HELLO THERE! Sorry this took quite a while to make ;w; But I'm not yet done with this arc! I wanted to make it one whole chapter but like the last one it'll be too long so I'll be dividing it into two for convenience 8D

Now there may be some errors here and there since I've been moving place to place in some parts because *cough* reasons *Cough* 8"D

So I'll apologize for that now. Also I've been feeling kind of rusty but I AM POSTING NO MATTER WHAT HAHA

I'll do my best to keep quality for you~ ^w^)!

OKay Let's answer those reviews XD (Since it's both chapters if you reviewed in both I'll only answer with one)

KisaragiMaru: Thanks for the review and LOL! I kinda liked that part too XD Mhmm~ You'll just have to wait for that ouo)b Aw well X'3 Sorry if Isogai's not gonna be that major here then ;w; And for your second review, I just wanted to describe it comically and anime-like so gomene XD And Yes that was intentional ouo)~ Thanks for the review! And yeah but since she called Karma Akabane-san before, that means she's still kind of distant to the others ^w^ Thank you for reassuring me! ;W;

Akabane-san: HEY THERE AGAIN~ I love you too and I guess Fuwa and Sugino isn't that bad...right? X"D LOL Thank YOU! Reviewers help after all! For the second review, NAH PSH Don't be jealous of me! I'm not that good yet X'3 And yes I do my best to update and keep the karmanami going so yey~!

TheRoseShadow21: Thank you for leaving another review! You all make me happy! Actually I found that part funny for me as well so I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as I did! XD SugiYuzu? Thanks well I just came up with it X'3 Well, you'll have to read on for the Chibayami ^3^ And thanks for those compliments too! I myself like that fireflies scene since I played Chopin's nocturne suddenly and #amazement so yeah XD

animeandmangafangirl: Lol not that Nagoya XD And thanks for reviewing again like always!For the second review, thanks for that! Really! GOOD LUCK WITH SCHOOL,LIFE AND COLLEGE! Bless you!

Akikarui: Depends ;D

I12BFree: Thanks for the review and the compliment!

3-E Student: You'll just have to find out down there~! Thanks for reviewing~

KyoRina97: Thanks! And you made me happy too! Thanks for reviewing!

Mugipyon: HEY THERE MUGI-CHAN~! Missed you XD Thanks for the long review! Your review has caused me to giggle and go giddy like I did you with this chapter so thanks you very much my good man! I feel sorry to say Okajima won't play a big part in this fic so I'm sorry 8"( Thanks for all of those compliments! Really, I feel so thankful for your always detailed reviews ;w; SugiYuzu has only crossed my mind because of a whim XD I'll have to figure how to work them out eventually so find out and read on~! *IS GLOMPED* THANKS BRO! Don't worry, long reviews motivate me so dont apologize~!

kawaiichoconeko: THHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNKKKK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUU for your very long OMG XD AND of course your wonderful review! Thanks for pointing out those parts you loved!

Sweetmoegirl: PM~! Thanks for the review! I look forward to seeing your work! Sorry I can't send you the designs soon ;w; But I'll try maybe tomorrow

Quilla the Silent: Nakamura #bestgirl They're my fave pairing I LOVE THEM SO MUCH SO CUTEGHKUGH! (Duh) Thanks again!

Okay so DISCLAIMER TIME: The pair would've been canon by now if I owned it so yeh.

CHAPTER TIME! *ansatsu episode title jingle/trumpets*

Chapter 10: Miss Understanding (Part 1: I Don't Get You)

The school year had finally approached its summer season.

The cool spring breeze had been replaced by an air of a much higher temperature. The cherry blossoms had reached their natural ending as they had been replaced with trees of green – where insects would reside as their migration had finally begun. Everyday folk had shifted from long-sleeved clothing to garments that would allow more ventilation to enter their more prone-to-sweat bodies due to the growing heat of the new climate – the same applied to schools all over Japan for the blazers that were meant to fight against cold weathers had now been replaced with short-sleeved, buttoned shirts that came with the specific style the school was known for.

One of those schools was Kimii High School; it was known for its simple yet presentable style with just a short sleeved polo shirt and and a tie that indicated what specific year the student was. Its classrooms and hallways were crafted with pure white walls given color by school posters, creative reminder boards and a few paintings here and there that would emphasize the fact that it was a prestigious academy – the windows that were usually shut had been lifted up as it let rays of afternoon sunshine seep in and bathe the plain rooms with a yellow-ish radiance.

The light and steady footsteps of a freshmen girl patted on the floor of the administration hallway of this school's campus along with the other noises of the early morning such as a few yawns and mumbles here and there; her orange hair had been fixed with low pigtails neatly as not a strand had been out of place as always. Emerald eyes were sharp and ever-alert as she had her hands full with a stack of paper she had finished the night before – Hayami Rinka had always come to school punctually and today was no exception; especially when she'd been given a new responsibility for summer break just a few days ago. Despite the ever-serious face she had put on today (and every day), she couldn't deny the tiny excitement she had for this job of hers – she'd never done it before, but she considered it wouldn't harm her to try it out.

Stopping in front of the door, she knocked at her Social Studies teacher's office respectfully and waited for a reply that didn't come from the other side too long after. There was a a bit of a stir within the room as footsteps bustled to the door, Rinka remained stoic even when the light-haired dorky looking instructor had revealed himself – from what she had inspected, he seemed to be quite stressed out as there was sweat that trickled down his head most probably not just because of the heat. With the subtle adjustment of his square-framed glasses and a brief scratch of his scalp from the back of his auburn hair, he entertained his student with her needs.

"Ah yes, Hayami-san, why is it that you've come?"

"Tori-sensei, I have finished the paper work I have been assigned to for the summer tutoring program." She stated professionally as she placed the stack (That was heavier than it looked) on the free arms of her teacher straightforwardly – this left the middle-aged man in quite the daze however.

"U-Uh Hayami-sa—"

"Also, since I have been placed under the social studies group, specifically with current events as the lesson I've been appointed to teach to the incoming batch of our high school's entrance test takers, I have taken the time to provide myself and the student with an outline of some of the notable happenings within our country and internationally handwritten in a notebook." She proceeded in a business-like manner and made sure her words were clear as not an ounce of feeling had been applied to her tone – though the teacher who was stammering at the moment could probably pass this as her way of being enthusiastic as he tried to speak up.

