Following the events of the previous chapter
"I need to think about our relationship, we need some time apart" went through Ishigami`s mind like a bullet piercing through glass. "Why did this have to happen? I thought things were going so well, was all this work to being the Student Council president all for nothing?" Ishigami thought as he rubbed his forehead as he tried to figure out what could have possibly gone wrong. "Well at least I`m home," Ishigami thought as the train pulled into the station indicating that he had arrived back in the city. "Man I need some rest," Ishigami thought as he walked off the train and headed to the subway that would take him back home.
1:30 am
"I`m home," said Ishigami as he opened the door to his house. "Oh welcome back, you`re here quite late and why are you soaked?" Mrs. Ishigami asked. "That doesn`t matter, I`ll be in my room, I`m tired," said Ishigami as he went to his room. "It`s late, I should at least get some rest," Ishigami thought as he changed his clothes and hopped into bed, but not before sneezing a couple of times.
Meanwhile
"Where am I?" Ishigami thought as he was trying to figure out where he was. "Hey Ishigami," said Tsubame, but she was with another guy. "Hello Ishigami," said Chika as she was holding another boy`s hand. "What is this? What`s going on?" said Ishigami. "We`re sorry Ishigami, but we have someone already, there`s no room for you in our hearts," said Tsubame and Chika as they walked away.
"Wait, don`t leave me," said Ishigami as he tried to go after them but was blocked off by an invisible wall before the ground cracked open sending Ishigami tumbling down into an endless hole.
"Huh?" Ishigami thought as he woke up sweating as he threw himself up. "It was just a dream, oh thank god," said Ishigami as he recomposed himself and looked at the clock which showed it was 4 am. "Oh geez, I should try and get some sleep," Ishigami thought as he tried to get some sleep following his nightmare.
The next morning
"Oh man, I feel like complete shit," Ishigami thought as he lay in bed sick likely from riding his motorcycle through the rain. "Seems like someone won`t be going to school for a while," said Mrs. Ishigami as she checked the thermometer which showed a temperature of 101 F. "Oh, brother," Ishigami thought. "I`ll call the school to tell them you won`t be in for a while, you should call your workplace as well," said Mrs. Ishigami as she left the room. "Alright," said Ishigami as he grabbed his phone from his counter and called his boss.
"Hello? Oh, Ishigami" said Yui as she picked up the call. "Oh hey boss, I`m calling to tell you that I won`t be coming to work for a few days, I`m not feeling well," said Ishigami. "No problem, you take all the time you need, we`ll be fine, just come back to work when you`re 100 percent," said Yui. "Thanks Boss," said Ishigami as he ended the call. "Just great," Ishigami thought as a cold was the last thing he needed.
Two days later
"Man all this work is piling up, where is Ishigami?" said Miko as the Student Council was scrambling with work due to their president being missing. "I heard he was sick after he came back from a long trip," said Kei. "He took a trip? Why didn`t he tell us?" said Miko. "Oh that`s because he went to go see my sister," said Moeha. "He did what?" said Miko in shock. "We need to give Ishigami the documents he missed from today, why don`t you bring them to him now, we`ll take care of the rest of the work," said Kobachi as she pulled out an envelope. "Guess I should drop by and pay him a visit," said Miko as she grabbed her bag and the envelope and left the Student Council room shortly afterward.
"This is the place," said Miko as she doubled checked the address before ringing the doorbell."Hello, who might you be?" Mrs. Ishigami asked as she saw Miko waiting at their door. "Oh hello, I`m Ishigami`s classmate, I`m here to drop something off," said Miko. "Oh, why don`t you give them to him, he`s in his room right now," said Mrs. Ishigami as she let Miko walk in. "So is he okay?" Miko asked as she sat on the sofa. "He`ll be fine, a few days of rest will be enough for him," said Mrs. Ishigami as she put a cup of tea in front of Miko. "Is it okay if I go see him now?" Miko asked. "That`s fine, go to him whenever you`re ready," said Mrs. Ishigami as she walked back into the kitchen.
"Hey Ishigami, this is Miko, open up, I have something for you," said Miko as she knocked on Ishigami`s door. "Give me a sec," said Ishigami as he unlocked his door.
"There you are," said Miko as Ishigami opened the door to his room. "Oh hey, what brings you here?" said Ishigami as he let Miko in. "Where have you been these last few days? You left most of the work to us" said Miko as she placed the envelope on Ishigami`s table. "Sorry, I had a fever," said Ishigami as he blew into a tissue. "I heard from Moeha that you went to go see Chika all the way in Kyushu," said Miko. "Who told you that?" said Ishigami. "Moeha spilled the beans," said Miko to which Ishigami sighed.
