Takemichi blinked as he stared at his female companion with confusion in his eyes.
"... How do I... Feel about you...?" He repeated the question with clear confusion.
Emma simply nodded in confirmation.
The male blonde mused over the sudden question with a thoughtful look, clearly thrown off by it.
"I... I-I don't think I get what you're trying to ask me, Emma." The teen uttered.
The girl sighed at his cluelessness. This was gonna take some work.
"I mean... What do you think of me...?" She added more depth to her question, "Like... If I asked you to describe me right now, what exactly would you say?"
Her explanation made the fellow blonde think to himself.
What did he think of Emma?
What had suddenly compelled her to ask him that?
Regardless of whatever it was, it still made him think about his answer.
How did he feel about Emma...?
"Well... I..." The teen started before finally looking at the expectant girl, "I-I think you're a cool and amazing girl, and I always love it whenever we spend time together, but I've probably already told you that..." He commented at the end with a sheepish grin.
"Although, what I haven't said... Is that I think you're one of the coolest girls I've ever met in my entire life." The teen added with sincerity, surprising her, "You're a fun person to be around, you have a good sense of humor, a-and you're stupid pretty. I mean, who wouldn't wanna be friends with you?" He complimented her without looking, awkwardly rubbing his head.
His words, especially the latter ones, made Emma slightly blush, which was a recurring theme whenever Takemichi complimented her.
He seemed to think very fondly of her, which she already knew, so things looked like they were going good, which made her hopeful.
But taking notice of his use of the word "friend" reminded her that she wasn't done just yet, and it was time for her to ask the "important" question.
Maybe, just maybe if she did... Then he'd reciprocate her...
"So... You see me as... A friend?" She asked her crush in a quiet voice.
"Uhh, yes?" He answered awkwardly.
"Only a friend...?" She added with an expectant look on her face, deciding to finally bite the bullet.
This made the fellow blonde squint his eyes in even bigger confusion.
"Yeeah...?" He responded with uncertainty, "Am I supposed to see you as anything else or something...?" He innocently asked without thinking, raising an eyebrow.
Unfortunately, our goldboy had no idea that was probably the worst answer he could have given.
Emma's eyes widened in shock at his words, and she let out a tiny gasp, which surprised Takemichi.
"W-What was that for...?" The teen asked, the confusion he had only piling up.
But then, a sullen and depressed look made its way on Emma's face.
'O-Of course... I probably should've expected this to happen...' The girl mentally expressed her disappointment, closing her eyes.
So much for getting her hopes up...
Her companion however, noticed the sudden change of expression on her face.
"H-Hey... Are you ok...?" Takemichi asked with a hint of concern, "Is someth-"
"I'm..." Emma cut him off in a quiet tone, "I-I'm sorry... I don't think I'm up for another movie..." She stated as she got up, catching the boy off guard.
"Huh?" The teen let out, getting up as well, "Where're you going...?" He asked with puzzlement.
"I-I'm sorry... I have to leave now..." She announced, moving towards the front door.
"Wait, what?" He exclaimed in surprise, not expecting the response, "W-Why?! D-Did I say something wro-?!"
"No... I-It's just..." The girl briefly paused, and Takemichi could've sworn it sounded like she was resisting the urge to cry, "I-It's nothing... I'll see you some other time, Takemichi..."
The aforementioned blonde could only stand and watch as his female friend exited the door and closed it behind her, living him alone in his house.
"Eh... Er... Wuh... W-What the hell was that?!" Takemichi barely formed a coherent sentence as he commented on the events that just transpired.
'What was that whole thing about?! Just a few a hours ago, I'm happily enjoying my movie with Emma, andthenall of a sudden, I'm getting bombarded with questions Idon't even understand at all, and then to top it all off, she randomly gets upset with me and leaves!' He ranted with exasperation.
'But what was it I said that made her act like that?' He questioned with a great sense of confusion, 'I feel like such a jerk for making her cry but... How can I apologize to her if Idon't even know what I did to upset her...?' He asked nobody in particular with a worried and thoughtful look.
"So... You see me as... A friend?"
The teen blinked as he gasped at the sudden memory.
'Wait a sec...' He uttered with wide eyes.
...
"Uhh, yes?" He answered awkwardly.
"Only a friend...?" She added with an expectant look on her face.
Only a friend...?
Only a friend...?
.
.
.
"Only a friend...?" The teen quietly repeated that last sentence with furrowed eyebrows, "But why would she ask me tha-"
The teen's stopped himself with a gasp as his eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait a minute..." He uttered, "She couldn't possibly be...!"
But it made sense...
It explained a lot of things, actually...
The way she always held him tight whenever they hugged...
The way she would always blush around him...
The way she didn't hesitate to try and stop that thug he beat up for wailing on him...
The way she got so emotional over him during their moment at the hospital...
The way she would always banter and playfully "flirt" with him...
The way she got so flustered when Mikey teased them for being a "couple"...
And even the way she was so shy and hesitant before she asked him that first question...
Why else would a girl ask a boy how they felt about her...?
Why else would a girl ask a boy if he only saw her as a friend...?
The only possible explanation for that is...
"Oh my gosh..." Takemichi uttered as he finally came to the right conclusion...
"E-Emma has... A-A crush... ON ME!" He exclaimed with a blush on his face in complete shock.
It couldn't be. There's no way Emma had a crush on him...
He was just a plain and average guy!
And she was an uber-cool and amazing girl!
She was way out of his league...!
And yet... Her having a crush on him still made sense...
That's why she had asked him that sacred question!
