Students overflowed through the school doors as they made their way home. I was a little worried about finding Ichinose, but my anxieties quickly
disappeared. She stood out even in this sea of students. Although her cuteness could have been one reason why, she also had the type of presence that dominated wherever she was.
"Eh? Why were you waiting for her?" Yamauchi asked confused.
Ichinose sheepishly smiled and answered. "I invited him, remember? After class."
"Ne, nee... Do you think, Honami-chan's confessing?" Amikura asked Yume excitedly.
"Didn't Honami-chan said it wasn't like that?" Yume scratched her head confused.
To be honest, I didn't really know how to describe it. I could only describe it as an intoxicating, gentle power. A power that was amplified by how many of the first-year students recognized her. It was similar to Kushida, but even more so. Ichinose was popular with boys and girls alike.
They greeted her one after another. Because of that, I wasted about five minutes just trying to find the right time to call to her myself.
Ichinose felt bad, "I'm sorry, Ayanokoji-kun! I didn't realized that you were already waiting for me." She bowed slightly.
Ayanokoji accepted the apology with a poker face.
"Ah. Ayanokouji-kun. Over here, over here!"
Ichinose eventually noticed me and called me over. Pretending like I'd only just arrived, I casually raised my hand.
"Seriously. What a gentleman." Shimazaki giggled to herself. Unfortunately for her, Kamuro heard it and pretented to gagged.
"Masumi-san, are you okay?" Sakayanagi asked her amused.
"Fine. Stop asking me and watched the screen." Kamuro snaps irritated.
Sakayanagi pouted a bit, "How rude. I'm only concern, Masumi-san."
"So, what should I do next?" I asked.
"I plan to finish this as soon as possible. Follow me."
I put on my shoes and followed Ichinose to the other side of the building. We arrived at a spot right behind the gymnasium. This did seem like the kind of place where someone would confess their feelings.
"Now then..."
Ichinose took a deep breath, and faced me. No way... Did Ichinose plan to confess to me?!
"I think it's not like that, Ayanokoji-kun." Hiyori giggled. She claps her hand excitedly. Eyes watching the screen intently.
"I know that now, don't worry."
"I think..."
No way, there was no way this could-
"I think someone will confess their feelings to me here," she said.
"Huh?" Sato unintentionally let out a huh sound.
Nene watched confused, "Then wouldn't it be better if Ayanokoji-kun wasn't there?"
'Unless...'
The girls slowly realized the reason behind Ichinose's invitation.
"Huh?"
With that, Ichinose took out a letter and showed it to me. It was a cute love letter adorned with a heart sticker. Although she wanted me to read it, it felt rude to look. The handwriting was pretty, much like the letter's exterior. The handwriting was cute, definitely not like a boy's.
"Just because it was cute it was not a boy's handwriting?" Kondo complained.
"Yeah! Yeah! How biased." Ike seconded. He paired it up with his fist pumping in the air.
"Some boys have beautiful handwriting, you know." Hashimoto agreed.
"Unlucky for you, you aren't one of them." Kamuro sneered at him.
"Hey!"
"So are we gonna ignore the part where a girl sent Ichinose-san's a love letter and is planning to confess?"
I noticed something that concerned me. The meeting time and location were written in the letter. It was set for Friday evening at 4:00 PM, behind the gymnasium. That was about 10 minutes from now.
"Wouldn't it be better if I weren't here?" I asked.
"Oh! I know!" Ike clicked his fingers. "You're planning to use Ayanokoji to pretend to be in a relationship, right?!"
"Huh?! Why would she seek help from another class then if that was the case?" Shinohara argued.
"I don't know! Don't asked me."
"Love is kind of alien to me. I don't how to respond without hurting her feelings. I also don't know if we can stay good friends afterwards. I want you to help me."
'Her...'
"So it is a girl." Horikita mumbled.
Ayanokoji stared at her surprised, "You're...unexpectedly into this."
Horikita glared at him, "I'm still a girl."
"Oh, I didn't realized that. My bad."
"I'm more irritated on the fact that we're watching a confession scene. Why does it matter to the rest of us not involved?" Ryuuen groaned.
"I don't really think I'm the person to ask for this. I don't have any experience with romantic confessions. There are probably other people in Class B who could help."
"The person confessing her feelings to me...is from Class B."
Amikura shot up, "Huh?!"
"A person from our class?" Shibata said. Eyes looking around his class. Chihiro flinched which didn't go unnoticed by the boy's eyes.
'Oh'
"Maybe it was Kanzaki-kun?" Hiyori suggested.
The boy mentioned blushed furiously. "H-huh? I didn't confessed to Ichinose-san. I don't see her that way." He denied Hiyori who pouted.
"Aw, really? But the two of you look good together."
Ah, that's what it was. I now understood why she'd asked me to come.
"I'd like for you to keep this secret. If not, things will probably get unpleasant. Knowing you, Ayanokouji-kun, I doubt you'll go around telling people."
"But Ichinose, aren't you used to people confessing their feelings to you?"
"Huh?! N-no way. Not at all! I've never experienced this before."
"Eh?!"
"Is that true, Honami-chan?!" Ando gasped.
"Boys must have attempt to confess to you. There's absolutely no way you didn't experience it before." Nene agreed.
Ichinose shook her head furiously. "No one has ever confessed to me."
"That's shocking." Even Horikita was in disbelief.
"Heh." Nagumo smirked.
If she hadn't told me herself, I absolutely would not have believed it.
"I really don't understand why this is happening."
I didn't think this confession was surprising, because Ichinose was so cute. Furthermore, judging how she'd interacted with the other students, she
had a great personality.
"So...will you please pretend to be my boyfriend?"
"I knew it!" Ike screamed.
"Stop screaming, idiot!" Shinohara chastised him.
"But why not asked for the boys in our class?" Beppu asked.
"The one who's confessing came from our class." Kanzaki answered.
Whoa! Had this situation seriously devolved into such a cliché?
"I did a bit of research, and discovered that the rejected person hurts less if the object of their affection is already in a relationship..."
"Isn't it the opposite though?" Nishino whispered to herself.
Nishikawa tilted her head, "I don;t think that's how it works, Ichinose-san."
"I know that now, Nishikawa-san."
"I understand that you don't want to hurt anyone, but won't it be worse if they find out you lied?"
"I could say that you and I broke up, or that you left me or something."
