The fine distinction between Love and War

Love is hard to express, and it comes in many shapes and forms. A lot of high schoolers experience it in different ways. Most are starting to date since it's a common habit among peers that age. Others imagine their significant other to be their 'real love'. Then again, a lot of them get heartbroken, because they get turned down, are not able to confess, or even worse don't realise it until it's too late.

Being unsuccessful in their lives is a common occurrence for our secret protagonist and secret heroine, but even they have a right to be happy, don't they?

This fiction continues from chapter 263 of the manga, the only difference being that Shirogane will start to study abroad in a few weeks instead of a few days.


The main focus of this work will be IshiMiko since I can't wait for them to become canon.

Please enjoy.


Ishigami Yuu wants figure it out

"Who exactly is Iino to me?"

This grave question tortured the Student Council Treasurer since the day he almost kissed the Auditor and Discipline Committee Officer of Shuchiin Academy.

'Was it a lapse in her judgement or her loneliness, that drove her in my arms? Or did she do this on purpose and planned it for a while now? If that's the case, how many red flags did I miss?'

Sitting on his school chair, which is directly placed behind the one's who's causing his headache, he observes the vacant place. The short girl left the classroom early today, probably to concentrate on her student council work. He never plucked up to courage to confront her about what happened between them, and she seems to avoid his gazes.

'But it can't be right. I mean it's Iino we're talking about. She hates my guts. No matter what I do, she reprimands me for it. …Yet I can't shake that feeling off that something changed between us.'

His head is lying on his desk, watching outside of the window on the other side of the room. It's about 15 C°, the sun is shining, some might even hear the nature blooming.

But!

Nothing of this helps his dilemma. Gripping his hair, he jolts up and starts to tear on it. Ishigami Yuu finds himself in another pool of misery facing the complexity of love for a third time.

'Hence the question… does she like me or not? And why do I even bother? It's not my fault if she's so helpless whenever it comes to feelings. Her low self-esteem just happens to attract the wrong guys and her uptight behaviour scares people away! She's hopeless… but I just can't look the other way for too long now, can I?'

His head falls back down on the desk, forehead first, managing to create loud bonking sounds.

Maybe the intricate spots of multiple reuses of his school desk would bear some answers. It is said, that focussing on one thing at a time helped geniuses to discover new truths by accident.

'Who is Iino for me, for crying out loud?'

But all his concentration was for nought.

Back to square one.

In a desperate attempt for help, the introverted blue-haired boy looks around in his classroom. And as if they heard his more or less silent scream for help, there're two girls standing right beside him.

Onodera Rei, a newfound friend of the treasurer, an acquaintance of Iino Miko and an advocate for the ship IshiMiko. She's a normie who used to be a gossip, but eventually understood that rumours hurt people more than benefitting them. She has her heart in the right place.

"What's wrong, Ishigami?"

And on the other corner of the table, Osaragi Kobachi. A girl with a moved past, the best friend of Iino Miko and always aware of the treasurer's silently executed good deeds. She herself proclaimed IshiMiko to be her NoOTP. An outsider, and one of the Impossible Girls of Shuchiin. She just wants Ishigami's suffering to end.

"Yep, you've been acting strange the whole time you've been sitting here. Isn't the student council waiting for you?"

The person in questions jolts up as if he was stung by a bee.

'Have those two been there for some time now? Did they watch my entire struggle and just came out now to talk to me…? How hideous… Still, this could be a blessing in disguise, right? There are things, that should be discussed… I mean, Onodera usually has my back now, and Osaragi is quite attentive if it comes to secrets…'

He turns towards the pair and tries to play it off cool by smiling creepily.

"Well, the other members don't mind if I'm a little late today. But to get to your question Onodera, there is indeed something on my mind lately."

"It's Miko-chan, right?"

Both girls answer at the exact same time, letting Ishigami feel a double blow to the face.