The question that he had responded to with...
"Yeeah...?" He responded with uncertainty, "Am I supposed to see you as anything else or something...?" He innocently asked without thinking, raising an eyebrow.
The moment he remembered his response, the blonde groaned and instantly gave himself a hard facepalm.
"I am such a moron!" He insulted himself out loud.
Emma was probably expecting him to say that he saw her as something more than a friend...
And yet he didn't take the time think but instead gave her an answer that broke her heart!
Takemichi felt like the biggest idiot on planet Earth.
How did he not see the signs earlier? They were literally in plain sight!
Sure she acted in a similar way back when she still had a crush on Draken, but her attitude towards Takemichi was even more obvious, so he had no excuse!
'Oh man... Emma's probably hurting right now because she thinksI rejected her... But when you look at it, I pretty much did!' He stated with a worried look.
'I have to find a way to make this right...!' He exclaimed mentally, 'But... Idon'tknow if she'd want to talk me after what Ijust said...' He figured dejectedly.
Not to mention how he still doesn't really know how he feels about the revelation that she was into him.
But that didn't mean he should just leave her to wallow in despair, right?
That's exactly what happened with her and Drsken, and look where they're at now!
'Man... Dealing with girl trouble is super stressful...' He slumped, 'If onlyI had another female friend who could help me out with all this...' He wistfully thought.
However, that statement made him light up as if a light bulb lit up in his head.
'Wait a sec... As a matter of fact... I do!' He stated with relief as he remembered a certain childhood comrade of his.
With that, the teen brought out his phone and scrolled through his contacts list, searching for a specific name.
Once he found the name he wanted, he quickly pressed on it and brought his phone to his ear as it rang.
'C'mon c'mon. Please pick up...!' He silently urged before it stopped ringing.
"Hey, Takemichi!" A feminine voice on the line greeted.
"Oh, Hina, thank God!" The blonde exclaimed with relief, "Listen, I'm kind of in a tight spot right now and you're the only person I know who can help!"
"Takemichi, you're friends with literal gang members. When are you not in a tight spot?" The pinkette joked with a slight laugh as she laid in her bed.
He probably would've laughed at his best friend's joke if he wasn't focused on something more important.
"Yeah but this one has nothing to do with gangs." He stated, "It's about... It's about Emma..." He revealed.
"Emma?" Hinata repeated with a bit of confusion, "What's wrong? Is she okay? Did you and her have a fight or something?"
"No, but... Something did happen..." The blonde revealed, "And I think it might have just put our friendship on the line..." He added with worry.
At that, Hinata fully rose up from her bed, her full attention being gained.
"Okay... This sounds super serious." She commented with surprised curiousity, "Now you've gotta tell me what happened."
"Alright then. This is gonna be a pretty long story though..." He cautioned her.
And with that, Takemichi began to recount the events of the entire day to his female, and best, friend.
From his meeting with her grandfather all up until the events involving her asking him that question.
And he also made sure not to forget to tell her about his revelation that he made.
"Wow..." Hinata breathed out in surprise, "That... Is a lot..."
"Yeah, I told you so..." Takemichi replied.
There was a brief moment of silence before Hina broke it.
"So... What're you gonna do now?" Hinata asked him.
"That's exactly why I called you for advice!" Takemichi revealed, throwing his hand up with exasperation, "I don't know what to do!" He whined.
"I want to try and go to talk to her but it would just make things super awkward!" He exclaimed, "And there's probably the chance that she wouldn't want anything to do with me after what I said to her!"
The teen let out a frustrated groan as he brought a hand to his head and sat on his bed.
"*Sigh* I'm super lost right now, Hina." He tiredly commented, "I could really use your help... What do you honestly think I should do...?" He asked her, desperate for advice.
He heard Hinata hum over the phone, possibly thinking of an idea before she finally spoke.
"Honestly, in my opinion..." The pinkette started, "Before you do absolutely anything... I think you should focus rather on answering the exact question she asked you first." She advised.
The piece of advice made Takemichi do a double take.
"Wait... The exact question?" Takemichi repeated as his eyes blinked in surprise, "Y-You mean...?"
"You know exactly what I mean, Takemichi..." Hina stated firmly, "Before you can try and go after her, you have to ask yourself..."
"How do you feel about Emma?"
The question made Takemichi gulp, as he knew that was exactly what was coming.
He couldn't avoid it, he had to tackle this before he could do anything else.
'How do I feel about Emma...?' He repeated the question in his head.
How did he feel about her?
Is it possible that he really did see her as only a friend?
Or is it possible that he saw her in the same light that she saw him...?
Somehow sensing his inner struggle, Hinata decided to help him out a bit.
"Let me make it easier for you." She suggested, "How about you tell me every single thing you like about her?"
"Everything...?" The teen repeated.
"Every, single, thing." Hinata affirmed.
The instruction made Takemichi pause for a moment, and this time, he made sure to think carefully over his words before giving out his description.
Where could he even start from?
What should he say?
Well, Emma provided him the same request earlier and he was able to give some sort of a suitable answer, at least before he screwed it all up later.
Maybe he could do it again.
Properly...
"Well..." The blonde finally began, "When it comes to stuff that I like about Emma... It's pretty much everything about her to be honest..." He revealed honestly.
This obviously wouldn't be enough, so he decide to go into more detail.
"I-I like how bubbly her personality is. I like how I can always laugh whenever I'm around her..." He began his ramble, "I like how easy it is for me to ease into a conversation with her... I love trying to playfully piss her off just because of how adorable her pouting face is..."
