OKay let's make this short my mom is mad XDD

ALRIGHT! I come to you with the first chapter of this very long arc but I regret to inform you it's the first half of the first chapter only so the one I will post hours later (after I sleep lol XD) will be chapter 1.5

Yes this is all because it turned out longer than I expected again XDD

But please do try to sink in that this chapter and the next one after this as one. Yes I am fully aware that this is long enough but the next one is longer Im gomene XDD

Oh okay let's make this real quick before my fate is changed forever X'3

REPLIES~!: (a little rushed cuz Im dead to my mom)

Akatsuki-Metal: I will~ Don't worry! I'll be sure to do it! Once again, thank you for reading and reviewing!

kawaiichoconeko: THANK YOU FOR LIKING IT 8'3 Well I wouldn't really say she doesn't want to do it but all will be explained in this chapter~! (Please look forward to the continuation [1.5] as well!)

FeatherStar18208: Yes~ So glad you noticed the KimiUso XD Thanks for reviewing!

TheRoseShadow21: OH YES~ Thanks for the review and for noticing that reference ;D ABout the SYOC I'll see if I have time

Title Unwanted: Thanks for the review! And I hope you stay tuned to find out~ ^w^

OKAY ENOUGH IM DYING OUT OF ANXIETY SO

DISCLAIMER: I DONT OWN NOTHING

Chapter 18: What You Are to Me (Part 1: Things I don't know)

"Why don't we hold individual practices for you this week?"

"Individual Practices?"

INDIVIDUAL TRAINING DAY 1: Sugino Tomohito

"Why are we in the batting field?"

The mentioned area was empty, to say the least. Usually after class hours you'd find a few students walking about or at least passing by; but upon this autumn Saturday class of Kimii high school, Manami and Sugino were caught with quite the surprise to see that they had the large area to themselves even in this bright afternoon where there'd usually be players training.

A spiky-haired boy walked ahead of the petite chemistry lover by several steps – about four meters apart within the field as he made his way next to the soccer net where a basket of baseballs were stationed. He had one hand inserted into a pocket whilst the left had covered itself in a brown baseball glove with the initials of the school inscribed on it; indicating he only borrowed it along with the baseball bat and oversized helmet the girl behind him had with her right now; upon further inspection, the helmet was big enough to . Once he had positioned himself in a fair distance from her after he had told her to stop on top of the pitching plate.

"It was Fuwa-san's idea, but I saw nothing bad about it so here's how I'm going to play out your practice for today. Are you okay with being outside?" He kept an energetic grin yet polite grin on as he set himself down on the dry ground in an indian sitting position.

Manami nods to him, determined albeit how she seemed to struggle a bit with the weight of her bat for its tip had only been dragged across the soil. But from her expression and the look in her eyes, Sugino took it that she would try anything just to get the part right, he smiles with contentment and grabs the basket of baseballs to his right.

"Yush, then here's what we're gonna do." He brought out one of the balls and made sure she had a good look at it by holding it out "Every time you make a mistake, I'll pitch you a ball and you have to hit it as fast as you can – otherwise you'll have to run over there and get it. Fuwa-san told me not to be too nice, but tell me if you get tired."

Had he not mentioned that, she wouldn't have realized that the positions they were in were completely opposite to how it should be during official games – rather than her having a net behind her to catch the balls for her, the vast field was the only thing that waited for anything that came their way; and though this may be quite the source for a bit of uneasiness, she had to admit she'd gone through worse in middle school.

The resolve in her eyes to do well did not falter after she had grasped her surroundings and faced the dark-haired boy with another nod "It's okay. I'll trust Sugino-kun with his methods."

Sugino smiled at her fortitude with ease – she really had changed compared to before. "Okay, let's start then."

"Now?" her earlier countenance wavered for a moment to blink at him quizzically and had been replied to with an immediate nod.

"From which part?"

"The one you're having a hard time with."

"O-Okay…" Manami cleared her throat and took a few breaths to turn on that creepy side of her that she honed within weeks of intense practicing. A shadow loomed over her murderous purple eyes that were only given a much scarier effect by the glint on one side of her glasses as a threatening scowl came to be.

"I ask of you, child of ma—AH!"

He already threw one.

INDIVIDUAL TRAINING DAY 2: Nakamura Rio

"Nope, still not good enough. Start over."

"Why do I have to do it while posing like this?"

"No reason~" within the hands of a mischievous female that masked her malice underneath a bright smile was an iphone that was well on its way to expending its memory after the number of shots she just took of her bespectacled friend with one of the new get-ups she let her try on today that came from their shopping getaway in the middle of summer – it wasn't a revealing outfit, though it did cause her to entice a few gazes of men they passed by on their way to the clubroom. Her usual braids were on, but they weren't so usual anymore what with the Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz costume – it had proved to fit her very well with the balloon skirt and frilly apron with the bows and puffed sleeves; she even made her put on white bunny stockings and closed red shoes. Rather than letting others who they passed by see her as a student, they had thought her to be an official cosplayer visiting the school for the cultural fest and drooled at how dorky yet absolutely adorable the look she gave out was

To Rio's luck, all the other members were outside working on their own parts with the two middle-aged woman that always spared time to help them – if they weren't, she would've been dead to Yuzuki, Karma and probably even Rinka if they found out. Sure, she'd been warned numerous times by her otaku friend to 'take it seriously'; knowing that if Nakamura Rio was left with her, things were bound to be a disaster – and apparently this is Rio's definition of 'serious'.