'Since when did I become so easy to read? Then again, isn't this a chance? I mean Onodera and Osaragi know her and me good enough. Maybe they could help with my confusion…'

Ishigami Yuu clutches at a straw. He doesn't know how to handle his thoughts anymore, so he wants an easy way out. And what's easier than leaving important choices to other people.

After leaning back into his chair, playing cool once again, he confirms their claims.

"Yes, it's about Iino. She's avoiding me lately, and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. I know we're like cat and mouse, but she behaves even more strange since… um…" 'The time we almost kissed. Can't say that.' "For a while now, I guess."

Onodera's the first one to react, tilting her head slightly, she spots a subtle redness on the cheeks of the otaku.

"Do you have a crush on her, or something? Or why does it bother you so how much attention she gives to you?"

Onodera's statement is clearly provocative. His strategy of faking disinterest immediately fails as he almost falls out of his chair. 'A crush?!'

This direct confrontation with his feelings seems to annoy Osaragi more than him.

"I doubt it's crush. You're probably just worried about her. As you, and I, and Onodera, and a lot of other people are. You know how problematic Miko-chan can be, right? With her never-ending sermons, and her obnoxious will to establish 'justice' everywhere. With those attributes, she's destined to attract bad people. But we can't protect her forever now, can we?"

Osaragi looks as calm and neutral as she always does, but the mood shifts into a more serious one. Onodera and Ishigami have baffled expressions on their faces. It's the boy who responses after a short while.

"Well, now that you mention it, Iino is troublesome a lot of times, isn't she? Always being early, top grades, reprimanding other students for the smallest mistakes, taking everything so seriously, and yet still not being able to speak her very own mind. Only a masochistic idiot would deeply care for someone like this. It would be thankless work to keep up with her."

His mind sees their relationship clearer now. He stands up, ready to leave the classroom, willing to tend to his work as a treasurer. It's Onodera, who blocks his path. 'You see all of this completely wrong, Ishigami. Miko-chan changed, or at least tried to change a lot for you.' Since her thoughts can't reach him via telepathy, she speaks up.

"She has a lot of good points too! Miko-chan always supports those in need, whether they're grateful, or not. She tries to keep up her beliefs, even if that means she's all alone."

The blue-haired boy glances at her with annoyance in his eyes.

"Don't you think-"

He's interrupted by another voice. A new challenger, who's set to interfere with her interpretation of their conversation. With a yawning gesture, she musters the other three students.

"Well, usually I'm not someone who butts into private matters like this, but I guess, if it's my main DPS and support we're talking about, I'm bound to mediate, as leader of our squad, aren't I?"

Koromo Shiranui, another Impossible Girl, a highly intelligent and popular student at Shuchiin. Her favourite online game is Apex, in which she's ranked Master. Her current main squad consists of herself, Ishigami and Iino. Obviously, she wants their (online) synergy to go, since she's competing to be the best player in Japan.

Osaragi's thoughts on her 'Well, she might become a problem.'

Onodera's thoughts on her 'Well, she might become a problem.'

Ishigami's thoughts on the situation 'Iino's causing all this mess, without even being around. What a bother.'

"When Iino joined our sessions, I first thought she was your girlfriend already. A prodigy student, who doesn't even know what "Hotkeys" are, now plays video games like a pro seems like something a girl would do to impress her boyfriend."

Onodera smiles and Ishigami blushes brightly after her deductions. Nonetheless, the Shiranui seems to be on a roll.

"But since that's not the case, I always wondered why you're playing in perfect sync. You backing her up, whenever she's cornered and her healing you, whenever you get reckless. After thinking about it for a bit, I found an answer."

She seems proud of herself. Onodera's expectation's skyrocket, her eyes widen in expectation. Ishigami is wondering what she will come up with, his mouth stands wide open. Osaragi wants to interrupt, but she's too late.

"You are long-lost siblings, who got separated when you were children."


A dramatic scene plays in Shiranui's head, in which Miko is forcefully torn out of her family's home, with her mother not being able to do something since family court decided to split up everything fair and square in a divorce, which also includes the children for some reason. Only little Yu follows his father trying to stop him by holding his leg.

