"I'm so getting fired for this…"
A depressed sigh punctuated that sentiment as he started to text Nakité. Due to recent events, he had yet to find the time to do what he was hired for nor did he believe that he would be able to properly do so if he did.
That alone made him feel guilty, but that particular guilt was accentuated by the fact that he couldn't particularly state why he was unavailable.
All he could do the last few days was give brief apologies and like the others, fear gripped his heart when he sent the text.
Naturally the waiting for a response was just as or even worse than the composition of the message. He just knew the-
Huh?
Not too long after the sent message, he received a response.
It was a simple okay with a smiley face attached to it.
Nakité's really understanding.
He figured that she would naturally start showing some annoyance at this point but that hasn't happened yet. Even more surprising, she had yet to question of why he was truly unavailable.
I got to find some time to help Nakité. Though that's easier said than done right now…
Another sigh slipped through his lips. It was becoming increasingly hard to wrap his head around recent events.
"Still, I made a promise, so I got to figure something out…" he thought aloud.
Shujinkou crossed his arms and closed his eyes, taking advantage of his current solitude to try and think of a solution.
"I have no idea…" he weakly chuckled. "Maybe it'd be best if I focused on one thing at a time."
Shujinkou's eyes were then drawn to the front entrance of the school. He was still waiting for a certain someone to walk through them.
Maybe I should go check on her. Then again she did suddenly run off without really explaining why… Plus I was asked to wait, so this may not be a checking on moment.
Like everything lately, deciding what to do was a struggle. But he would soon discover that he wouldn't have long to do so as the front doors of the school soon opened.
"Claudette?"
Sashaying through the entrance was Monika's older cousin, Claudette. Just like the day he met her, she was wearing a school uniform.
Wonder if she'd really get in trouble for that, especially after school.
Their eyes soon met, prompting a smile to cross her face as she approached him.
"Hey, Mr. Popular," she greeted.
"Mr. Popular?"
Shujinkou anxiously scratched his right cheek. The clear interest Claudette displayed towards him long with such a nickname was a little intimidating.
"You don't to be so nervous around me, Shujinkou. I'm not a scary person," she assured him.
"Sorry. To be honest, I'm still a bit… well I'm something after our last talk."
Shujinkou could recall his mind going white during their first meeting. Though he wasn't greeted with a kiss on the cheek like the others, the greeting he did receive felt like more intimate.
"Yeah, I guess I may have come on a little too strong," Claudette conceded. "I was just a little excited to meet you after hearing so much about you."
Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. Her explanation did little to settle his nerves.
"Okay, I'm exaggerating about the amount I heard about you, but I still was interested in meeting the 'heart' of the club," she continued.
"That title again…" Shujinkou weakly chuckled.
His nerves completely failing him, Shujinkou instinctively lowered his head and sighed. Why am I such a nervous wreck right now…?
He then felt one of Claudette's slender fingers crawl under his chin and lift his head back up, forcing him to look her in the eyes.
"You're not helping yourself by looking away, you know," she advised.
"R-Right."
"That said, you seem to generally get nervous when you get compliments."
She had heard from Monika that Shujinkou didn't respond much to compliments, but she never heard compliments deterring his ability to function.
"Yeah. It was only recently when I didn't deny them. I'm not used to accepting them," Shujinkou admitted.
"You're pretty open and honest too… Especially to a stranger, huh, Shujinkou?"
"I mean, you don't seem like someone I would need to worry being open with…"
"Oh." She was briefly taken aback by his answer, but quickly hid it with a smile. "Thank you."
Claudette pulled her hand back to her side, contemplating their short conversation so far. Yeah, I made him nervous. Still, despite that he has an air of innocence and is surprisingly open. So far, Monika hasn't exaggerated.
"So… what are you doing at our school, Claudette?" Shujinkou asked.
"Oh, I snuck in to see my little cousin during lunch time and to see the Halloween decorations. Looking pretty festive; can't wait to see how spooky it looks on the night of."
"Yeah, kinda amazing it won't seem scary until Halloween."
"Or an empty school at night."
"Uh…"
Claudette giggled at Shujinkou's worried face.
"I wasn't suggesting, just pointing it out," she explained.
"Oh."
