Chapter 54: The Boys II

Shouko Nishimiya tries to be a good host to the boys.

Before long each of them are sporting a hot, steaming cup of tea and a plate full of biscuits. It's the very bare minimum that she is able to provide and she apologizes for it afterwards with a bow.

"If I knew beforehand that you guys were coming, I would have gone out and brought some snacks."

"It's fine." Hachiman states.

Shouko Nishimiya smiles and places her smaller hand comfortingly over his and he looks up to her with the same nervous face, though it looks much more calm and used to the present situation. There is no doubt in her mind that he will never come to like communicating with her like this, using the telepathic link established by Kusou Saiki, but she can't be bothered about it. This feels so real and as far as she is about to get, to listen to others talk, listen to her own voice as she talks to them, feel what it might have been like had she not been born deaf, unable to hear anything in this world. It might be selfish, but this is one of the reasons she likes spending time with the psych club and she has a feeling the others know about it, because they are really accommodating with the situation, even though Accelerator is a very closed off individual and Mob doesn't like anything to mess with his mind and emotions.

"How are things going, Nishimiya?" Hachiman asks.

"Things have been going good, Hachiman. How about you?" Shouko uses his first name because she thinks they have gotten closer with time and it feels right. Then she looks at the other boys in the room and smiles while waving a hand towards them as she says. "I see you have met the guys from my club."

"Yeah, it's been on hell of an experience, all extremely good, if I might add." he says as Accelerator places a hand over his shoulders.

"He's being modest." Accelerator adds. "We hit it off really well."

"Yes, that too. There was definitely some hitting involved." Hachiman adds nervously.

"Hikigaya-senpai, I apologize for them." Mob says. "But like I mentioned before, Accelerator-senpai is a bit of a -"

"-Cripple." Kusou Saiki adds. "He can't help but bump into other people accidentally when the light is not right."

Shouko Nishimiya looks worried. "Are you alright?" she asks.

"I'm fine." Accelerator says.

"Okay." Shouko says. Then. "How about you, Hachiman? Are you okay?"

Accelerator feels jealous, which is all kinds of wrong. He doesn't know how to handle this kind of feeling. Hate, anger, rage, give that to him every day of the week and he would be able to process it fine, like a well oiled machine, but this, jealousy over another man, a nobody, because of a woman, this is really a humbling experience. No wonder Misaka Worst has been on his ass lately, mocking him for trying to turn into a better person, who curses less and feels less bitter about the world in general. But what does she know about this kinda stuff. Nothing, and are those two still holding hands in the middle of the coffee table, in front of him.

Accelerator stomps Hikigaya's foot beneath his crutch and he eeks out a squeak.

"Ouch!" wails Hachiman.

Wimp, thinks Accelerator. "Sorry, my hands slipped."

"That's dangerous." adds Mob, and Accelerator thinks the little twerp is being a bit too talkative for his liking. He misses the days he couldn't sputter out a complete sentence in front of her without having a nervous breakdown. But well, what can you do, fight to the death. Yeah, maybe, if that goddamn woman didn't have a certain dislike towards violence. I mean what's up with that, Accelerator thinks bitterly, has she met him. But really this is proving to be a big waste of time and they should really get the show on the road.

"Get on with it. We don't have all day." Accelerator tells Hikigaya and the boy gulps.

"I still don't know how to talk about this subject."

"Talk about what?" Shouko Nishimiya goes and now all the men in the room are blushing different shades of red and this evening is certainly turning out to be a nightmare. Accelerator thinks Hikigaya needs another helping of his crutch to take out his knees before he thinks it's prudent to open his mouth, but luckily the breakthrough comes from an interesting source.

"Hikigaya-senpai is here to talk to you about boys." Mob says with a straight face and really, Accelerator thinks the boy has come a long way since he joined their little club. About a month ago he couldn't even dream about saying such a bold sentence. But even then he tiptoes across the main point of the matter and he thinks that won't get the job done. Luckily, they brought the fall guy.

"You're up, MC." Accelerator gives Hikigaya's shoulder a shove and the punk has the audacity to glare back at him. He is nothing, a nobody and he would be better off dead, but that won't do, he is trying to be a better man and he should really think happy thoughts like Shouko Nishimiya's smiling face.

