Good evening! In less than a week, I'll be resuming my studies, but as it'll all be online work for the summer, I'm hoping it will be flexible enough so it won't interfere with my fanfic writing and other hobbies.
I managed to finish the next chapter of this fanfic, meaning I can finally post this chapter online. We're already 50 chapters in this... how are you guys reading this when it's so long? You all really amaze me...
I'll try my best to be somewhat consistent for the summer. Thank you guys so much for the support!
A finger pressed on the buzzer in front of an apartment home. Five teens waited outside until a voice spoke through the speaker.
"Hello?"
"Hello," Gumi answered. "I'm Nakajima Megumi from Hanazono Flower's class," she introduced herself. "I brought my friends over. We wanted to visit Hana-chan."
She did not need to speak any further as the door opened, and the five saw a petite figure with long, snow-colored hair welcoming them into her home.
"Please come inside," she smiled, allowing them into her apartment. "Flower isn't home right now, but she will be back soon. She's at the library." The five teens entered the apartment as the woman removed all her papers from the sofa. "Please, have a seat," she told them.
"We're sorry for intruding," Miki said on behalf of all of them.
"It's no problem," the woman reassured. "It's been so long since we had company from Flower's class," she continued. "I also have some cake. We can all eat some," she went on, heading to the kitchen and taking the cake out.
"She looks so pretty," SeeU whispered as they all sat down.
"Is she Flower's older sister?" Leon asked quietly.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself," she said as she returned to the living room area, holding a box of cake with plates on top. "I'm Kisaragi Aria, mother of Flower."
"Kisaragi?" Gumi questioned.
"M-mother!?" Leon gaped.
"Yeah, since divorcing Flower's father years ago, I've returned to my maiden name," Flower's mother explained. "Everyone calls me IA though, so feel free to call me that."
"It's nice to meet you," Miki bowed, and everyone mimicked her action. Ia passed out the plates and cut pieces of the cake for the five to eat.
"How is Flower in school, if you know?" IA asked them. "Is she doing good."
"Hana-chan is doing very good!" Gumi answered happily.
"She has good grades without even studying," SeeU added. Leon nodded in agreement while Miki and Oliver both asked themselves the same question in their head.
'How come she doesn't know how her daughter is doing?'
"That's great," IA smiled. "I've told her to go to a private school back when she was in grade 6. I was so insistent she'd go to Harukaze Junior High, but I guess it's good she didn't since the school shut down last year," IA sighed. "I'm hoping she's considering going to a private high school at least." IA continued on. "How is the homeroom teacher though?" She asked next. "Flower never tells me anything about school."
"Oh? So you don't know that Flower has been bullied by our teacher?" Leon asked, and by the time he finished that sentence, SeeU quickly hit him, her way of telling him to be quiet while the door silently closed.
"It's nothing," SeeU tried to cover for Leon, and although IA had raised her eyebrows, her confusion faded upon seeing her daughter entering their home.
"Welcome back," IA smiled. "Your friends are here," she informed her while the five turned to see Flower's unwelcoming face staring at them.
"What do you guys want?" Flower asked them rudely.
"That's a bit rude," IA tried to scold her daughter. "They came all the way to see you."
"Stay quiet," Flower coldly told IA. "You're not apart of this."
The five shifted rather uncomfortably while sitting, all of them feeling the tension between IA and Flower thicken. It became all too clear to both Miki and Oliver, just how come IA doesn't know much about her daughter.
Flower didn't want to take the group of friends into her room, but IA insisted, pointing out they came over to see her. The five classmates, still uncomfortable upon discovering the shaky relationship between Flower and IA, tried to make themselves comfortable in Flower's bedroom.
"What do you guys want?" Flower asked coldly, sitting down and opening her library book, intending to read.
"We just wanted to learn more about you," Gumi smiled, though slightly surprised to see Flower's behavior to her mother.
"I guess you don't have a great relationship with your mother?" Oliver wondered.
"That's not important," Flower stated with no emotion and continued reading.
"That's nothing to hide," Leon sighed. "Some of us in the group have pretty bad parents."
"Don't you want to hang out with us?" Gumi asked.
"No," Flower answered.
"It can be fun though," Gumi tried to persuade her.
Meanwhile, Miki had began to observe Flower's bedroom, noticing the bookshelf with many books and vases full of flowers. Upon seeing a vase with a flower that appeared to have decayed for years, Miki spotted a picture frame hiding behind it while coated in dust. Allowing her curiosity to get the best of her, Miki extended her hand and grabbed the frame. Wiping the dust off, Miki found herself looking two young girls, both smiling in glee. One girl had violet hair in pigtails, and the girl happily holding her arm had white hair in a ponytail and the biggest smile on her face.