"But backtracking to Monika…" Claudette's jovial expression quickly changed to worry. "Do you know what's been bothering her lately? She mentioned that thing with Yuri but I know something else is bothering her."
That question was like a crossroads to Shujinkou. On one hand, he was sure he knew what was bothering Monika and could explain what it was to Claudette. On the other hand, if Monika didn't Claudette herself, then it wouldn't be right to tell her behind his friend's back.
His feelings of powerlessness and indecisiveness were starting to get to him, even if he knew deep down how he should answer.
"Well… I think…"
"That it's an unfair question on you; making you decided whether or not that you should say what Monika wouldn't." Claudette interjected.
"Kinda something like that."
"Fair enough… Could you at least tell me if it have something to do with her physical or mental state?"
"No, I'm pretty sure that she's fine in both cases."
Having recently talked to Monika himself, Shujinkou was sure of his response.
"Alright, then I'll try not to press any further," Claudette conceded. "So, what are you going as for Halloween?"
Shujinkou couldn't help but be amazed how fast Claudette switched from her worries to a much lighter subject. He felt a bit envious of her ability to do so.
"I'm planning to go as Travis Touchdown. He's a character from a video game series called No More Heroes," he replied.
"Really?" Claudette's eyes lit up. "I'm going as the Bubblegum Fatale: Bad Girl."
"Really? Which costume?"
"Still deciding. I may spontaneously choose one at the last second. What about you; have you decided which of Travis' outfit you're going to go with?"
"Not exactly…" Shujinkou awkwardly chuckled, scratching his right cheek.
In reality, he hadn't considered that at all.
"I'm sure you'll look great in whichever one you choose."
"As long as I can get my hair right…"
"Wow." Appearing out of nowhere, Mali inserted herself between Shujinkou and Claudette. "Look how easily Senpai is getting along with one of his potentials' cousin."
"Mali?! Where'd you come from?" Shujinkou exclaimed.
"Does that really matter, Senpai? Not to mention you make it seem like your Kōhai can't visit her Senpai when you get surprised like that all the time," Mali pouted.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that. It's just still shocking when you do that."
"But it keeps Senpai on his own toes, doesn't it. Something he needs to be right now if we're going to be honest."
Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. He felt both anxiety and relief from Mali's blunt comment.
"By the way, what's Senpai doing waiting around school when there's no club?" Mali queried.
"I'm waiting for Yuri. I promised to walk home with her today," Shujinkou answered.
"Only Senpai could say that without any hidden intents," Mali giggled.
"Not like guys and girls can't platonically do things like that. It's not inherently romantic," Claudette argued. Then again I can't exactly deny the opposite is true too depending on circumstances.
Claudette snuck a glance at Shujinkou awkwardly scratching his right cheek.
Though with what Monika said and how he carries himself, I can't really imagine him having any of the intentions Mali's thinking of.
Soon after that thought, the trio heard the doors swing open. Coming through was a familiar face.
"Yuri!" Shujinkou called.
"Ah…" Yuri approached Shujinkou with bright red cheeks. "Sorry to keep you waiting. There was… something I really needed to do."
"It's not a big deal. It wasn't really that long at all," Shujinkou assured her.
"You're so lucky Senpai is so innocent," Mali teased.
"Huh?" Shujinkou shot a confused look at the first-year student.
"See, innocent," Mali giggled.
"Not like that's a bad thing," Claudette rebuked. "Anyway, I'm heading home to prepare for a bunch of stuff. See ya guys later."
With a flashy wave, Claudette sashayed away.
"Her movements exude her natural confidence," Yuri noted.
Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah…"
Soon, they heard the thunderous roar of an engine in the distance. Not too long after, they watched Claudette ride away on a motorcycle.
"She has a motorcycle?!" Shujinkou exclaimed.
"Senpai sounds really impressed. Is he a vehicle enthusiast?" Mali asked.
"Not really. I guess I'm just surprised and amazed," Shujinkou sheepishly answered.
"Hm…" a smile crossed Mali's face. "Senpai's cute when he's acts all excited."
Her eyes narrowed as she stared deep into his. "Same when he's scared."
Those words sent chills down Shujinkou's spine. She was talking to him like she usually did but words and expression somehow affected him more than usual.
"It's one of your most consistent traits," she continued, innocence radiating off her face.
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, the only act he could do to prevent him from shirking back in fear.