"Yeah I went there to surprise her, but little did I know that she would have the bigger surprise herself," said Ishigami. "What happened?" Miko asked. "She said she needed some space since college is stressing her out," said Ishigami. "That might as well be a breakup," Miko thought as she listened. "What do you plan to do now?" Miko asked. "I don`t know honestly, I think I need a bit of a break to figure things out," said Ishigami. "Hold on, you`re not implying that," said Miko as she had a feeling what Ishigami was about to say.
"Yeah I`ve been thinking that being the Student Council President is too much work for me, maybe I need a break from reality even if it means quitting the Student Council," said Ishigami. "Are you serious?! Please tell me you`re joking" said Miko as she was shocked at what she just heard. "I just don`t know, my mind is all over the place, it would be bad for the Student Council to have a depressed president, I don`t know what else to do," said Ishigami to which Miko threw a nearby pillow at Ishigami.
"What are you doing?" said Ishigami to which Miko threw another pillow at him. "You`re thinking about quitting the Student Council President because Chika decided to end things with you?! I thought you were better than this," Miko yelled. "Why do you care? Isn`t that better for you that I`m out of the picture?" Ishigami asked. "If you quit being the president because of this, you`re even weaker than I thought, Miyuki would be so disappointed in you," said Miko as she stormed out the room. "What`s with her?" Ishigami thought as he laid back in his bed following Miko`s outburst.
Later
"Yu, here`s your food," said Mrs. Ishigami as she brought in a tray of congee and water. "Thanks Mom," said Ishigami. "Did something happen between you and that young lady?" Mrs. Ishigami. "She`s always been like that," said Ishigami. "I heard what you two were talking about, I know it`s tough after hearing the news regarding Chika, but are you actually considering resigning?" Mrs. Ishigami asked to which Ishigami sighed.
"I just don`t know what to do, it`s like everything I worked for was reduced to nothing," said Ishigami as he ate some congee. "You worked so hard to get up to this point, it would be a waste to give it up, you`ll get through this, get some rest," said Mrs. Ishigami as she left the room. "Easy to say when you`re not the one in my shoes," Ishigami thought as he went back to sleep.
Meanwhile
"Is Ishigami that heartbroken?" Miko thought as she sat on a bench at the park. "I don`t know how to feel about this, on one hand, it means that now I do have a chance with Ishigami and I could possibly take over as the Student Council president as I`ve always wanted to, but at what cost? Do I really want to take advantage of Ishigami`s misfortune for my own gain?" Miko thought as the situation was getting more complicated.
Three more days later
"Thankfully the cold went away," Ishigami thought as he woke up feeling like himself for the first time in several days. "Yu, since you`re not doing anything, can you give me a ride to the market? I need to buy some groceries and supplies" Mrs. Ishigami asked from the kitchen. "Sure, I guess I could use some fresh air," said Ishigami as he went to get his pair of helmets and motorcycle keys.
"I still need some time to get used to this," said Mrs. Ishigami as they rode down the street. "Yeah well I`m sure it beats taking the train or taxi," said Ishigami as they reached their destination. "Here we are," said Ishigami as Mrs. Ishigami stepped off the bike. "Thank you, I`ll take the train back, why don`t you walk around the city and clear your mind," said Mrs. Ishigami as she walked away. "All right, let`s do some exploring," said Ishigami as he walked around trying to get his mind cleared.
"Hm, the new game is coming out soon, I should have enough money to buy it if I work another week," Ishigami thought as he looked outside the video game store. "Oh hello Ishigami," said Daichi as he noticed Ishigami. "Oh hello, Mr. Fujiwara," said Ishigami as he bowed. "Are you taking the day off today?" Daichi asked as it was unusual for Ishigami to not be at school.
"Yeah I was sick for a few days," said Ishigami. "Oh I see, are you feeling better?" Daichi asked. "Yeah a bit," said Ishigami. "Hey, do you have some free time? There`s something that I want to talk to you about," said Daichi. "Sure," said Ishigami. "There`s a cafe nearby, let`s talk there," said Daichi as the two walked to a more suitable location to have their conversation.
"I heard from Chika about what happened between the two of you, it must have been tough for the two of you," said Daichi as the two stopped at a cafe to chat. "Yeah, I didn`t think this would happen so soon, guess even the nicest person has their limits," said Ishigami as he took a sip of tea. "Chika made this decision on her own, please try to respect her decision and try not to do anything reckless, she may seem like a ditzy girl, but she`s quite headstrong and determined," said Daichi.