"I won't let you take Miko-chan away from me!"

The man breaks free and continues tear them apart.

"Yuu-kun!"

A teary-eyed little girl screams out for her brother.

"Miko-chan! No matter how long it takes, I will find you!"

A promise made by a crying little boy.


"Bruh. This kind of rivals Fujiwara-senpai's stupidity."

"Your imagination really runs wild sometimes, doesn't it Koromo-chan?"

"…Pff."

The girl in question notices that she's on the wrong track, so a change of strategy is necessary.

"However, just don't be late for the tournament game tonight, understood?"

She waves them of as if nothing happened and leaves the room. She's followed by her male classmate, heading for the student council.

Onodera, who's still perplexed by the gamer girl's fantasy, failed to hold Ishigami back from exiting their classroom with the wrong impression.

"You're a bad friend. I hope you know this, Koba-chan."

Osaragi's facial expression doesn't change after that remark. She's also heading for the exit.

"Telling him only negative stuff about your so-called "best friend". I don't know what happened between you, Ishigami and her, but it doesn't matter now. It's their happiness you're trying to crush with your gossip."

The spectacled girl frowns. Turning towards her light-haired classmate, she gives off an aura of anger and disappointment. Her voice is unusually loud.

"I didn't do this to crush anyone's emotions. I did this for my best friend. And besides that, his mind was already set even before I said all of that stuff. Not that a Normie would understand that."

After both dark-haired students left the room, seemingly knowing what's going on, only the supposed bright one stands there ostracized.

"Did I miss something?"

Meanwhile, Ishigami walks by the lost and found table on which a familiar heart-shaped pendant lies.

'That's the one I gave to Iino because somebody lost it, right?"

He looks around as if he's up to something mischievous.

"It's been three months now and nobody took it, so it's fair game to keep it… I found it after all…'

He reaches out to the small item.


Iino Miko prepares for battle…

~20 minutes earlier in the student council room~

"I really don't know what to do anymore! I can't look him straight in the face since the day he accompanied me home."

Iino Miko is at her wit's end. The three people she complains to are Shirogane Miyuki, President of the Student Council of Shuchiin. He's known as one of the brightest minds in High School. He's really popular and a supporter of Iino's wish to be with Ishigami. He's also the boyfriend of Vice-president Shinomiya Kaguya, the infamous Ice-Princess, who can't let people get too close to her. Her conduct is flawless and she's currently ranked number 1 among the third-year students. She supports Ishigami's wish to be happy. The pink-haired girl is Fujiwara Chika. A IshiMiko supporter.

"Well, did something significant occur on that day?"

The blonde male looks at her with his trademark analytical gaze. Hands folded in front of his face, menacing. Unlike his girlfriend, Iino starts to feel uncomfortable, letting her eyes dart into another direction.

"Um…. No?"

"You're totally lying, Miko-chan."

The fellow pianist covers a smirk smile with her hand and closes in on the small brunette, who's fiddling with her hands, glowing bright red.

"Did the two of you cuddle?"

The auditor vehemently shakes her head.

"Smooching maybe?"

The girl being accused of indecent acts continues to deny that anything happened between them on this fateful day.

Cheerful as ever, Fujiwara forms a circle with her left thumb and index finger and aims to stick another finger in-between.

"Did the two of you have se-"

"That's uncalled for, Fujiwara-san."

A deeply embarrassed Iino covers her entire face with her hands, who never stopped to deny any of the pinkette's questions while the vice-president interrupts her self-proclaimed best friend.

"Iino-san denied your former questions already, so please do not push her any further. It is quite obvious that nothing of importance happened. And that will probably stay this way since Iino-san refuses to face him or the truth."

Iino and Shirogane meet Shinomiya's polite smile with a surprised expression while the light-haired girl just nods.

"Kaguya is right. Nothing will ever come of it, when you don't take any risks with him, Miko-chan. It's Ishigami we're talking about after all."

"I don't think that's what Shinomiya means, Fujiwara."

