A/N: I was scheduled an update yesterday but was too tired to open my laptop. Anyway, here's the next chapter, yay! Enjoy!
Doki/Ba-dump/Thump = sound of a heartbeat
Disclaimer: This is fluff.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I _ You
Singing birds abounded throughout the courtyards of campus as they fled with the shift of the cool, crisp winds of November. The trees danced, its leaves making free-falls towards the grounds and swept away by the janitor who, from time to time, let out frustrated groans. It was another fresh Monday of school, and the entire second floor of the building blared with chats and loiters from the sophomores as they talked about the school activity that happened two days before.
"I guess the best part were the ninjas! Did you see them? They're so cool, right? I wanna be one but headmaster Kinochi said I had to pay 1000 Jennies for the costume."
"Hahahaha! Of course, man! We only paid for the lame kimonos to wear!"
"I think the kimonos were awesome."
"The festival was awesome. It's so great that we get to be there just in time for the lantern festival, right?"
"It was a good thing we stayed until 8 PM on the last day or else we won't be able to take part!"
Yuhi's ears twitched as the resounding conversations from different parts of the room inevitably entered her brain—especially when the lantern festival they were talking about reminded her of her one-sided teenage infatuation. A whimpering sound escaped her throat as she buried her head in her arms on her desk.
Gassho Zukuri, the cultural heritage site they stayed in for three days and two nights, was a small town near the distant hills, valleys and streams on a countryside province that preserved the old civilization of the country. All of the people wore the traditional Kimono, the guards walked around the town with swords on their sides, the houses were designed in a conventional fashion, revealing the rich architecture of the 16th century, ninjas dressed the part and moved around, and samurais ate inside noodle and teahouses that served traditional culinary feasts. In general, people strictly practiced the customs, traditions and beliefs of the old Jyopen.
It was a delightful sight, making the students feel like they were inside their History book, living with the people in the past. Yuhi felt strangely nostalgic when she saw the town. It was just like the one inside the Midnight Chamber of the museum.
She had swallowed a good amount of liquid then when she recalled the unforeseen event at the museum.
As part of the activity, they all wore Kimonos and learned the traditional practices for three days. They stayed in a little hotel hosted by an old lady with a funny looking makeup. Sure, it was a fun endeavour, because they actually got to attend classes in traditional calligraphy, basic Judo and swordsmanship, culinary, and gardening. In their free time, the students explored the town and its borders, each taking notes as a requirement by Mrs. Malu.
On the last day they were scheduled to go back to Tomo at 3 in the afternoon. However, the officials of Gassho Zukuri insisted they stayed for the annual lantern festival. At first the teachers were a little reluctant, because they had a schedule to follow. But the students wanted to stay. So with the help of a little persuasion from the officials and a confirmation from Mr. Chango, they remained until 8 in the evening. Yuhi could not help but swallow hard again because of the lantern festival. Although she was excited about the event, it reminded her of the scene earlier that day again.
From 3 to 7 PM, the students were free to do what they wanted. Some went to the hills, some bought souvenirs, and some went in and out of the stores inside the town. Yuhi was one of those who went in and out of the stores. One shop sold antiques and replicas of old objects used by the people in the past. The interior of the shop was brown, rusty and dusty but it tickled the curious membrane in the auburn-haired girl.
There was this pocket-watch hanging as a pendant on a copper chain necklace near the counter and Yuhi just wanted to get her hands on it. A middle-aged man with burnt chocolate brown skin then appeared behind the counter and told the girl that the pocket-watch would take her back in time. He said it with so much gravity that Yuhi was so close to believing him when he laughed and told her he was only kidding. However, the auburn-haired girl was intrigued about the thing the man told her about afterward.
Yuhi still remembered what he said, recalling it while staring out the window of their classroom.
"You're going to the lantern festival tonight, aren't ya? Did you know that the festival symbolized love? Back then, people lit floating lanterns and let it fly in the sky to send their loved ones who are warriors messages. Each lantern was inked with the name of the sender. It means that they were sending love amidst the wars. It became a festival eventually to commemorate the beautiful significance of the tradition.
Pretty, aye?
Today in this town, we lit lanterns, but the true messages conveyed by lovers go through a miniature replica. Kids give this to their parents during the festival. You might see some outside. But nowadays, it's somehow exclusive to couples, married or not, and it became objects of confessing one's true feelings. Do you have someone you like? I have tiny lanterns here if you want. But of course, it's not free. It's only 50 Jennies, though."