Manami fidgeted out of discomfort and embarrassment evident on her cheeks as she twiddled her fingers nervously out in front of her – she was told to come to school bringing the outrageous dress in hopes of donating it to someone else, but such hopes were smashed to tiny bits once she was tricked into putting it on by none other than the former 3-E's Gal English. This led to that and now she was poised like a teenage magazine model by the golden light of the window looking at her friend grin with wicked satisfaction as she tapped on her phone.

"Hm…" an uncomfortable hum came from the frown on the geek's face as her fidgets only doubled once she had taken consciousness of the possibility of anyone walking into them at the time – she'd be absolutely mortified were someone else to see her this way.

"By the way," Rio's voice cut Manami from her thoughts and had the latter raise her head with question "Are you wearing the pair we bought you?"

"Pair?" the raven-haired girl's confusion had been short-lived for the blond answered her by pointing to her top and bottom – and not a moment after she realized what she meant, her body went into a rush of adrenaline; as her heart began to pound at a high rate due to the sudden nervousness…

And fear.

"A-Ah! E-E-Er—!" judging by the agitated reaction and the fact that she had become tongue-tied out of obvious guilt, Rio frowned, utterly displeased.

"One more time. Say your line." Her tone was more firm now compared to all the other commands she had given her that day – in fact, this was more like a demand that had the shorter girl taken aback since she was still far from recovering from her state of panic.

"E-Eh—"

"If I don't like it I'm taking it off." She didn't get what she meant by 'taking it off' at first, but once Rio had grabbed a paper bag that contained an extra pair she brought with them today due to the suspicion that the eyeglass-ed girl would not put on the undergarments they bought with her, it became clear to Manami what she meant by that sentence and she impulsively stepped back after another yelp – so that's what she meant.

Panic overwhelming her, she didn't even get to gather herself before she spouted out her lines "I-I ask of you—"

Rio opened the paper bag.

"AH!"

INDIVIDUAL TRAINING DAY 3: Hayami Rinka

Rinka silenced her with the sharp movement of her arm for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

"It's not scary at all. Do it again."

They used one of the freshmen classrooms today – 1-B to be exact – for her individual practice while everyone worked with what they could in the school gym. It had been an hour and a half since they had started and the pigtailed girl had not once let her finish up; when the girl was about business, she will be about business – was what Manami learned that day. Albeit knowing she had good intentions and had readied herself for this kind of training, lavender eyes couldn't tear themselves away from the tiled floor of the classroom in an almost bleak manner as her proctor kept her arms crossed and let her back face her in some sort of harsh-like training that you'd probably find in militaries (just how long did she hang out with Lovro during the spring break before high school?) – eyebrows were scrunched together in mild irksomeness as her head faced the blackboard.

"You need to be more threatening if you want to leave a great impact." Her businesslike and straightforward tone kept constant from the minute they started – the only things that really changed were the expressions she gave her; it ranged from stoic to disapproving to just a glare of disappointment most of the time. After not hearing an answer from her, Rinka's frown deepened and she turned her heel to meet the girl's eyes.

"Oi, are you listen…ing…" the moment green eyes perceived her completely disheartened form, whatever callousness she had developed for this practice had diminished as her ice-cold mask shifted into one of surprise that turned to concern – the determination she had always had with her since the day they began was starting to deplete.

"Hey, Manami…" the sniper stepped towards her and gently put a hand on her slumped shoulder for moral support as she leaned her head down a little to have a look at those dreary purple orbs protected by the support of her eyeglasses "I'm sorry for being straightforward, but—"

"It's okay. I'm used to it but…" the tone she used to cut her off was soft and dismayed, but it still made an effort to keep polite "that's not what this is about…"

"Mm?" was the only sound Rinka could make before Manami settled herself down onto the nearest desk with a distressed sigh. Right after the green-orbed girl followed where she was going with this action, she too had sat herself down on the chair right in front of the desk the other chose to mope upon – she didn't say anything after, she only waited for her to explain what it is that bothered her if it was not the methods she used to play out this rehearsal by turning the chair to the side so she could rest her arm on the table.

For seconds, there was only silence – not even the faint bustles of the autumn trees outside reached their ears through the shut, glass windows that reflected against the orange-ish light the cloudy sky brought with it; no blue could be spotted from their side of the spherical dome that covered the earth, but it made up for it with the sun that hid behind the clouds yet glowed brightly enough to give those cotton-like materials some color. With that being said, such colors were able to bring forth radiance to this room that could never be brought about by man – the shadows of the two girls could be made out on the glossy, white floor along with the empty school desks as they sat on the column of chairs next to the window.

Not wanting to drag this out for the both of them and leave her friend hanging, Manami finally conveyed her thoughts in the same soft and tentative voice "Haya…Rinka-san, why did you choose me to do this?"

Emerald blinked once after this, but kept herself reserved to hear more of what she wanted to say with a blank demeanor.

"It's not as if I don't want to do it…I really do want this but…If I can't get it right now…I'm not sure if I can do it on the day itself…" the introverted girl rested her chin upon her crossed arms that rested on the table to let this statement out with a muffled sound against her blazer's sleeves.

