"Sorry for the wait!" Yui called out to us.
Looking up from the cute sloth video I was showing Ebina, I saw that Yui had returned from her little talk with Hikio.
Hikio himself was looking at us, as opposed to his normal lack of interest in anything other than relaxing. At first glance, it seemed like he was just sleeping as he normally does, but I could definitely feel his eyes looking in our direction.
"Yeah, so like, Tobecchi and Ohoka-kun and Yamato-kun are kinda weird lately, huh?" Yuigahama continued in a bubbly tone.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hikio sit up straighter. Is he related to this?
"Were you always the type to say stuff like that?" Ebina spoke up, voicing the opinions of everyone except Yui herself, it seemed.
No, she wasn't.
"You know, that's probably not a good idea. You shouldn't say stuff like that about your friends." I said to Yui, putting my hand on my chin.
Hopefully, she'd take the hint.
"Er, that's not what I meant… it's just been on my mind."
Yeah, right.
Just as I opened my mouth to say something, Ebina interrupted me.
"I know what you mean. Those three have also been on mind recently…"
Sighing internally, I could tell that Ebina was about to have another one of her 'incidents.' Automatically slipping my hand into my blazer pocket and retrieving the small hand towel I always kept in there, I quickly covered up Ebina's nose just as blood started spurting out.
Thankfully, my motherly instinct managed to stop any blood from getting on the floors. It was a useful sixth sense. One that was currently still flashing a warning light. This one for a different child of mine.
Yui was acting weird. Hikio was taking interest in something. There was something going on that I didn't know about, and I didn't like it.
When was it that I started subconsciously looking after Hikio? If you asked me, I wouldn't be able to pinpoint a single moment. I mean, I always kept track of when someone was missing from class. It's a habit of mine. It's just that somewhere along the lines, I started to always look for Hikio first.
Every time he was missing, I was worried about him. After all, every time I saw him, he always seemed to be in a bit of a pickle. It's a miracle that he'd gotten this far by himself.
He's very… innocent. Vulnerable. Honest to a fault. Someone who lives in the moment. Just like a kid that hasn't grown up yet.
Sweet, yes. Aggravating, also yes.
I felt like I needed to watch over him. The second I took my eyes off him; he'd probably wander off a cliff.
And so, when he left the classroom during break, I followed as discretely as possible. I told Ebina that I was going to the bathroom and slipped out a minute after Hikio left.
Although I had lost sight of him, I knew where to go. There was only one place Hikio goes during short breaks like this.
…
Rounding the corner, I saw that my guess was right. There, next to the vending machines, was Hikio lazily inserting coins into the machine.
Making my way to the machine next to Hikio's, I retrieved my wallet from my coat pocket. Might as well get a snack while I'm here.
An electronic beep and whine sounded off to my left, followed by the recognizable sound of an aluminum can falling.
"So, what was that about?" I asked offhandedly as Hikio crouched down to retrieve his yellow can of coffee.
Seeing Hikio turn to face me out of the corner of my eye, I turned my head to return his gaze.
Hikio stared up at me. I stared down at him. Then, he tilted his head to the side slightly.
"Ah, I was just getting some MAX. Great drink."
"Not that. Why was Yui being so weird just now?" I clarified.
A small light of realization dawned in his eyes, yet his expression stayed the same.
"… Club stuff" He replied curtly, standing back up and inspecting his drink.
A moment of awkward silence passed between us. He didn't seem to want to tell me, but I was too curious to just drop the topic.
"I'll be going then, Miura" Hikio said as he started trudging his way back where we came from.
Oh, it seems he knows my name now. How convenient.
Just one thing…
"Oi. Why'd you drop the honorifics?" I called out, snatching the back of his collar to keep him in place.
We hadn't really talked all that much since the rainy-day incident. Then, suddenly, he was skipping the "-san" entirely? Odd.
"Eh? That's just how I talk. They take too much effort to say. I'd rather not."
Oh.
"Ah, sorry" I said, letting go of his collar.
As soon as I let go, he fell forward, barely catching himself then proceeding to sway around like a thin tree in the wind.
Reaching out and grabbing onto his arm, I managed to steady him. I couldn't help but notice how… toned his arm felt. If it weren't for the heat coming from his body, I'd assume he's made of metal. It was really… nic—
"… physical."
Eh?
I stared up dumbly at Hikio's face, suddenly becoming conscious of how close our faces were.
"U-uh, what?" I stammered out, backing my face away from his.
"Hmm? Oh, I was just saying how you're really physical. Very hands-on. Especially with someone who you barely know" He replied casually.
W-wha!?
Redirecting my gaze back down at where we were still connected, I could feel the blood rising and my face start to heat up.
"S-shut up! What else was I supposed to do?" I hissed, taking my arm back.
Hikio stared at me with a confused expression, eventually raising an eyebrow at me.
"Leave me to my own demise?" He said, as if that was the normal answer.
Geh, what an idiot.
"Well, I'm kinda the reason you almost fell over… again. So, it's kinda my responsibility to help" I explained.
To that, understanding dawned in Hikio's eyes (not that I was looking at them or anything) and he brought his hands together, fist on palm, in a gesture of realization.
"In that case, thanks… wait, should I be thanking you? You saved me, but you also caused the problem… Eh? But the cause was unintentional, and the effect was… intentional? Does that make me thankful? Or does it…"
I stared blankly at him. I didn't really have anything to say.
"… eh, whatever" He finished, shaking his head. Then he cracked open his can and took a deep swig, letting out a happy sigh afterwards.
He made that drink look really good. I've never actually had it before, since coffee is always too bitter for me.
Hmm… might give it a try late—
"Want a sip?" Hikio asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
I stared at the open can he was offering me, my eyes locking onto the opening where his lips had just been. As I did so, I felt the heat start to rise again.
Agh! What am I doing!? I have Hayato! Well, I don't quite 'have' him yet, but… yeah. I don't have the time of space to be blushing at something like this.
Some stupid i-indirect kiss doesn't affect me!
Snatching the yellow can from Hikio's grasp, I quickly brought it to my lips and took a small sip of the bitter liquid…
… or not? Hmm. It's actually quite sweet. It's definitely still coffee but it's got a nice taste to it.
"Like it?" Hikio asked.
"Yeah, it's good. Not too bitter but not too sweet" I replied, handing back the can with a slight blush.
"Mmm. You have good taste, in my opinion. MAX coffee is a drink unparalleled in its ability to provide happiness."
I nodded at him. I might start getting it whenever I'm at this machine.
"So, why are you and Yui being so weird?" I asked, turning back to my machine to choose a snack.
I chose pretzels. Nice and simple. Can't go wrong.
"… Hayama wants the club to look into something" He told me after taking another sip of MAX.
Hayama? What could Hayama possibly need help with?
"So, that's why you've been looking over at me—us?"
"No, that's why Yui is speaking weird. I didn't agree to help in the slightest."
Eh? What did Hayama want that Hikio wouldn't help with?
"If you want to know more, ask him yourself. Technically, I'm not supposed to tell anybody anything" Hikio said, seemingly reading my mind.
"A-ah, okay…"
"Peace." Hikio said over his shoulder as he resumed his walk back to the classroom.
"See ya." I responded, giving his retreating figure a small wave.
Once he rounded the corner, I knelt down and reached into the vending machine to retrieve my pretzels.
What exactly was going on?
To be clear, no, I will not be following the canon plot exactly. I am just following the events as of now, until Hiki-lazy-kun's personality starts to change those situations.