The auburn-haired girl thought it cheesy. But she bought a pack of six miniature lanterns nonetheless, thinking of giving one to Roroturo, perhaps one to Sejin, each to the regular employees—and her friends as well—inside the Ramen shop, and the last one...
The speech of the man somewhat opened her eyes to an option she had not considered before.
When the lantern festival was at its peak and they were about to set the fire-powered lanterns to fly in the starry night sky, she was in deep thought—especially when she gazed over the group of 2-A students on the other side of the circle. Killua was there, and just like at the Midnight Chamber in the museum, the somnolent dance of the golden lights reflected prettily on his blue irises. Her heart started beating fast in a weird but soothing fashion and thought that maybe, just maybe she'd give it a shot.
It was the first time she thought of the possibility of two unlikely hands intertwining.
When a man announced they let the lanterns go, she shook the thoughts away and smiled it off. There they watched the lanterns disappear into the darkness, and eventually they said their goodbyes and went home.
Yuhi decided to sleep throughout the trip. They got home at 5 o'clock in the morning on a Sunday. Yuhi could not help but tell stories of her adventure to her guardian she had not seen for almost four days. Roroturo let the girl talk, giving her a bowl of Ramen soup before sending her to bed at 6 in the morning.
The girl woke up in the afternoon, and seeing the tiny lanterns she bought from the man at the antique shop, she could not help but recall the trip. It seemed like a dream—so surreal. She giggled at that and proceeded to write the names of the people she ought to give the lanterns to in calligraphy with a marker, as what she learned. On the opposite side of each lantern, she wrote her name. She carefully let it stand on one corner of her desk to let the ink dry. She pulled the last lantern from the plastic bag and wrote her name first, then flipping it she stared at the white blank fibre cloth while thinking.
The option the man offered her went past her thoughts again. However, she did not know if she should do it. So she continued to think about it, until the present time.
A silent whimpering sound once again slid out of her throat as she tightened her grip on her arms. Her eyes were at the view outside the window but her mind was at the other side of the hallway—at the room next to theirs near the staircase, particularly at the second row near the windows, particularly the second to the last chair to the right, particularly the person who owned that seat. Yuhi buried her head deeper into her desk when tiny Killuas started popping in her head. All had a dialogue bubble saying 'ramen girl' and 'hallway girl'.
Another silent groan.
Because she found it cute and incredibly confusing at the same time.
"Yuhi. Are you okay?" Sejin started.
The addressed lifted her head and instantly flashed a goofy smile to her seatmate.
The raven-haired girl gave her a look of disbelief. "You look awful. Are you sick or something?"
Yuhi chuckled and sniffed, stretching her back to sit properly. She shook her head. "Nothing, I was just… thinking." Another goofy smile.
"Really, now?" Sejin mused, pushing back the bridge of her glasses.
Yuhi nodded, and stared out the window, thinking whether she should tell her seatmate about the thing she was thinking of doing, or not doing. She turned her head back at her seatmate with a huge grin on her face.
The president noticed it instantly. Her eyes grew wide, suspicious of the stare the girl gave her. "What?"
Yuhi pursed her lips and stood up, looking at the time. It was still about fifteen minutes until the next class. "I'm gonna go outside for a sec." Then she walked out of the room.
Heaving a deep sigh she leaned her back on the wall in the hallway and went through her train of thoughts. Nothing was in there but the tiny Killuas dancing around as though they were mocking her with their cute little antics. Closing her eyes, she ruffled her forelocks as she shook her head. But no, there they stayed eating her brains to gain the power to multiply and fill her skull together with a bunch of other tiny Killuas. The girl then sighed and laughed gravely at herself. "I think I need some fresh air."
Since the moment Yuhi declared to her army of cells that she has an itsy bitsy tiny little crush on the handsome white-haired transferee, it was instilled together with the idea that the boy was just someone to look at and be all giggly about. Even though the 'itsy bitsy' evolved into something huge, it remained as that. Killua was out of her league, way, way out of her league, and she knew that for a fact.
Why, there were a number of reasons why.
First of all, they were not classmates. Second of all, Killua seemed to be the type of person who would probably not take notice of her, which, by experience, was proven true by our protagonist. Third of all, Killua was like a blockbuster movie—girls line up just so they could get him to look at them even just for a bit. Fourth of all, Yuhi was not the type of person who would go and do things just so someone would pay attention to her. And fifth of all, her looking at him was enough to get through the day. It was enough.
It was.