"Wouldn't that hurt Ayanokoji-kun's reputation and image?" Sato asked.
'Seriously? You seemed to have not thought of his feelings and the predicament it will lead to if you said that to people.' Karuizawa rolled her eyes.
I didn't think that was the solution here...
"Honestly, I think it would be much better for you to talk with this person one-on-one. Truthfully."
"As people said, truth hurts." Miyake commented.
"But- Ah!"
Ichinose seemed to have noticed something, and awkwardly raised her hand. Apparently the person in question had arrived earlier than expected.
What in the world kind of visual Kei guy was this person? The new arrival had a boyish, androgynous face. He was even wearing a skirt.
"Wha...?" Yamashita gape.
"That's a girl, Ayanokoji-kun!" Haruka burst out laughing as Ayanokoji mistaken the girl as a boy.
"I didn't recognized her then."
'Do I look like a boy...?' Chihiro thought to herself.
No, no. First impressions aside, she was a girl. I'd suspected as much after seeing her handwriting. Unlike when a boy revealed romantic feelings for another boy, this confession would probably be smooth. I might've thought that because I was a guy myself, though.
"Um, Ichinose-san... Who is this person?"
The new girl seemed a bit unnerved by the unexpected appearance of a male student.
"This is Ayanokouji-kun, from Class D. I'm sorry for bringing someone that you don't know, Chihiro-chan."
"Chihiro-chan?!"
Class B students whipped their heads to face the person of attention.
"Um..." She meekly avoided their gaze and looked at the ground.
Ichinose noticing Chihiro's uncomfortable expression, stepped in to diffuse the situation. "Stop looking and cornering her, guys. Can't you see she's uncomfortable?"
"Oh, sorry Chihiro-chan." Tsube apologized.
"How shocking." Yume whispered.
"I know right?" Amikura agreed, she fixed her gaze on the screen. "I never noticed that she like, Honami-chan that way."
"Is he by any chance...your boyfriend, Ichinose-san?"
"Ah... Well..."
Ichinose probably meant to say that yes, yes I was. But guilt over lying seemed to stopper her answer. The words got stuck in her throat.
"So why is this Ayanokouji-kun person here?"
Confused by this unexpected situation, Chihiro began to cry. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Look you made her cry." Ryuuen mocked Ichinose.
"Have you been confessed too, Ryuuen-kun?" Sakayanagi curiously asked him.
"Never. I don't need that disgusting stuff." Ryuuen faked gagged.
"I knew it. It's not like girls will be confessing to you right now. Maybe not even in the future." Sakayanagi giggled mockingly.
"Huh? You wanna start something, chibi?" Ryuuen glared at her.
"I wonder about that."
Is he her boyfriend? Why would he be here if he wasn't? Chihiro was probably struggling to understand what was going on. Ichinose, seeing Chihiro's tears, grew flustered. Uncertain of what to do, she started panicking. I'd expected Ichinose to be a stalwart, reliable person, but apparently she had an unexpected weak point.
"Um, do you mind going somewhere else, please? I have something important that I need to talk with Ichinose-san about," Chihiro said.
"P-please wait a minute, Chihiro-san. That's, um... Well, to tell you the truth, Ayanokouji-kun is..."
Ichinose was trying to make the first move and turn her down. She probably thought it would be harder if Chihiro directly said, I like you.
"What is it?" Chihiro asked.
"So, Ayanokouji-kun, he's... Well, he's my-"
There was nothing I could do in this situation. Well, nothing except...
"I'm just a friend."
"Thoughtful too." Sato giggled to Matsushita, She seemed to be developing a small crush on the brown-haired man.
"Why didn't you play along, Ayanokoji?" Ike asked.
"Lying in that situation will only put the other person in more pain than it needs to." Ayanokoji glanced at her for a moment.
"I think so too." Katsuragi agreed, "It's more appropriate to respond to their feelings truthfully rather than lying."
"That's Katsuragi-san for you!" Yahiko puffed out his chest.
I cut Ichinose off before she could finish.
"Ichinose. I didn't think this was something I should say, considering no one's ever confessed to me before. But I think it was a mistake for you to
call me here."
I spoke honestly, for both their sakes.
"It's true that confessing your feelings isn't easy to do. You spend every day in complete anguish, as you create the experience in your head over and over. And yet, you still can't confess your feelings. Even when you think the time has come to actually do it, you can't say the words 'I like you'. They get stuck in your throat. That's what I think. Don't you think you should answer someone when they desperately long to express their feelings? If you make the situation unclear, both of you may regret it later."
Students gaped at the screen.
Girls felt their respect and impression on the boy grew. It's true that people have a hard time expressing their feelings to another person, much less saying 'I like you or I love you' to the opposite sex. There's always the fear of rejection. The thought of the person you love not reciprocating your feelings must have clawed at them for who knew how long. A truthful answer only seemed to be appropriate to respond to a earnest confession.
"What a great advice, Ayanokoji-kun." Sakayanagi genuinely smiled and praised him, 'Despite not being in the outside world for long and being inexperienced in that regard, he gave a perfect advice to them. I truly respect and admired you more, Ayanokoji-kun.'
"I only said to them what I sincerely thought what was best in the situation." Ayanokoji shrugged, looking indifferently.
"W-wow." Amikura stuttered.
"I think my heart is beating fast." Nishikawa mumbled to herself. 'What is this feeling?'
"That's one great advice, Ayanokoji-kun!" Haruka beamed at him.
Many students and teachers gave their praised as well. They were amazed by his love advice for the two.
"Hmm. I never took you for being a love expert." Horikita said.
"I'm not. I just siad what was on my mind."
"Uh..."
Ichinose had probably never experienced seriously falling in love with someone before. Therefore, she didn't really know what to do, or if she were doing something wrong. Trying to prevent someone's pain was useless. If you turned someone down, their feelings would inevitably be hurt.
Well, if you managed to come up with a suitable excuse, you probably could make things a little easier. An excuse like "I want to concentrate on my studies" or "There's someone else that I like." Or, like what Ichinose had attempted here: "I'm already dating someone." But no matter what answer
you gave, the other person would definitely be hurt. Even more hurt if the excuse were built on a lie.
"I'm sorry, Chihiro-chan." Ichinose said quietly. Shame filling her inside.