Rinka's expression softened after she heard this from her – turning her head to the right to have a look at the blackboard with a cultural festival countdown on it (5 days) for no particular reason.

With another silence as her answer, Manami continued "You guys made a horror theme and made it really…really amazing. But why did you let me have the biggest part?" this time, she buried her head completely – using her arms to cover her despondent face; she had been corrected over and over for the past few days now, so it shouldn't be so surprising to see her this distraught. "You said so yourself, I'm not scary at all when it comes to that point…and I don't really know how to leave an impression or impact like you said…" she trailed off after that, but the message was clear to the ginger when the other's arms tightened around each other.

Despite this response, Rinka couldn't help but feel a little lighthearted; though these two were not what you would have considered close before, they were now intimate enough to be able to relay things to each other without much hesitance. And there was no trace of a lie or of anything but genuine when she at last let words out of her mouth with-

"You will pull it off."

"You can't say for sure…what if—"

"You'll pull it off." It was more firm this time – without doubt and no wane at all as she fixed her sharp eyes to where her shy friend rested her head and watched her steadily raise it up to meet her orbs with her own. Manami blinked up at her, prodding her to continue.

The pigtailed girl had to pause for a while to find the appropriate words to express her thoughts. With the turn of her head to the windows, she spotted a bluebird scratching one of its wings with its beak with the rapid movement of its head before it soared away into the bright sky – revealing the patch of clouds that broke away to reveal the sun at its pre-sunset phase. Finding this to be of great help somehow, she kept her gaze to it and spoke with a somehow reminiscent voice that did not feign guidance "Do you remember that time when you exploded in front of Mimura? Or the time you helped me with my problem with Chiba? I'm sure you were very scared and uncertain during those times…just like you are now." She blinked slowly and let a warm smile curl her lips upwards "But even if you were, you were able to leave a big mark on everyone's hearts, and mine; marvelously, at that. So we can trust you to do this. And you will leave a great memory for everyone." Rinka moved her head to meet her wondered lavender eyes again and softened her expression out of the sincerity she had when she concluded her statement

"…and that includes us."

Hearing this from her, and with a voice that was far from how she usually sounded, to say Manami was touched was too much of an underestimation. She could only stare back up at her, wide-eyed for words could not express the amount of gratitude she felt for her encouraging words and the warm feeling that spread throughout her chest just now as she looked back at those courageous times of her life. Those times she mustered up enough strength and reached out – and she was heard, she was seen, she was noticed and finally, she was remembered; had she not done so, her classmates would've still treated her the same way they always did, and she wouldn't have been able to have this kind of conversation with the girl in front of her right now.

All of a sudden, Rinka's shoulders perked up a tad and had suddenly gotten conscious. She turned her head away and fidgeted a little – which the science-loving girl had to admit was funny since usually she was the one that reacted that way. There was a slight tinge on her cheeks as she looked away and had a voice laced with hesitation "Th-that didn't sound too cheesy, right now, did it?"

A light laughter emanated from the bespectacled poison lover as she lifted her head off her arms "Not at all." She reassured her before a gratifying beam stretched her distraught face away as if it hadn't been there in the first place.

"Thank you, Rinka-san." Manami's eyes gave out tenderness and all in all just a happy feeling that brought the sniper at ease and returned her a contented smile of her own. Unknowingly, she was reminded of the earlier times within the year – how she wasn't even sure if the girl could make this kind of face because she was always so helpless and unconfident, but then, after another moment of looking at her, a thought had come up

'You've gotten stronger since then.'

"Good. Now again." Her tone was back to being bossy and commanding as she lifted herself from her seat, but there was something different now – a smile was present as well as a new glint of determination as she placed a fist upon her waist and stared down at her over her shoulder in some leader-like form.

"Oh! O-Oh right!" with a bit of agitation, Manami sprung to her feet and had the chair and desk she sat on squeak against the floor in a series of loud taps due to the friction – which was apparently at a high enough volume for her to be surprised about due to its suddenness and her own.

Seeing this common reaction from her, Rinka's smile changed into a knowing smirk 'But you still have a ways to go.'

After she cleared her throat and composed herself, lavender eyes that were just wide with earlier alarm had become accustomed to a ghostly look she had already mastered before she let her tone go deep and attempted to sound threatening.

"I ask of you, child of man, whom brought about in this world by your tainted ascendants, do you know—"

"Nope. Again."

INDIVIDUAL TRAINING DAY 4: Fuwa Yuzuki

"Better than before but still needs a bit more work. I don't feel enough of it coming from you!"

"That's not the first time I heard that but...Yuzuki-chan, shouldn't you put that shounen manga down?"

And here she thought this would be the most normal practice of the week.

INDIVIDUAL TRAINING DAY 5: Chiba Ryuunosuke

"That was a lot better than before, but I really have to point out how you're extra conscious of your last lines."

Manami sighed at this – it was still the same type of comments even after days of practice, after all.

The two of them occupied the same room again so as to leave the rest with their other tasks, only this time it was around lunch time on a Sunday – they had to ask permission to go to school that day because of some trouble with their set; of course it was disheartening to have to come to school and miss a day off, but it was also perfect for her not to waste a day of practice even though part of her had selfishly wished for a break at some point; but with her still having troubles and the same ones at that, she had to tell herself not to succumb to such laziness and work hard even still. They, of course, were encouraged to wear their uniforms anyway instead of civilian clothing – to which not much paid mind to aside from Rio (since she had plans for her getup that day).

