinon…"

Mistakes were made.

And it's all on me.

I didn't know why I immediately assumed that Orimoto wants us to get back together when she said that she wanted to 'restart' our relationship. Why did I suddenly assume it from a romantic point of view? This is a misunderstanding on my part. I misunderstood what Orimoto was trying to say and she cried because of it. If I got rumors about me spread around my school, I can assume that the same is happening with Orimoto.

But, Orimoto is not me, I don't know if she could handle the treatment.

I'm an idiot.

I'm a fucking idiot.

Here I am, sitting at the corner spot of a nameless café, waiting for Orimoto to reply to the message I sent her.

I texted her that I wanted to meet her as soon as possible. I even told her that I was sorry and I really am. This was all a mistake on my part, due to my careless assumption of her intention of wanting to 'restart' a relationship with me. What was I doing assuming things like that? Was I mad? No, I was not mad, irritated, but not mad. I could only wait until Orimoto replies and arrive, but I shouldn't count on that.

I mean, what kind of girl would want to meet the guy who made them cry a few days back, anyway?

I hugged my head, exhaling nervousness in the form of a sigh. Why the hell did I assume such things anyway? I've hurt her, I've made her cry and, what's worse, it's all on fucking Youtube thanks to some fucking asshole who doesn't know jack shit about minding his own business.

I plan to apologize properly, no, I am going to apologize.

She may not forgive me, but I don't care, I still have to apologize.

"…Uzumaki…?"

My head snapped upwards, eyes wide as I stared at the person who uttered my name.

Blue uniform, brown hair, hazel eyes…

Orimoto.

I sucked in air.

"O-Orimoto, I…"

"Wait!" she raises her hand, and I flinched. She gives me a smile. "Let me… sit down first."

I could only nod dumbly. "S-Sure." I did not speak, hell, I couldn't. I could only watch as she takes her time to browse the menu and call the waitress over.

"I'll have coffee. Black."

"Anything else, miss?"

"Ah, nothing else, just that."

"Alright."

The waitress leaves and now it's awkward again.

What should I say? I know I should apologize first but there're just so many things that I want to say sorry for that my mouth is frozen solid. And Orimoto she, she's just sitting there, waiting patiently, her eyes brimming with mysterious curiosity. She smiles.

My heart felt as if it had been crushed by Sasuke's Chidori.

"Orimoto." I steeled myself. It's not shame I'm feeling, but regret. "I'm… I'm sorry."

She does not say anything. She just sits there, smiling.

"I… I misunderstood what you were trying to say and I-I came up with a selfish, self-centered conclusion." I said to her in the clearest voice I could muster. "There's no excusing what I did to you." standing up from my seat, I bowed until my forehead's touching the flat surface of the table. "I apologize from the bottom of my heart."

…

…

"…puh…"

Puh?

"PFT! Ahahaha!"

I looked up, still maintaining this position, only to see Orimoto erupting into chorus of jolly laughter. She's not holding back. Her laughter is loud yet pleasing to hear, she's holding her stomach and a tear escapes the corner of her eye. She continues to laugh for a full minute and she's garnering attention. After a few seconds later, her laughter subsides, leaving her in a fit of giggling mess. She wipes the tear that escaped her eye with a finger and she shows me a warm smile.

"So, it was all a misunderstanding on your part?"

Redness streaked across my face. I couldn't help it. "Y-Yeah… it's all mine…"

She laughs again, this time quieter than before. "Ufufufu, you're hilarious, Uzumaki." She says while giggling. "You rejected my request just a day ago, misunderstood it as something else entirely and now you're here apologizing to me about it."

She leans forward, flicking my nose with her finger.

Ow.

Resting her chin on her palm, she uses her elbow as support.

"Hilarious, Uzuzu."

…I might as well be a tomato right now with how red my face is.

"And you're all red too, aww, how cute."

…

The two of us are now silent. Orimoto is not saying anything and I couldn't start a conversation right now even if my own life depends on it. I'm just too embarrassed. Not ashamed though, embarrassed. I had just committed the biggest misunderstanding ever, how can I not be embarrassed?

I hear Orimoto giggling again, but this time, she brings up conversation. "You know… I was really sad when you said no."