"Uh—Er, Hayami-san, haven't you been tol—"

"Up until now, I have been working on collecting a few sample reports that can be used to enhance the student's ability to professionally and presentably create one of their own if ever the question comes to that point. I will have them ready right on time for the pupils to use without a problem." Even as her teacher tried to stutter out what appeared to be something of significance, it seemed she had failed to notice such as she rambled on – truth be told, even this teacher had to be taken aback by how mature the approach of this student of his was.

"A-As I was saying—"

"Sensei, do we have an issue?" now she had taken the courtesy to inquire this from her teacher, but she kept her face stoic and unchanging; only a slight sign of question had been shown in her voice

"A-Ahh well you see…" Tori-sensei adjusted his goggles and smiled sheepishly – and a tad bit uneasily at his rather ecstatic (even if she didn't look like it) and rubbed the back of his head with a nervous laugh "Ahe…It breaks my heart to tell you this but er…you've been relieved of that task for the break."

Her constant face had broken with the widening of her eyes after she had taken in what the older man had just told her "What?"

The word came out more hostile than she had intended for it to be as it had resulted to her teacher stuttering again and stepping back once "W-W-Well uhm...y-you see erm, please do not take this as an offense – your grades in my subject are outstanding to say the least; o-or in a lot of subjects for that matter because w-well it seems you've tackled most in middle school. However I was informed – I-I mean it was suggested by another student that you were not eligible for the task as you may have problems in dealing with the young ones; so we'd like for them to be comfortable with their tutors for safety s-so… a-and moreover I was given a point that to leave something like this to a freshman is a bit…" he rambled on as he continued making excuses in that sheepish manner of his – though he had tried to relay this to her politely, that didn't keep the twitch in her hands at bay as she had practically glared at the floor once she heard this. This was inconceivable to say the least – after all the effort she'd put into doing such, and just when she was rather excited by the task, which is rare occasion. For the sniper, this was nothing but irksome.

"You didn't know? Aha, I assumed he had told you since…"

Rinka had turned her gaze back to her teacher – unconsciously giving him a fright with her glaring face as she asked with a somewhat bilious tone. "He?"

"E-Er… your classmate Chiba Ryuunosuke."

"Stop right there."

The school gardens were a little empty where a particular boy with dark hair that refused to reveal whatever orbs he had under them – most probably because he had been walking past the seniors building which – as rumors put it – was crawling with supernatural oddities that this gunman assumed to be spread by the third years to keep younger ones from trespassing. Thankfully enough, the sun did not beat down heavily in contrast to other days since the season started – wide azure skies and pure white clouds that could nearly blind the eye with their cotton-like form drifting through the hot air. The school may not have been near forests and such, but the cicadas that rested upon the trees and other types of greenery surrounding the demure boy sounded through the vacant spaces of their campus.

And just when he heard the all-too-familiar voice, he did what he had been ordered to and halted from his wandering to take a side step and face the glare of a green-eyed girl that didn't exactly look to be in any sort of gaming mood at the time. Despite the depth of her scowl, Chiba hadn't even flinched – if it were anyone else, that sharp glower of hers would probably be enough to kill whoever it was and the birds all around him/her. But for this boy whose eyes could not be read due to the curtain of black locks, he appeared as if this didn't even send a teaspoon of threat to his person.

"Yo, Hayami."

"Don't 'Yo' me." She was peeved to say the least – not exactly a rare sight, but when she gets furious, it's never exactly a pretty scene; he had every right to say this from personal experience.

Chiba kept his lips zipped as he made a full turn to face her directly – but it looked like his every move added up to her anger as her brow twitched when he didn't say anything else; not even ask what she wanted to talk about since she had a hunch he knew exactly what it was

"Why?" her voice was solid and downright dangerous as she demanded for an answer from him. The grip she had on the notebooks and other papers in her palm had tightened and nearly brought all of her work to a crumpled pile under the mercy of her arms strength.

"Why what?" she couldn't easily tell if this was him being sarcastic for he had voiced it out nonchalantly – not even the impression of a question had been present as he just watched her fume all the more with the attitude he put up.

"You know how much work I'd put into that job." Her tone was loud, but nothing had been recklessly exclaimed for others to pay their attention to them. "What the hell were you going about saying I 'wasn't eligible' for it?"

"Simple." He wasted no time in answering in the same manner as he placed no filter in his next words "You're not the type to lead someone. You're too straightforward and bad with encouraging people – most find disturbance with you present. I'd feel sorry for the one under you." This had the already riled ginger pulse with even more aggravation at his statement; her teeth had clenched visibly as her knuckles had begun to turn white and shook with rage.

"When did it become your business to meddle with my decisions?" her voice came low this time, but it was because of that it had sounded all the more ferocious as it had been accompanied by a small and inconspicuous snarl. She was aware that she was flawed, but that didn't mean he had to go this far – and to the extent where he would not consider her feelings on the matter was just infuriating to the light haired girl.

"I'm not able to trust them lately, that's it." Not even a spec of reluctance or sugarcoating came with that proclamation as he had stepped to the side once again as a sign that he was prepared to leave any moment now that it was only his side that was visible to her.

"What?" it came out as a question now – not only for him but for herself as well as she attempted to take in what it is he was trying to say. The fury in her fists had weakened as her irritated expression loosened up just a puny bit by the cluelessness she had with what he meant – nevertheless, this didn't cool any of the boiling ire that only rose inside of her as each second passed.

"Was there anything you've done to make a significant change to your problem?" Rinka wasn't sure why, but even though his tone and attitude never differed from each statement, she was left more and more irritated just by the sound of it – it was starting to reach the point where just hearing his voice and looking at him gave her enough reason to punch him then and there. Moreover, this was what he had been concerned with?

"E-Eh?" the annoyance had been taken over temporarily by the suddenness of the topic he went and started talking about. It didn't take too long for her to catch on what he wanted to point out with having said that – her problem meant her issue with her club mates; a golden haired one especially, if one were to be particular. The earlier furious expression had been replaced with a face that tried to hide agitation and the averting of her gaze; but of course, tsundere as she was, she had kept her crossness with him.