Chihiro frantically waved her arms, "It's okay, Ichinose-san!" forcing a chuckle, she smiled at Ichinose.
"The best way to turn them down is to say the truth." Sakayanagi spoke softly. She eyed Ayanokoji's figure warmly.
"Hoh? I never took you for the type of girl to have that kind of feelings." Ryuuen snickered. Sakayanagi smiled at him, but her eyes speaks her true feelings about the accusation.
I left without waiting for Ichinose's reply. I headed back, but didn't return to the dormitory right away. Instead I stopped by the tree-lined pathway, leaned against the handrail, and sighed as I looked up at green leaves. About five minutes later, a girl ran past me. There were tears in her eyes. Despite that shocking image, I loitered there a while longer to kill time. Around sundown, Ichinose trudged back from the gym and walked over to me.
"Ah..."
Upon seeing me, she looked a little awkward and hung her head. But then she immediately glanced back up at me.
"I was wrong. I didn't respect Chihiro-chan's feelings. I just wanted to
avoid hurting her, and to run away. That was my mistake. Love is really tough, huh?"
Ichinose muttered as she leaned against the handrail next to me.
"I asked her if we could carry on like usual, but... I don't know if we can go
back to how things were."
"That depends on you both."
"Yeah... Thanks for today. For coming along with me for such an odd request."
"It's okay. Days like this happen, anyway."
"But that never happened to me." Ike, Yamauchi, Sudo, and the other despicable boys complained.
"That only apply to decent people." Fukuyama smiled, eyes closed.
"I'm decent though." Ike pouted.
"Where?" She rolled her eyes.
"I guess our positions got reversed, huh? I planned on helping you, but then you ended up helping me."
"I'm sorry for acting so full of myself back there," I said.
Ichinose blinked a couple of times, as if I'd said something odd.
"There's no need for you to apologize, Ayanokouji-kun. None at all."
She stretched her arms towards the sky, and hopped off the railing.
"Now it's my turn to help you. If there's anything I can do, I will."
I wondered how Class B's Ichinose Honami planned to resolve this difficult situation. I had to admit, I was looking forward to seeing it.
That evening, I got a call as I was doing some online shopping. My phone was plugged into the wall next to my bed when suddenly its screen lit up. Caller ID displayed the name: Kushida Kikyou. I did a double take to make sure of what I saw. Knowing I wouldn't have the guts to call her back, I rolled my chair across the room, snatched my phone off the stand, and dove onto the bed.
"I'm sorry for calling you so late. You're still up?" she asked.
Students from across Class A to C become silent when Kushida showed up on the screen.
"Getting a call from Kikyou-chan in night, was something wrong back then?" Sato asked Kushida. Attempting to have her open up and relax around them.
"Yeah, you could have called me, ya know?" Karuizawa played with a strand of her hair.
Kushida only stared at them. Face blank and unreadable.
"Hmm? Oh. I was thinking of going to bed in a little bit. Did you need something?"
"Sakura-san's digital camera was broken, right? I feel like I'm partially to blame since I made her so flustered. So I wanted to take responsibility for
that..."
"N-no!" Airi suddenly yelled out. She shrinked away when eyes turned to her. "I mean, you don't had to feel responsible for that, Kushida-san."
Same as Karuizawa and Sato, Kushida only stared at her silently.
"I don't think you should feel responsible, Kushida. Not in the least. Besides, she's going to get it fixed, right? Since it's so important to her, wouldn't she get it repaired no matter what?"
However, as I spoke I realized it probably wasn't that simple. Sakura was extremely inept at social interaction, and probably lacked the self-confidence to go to a store by herself. It was probably similar to how someone might feel about dining alone in a restaurant.
"How funny it is when you said that you're also the same?"Machida said.
"I am though. I never said I wasn't. I merely spoke about the truth about her." Ayanokoji drank a bottle of water he bought earlier.
"Um... Hello? The person you're speaking of is right here." Haruka sarcastically pointed to Airi who let out a quiet eak.
It was a little hard to believe she could be that shy, but in this world there were all sorts of different people with different personalities. So it wasn't particularly surprising to find a person who lacked all communication skills, right?
"I'm also the same, but not to that extreme." Ayanokoji shut down the questions that was about to be thrown to him.
"So, did you offer to help her then, Kushida?" I asked.
She'd probably been proactive about establishing some common ground with Sakura.
"Yeah. She seemed hesitant at first, but then said that she'd be fine with the day after tomorrow. I think that Sakura's digital camera is probably really important to her."
Kushida had done a wonderful job taking the proper first steps to earn Sakura's trust.
"But why are you telling me this? Won't it go more smoothly if it's just the two of you?"
"Yeah, won't Sakura-san be more flustered with more poeple? Especially a boy?" Onodera asked.
Surprisingly, Kushida decided to answer her. "I asked for his help because she was the witness to Sudo-kun's case."
"If we were just going to get it repaired, I suppose. But, there's another thing. I'd like your help with it, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Do you want me to ask if she knows anything about Sudou's incident?"
"Horikita-san seems convinced that Sakura saw everything. After getting a bit closer to Sakura-san, I also think she knows something. But there has to be some reason why she's keeping quiet, since she keeps denying that she witnessed it."
While taking Horikita along would probably be the best option, it was delusional to think that Horikita and Kushida would spend their day off
together. Kushida had probably chosen me through the process of elimination, as I was the least harmful candidate. If she'd invited Ike or Yamauchi along, they would have had eyes only for Kushida.
"Oh, that's why." Onodera nodded to herself.
"I'm sorry if you felt uncomfortable with my presence and pestering, Kushida-chan." Ike apologized. The Class have a group chat without Kushida and they talked about what to do to make her open up to them. He nudged Yamauchi to do the same.
Moreover, it was convenient. I'd wanted to visit the electronics store for a while now. I sat up and leaned against the wall. For some reason, it felt kind of rude to make plans while lying down.
"Okay, I understand. Let's go."
My voice cracked with a little too much excitement. Fortunately, Kushida didn't seem to notice anything strange, and didn't press me about it. I chatted with Kushida about this and that for a little while. I didn't get too worked up over the conversation; it was casual, so there was nothing to be nervous about. It was proof that she could invade my personal space without causing discomfort. In my mind, I'd firmly recognized her as my friend.
'Even if she blackmailed you?' Students thought. They dare not speak this outloud in fear of provoking her anger at them.