As the blonde rambled on, he didn't even notice his use of a different "L Word", and how he had gained a dreamy smile.
"I love it whenever I make her laugh since she has such a cute one... I pretend to be unhappy about it, but I secretly enjoy going on shopping sprees with her since I can spend more time with her while I help her pick out her clothes..." He revealed, bringing a hand to his chest.
"... And Iespecially love how beautiful she is..." He stated with a lovesick smile, devoid of his usual Hanagaki sheepishness.
"Her long blonde hair... Her golden eyes that I could get lost in... Her smile that makes me feel all warm inside... And even her fashion sense... Everything about her is just... Perfect..." He stated fondly.
"Whenever I look at her face... I just think about how much I wanna hold her cheeks in my palms, gaze into her eyes... And maybe even kiss he-"
Right before he could finish that statement, the lovestruck teen suddenly stopped his rambling as he widened his eyes and swiftly clasped a hand over his mouth.
"What the hell was that...?!" The teen questioned his rambling in shock, a furious blush covering his face, "D-Did I... Did I just...?" He couldn't even speak properly due to how bewildered he was.
If he wasn't using a phone that didn't have the technology necessary for face-timing, Takemichi would've been able to see the wide grin that had grown on Hinata's face.
That whole gushing segment gave Hina all the information she needed to know.
"Well, that pretty much settles it..." Hina commented with a smile, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Congrats, Takemichi. You're in love!"
The comment of praise made Takemichi blink in surprise.
But then he really thought it over.
That whole ramble he just went on...
All those times where he 'playfully' flirted with her.
All those times where he'd blurt out a compliment, thinking that it was just a friendly gesture.
And all those times where his heart raced whenever they hugged...
It made him realize...
"Wow... I-It's true..." The teen finally confirmed his feelings, "I reallyam in love with Emma..."
At that, Hinata couldn't help but let out a typical girly squeal.
"My bestie's totally in love!" She commented excitedly, "Soo, how does it feel? "
How did he feel?
Well, this was his first time ever falling in love with a girl he knew, and even though he didn't, he still felt like he probably should've seen this coming. It was only natural.
His dynamic with Hinata was purely platonic, and not once did he ever feel romantically attracted to her.
But with Emma, the spark was always there, he just never took the chance to see it.
"Honestly... It feels weird." The teen responded with a chuckle, his blush calming down, "But at the same time, it kinda feels right..."
His response made the pinkette giggle over the phone.
"Well lover-boy, I guess the only thing that's left for you to do is tell Emma how you truly feel about her, don't ya think?" She asked.
"I mean... I would agree with you. There probably isn't anything else I wanna do more than march over to her house right now and tell her how I feel..." The teen commented, "But how am I gonna do that?"
"Cuz... Me realizing my true feelings for her still doesn't change the fact that she wouldn't be in the mood to talk to me after I practically broke her heart." He stated sadly, "And I can't even think of any scenario where me telling her how I feel goes right instead of burning up in a dumpster fire..." He said with melancholy.
The tone in his voice made Hinata feel for him.
Poor Takemichi. He still wasn't too familiar with the whole romance thing, and he was clearly having trouble thinking of what to do with his newfound revelation.
And to be honest, even though she wanted to help him, Hina herself couldn't really think of anything to sugge-
Wait...
"*Gasp* That's it!" She suddenly exclaimed, startling her friend over the phone.
"W-What?!" He exclaimed.
"Oh. S-Sorry about that! Heh heh..." She meekly apologized with a chuckle, "But anyways, you're in luck, Takemichi, because I just came upwithan idea that I think is guaranteed to help you out!" She declared with confidence.
"Really?" Takemichi asked with surprise and curiousity.
"Mhm!" His companion hummed in confirmation, "You wanted me to help you decide what to do right? Well, I've got the perfectplan you can use to ask Emma out and tell her your feelings...!"
"Ahh yes! I knew calling you would be the right choice!" The blonde excitedly stated with a fist pump, "Thanks, Hina!"
"What're best friends for?" She jokingly asked before she adopted a serious look.
"Okay, I'm going to tell you exactly what you should now." Hina told him, "So if you really want the plan to work, make sure to pay close attention to whatI say, okay?"
The blonde eagerly nodded, only for him to realize that he didn't get a response because he was talking over the phone.
"Eh, I-I mean, yes ma'am!" He obeyed with a stutter, embarrassed by his screw up.
Hinata wasn't too phased and simply giggled since she was used to this behavior.
"Okay, so... The first step is..." She began.
Give her some space.
"..."
"What?" The blonde asked with a blank face.
"Since you and I both know that she's probably not too happy with you right now, you have to make sure to give her some time away from you." Hinata instructed seriously.
This only made the teen's cluelessness worse.
"But... Wouldn't that be the opposite of what to do if I wanted to ask her out?" He asked with clear confusion.
"Noo, dummy!" Hinata berated, "I mean that you shouldn't go to her immediately!" She stated the meaning of her words.
"Don't let your first course of action to be calling her right away. Whenever a girl is mad at you, the best thing to do is to back off for a while before speaking to her. Trust me, I know." The pinkette explained, "Respect her boundaries and let her be alone for a bit. Once it's a little later in the day, then you can try talking to her."
"Ooooh! Okay, now I get it...!" Takemichi uttered in realization.
"Good." Hinata replied with satisfaction, "Actually, as a matter of fact, don't even go to her in person. Try asking her out through a call or text instead."
"Okay... Wait for the day to go by a few hours and then make my move on the phone. Got it!" The blonde wrote the info down on a notepad.