Studying the face of his girlfriend, the blonde discovers that her original idea might have to do more with the position Iino got herself into than with her love for Ishigami. Besides that, he can't stop looking at her.

'President is staring at me with his harsh gaze.' The girl blushes and turns away from her boyfriend. In order to regain her composure, she plants her right hand on her left cheek, now looking at the Disciplinary Committee officer with an emotionless expression.

"What I meant by that is; she prioritises her own luck over that of Ishigami-kun's. He is heartbroken at the moment. He needs time to process this situation."

The cold and analytical side of the ice-princess seems to appear out of worry for Ishigami, a man who's grown onto Shinomiya like a brother. Fujiwara stops in her tracks just feeling fear, she knows this side of her friend just too well, so it falls to Shirogane to assist his protégé.

"I don't know where this is going, Shinomiya, but I can assure you that Iino-san's feelings are genuine. She's just as much interested in his well-being as in her own."

Iino's eyes brighten with glee since somebody defended her. The vice-president doesn't seem to have finished her argument. Probably out of fear for a only self-satisfactory motive behind the brunette's feelings, she points out some hard-hitting points.

"With all due respect, Iino-san, but is Ishigami-kun not the only male classmate who tolerates you the way you are? Do you not scare off most other people with your demeanour? I do not bear a grudge against you or your beliefs, but you should be more honest with yourself. Is it really love that you feel for him or is it the fear of being alone? Especially if you want to run the student council next year. He would be the only one who could stick with you… Don't you agree, President?"

This statement sends chills down the small girl's spine. Shinomiya brought up some valid arguments, she never deeply thought about. Up to now, she only followed her heart, but did she ever consider her circumstances? How all of this could hurt Osaragi or Ishigami? No, she used the methods she knew too well. Always pushing forward, whenever she thought she was in the right.

Her eyes become as empty as whenever she overheard her crush flirting with Koyasu Tsubame.

Shirogane on the other hand is trapped. His girlfriend asked for the support of his best friend's well-being. Siding with Iino seems impossible now. Even though he supports the auditor, he's unable to deny Shinomiya's track of logic. Defeated, he lowers his head.

Still, there is hope.

"Ukiyaaaaaaa! That's so unfair, Kaguya!"

An element of chaos.

"You never thought about me when you started dating the president. You just wanted to be happy yourself! And if Miko-chan wants to be smooch with that trashy Otaku, let her be happy! She deserves that, too! She's also looking out for him, isn't she?"

Fujiwara started crying midway through the conversation. Was it self-pity, a trace of sympathy for Shirogane or a desperate attempt to support Iino? No one knows. Anyway, it illuminates the eyes of the public morals committee member.

"I-I never intended to keep Iino-san from being happy, I just do not want Ishigami-kun to suffer more than he already does!"

The ice-princess's mask is melting off, which reveals a subtle blush on her cheeks, giving the president a reason to smile.

"Fujiwara-san is right. We shouldn't think bad about our fellow student council members. And if you really want to be superstitious about all this, this room is the place, where I became completely aware of my feelings for you, so it'll probably work out for them, too."

Shinomiya's heart skips a beat, after hearing those sentences from her boyfriend. She turns around and faces a glowing president.

"O-of course. If you put it that way, those two will surely be a great couple!"

While closing in on each other, centimetre for centimetre, forgetting about their surroundings and the problems their Kouhai has, Fujiwara sits there like a statue and Iino has to process a lot of input.

"This is too much for me, Fujiwara-senpai, so I'm going home."

The brunette rises, gathers her stuff, and leaves the room for good. She's obviously in a hurry, not wanting to meet Ishigami right now.

The pinkette is still baffled by the conclusion of her fellow classmates.

'That's not how I raised my boy, the way he speaks and his advances in the direction of Kaguya-chan are horrible! Are they conducting some sort of dance or a mating ritual? Why is she falling for that!?'

That's the moment in which the door to the student council opens for a last time on this day, letting Ishigami step in on the scene. His physiognomy isn't changing in the slightest while watching the black-haired girl and blonde boy creepily laugh and communicate with each other. Instead, he's focused on the empty seat next to the secretary.