What was so wrong with the set that it had to have them attend school for another day? It all started with Sugino sneezing next to a particular pig-bear hybrid which no one knows what species really is and had the creature jump up in terror and start running away – and apparently the direction it ran away to was where Rio had directly been walking to and by pure adrenaline rush she stepped away and had coincidentally tripped on the newly painted board after stepping on it a few times before she landed on the floor right next to Mai who was so startled she let go of a few heavy tools that just had to land on Chiba's foot and have him stumble backward onto where Karma had just finished fixing up one of the traps; thankfully both boys had good enough reaction time to avoid getting caught in their own trap but as a result they both bumped into Rinka who fell backwards and bumped into Mikagura-sensei who had acidic chemicals in her hand that flew out of their containment and were about to spray themselves on Inari-sensei who was fast enough to find something to protect herself with – to another misfortunate event, what she had to use was one of the finished walls of their labyrinth set-up. In conclusion, while everyone else was a fallen mess on the gym floor, the newly painted board had shoe marks on it and at the same time a sizzling sound came from disintegrating wood. No one pointed fingers, they all just groaned – used to each other's madness (this was all while Yuzuki compared Manami to a manga character inside the clubroom).

At present, the two out of three dark-haired characters of the club settled themselves down on empty desks and took a break by consuming their packed lunches.

Not too long had passed before Chiba had started a conversation "Why is it that same part you always have a hard time with?" it wasn't in a lecturing tone – rather, he was more of curious which had Manami a little caught by surprise.

"Eh—well…" she slowly lowered her chopsticks holding an egg sushi back into her bento in her search for an answer. She didn't have to look through too many of her thoughts before her eyes had gone half-lidded due to the shame she felt as she spoke "Well…I'll be looking at a person when I do…it's not like the others where I'm just talking. I guess what's on my mind is how I'm supposed to look at them…maybe it's a little like stage fright…" a half-hearted laugh sounded from her for she thought of how petty the reason for her slip-ups was.

"And that's the only reason why?" his voice sounded a little laced with disbelief as he ceased his snacking just to turn to her inquisitively.

Although she nodded, there was doubt written all over her features which she cared enough to relay to him without letting her eyes leave her half-eaten lunch "But it's strange…I can do the rest fine even when I'm looking at everyone so I'm not sure if it is stage fright…It's because of that…I'm also not sure of why I keep failing at that part…" with ambiguity and helplessness all over her tone, Chiba was sure enough that this came out honestly and found just what he needed to know.

"It's not strange." He said it with matter-of-fact tone that put underneath the stoic voice he always had – faint but it was still there.

"Hn?" this time, she let her head rotate to his side to find him just finished sipping on a milk carton.

"I've been in your shoes before. The feeling will be worse when the day itself arrives." Experience was evident in the way he said it as he let the picture of an island resort and a big plan come back from his not so deep memories; it was still a little fresh being only a year and all.

Well, that was straightforward enough to have Manami purse her lips and move her eyes to the other side with the furrow of her brows in disconcertment to that statement as she let out an "Mm…" – it didn't exactly help like she expected; if anything, she was more scared now.

"It's the feeling of having to absolutely leave the greatest impression to make up for everyone's hard work, right?" Chiba had gone from a stoic and frank tone, it had turned into one of friendliness and had the will to help apparent in it which had her purple eyeballs shift back to where he was to acknowledge this.

"I see it in your face all the time when you watch the others practice." His face remained blank as he remembered the one time everyone gathered at the gym to work and she was told to have a break by the sidelines after working too hard. But even after she had nearly expended all of her energy, the moment he turned to her from his side of the room working on the guns, he didn't fail to notice how she had her shoulders tensed and knees tucked tight – eyes glued to the rest of them with half of her face covered by her arms and knees while she took in every single detail and yet seemed to be in deep thought.

"Because you're conscious about that so much, your voice, expression, movements and terrifying aura would tend to wane without you knowing or doing it on purpose." He continued and found some contentment when she nodded to this in understanding and realization.

"N…Now that I think about it…" Manami put a gently curled fist to her lips – seems she was only able to come to terms with such a possibility now for she had always been unaware that that was what invaded her mind this entire time.

Chiba pauses a while to search for the advice that would be perfect so she could improve – however, in this search he had landed on yet another bittersweet memory. With the turn away of his head as he lowered it to table and the slightly clenched fists that lay upon it, his tone changed again; it was serious again, but with more sincerity and weight to it than she had expected "I'll just be repeating the same things he said to me when I went through the same."

At the mention of 'he', and with the added grief she could tell from his voice's depth, Manami didn't even need to guess who he referred to when immediately their most beloved and forever-will-be-missed octopus teacher's face came to view amidst all the memories.

"It's okay to have a mishap once in a while; because when it does happen, we'll be here to pick you up." He didn't face her as he said this, but the message he wanted to give her was clear as day – and for another time that week, the same warm feeling forms inside her chest from how touched she was by that assurance although she had been reminded of the smiling face of their yellow octopus teacher she loved so much that it wrenched her heart just thinking about how he will only ever exist in their memories now. But then even if she looked back at this from time to time, she still knew that there were things in the present that were worthwhile too. And that was the very fact that she had the best friends she could ever ask for as she thought of her practices with the others before the shabby-haired sniper; even though they had worked her to the bone and probably harassed her from time to time, they still kept her going and didn't give up on her. She wasn't about to give up on them, and with the words Chiba had given her, she felt all the more eased.

