I'm here to announce that I have set up a "COMMISSION SERVICE" (Emphasised to make you all aware) on my Ko-fi account. And if you have not followed me there yet, then be sure to do it now! You'll be able to get early access to story chapters and be able to know the progress of your favourite stories! Also with this commission service, you'll be able to request stories and add an OC of yours into a story! So be sure to check out my Ko-fi account right now:
kofi.c om (slash) christophernagura
(Line Break)
The moment Aichi arrived at the card shop early in the morning to pick up Misaki as per his usual routine, he knew that something was wrong with the silver haired girl. Whether it was the fact that she looked a bit paler than usual, her eyes looked a bit red or even the way she walked was more sluggish than usual, he couldn't quite tell.
"Misaki, are you alright?" The blue haired boy asked with a concerned tone as he stared at the girl who smiled at him.
"Don't worry about me, I'm perfectly fine."
While he could tell that she was anything but, he decided to reluctantly nod his head as the two walked quietly over to school.
"I'll see you later then." The girl waved off with a small smile as she walked off to her class with Aichi merely stood at the gate, watching as the girl's figure turned smaller before disappearing into the hallway.
He wondered if he was just overreacting and decided to just head to classes where he greeted both Naoki and Shingo as he concentrated during the lessons.
Except he didn't.
If anything, he couldn't concentrate during the lessons whatsoever as he was busy worrying about the silver haired girl.
His worry towards the girl continued throughout the day and before he even realised it, it was break time. Since the three of them would normally meet up with Misaki and Akari during lunch time, he decided that he would observe how she was feeling from there.
Except that didn't work as Akari told them that Misaki said that she wanted to have lunch by herself today. While his friends didn't seem to notice anything strange from it, Aichi decided to confide in the green haired girl about his teammate's condition during her classes.
"Is anything wrong with Misaki today? Hmm, I didn't see anything wrong with her, why do you ask?" she asked in confusion as she tilted her head to the side as he waved it off.
"No it's fine, guess I'm just being a worrywart is all." He responded with a grin on his face, though there was still a part of him that was urging him to find his silver haired friend.
The leader of Q4 decided that he would talk to the girl when it was time for club activities. Since Naoki and Shingo would constantly get into fights with one another and Kourin was no longer a member of the Cardfight Club, that would give him the opportunity he needed to talk to her.
Though, it would appear things wouldn't play the way Aichi would have envisioned it as he walked into the clubroom.
"Hey there everyone! Sorry I'm late, the teachers was asking me for help." Aichi apologised as he entered the clubroom. The moment he entered, he was immediately greeted to the sight of Naoki engaging the Student Council President of Miyaji High School, Tatewaki, in a Cardfight while Shingo and Suwabe, the Vice President of the Student Council, were watching their match on the side.
"Wait, where's Misaki?" The blue haired boy asked as he looked around, realising a lack of a silver haired beauty in the room.
"Hmm, well she was here just now but she said that she was feeling unwell and headed back, why do you ask?" Shingo responded as he stared at his idol who looked surprised at the news.
'She was feeling unwell?' Aichi thought to himself, before he snapped his fingers in realisation.
'So she's been feeling unwell since this morning? Then why did she come to school today? And why did Akari not notice it?' Tons of questions began swarming in the boy's mind before he decided that he should head back as well.
"Well, since I've got stuff to do back at home, I should probably head back. I'll see you two tomorrow then!" Aichi waved at his friends before walking out the door.
Despite the fact Aichi had already closed the door, the four were still looking at that direction.
"Do you think those two are doing something together?" Naoki asked curiously to the other two who shrugged their shoulders simultaneously.
"I don't know but I'm inclined to think no seeing as Misaki really did look like she was unwell today." Shingo pointed out.
"So, may I ask what the relationship between those two are?" Tatewaki, who had been silent during the interactions between the three friends, asked as he raised his hand.
"Those two, huh? Well at this moment they're nothing more than just good friends I'd say." Naoki said as he wrapped his hands behind the back of his head in wonder.
"If I may interject, from what I've seen through their various interactions, the two definitely seem closer to one another than just 'friends'." Suwabe said as he adjusted his glasses.
"Well that may be the case but…" Shingo started but faltered a bit, something the president seemed to have noticed.
"What is it? You don't think those two would get together?" Tatewaki asked curiously as the brunette just shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, the only way that could potentially happen is if Misaki works up the courage to confess her feelings to him, but knowing her I doubt she'd do it and I don't think Aichi would be able to realise it too."