"Alright." Hina accepted, "Now... Step two is..."
Try not to sound too obvious.
"Okay, what does that mean...?" Takemichi asked with curiosity.
"It means that when you do get to the part where you call her, don't immediately let her know that you like her back." She instructed, "Try to talk casually and still act friendly with her. Trust me, this is an important part of the plan." She promised.
"O-Okay... If you say so." He responded.
"Now, Step three..."
Ask her out.
"Once you guys have made some small talk, then you can finally try asking her to go on a date with you." She instructed.
"But, wouldn't me asking her out pretty much reveal that I like her...?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"That's why you should make sure not to specifiy what type of date it is." The pinkette answered, "Just tell her you wanna go on a date. That's all. Nothing more."
"Alright..." He responded.
"Step three!"
"Well... These are kind of three steps in one." She commented with a sheepish chuckle.
Find a nice restaurant. Buy a suit, and get her a gift.
"A suit...?"
"Yes, a suit." Hinata affirmed, "You can't eat at a fancy restaurant wearing sleazy clothes. You've gotta be dressed for the occasion!"
"Well, I guess I see your point..." He conceded, "Okay, guess I'll add buying a suit and looking for a fancy restaurant to my to-do-list." He commented as he wrote them down.
"But what kind of gift should I buy her?" He asked.
"Your best option is to either get her someflowers or a box of chocolates." The girl recommended, "It's a good idea for hinting at the romantic tone, and girls will definitely love receiving either of them."
"Well I probably could've guessed that." The teen commented with a sweatdrop, "And I think I already have a good idea on which one of those Emma would prefer." He stated rather confidently.
"Perfect." Hina responded.
"Anyways, after it eventually reaches the day that your date is scheduled, that's when you finally meet her in person and..."
Take her out.
"Okay..." The blonde nodded, seeming to agree with the direction the plan was heading.
"Now, we're finally getting to the last step you'll need to take, so listen to me carefully, Takemichi." Hinata advised seriously.
The teen let out a hum of agreement, listening intently.
"Once you guys go on your date, just let themagic happen. You don'thave to do too much for this one. I'm positive you can handlethispart yourself." She stated, her faith in her friend being very clear.
"But then, after it's over... That's when you finally make your move.." Hina instructed, "Tell her you want to move to a more secluded area, and then once you do..."
Confess your feelings to her.
"Tell her the truth, tell her entirely how you feel about her." The pinkette told the last part of her plan, "And if I'm right... It'llprobably only be a matter of time before you guys make it official..." She stated with a confident smirk.
After hearing the end of her entire well-thought out plan, Takemichi was rendered speechless.
"W-Wow... Did you...?" The blonde teen could barely get his question out, "Did you really think of thisentire thing on the spot...?" He asked with both curiousity and bewilderment.
"What canI say? I'm a quick thinker!" The pink-haired teenage girl slightly boasted, "Plus, I kind of got the idea from watching a lot of romance movies..." She sheepishly revealed, making Takemichi sigh.
"Yup, I should've figured..." He stated with a chuckle.
"Hey, don't even think about judging me, Mr. Hanagaki." She jokingly warned.
"Eh, I would, but all the other 3000 times have worn me out." He retorted humorously, making both of them laugh.
"Wow, I feel much better already..." The blonde commented on his current state, "It's like all that stress I had from earlier magically disappeared!"
"And I guess I had something to do with that, huh?" The girl figured with a smile.
"Yeah, you definitely did." Takemichi quickly agreed, "Thanks for helping me out and giving me advice, Hina. You always know how to cheer me up." He commented gratefully.
"Seeing as I'm your best friend, that's pretty much my job, isn't it?" She stated as if it were a fact, "But you're welcome, Michi. I'm always happy to help."
"Well, I guess better hang up and start prepping for our plan now, huh?" The blonde teen asked.
"Yup, you definitely should." Hina agreed, "So I'll let you go now. Make sure to remember everything discussed, and call me after you finally ask her out!"
"Heheh, I'll definitely do that." The boy agreed, "Alright, talk to you later, Hina." He bid farewell.
"Later, bestie!" She responded before a click was heard.
With their conversation finally over, the teen read over all the points he had written down in his notepad.
"Okay... First step is to give Emma some space. I can do that..." He said aloud before he comically sulked, "Well... I can try to..." He corrected himself, since he knew this wouldn't be easy for him.
He had gotten so used to being around Emma almost everyday that it made a simple task like having to be away from her sound like a chore, and his newfound feelings were definitely not helping.
Deciding not to mope around, the teen shook his head and reminded himself of why he was doing this in the first place.
As he read over the notes, he got an idea when he gazed at the third step.
"Hey. Now that I think about it... If I have to wait so long to talk to Emma, then I could probably spend all that time buying everything I need!" He said his idea aloud, "Well, I guess I know what I'm gonna be spending my money on." He commented, grabbing his wallet.
And with that, the teen put on his sandals and wore his jacket before stepping out.
Fast forward a few minutes later and our hero could be seen exiting a popular clothing shop in the area.
"Bought myself a nice suit, check." He stated with acknowledgement of the rubber bag he held, satisfied with his accomplishment.
After a few minutes of searching for a suitable pick, and finding one that fit him perfectly, the teen managed to snag a fancy black and white suit for his date.
"Okay, I've got the suit, now all that's left to do is to buy the gift, and try to find a nice restaurant..." He commented, "Shouldn't be too hard."
And the teen was on his way.
However, as he journeyed towards his next destination, his mind just couldn't help but drift towards a certain blonde girl...