Suddenly, he felt an arm wrap around his. Yuri gently pulled him towards her with a composed look on her face.
"Excuse us, Mali, but I have an established curfew right now so we must be going."
Surprise rested on Shujinkou and Mali's faces as Yuri led Shujinkou away from the school.
"W-Wow, Yuri…" he marveled. "That was incredible."
"It wasn't much. I'm just not really fond of the way she talks down to you. It really does bother me most of the time," she calmly explained.
"Still, that was really assertive of you."
"It was, wasn't it…? I'm not usually that type of person, but… seeing you the way you were… I guess I just put my inhibitions aside and just focused on getting you out of an uncomfortable moment. I suppose this is the way you feel when you see someone upset."
"Probably. It's really a in the moment thing and I don't really think about it afterward."
"You always say that, but you must have thought about your actions at least once, right?"
"Most likely… It's really one of those things you forget and don't think about until it comes back to you."
"Mm. That is usually how it goes."
"Y-Yeah…"
Shujinkou tried to raise his right hand towards its respective cheek, but his arm was still entwined with Yuri's.
"Ah…" Yuri slowly released her arm from his. "Sorry, I didn't realize."
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. A thought, inspired by Mali's constant teasing, crossed his mind. No, it wasn't just her words, but an oddly nostalgic feeling that led to that thought.
"Shujinkou…"
"Yeah?"
"This might sound out of nowhere, but…" Confliction was evident o Yuri's face as she considered her next words carefully. "Have… Have we ever hugged before?"
"Huh?"
"I know it's a strange and sudden question. I'm sure we haven't before outside of the group hug at your grandmother's establishment, but lately I've had the nagging feeling we've done so for… well, I don't really know the reason that accompanies the nagging feeling but it makes my heart race a little when I think about it."
"I… I don't think we have…"
But despite believing that, Shujinkou felt as if that wasn't the correct answer.
"I see… I guess it's just a random thought. Perhaps maybe from a forgotten dream," Yuri mused.
Realizing what she just said, she quickly turned away from him.
"N-Not that I dream about hugging you or such things!" she quickly added, trembling with embarrassment.
"Even so… It's not like we can exactly control our dreams so…"
Shujinkou wasn't exactly sure how to complete that sentence.
"Honestly, I'm not exactly one to talk about dreams considering my history with them. I mean, I've recently had a dream about a coven of witches."
"Really?" Yuri quickly turned back to Shujinkou, showing clear interest. "What happened?"
"Um… Capture… Lots of maneuvering… Sorry, I can't really remember."
"Oh… It sounded like it was intriguing."
"Really? I remember waking up feeling a little uncomfortable from it…"
…
"Well, here we are," Shujinkou announced as they approached their destination
"Mm. Thank you for escorting me home."
Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek. "Kinda makes me sound like a prince or a knight when using the word 'escort'."
Yuri remained silent, smiling in delight. "Still, I believe that it's the appropriate word to use."
"She's right, Senpai."
Shujinkou screamed as he jumped away from the voice.
"Mali?!"
Indeed, standing behind him was the first-year student he was currently looking after.
"W-What are you doing here?" he questioned.
"Well, after Senpai was whisked away by one of his potentials, I got to thinking that he may be too distracted to properly keep an eye on his surroundings. Judging from his reaction just now, I'd say I was right."
Mali giggled at Shujinkou's confused face. "Then again, maybe that's a bit unfair considering it was me. I'm pretty good at not arousing attention when I don't want it after all."
Shujinkou could only scratch his right cheek at the revelation. Then again, she's been doing that since we first met… I just didn't expect her to do that outside of school.
Still… My heart may not be able to take much more of this…
His train of thought was soon interrupted by the creaking sound of an opening door. A familiar small girl stuck her head out from the other side to see what was going on.
"Shujinkou?"
The little girl's eyes lit up as she reached for his hands. "I didn't know that you were coming over. Long time no see."
"It really has been awhile, hasn't it, Yuki?"
Thinking back on it, Shujinkou was sure he hadn't seen or heard from her since summer break, maybe even before then.
"Mm-hmm. Grimm and I were waiting to play with you again," Yuki beamed.
"Grimm?" Mali queried.
Yuki raised her stuffed bear for all to see. "Grimm Bear. Grimm's my best friend."
