SPOILER ALERT! Me is back! And my comeback is marked with a spoiler update! this is short and crappy but please bear with me coz i've got a whole lot'o drama coming up next! read and review! pweddy pweaze!

Chapter12- Feelings Realized

During the student council elections she had asked him to stay away. He had kept his word. She had her reasons. But, in the meantime Misaki spent some very insecure days. Literally running down the pavement trying to avoid the guys from school who ended up following her to work wasn't a very pleasant feeling.

Though she didn't admit it she felt at ease at work if Usui was around. It would make her feel at home in that awkward place where she had to serve the people she hated the most.

Then, it was something that Aoi said that made her question herself. What did he mean to her? She wondered again and again. Then the memories would rush back making her blush a deep red. She would remember the rooftop, then Miyabigaoka, the sports festival, the school festival, then Yumesaki. In the end she would remember the pocky game. Even after all of that she couldn't quite phrase it in her head. What was it that she felt for him?

Shintani knew. To him it was obvious. Those gestures, the way they talked, everything was confirming it again and again. And he also knew that she didn't appreciate his feelings. Even after coming all the way from the country-side just for her there were chances that he wouldn't be able to win her heart; big chances at that. But he was okay with it, and he vowed that he would still try. Even if he couldn't be what he wanted to be he would still have the spot of her best friend. He won't let that fall apart, ever.

So, after the elections, in which Misaki won by one vote more than her opponent, he decided to confess to her all over again. She, on the other hand, had something else to say.

"Shintani I-" she started but was cut off.

"I know what you want to say, Misaki-chan," Shintani said smiling. "You like Takumi right? And you cant appreciate me so you're sorry?"

She was speechless. Was she that predictable?

"It's okay Misaki-chan, and it doesn't matter. Because, from now on I'll try even harder. You'll have to appreciate me someday," he said beaming. Then he went and hugged her.

"Shintani, what are you-" she tried to protest but was again cut off.

"Misaki-chan if you don't like it then please push me away and scold me. If you don't I will feel encouraged," he finished.

She then slowly pushed him away. "Rather than dislike," she said, "I'm troubled.

That day, after everyone left she went to the rooftop. Something drove her. She didn't know what. But when she got there she saw a certain green-eyed blonde. He was twirling a lollipop in his mouth and was smiling at her.

"What are you doing still sitting here? It's almost sunset," she asked.

The light of the setting sun rendered his already golden locks even more golden. It made his green eyes twinkle with some unknown amusement.

"Didn't feel like going home. Hey, am I allowed to come near you now?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. I guess.

He took the lollipop out of his mouth and stuck it in hers. Before she could protest he turned her around and hugged her from behind. His head was right next to her left ear. They were facing the sunset.

She blushed a deep red. She was just beginning to understand what he meant to her.

"U-Usui, what are you doing?" she asked through her lollipop. She never thought that she would everask a question without knowing why she asked it.

"If you dislike it you can push me away," he replied.

"Never mind," she said, "it's not like I dislike it."

"You're very sly Ayuzawa," he said chuckling.

That day she understood. She understood why he bothered her so much even if all he did was look at her. She understood why her heart beat so fast when he was close. She never felt that way with Shintani or even when she was around Igarashi. She understood why she felt lonely when he wasn't around. And she finally admitted to herself that she had a special spot for that boy in her life.

With everyday that passed afterwards her realization just reconfirmed itself. When she overheard the new teacher, Miyazono Maria conversing with him she was caught off guard. And when he wouldn't tell her about his past if she didn't kiss him she just felt that much more interested in him. After she found out she realized herself all over again. When they went to the hot springs with Sakura and Kuuga he said his family wanted him to go to Miyabigaoka. And she realized yet again that she would be lonely without him. And yet she couldn't muster the courage to tell him.

From a distance Akari watched everything happen. She understood as well. During the elections she had also been forced to go to work in disguise. If someone followed her then they would find out kaichou's secret as well. And she knew the consequences all too well. The female minority at Seika was having their safety at stake. And that could not be risked just for the sake of Misaki and Akari's personal lives. Even so, when she figured that kaichou was actually considering talking to Usui about her feelings it drove her crazy. She was sure that if Misaki somehow managed to blurt Usui would, in no way, be able ti turn her down.

There was nothing she could do. She was hopeless. She felt useless. She felt like she had failed. But she didn't want to give up. She would try till it was either win or die. And she had no intention of dying I warrant you.

(Preview)Chapter13- A Walk Home

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