"She already left."

As if communicating via telepathy Fujiwara turns towards Ishigami and raises a thumb with a sneaky smile on her face, signalising a "I got your back, bro." The recipient of this nice gesture gives her a thumb up himself and leaves as quickly as he had entered.

Maybe some of those students at Shuchiin got separated when they were children.

In the meantime, Iino walks by the table for the lost and found items, just barely missing Ishigami on his way to the student council. A familiar heart-shaped pendant catches her eye.

'It's still lying there… even after three months nobody stole that heart.'

She looks around as if she was up to something illegal.

'Is it really okay for me to keep it?'

She reaches out to the small item.


Ishigami Yuu cannot win

Leaning against the wall, next to a garbage collection place, on which she encountered Ishigami while patrolling on the festival day, Iino listens to some heartbeat asmr, hoping that her desperation would soon cease down. 'I have to rethink my strategy on approaching him… or I could lose him forever. Shinomiya-senpai's right. I can't go on like this. I need to mature; I need to end my self-inflicted suffering. But… why is all of this so complicated?' Feeling tears running down her cheeks, she starts to use the wall behind to repel herself. Swinging forwards and backwards, she tries to distract herself from negative thoughts, which doesn't seem to be successful.

Due to her earphones, she only hears muffled sounds from the outside, making it possible for her to engross in her bubble even more. 'Maybe it's better to ignore the outside world, and only focus on myself. It's just full of pain, anyway… As if one person could make a difference…' Now looking up, letting her tears flow without holding them back, she begins to understand something, formerly unknown to her. 'Is this how you feel all the time…?'

"Iino! I'm talking to you!"

A shouting voice right next to her tears the auditor out of her thoughts. She quickly wipes her tears off, puts her earphones away, and looks at the guy with the annoying voice.

"What do you want, Ishigami?"

"I was looking for you. There's something I want to discuss."

"What's so important that you have to follow me out here? Did the student council send you? Or is it that you want to copy my homework?"

"You little… I just wanted to know why you're avoiding me lately."

This question catches the brunette by surprise. She didn't anticipate Ishigami to be so direct. She turns her head, so he can't see her reaction.

"No reason. I just don't want to send the president off with a bad feeling and hinder our work in the council. After all, we're known to cause problems, because we fight so much."

That's obviously a lie. Iino was afraid of not being able to hold back her true feelings for her crush if they turned out to be in a room together.

Ishigami frowns, knowing that she's lying. 'Two can play that game, you know?'

"Ah, I see. How considerate of you. So, you were crying over not being able to see me, is that right?"

"Crying? Because of you? Are you dumb or is this wishful thinking, Ishigami? Which girl would cry for you?"

"Tsubame-senpai. And maybe Onodera if I were to die. Also, Shinomiya- and even Fujiwara-senpai would be saddened, I guess."

"You forgot about Shijo-senpai, who you seemingly love to pet."

Her voice sounds empty. 'I was right, she is jealous…' The treasurer focusses on the trash next to them. He's trying to come up with something to distract her from her sadness.

"You're probably thinking that I belong there, don't you?"

She follows the direction in which he's pointing. A trash bag. She smirks and starts to laugh, which ends up making her smile.

"Yes, I thought like this for a long while. But recently, I don't think that's appropriate anymore."

Ishigami's attention is entirely dedicated to Iino's face after her reaction. He's quite literally staring at the uplifting corners of her mouth. His heart starts to beat faster.

"You need an entire container to fit in."

"How cold-hearted of you to get up my hopes."

Even though it seems that the auditor's insulting him, there is no hostility in any of those sentences. It's more of a daily interaction between those two.

"Just to be sure… do you really see me that way, Iino?"

The girl in question blushes lightly before giving him an honest answer.

"Of course not. Actually, I came to realise that you're not a bad person at all."

Smiling slightly, the male student tries to give her a compliment as well. Not because he feels indebted after her remark, or because he wants to ease her embarrassment, but because he felt that this would be the best method to get closer to her.