…

"I thought that we're not going to talk anymore and stuff… even if I did visit you before."

…

"When you said no, I was also afraid. You raised your voice at me, something that surprised me too, since you're not really the type to get easily angered."

I can only listen.

"When I was crying there, alone, everyone was looking at me and they even recorded it. I got outta there, embarrassed."

…

"But… I understand why you left the way you did." she says. "If I think about it, I did come up as someone who wants to get back together after her break up…"

…

"…but that's not entirely, wrong, Naruto."

I looked at her.

And she still has that smile on her face.

"I want us to go back to how things were before. I want to hang out with you again, talk to you, laugh with you, play games with you and all that." her smile turns hollow, but it retains its beauty. "It's okay if we're not a couple… heck… were we even one in the first place? Ahahaha…"

Yeah… were we even one? Was it love that I had for Orimoto?

"You know, Uzuzu, I have regrets."

We all do. Mine happened years ago.

"And… telling you about those things on the school's roof that time is my biggest regret, until now." She pauses. "I… I was too weak to deal with the rumors and gossip that'll fly around if the school finds out I'm dating you. I used my friends, last year of middle school and everything else as a reason to break up with you."

Orimoto… knowing that she wouldn't be strong enough to deal with the pressure and stress of being talked about and rumored, she broke up with me in order to prevent those things from happening to her. It's logical. It's basic human desire to avoid pain.

"Then, after graduation, when we did not talk anymore, I realized just what a bad thing I've done." Her voice shakes. "Not only have I lied to you and myself… I ended up hurting myself and, probably, the person I loved too."

…

"Yes." She bites her lower lip. "I love you."

I am left speechless by her confession. Orimoto has told me what she felt about what she did two years ago, she was honest with her explanation and even committed what she thought she did wrong.

I felt sick.

I felt sick at myself.

I was the one who was going to break us up in the first place, but Orimoto – unknowingly – took matters into her own hands, forcing herself to lie in order to make our break up reasonable. I could only imagine how things would have gone if I was the one who initiated the break up.

The answer is obvious: I'd only hurt her.

I doubt that I'll be hurt if I was the one who initiated the break up, because I am the one who come up with the idea of breaking up. I will not be in any position to feel hurt nor regret after that. But Orimoto was the one who had to fire the shot. She is the one who ends up regretting the whole thing while I'm here sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

I sat back down, my legs giving up on me.

"…Orimoto, I-" I tried to speak.

"It's okay." She quickly says, almost too afraid to hear my answer. "You don't have to give me an answer. And if you're still bummed up about the misunderstanding, it's okay too, I forgive you. I'm fine now."

…I don't deserve that.

"Everyone makes mistake and yours is no difference."

I don't deserve it.

She smiles at me.

"Walk me home, Uzuzu?"

And I don't deserve an inch of it.

But I walked her home regardless. We walked together, side by side, in total silence. As the sun descends into the ocean to let night rule over the sky, the atmosphere is now filled with nighttime activities. The sound of shoes hitting pavements, tires screeching and the overall symphony of this not-so-quiet residential district make for a good company in our quiet walk. I did not have my bike with me, since I ran all the way from school to the café where we talked in earlier.

Throughout the entire journey, both Orimoto and I did not talk. We just walked, side by side, in silence. The grey cloud looms over us like the closing of a casket lid, ready to bring down water from the skies. There is no thunder or any hint of lightning. It's yet to rain, but I wouldn't count on it. Our distance, while not far, is not so close either. Me and her, ten inches apart each other. Undoubtedly, I've committed a very big mistake and undoubtedly, I should pay for what I've done.

But Orimoto forgives me. And I should feel glad, right? No. I shouldn't feel glad, in fact, I should feel horrible. I am horrible, now, in fact.

The circumstances of our break up might have been… complicated but there's no denying that it has hurt us too. Yes, even me, in some way. Right now as I walk by her side, I can't help but think,

'Was it really love?'

Was it really something as genuine as love that I had with Orimoto? Thinking back, I did not show the signs of someone who has fallen in love. Me going out with her was just like… two close friends hanging out with each other. We'd laugh, we'd talk, we'd walk… not really different from your normal friendship levels of activities. Then… why did it feel different? I enjoyed those times with Orimoto, I'm not going to lie. She is a fun person to talk with, her personality is great and she doesn't mind talking and spending time with a person that had the kind of reputation that I did.

