A/N: I was thinking that this could be a cutscene that would occur if you raise your stress parameter over 100 just before the school trip and choose to hang out with Himuro and reject the pillow fight :D This was also inspired off of a conversation topic that comes up when Himuro's BFF mode is activated!

It was the final night of the school trip, and Fujii Natsumi was not going to let her best friend go without an exciting time with the boys on the upper floor.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Natsumi pestered, clinging on to the other girl's arm.

"Hazuki-kun will be there, you know," she threw in, as a last ditch attempt, complete with a saucy wink and nudge.

"I think I'm okay. You guys go ahead though," her friend replied, feigning a yawn.

Natsumi didn't get it, but she wouldn't let this chance escape for the world. She released a dramatic, resigned sigh and clapped her friend on the shoulders.

"Ugh, suit yourself," she laughed, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow then!"

"Tomorrow?! Natsumi, don't tell me you're-"

Her friend blinked and reached out to stop her, but Natsumi had already escaped, her giggles echoing as she left.

Now alone in the hallway without her cheerful friend, the other girl sighed. It had been a long few days after all, with all the sightseeing she went on with Himurocchi. Her cheeks burned at the thought. They have been together a lot these days, haven't they?

She wondered what he was doing right now as she padded over to the vending machine in the common area.

Probably patrolling and catching students out of their rooms, she thought, chuckling quietly to herself at the image of Himurocchi's angry face. Admittedly, she had been among those who were scared of it at first, but as time went on and they spent more time together, she couldn't help but find it quite endearing.

She chose a can of chamomile tea, and hunched over to take it out of the bin. Moving past the couches silently, she cracked open the sliding door to the balcony, and slipped out. The stars were always clearer outside the city, she realized, marveling.

She closed the door behind her and slid down to sit on the ground, admiring the view. It reminded her of all those extracurricular lessons she spent with Himurocchi at the planetarium, when they had sat together side by side, their gazes meeting the same constellations.

If he was looking at them now, perhaps we could be together in that way again too, she thought wistfully.

Trembling a bit now that the autumn night had settled into a chill, she opened her tea and gratefully sipped the steaming drink. As her cold fingers wrapped around the warm can, she released a sigh and closed her eyes. Perhaps she should be content with how things were now. She would not be greedy.

A painful tug at her chest elicited a soft huff, and she felt hot tears gathering at her lashes, threatening to fall. Her love was out of reach, and almost doomed to fail. At times like this, she envied Natsumi and her fascination with boys in their year. At least she had a chance with them.

"What are you doing out here?"

Her eyes flew open at the familiar stern voice, and she turned her head to the sound. Standing above her, with his arms crossed, was the man she had been thinking of. He even had that furrow in his brow that implied he had been angry with some students like she had predicted. It creased even further, however, when he took a good look at her.

"Are you...crying?"

She widened her eyes and immediately wiped her face, looking away. Feeling the tips of her ears begin to redden as she tried and failed to give an explanation, she opted to remain silent instead. This was childish, and that thought caused her tighten her grip on her drink.

She was childish.

Himuro cleared his throat awkwardly, and stepped out onto the balcony, before shutting the door behind him and sitting down next to her. She ventured a questioning look at him, but his eyes were averted.

"You can...go ahead. No one else is here," he said haltingly, in a strained voice.

Was he trying to comfort her...?

She felt a sob rise in the back of her throat.

This isn't fair, Himurocchi, she thought. Could you please stop being so kind to me?

Her fingers found their way to the edge of his suit jacket, as the tears she had long been suppressing came crashing down in fits of painful cries. Her shoulders shook as she buried her face in between her knees, as if it could hide her sorrow.

Ah, this was embarrassing.

"Have you calmed down now?"

Sniffing, the girl next to him nodded once. Himuro didn't know what to say. He was rarely at a loss of words, but she had always surprised him, and this time was no different. Uncertainly, he fiddled with the baton between his fingers.

"If you need... counsel," he tries again, his voice strained. "I will do my best as your teacher to provide aid."

She went still next to him, quiet now. Himuro anxiously tightened his grip on the baton. Did she not want to talk to him?

"Or perhaps, if you are uncomfortable, I can call your physical education teacher-"

His hurried string of words was interrupted by a soft "no" from his side. He looked at her now, but her head was still bowed, face covered by her hair. He fought the urge to tuck it behind her ear.

"Himurocchi. I have someone I like," she quietly said, voice hoarse.

At those words, Himuro felt his traitorous heart sink. Of course she had someone. She was at that age, after all. Impatiently, he swept away the painful twist in his gut as he focused his attention on her. It was no time for his personal...feelings. She needed him now.