"None." He answered for her – this was enough to urge her to speak without thought as she retorted to his sickening behavior at the moment.

"I-I'm doing what I can!" she turned her head to glare daggers at him with the absentminded movement forward of her foot as an indication she was really getting fed up with this by now.

And once more, he wasted no time in replying to that with the same voice and the same fashion "I'm not convinced."

Now with this, Rinka had been caught at a loss for words and had herself absolutely dumbstruck with how unbelievably insensitive what he just said was. All she could muster was "Wha—" as she took one more step forward recklessly at his form already preparing to leave her there – not to mention with such a remark to fret about.

Before he fully turned his heel though, Chiba head lowered to the pitiful pieces of paper and notebooks within her possession and tilted his head at this "Those notes you made…did you try to copy Okuda-san with that idea?"

"Eh—" This abrupt comment had caused the girl to step back as her cheeks had slowly grown a red tint to them out of the embarrassment on the fact that he had been able to see right through her without her even giving him a single hint about it – sometimes she's thankful for this sharpness of his character, but there were other times (such as this one) where is aim was too sharp for his own good. With a slightly uncomfortable hum and the hiding of the lower half of her face with the use of said papers and notes, her emerald orbs had moved to the side as she concealed a pout from underneath the stack of paper "Mm…and? What of it? Is it wrong?"

"As I thought." The next set of words made the female sniper lower her papers from her face as the pout had been overtaken by one of utter bewilderment to the boy's motives or rewards that could be his reason for being so insensitive to her today.

"You're just dragging yourself around." And without another word or care at all, he turned heel and left her there in a frustrated and shocked mess of emotion and mind games. What on earth did he mean by she's 'just dragging herself around'?! What's making him act this way?! These thoughts would pile up as she remained with her feet glued there. No matter how frustrated she felt with those words, in the end, she was not able to retort to them and was only able to shout a-

"Hey—!" that didn't even count once he had left her in the middle of the school garden under the cerulean sky.

A few more seconds of bafflement had run by quicker than the road-runner before Rinka pulled herself together (but this didn't save any papers in her hand for she had crushed them again once she had come back to reality) and trudged away from the area with sharp footsteps and clear-cut movements of her arms that drove away anyone who would've wanted to approach her at the time as she had been carrying an aura of immense hostility that emanated from her form as she couldn't get her mind off what was going on with her complicated boyfriend.

She failed to notice it, but in the middle of her trudge away from the secluded garden, a pair of students who shared lunch upon an isolated bench had witnessed her angry fit from the way she traveled to wherever it is she wanted to go.

They couldn't even call her out to ask her what was wrong for they assumed it was a good idea not to and there was the fact that even if they had done so they'd end up getting ignored or caught in a much worse fate.

A shy, bespectacled girl whose hair had been styled neatly with twin braids had her signature bunny chopsticks in hand as she had her head turned to where the orangehead had walked briskly off to quizzically. "I wonder what happened…"

Her red-haired companion whom lazily took a sip from his carton of milk shrugged as he kept his head turned the same direction as the shorter girl; but instead of staring at the edge of the wall curiously along with her, he instead had on a sarcastic smile as he responded to her.

"Probably something annoying."

"AAAAAHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO OMO-CHAN?!" The agitated cry of a sixteen year old girl with an oversized bow behind her head nearly deafened the ears of a group of students gathered about around a traditional Japanese table of an old wooden room.

It was after class hours, and the combat club has come together again for their usual meeting – and like most times, no official business of the sort had been discussed or even paid mind to for it was yet another free day for this peculiar group. But unlike most days, the room itself looked like a tornado had passed by – snacks were laid recklessly on the mat along with a few books, papers, pens and other school materials; heck, not even their bags were arranged properly for it appears they have only been tossed to the side or on the already chaotic looking floor as they went on with some card game on the also disoriented table.

The vice president, Isura Mai, was supposedly given the task to check up on one of the clubs she supervised – yes, including the cleanliness; however, her attention had been diverted from that responsibility as she had herself distracted by a redheaded boy with her unofficial pet in his hands. Not only did she find them there with her pig-bear hybrid about to be tied on the betting table of their game of poker, but now he had an apple in his mouth as he was currently trembling in the sadistic boy's hold.

"I'm betting him for this round." Karma grinned without sparing the older girl a glance as he firmly set the brown furball atop the table without escape using thread he found lying around some of the drawers to tie its legs together on a rather large plate enough to fit its size. Though this were a scene not so common to the eyes – most in the room had taken such indifferently; there were two reasons for this: one was because it was Karma, and the second one was because there came a point in these club member's lives where the weird and the morbid had failed to surprise them.

"Th-That's against animal rights!" Mai tried to reason out amidst the alarm she had gained just by sliding the door open and being displayed with such a sight. Her arms had flailed by her sides as she had started to feel some sweat form from both the shock and the heat.

Karma smiled up from his cross-sitting position by the table as he leaned back on his arms to face his senior with a sly look in his eye "So Senpai, what kind of animal is he?"

Seconds of silence followed after that – even those who weren't paying attention to her or the game had to turn their gazes to the girl that had been brought to a tongue-tie as her body froze in place.

"…I'm playing too!" having announced that, the subject had been dropped and never brought up again as she went over to one side of the table and took her own share of cards from whatever was left on the deck. She respectfully placed her own bet (which was about 50 yen) on the middle of the table with the slam of her hand.

'Not even she knows…' A sporty boy with dark hair on the same table sweatdropped at the thought as he rested his chin on the palm of his hand with his own cards spread out for him to view on the other one.

The poor animal on the table with an apple blocking him from speaking or even biting his way out could only let out an exclamation similar to 'PWI!' when his caretaker decided to participate.

"I'm just saying but…she could just tell him to give it back and end its misery, right?" Yuzuki had also sweatdropped at how things unfolded in front of her as she shared the same position with Sugino whom answered without changing his expression with "I think it's best not to think about it…"

"Don't worry Omo-chan! I'll win this real quick and take you to the vet just in time for your vaccination!" this reassurance that Mai had given the small animal had only done the opposite for creature had only started to squeal 'PWII!' and flail uncontrollably on the plate with its polygon like eyes fixed on the other two players in a pleading fashion as if to say 'GET HER AWAY FROM ME'

"Alright. Let's see what you got, Senpai~" Karma chimed feistily and was ready with newly distributed cards for he and his senior's brief individual game – wherein the wager was a helpless animal and 50 yen.

