This chapter is rather short, but I have part of next chapter's plots ready. I might update faster after this, I'm not making any promises, though. Most of the chapters will be non-canon, and I haven't yet decided about the Generation of Miracles' changes later on in the story. I might tweak that part a bit, or even ignored it completely. I'll see how the story goes and decide then.

Enjoy~

Pairings : Undecided

Warnings : Teikō Middle School Days.

Disclaimer : I own only the OCs.


Chapter 3 - Everything comes with a price


Have you ever had a case in which you can't believe your eyes despite seeing what's in front of you?

Yume is experiencing that now as she stares at Momoi's bento, or at least what she assumes to be bento.

"..Sat-chan? Is this your bento..?" Yume asked cautiously as she looked up to meet Momoi's unsuspecting eyes.

"Mm! I cook it myself!" Momoi smiled proudly, her cheeks rosy in contrast to her depressing-looking bento.

Yume found herself losing her words. What is she supposed to say..? She can't let Momoi eat that and get a stomachache. How to save Momoi and not prick about her bento being inedible?

Yume smiled sheepishly. "..Sat-chan.. I don't think I can finish my bento.. Can I share with you?"

Momoi blinks, before she frowned in worry. "I can't eat a lot, too. What to do..?"

"That's fine!" Yume exclaimed, before quickly lowering her voice. "I mean.. We can just eat my bento, I want to share with you, Sat-chan.."

Did it work..? Yume warily glanced up to Momoi.

"How sweet~! Of course, Yuu-chan! I'll eat with you!" Momoi squealed in delight, before putting her bento to the side.

Yume inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. She doesn't wants Momoi to hate her if she was to nitpick on Momoi's bento, but she also doesn't want Momoi get sick eating her own bento.

"But.." Yume began hesitantly as she glanced around the place the two were in.

"Can we really eat here?" Yume asked worriedly.

Teikō Junior High strictly prohibits students eating in the school buildings, mainly classrooms and corridors. Everywhere else is fine.

Yume and Momoi are having their lunches in an abandoned, empty classroom around the 2nd Floor's corridor, by the corner. It seems no students have ever ventured here for quite a long time. Why Momoi knows this place despite being a freshman herself, Yume does not know.

"It's fine~!" Momoi chirped happily. "This class used to be the music room, but it's been unused and it just gathers dust. No one will know!"

Yume isn't quite sure about that. Abandoned or not, it still is a classroom. It wouldn't be good for a scholarship student like her to violate the school regulations.

Momoi is completely certain about it being hidden, though. Yume also likes the room, there's even an old piano gathering dust by the corner. Just this once..

"Mm.." Yume agreed weakly.

"Well, let's eat~!" Momoi spoke excitedly.

Yume smiles as she opened the lid, showing a neatly packed rice, tamagoyaki, karaage and even a container with miso soup.

"Oh my! This looks so good! Did you make this, Yuu-chan?" Momoi questioned, her eyes sparkling with awe.

"Hhehe.." Yume nodded meekly. She might not look like it, but she's quite adept at house chores considering she had to live alone.

"That must be nice! Dai-chan keeps saying that my food is bad.. I even had to sneak my bento to him, or he won't take it..!" Momoi grumbled with a mixture of anger and sadness.

Even so, considering how horrible Momoi's bento looked, Yume can't help feeling sorry for the poor boy. She prays that he lives to see another day, if he dares to eat it.

"L-Let's just eat, Sat-chan.." Yume changed the subject. Momoi smiles and nods.

Yume and Momoi start to eat, Momoi compliments Yume on her cooking skills, saying that she's really good. Momoi praises Yume's every dishes. Yume only smiles in response, her thoughts are somewhere else.

Yume is thinking about the books she borrowed yesterday from the school library. She brought them with her today, she had finished reading them.

However, Yume hesitates going to the library. She fears meeting the mysterious boy she shamelessly blurted her thoughts to. If that happened, she'd be frozen with mortification.

'..I will just return it after school ends..'

There's no evidence that she'll not meet the boy after school, but Yume just feels it's a safer course of actions.

"—he's hopeless.." Yume heard Momoi's sighed. She must have missed the complete sentence.

"Dai-chan always gets into troubles without me around! I just had to stick around him..!" Momoi grumbled as she frowned, scrunching her pretty face.

"But Dai-chan isn't even thankful to me...! Isn't he bad?" Momoi huffed as she complained.

'Sat-chan looks adorable..' Yume thought off-tracks. She just can't help but notices Momoi's flushed cheeks and adorable scrunched expression.

"You must care a lot about him." Yume smiled affectionately.

Momoi might complains, but it's obvious she cares. If she doesn't, why would she tutored him (with extreme hardships) so he could get into Teikō with her?

"...Yes." Momoi turned with a gentle expression, smiling. "Dai-chan had always been there for me."

Her childhood friend might be rough around the edges, but he's the kind of friend that won't left you alone when you're hurt. He's kind and she knows it. He just shows it in his own ways.

"I feel like a mother with a kid." Momoi sighed tiredly, prompting a giggle from Yume.

"Hhihi.." Yume envies the two's close bond. "Your childhood friend seems like a fun person, Sat-chan."

Momoi looks elated at that as she invades Yume's personal space, leaning close, their faces almost touch.

"I will introduce you two one day soon!" Momoi gushed enthusiastically.

Yume stiffen at that. From what she knows Momoi's childhood friend is a boy, and Yume doesn't seems to have fond memories about them.

Girls and boys are just different. They have different interests, hobbies and even manners of speaking. Yume isn't quite comfortable around them. There's also the memories..