"Oh?" Gumi gaped, behind Miki and staring at the picture. "You looked so cute when you were younger! Who is that girl? Your friend? What gra-"
The minute Flower realized they found it, she wasted no time rushing to the two girls. Interrupting Gumi by shoving her away, Flower snatched the photo away from Miki's hands.
"Stop snooping around!" Flower snapped and told off the two girls. SeeU, Leon, and Oliver gaped at her, never expecting to see Flower raise her voice so harshly at anyone.
"Can we at least get along?" Gumi tried to ask. "Let us be friends, please?"
"Stop it!"
Miki realized it. She noticed Flower's stoic exterior had broken apart, showing Flower's emotional self.
"I don't need any friends," Flower coldly said, keeping her eyes on Gumi's. "I have no need for friends, and I'm fine without them."
"Bu-"
"Get out!"
Without wasting a second, Flower placed the photo down and roughly grabbed Gumi's arm, dragging her to her door. Opening it in a rush, Flower pushes Gumi out of her room.
"Get out!" Flower commanded in a stern voice while looking at the remaining four. Oliver and SeeU quickly obey and leave, but Leon chose to speak once more.
"There's no need to be so rude. I guess your friend in that picture left you because you're this moody."
"GET THE HELL OUT!"
Miki flinched upon seeing Flower raise her voice loudly, grabbing Leon and kicking him out of her bedroom. Without hesitation, Miki went out too, but not before she bowed slightly at her.
"We're very sorry."
As soon as they were out of her bedroom, Flower slammed the door shut, her hands clenching tightly and her breathing irregular. Not too long later, Flower's knees weaken and she slowly falls to the floor, knelt down and fists holding the door for comfort.
"I don't need anyone," Flower whispered, but the cold tone in her voice has cracked. "I don't need anyone, not even Aria," she continued speaking quietly, and she turned her body, allowing her to sit with her knees to her face.
"I only need her…"
She raised her arms to her face, hiding it so Flower can break down alone, with no one there to see her shell has broken down temporarily.
"Why did you say that to her, Leon?" Miki asked in a rather bitter tone as the five walked around the apartment complex.
"It slipped out of my mind," Leon admitted. "I don't think that girl in the photo left Flower because she's like that."
"Maybe it's because of that girl in the photo?" SeeU suggested. "Maybe that girl did something to Flower, which made her like that."
"But guys," Oliver interrupted. "Flower is so mean to her mother."
"I noticed," Miki sighed.
"What if her mother is involved with that friend?" Miki speculated.
"But how?" SeeU asked.
"I don't know," Miki sighed. "This is just so confusing, and we shouldn't even be prying into Flower's personal life."
"Gumi, are you okay? Leon asked, noting how quiet the usually cheery girl is.
"Flower has a secret," Gumi muttered. "She freaked out when I commented on that picture. Could it…"
Gumi never finished her sentence. Feeling an uneasy sensation, she ceased walking, leading the others to look behind her, only for Miki to notice the one behind them.
"Mayu…"
Miki only whispered her name, but it was enough for SeeU and Leon to jump in shock.
"Why is she here?" Leon asked.
"Should we leave?" SeeU suggested, but Gumi quickly turned around, heading straight towards her.
"Gumi!?"
"What is she doing?"
"Should we follow her?"
"Let's just wait for her," Miki suggested.
"Gumi's not afraid to come towards her," Oliver commented by the time Gumi stood in front of Mayu.
"As usual, you're doing pointless things," Mayu told her. "You say you want to spend the summer with everyone together… open your eyes. To your classmates, you are nothing but a nuisance. In this world, people only care about themselves. It doesn't matter what happens to others. It may feel as if you're all getting along, but people like you who don't know anything will intrude on other people's lives, becoming the biggest annoyance."
Gumi had walked towards Mayu, intending to call her out on ruining summer break and making everyone miserable… but Gumi couldn't ignore the truth hidden in Mayu's harsh words.
"Give up already," Mayu insisted. "Outside your group of outcasts, no one wants to be friends with you. Shinzou Kokone has gone and left you, and soon enough, you'll be alone if you continue to be nothing but a waste of space."
Mayu left Gumi there, alone with her friends watching from afar. Even more, hiding behind the shadows, Rin overheard Mayu's words and continued to look at Gumi from the distance, all while trying to ignore the pain of guilt in her stomach.
AN: Well, Flower finally broke... and the main group are now aware that there's something about her. What do you guys think happened? I should also add, I love all the theories and ideas you share with me in your reviews, about the mystery male student, who Yuki is, and if Mayu is a real devil! Thank you for reading!