Kushida looked over to Ayanokoji after hearing his last sentence. 'Why?'
"That reminds me. It was really scary when Kouenji-kun and Sudou-kun looked like they were about to start fighting."
"Yeah. It was a critical situation. It looked like their fists were going to do the talking for them."
Kouenji always seemed laid-back, but if Sudou started taking swings at him, he would fight. If that happened, it'd be a disaster.
"Naturally. How could I let the dog land a hit on my perfect face?" Koenji sneered at Sudo who clenched his fist.
"I couldn't even move. Hirata-kun was so amazing, though. He's definitely an admirable person."
"Yeah."
Hearing her praise Hirata like that made me a little jealous. I reminded myself that it was only natural to admire someone with the courage to step up
in a situation like that.
"No need to be jealous, Ayanokoji-kun. I only did what I thought was right. And beside, you're pretty admirable yourself." Hirata smiled kindly.
"Class D was able to come together, thanks to you and Hirata. The fact that the boys and girls are separated plays a big part, too."
Sometimes, only a girl could solve another girl's issues.
"I'm just doing what I normally do. It wasn't anything special."
"I think Hirata would definitely say the same thing."
Often times, special people did not consider themselves special.
'Like yourself?' Sakayanagi questioned him in her mind. It's terrifying to know that Sakayanagi know him that deep only after seeing him once in her life. The way she understand him perfectly shows how capable she is.
"Speaking of special, don't you think that Horikita-san is way more special than someone like me? She's great at studying and excels at sports. It makes me wonder why she's in Class D."
Horikita wasn't special. She belonged to a unique class of people. I kept quiet, though, afraid that if I badmouthed her she'd find out about it.
"Too late." Ayanokoji sighed to himself.
Horikita glared at him, "You have the hobby of making fun of me, huh? How should I punish you?"
"I think it was deserved, don't you think?" Ayanokoji tried to make a joke, fuming Horikita further.
"Wasn't she assigned to Class D in part because she's not very sociable?"
"But doesn't she behave normally with you, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"You think that's normal?"
Based on the Horikita I knew, I'd have to describe the way she treated others as miserable... I trembled a little to recall Ike fainting in agony.
Ike shivered recalling that fateful day. 'Monster, what a monster...No, demon!'
"The...two of you seemed to be traumatized." Ichinose hesitantly remarked.
Manabu could only sighed. His sister must have completely ruined her impression to her classmates.
"When I think of my relationship with Horikita, it's like there's a wall between us. Or perhaps I should say that's the extent of our relationship, if you understand what I'm getting at."
"Hmm?"
She sounded amused yet slightly doubtful. I didn't like being misunderstood by Kushida.
"Ah, that reminds me. I wanted to ask you something. Your room is on the ninth floor, right, Kushida?"
"Huh? Ah, yeah, it is. Why? What about it?"
"Oh, no reason. Just curious."
"Eh? asking her then saying you were just curious?" Ibuki asked. "You're not planning anything pervert, are you?" She then proceed to scowled at him.
"Nothing of the sort." Ayanokoji denied.
"Then why asked?" This time, Sato asked him.
Suddenly, Kushida fell silent. It was unexpected silence, without warning. Our conversation, which had been smooth up until now, came to a screeching halt. Usually, Kushida would resume the conversation immediately, but now she'd stopped. Perhaps asking her floor number had been in bad taste?
I started fidgeting. Unable to calm down, I began pointlessly looking into every corner of my room. Ah, if only I were a pretty boy with excellent communication skills. I couldn't help but wish for that. We were so quiet that we could hear each other breathing.
"You're handsome, Ayanokoji-kun." Hiyori cheerfully exclaimed. "Do you know that you ranked top 5 in the-" Hiyori didn't complete her sentence as the girls put a hand on her mouth stopping her.
"Ranked Top 5 what?" Miyake and the other boys tried to asked the girls who keep quiet.
Ayanokoji knowing what Hiyori mean avoided looking at the eyes of the boys.
"It's getting late. Should I hang up now?" I asked, unable to bear the silence. It was painful to stay on the phone with a girl and not say anything.
"Hey-"
"Hmm?"
Kushida broke the silence, but then stopped talking again. Her hesitation was unusual. This was a far cry from the usual Kushida, who always tried to brighten the conversation.
"I-If... Well... I... I-"
'Is she perhaps trying to open up to Ayanokoji-kun?' Matsushita glanced at Kushida analyzing her.
Kushida did nothing but stare on the screen. What can she do? She was exposed not only to her class but also to the other classes, student council members, and the teachers.
She stopped talking again. Another period of silence followed. Five seconds, then ten seconds passed.
"No, it's nothing."
That sure didn't seem like nothing... However, I lacked the courage to say, "Hey, what is it? Spill!" to her, so I let it go. Sorry, Kushida. If I were on the battlefield, I'd be the sniper, the chicken who would stay far away from the fighting. Forgive me.
"Huh?" Inogashira let out a sound.
"Battlefield...?" Ichinose tried to understand his words.
Horikita did nothing but stare at him making him uncomfortable.
"What?" Ayanokoji asked. He got no answer from the girl.
"Well, I'll see you the day after tomorrow, Ayanokouji-kun."
With that, Kushida ended the call. I wondered what she'd been trying to say. I felt like it was going to be a bad, sleepless night.
On Sunday afternoon, I went to the shopping mall to meet Kushida and fulfill my promise. For someone who generally spent Saturdays lounging in his room, this place made me nervous. One person was sitting on a bench up ahead. I wondered if that person were waiting for someone, like me. After all, most students just went around freely on their days off. While pondering the matter, I sat down on the other available bench.
I'd thought we would go together since we lived in the same dorm, but Kushida was a little fastidious when it came to these things. I decided it'd be better if we met at the agreed location.
"Good morning!"
In the surrounding hustle and bustle, Kushida drew nearer, a wide smile on her face.
"O-oh, hey. Good morning."
My heart started pounding. I fumbled over my words and managed an awkward wave.
"Sorry. Were you waiting long?"
"Oh no, I just got here."
Our back and forth felt like the template for a date. I unintentionally glanced over Kushida's whole body. She was cute. Kushida was really cute. Seeing Kushida in casual attire for the first time was so overwhelming, I couldn't look away.
"Do you like Kushida-san, Ayanokoji-kun?" Matsushita teased him.