"I won't lose easily!" she tried to smirk challengingly – it wasn't so easy for her to look threatening due to her fluffy and bubbly personality, so naturally it came out not as planned and even scared the poor creature on the plate.

Said helpless animal had paused from its thrashing and turned to the two that had put his custody at stake in the first place. His trembling head moved from his worst nightmare's face (Mai) to the other one he is yet to familiarize himself with – but after glancing to the redhead for not even three seconds, Omo-chan had decided the latter was scarier with the psychopathic grin he put on; after another few moments of thought, he accepted that his fate was terrible either way for it seemed as if his soul hovered above his corpse-like body.

"I feel so sorry for him…" Sugino said this but did nothing to stop this pitiful scene.

Yuzuki nodded at this and sighed before turning her attention to a blond girl who had been unusually silent from her spot on the table – she had her eyes trained on the peculiar creature that had just had an episode as both hands kept on her cheeks with her elbows upon the table.

"Rio-chan, you've been staring at it for a long time now." The otaku observed and had been replied to with a single glance until the light-haired girl turned back to the soulless creature in front of her "Oh? Don't mind me…I'm just starting to stop questioning its existence…"

"Okay, one set decides all." Mai had some sort of battle stance ready by the table as she treated her cards like a fan that hid the lower half of her face and eyed her opponent studiously.

"Fine by me." Karma replied casually as he himself was prepared to set his cards down on her call. Now that the game that would decide who holds the brown bear-pig hybrid's funeral had been in play, the entire table shifted their regard to them.

"1…2…3…GO!"

After the cards had been slapped to the table, not one moment was wasted before the droopy-eyed sophomore exclaimed "I LOST!" and in no time at all she was found sulking down on her knees by the wall face-first on the floor – at this, Karma smirked and fanned himself with his full house set proudly.

Afterwards, Sugino found himself sweatdropping again as he said "This is Kimii's student council vice president…?"

As such events passed, in the more quiet side of the ever-lively club room, a petite girl whose lavender eyes glossed brightly from behind her shining spectacles took the initiative to clean up the room as they played – it was very fortunate for them to have her, otherwise the entire room may have been invaded with cockroaches already. Whilst Manami arranged the bags and shoes properly by the window after having cleaned up some of the other plastics and food crumbs from the floor with a smile on her face – she was used to such thanks to a certain woman she may as well call her guardian; it would be dishonest of her to say she didn't find enjoyment in cleaning things up, she was feminine that way.

In the midst of her arranging, the duo that had been quiet along with her by the corner of her eye had been less interactive today – it would be deemed normal, but usually they'd at least laugh along or remark or even make their presence acknowledged. The braided girls eyes drifted over to them curiously – it appeared to be that they were avoiding contact with each other, or at least the orangeheaded one didn't seem to be in a very good mood for she couldn't exactly tell how the other one felt with his hair all over his face like that – but she could be sure that he was in a way better mood than she was. A frown made its way to Manami's face – they had been that way since yesterday when she saw Hayami briskly walk away from something angrily.

"Manami-chan!" Before she could dive any deeper into these thoughts, the sudden shout of her name had snapped her out of it just in time to see a pig's snout and tiny legs fly closer and closer to her as each split-second passed – she didn't even have any time to react until said legs landed on her head and off it in a swift hop which resulted to the falling of her glasses and an "Oompf!" sound from her.

"Omo-chan!" not a moment was wasted as the ever-so-energetic council member had recovered from her sulking and padded over to the window where her pet had jumped off to to yell at its now running form "Omo-chan! You didn't apologize!"

All they got as a response was a "Pwiiiiiiiiiiii!" that had gone farther and farther away with a trail of dust behind it.

"You're not gonna get away that easily!" Mai yelled back and was ready to leap off the window herself until a rowdy collection of panicked cries from behind her had kept her from doing so.

"SENPAI! WE'RE ON THE SECOND FLOOR!" Sugino warned with just as much agitation as everyone else now up on their feet in a desperate way to stop their senior from splatting on the ground – save for Karma who only watched on with enjoyment.

"Oh yeah!" Mai raised a finger as if a lightbulb had popped up above her head at the sudden realization of something as she turned back to her group of juniors with a serious expression "I forgot I had an appointment with Pres. Down at the first floor. Thank you for reminding me, Sugino-kun." She nodded to him in the same style a soldier would to a rookie when he did a good job.

"That's not my concern here but I'll go with it!"

"I'll be going now~!" and with that her bubbly personality had come back as suddenly as her previous actions as she jogged out the door with a radiant smile and the gentle close of the door.

"She completely missed the entire point of her coming here…" Yuzuki commented with a deadpan as she stared at the door, still not quite recovered from what had just happened.

"Isura-senpai's odd, isn't she?" Manami remarked as she picked her glasses up and fixed them properly on her face. Her sudden participation in the conversation had the rest of their stares directed to her as she said with a bright smile "But I guess that's what makes her cute."

Karma tilted his head at her after this and had a small smile on in amusement– she'd only occasionally praise someone that way; she must look up to this senior of theirs somehow if that was so. Spotting this gesture of his, Rio smirked and crossed her arms – mischief invading her features "But Manami-chan, you're cute too you know?"

"He-Heh?! N-Not at all! I'm—" she waved her hands out in front of her as she stammered out of embarrassment before she had been cut-off

"Of course you are! Isn't that right, Karma-kun?" the blond's voice was taunting as she moved her head over to where he stood with his hands pocketed.

"What's that Nakamura? You still haven't gotten enough of that juice?" after this, his casual expression had turned into a glare as he grinned at her maliciously "I have more at home if you want."