"I`ll try my best, although this won`t be easy for the both of us," said Ishigami to which Daichi nodded. "Thanks for understanding Ishigami, now excuse me, I have to be at a meeting, I`ve paid for our drinks, take care," said Daichi as he walked out of the restaurant. "Guess I`ll get going," said Ishigami as he walked out of the restaurant and went about his business once again.
Meanwhile
"Thank goodness you decided to join us," said Miko as they managed some documents. "No worries, so Ishigami`s still going to be out for a few days?" said Kobachi. "Yeah, I still can`t believe he`s even thinking about quitting being the president, what kind of man gives up when things get tough?" said Miko as she huffed. "Well I mean Ishigami`s been through so much, first with Tsubame and now Chika, most people would have reached their limits if they were in his shoes," said Kobachi. "I`m not worried about that idiot," said Miko. "Your expression says otherwise," said Kobachi to which Miko turned red. "Never mind that, just help me out with the documents Koba-chan," said Miko as they continued to work.
Back to Ishigami
"Ishigami, is that you?" said a familiar voice to which Ishigami turned. "Oh Captain," said Ishigami as he realized it was Kazeno who called out to him. "It`s good to see you, how have you been?" Kazeno asked as they high-fived. "I`ve been better" Ishigami replied. "You wanna talk? Something happen?" said Kazeno to which Ishigami nodded. "I know a place that`ll help calm you down a bit, we can talk there," said Kazeno. "Alright tell me where it is, we can go there by bike," said Ishigami as he tossed Kazeno a helmet.
Later
"I see, so things between you and Fujiwara didn`t go so well," said Kazeno as Ishigami told him the details as they were at a batting place per Kazeno`s request. "Yeah, it feels like Tsubame, but even worse since I actually thought things were finally starting to look up," said Ishigami as he hit a baseball. "Love is so unpredictable isn`t it?" said Kazeno. "That`s an understatement," said Ishigami as he hit another baseball. "Listen, all you can do is pick yourself up, don`t cling to the past," said Kazeno. "I know that, but I`ve had too much drama with girls," said Ishigami.
"Well that`s just life for you, I felt the same way you feel when Kobachi told me she wanted to end things, I was heartbroken for a bit, but eventually you`ll just move on from it, maybe try letting out your emotions," said Kazeno. "Yeah I guess time is necessary to heal," said Ishigami. "Hey, could you drop me off somewhere later if it's not too much to ask?" Kazeno asked as he took a break from pitching. "Sure," said Ishigami as he hit an extra hard home run.
"Thanks for the ride, didn`t think you got your license so early," said Kazeno as Ishigami dropped him off at his destination following their pitching session. "No worries, it`s the least I could do since you listened to my issues," said Ishigami."Good luck, I`m here if you need support," said Kazeno as he walked away leaving Ishigami alone once again. " I still can`t get this out of my mind, maybe I need to get away from the city," Ishigami thought as he decided to ride to an area outside of the city.
Lake Okutama 2:00 pm
"Man this sucks," said Ishigami as he took off his helmet and looked at the view from the hilltop which showed a big waterfall. "What am I supposed to do now? I guess I`m back to square one just like with Tsubame, love is too complicated for a normie like me" Ishigami thought as he leaned near the railing. "Maybe this is a chance for me to look in the mirror and figure out what I want to do, college time is approaching," said Ishigami as he took a sip from his bottle of water. "Speaking of, do I want to follow Chika to be in the same university or follow my own path even if we have to be separated for a while?" Ishigami thought as college applications were coming up soon and that it would soon be time to decide which path was going to be taken.
"Man I wish things were simpler," Ishigami thought as he looked at a photo of him and Chika together from their beach trip. "At least the view`s nice from here, I could look at this for hours," Ishigami thought as it wasn`t every day that he had a chance to indulge in the beauty of nature. "Chika I still love you!" Ishigami shouted with all his might as he finally decided to let his emotions out. "Captain was right, letting it out does kinda help," Ishigami thought as he felt some weight lifted off him.
4:00 pm
"I should head back soon before traffic gets too nasty later," said Ishigami as he got up and rode back to the city before it got too dark.
6:30 pm
"Guess I`ll get a quick drink before I head home," Ishigami thought as he walked into a nice-looking bar upon returning to the city. "Hey bartender, can you give me a nonalcoholic margarita?" Ishigami asked as he took a seat at the counter. "Yu-kun?" said a familiar voice. "Tsubame, what are you doing here?" Ishigami asked as he noticed that the bartender in question was Tsubame. "The bar was short some people tonight so I volunteered to help them out," said Tsubame as she grabbed some drinking glasses.