"I've liked this person for a long time, but I don't think it will end well. What should I do?"

Himuro did not trust himself to speak at that very moment, and kept silent until the squeezing grip around his heart subsided somewhat. He scrambled for a thought, any scrap of advice he could use to help.

"Ah, as I thought, it must be weird for Himurocchi to hear things like this. Please excuse my rudeness," she suddenly said, laughing a little out of awkwardness. She must have misunderstood.

"No, I... I may not have much experience in the matters of love," he started, uncertainly, "But I believe that there is nothing more foolish than giving up before you even know the result."

At this, the girl raised her head in surprise. He met her gaze then, and found himself strangely affected by her glistening eyes, breath caught. He looked away immediately. She did not respond right away, and seemed like she was properly turning over what he said in her mind.

Himuro must have lost all ounce of control then, as he started saying, "You...should go at your own pace, but give it your all. If it doesn't end well... I will still stay by your side. Not only as your teacher, but also as a friend."

A teacher. A friend.

And that is all I will ever be to her, he thought bitterly. Pain had his heart in a wrenching grip as he said these words, but once he saw her smile, he felt as though he could endure it a million times over, for her sake.

"Thank you, Himurocchi."

It was time to go back to Habataki High, and buses filed in one after another in the driveway as students drifted from the lobby to their seats, all chattering excitedly about the trip. Himuro had never felt more exhausted.

"Quiet, everyone! Line up according to your class and move quickly," he called out sternly, shooting a look at Kijyou and Fujii, who were making a racket loud enough to disturb the other guests.

As he observed the students boarding the bus, he caught himself looking for her in the crowd. She was late, after all. He wondered if she had failed to wake up on time after their talk last night. With a sigh, he approached Fujii, who widened her eyes and looked back at Kijyou for help, probably wondering what she did wrong this time.

"H-Himuro-sensei! We'll be quiet now, so-"

"Are all your roommates present?"

"Eh?"

Himuro sighed again, closing his eyes.

"We're missing one student. Do you know where she is?"

Fujii clapped her hands and said, "Oh! Uh, she had something to do..." She whispered conspirationally, "You know, girl problems...Right, Kijyou-kun?!"

She elbowed the other boy in the stomach, and he choked before hissing, "How would I know, ya crazy woman?"

Fujii must have given him a nasty look, as Kijyou immediately nodded, saying, "Ah, yeah! I saw her go in the bathroom, I woulda followed her in myself, but-"

Fujii elbowed him again. Sighing for a third time, Himuro opened his mouth to berate the two for being irresponsible before Fujii's face brightened up as she craned her neck to see beyond his shoulder.

"Ah! There she is!"

True enough, as Himuro looked behind him, she was running through the crowd of guests, huffing and panting as she got closer.

"I'm sorry I'm late!"

"The bus is about to depart, you should all board quickly now," Himuro said briskly, pointedly motioning for the three of them to get inside. He made an effort not to single her out, or take notice of her swollen eyes and pale complexion.

They all filed into the vehicle, with Kijyou and Fujii bickering all the while, even as they ended up sitting next to each other. Himuro glanced down at the filled seats, and belatedly realized the only empty one was next to her, in the very back of the bus. He hoped, with a dull pang, that she wouldn't feel too uncomfortable. After all, the bus ride home would be more fun with her friends, wouldn't it?

With a sinking feeling, he walked to the very end of the aisle and sat beside her. If he had looked then, he would have seen her small smile, but he was far too caught up in his concerns. The first time he looked at her properly today was a while after the bus had taken off. She was gazing outside, a calm expression on her tired face.

"Are you...feeling better?"

She looked back at him and grinned brightly.

"Yes, thanks to Himurocchi. I'll be trying my best!"

Himuro was caught between her smile, the meaning of her words, and concern for her, but he managed to say, "Good luck, but don't forget your studies," like he always did. She laughed and called him a nag again, and the edges of his lips tilted unconsciously.

A few hours later, Himuro opened his eyes after an unintentional nap, and was going to lift his hand to check his watch, before he felt a weight on his shoulder. Tilting his head, he realized that she had fallen asleep on him, her hair cast across his lapel, her elbow grazed against his.

Flushing to his roots in embarrassment, he checked to see if the other students saw, but to his relief, everyone was asleep. He felt the thudding in his chest grow exponentially, and was almost afraid it would be loud enough to wake her. He should be waking her. That was the proper thing to do.

And yet, he chose to close his eyes, because the long bus ride home felt too short this time around.