"I always liked your smile, Iino. It always gives off that feeling of sincerity I rarely feel from other smiles."

This sentence sparks a fire within the short girl. If Ishigami thinks that her smile is genuine, it must also mean that he sees her as an impartial human, which implies that she is a beacon of justice in his eyes.

Of course, her thoughts are disproportional after one positive remark of her crush, but that doesn't stop her from starting to giggle, blush, and pant. She loves praise after all. Her behaviour doesn't stop Ishigami from commenting on it, though.

"Are you really that easy to get, Iino?"

"H-huh? What do you mean by that?"

"The countless times where flattering caused you to agree with someone you didn't even know."

The girl avoids his gaze and crosses her arms.

"That's none of your concern."

"It damn well is."

His words carry a grave meaning. It leaves the auditor shaken, now hurrying to see his face; his cheeks are glowing and he's struggling with his facial expressions.

"I really worry for you, you know? Behaving like this attracts guys with questionable motives. Just think about the pick-up artists or that time at the Christmas party. It can end up really badly, if you're not decisive in your turndowns."

Iino senses a warm feeling rising up inside her. If it wasn't for his nervousness, she would've given him a harder time, but strangely his stern words make her happy.

"Is that why you're always so harsh with me? Being worried for my well-being?"

She puts her hand on her chest, right where heart is supposed to be and, even though it costs her a lot of effort, looks him directly in the eyes. The blue-haired boy swallows, trying to regain his composure.

"W-well… someone has to look out for you."

Her entire mood shifts into anger.

"Someone? Does this SOMEONE even realise that he's also easily flustered? Just putting on the cute girl act and spouting some encouraging words into his ears, followed by a "Yuu-kun" makes him apparently fall for any girl."

Iino imitates those acts as she lists them, resulting in a blushing schoolboy. She has a dead-pan expression on her face.

"I can't believe how shallow you are, Ishigami."

"It's not my fault, if you're playing this cute, Iino."

"Duh. It is, especially if you call me out on being easy to get!"

"If I wanted you to react the same way, I'd just need to say, that your work ethic is admirable and that you did a good job today."

This turns her angry mood in a much more pleasant. She's fidgeting.

"Ehehe… hehe…."

"See, what happened? This only means we're both hopeless and lonely."

"It feels a thousand times better when you say it."

Those words again change the entire mood of the atmosphere. Iino now looks him in the eyes like that time when she asked him to accompany her inside her apartment. Her crush knows that her feelings towards him are genuine. He starts to pet her head, and as he expected it resulted in the same outcome as last time. She places his hand on her cheek, which he continues to caress.

"In all seriousness, what do you see in me, Ishigami?"

"I'm not good with these kinds of situations, Iino."

His head turns away from her, only for a small hand to put it right back in her line of sight. They're holding each other's cheek, as if they were looking in a mirror.

"For me you're a troublemaker, a nasty piece of work, someone I can crack down on all I want."

"Figures."

"But that's only because I know that you'd never do something to hurt or stop me. Quite the opposite, you're always there to support me, think of me when nobody else does so. You even go out of your way just to make my day a bit brighter, like on the day with the bonfire. You always look after me, and you understand how I feel. You're more reliable than you give yourself credit for, Ishigami. And even, if I'm not always happy around you, I can at least always be myself without fear."

She closed her eyes midway during her speech and hid her face in her hands. A lot of pictures run through her head. Her crush stops caressing her cheek, only to be baffled and embarrassed by her words. 'I can't answer this with a snarky comment… and fleeing isn't an option as well… This leaves only one logical conclusion.' He sighs deeply, hoping that some fresh air would help him to stay calm.

"You're probably the most annoying girl I've ever laid eyes on, you're a pain in the ass whenever someone breaks pointless rules, you're completely out of touch when it comes to the behaviour of our peers, and you're always pretending to be stronger than you really are.

The short girl looks at the ground beneath her feet through her fingers.