"More like, I admire her, I guess" Ayanokoji said after thinking.
"Heh? So you don't like her romantically?" Matsushita poked more.
Ayanokoji stared at her, thinking what her goal is for proding with his relationship with Kushida. "No. I don't like her that way. Or anyone for that matter."
Matsushita stopped asking questions after that.
"This is the first time we've met up on a day off. It's refreshing."
Kushida laughed, maybe because she felt the same way. What the heck was with that cute smile? Something that adorable was against the rules. Perhaps Ike and the others hadn't seen this before. Did that make me happiest of all? I had to contain my excitement in front of her. Kushida spoke up, as if she had just remembered something.
"Weren't you really busy during your downtime last week? I'm glad that you came despite that, Ayanokouji-kun."
Last week? Really glad I came despite that? What the heck was she talking about?
"I'm talking about Ike-kun and the others going to that café, of course."
This was the first I'd heard about it. I didn't recall any previous, hidden event.
Ike and the others hung their head in shame for not inviting Ayanokoji.
"Sorry, Ayanokoji if we didn't asked you to hung out." Ike apologized.
"Yeah, We thought you were busy with Ken's case and all." Yamauchi scratched his head sheepishly.
"It's fine." Ayanokoji accepted their apology.
"By any chance..." Kushida began.
"A-ah. That's it. Now that you mention it, I didn't... I didn't hear about it."
I looked up to the heavens and lamented my worthlessness. It's not like Ike and the others were bad for not inviting me. I was the bad guy, the one who hadn't been invited.
"I didn't mean anything... I'm sorry, I guess I said something wrong..."
"Don't worry about it. Really, I don't care. Was it fun?"
"You do seem to care..."
If I handled this poorly, instead of being the happiest I'd ever been with Kushida, it'd be the worst. Even if it was for just a moment, spending time alone with her made me feel like the luckiest guy. The students who passed us would occasionally steal a glance at Kushida in her casual clothes. In the case of passing couples, the girlfriend would appear upset and grab her boyfriend by the cheek. Even though I was the one with Kushida, I couldn't help but feel bewitched by her cuteness.
What the heck? I was really flattering Kushida a lot. What I'd said had been completely true, but there was also a whiff of bashfulness.
"What's the matter?"
Kushida froze, which I thought was strange. Every movement she made, or didn't make, was cute.
"For the guy that didn't like her in that sense, you seemed to be complimenting her every second you can." Horikita remarked.
At her comment, many boys and girls looked over to Kushida to see her reaction of the possibility of Ayanokoji liking her romantically. Unfortunately for them, she remained unfazed, eyes watching the screen.
"I was just telling the truth." Ayanokoji answered.
"I think we've had really nice weather lately."
Worried that we were heading into clichéd territory, I steered the conversation in another direction. I needed to calm down. How many times
had I used the word "cute" today? At this rate, I'd probably end up using it 100 or 200 times.
"Ah. Sorry. I think I might look a little out of place next to you," I muttered.
I could easily move. I looked simple. I didn't look good next to Kushida by any standard.
"No, no, that's not true at all. I think we're great together," she replied.
"So, you're saying someone simple like me is a good match for you? I should accept an insult like that?"
"Yeah."
I felt the quick thrust of a knife. Maybe I'd dug my own grave by setting myself up like that, but it was still a shock.
"You're that surprisingly delicate, Ayanokouji-kun? I don't really care
what others say. I don't think it's an insult at all. I really think we suit each
other."
"Maybe it was Kushida-san who has a crush on Ayanokoji-kun?" Amikura suggested.
Hashimoto shook his head. "More like she's also complimenting him."
I felt like she was teasing me somehow. Normally, I'd get angry, but since this was Kushida talking it just felt unfair. She'd teased me so casually with only a few words.
"So, what about Sakura-san?"
"I don't see her yet."
It was the exact time we'd agreed to meet, but there still was no sign of her.
"But was she okay with it? Inviting me out, I mean."
"She asked me to invite you, Ayanokouji-kun. Didn't Sakura-san contact you?"
Yamauchi and Ike stared at Ayanokoiji jealous.
"Damn, man. The ladies seemed to be going after you." Nagumo chuckled. Beside him, He nudged Manabu teasingly. "I wonder if your sister has fallen to his charms?"
"I would rather Suzune end up together with him than you." Manabu fixed his glasses, not bothering to looked over to his junior's side to see his reaction. Tachinaba merely tried to hide her laugher.
"Harsh, Kaichou."
"Sakura? No. I haven't really talked to her."
I recalled meeting up with Sakura at the special building. That had been about the extent of our contact.
"Perhaps it was love at first sight?" I said, laughing and grinning. Such a dramatic scenario would be absolutely ridiculous.
"Right now, how about we sit and wait?"
"Sure. Well... Hey, uh, isn't that Sakura-san sitting next to us?"
Sakura, clearly flustered and indeed sitting on the bench next to us, stood and gave a sheepish bow. Had Sakura really been sitting there the entire time? Amazing that we hadn't noticed her at all. Not a sign of her presence or aura.
"How long have you been there?!" Shibata freaked out.
Haruka and Miyake laughed loudly with the other students.
Airi played with her glasses, " I was there ten minutes before the designated time." She slowly whispered. Luckily Shibata heard her.
"I'm sorry, I don't stand out much, I suppose... Good morning," Sakura said.
"No, I don't think you blend in too much. I definitely felt your presence," I said.
"What a liar." Ryuuen laughed. Ishizaki and the gang joined him.
Airi flushed in embarrassment.
"Oh, you don't need to say that for my sake, Ayanokouji-kun."
Sakura bowed her head apologetically, and slowly straightened. I wanted her to forgive me for not noticing her. Sakura was wearing a hat, and even a surgical face mask, which made it difficult to recognize her at a glance. I wondered if she'd caught a cold or something.
"You kind of look suspicious..."
"Rather than saying you look suspicious, I think you actually stand out more."
"Yeah, I suppose so. I think I do stand out, especially here," Sakura responded. Sheepishly, she removed her mask.
She didn't seem to have a cold. Rather, she seemed like the type to wear the mask in order to avoid attention. She must have really hated standing out.
"But doesn't that make her stand out more...?" Shinohara asked confused.
"So anyway, about my digital camera. Is it okay if we go to the electronics store in the mall?" Sakura asked.