'Man... I never realized just how uneventful a shopping spree can be when you do it alone...' He thought a bit dejectedly as he was used to doing this with his female companion, 'I guess that'swhatI get for taking those moments for granted.'
Honestly, he didn't even want to do this part of the plan.
He desired nothing more than to rush right over to Emma's place so he could see her again...
And see her face...
Although he knew that this was the wiser choice.
But that still didn't change the fact that he missed her a whole lot, despite it only being an hour.
All he knew was that wherever she was...
'I hope she doesn't hate me now...' He silently prayed.
It was dark.
Everything was dark.
The atmosphere seemed to be pitch black.
It all seemed like an empty void.
There was nothing to be seen, and almost nothing in sight.
Well that was, until the figure of a certain blonde-haired teenage girl could be seen.
"Huh...?" Emma uttered out in confusion, "Where the hell am I...?" She asked as she gazed at her surroundings, which... Weren't really there.
Before she could question her environment further, she stopped when she noticed that there was something materializing in front of her.
She was too confused and befuddled to speak, but regardless, she kept her eyes on the mysterious entity.
Then, the unidentified figure finally appeared before her, although the girl let out a gasp and her eyes fully widened once she saw what appeared before her.
What, or who, it was that stood before her eyes was someone who she never expected to see again.
Her mother, Karen Kurokawa.
"M-Mommy...?" She whispered out to the woman who she was the spitting image of.
She was wearing the exact same outfit, and had the exact same appearance as the one she had on the day she abandoned her.
However, what was puzzling is that she wasn't saying anything... She was just standing there. Eying her, as if she had no words...
But that was of little importance to Emma...
"M-Mom..." She called out her mother's name as she felt her feet move on their own, "Y-You're finally... You came back..."
Even though this was the woman who raised her just to dump her at her grandpa's house and never return, which gave her good enough reason to hate her, she couldn't...
Even though after that day, she found a new loving family and great friends who cared for her, which gave her enough reason to even forget about her, she couldn't...
Because at the end of the day, she was still her mom, and she missed her.
You could fulfill every desire you have in the world and make as many friends as you want... But nothing will ever replace the love of a parent.
And so, Emma felt her slow pace slowly transform into a run.
While she dashed towards her parent, she had many thoughts.
After all this time, she'd finally gotten to see her mom again.
There were so many questions she wanted to ask, so many things she wanted to do with her mother.
Maybe she came back because she finallyfelt responsible enough to care for her daughter?
Maybe she was planning this all along?
Maybe she finally wanted to be with her family again?!
Unfortunately however, the girl would never get the chance to have those questions answered, as her dash was suddenly stopped by the feeling of something grabbing her foot.
"Huh...?!" She uttered in surprise and confusion when she gazed at her armandnoticed it was suddenly being held by chains.
"What the hell...? Where did this come fro-?"
She was cut off when another chainsuddenly came in and wrapped itself around her other arm, and just then, two more chains popped up and grabbed her by the legs, completely trapping.
The confused and slightly fearful girl was met with no avail when shetriedto squirm out of her constraints.
"M-Mom? Can you help me out?!" She decided to ask her mom for help in desperation, "What's going on here?!"
However, while the teen expected her mom to come over and providehelp, the expectation turned out to be quite far from reality when the woman suddenly took out a cigarette and lit it up before takinga puff.
"Sorry, Emma." The woman finally spoke whilst still wearing a nonchalant expression.
And then, she turned around, which almost made Emma's blood run cold.
"Wha... Wait... W-Where're you going...?" She asked, worry starting to grow in her voice.
"Mommy's still not done with her errands..." Karen replied without batting an eye.
The use of thatphrasemade Emma's eyes widen in horror, as she knew exactly what her parent meantwhen using that expression.
"Oh, and if you're smart..." The woman suddenly spoke up before turning to look back at her only daughter, "You'llknow that there's no chance of me ever returning..."
And with her intentions made clear, the woman began to walk away.
"N-No... M-Mom! Wait! C-Come back!" The teenage girl called after her mother, now trying to free herself from her chains.
Her mother paid no attention to her protests as she continued to walk away.
"NO! Stop! Please! Don't go!" The blonde frantically pleaded with her mother in a scared voice, desperately fighting against her confines.
She just got her mother back, she couldn't be separated from her again just like that!
But regardless how she felt, her pleas fell on deaf ears.
"COME BACK, MOM! PLEASE, DON'T GO! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Her screams started to get louder as tears were starting to form in her eyes, "DON'T ABANDON ME! NOT AG-"
Karen Kurokawa continued to walk further away from her chained up daughter before eventually...
She vanished...
Right in front of her eyes...
Much to Emma's shock and terror.
"Gain..." She completed in a quiet voice with wide eyes, "Not again..."
She completely stopped struggling against her restraints as she stared at the empty space her mother once occupied.
She stayed silent for a few seconds, taking in what just transpired before her.
But eventually, soft sobs could be heard, before tears eventually started to run down the girl's face as she broke down, her knees buckling down.
"W-Why... Mommy...? W-Why...?" She shakily asked as she sobbed in despair, her head hung low.
What kind of sick joke was lifepulling on her?
What did she do to deserve this...?
"Come back... *Sniff* P-Please... Come back..." She brokenly pleaded even though it was useless, "I don't want to be by myself again..." She said as she cried.
"I don't want to be alone again..."
"But you're not alone, Emma..."
The sound of the voice behind her momentarily replaced her despair with surprise, especially since it was very familiar.