Yume masked her hesitations with a smile. "Sure, Sat-chan." Yume answered as Momoi squealed ecstatically, not noticing the sudden darkness looming over Yume's expression as she sadly muttered under her breath.

"One day..."


Momoi and Yume was done with their lunches and is now walking back to their class, making a little chit-chat here and there.

Momoi mostly talked about 'Dai-chan' and Yume mostly listened as Momoi blabbered his embarrassing moments that makes Yume wondered if the boy won't be enraged had he known his past was tattle-taled by one Momoi Satsuki.

Yume slides the door open as Momoi talked behind her.

"—it's really funny, Yuu-chan! He ev—"

"Ano, Manai-san?" Someone interrupted Momoi and Yume chatters as the two girls turned to the new voice.

"Yes?" Yume answered politely, offering a courteous smile.

"Yoshi-sensei came by and said you're called to the Principal's office. He told us to tell you if we see you." The girl informed, she is Yume's and Momoi's classmate.

Yume didn't expect that. To have her classmate talk to her is unusual enough, but then she told her that the Principal wants to see her. What are the odds?

"Thank you, Shinkawa-san." Yume bowed curtly, as Shinkawa's eyes widen. "Is something wrong?" Yume asked as she tilted her head.

"A-Ah, n-no.. I was just surprised you know my name." Shinkawa confessed softly.

Classmates be they may, but Yume isn't a social butterfly and her classmates don't really talk to her unless necessary.

Yume doesn't knows, but she's actually quite well-known in her class for being Momoi Satsuki's best buddy. Momoi Satsuki is the pretty freshman and popular girl in Teikō.

Yume's fame came from Momoi more than her own achievements of being a Special Academic Excellence Scholarship Student.

Yume only smiles in response before she turns to Momoi. "I'm going for a while, Sat-chan."

"Take care, Yuu-chan~" Momoi nodded as she waved Yume away.


'Principal's Office' is written on a board above the lavishly crafted dark-wooden doors. Yume takes a deep breath before she knocks on the door.

*Knock* *Knock*

"I am Manai Yume. I heard you called, Principal." Yume spoke without showing her nervousness.

"Manai-san. Come in."

Yume then gently pushed the door open. She stepped inside as she closed the door behind her and walked until she stops just a few steps away from the Principal's desk. Yume bowed curtly to show her respect.

"Manai-san." He began with a smile as he gestured to the seat in front of his desk. "Have a seat."

Yume nodded before she takes her seat, her upper body straight and her legs neatly closed as she let her hands rest on her lap.

"I called you to talk about the new Student Council that will be elected in a one month time." The Principal rested his elbows on his desk, supporting his head. "The Student Council runs the Teikō Student Body. Only capable students worthy of the seats are selected."

Yume is still not quite sure where he is going with this, she had an idea, but...no way...right..?

"The freshmen this year are looking excellent. There are many capable students with brilliant leadership and absolute sense of responsibility." He started, his tone showing his pride. "However. In all the years of first, second and third students, there is a lack of a trusty Treasurer with the right sets of knowledge to manage the clubs monetary properly."

Yume is certain now. She sighed inwardly, her expression unchanging. She had even planned to get by her whole three years peacefully.

"Out of all students here, you are the best choice for the Treasurer position, Manai-san. I wish to extend the invitation to enter the Student Council as the Treasurer." He said finally, smiling that oppressive smile of his.

This is not an invitation, rather it's a direct order from the highest authority in the organisation. Yume knows she can't just bluntly refuses.

As if detecting her dilemma, he then continued. "It will be fine if you can't, Manai-san. I know you are busy working part-times to support your school life."

If Yume's hesitation was not visible before, it is now. She jerked because it's definitely not a consolation, but rather, a statement.

Teikō Junior High student is not allowed to participate in any part-time nor full-time works. Infringement may resulted in student expulsion.

Despite this, the Principal agreed to make an exception for Yume. He saw her needs to, in order to fulfil her daily life.

An invitation? You might as well said 'This is an order. Refusal is not accepted.' He didn't have to point out her sensitive subject.

"..I will think about it, Principal." Yume replied without a concrete answer.

The Principal smiles again. "I will be waiting for a positive response, Manai-san."

Sure he will. Yume thought sarcastically. He isn't even being subtle enough with his oppression.

"Ah, and you don't have to worry about being the only first year in the Student Council." He spoke like he's known for certain that Yume will say yes. "For all I know the candidates for this year Student Council's President and Vice-President have first years who performed exceptionally well in both academics and clubs."

In other words, the two first years are pre-elected to be in their future seats. It's been decided.

Yume only nods, before she excused herself and left the room. As soon as she closed the door, she let out a sigh.

It seems that 'Yes' is the only answer she can give to the Principal's 'invitation.' Why her of all people though?

Yume shook her head in resignation. She then walked back to her class. The silence filling the corridors makes her wonder, who is the two freshmen the Principal was talking about?

'One might be this year's freshmen representative.. The boy with beautiful red orbs..' Yume recalled the graceful air around the boy as he walked to the podium on the day of the entrance ceremony.

The boy is elegant and charming. Yume wouldn't deny that. She at least had her aesthetic sense in the right place despite being an awful artist herself when it involves blending colours.

Yume humbly did well-enough with pencil sketches, but she wouldn't be able to add colours without destroying said sketches. Even so, Yume could tell that the boy's shade of red is the one emitting strength, passion and elegance.

'I'm thinking too much about that boy...' Yume sighed as she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

What's more important is how being in the Student Council will obstruct her part-times schedule.

Momoi will also likely to ask her what's the talk is all about.

Since when did her school life turned this complicated?


Author's note:

So yeah, how is it?

Read and Reviews~