Rio pouted, but if she knew what was good for her she shut herself up and sat down to hide the nervousness that made sweat drip on the side of her face. At his mention of juice, the memory of the day after excursion had resurfaced. During club time she had been approached by her bespectacled friend innocently with a tumbler in her hand as she offered her some juice to try without mentioning that Karma had been the one that instructed her to do so. The minute she found out, she had already gulped down some of it assuming it was 'safe because Manami-chan made it', but not too long after she felt the liquid burn her tongue menacingly as it left a horrible aftertaste that had tears flow out of her eyes absentmindedly – what's more, she even felt her nose start to become runny as its insides had transformed into goop from the spicy drink. That wasn't even the most part; in her frantic search for a beverage, her agony only added up once she saw the empty fridge and how her own water had been splashed on the floor – all of which were caused by the redhead that blocked her from getting out of the door with a sadistic grin and demonic eyes that thirsted for revenge as he hit his thumb rapidly on the capture button of his iphone; and she was sure those photos wouldn't be kept privately.

Rio shuddered as she could feel the terrible sensation come back just by the simple memory of it and covered her face in stimulus.

A while had passed and everyone had returned to wasting away the club hours by whatever it is they had that would ease boredom; save for the raven-haired girl that returned to her cleaning . However, throughout the time, Rinka had secretly desired to join in with them – but her infuriation towards another silent member of this merry group and her issue with a certain blond had kept her from doing so.

At least, that's what she told herself as she kept herself busy with a book as she leaned by the wall in a cross-legged position – she wasn't so interested in its content for it had something to do with birds and aviation.

"Hayami, have you always been interested in that?" that voice was enough to bring a vein to her forehead – he hadn't talked to her since they've gotten here and now he starts with that; just being in the same room seemed to have brought a spark of irritation already, but when it came to talking, she wasn't able to keep her voice from sounding cold and disheartening.

"What? Now the things I read are your business?"

"No, but you just made things more clear for me." He kept his tone constant and uncaring from his position by the sink where he watched whatever events that came– he never really did change how he spoke to her since he had begun to act this way towards her. With that, he diverted his attention from her and kept himself occupied with a notebook he had been using for the past hour.

Rinka was already on the brink of throwing him off the window – but what stopped her from doing so at the moment was of course her own self-control and the new puzzlement she had gained from how vague what he told her just was. He hadn't been exactly clear with her lately and that aggravated her; this wasn't his usual self, but she couldn't quite get her finger around the cause of such.

"What are you talking about?"

"I wonder what. Try figuring it out even if you don't want to. You're good at forcing yourself to do things, right?"

Whack

The loud sound had grabbed everyone's attention almost immediately as their heads snapped to the origin of this abrupt noise. Manami, who had been busy with moving her bag to where all the others were had dropped it as her eyes widened slightly from the sight to her left.

Rinka had stood up from her rested spot and had a deadly glare on as her arm had appeared to have flung something to the direction where the sound had blared from. Once her lavender eyes had stopped on where her target was, she observed how Chiba's head had been tilted as he kept casual with hands in his pockets – behind him however was a hardbound book with a light blue cover that had whacked the wall behind him roughly and fell back on the floor accompanied with the sound of ruined paper as it landed open.

A few more seconds of a baffled quietude had run by as the merry atmosphere had dissipated and had been replaced with a tense air that led to Manami's breath being held unintentionally. Not too long after, the silence had been broken by the one who had been targeted in the first place.

"You missed."

Rinka's fists balled as her knuckles quickly turned white from the boiling rage that coursed through her body because of that – she was already furious, and he had only made it worse with that single stupid remark; honestly, she wanted to rip his hair off by grabbing him by it and shoving him halfway across the room – but she didn't. She only remained glued to where her feet were as if her body was too overcome by emotions to even do anything – it wasn't just rage that filled her up, but it was also a shred of hurt that enveloped her.

Not just because what he said was insensitive, but the words hit to close to home that even she couldn't deny it. Sick of the feeling, she kept her gaze down for her hair to serve as the curtain between the audience and whatever expression she had on at the moment while she gathered her things and stormed out of the room with the slam of the door. No words were spoken in the middle of her departure as each just followed her steps until she had vanished from their sight – except for the one that angered her in the first place, since he was sure no one did anything for they had not witnessed it.

"What…just…?" Sugino had interrupted everyone's individual thoughts on the scene as he raised an eyebrow to where the stoic girl had run off to.

Yuzuki was the first to take action as she lifted herself from her seat and prepared to put her shoes on to head for wherever the orange-haired girl . Soon after, Manami had taken her shoes as she and the brunette had thought of the same thing. Karma on the other hand had chosen to look into this scene first by taking a glance at the shabby-haired sniper – he couldn't tell if his eyes were downcast, but his head was indeed lowered; guilt, perhaps? No, there was something there that he saw through. And once he did, he called them out before they could leave

"Wait. Leave her be." he leaned back on his arms for support as he said this humorlessly.

"But—" Manami tried but was cut off by the redhead before he could listen to her reasons.

"This isn't your matter to deal with. It's hers." It sounded more like a parental type of warning from the way it came out

Despite this command of his though, it had not been taken into consideration for it had been immediately argued with by the otaku whom crouched in the corner as she tried to get her black school shoes back on "Karma-kun, Hayami-san might be in need of someone to talk to right now."

He was about to answer back to that, but that was until he had come up with something better in mind and stood from his seat "You deal with it then." He positioned his hands behind his head in a carefree manner as he walked out the door with a bored expression.

Manami jogged to the door and peeked her head outside of it to see him walk even further away with bewildered purple orbs.

Yuzuki scoffed at his attitude "What's with him?"

Not a minute after he had left, Rio was the next to stand up from her seat and prepare herself to walk out in the same fashion the redhead just did – this earned her a raised eyebrow from the mangaka wannabe "Rio-chan, don't tell me you're leaving too?" there was a hint of disappointment in her tone under the inquiry.

"He has a point." She worded this out like an agreement and made her way out of the room past the braided girl in a slow pace as those who were left watched her exit the same direction and like him, didn't bother to close the door.

Yuzuki's brow twitched once from annoyance – some attitude they decide to put up when it's her but if it's someone else (example: Manami), they're entirely different. With a low yet still audible voice, she muttered "Hayami-san is our friend too…" without another word, she properly put her shoes on and dashed out the door to the opposite side of where the other two had ventured to.