"Christ, are you smiling? Are you thinking of dead puppies?" Hachiman asks.

"I'm thinking about what I will do to you if you don't get on with the talk." Accelerator snarls.

Hachiman Hikigaya approaches the subject matter with all the candor of a man approaching the gallows. But just to spite the other boys in the room, he uses her first name. "Shouko-san, your boys are worried about you."

Shouko blushes and pats him in the shoulder, embarrassed. "Stop it! You make it sound like I'm there mother and they are my children."

The telepathic link goes down for a moment and apart from Hikigaya who is wearing a triumphant grin for a job well done, the rest of the boys in the room are sporting some very disgruntled look, like they have swallowed something vile or as in this situation, pictured something disgusting.

"You are not my mother!" Mob says.

"Exactly. You are far too young to be a mother." Kusou Saiki adds.

"And we would like to keep things that way." Accelerator says. Then because he feels like not leaving anything up to confusion or misunderstanding, adds. "That is, stop you from becoming a mother."

"But I want to be a mother, I want to have children." Shouko adds, while having a fond smile on her face. But it crumbles under their look. "Do you guys think I'm not the right type of person to have kids, because of my…" she is starting to tear up and that's when she feels his hand on her shoulders, comforting her, loving her.

"I think you will be a great mother." Hachiman adds. "But what the guys are trying to say is that they don't want you to experience the troubles and problems associated with teenage pregnancies and having to raise a child on your own. Even though you are no longer a teenager and are of legally marriageable age according to the law of our country – ouch!"

"What happened?" Shouko Nishimiya asks.

"I don't know." Hachiman looks worried. "It felt like I went splat with a brick wall."

Hachiman eyes the three psychics in the room and all of them try to look the picture of innocence.

"What are you looking at?" grunts Accelerator.

"Is something the matter, Hikigaya-senpai?" asks Mob.

"Yes, indeed." says Kusou Saiki.

Dammit. Hachiman has no idea who has done it. But the way Kusou Saiki phrased it, he makes it sound like he is replying to his thoughts and the bastard can read his mind, so, he is the prime suspect, but what can he do about it.

Huh, inspiration comes out of nowhere and he doesn't even think about it.

"Shouko-san, do you have someone you like, sexually?" Hachiman adds.

Nishimiya blushes and before he knows it, Kusou Saiki has broken the telepathic link. Hachiman smirks to himself. He should have gone with this from the start. From what he understands, these three guys might have developed a crush on her, but even then they are not ready to come to terms with the truth that their feelings might not be returned, that she might be in love with someone else.

"Saiki-kun?" Shouko tries to speak out loud.

The telepathic link is soon established and they can all hear Kusou Saiki talk in his weird, robotic voice which feels like he is always busy narrating something. "Sorry about that, Nishimiya-san. I had to break the telepathic link because I didn't want to accidentally read your inner most thoughts."

Shouko Nishimiya blushes and touches his arm lightly. "Thank you, Saiki-kun. You are really so thoughtful and sweet."

Accelerator didn't even know the overpowered moron could blush, but he does and from the corner of his eyes he sees Mob click a photo on his phone. He looks at him and mumbles. "He would probably want to remember this moment for later."

Accelerator snorts. "Simp."

Hachiman doesn't make the moment last very long. "Shouko, what the guys are worried about and what also has me worried, is that you don't know what goes around in a guy's head and we really don't want you to be caught in a situation where things can take a turn for the worst."

Accelerator makes a spot decision that he will somehow make Misaka Worst meet up with this guy. It would make for one hell of a story. But for now, he really needs to stop beating around the bush.

"Say it, you idiot." Accelerator barks.

"Men only think about sex." Hachiman finally says with a straight face.

Shouko Nishimiya looks at him for a moment. Then. "So?"

All the boys in the room look at her like she is not making any sense whatsoever. Shouldn't she be more amazed or more likely, horrified by this little nugget of information. This should really be considered the discovery of the century for a maiden as pure as her. But no, nothing of the sort and that has gotten them worried.