"But you're still not scary enough."

And Manami's head slumped forward with an exhausted sigh.

INDIVIDUAL TRAINING DAY 6: Akabane Karma

"What happened out there?"

"Nothing~" what Manami didn't know was that Karma had just finished showering their little eavesdroppers with the milkshake he bought with her in the cafeteria for their break time. Speaking of little eavesdroppers, Yuzuki and Rio were completely stunned not just by the fact that their position was found out in no time at all (under the window of the clubroom outside), but because now they were both bathed in a dairy drink – hair, clothes, and everything else – in just one move of his hand before he shut the sliding window, and they were supposed to think of a way to explain this to the others if they went back to work drenched in sweet, chocolate, milkiness. If they told them the truth, and said that they went to get scoops on what would happen if those two were left alone together in a room for the day (because apparently, it still disturbed them how he started calling her by her first name – they don't know why it's such a bad thing, but they did see it as some kind of threat to their womanly kinship), they'd most probably get one or maybe five hits from Hayami Rinka and/or Inari-sensei. So in the midst of their contemplation for a convincing lie to tell the others how they had ended up as chocolate women, they thought it best to leave the area for good so as to not further torment themselves by irking the redheaded sadist.

"O…Okay…" the braided girl said this reluctantly with the tilt of her head from confusion – but taking it was best that she didn't ask about it anymore knowing he wouldn't answer her directly either way, she let her mouth get taken by the straw of her lemonade drink and savored the taste after another tiring first hour of practice; most especially now since she was under a boy she knew well and had high standards – but that was Kunugigaoka's number one student for you.

Speaking of which, he had settled himself down just next to her on the provided wooden chairs by the window after he set aside his empty bottle and ate away his chocolate bar. They were used to eating together in silence at times – they did it every day at lunch time; and since they went home together as well, anyone who would pass by would instantly feel that powerful easygoing relationship vibe from them albeit them both being quite the troublesome pair. It was comfy and had no sense of dragging or wearisomeness in the atmosphere – much to their own satisfaction as well for at the moment, they did nothing but bask in the coziness of each other's company.

Relaxing the mood may be, given the silence, all Manami could do at the moment was let her thoughts linger upon everyone's comments on her performances for the past five days. At the same time, she had let an idea fly by with these aimless ponders and was only able to stare into blank space with eyes that delved deeply into her mind – there was obviously something she wanted to say or make clear of judging by the way she made it so visible from the way her body just sat there, unmoving. Taking this into account, Karma leaned closer to her and let his head rest on her own playfully – taking advantage of her short form by relaxing the back of it on top of hers and letting a smile keep plastered on his face "What's on your mind?"

She didn't complain about the weight of his head and taller form upon her – instead what he got out of her was a lighthearted giggle followed by her head turning slightly to his side, but careful enough to not make the move so sudden and startle him "Was I that obvious?"

"It's not that hard to tell." He said this with a bit of matter-of-fact to it and even took another bite out of the bar in his hands to somehow prove that it was very easy. Even with the somehow indirect insult, another laugh came from her which brought forth an amused smile to his features – and for some reason, he finds the position they were in quite comfortable due to the height difference.

"Well? Are you going to say it or do I have to make you say it?" though this was polite, he didn't hide some of the mischief in his tone which gave her the impression that he was ready to get it out of her if he really needed to (or wanted to) albeit it being a joke.

"Ah—Ehehe…well…" Hearing this, Manami had begun to feel some nervousness and hesitance form inside of her – not only because now that he knew there was something bugging her that he'd eventually try to find out, but also because what she had in her mind involved…

"Well…?" his eyeballs curiously moved to the side to somehow get a glimpse of her even with their positions. From the way she went about it, he could tell that it was something she could disclose but had difficulty in doing so – therefore some of his worries of prying too much had been put to ease; however, it'd only been replaced by some bewilderment.

She pursed her lips and felt her eyes go wide in her process of mustering courage.

'It's not scary at all.'

'But you're still not scary enough.'

A gulp went down her throat "Uh…er….uhm…"

Karma narrowed his eyes suspiciously and lifted himself off of her just to get a good look of her face and probably make her more comfortable that way. When he was able to take in a few things, he could easily see how nervous droplets of sweat made its way down as they travelled across some sort of dark expression on her face he had to admit was the first time he saw and felt a bit of discomfort with it – her fingers were even tapping together from anxiety as her eyes went from side to side. He blinked, outwardly nonchalant and was about to tell her it was fine until- "SORRY!" – yeah, that happened.

"Hah?" was all that could escape his mouth for in her haste and adrenaline rush, she was already able to stand directly in front of him – at a fair distance too for she nearly reached the other side of the room. To more of his puzzlement, she bowed her entire upper body to him in some kind of over-formal, traditional way which only made him raise an eyebrow.

"Forgive me for my rudeness! But…! But…!" Manami gulped once more for courage as she shut her eyes tightly and clenched her fists hard enough to make her shoulders tense up and body look stiff

"K-Karma-kun! Please teach me how to be scary!"