"Well, yes. We did certainly come here to get the camera fixed."
"I'm sorry...for making you come along with me."
Sakura bowed apologetically, as though begging forgiveness from the bottom of her heart. For some reason, I felt sorry for coming here.
There were some incredibly famous, nationally known stores that did business with our school. Even though their customers were only students and the stores themselves weren't too very big, they sold items for everyday use and electronic appliances.
"Let's see, I'm sure they have a repair counter somewhere. Let's check it out."
While Kushida headed towards the back of the store, I wondered just how many times she'd come here. Sakura and I followed close behind.
"I wonder if they'll fix it right away..."
Sakura, looked rather anxious as she took out her digital camera and held it tight.
"You really love your camera, don't you?" I asked.
"Yeah. It's weird, isn't it?"
"People have their own things they cherish." Sakayanagi said. An example of hers maybe is the chess board and its pieces.
"Yeah. I'm completely addicted to my phone, I'll probably freaked out if it suddenly broke." Karuizawa agreed.
Shibata smiled at her, "Same with me. I also liked to play soccer as my hobby and passion."
Airi brighten up after she heard the words of her fellow students.
"No, not at all. It's a good hobby to have, isn't it? I get the feeling there's a significant story attached to that camera. It'd be great if they fixed it soon."
"Yeah."
"There it is! The repairs counter."
The store was crowded with a huge number of products and difficult to navigate, but towards the back was the place where they handled repairs.
"Ah..."
For some reason, Sakura suddenly stopped in her tracks. When I glanced over at her, I noticed she was wearing an expression of blatant fear and revulsion. It seemed that something had upset her quite a bit. However, when I followed Sakura's line of sight, I saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"What's the matter, Sakura-san?" Kushida asked.
She also must've thought Sakura's behavior was strange.
"Ah, umm... Well..."Although it seemed like she was about to say something, all Sakura did was shake her head and take a deep breath.
"It's nothing."
She donned an earnest smile, and walked to the repair counter. Kushida and I exchanged looks, but decided to follow her. Maybe it really was nothing, like she said. Kushida talked to the store clerk and asked him to repair the digital camera. Meanwhile, incredibly bored, I checked out the appliances on display.
Kushida's worldly wisdom was certainly impressive. Even though it was her first time meeting the store clerk, she was soon talking to him as if they were longtime friends. Sakura, the camera's owner, spoke only when she needed to give her consent or to clarify something. Even so, the store clerk appeared pretty fired up. He aggressively engaged Kushida in conversation, without even pausing for a breath. Although I could just barely hear the conversation, it sounded like he was asking Kushida on a date. He asked if she wanted to see a certain female idol's concert, which was being screened over in the theater.
"Wha...?" Ibuki gaped at the clerk's boldness.
Sato shivered, "Are you okay, Kusida-san? Sakura-san?" She rubbed her forearms when she felt chills.
"It was nothing." Kushida mumbled.
"What a creep." Ike scoffed.
"Coming from you?" Shinohara retort back.
He seemed like quite the otaku, judging from how passionate he was about a wide range of subjects, from idol elections to idol magazines. Because Kushida didn't show any signs of disliking the conversation, he probably thought he could successfully ask her out. However, I believed she would try her hardest to sidestep the invitation.
"I salute you for being polite and brave during that time, Kushida-san." Yume said.
Ayanokoji can only think how many times Kushida cussed out the clerk in her head.
He seemed to be getting excited over talking to such a cute girl, but their conversation didn't proceed any further. As I'd expected, Kushida began to feel awkward. In order to conclude their business, she urged Sakura to hand over the camera. When the store clerk opened up the camera to confirm the contents, he saw that part of it had been damaged from the fall. That was why the camera wouldn't turn on properly. Fortunately, because Sakura still had the warranty card, the item could be repaired free of charge.
Finally, all Sakura had to do was fill out her contact information, and we'd be done. But Sakura's hand suddenly stopped as she filled out the form.
"Sakura-san?"
Kushida, thinking that something strange was going on, called out to Sakura. She seemed to be hesitating for some reason. I didn't intend to say anything at the time, but her attitude seemed to weigh on my mind. And also -
The store clerk, who had previously been absorbed in his conversation with Kushida, now stared directly at Sakura. Both Sakura and Kushida were looking down at the form, so they didn't notice. But the clerk had unsettling eyes. Even men would find it a little creepy.
The girls flinched away from the screen. The way the clerk eyed Sakura certainly affected them as well.
"W-what the hell...?" Ibuki mumbled. Next to her, Hiyori closed her eyes, hoping to burn away the image.
"Why is he staring at Sakura-san like that?" Haruka whispered. She inched closer to Miyake who glared at the screen.
"Can I see that for a second?" I asked.
"Huh?"
Standing next to Sakura, I reached for the pen she was holding. She didn't seem to understand why I wanted it, but she anxiously handed it over.
"When the repairs are finished, please contact me."
"H-hey, wait a minute. Contact you? She's the owner, isn't she? That would be..."
"The manufacturer warranty explicitly shows where the item was sold and the date of purchase. Also, I doubt there'd be any legal problems with me putting my information down. It should be perfectly fine if the user's name is different than the purchaser's."
Before the clerk could say "I understand", I'd entered my name and my dorm room number into the required fields.
The girls sighed in relief.
"What a gentleman." Yume squealed.
Amikura agreed with her. Himeno on the other hand, although do not share their class mantra, was grateful for Ayanokoji for doing that for Airi.
Horikita eyed Ayanokoji, "You seemed to be useful in that kind of setting." She hmp before looking back at the screen.
"A-ano...Thank you, Ayanokoji-kun." Airi whispered. She smiled at him gratefully who he accepted back.
Haruka eyed the two. A thought crossing her mind.
"Or, is there a reason why she specifically has to enter her information?" I added, still without looking back up.
"N-no, not at all. I understand. There's nothing to worry about," the clerk said.
Shortly after I'd completed the form, I handed it over with the camera. Sakura gently patted her chest and sighed in apparent relief, but when she learned it'd take two weeks for the camera to be repaired, she grew discouraged. Her shoulders slumped.
"That clerk sure was something else. He talked with such incredible passion, I was just so shocked," Kushida said.
"Passion? Yeah right." Nishikawa rolled her eyes.