This left only three people in the room now – it was about to be decreased to two until the poison glasses stopped in her tracks just by the door to turn back at the other sniper who hadn't made one sound since she left. On further notice, she had observed how he had his head lowered as his form had somehow sunk onto the sink he leaned his body on.

Sugino whom still hadn't moved from his spot on the floor stared up at him questioningly as his brows had furrowed in such a way that he suspected something "Oi…Chiba…don't tell me you…"

Chiba kept himself mute and remained unmoving. It was hard to tell whatever emotions he had most of the time since he himself was not expressive and there was the obstacle of his hair blocking away the meaning behind whatever color of orbs he has under them – but Manami didn't know why, but she was able to decipher something behind the complexity of what he may be feeling right now. His lips had formed into a frown as his hands only weakly held on to the edge of the table, as if heavy-hearted.

She didn't know how she caught on with this, but she had had the same thought as Sugino when she came up with a realization "Did…did you do that on purpose?"

Judging from the silence that followed and the slump of his form on the piece of furniture, she had figured it out. "Why…?" her brows had furrowed with concerned inquisitiveness while she stepped back inside the room to crouch by the spiky-haired boy whom had the same level of worry as she did.

Seeing as this was not something he could keep unanswered for the persistence they had displayed him with their unwavering gazes that searched him for answers – with a sigh, he finally gave in with a low, emotionless tone "She's been lost lately."

"Lost?" Sugino raised an eyebrow with the tilt of his head at the unexpected response.

"Mm." Chiba nodded and lifted his head to where he could view what was outside the window – somewhat similar to how one would reminisce on a bitter memory "Hayami…has always got a clear sight on her target. But lately, she's been distracted and couldn't get her hand on what she wants…I'm just trying to get her back on track." The last few words had come out with a sense of matter-of-fact to it – however there had still been some other emotion the other two in the room couldn't quite decipher that laced it.

"So you said all those things just so she could straighten up?" Sugino asked again, just to clear things up a bit on this reason behind his actions.

"If it displeases you, you don't have to sympathize with me." The dark-haired sniper stated bluntly as he reverted his attention from the window and back to them.

Manami gave his words some deep thought; true enough, recently she had noticed how the ginger would stray away from them most of the time – especially when it involved a particular blond-haired girl – even though there was that teensy hunch she had that that wasn't what she really wanted.

A frown had graced her features once she'd firmly grasped that. Behind the way Chiba was acting, there was a good cause – but it dismayed the bespectacled girl how Hayami didn't know about such and she would really like for them to get back to how they used to be without a problem. And she knew well who could be able to clear up this misapprehension between them since most were out of the question.

"Chiba-san…you should talk to her about this and make it clear." Manami suggested with a tone full of worry for the two having a conflict – however, the reactions she had gained from such a recommendation were far from agreement.

"O-Okuda, there's no way she's gonna talk to him after that." Sugino's eyes moved to the side where she sat as he sweatdropped for the umpteenth time that day once he had let the unbelievable suggestion reach his ears – Chiba had shown the same emotion towards that idea of hers with the slight purse of his lips and "Precisely what he said."

The shy chemist let out a dejected hum as her eyes moved to her entwined upon her lap "But…Nakamura-san and Karma-kun don't want to talk to her. And then…I don't think Fuwa-san can help much with this since I notice how Hayami-san has difficulty in listening to her which I think is caused by their unmatched personalities. Then, well…I can't talk to Hayami-san properly so I'm out of the question." Another upset hum escaped from her lips as the fingers around each other tightened somewhat, she was troubled due to her lack of being able to come up with something for both of them to get along once more.

What the stoic sniper responded with next was not in her expectations "Why not?" it was said firmly – much unlike the previous occurrences where had spoken; this one came out like he was more of curious rather than implying that he wanted her to do it.

"Why—?"

"Why can't you talk to her properly?" it wasn't a demand, but it was solid and had a yearning to it – as if knowing would be able to clear something up for him. Manami who had been brought into a small stammering episode had a little trouble in looking for a response because of the sudden overflow of thoughts she had with the inquiry.

"Eh—Er…How…Um…you won't get offended?" She chose to ask that first before speaking her opinions honestly in fear that he might take them the wrong way – well, one reason was because of the (complicated) relationship she knew they shared, she wouldn't want to offend them in any way.

But what she got from him was the simple yet serious shake of his head which was also a sign that he wanted her to go on and he'd listen carefully. The small girl sighed and arranged her thoughts before she began "Hayami-san…well…she feels very far away to me. I could compare her to an adult that knows what she's doing all the time, so…when I see her I feel like whatever I do could be wrong in her eyes – she just looks like she's ahead of everyone…so I get a little conscious about me getting in the way of her clear path because I'm like this…and moreover…" she trailed off and had her eyes fall downcast, as soon as she did though, a memory had flashed in her mind.

'If you can't handle something, or don't want to handle something, it's best you just don't'

"She scolded me that time. It gave me the feeling that I'm just a child to her…" she finished off and didn't even spare a glance at the two boys in the room that lent their ears to her respectfully.

Not too long of a time passed until Chiba answered back to this "Okuda-san, you misunderstand Hayami."

"Eh?" Manami blinked and raised her head to him quizzically – once more, the female sniper had been caught in another misinterpreted mess; not really all that surprising, but it had occurred a number of times in a day already.

"I believe I have the right to say you do." He continued – his mood had appeared to have shifted to a better one.

"How come?" Sugino had chosen to take that for her – he was aware that the orange-haired sniper does a lot of things people mistake for as something else and this was no exception; however, he would also like to find out some other things that may be significant to know underneath that fact.