He wasn't sure what exactly to be surprised about; the fact that she just admitted that at one point she saw him that way so frankly or simply by how absurd that question sounded. " 'How to be scary.'?" He had to repeat in case he got that right with the scrunch of his eyebrows as he wondered what on earth she was going on about now. Sure, sometimes her conversations would be so odd that he'd come to get used to it at some points, but in the end there were still lots of things he's yet to get himself accustomed to.

She raised herself from her bowed position after she heard that and moved her eyes around the room frantically – she was obviously overthinking about if that offended him and all other sorts of troublesome thoughts from the way her fingers played with themselves in front of her stomach "I-Is that too much to ask?"

"No, but…" his brows were furrowed as he tried to analyze this with a chin resting on his palm and curled fingers while his elbow took support from his other hand.

'Oh well…' When he came to the conclusion that he doubts she actually knows what she's saying, he smiled; amused at her agitation with as he observed her more with yet another raised eyebrow.

Manami sighed shamefully and slumped her shoulders down in somewhat distress as she turned her head upwards to face the ceiling with a troubled expression before she bowed again – this time it was only her head "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked something so weir—"

"Alright."

"Huh?" her head rose sharply to meet with his casual, smiling face again. 'Did he just…?'

"I'll teach you if you want it so bad." he chimed at her and was already standing up and preparing himself to approach her – a relaxed smile that gave out no harmful intent gracing his face after he set his chocolate bar aside and hid his hands inside his pockets. On the other hand, Manami was caught at complete astonishment with how he just agreed to something like that so easily.

"W-Wait! A-Are you serious?! A-And are you re-really okay with it?"

All of a sudden, the casual approach he had had drastically become tense just by his silence – the atmosphere had become so heavy she felt her eyes widen a bit and as if her body had a mind of its own, she stepped back instinctively due to the aura he brought with him.

"K…" it appeared as if even her words were too afraid to come out and face him for she found herself completely speechless by how well he had changed the mood of the bright room just by keeping quiet.

His voice was the same as usual when he started, but somehow that only gave it an all-the-more terrifying vibe "First, it depends on the approach. You could go with false friendliness or show your power over them by making it clear…or maybe make sure you have them alone…"

"Wh—" she didn't even get to finish or respond in time for before she knew it, she was shoved onto the nearest wall a little roughly and was completely cornered by him now that he put an arm to block her exit – not to mention he towered over her by several inches so she couldn't do anything; she felt her body and mind completely lose themselves and succumb to his control – all the more when she locked gazes with his sharp eyes that appeared to hunger for something, like he had his target sighted on her and was waiting for the perfect moment to…

Assassinate her.

To more of her bafflement to the situation, his voice went deep and quiet to a certain level that brought chills to her spine that traveled up and down like a nest of crawling spiders "And then you make sure there's no escape, and when you know they're under your control, they end up not being able to think of anything else."

He was right; she couldn't think of anything else at the moment and completely lost herself by everything he did to her at the time. The look in his eyes she couldn't quite understand, the voice he used that sent her goosebumps, and just by being that close she couldn't move at all – like he had her under a spell of some sorts. And right now, she was having the firsthand experience of Akabane Karma's infamous 'scariness' for the first time. Her heart beat steadily, as if it wanted her body to go cold and lose the warmth and complexion her blood gave her as he spoke once more "Once you've done that…" he leaned his face in closer to somehow be in level with hers and have her directly meet his intimidating gaze – and his voice was extra bone-chilling when he finished "You get to do whatever you want with them."

Her eyes widened at that – there were only a few sensations she could feel at the time, and one of them was the fact that he was so close his lips were basically inches away for she could practically feel his breath against hers in her attempt to let words out. She had her back pressed to the wall flat for her tense body had lost all sense of control as she felt him bring his face closer to hers little by little; the warmth his body gave out being the only thing she could feel around her own. For seconds that was all she could do – freeze in place and let him have his way with her until she mumbled something against his breath "I…"

By this sound, Karma's eyes widened and he stopped inching closer just in time before he could do anything as she continued in a whisper-like tone "I knew it…"

He distanced himself from her face subtly to have a look at her and saw how her eyes stared up at him with a bright glow – as if she had remained unfazed and had no traces of terror in them as she beamed heartily "As I thought, I can never be scared of Karma-kun anymore." It was a genuine set of words – one of which that would've brought his heart fluttering again only this nice view of his had been ruined when he was hit hard with the bat of reality after he had realized what he had just done.

After smiling at her sarcastically for a few seconds, he let his face fall to her shoulder – embarrassment taking over completely again because of her "Haaa…" he exhaled against the fabric of her clothing to calm himself and his boggled mind that piled up just as fast as his pounding heart. If anyone had seen him – even if it were a carbon copy of himself – he was sure that he'd burst out laughing and never let this (unconscious it may be) action of his stop haunting him for the rest of his lifetime (thank the havens only Manami was here with him; and she was dense as a brick wall).

"E-e-e-eh? K-Karma-kun?" this gesture had caused the girl to come to another nervous state and let her feel another tickle on her skin when he laughed against her shoulder in his attempt to conceal how his face basically took on the color of his hair.

"Are you an idiot?" something about his tone made him similar to how someone would sound when they'd lost all hope for a person since it sounded like a despairing remark – something like a whine, even. If she wasn't even able to react violently to this, what more if it were someone else? What if some other bastard out there just thought it'd be fine to do what he just did to her and maybe go even farther than that? Now that he had that thought in mind after this experience, he had become all the more wary of leaving her alone now.

