Good evening/morning!
I just saw the episode with Seiko-chan revealing herself to Otani... my favourite part is the next day, when Nakao, Nobu and Risa lean over each other and giggle over it while talking nosense! i love that part, how they hold their stomachs and Otani on the side is about to crack the ceiling open... LOL... oh, thanx Aya Nakahara-sama for this fantastic story you've created! i won't annoy you anymore with my muttering! please enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think :)
Summer Vacations: The Deal!
"Sooo… whoever doesn't bring his or her homework on time, will definitely see the consequences on the final grade. That's all!" Gorilla-sensei announced packing up his pile of tests.
I hate tests, especially when I do awful at them.
History… bliahh!
"And… All-Hanshin-Kyojin, please stay here. As representatives of this class you also need to take care of it!" sensei said with a stupid grin and left us.
Whaaat?
All day she hadn't talked to me and I hadn't talked to her and now we are forced to do the after-school cleaning?
That annoying Go-sensei!
"Do you want us to wait for you?" Nobu-san asked looking actually at Risa.
Nakao gave me a sorry-to-leave-you-behind-but-I've-got-more-important-things-to-do-with-my-girl look, while Kohori was grinning at Koizumi like a child in front of a bank filled with colourful lollipops.
"Oh no! It's ok. Besides I'll be going straight home afterwards." Koizumi said with a wide smile dropping her bag on the teacher's desk once everybody else had left the classroom.
"Ok!" Nobu-san said with a suspicious tone and glanced at me.
What? What's with that look?
"Bye bye!" Nobu-san and Nakao greeted us leaving holding hands.
Chiharu-chan walked past Kohori, fidgeting and gave Koizumi a nervous smile before leaving. I noticed she was pulling her shirt, like her anxiety over something had become greater.
"Kohori-kun! I really liked your idea of a day off. Let's tell everyone tomorrow as well, ok?" Koizumi told Kohori walking to the blackboard to erase it.
I looked at her over my shoulder.
So, Kohori told her of that part.
"Great! Thanks Koizumi-san!" he didn't hold back his extreme happiness.
Kohori looked at me with a grin and gave me a pat on my shoulder leaving me there… alone… with her!
"Uh!"
"What's got into you today?" Koizumi asked, her back towards me as she erased the whole blackboard with ease.
Hmmm!
She didn't even stand on the tips of her toes.
"Nothing!" I said lining up the desks correctly.
There was a good distance between us, and it kind of lessened this twinge of fear I was feeling being all alone with her after a whole day of awkwardness between us.
I lined up Koizumi's desk noticing a drawing of Umibozou's logo on the one edge and a bunch of chibi figures of Umibozou and –what I guessed- hers with Nobu-san and Chiharu-chan wearing her pointy glasses.
I chuckled silently.
There was silence.
Only the screeching noise of the chairs and desks I was arranging echoed in the empty classroom.
The sunlight had become dimmer and a light breeze entered the open windows.
I took the opportunity to inhale as much clean air as possible.
I wanted this strange knot in my stomach to leave…
"Is there someone you like?" after a looong moment I heard Koizumi's voice and almost jumped with surprise.
Oh, and I was so used to this silence I had almost convinced myself I was alone in here.
"What?"
"You heard me." Koizumi said. She sounded serious. I looked up at her from the other end of the room. She wasn't even looking at me. She was placing a new trash bag in the trash basket.
I stood there, trying to see what was wrong.
I had rarely seen her act so seriously. She was always smiling, hopping, moving her arms and making funny faces, talking with strange tones and always fidgeting with those strange bunny toys she had hanging from her keys.
Now… she was looking focused on her chores, avoiding looking at me, giving no sign of a smile.
Suddenly, I knew something was troubling her…
"Well…" I began, not sure what to say.
Yeah… it seems I did like someone, but if I was not sure… should I tell the person?
If I'm not sure and I do tell the person, will that person laugh at me, or worse hate me…
I've been through this once, not again…
Not again…
Koizumi stood up and looked at me.
I inhaled a little too hard all of a sudden, feeling her eyes checking me, while I was unable to look away.
Slowly, a most sincere smile appeared on her face.
"Chiharu-chan is the one you like?" she asked.