Mali took note of the unnerving appearance the stitched together bear had. "With one M or two?"
"Two. As in the brothers."
"Oh. You're pretty knowledgeable about classic literature aren't you, Yuki?" Mali complimented.
"Mm-hmm. Are you one of Yuri and Shujinkou's friends?"
Mali smiled her usual innocent smile. "I'm Malizia, but I go by Mali," I'm Senpai's Kōhai."
"Kōhai…?" Yuki glanced down at her stuffed toy. "You're right Grimm, that isn't that surprising."
"Grimm thought I would was the type to become someone's Senpai?" Shujinkou marveled. "I didn't see that coming even without… past reasons. Then again I can't imagine most high schoolers imagining that."
"Really, it sounds fun having a younger person look up to for guidance," Yuki said.
Shujinkou weakly chuckled at that response. He couldn't recall a single time he "guided" Mali. "Honestly, Mali guides me more than I do her…"
"Senpai's wise enough to realize that a lot can be learned from his Kōhai," Mali confirmed.
Yuki remained silent as she raised Grimm up to her ears. She then looked up at Mali's headbands.
"Grimm likes your horns," she said.
"Thanks, they were a gift from the people I grew up with. I think they suit me pretty well."
Yuki shifted her gaze to Shujinkou, then back to Mali. Soon, a bright, eager smile appeared on her face.
"Can you two stay and play for awhile?" she asked.
"I'm fine to do that," Mali quickly answered. "And I'm sure Senpai agrees."
Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement. He couldn't imagine denying her request anyway.
"Great, let's go!" Yuki proclaimed, marching into the house.
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he watched Mali step inside.
Then again, we just agreed without Yuri's input…
He turned towards Yuri, his anxiety shooting up by the vaguely dark expression on her face.
"This isn't a problem, is it?" he worridely asked.
"Hm?" her face immediately softened. "Ah… No, it's not that. I was just thinking how I was just a background element in a conversation that took place outside my house."
"Oh…"
Shujinkou continued to scratch his right cheek.
I told Nakité that I couldn't come in because I'm worried about my friends and probably couldn't focus and waste her time, and, even though it's cause Yuki asked me to, I'm playing instead of working. This is majorly unfair…
Glad I wasn't paid in advance or anything like that…
"Are you okay, Shujinkou?" Yuri queried.
"Yeah, um… You go ahead, I gotta make a quick call," Shujinkou solemnly answered.
Nodding her head, Yuri stepped inside, giving him the privacy he desired.
Shujinkou pulled his phone out from his pocket and dialed the number Nakité had previously given him.
"Hello?" a cheery voice answered.
"Hey, Nakité. I'm just calling in to…" Shujinkou paused, realizing he once again had no idea how to end his sentence. "Well, I'm calling in."
"X is 126, right?"
"Huh?"
"What? Oh, sorry, I'm doing math with Somiye right now," she chuckled. "So, what's up?"
"I just wanted to apologize for not being able to help you lately."
"That's okay. I'm not mad or anything."
"I know. But I figured you should at least know why."
"No, it's okay. I figured if you were comfortable doing so, you would've done so by now. So don't go out of your way to do so."
Shujinkou was left stunned by her response. Nakité's really understanding.
He took a moment to compose himself before continuing. "Still, I also figured that I could at least give you some direction to start with."
"Really?" her voice quickly changed from calm and understanding to subdued excitement. "Like what?"
"Well, it won't seem like much but you can start by learning about the different angles to drawn from, the terminology used for them and what they're used for. It may seem obvious from a glance, but it's still good to know."
Shujinkou could hear scribbling in the background.
"Okay, anything else?" Nakité asked.
"It may also help to start paying attention to body positions so you have something to reference later and just to generally burn body anatomy into your head. Also, you should pay attention to how clothes are affected and move along with the body depending on certain positions."
"Wow, that sounds easy and complicated at the same time."
"Art is complicated," he chuckled.
Before he could think of any more advice, he heard a voice from inside call for him."Senpai, what's taking you so long?"
"Ah, sorry, I got to go. I promise to try and find some time for in-person lessons."
"Okay, till then."
Shujinkou breathed a sigh of relief the moment the call had ended. His shoulders felt a bit lighter as he walked inside.