The group all sighed to themselves as they hoped the two would just get together.
With Aichi
Despite telling his friends that he would be going back home for some errands, he was actually headed to the Card Capital shop in order to meet up with Misaki. He was unsure why he was so hung up about this, but there was something within telling him that it wasn't as simple as a mere illness.
It took him a couple of minutes before he arrived at the shop, however before he entered, he noticed something strange hanging at the door.
"The store is closed for today?" Aichi stared at the sign in shock.
In all of his time at Card Capital, the only times the shop was closed was when he was travelling with them to tournaments or for training. Other than that, he'd never seen the shop closed.
Though before he returned home, the doors to the shop opened up, revealing none other than Shin himself.
"Oh Aichi, I didn't expect to see you here this early. Is something the matter?" The green haired man smiled at the boy.
"Ah, no, I was just wondering if Misaki's feeling alright is all. I heard that she went home because she was sick."
"Ah, I see… well don't worry about it, she's fine. She's just feeling under the weather, I can reassure you that she'll be feeling better tomorrow." The green haired man said with a grin but since they've known each other for years now, Aichi could tell that it was a fake one.
"Then… may I know why she's feeling like this? She's acting completely differently compared to normal." The green haired man stared at the boy's eyes and could see that he was determined.
"Well, I don't see any reason to keep it from you." He sighed before a serious expression formed on his face.
"Today marks the anniversary of her parent's death." Shin revealed with a wistful smile on his face causing Aichi's eyes to widen in shock before his face fell as he clenched his fists tightly.
He learned about this a couple of years ago, back around the time they had first met, when she had wanted to quit Team Q4. After seeing all the pain and grief she felt about the incident, he should have remembered… yet he didn't.
"I-I forgot all about it…" The blue haired boy said, feeling nothing but disappointment in himself. They had been friends for years yet he couldn't even remember the date which caused his friend so much pain.
"You don't need to feel bad for forgetting, but I'm happy to know that you care for her enough that you would." He smiled.
"May I… go and see her?" Aichi requested. There was a part of him that wanted to be there for her no matter what. Two years ago, it had been Emi who helped snap the girl from her sadness, and this time he'll be the one doing so.
The shop owner placed a hand on his chin as he deliberated his offer before nodding his head, "I'm not sure if she'd be in the mood to meet with anyone right now, but if there's someone who can help her, I'm sure you can, Aichi." He said and while the boy was confused by this, he nodded his head.
The green haired man led him upstairs to their house before pointing at Misaki's room, and without another word, the man walked off.
Aichi couldn't help but feel nervous as he neared the door. Would the girl even appreciate the fact of him being there? Shaking his head, the boy steeled his nerve and walked towards the door.
"Misaki, are you there?" Aichi knocked on the door softly, yet he didn't receive a response from the person in the room. He tried knocking a couple more times before realising that she had no intention of answering or was currently asleep. He had no way of telling.
The blue haired boy decided to sit down on the floor and lean on the door as he closed his eyes, "I can most definitely say that I won't be able to understand what you're going through right now, losing both your parents at once must have been a tough experience for you, especially since you can vividly remember the details of that day…"
"However, I can tell you that I understand how it feels to lose a parent… since my father passed away when I was around six years old." Aichi revealed with a forlorn smile on his face. He couldn't tell whether the silver haired beauty was even listening or not, but he decided to take his chances, after all, he wanted to reach out to the girl as best he could.
"Mom didn't go into the specifics of it, but apparently he was carrying an illness with him since he was a child and it had gotten worst as he grew older. Both mom and Emi would usually break down in tears whenever someone even brings up his name, which is why we don't talk about him anymore." The blue haired boy couldn't help but recall the day of his father's funeral.
While he may had been crying alongside his mother and sister that day, he managed to look around him and notice the sadness etched into fellow friends and family members alike.
Despite being a child, he knew that ever since that day, their lives would change forever… and it did. His mom, while she would try and maintain her bubbly personality, the people who knew her well would be able to tell that she was faking it. Though, it was safe to say that she got better as the years passed.
Emi had grown up to be the mature one out of the two, often being the one who scolds the other and advises the other and all. He, on the other hand, rather than being the reliable older brother like he was meant to be, had hid into his shell. Without a proper father figure, no one was able to teach him the proper way of being a man, nor was he able to. Had it not been for Kai all those years ago, he doubted he'd be able to handle everything the world threw at him.