I frowned.
And the air was too thin.
…
"Uhm…!"
"I saw the way you were looking at her! And she told me… that you were on the same train." Koizumi said tying her long red hair on a high ponytail.
I was drawn by her simple movements, as her words echoed endlessly in my ears.
"Chiharu…chan!" I muttered.
"Although I must warn you of one small problem!" she continued not looking at me as she was shutting the windows.
"She feels extremely uneasy around guys! She has been like this ever since I've known her!" she chuckled slowly approaching me.
When she reached the last window, only a few meters away from me, I grabbed tightly the edge of the chair in front of me.
"Well… she is cute." I said, as I knew I had to say something or else she would suspect something wasn't right with me.
"AHA!" she yelled bouncing and coming right in front of me with two huge steps.
I bit the inside of my cheek.
"I can help you, Otani! I hate seeing you like this! I can help you!" she said grabbing both my hands and grinning into my face.
"Help me?" I gasped.
"Yeah! We're friends! And if there's someone who can cure Chiharu-chan, that's you!"
Oh!
…
*Another Otani appears, moving aside the scene we just saw- ehm… read! It's his consciousness! *
Let me get this straight!
Koizumi asked me if there is someone I like… and the first answer I was thinking was… iiiiiiaaaa!
And then she guessed I've been feeling a little depressed because of my crush on … Chiharu-chan?
And now…ayaya she wants to bring Chiharu-chan and me together?
…
What should I do?
*Pulls his face!*
WAIT!
I like Chiharu-chan! I think she's cute, and she's just the way she… should… be…
She is cute!
She is pretty and gentle and a good person…
And maybe, if I focus on her, then … I could just forget of a certain someone…
Hmmm, maybe I should!
…
*The Otani- consciousness slides back the previous scene!*
"Cure her?" I wondered, not really sure what the witch meant.
"Yeah, shorty!"
"HEY!" I growled at her.
Koizumi laughed placing her hands on her hips.
"Hahaha! That's the Otani I know!" she said, causing my poor little heart to bounce like jelly.
Yack, that's disgusting, a heart made of jelly!
"Yo! Then we have a deal!" Koizumi said loud and offered me her hand.
Something tells me that this is going to be a veeery bad deal…
"I promise to help you with Chiharu-chan, but you…" she leaned closer to me, showing me this evil look of mischief of hers. "…you will help me get closer to Suzuki-kun!"
!
Huh?
"Huh? Suzuki? The tall guy who sleeps standing? Like a horse?" I asked with wide eyes.
Out of the blue the room became pink filled with puffy clouds in shape of hearts and arrows soaring all around us.
Hey!
"Yap!" she blushed.
Koizumi just blushed! Well, that's new!
"Suzuki-kun! I think I really like him! And he doesn't mind about my height either!" she said with this silly grin I'm suuure I've seen somewhere before!
"Are you sure?" I asked folding my arms.
Koizumi opened her one eye to see the ironic smile carved on my face.
She frowned annoyed.
"You little-!" she began, but I stopped her from insulting me again.
"Alright! We have a deal!" I said and shook her hand.
CRAAACK!
Oh oh!
Wait!
*The Otani- consciousness crawls back blocking our view from the main story!*
If I make this deal – which I know won't be easy to break since I have a real witch as an opponent here- there is no turning back! And only some hours ago Kohori revealed to me that he was planning on confessing (finally… though I admit the reason behind his failing attempts up to now was me!) to that tomato-head amazon…
That means, I'll have to prevent him once more when I had just decided to let him try and humiliate himself…
That means that I'll have to either a) continue fighting with my own self on how to forget thinking of that witch, b) lose the opportunity of approaching Chiharu-chan and c) quarrel over this with that street lamp for the rest of my life…
OR… just accept the offer and let Kohori die from his own misery…
Hahaha, I won't do this. I'll make it up to him and just make the witch pay more attention to Kohori than that tall sleepy guy!
Yap!
Decision made!
* The Otani- consciousness bows at us and leaves with a beaming smile! *
"Alright! We have a deal!" I said, noticing that I was already holding her hand.
"You already said that!" she muttered pressing her lips together staring at me with that blank look.
Ah, I'll make it up to you Kohori!