Chapter 10

-Goro-

Well, that was embarrassing. I steadily pushed myself off the ground and checked myself out for any injuries. "Man, they really should put a wet floor sign or something!" Upon hearing that Nino-san giggled and pointed towards the said sign, which I apparently didn't notice on my way to her. "Oh... I guess it's my bad, then!" I said as I stuck my tongue out.

Nino laughed for bit longer before putting on a serious face, "You should be more careful, Goro! You're lucky you only escaped with a nosebleed this time, you could have lost a tooth or broken an arm with the way you dropped."

I looked at her with confusion, "Wait, a nosebleed?" I reached for my nose and believe it or not, blood was rushing down from it. "Oh... I do have a nosebleed. Well that's nothing to worry about." I said with a smile.

"Still doesn't mean you can just let it go on like that. Stay still, would you?" said Nino-san as she took out a box of tissues from her bag and started wiping the blood off my face, "Honestly, it's like I'm taking care of another Hiro..." she said with a smile.

"And it feels like I'm being taken care of by mom again after so long..." I said without thinking. After realizing what I said, I blushed a bit. Weirdly enough, Nino-san didn't notice and continued to wipe the blood off.

"Your mom? Well I guess after taking care of Hiro on my own for so long I guess I've practically become a mother now." She then gave off a teasing smile. "Don't tell me you're into older women, Goro?"

A couple of girls who were passing by immediately turned their heads towards me, as if they wanted to know what my answer was. I couldn't think properly with how all these girls, including Nino-san, were waiting for my answer, and without thinking, I just nodded in agreement. As soon as I did so, the girls passing by sighed and went on their way, clearly more disappointed than when they just arrived.

Nino-san looked at the girls who were leaving. "Seems like someone's popular... Too bad you're into older women, I bet you and one of those girls would have looked cute together." She teased.

"Or... we could look cute together as a couple..." I retorted. Nino-san immediately turned red as I said this and inched away. I laughed at her reaction, nearly falling on my back with how much I leaned back from laughing. "See? Not so nice on being on the receiving end, isn't it?"

"... Fair enough" said Nino-san as she regained her composure. "But you have to admit, doing the teasing is more fun."

I nodded in agreement. "You got that right, Nino-san! Now why don't we sit down for a bit?" I said as I pointed to the end of the bleachers, where Fuutarou was studying. "Honestly, I know he's my brother, and I love him to bits! But that dude seriously has no chill when it comes to studying! Why don't we help him relax a bit?"

Nino-san looked at Fuutarou, then back to me. "I don't mind, he helped me out earlier when I had my anxiety attack, the least I could do is try to help him relax a bit. But is this really the best time? I could remember the first time he snapped at me when I questioned his studying habit, and he can get pretty intense."

I grinned, "Leave it to me, Nino-san! Fuutarou has nothing against me and my boundless amount of energy!" I practically dragged Nino-san with me as we went to Fuutarou. "Hey buddy! Whatcha reading over there?" I asked

Fuutaro groaned and started turning towards us. "None of your business Goro, now could you please leave—" Fuutaro then noticed that Nino-san was trailing behind me. "... some insights on this Japanese worksheet I have? I still get confused with all of these Kanji, I'm amazed you understand these so well."

I stood proudly, "Sure man, but that can wait till we get home. Why don't you just relax for a bit? I mean, you don't get excused from PE that often, so why not enjoy the freedom you have for the next 30 minutes?"

Fuutaro scoffed, "I am using my freedom, and unlike you I use it efficiently to keep my grades up, which is how I'm doing well in my studies."

"You could have used the time to sleep though. I know you're sleep deprived. You've been taking more shifts at the cafe after all, take the time to sleep." I demanded, a hint of seriousness in my voice.

"I can sleep when I get home, studying gets difficult when all of us can practically hear each other through those thin walls." said Fuutarou as he flipped a page on his book.

I sighed. "I guess you leave me no choice, buddy. You'll thank me when you wake up..." I walked up behind him and placed him in a sleeper hold. Fuutarou struggled for a bit before slowly losing consciousness. Nino-san couldn't help but stare and was a little terrified at what i had done.

"You... you choked him till he became unconscious! Couldn't there have been another way to convince him?" asked a terrified Nino.

I stared back at her, a cold look in my eyes. "Trust me, knowing how stubborn he is, it's impossible to convince him." I then smiled, "So having skills like these can come in handy! And if you're wondering how I got them, I took a mixed martial arts class a few years back, so I know tons of ways to knock people out!" I said as I flexed my muscles.

I noticed that Nino-san still seemed shocked after what I did. I sighed, "I guess that still made you feel uneasy, I apologize for showing that to you!" I said as I bowed my and brought my head down to lowest point I could. "It seems that the teacher needs me for something" I lied, "Can you take care of Fuutarou for me?"

Nino-san nodded silently and I left her with Fuutarou. "God... why did I have to reveal that side to her?"

-Chapter 10 End-