"I see, so uh how have you been?" said Ishigami as he waited for his drink. "I`ve been good, I`m about halfway done with college," said Tsubame as she put some ice into a glass. "That`s good to hear," said Ishigami as Tsubame placed the margarita in front of Ishigami.
"Did something happen between you and Chika?" Tsubame asked as she wiped some drinking glasses. "Why do you ask that?" Ishigami asked as he took a sip of his drink. "Well for starters most people don`t come to a bar by themselves unless something major happened to them, you can be open with me, I`ll listen to your problems," said Tsubame to which Ishigami sighed. "All right fine, Chika decided to end things between us temporarily," said Ishigami to the shock of Tsubame.
"Oh my, I`m sorry to hear that, what happened?" Tsubame asked as she placed another drink in front of him. "Well, it seems that college is stressing her out to a point where she decided that she can`t balance a relationship and school at the same time so she told me that we needed some time apart from each other" Ishigami explained while starting on his second drink. "So this is what would have happened if I accepted Yu-Kun's confession then," Tsubame thought as she listened. "It seems that more happened based on your expression," said Tsubame as she could tell based on Ishigami`s expression that something else was bothering him. "Can you give me a Roy Rogers and then I`ll explain the rest" said Ishigami to which Tsubame nodded and prepared the drink.
"Yeah, I kinda told Miko I was thinking about stepping down as president," said Ishigami as he finished his drink. "Oh? Why did you tell her that? Are you serious about that?" Tsubame asked. "I just don`t know anymore, I swear my drive just went down the toilet after Chika decided things needed to be on hold. I don`t think I have it in me to continue being the president" said Ishigami to which Tsubame put her hand on Ishigami`s hand.
"Yu-Kun, you worked so hard to become the Student Council president, you shouldn`t give up just because things are looking bleak, you became the Student Council president to help others out right?" said Tsubame. "Yeah I worked hard, but it seems that it`s all for nothing now," said Ishigami. "Take this opportunity to better yourself, there will be light at the end of the tunnel if you keep pushing," said Tsubame to which Ishigami nodded.
"Thanks for hearing me out, I feel a bit better now," said Ishigami. "No worries, always glad to help," said Tsubame as Ishigami paid for his drinks. "Take care," said Ishigami as he waved back before leaving the bar. "I kinda feel bad for Yu-Kun, there has to be a limit to how much misfortune a person can have," Tsubame thought to herself.
"Guess I better head home before my folks get worried," Ishigami thought as he checked the time on his phone before putting on his helmet and hopping onto his motorcycle and drove back home. "I`m home," said Ishigami as he walked through the door. "Welcome home, did that exploration day calm you down a bit?" said Mrs. Ishigami. "Yeah, I feel a bit better, I`ll be in my room if you need me," said Ishigami as he put his motorcycle keys away before he went to his room.
"What a day," Ishigami thought as he plopped onto his bed following the events that had ensued during the day. "At least I was lucky enough that I ran into some old friends that actually gave me some good advice," said Ishigami as he now had some closure on what needed to be done. "I`ve decided, I`ll finish up my term as president and become a better person that can truly stand next to Chika," said Ishigami as he realized that groveling over the situation would be pointless.
The Next Day
"Is Ishigami going to really quit being the president?" Kei asked as it had been almost a week since Ishigami had last been with the Student Council. "Well big sis ended things with him for the time being, so it's a possibility," said Moeha. "He better not, I`ll never let him hear the end of it if he does" said Miko as she looked through some documents before the door opened.
"Good morning everyone," said Ishigami as he entered through the door. "President Ishigami, welcome back," said Kei as everyone turned their attention to Ishigami. "So have you made up your mind?" Miko asked. "I`ve decided that I will finish up my last term as president despite everything, so no I won`t be quitting," said Ishigami to which everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Good to have you back," Miko thought as she was relieved that Ishigami was going to stay. "Let`s get back to work everyone," said Ishigami as the Student Council resumed their work following the good news.
"Whatever happens, I gotta keep going, Chika I know you said you wanted some space, but that doesn`t mean I`ll give up on you," Ishigami thought as he sat back at his desk while looking outside the window.
Results of battle: Ishigami wins
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. How will Ishigami adjust to these new circumstances with their relationship on hold? Will there be new problems down the road? The quality of chapters might see a dip due to the limited amount of time I have to work on the chapters every day, so my bad if the chapters aren`t as good as they used to be.
I`m already working on the sequel of this story so stay tuned because I think the sequel might get wilder than the current story.
As always feel free to leave a review on what you thought of the chapter. See you all in the next chapter.