Then a glorious thing happened and it introduced her to a new connection to the best friend, Gon. It was amazing to think that she became friends with the closest buddy of her angel—that meant more chances of seeing him. However, even so, Yuhi still could not grasp the possibility of the boy ever remarking her and treating her easily as his equal too. Although the pretty events between her and Killua made her smile and cackle immensely. That was enough.
It was.
Perhaps until Mitan came to her and asked to forward a love letter to the white-haired boy. That turned the tables. Yuhi remained silent for days because of that—thinking, and contemplating the strange sensation she was feeling rolling about in her chest, and her stomach. After a couple of days though, she came back to number one and learned to cheer up and be happy for her friend. After all, Mitan was her friend. Yuhi was glad she was able to help, and with that she taught herself not to get too attached to the white-haired boy who barely knew her entire person. It was enough that they talked and knew each other.
It was.
But, strangely, odd incidents started pushing her to circumstances wherein she would look Killua in the eyes and feel a little funny. Before, when she saw the boy her heart would race and she would blush and snicker in delight. However when the mentioned episodes in her life started, she began to question why she felt that way. She knew it was all natural because Killua was the best crush ever, but she did not know why things suddenly… changed for her and the boy. Yuhi did not want to expect something, but the phenomena made her want to question all her stars in heaven.
Yet in the span of time when nothing significant had happened Yuhi disregarded the probability of signs and fate. She returned to normal. Not thinking of and seeing Killua for almost a month helped. But her stars seemed to always have the perfect timing. Yuhi snapped her fingers one night while in camp trip because she figured she confirmed the true purpose of the school activity: so she and her unrequited love can have time together. Well, sort of. Because the camp trip only gave more confusing things to think about.
Yuhi thought that all the steady things between her and Killua would be enough, that her being able to talk to him and know him personally would be okay. But, the camp trip was an eye-opener somehow. It started in the museum, and continued to haunt her until they reached the town of Gassho Zukuri, where she felt things she knew she should not be dwelling upon on, up to the point where they were about to leave, when the old native man told her something about the lantern and its significance. It opened her heart to a chance, or a risk, that she felt her subconscious was thinking of doing way back. She just did not want to welcome that thought before. But at that time, it occurred to her—because she finally understood the reason why she was having that strange, funny feeling whenever she looked at Killua.
She likes him. She really, really, really likes him.
Perhaps it was even more than that.
And because of the lantern story from the man at the shop of Gassho Zukuri, she thought of expressing her heart to the white-haired boy. She thought of confessing. It was the final verdict. Yuhi truly wanted to be with Killua. She was done pretending.
"Aaahh!" The auburn-haired girl ruffled her locks frustratingly as she ducked and held her head, eyes staring at the grass on the ground. She wanted to inhale fresh air to clear her mind, sitting alone in a bench at the back lot of the school building where the swimming pool and the outdoor soccer and tennis courts were located. Her place was beneath the shade of a tree, near the fences that symbol the end of the borders of the campus grounds. It was a nice place to stay in—quiet, peaceful, away from the students playing the sports, overlooking the perimeter. It was a perfect place to 'get some fresh air' and to 'clear one's mind'. But our auburn-haired protagonist still seemed to not get her thoughts straight. She actually regretted it a little. It only made her think of all the impossible things that might not even happen.
Yuhi exhaled roughly and planted her elbows on her lap, resting her chin on her palms. A pout appeared on her lips. She groaned frustratingly. "You think he'll accept you, Yuhi? What are you on to? Are you possessed?" she scolded herself silently. "You made a promise to Mitan too, ne! She'll be so, so disappointed if you do that. And he might even already be close… friends to Lykira and maybe even tons of other girls so why would you even…?" Another groan. A whimpering sound escaped the girl's throat next as she looked down again and held her head, hitting it a little. "Oh, dear Lord why?" She gave another light hit as she closed her eyes, seeing again the tiny Killuas dancing around in her head. Another whimpering sound, but it came out with a small smile that time. There the tiny Killuas in her head marched while chanting 'confess' with their little banners and placards stating their words.
Another hit in the head.
But at that time, it came from something else.
Yuhi snapped her eyes open and stared at the soccer ball by her feet. She took it, and looked around. There she saw, a few feet to her left, a boy standing firmly straight with his hands on his hips, looking at her with a grin on his face. Yuhi blinked twice. The boy's grin grew into a wide sunny smile. Yuhi cocked her head to the right. "Wh—"
"Sorry, did I hit you too hard?"