She turned around despite her restraints and let out atinygasp when she met the familiar figure.
It was the form of her crush, Takemichi Hanagaki, who was smiling at her.
"T-Takemichi...?" She whispered his name.
Her object of affection didn't respond, and she watched with a mixture of interest and curiosity as he walked over to her.
Then, she let out another gasp when he suddenly knelt to her level and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a hug.
And somehow, the feeling of his embrace drained the wave of despair she had in her heart, and instead filled her with an immense warmth.
CRINK!
All of a sudden, the chains that had once trapped her had now been shattered to pieces, freeing her limbs.
Before she could ponder over how that happened, her savior spoke up.
"Don't you ever think that you're by yourself, Emma." He told her, "You'll never be alone... Not anymore..." He confidently said before gazing into her eyeswith a kind and genuine smile.
"Because I'll never abandon you..."
Hearing his words made the blonde girl tear up again, although this time they weren't out of despair.
She quickly buried her head into his neck, accepting hisembrace with her own.
"Takemichi... Please..." She whispered, "Promise me... Promise me that you'll never leave me... Promise me that you'll stay in my life forever..." She tearfully pleaded.
"Because if I lose you... Then I'll truly feel emptiness..."
"Of course, Emma." Takemichi accepted her plea, rubbing her back, "I'd never leave you... I'll stay by your side and make sure you feel loved for the rest of your life..." He promised with a sweet smile before separating and bringing his hand to her chin, making her look at him.
"I'd do anything for the girl I love..."
His statement made the teary-eyed girl's heart skip a beat.
Emma didn't want Takemichi.
She needed him.
The two of them gazed into each other's eyes for a while, basking in the silence.
And before they knew it, both of their eyes fluttered close as they slowly inched their heads closer to one another.
Until...
A loud gasp could be heard as a certain blonde rose up in her bed with a startle.
She looked around only to see that she was actually in her bedroom, and was lying in her bed.
"It was just... a-a dream..." Emma whispered in surprise.
'And yet... It all felt so real...' She commented internally.
She gazed towards the window, noticing that it was dark out.
"Damn... How long was I asleep for...?" She questioned in surprise.
Her mind then flashed back to the last part of that dream, which made her widen her eyes and blush.
'What... W-What was that...?' She asked nobody, 'I-I just had a dream where Takemichi and I...' She couldn't finish that last part due to how embarrassed it made her.
'I thought it was clear that my chances with him were pretty much nonexistent...' She mentally commented with confusion, 'So why did I have that dream...?'
After her attempt earlier back at his place didn't go to plan, Emma had rushed over to her house, locked herself in her room and sulked in her bed for who knows long.
She cried for so long, heartbroken by the fact that this would be the second time fate prevented her from being with a boy she fell for.
She cried so much that she eventually got tired and went to sleep without even knowing it, which was what eventually lead to her having that dream...
But why did she have it in the first place?
As if it were answering her question for her, her mind flashed back to certain parts of the dream again.
More specifically, the one where Takemichi embraced her, freed her from despair and gave her comfort.
The kindness in his voice and the sweetness behind them made her swoon... Both in dream and real life.
And then... The part where they were about to share a kiss.
Remembering it made her blush, because it made her realize something...
"Crap..." She cursed as she blushed madly, "I thought that I'd have to start getting over Takemichi but..."
She couldn't.
Even if she wanted to, she couldn't get him out of her mind.
His warm smile.
His dorky yet cute hairstyle.
His postive attitude that was so damn infectious.
She couldn't get any of those out of her head.
All for one main reason...
"Oh my God..." She breathed out with wide eyes, "I... I don't just like Takemichi..." She stated as she brought a hand to her head.
"I love him...!" She finally realized her true feelings for said boy.
That dream pretty much proved it. Why else would she dream about him like that?
But it didn't just prove that. It also proved something else.
She still wanted to be with him.
"I guess... I guess there's no avoiding it..." She said to herself as she brought her hands towards her rapidly beating heart, "Even after what happened... I still want to be his girlfriend..." She admitted with a blush.
There was nothing she desired more than to be in a real relationship with Takemichi Hanagaki.
This feeling of love was new, but she actually didn't mind it.
If anything, it proved how much of a sweetheart Takemichi was to her.
Even Draken didn't make her feel like this back when she was still crazy about him.
But alas, her melancholic mood returned once she remembered that the chance of a relationship blooming was now gone.
Taking out her phone, the blonde flipped it open to gaze at her wallpaper.
It was a picture, more of a selfie, she and Takemichi had taken where she blew a kiss at the camera while he made a funny face at it.
She had grown very fond of it to the point that she secretly made it her new screen saver.
The blonde sighed sadly as she looked.
"Takemichi..." She breathed out his name, "If only you knew just how crazy I am about you..." She stated her wish as she brought the phone close to her chest.
She stared at the ceiling as her mind continued to drift towards the teenage boy.
She wanted to be with him so badly.
To be his and only his.
She wished he reciprocated the same feelings she shared for him.
She wanted to tell him more than anything.
But what good would that do...?
At the end of the day, he'd probably just tell her that he doesn't feel the same way and wanted to stay friends, judging by his answer he gave to that one question.
She might as well just give up at trying to be with him...
.
.
Give up...
.
.
Give up...
.
.
No...
.
.
No
.
.
"No!" The blonde suddenly shouted with determination as she arose from her bed.
She wasn't going to give up.
She couldn't give up!
She couldn't let this be how things end between them!
"I may be a lot of things, but I'll be damned if a quitter is one of them!" She exclaimed as she went through her gallery and looked at all the pictures she had taken with him.