"Didn't you feel kind of disgusted?" Sakura asked.
"N-no, I wasn't disgusted by him. Do you know something? About that clerk?"
Sakura gave a meek nod. I guessed that something had been off even when she first purchased the camera. Turning to me, she asked,
"What do you think, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Well, he had this sort of vibe, like he's kind of hard to approach. Especially for girls."
"More like a creepy vibe." Ibuki snarled. She was absolutely disgusted on the way the clerk looked at Kushida and Sakura.
"Luckily you went with them, Ayanokoji-kun." Nene said.
"That was kind of what I was trying to get at before... I was scared to go to the repair shop alone because of that..."
Kushida seemed to have an epiphany. She turned to me with wide eyes.
"Did you know about this, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Well, she's a girl. I thought she might be reluctant to write down her address or cell phone number."
'Finally. A boy that gets them. Boyfriend material.'
Suddenly, eyes turned to Ayanokoji. All of them were girls, and they were eyeing him with an unreadable emotion on their faces.
Being a guy, I wouldn't be troubled if my information got out there.
"Th-thank you...Ayanokouji-kun. You really...saved me."
"Nah, I didn't really do anything. I just wrote down my address. When they contact me about the repairs, I'll get in touch with you right away, Sakura."
Sakura nodded, looking glad. If that's all it takes to please you, then it actually makes me sorry for you.
"You really looked out for Sakura-san," Kushida said.
"Well, you're making it out to be bigger than it was. Honestly, I was only watching out for that rather weird clerk. I guess he gave the impression that he really, really loved girls."
"Disgusting."
"Honestly repulsive."
"We might have to check out that clerk." Hoshinomiya said to her co-teachers. Despite the rivalry going on between their classes and her personal issue with Chabashira, a situation like that is serious. Who knew if that kind of situation become normal? Or worst case scenario, it may end in sexual harassment?
"After the viewing today." Mashima nodded his head.
"Ha ha... That's certainly true."
Even Kushida appeared nonplussed. For someone like Sakura, though, who wasn't accustomed to fawning male attention, I thought it was the right
answer.
"Since you were with me today, Kushida-san, we completed our task without me having to talk at all. Thank you."
If Sakura had faced that store clerk one-on-one, she probably would've run away.
"Oh, no need to thank me. If you're okay with my help, then I'm happy to lend a hand any time. Sakura-san, you really like your camera. Don't you?"
"Yeah... I've liked cameras ever since I was little. My dad bought me one before I entered junior high, and I absolutely fell in love with it. Or I suppose you could say that I just love taking pictures... I'm not really well informed when it comes to this stuff, though."
"Same!" Sato excitedly yells. "I like taking pictures of beautiful scenery and cute stuffs."
"I think being knowledgeable and liking things are separate matters. It's wonderful to be so passionate about something."
"Sakura, you usually take pictures of landscapes, right? Do you ever take pictures of people?"
"Huh?!"
Sakura stepped backwards, looking quite flustered. Did she find that question unpleasant? It'd seemed like an extremely natural question to ask.
Like, did she just take pictures of landscapes or were they her specialty? Sakura shut her mouth, and her body stiffened.
"I apologize for making you uncomfortable, Sakura." Ayanokoji apologized, yet his poker face remained at is.
Airi shook her head, "N-no! It's okay. I was just embarrassed and all."
Haruku grinned, Looks like she found some interesting things about her two classmates.
"Th-that's a secret."
Well then. It sounded like she didn't want to go into the details with me.
"W-well, it's just... It's embarrassing," replied Sakura, her cheeks reddening.
She looked down as she spoke. Although my imagination ran wild, I couldn't let it show on my face. I had to remain neutral.
"Oh hey, that reminds me. Sorry to ask, but since we're here, is it okay for me to look around the store?"
"Was there something you wanted?"
It wasn't so much that I wanted something, as there was something on my mind.
"The two of you can wander around, if you want."
"I think we'll come in, too. Right?" Kushida said.
"S-sure. After all, I feel bad you both had to come with me... Besides, I do have the time."
I didn't exactly want them there, but apparently they'd decided to come along. Kushida and Sakura. When I watched the two of them walk side by
side, I realized that they'd managed to grow closer in just one day. Kushida, I wish you'd share a little of your people skills with me.
"Eh? Was it supposed to be a secret?" Inogashira asked.
Airi felt a bit sad after knowing that Ayanokoji didn't want them there.
"It's a bit private and sensitive to me." Ayanokoji explained.
Some students who relates to keeping their lives and things private, understood him. They nodded indicating that they understand.
Since they seemed to be having girl talk, I decided to leave them alone and went to look for what I wanted. I went into my phone's contacts. Back when Ike had involved me in the whole gambling thing, I'd exchanged contact information with some people. Even though I still only had a few names in my address book, it was clear that my number of friends was increasing. I selected the name "Sotomura (Professor)" and called him.
"Gambling?" Ishizaki asked.
Morishige looked at them in disbelief, "The school tolerates gambling?"
"It was a little bet, nothing serious." Ayanokoji assured them.
Ike and the guys laughed nervously. The others wonder what it was about.
"It better be not something perverted." Shinohara glared at them.
"Hey Professor, do you have a minute?"
"Hmm? It's rare to get a call from you, Ayanokouji. What do you need?"
Sotomura's nickname was Professor, which undoubtedly made it sound like he was rather intelligent. In reality, he was just a huge otaku. He gathered information daily, comprehensively spanning a wide variety of topics, from dating sims to anime and manga.
"Professor, did you buy your laptop computer from the school, with your points?"
"Yes, I most certainly did. It cost 80,000 points. But what of it?"
"I'm looking for something."
I explained the gist of what I wanted. Although many similar products sat on the displays in front of me, I didn't know which one to choose. It probably would've been faster to just ask the store clerk, but I didn't want to for various reasons.
"Ayanokouji. Though I am considerably well-versed in that particular electronic field..."
"It's okay if you don't know."
"Please wait," said the Professor as I was about to end the call. "I do know. In fact, I have two of them at my parents' home."
"No way! You've had them since junior high? Isn't that bad?"
"Bad?"
"What are you two talking about?" Kanzaki asked curious.
"Nothing worth noting, Kanzaki-dono." Professor assured him.
Kanzaki looked at him, "Why do you talk like that?"
"Is it a bother?" Professor asked instead.