"It may not be the same thing as losing both parents at once but…" Aichi looked up to stare at the ceiling.
"I just want you to know, that whatever pain you're experiencing right now… I know how it feels, and that's why whenever you're feeling down or upset, I'll always be there with you to make sure that all your pain and sadness would go away." He said each word with genuine laced in his tone.
He sat on the floor for a while without making a single sound before a wistful smile appears on his face.
'Guess it didn't work after all.' Just as he thought those words, the doors to her room suddenly opens and since Aichi was leaning against the door, he immediately fell back and landed on his head causing him to flinch in pain.
As he held his head in pain he suddenly realised someone looking down on him.
"…Hey there Misaki." The boy smiled upon seeing the girl but he was surprised upon seeing how red her cheeks were, causing him to assume that the girl had been crying.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" she said in a hoarse tone as Aichi chuckled slightly as he slowly pushed himself up.
"Sorry about that, I was genuinely worried about you." He said as he scratched his cheek sheepishly as the girl sighed and invited him inside her room. He accepted her invitation with a nod as he walked inside. As he did, the blue haired boy realised that this was the first time he had been inside her room and he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed about it.
He took a look around and realised that it was a small and tidy room consisting of a bed, a small dressing table which included a small mirror above it and an average side table at the side, atop it.
That was when Aichi noticed a picture frame standing on the side of the table. He wasn't able to look at it properly, but he couldn't help but feel curious about it. Though, he didn't walk over as he didn't want to feel like he was intruding on her.
"You can take a look at it if you want." She said after noticing where he was looking. The boy shot her an apologetic look but she waved it off as she sat on her bed.
With her consent, the boy picked up the frame and stared at the picture.
It was a picture consisting of a young Misaki alongside her parents as the three of them smiled at the camera. Seeing the bright expression on her face as she held sat close to her parents brought a smile to his face.
"There are times when I wonder if they're proud of who I've become." Misaki said with a small, deprecating smile on her face as she looked at her hands.
"As I grew older, I didn't get to have many friends as I scared them. Things didn't get better when I arrived in high school either, with the rumour of me being a delinquent spreading about in the school."
"I'm sure they're proud of you. After all, you're helping your uncle out at the store every single day, besides, you're an incredible person and you've always helped us whenever we're in trouble, so I'm certain that they are." Aichi said honestly and the girl's eyes widened in shock at his words before she smiled in appreciation as she gestured for him to sit down as well, which he did so on the floor.
"You know you didn't have to say all those words just to try and cheer me up you know. There were other ways in doing that." She said and the boy stared at her in confusion.
"Hmm, I meant each word you know?"
"You're someone important to me, Misaki. I don't think I can imagine a life without you." Aichi said with a bright smile which caused the girl to flush in embarrassment as she looked away from him.
"Idiot." She muttered underneath her breath as she placed both her hands on her chest; her heart was pounding rapidly at his words, but she could say that she didn't dislike that feeling. Suddenly, almost as if she were being possessed, the silver haired girl got up and walked over to the blue haired boy before wrapping her arms around him.
"Thank you… for everything, Aichi." The girl said as she snuggled closer towards him. A tint of red dusted across her cheeks.
'This is just me showing my appreciation towards him… nothing more.' She thought, giving an excuse to herself.
Meanwhile, a small blush formed on his face because of her unusual action, but it was slowly replaced by a smile as he pulled the girl closer towards him and held her a tad bit tighter.
"You're welcome, Misaki."
The two stood there in silence, no words needed to be said between them, as they held onto each other, enjoying the warmth the other was emitting.
Unknown to the both of them, a green haired man and a black-white cat was just outside the girl's room, listening in to all the words that had been said between the two.
'It's as I thought before, you really are her Vanguard, Aichi.' He thought with a smile.
Deciding to give the two some privacy, Shin turned away and began walking down towards the shop.
"Well, let's go back to the store in case any customers are trying to find us, Assista-Cat." The feline merely meowed in response as he followed after him.
End Chapter
I'm here to announce that I have set up a "COMMISSION SERVICE" (Emphasised to make you all aware) on my Ko-fi account. And if you have not followed me there yet, then be sure to do it now! You'll be able to get early access to story chapters and be able to know the progress of your favourite stories! Also with this commission service, you'll be able to request stories and add an OC of yours into a story! So be sure to check out my Ko-fi account right now:
kofi.c om (slash) christophernagura