Mob makes the mistake of not thinking before he speaks.

"Nishimiya-senpai, you are a virgin, right?"

Shouko Nishimiya turns beet red and takes a pillow and tries to smother her face in it for a while. Then thinking better of the situation, she slams the soft pillow lightly on to Mob's back. It doesn't hurt a bit, but he looks like a kicked little puppy.

"Sorry, that came out of nowhere. It really doesn't matter." Mob says.

Accelerator gives Nishimiya a look. "Want me to throw the punk out of the window?"

Shouko shakes her head. Accelerator crosses his arm and somehow doesn't fall because he is balancing his shoulder against the wall. "Fine. You never let me have any fun."

"Kusou Saiki-san over here informed me that you have been seeing a lot of Ishida lately." Hachiman carries on, ignoring the small drama.

Shouko doesn't seem put out by it. "Yes, we met up from time to time. What of it?"

"Has he tried something, I don't know," Hachiman searches for a word. "Let's say, flirty."

Shouko chuckles. "Ishida-kun, doesn't know how to flirt. He is really awkward, just like the rest of you guys."

That gets a bit of a reaction.

"We are nothing like him!" Hachiman speaks for all of them and it looks like none of the others mind when he takes lead in this situation.

"Fine, you're all my boys." Shouko says with a chuckle.

All of them smile, but it is short lived. Hachiman is the first to return back on track.

"So, he hasn't tried to flirt with you or make any sexual advances?" He asks.

Shouko shakes her head. "None at all. You should really put this stuff to rest. We are not like that. He is a person who is trying to make amends for what he did in the past."

"Somethings are unforgiveable." Hachiman states solemnly.

The other three guys feel left out of the conversation because this time around Shouko Nishimiya had the presence of mind to not tell them what Ishida did to her back in elementary school. Having heard her sorry tale, Hachiman put him in the hospital. Accelerator would more than likely put him in the morgue, whether he is trying to turn a new leaf or not. She doesn't want any more violence in her life. She just wants to lead a happy and peaceful campus life.

"What do you guys even do? I thought feeding bread to the fish was our thing." Hachiman adds.

"We hang around. Sometimes he buys me ice-cream – uh guys, what's wrong?"

All of a sudden the room has gone dead quiet. Accelerator looks like he is ready to kill, Mob is feeling ready to explode and Kusou Saiki has gone really still while oozing some kind of translucent aura.

"Um, guys?" Shouko tries.

"What kind of ice-cream is it?" Hachiman asks and his voice is tight and controlled.

Shouko Nishimiya doesn't know what to make of it. But she answers truthfully.

"A popsicle."

There's a pause, a moment of silence. All the boys picture the scene, the scum Ishida watching their sweet innocent, Shouko Nishimiya, lick a phallic shaped popsicle in the morning day light. Afterwards, they all jump to action.

"He's dead." Mob says coolly.

"They will never find the body." Accelerator adds.

"I will throw it into the sun." Kusou Saiki states.

"And I will spit on his empty grave." Hachiman snarls.

As the four boys leave her room, Shouko Nishimiya doesn't know what to make of the situation. Surely they were joking right. It's not like Ishida-kun is in really any danger. Right? Right!?

A/N: Now this is a big chapter (2500+ words) And that wraps up this small arc.

I thought about Hachiman giving Shouko the sex talk, but then I figured she is roommates with Tomoko Kuroki, so, yeah, that's really not necessary.

Now here are the options for the next chapter:

Option 1: Mikasa Ackerman (Attack on Titan)

Option 2: Asuna Yuuki (Sword Art Online)

Option 3: Hinata Hyuuga (Naruto)

Option 4: Taiga Aisaka (Toradora)

Option 5: C.C. (Code Geass)

Please pick any of the above options or suggest a character in the review.

Hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter.

Leave lot and lots of reviews, follow and fave.

Won't betray your dreams.

Trivia: Tomoko Kuroki watches hentai and she doesn't care whether her roommates are there or not. Sometimes, whether they like it or not, her innocent roommates catch a glimpse of the action. Even sweet, Shouko Nishimiya.