"No, not at all."
"Do not misunderstand me. They were only for experimentation, for the sake of my language studies."
"Well, could I trouble you to help me set it up?"
"Puh, leave it to me. I'm sure that someday I will have a favor to ask of you in return."
Clearly, he was the man for the job. When entering a subject that I didn't understand, it was important to find an expert.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," I said to the girls.
"Have you already finished?"
"Today was just a preliminary inspection. I don't have enough points to buy anything."
Suddenly, Kushida froze while glancing over at Sakura's profile.
"Sakura-san, have we met somewhere before?" Kushida murmured.
"Huh? N-no. I don't think so, but..."
"Sorry. It's just that when I look at you, I get this feeling that we've met before, Sakura-san. Hey, weird question, but could you try removing your glasses?"
"You mean the fake glasses?" Sakayanagi smiled.
The others looked confused.
"Huh? Fake?" Ike muttered.
"Certainly. If you could see the President's glasses, you could see the differences between his and Sakura-san." Katsuragi explained. "But I don't have any means to inquire the reason behind it. I respect her privacy and decision after all."
"Sakura-san, is that true?" Haruka asked.
Airi meekly nodded, "If you keep watching you'll find out the reason."
"Huh?! B-but that's... My eyesight is so bad, I wouldn't be able to see a thing..."
Sakura put her hand up and waved it, signaling to Kushida that she did not want to.
"We should hang out together again, Sakura-san. Not just with me, but with my other friends, too."
"That's..."
Sakura looked like she wanted to say something, but she couldn't find her way to the end of the thought. She said nothing. Kushida seemed to feel that it would make trouble if she pressed the issue, so she kept quiet. Or rather, she didn't ask anything else. In the end, we returned to where we'd started.
"Umm... Thank you for everything today. You really helped me out," Sakura said.
"It's okay, it's okay. There's no need to thank us. Actually, Sakura-san,you can talk to us normally, you know? If it's okay with you. We're in the same grade. It sounds a little weird when you speak so formally to us."
It was certainly true that Sakura's speech patterns weren't exactly what you would expect from a peer. But changing that might be easier said than
done for her; she was visibly perplexed.
"I didn't mean to sound that way. I wasn't aware of it... I sound weird?"
"More like, it's weird speaking with someone that speaks so formally." Matsushita said.
"Oh," Airi hung her head. "I thought I sound weird or something." She whispered.
"It's not really a bad thing! I mean, I'd be happy if you didn't speak so formally to me, though."
"Ah... O-okay... I...I got it. I'll do my best."
I thought that Sakura would have rejected the notion, but she managed to squeak out a few words of agreement. It seemed like she wanted to accept Kushida's proposal. Perhaps this was how people became friends, little by little. Even Sakura, who seemed to have hardly interacted with another person ever, was steadily growing closer to Kushida.
"It was thanks to the efforts of both parties." Sato cheered along with the other Class D girls.
'What's up with them? They're surprisingly optimistic about Kushida's other, or rather, real persona.' Ayanokoji eyed the girls in his class.
"It's okay, though. You don't need to force yourself."
"I-It's okay. I...will."
Sakura kept her eyes down as she spoke. Partway through her sentence she began to sputter, and her words faded so much that we couldn't hear them. However, it didn't seem as though she felt uncomfortable. Kushida smiled in satisfaction, but didn't try to coerce anything more from Sakura. That specific distance felt exactly right for where they were at the moment.
If you tried to strong-arm people who weren't good at socializing, it could backfire. Rather than be grateful, they'd probably find it off-putting. Rather than draw them nearer, being overbearing would probably end up pushing them further away.
"Amazing how you understand their situation, Ayanokoji-dono." Professor praised him, "As expected of the protagonist."
"How many times do I have to tell you that we're not in an anime." Ike grumbled.
'Anime? Protagonist? What? Isn't the protagonist the main character in a story? Why did he called me that?' Ayanokoji felt dizzy thinking about the confusing things the professor was spouting.
"Well then, we'll see you at school. Okay?"
With that, Kushida thought the conversation had ended. However, rather unexpectedly, Sakura didn't move.
"Well!"
Sakura spoke in a small voice, but looked straight at us. When our gazes met, however, she immediately averted her eyes.
"About Sudou-kun... As my way of saying thanks for today, I... Well, that might be a little misleading, but if you like..."
She paused, and started again more clearly.
"I-I may be able to help you with Sudou-kun's case."
"I thought having the witness were useless?" Ando asked confused.
"They can buy them some time, I think. Even though they're in the same class." Shibata said.
In her own words, Sakura told us that she was the witness. Kushida and I exchanged glances.
"So, does that mean that you saw Sudou-kun fight with those other students?"
"Yes. I saw everything. It was a total coincidence, though... I'm sure you don't believe me."
Ryuuen glared at the three idiots for messing up. He still haven't forgiven them for deciding on their own to withdraw the complaint in the end.
"No, we do. Why did you decide to tell us now, though? I mean, I'm happy you did, but I don't want you to force yourself. You don't have to do this just because you're grateful, you know?"
Sakura couldn't seem to get her words out. She lightly shook her head. The fact that Sakura had waited until now to talk proved that she was more concerned about Sudou's case than anything else. I wondered if getting a foothold on friendship made her want to cooperate.
"Is that really true? You're not forcing yourself?" Kushida asked. She must've been thinking the same thing as me.
Sakura nodded sheepishly, as if she could feel that we were worrying about it.
"It's okay... I think that if I kept quiet, I'd probably come to regret it. I...don't want to cause trouble for my classmates. But, if I spoke up as a
witness, then...I would definitely stand out. I hated the thought of that... I'm sorry."
"No need to be sorry, Sakura-san." Onodera smiled at her.
"Yeah. I mean, you decided to help in the end, right?" Karuizawa said.
Airi looked shocked that the girl who was bullying her in the past said that to her.
While Sakura apologized to us repeatedly, full of remorse, she also promised Kushida that she would testify.
"Thank you, Sakura-san. I'm sure Sudou-kun will be really happy."
Kushida took Sakura's hand, and Sakura looked at Kushida's smiling face. I wondered if a new friendship had been born right here, right now. At any rate, we had Sudou's witness.
-x-
Previous Chapter: An Unexpected Witness.
Next Chapter: Each and Every Prediction.
Word Count: 9741