"H-Heh? S-Sorry…?" she managed to stutter out though still in a nervous state – but she didn't move herself away from him.

"As I thought, Manami is one of a kind." He managed to say – the idiotic grin nor red never leaving his face; but thankfully his defensive maneuvers told him to just stay there, where he was, until such were to pass. But he didn't lie about that though; she was the only one who had ever told him that and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to take it, really. But he did know that for once someone was brave enough to tell him that she's not scared of him with utmost honesty and at the same time show a genuine care for him.

On the other hand, Manami couldn't control her own heart's rhythm for it had just quickened its tempo just by him saying her name and the things he was doing right now – just like how she was nowhere near controlling the red that spread through her own cheeks. "H-Hm? What do you mean?" this let itself out at a higher pitch due to the state she was in at the moment.

And he laughed again "Nothing. Nothing at all~"

No it was not nothing – he wanted to bang his head on the nearest wall several times just to forget about it all but fought the urge to do so for the sake of his brain and image as a person (he'll probably do it when he's alone). He nearly did something to her that he'd regret every day for the remaining days of his life, after all.

And even then, Manami couldn't understand the overwhelming feelings that took over. And the very thought of those only made her flush deeper.

It was another Tuesday of working in the gym with another agenda to accomplish for the nearing event that had everyone in the school fired up.

Although this was the venue a certain club had reserved for themselves, only Manami and her trusted Student Council Vice President had it occupied for the sake of costume fitting while the rest of them worked with what they could in the field right outside waiting for their turn. Of course so they remained productive even if everything was reaching the point of over-preparation, their two closest faculty members kept them up to their game – after a few complaints and controversies though (which were ceased when they promised to treat them to food later like usual).

Mai studied the shorter girl from all sides as she fit her extravagant costume for the 3rd time that month – and each time she tried it on, it only made her look more and more alluring even if she wasn't by the light of the window like right now. The theme was of course, a horrific shrine, so they had to give her an exquisite goddess figure and the results were marvelous for she and Yuzuki had taken into consideration both the theme and what would suit her most. The way the golden headpiece had some sort of harmonization to her raven hair and round-ish face with its small sparkles brought about by the tiny jewels they had put together with some detail – but the headpiece wasn't the only thing eye-catching for it was the fabric and the design of her clothes in and of itself. It was the traditional Shinto goddess get-up that had many similarities to a kimono; the obi around her waist was a deep red lined with a golden obijime that formed a cross to the left-most side. Underneath the V neck was another layer of dark blue fabric that curved over her collarbones lined with golden piping – speaking of layers, even her baggy sleeves had about three layers to them of different dark colors that went well with the main nocturne violet tone of her outfit that was long enough to caress the glossy floors of the gym. And everything from the waist down was another set of covers starting from the red underdress that had ruffled ends that were topped on with the rest of the dark violet skirt that only took up enough for the red cloth to be seen up in front in between the fabrics. But all in all, it was a collection of an elegant traditional outfit put together that harbored a nice touch of simplicity that brought out her figure but at the same time it had a sense of glamour to it that gave out the 'superior' vibe they all wanted her to bring out during the first day of practice.

(I'm jackshit at writing about clothing)

"Okay, turn to the side." The brunette instructed her politely just so she could have her final reviews on the costume and for her to report to Yuzuki if she needed to. She had been of great use to this part of their plan due to the experience she had over clothing and fashion design – not to mention when she told the otaku she had connections to many tailoring shops especially ones near school, the girl had practically glomped her and gave her a million thanks; eventually, she became her assistant with this job albeit her many other responsibilities – but like always, she didn't mind.

Manami nodded and did as she was told – letting her left side come to view by raising her arms as well like all the other times. However, once she had, her eyes caught sight of her friends working outside; and that's when she lost herself in her thoughts again.

"Hm…I think it's fine." There was a bit of uncertainness in the voice of her senior as she rubbed her chin with the side of her finger in the midst of her contemplation until her face lit up at an idea with the snap of her fingers "Ah! I think I've got something better to add!"

The older girl took a pen and small spiral notebook from her blazer pocket and began to write down her new opinion – all the while, failing to notice that the one she was holding a fitting for had her focus elsewhere as she rambled on "I guess I'll have to tell Fuwa-san about it and return it to the tailor to add that finishing touch." She ripped the paper off swiftly but with care before she folded it into her pocket along with her pen "Is that oka—Hm?" only when she turned to face her again did she suspect that something was up with her – especially by the distance she saw in her half-lidded eyes as they directed themselves out to the bright, sunlit field out the window.

Stepping a bit closer to follow where her gaze faced, she was only mildly surprised to see that it landed upon the overfamiliar scarlet-haired character of her age group – whom currently was having yet another feud with another red-haired individual who was much older and had a darker shade to her own red hair; in other words, the school nurse was losing in her controversy against a cheeky teenage boy.

After she blinked with curiosity, she blurted out her thoughts from behind the braided girl "Did anything happen with Akabane-kun?"

"Wha—E-Eh?!" It appears Manami had not noticed her senpai standing there for it was as if her entire body went into an electrical shock that had her jolt backwards and trip on her long costume – resultantly, she bumped into the wall and fell on her bottom with an 'oompf!'; causing the brunette to flinch a tad at the land of her body to the floor.