"But I'm glad I met you. When I told you that you're a hard worker, an honest girl, I really meant it. A lot of people could do better if they were following your example. It's also a good thing that you study so much, that will pay off eventually. Too be quite honest, you're admirable and kind; if people would take your speeches more seriously, I'm sure the world, or at least the school, would be a better place, Iino."

Her head darts up, she's flustered. Instinctively she takes a step forward.

"P-please don't joke about that, Ishigami. Do you really mean that?"

Despite being very embarrassed by his own statements, he nods and needs to add one last compliment.

"Also… I'm always happy whenever I see you sitting in the student council room."

This sentence pushes Iino against his chest, while he stands there frozen, his hands stuck in his pockets, not really knowing what to do since they're on a street in broad daylight. They must look like a couple to everyone. His conversation partner listens to his increased heartbeat. She smiles, unable for him to see.

"Don't you think you're a bit clingy, Iino?"

Embracing him, she obviously disagrees with his statement.

"I like being hugged; you know?"

"I'm not doing that here. No chance."

Iino's passion towards him and her willingness to accept Ishigami's hug is obvious for everyone around them. Keeping his hands to himself, the treasurer manages to supress his irrational side. They're not in a romantic relationship, after all.

This seems to displease the auditor. Giving him a harmless headbutt, the brunette pouts and lets go off him.

"Hmph!"

"Oi, stop behaving like a child, and listen to me for a moment. I have to go home soon."

Offended, Iino avoids his seeking eyes on purpose, which causes him to lose his previous nervousness, in turn he gets mad at her. The treasurer begins to fight.

"This is exactly why it's always so hard to have a conversation with you, you moron!"

"Says the one who completely ruined the mood, after not being able to read the room, you idiot!"

"Read the room? Don't fool me! You just wanted me to act lovey-dovey, so you could feel special!"

"So, I'm just a random girl hugging you? Is that what you see in me? Fine, I'll never do that again!"

Ishigami's last statement clearly hurt her. Apparent by her defensive stance, turning away from him. Iino's acts are desperate, her crush knows that much. Between handling her feelings, schoolwork, ideals, and pride, she always had to fight her inner loneliness and the feeling of not being wanted around. The blue-haired boy notices that he messed up. 'Should've just hugged her back, I hope it's not too late to save this…' He taps her on the shoulder, on which she reacts by turning around again. The brunette is holding back her tears, she clearly doesn't want to fight; giving Ishigami the courage to pursue his original goal.

"W-well, you are special to me, Iino… I finally came to understand what you mean to me. You're like poison… Sweet poison. And I really want this toxic side of our relationship to end… to see more of your sweet side, I guess. But in order to make this happen, we need to clear the air between us… So, could you just close your eyes and open your hands for a moment? I won't ask for more."

His face is completely flushed as is hers. Since Iino hopes for something romantic to happen, she does as he asks. 'Is he going to kiss me?'

Her thoughts are immediately proven to be false as she senses a metallic object in her hands. She's taken by surprise but soon realises what he just gave to her. The auditor's face is emitting happiness, while the treasurer has a more troublesome time.

"I will leave now, a-and give me some time before you open your eyes, okay? Um… openly admitting emotions always worked out bad for me. I'm f-fully aware of what this means, just take your time, and answer me tomorrow, alright? I'll be early to class. A-and get home safely, okay?"

Ishigami's voice is shaky. He speaks almost in lightning speed, as if he was repeating a rehearsed text. The brunette nods, giving the former track member the cue to leave the scene with haste.

After his footsteps become a distant sound, Iino presses the item against her chest and opens her eyes again. 'Finally, my suffering ends.'

Upon looking at Ishigami's token of affection, it is revealed to be the small heart-shaped pendant. Once he gave it to her out of obligation, now it carries a new meaning.

A direct confession.

Today's battle result: Pending


Thank you for reading.

Hope you enjoyed it. I'm not quite sure of where to go and whom to include into this story, so tags can change in the future. Comments of (almost) every sort are appreciated.

Have a nice day!