Chiba didn't even take a moment to contemplate on his reply as the next set of sentences were worded out in that same monotonous fashion he always put up "Back then, when Mimura was still around, a suspicion grew within her one day due to the fact that you looked tired lately – she was able to tell because it reminded her of herself when she went through the same thing." Manami's eyes were fixed on the taller boy as she had put to mind everything he had been telling her with a mix of mild astonishment and interest "When you and Fuwa-san were in the lab after club that day, she was supposed to go to you and warn you of the incident she had predicted if you continued. But from what she told me, you enjoyed helping others and have a desire to do such. So she chose to leave you to experience it for yourself. She wasn't scolding you – she only said that because that was the only time her words would work; she doesn't want that to happen again, and she wanted to be sure that it doesn't after she tells you – Hayami…" the rare occasion of a smile upon this boy's lips had just ensued (which secretly brought the others in the room into an astonished state) at the thought of the girl and what he was about to say "never liked wasting after all..." he turned his head to face the eyeglasses-ed girl properly again "It may seem like a lecture…but from what I know, that's just her way of being friendly." The smile had still been kept on, albeit it being tiny and almost non-existent – it was there, and to reassure the eyeglasses-ed girl was not the only reason for it.

It took a while before it all sunk in for the introverted scientist – eyes were wide, however they had a certain depth to them that indicated she was taking these words to heart and that she analyzed them enough to eventually bring herself to believe in them. Not any longer, her expression softened as she smiled warmly – so all this time, she'd been overthinking again "I never thought she saw me that way…"

Chiba had tilted his head ever so slightly as the smile had become more evident on his features – pleased that he was able to get that through her head "Hayami's not expressive, so I'm not surprised if you mistake her actions as something entirely different."

"Mm..." Manami nodded and let her gaze linger on the table in the midst of her relishing that fact "I think I've come to understand her a little more now."

Throughout the time, no one had realized that behind what remained of the sliding door left ajar leaned a particular blond with her arms crossed on her chest as she eavesdropped on her other clubmates. She had left the impression that she had departed from the room in such an uncaring manner so as to appease her ego – and to hide the fact that she had her eyes half-lidded with a frown on her face as she had started to have second thoughts on the girl she had also come to misinterpret.

"Hayami-san…"

The corridor was empty where two girls had stood a fair distance away from each other. An orange light reflected itself on the windows and poured onto the smooth, cemented floor – along with it came the shadows that loomed over it from the said windows and the figure of the two, motionless girls that enveloped themselves into a silence. A girl with orange hair and low pigtails kept her back turned to the brunette that had somehow followed her into this isolated hallway. Despite how she almost always kept herself quiet, this one had a sense of intimidation to it as the tense air built up between her and the otaku whom had her eyes brimming with concern.

"Mm…" Yuzuki hummed uncomfortably – unsure of what she could say to her knowing that the girl, albeit mature for her age, still had a particular stubbornness to her character that would be hard for one to get through. The moments that passed on felt like several minutes as not a sound had been made except the creaks of some of the opened windows from the wind that would drift by occasionally.

Rinka had to make an effort to keep her mouth from quivering and her emotions from spilling out when she finally broke the intense atmosphere with a barely audible, yet dangerous voice "What?"

"Er – Uhm…" This brought Yuzuki into a brief stutter for she had not expected to get an answer in the first place – and there was that spine-chilling tone of hers that excused such a reaction. Once she finally regained her composure and set her thoughts straight a little, another hum escaped her lips – this time out of concern.

"Hayami-san…I've been thinking lately…" As she said this, Rinka had to clench her fists and grit her teeth in order for her not to be suspected of the frustrated tears that threatened to come out of her glossy emerald eyes.

"Acting doesn't suit you…" Yuzuki stated this with seriousness and intentionally wanted her to think about her words before she walked off – knowing that was the most she could do at the moment; Karma and Rio had a point, this is a self-struggle, but she couldn't bring herself to let her think she's all alone with it – she wants her to know that people care too.

Rinka didn't respond to this, but it loosened her fists and let her hands relax by the sides of her thighs. Those words had put a certain weight on her heart that got rid of the frustration, but it replaced it with something else – and not even that was good, for the emotion the otaku had left with her was a mix of guilt and self-loathing. Albeit that, she didn't form a grudge on her for saying that.

It was true, that's why.

That night, a raven haired girl laid in her bed with her signature pale yellow pajamas and let her dark locks spread about on her white pillow as she faced the white ceiling in her now dim bedroom. Her glasses that had been folded along with the hair ties she would use the next day were placed on one of the desks right next to her bed where there were also a few books arranged meticulously with a reading lamp by it.

The room wasn't so grand – it was plain, but it was cozy. She had her all-white, fluffy bed with its headboard designed with simple embroidery of what one may assume as roses stuck to the also white wall. The only light from the room came from the windows to the left side of where she lay for she had not brought the curtains together – the summer heat stayed at night time as well, after all. She also had a ceiling fan attached to reduce the temperature and provide her with cool air while she slumbered. A rolling chair and some footstools and a few shelves could be found here and there – most of which would contain science books and some of her tools and other belongings like gifts or essential necessities for a female. In between the two brown shelves stationed in the corners of her room was a desk mirror with drawers that barely had anything inside except for a few hair ties and contact lenses she dare not touch (she was too afraid to use them so she hid them there). Another convenient component of this room was that she had her own bathroom – that had to be the only other colorful part of the room for it was designed with neat baby blue tiles that matched the darker hue of the carpeted floor.

Lavender eyes that saw everything in a blur were kept open as Manami had lost the ability to bring herself to sleep with all of the thoughts that swam through her mind endlessly. They were not ill-natured – instead they brimmed with ideas and other blissful thoughts.

'That's just her way of being friendly…' she smiled when his words played in her head once again for probably the fifth time that night. She was wondering what she could do when she saw her tomorrow now that she knew what she hid behind that serious demeanor she always put up; and how she would begin to treat her as a friend instead of feel so idiotically nervous around her. The image of the stoic girl came to view in the midst of her thought process – she found it a nice feeling to know that she was there and cared for her even though she had been so distant recently; Manami found it quite unfair that they hadn't considered her view on things and immediately felt bad about being one of them who failed to understand her. But now that she has things set right-

I'll talk to her at lunch time tomorrow… she slid her eyelids shut with a smile of resolution. But something about this feeling she had right now had brought up a spark of nostalgia and caused her eyes to open a little again.

I felt something like this before…

Just then, the memory of a starry night sky in the spring came about – following it, a stack of notebooks under a reading lamp and an empty bottle that was yet to be filled with the experiment she worked on in her own mini-science lab where the smell of cakes wafted from.