Looking at them made her smile for the first time since the last few hours.
Just looking at him could instantly cheer up her sour mood.
"I wanna see that cute face for the rest of my life..." She spoke her desire out loud. That dork was too precious for her to lose.
It was settled. Her mind was made up.
'I'm not gonna lose hope now... If Takemichi doesn't know howI feel about him... Then I'm just gonna have to tell him howI feel instead!' She declared.
'And then maybe... Just maybe... It'll lead to us...' She silently whispered her desire.
The blonde girl was already feeling excitement thinking about it.
But there was one thing she had to think over.
How was she gonna tell him?
Because it wouldn't be romantic enough if she just told him over the phone.
It had to be special.
She had to plan this out...
But how...?
The female Sano brought a hand to her chin as she thought deeply.
She needed this to be perfect.
But how could she do that?
Having a friend who could help her brainstorm ideas would probably be a big help.
But who could she turn to?
She didn't want to bother her grandpa with this.
Mikey was definitely a no.
She didn't really have that many female friends she could turn t-
Wait...
How did she not think of her sooner?!
Quickly taking her phone, the girl scrolled through her contacts list, looking for a certain name.
She found the exact name she wanted, and quickly pressed on it before bringing her phone to her ear.
She waited patiently as it rang before she eventually got an answer.
"Emma?" A feminine voice called out.
"Hey, Hinata." The blonde greeted her female friend, "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine! Thanksfor asking." Hina replied, "What about you? Are you holding up okay?" She asked with curiosity.
"Yeah, I'm alright..." The blonde answered, "It's just... Are you busy right now?" She asked hopefully.
"Uhm... Not really." The pinkette answered, "I was reading a book right now but I could take a break. Why? Do you need something?" She questioned.
"Yeah..." The blonde awkwardly replied, "Listen, girlfriend... I need your advice on something." She revealed.
"Really?" Hina, who was currently sensing a feeling of deja vu, asked, "On what exactly?"
"Well... It's..." The blonde struggled to get the last part out with unusual sheepishness, "Sort of... Boy-related..." She finally got it out.
At this point, Hina's interest had fully left the book she was reading, which she shut closed.
"Oh really...?" She couldn't help but sound a bit cheeky, "When you say boy-related, does it haveanything to do with one boy in particular...?"
Her question made a blush appear on the Sano's cheeks, a bit embarrassed that she had hit the nail right on the head.
"... Y-Yeah..." She confirmed her question, "There's this one boy who I'm... Kinda in love with... But I don't really know how to tell him..." She revealed.
A shit-eating grin had grown on Hina's face without her even realizing it.
If the hunch she had right now was right, this would make the evening a lot more interesting.
"Okay... Now answer me this..." The pinkette instructed, "This boy that you'retalking about. Does his name happen to rhyme with, 'Hakemichi Tanagaki '...?"
If Hina could see how comically wide Emma's eyes were right now, she probably wouldn't have been able to hold in her laughter.
"W-WHAT?!" The blonde almost shrieked.
"Haha, that proves it!" Hina exclaimed as if she were an evil mastermind, "Takemichi's the mystery boy, isn't he?!"
"W-Wuh...? I-I... E-Eh...?" The absolutely befuddled blonde spluttered over her words, "H-How the hell did you know?!" She almost shouted.
This prompted Hinata to let out a squeal over the phone.
"I knew it! I knew it!" The pinkette exclaimed in a happy tone, "My best friend is in love with my other best friend!"
Emma was almost too stunned to even speak.
"H-How... Could you have possibly guessed that...?" She asked in bewilderment, "I haven't even told you that I've been hanging out with him...!"
"Emma. I'm Takemichi's best friend." Hina almost deadpanned, "Do you really think there hasn't been a time where he could'vementionedhow you and him became friends while we hung out?"
The blonde stayed silent as she processed the question before she smacked herself on the forehead with a frustrated groan.
Hinata giggled over the phone, "Don't beat yourselfup too much."
"*Sigh* Alright, fine, Sherlock..." The blonde sighed out, "You got it right. Takemichi is the boy I'm in love with..." She confirmed.
"Awww... That's so cute to hear! And slightly exciting too." Hinata commented with a smirk, "But... Also kind of confusing..."
"Hm? Why do you say that...?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I mean..." Hina began as she realized that she forgot to ask Takemichi a certain question, which she could now ask Emma, "Weren't you already in love with Draken? I thought that he was the boy you had your eyes on before."
The question made Emma's eyes widen, although she quickly let out a huff of annoyance when she realized she was gonna have to explain the whole context to another person AGAIN!
"Uhh, what's wrong?" The pinkette asked with slight confusion.
"No, it's nothing..." The blonde assured her, "It's just... *Sigh* This is going to be a very long story..." She warned her female friend.
"Don't worry. I'm all ears." Hina assured.
Seeing that as the go-ahead, Emma began to narrate the entire story to Hinata, and told her every event in the timeline.
From Draken breaking her heart, to when she and Michi officially became friends after he cheered her up, to their first hangout, to Draken revealing his feelings only for her to no longer share them, to Takemichi coming to her rescue after that fiasco, to him meeting her grandfather, them running into Mikey, all up until where they are now.
She even made sure to tell Hina about all the stuff Takemichi did to make her fall for him.
Like him saving her life on the road, to him saving her again from those thugs, and their moment they shared at the hospital afterwards.
By the end of it, Hina's face was almost completely shocked by the bombshell of information that had just been dropped on her.