But just because of the things I mentioned above, it's not enough to guarantee that it's love, right?

I don't know. And I don't care. I'm fine with the way things are between me and Orimoto now and it looks like she's fi-

"You know what, Uzuzu, it's not fine after all!"

Tears.

Standing at the edge of the curb, Orimoto has gone steps ahead of me without me noticing her. She looks back at me, tears freely flowing from her eyes. Her outburst goes unnoticed by the people that walk past us, the sole attention she receive belongs to me. Her form quivering, eyes brimming with tears and a complicated expression on her face…

Looking at her making that kind of face, I couldn't take it.

I rushed forward and embraced her.

But my words contradict what I was doing.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

I felt her flinch under my embrace, but she doesn't make a muscle's worth of an effort to push me away. Instead, she lets loose right in my arms. Her sorrowful wails muted by the fabric of my uniform. I did not know what to do, so I held her tighter.

But I heard her speak with a sob,

"Why?"

Why?

"I don't… I…" I found my words again. "I never loved you."

She wails harder, and I hugged her harder in response.

"It was not love, but mutual acceptance." I told her. "I went accepted you because you were an amazing person, but not out of love."

Then I leaned closer to her, just enough to reach her ear.

"But that doesn't mean that I hate you."

She pulls back, revealing to me her red and tear stained face.

Smiling, I gazed into her eyes. "You're an amazing person. Thanks to you, my middle school days were not all terrible and lonely. You'd make an excellent friend."

She can only stare while exhaling heavily, crying would do that to anyone. Then, a small, but genuine nonetheless, smile forms. She laughs, but not as humorous or joyous as her usual ones. She buried her face into my shirt again, this time nuzzling her muzzle a few times before pulling back, looking downwards.

"You're a cruel man, Uzuzu."

Déjà vu.

"So…" she sniffs. "I just got friendzoned?"

"Hmm…" I made a thinking look. "I think 'best friendzoned' would be the correct term he-owowowowow…" don't pull on my cheeks, woman. I gave her a playful glare, one that's not serious in nature. "Whats' dat for?"

"I'm angry."

She tells me.

"I'm sad too."

She tells me again.

"But most of all… I'm relieved."

Only Orimoto can make smiling look both happy and sad.

"My feelings won't change, though. I'd still love you, whether you like it or not."

Now, now, don't be unreasonable…

Orimoto wistfully smiles. "So… you don't mind if I pop in and out of your life every now and then from now on, do you?"

I made a thinking look, before giving her my answer while grinning. "As long as you don't touch the ramen, we're cool."

Orimoto Kaori throws her head as she explodes into a chorus of laughter.

"You're hilarious Uzuzu!"

I shared her smile.

Somehow… I managed to solve my mistake. I walked her home, which is in the residential district not too far from the café that we sat in earlier, but before we reached her house, she stops. She says that this is far enough and I nodded. She waves me goodbye and I returned it with a wave of my own. I saw her form disappearing around the corner that she needs to take in order to reach her house, my gaze lingered there for more than a few seconds even after she's disappeared completely.

I smiled, placed my hands in my pockets and turned away.

I learned something today.

I learned that it wasn't love after all.

At least not on my part it wasn't.

As I walked, I took out my phone, I dialed a number;

"Komachi? This is Onii-chan… hey, do you mind if I pick you up? Yeah, I'll treat you to some food. Where? Hm… let's see… ah, how about ramen?"

1: I heard from somewhere that if you enter a public bath with tattoo on your body, you'll get weird looks from others inside because only yakuza or gang members have tattoo. I don't know, you can correct me on this.

2: Hey look, it's me making a poor attempt at referencing Skyrim!

3: That one annoying cartoon from Nickelodeon where a little Hispanic girl keeps on asking you to ask the map for directions? Yeah, Dora the Explorer. God my childhood was bad…

Wow, it took shorter than what I had originally planned. Anyway, like it, love it, hate it, I could only care less right now. Now, I'm gonna sleep. Took me eight hours to write this chapter…

Goodnight/morning.