Now, her mind had flashed the picture of Hayami Rinka – the time she fought with Karma when she complained about their lack of productivity, the times she would occasionally talk to her to remind her of a few things, then to when she left the room looking a little disheartened; it would be nice if she didn't make such a face again – that was the resolve she had formed that night before she picked up her glasses and got out of bed.

Quietly, but with haste, she stepped out of the room and into the small hallway where her room hid by the corner of the wall. The dinner table light was on – that must mean her caretaker had just arrived home from one of her part-time jobs.

The sound reverberations of a microwave could be heard, that must mean she took the dinner she had left there for her; it would be good not to bother her and make this quick.

Manami turned to the next room where she found a telephone sitting by the window where the stars twinkled beautifully above the city's heads – for some reason, it was like there was a multitude of them tonight as each one had their own unique glow and character; this reminded her of the same night she had done this which the chemistry-lover deemed to be quite the amusing coincidence.

She remembered his number despite having only done this once; but in no time at all she had her ear on the receiver and patiently waited for the reply as the ringing sound took up her right ear. She wouldn't mind if he didn't pick up it was rather late – 9:30 if you estimated the time, but fortunately enough he was still up and about as a voice came from the other line.

"Hello? Karma-kun?"

"Okuda-san?" her name came out slowly – like he was unsure of who it was for a second. The uncertainty had died down fast once she had answered back.

"Uhm, well. I'm sorry for calling you really late at night again for this. But…" the silence from the other end served as an indication that he was willing to listen to what she had to say this time – he had a small feeling he was quite sure of what it was. Manami took a moment to breathe in before she would relay this decision she had crafted in the middle of her contemplation before bed "I'm going to talk to Hayami-san tomorrow. I…I want her and Chiba-san to get along and…for her to get along with everyone else." A bright smile graced her face as she kept her gaze on the night sky with determined purple orbs that glistened behind the reflection of stars on her spectacles "I finally understand her. I want everyone else to understand her too; so that what she does can reach out to everyone in the way she wants them to."

A few quiet moments passed by and the poison glasses was beginning to wonder if she had worded that out correctly and studied through what she said for any mistakes – she made a small sound of surprise when she heard him again from his line.

"Were you reminded of yourself?" this had left the bespectacled girl in a brief bemusement as she had fallen into the hands of her memories yet again.

The days that had ended not too long ago – those days of loneliness and uncertainty…they had not left a good memory, but they had left her with a brilliant lesson she learned the hard way. She knew the feeling all too well; and she'd hate for it to happen to anyone. Both hands had now wrapped themselves around the receiver as her eyes had traveled down to her feet.

"Mhm…"

On the other end of the line, Karma leaned back on the wall where he sat in an indian position and had a bowl of snacks just next to him. A satisfied smile crept up to his face the moment she had given him her response – that was enough reassurance for him to count that she'd avoid situations like that now. With his mind at ease, he stifled a barely audible chuckle "Good." And he could tell she smiled back at this.

"By the way, is this going to be regular thing for you?" by 'this', he pertained to the seldom event where she would discover a certain amount of determination and decide to tell him about it. A few stammers came from where she was as a sign of her embarrassment and surprise to the question. She probably thought that it troubled him again – but the reaction he got out of her made him chuckle.

"I-Is that a bad thing?"

"I wouldn't call it a bad thing, but you can do what you want without telling me about it." He chewed on a cracker from his bowl of mixed finger food as he listened to her hum with a mix of discomfort and disappointment which caught his attention.

"But…I want Karma-kun to know." He stopped himself from taking another snack into his mouth after he heard this. From her end, she had a bittersweet smile on as she took the silence he gave her as permission to continue – even if he didn't actually give his permission, she would still tell him. "It's not to show off or anything but…I'm terrible for thinking this way but whenever I have this feeling…I want you to know about it; it's never happened to me before, that's why. And because you were the one that got me this far...I want you to know. 'Look Karma-kun, I've improved.' Or things like that…"

No response came, and this let a bad feeling turn in her stomach for Manami wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign – but she assumed it was the latter.

"If it's bothersome…please don't hesitate to tell me." Her voice had become low and forlorn by this time – it only added up when he didn't say anything for the next few seconds and a frown stretched her face.

Then another chuckle came from him. But for some reason…she had this suspicion that he only forced it out and pursed her lips. It sounded like the usual chuckle, but from the time she'd known him, she could tell that something had to be off with this one.

"Aw, don't say that Okuda-san. If it bothered me I would've told you, right? And…" he paused to think of which words were appropriate "Maybe being the one you like to show-off to isn't such a bad thing." A smile spread across his face before he took another snack and listened to her laugh along with a sigh of relief.

Before she could say goodbye, he heard a few mysterious patting sounds and other busy movements and began to wonder what was going on over her place until another voice came.

"Hey, brat."

"You're not Okuda-san." He replied immediately as his smile had quickly transformed into a smirk when he quickly figured out who it was. The other voice grumbled in annoyance which only gave him enjoyment on his end – oh it was always fun to toy with this woman.

She seemed to have chosen to ignore his impudence for the time being and just continued with what she wanted to say to him "In any case—"

A small cluck and the line was dead. He had hung up before she could tell him her concern.

Inari's eyes narrowed and had her eyeballs move to the side where the telephone was with irritation as a few veins popped on her forehead. With another grumble, she dialed the number "You hung up on purpose didn't you—"

She regretted ever calling him again for the second it was picked up, a strong, earsplitting blare had come from the other side. If she were to presume what he had used to get on her nerves this time, it was a hair dryer put on the highest setting blown directly into the receiver that forced her to slam the phone down – which had resulted to Manami to have milk she had been pouring onto a glass spread across the kitchen table.

"GODDAMN KID!"

please do not fret about the happenings in this chapter because I'll be sure to explain them next chapter XDD

Speaking of, I'm already working on it! *ClapClap*

So...thoughts? 8DD I apologize if this chapter wasn't as quality as the others...I'm not even sure if this can even be counted as 'quality' 8""D

PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW BECAUSE LOVE AND SUPPORT MAKE MY DAY (And the chapter lol XD)

I'll post the final of this arc next! Stay tuned! (It feels like a bad romcom now...)

So...yeah nothing else to say here until the next XD

WITH LOVE ~TheFlowerWeSawThatDay