Mai had a feeling that such a reaction was not just because she was startled, but also because her suspicion was right – and it was only proven more when she perceived how she tucked her knees in that hid the lower half of her troubled expression. It wasn't as if she needed to see the rest of her face; the upset look in her lavender orbs was enough to tell the sophomore that she was in a bothered state, and all reasons had something to do with the infamous sadist of the freshmen level. Now that she knew she was right and saw how the introverted girl needed someone to console this to, compassion took over and she took a space next to her resembling the same position as she turned her head to the ceiling. Mai didn't say anything though – she only presented her with a silence so the eyeglasses-ed girl may choose to tell her or not, but somehow assure her that she'd listen to whatever she wanted to say next.

Manami didn't need to think much before she opened up – she had developed a great trust in this girl due to all the admiration, and found no harm at all to express her feelings to her since she had experience with her advice-giving skills once before; and they had treated her with great help.

"I…I don't know…" she started – voice soft and unsure; exactly the way she talked to her Chemistry teacher the one time she had felt this way before. Mai didn't need to look at her to sense how she had just tucked her knees in closer out of an innocent cluelessness that one would be able to compare to a child with. With a bit of difficulty in breathing properly due to the heavy beats of her heart, her body had hugged itself to the extent that it made her body shrink in place before she mustered up enough courage to speak again; though her tone remained irresolute and in desperate need for guidance as she let her eyes move to the opposite side of the brunette "Uhm…for some reason I've always seen him as someone very far away from me…"

As she conveyed these aloud, images that were of different times popped back up in her head – for instance, the time he first set foot on the grasses of 3-E's campus and all the other events wherein he outsmarted people and led the class like a natural-born leader when the situation called for it.

"Even back in middle school when we met he felt far away…even though we always hang out and are near each other all the time, I always knew that he was way ahead of me in so many ways…because well…Karma-kun is…" she shut her eyes tightly and stressed on the next words to let her point get across "really really talented. I can't even begin to come close. And also because…he feels even more far away because it's like at the same time he has his own world…he sees things in his own way and pays attention to the things he wants to do…" she had calmed down a tad and relaxed her shoulders a bit by this point "I don't really know anything about what Karma-kun has gone through…or anything other than what he shows me. But I really want to know…I want to know him even if it's just a little…" there was an impression of longing in her eyes when Mai faced her again – she took it that this girl actually wished for this judging from that expression and how her fingers now curled around the smooth, indigo-like fabric of her costume.

"And that's what's bothering you?"

Manami shook her head at the inquiry "I don't understand why but…when he suddenly called me by my first time…he suddenly felt…closer. So close I wasn't even prepared for it" And yet again, she felt a tension course through her body and let heat rise to her cheeks after a small fidget at the memory of the first time he called her by name "I'm not sure why, but something seemed to change between us. And then at the time my heart…pounded really fast." Unknowingly, she let her hand rise to her now pounding chest again in an attempt to ease it.

"It's never been that way when he called me by my last name…now whenever he says it…I'm reminded of the same feeling again – the feeling that he suddenly got so close I wasn't able to get ready for it; that I wasn't able to do it first….it was all so sudden…even now my heart won't stop beating. Is it because I'm not used to it…? But even if other people call me that…I really don't understand myself…" the poor girl really was bad at dealing with fussy feelings and emotional, sensible words – even after all this time, she still considers technical problems easier to deal with and would choose to solve them instead of these complicated emotions if she were given a choice.

Bright blue eyes widened at this – so Okuda-san really was clueless about these things; whereas she was able to understand them well enough to have an idea of what she's feeling. Thinking about what she could say without causing a wreck or any more misunderstandings, she contemplated on this for a bit.

And then she thought back on that one summer day…

'Senpai…when I think about it, you tend to give good advice.'

A smile gracing her features, Mai stared back up at the open ceiling "…I don't know either."

Raising her eyebrows in surprise, Manami finally rose her head to stare at her senior with question – she never gave an answer like that before; it was almost like she knew what to say almost all the time, really. But now…

"Nope. I don't get it either." Her tone was bubbly again – almost as if she were proud of stating that as she shook her head to emphasize her point. "So you can't come to me until you understand it yourself, I guess."

"My…self?" she tilted her head – causing her braids to ruffle a bit.

"Mhm. You can't figure it out from someone who also doesn't know. All you can do…" after the mock lecture-like tone, she let a warm smile come to view when she at last faced the shorter girl properly "Is wait for your own feelings to become clear to you. That way, it'll be less confusing, right?"

Manami had to blink a few times before she settled with that response and giggled – all worries eased "I guess there are still lots of things even Mai-senpai doesn't know about then…"

And the pale-brown haired girl's expression softened with meaningfulness as she rotated her head back to the spacious ceiling.

"Uh-huh…there are lots and lots of things…"

NOT MUCH TO SAY HERE BECAUSE I JUST GOT CAUGHT BY A PARENT SO I'LL MAKE IT VERY VERY BRIEF

Hope you found enjoyment in this chapter and stay tuned for the continuation of it!

IF THERE'S OOC TELL ME

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WITH ALL LOVE IN THE UNIVERSE

~TheFlowerWeSawThatDay