"W-Wow..." She finally mustered up a word, "That's... That's A lot... A wholelot..." She commented.
"Yup. That it is." Emma agreed as she played with her hair.
"O-Okay, well... I... I honestlydon't even knowwhat to say after hearing all that." The pinkette admitted with a breathless laugh.
"I don't blame you. It is a lot." The blonde replied.
"... Well, at least there is one thing IknowI can say." Hina finally spoke up, "After hearing about all the time you'vespent with him, I can see why you fell in love with Takemichi."
The statement brought a blush to Emma's cheeks once again, although she wasn't embarrassed this time.
"As someone who's knownhim for long, I can confirm that he's definitely a good choice." She commented, "You definitely picked wisely when you decided to fall for him."
"Y-Yeah..." Emma agreed, "You know, considering that you've known him longer, I'm kind of surprised you didn't fall for him first." She suddenly brought up.
This made Hinata's eyebrows go all the way up, and she almost immediately facepalmed.
"Oh no... Pleasedon't tell me you were part of those who actually thought me and him were a thing." She begged.
The lack of a response gave Hinata all the answer she needed, and she groaned with frustration.
"Why does everyone always assume that we're dating?!" She asked with exasperation.
"I mean, can you blame us though?" Emma asked, "Before I came along you guys pretty much gave off severe "high-school sweetheart" vibes. Not to mention how often you were seen as a pair and rarely apart." She reasoned.
"*Sigh* When you put it that way, I guess you have a point..." The pinkette conceded, "But enough about me! The mainreason you calledwasbecause you wanted some advice from me regarding Takemichi, right?" She questioned.
"Yeah, you're right." Emma confirmed, bringing her knees to her chest, "I wann-"
"You want to confess your feelings to him, don't you?" Hina suddenly interjected.
"... Okay. I'm just gonna ignore how quickly you guessed that, but yeah, that's exactly it." Emma confirmed, "I want to confess..."
"And I'm assuming that there's a problem you have to face concerning that, huh?"
"Yup." The blonde confirmed once again.
"Okay, so then what is it?"
"Well, the thing is... Even though I want to tell him how I feel..." She began with a dejected tone, "I don't really know how I should do it..."
Hinata predicted she would say that, but decided not to bring it up this time, and instead chose to listen.
"I want to just run over to his place and tell him how I feel right now, but at the same time, I don't..." Emma revealed, "I want the moment to be more special... Like, more romantic... You know?"
"Yeah, I know exactlywhat you mean..." Hina agreed.
"So... I basically thought that I should try coming up with some sort of plan instead, but I don't really know what to think up, and I thought that having someone to help me out would be beneficial." The blonde revealed.
"Which is exactly why I called you." Emma stated, "Do you have any suggestions for a plan I could try out...?" She asked her friend.
The blonde was unaware of the uncharacteristically wide mischievous grin that had appeared on Hina's face, whose eyes were shadowed by her bangs.
"Actually... As a matter of fact..."
"I do..."
Playing matchmaker was fun.
It has now been a day since yesterday's events.
Takemichi, who now had all the items he needed to buy for his and Hinata's plan, was currently watching some TV to try and kill time.
However, even with such an infamous distraction like TV, he still couldn't get his mind off a certain girl.
Namely, the one he loved.
No matter how hard he tried to keep himself busy, or find something to distract himself with, his thoughts just never stopped including Emma.
The teen sighed as he took out his phone, and scrolled through his contacts list before finding Emma's name.
He eyed the contact as he thought to himself.
Hinata did advise him to wait at least later in the day before asking her out, but wasn't the afternoon a pretty good time...?
Slowly debating with himself over whether he should or shouldn't call her, his finger absent-mindedly selected the text option, snapping him out of his internal struggle.
Yeah... Maybe texting would be a better idea!
He eyed the texting area, silently wondering if he should go ahead, before he decided to say ,"Screw it!", and sent a few messages.
Hi.
It's me.
I know u probably don't want to, but would u mind responding to this when you see it?
I need to ask something really important.
It's alright if u don't want 2 tho
No pressure
With his messages sent, he closed the phone and kept it to his chest.
It would probably take a few hours before he got a response, or she'd probably just ignore it and forget he ever existed...
But regardless, he knew he had to wait.
So, the blonde turned his attention back towards the TV-
RIIING!
The blonde was almost startled when not even a minute later, his ring tone played from his phone, making it buzz on his chest.
"Wha...?" He uttered in slight surprise, "T-There's no way it could possibly be her, right? I just sent tha-"
He flipped it open, and saw the caller ID, which displayed the name of the hour.
Emma.
The teen widened his eyes in shock.
'Wow... I-I definitely wasn't expecting this fast of a response... Or even a call!' He mentally exclaimed.
But regardless of how he felt about it, he knew what this meant.
It was time for the important step of the plan.
The teen let out a sigh to calm himself down.
'Okay, Takemichi... It's time...' He told himself, 'You can do this...' He encouraged himself.
And with that, Takemichi pressed on the accept button.
Oh, I'm sorry, what is that? Another cliffhanger? Lmao, YES IT IS!
But woowee, did this take a damn long time to write! But I just had to update this story. It'soneof my favorites I've ever written!
Anyways, things are finally starting to head towards a different direction in Takemichi and Emma's relationship...
What'sgonnahappen? Will they go on a date, will they become a couple? Or will something happento eventually mess it up?
Make sure to stay tuned and find out!
Thanks to all of you who waited patiently for this chapter, and I'll see you guys next time!
RinOta, out!
✌️😁