Yuhi's eyes grew wide as she turned her gaze to the soccer ball she was holding. She looked back at the boy with a curious look on her face. "No, but—"
"Good!" he exclaimed, walking towards the girl. He stopped in front of her, gesturing towards the space on the bench where she sat. "Can I?"
The girl blinked again, and nodded as a response. She watched as the boy sat himself next to her, stretching and yawning as though he had nothing to think about—especially because his smile did not leave his face even just for a second. She stared at him to capture his face.
The boy had straight but messy peach to the lightest shade of brown hair, eyes hazel, bright like Gon's—but not as big. Yuhi reckoned he was just about her age, for his face was small, and looking at him where he stood he was a only a few inches higher than her—more like Killua and Gon's height, because the boys were not that tall compared to their friends. He must be either a sophomore or a junior. But the girl seemed to not see him before, and those people Yuhi had not seen in school before are either transferees or seniors. His approach bedazzled Yuhi though. He seemed to overpower her ability to talk first. And so she remained silent, not knowing what to start saying.
"I saw you hitting your head," the boy calmly said, looking at Yuhi. "So I thought I'd help! Hehe!" He grinned widely again like a kid.
Yuhi blinked for the nth time and looked at the ball in her hands again. "Y-You did that on purpose?"
The boy held a thumb up. "Yeah!" Then he rubbed his nape, smile suddenly fading into a sheepish one. "Sorry."
The auburn-haired girl suddenly chuckled. She strangely could not help it. First time conversations are the hardest to many, but it has always been a piece of cake to our auburn-haired protagonist, especially if the person she met for the first was a lively one—and except if it were someone like her white-haired angel. "Thanks, I guess?" She stretched out her arms and handed back the ball.
The boy took it with another playful grin spreading across his face. "You're welcome!" he exclaimed, laughing as he took the ball and played with it. "So, why were you hitting your head just now? An insect crawled in your ear?"
Yuhi shook her head, turning her gaze ahead. "Just a little—" And right there and then, just like every perfect timing in every story plot, Killua appeared from a distance. His white hair ruling all the colours in the fields and his small smile made everything around him appear blurry in Yuhi's eyes. She saw no one else but him as he walked to the grassy meadow to her far left. Her heart pounded loud inside her chest, thinking of her insane attempt to tell him everything. Yuhi sighed, trying to remember where she was.
"School problem?"
Instantly, the girl snapped back on earth and turned to the strange boy she was having a conversation with. She looked at him with wide eyes, not knowing how to explain why her eyes followed a certain white-haired boy. When she realized the question, she shook her head, neck obviously tensed.
"Math problems? Homework? Projects?" He asked again.
Here Yuhi exhaled of relief. She smiled a little and shook her head. "No—" Then she paused, stroking her chin to think. "A little maybe."
The boy laughed heartily, embracing his soccer ball. He shook his head. "No, I don't think it's a family problem. Wait, it's a problem, right?" The tone in his voice was eager.
Yuhi pursed her lips and shrugged slowly.
"Aha! I think this time I'm right!" The boy leaned close to Yuhi and raised a finger in the air, one hand hugging the soccer ball securely.
The auburn-haired girl only blinked.
"It's a love problem!"
Then the tensed cells flooded her body like tidal waves. H-He saw me looking at…! Yuhi felt extremely nervous, because not a soul knew about her secret love life but Sejin, and not a soul should know about it not until Killua knew of it first.
"Haha! I knew it! I'm really great at guessing games, you know." The boy then stood up and faced Yuhi, pressing a finger on his lips. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Heh—! Yuhi wanted to melt. She wanted to disappear. I'm doomed. Doomed! For seconds her brain absorbed all the possible things that could happen had the boy leaked that tiny fact about her, but after a few, she started thinking straight. She needed to negotiate. Yuhi looked up and gave the boy a sheepish smile. "You really won't?"
The boy laughed. "You're funny." But his expression suddenly changed into a more serious one, but he was smiling still. "You should have defended yourself first before asking that. Now I really know what your problem is."
Yuhi's absent-mindedly released a twisted expression as she looked down. He's right! I didn't even know if he really saw me.
The boy let the light soccer ball bounce on the girl's head, catching her attention. He smiled purely at her. "Come on, smile! I'm not gonna blackmail you about it, unless in the future we become friends and I happen to need to a favour from you, I'll prob'ly use it."
Yuhi did not know if she could trust the boy or not, but part of her wanted to. That part tickled her. She laughed.
"Okay, so now you laugh at blackmail jokes." He chuckled and grinned widely. "Anyway, don't think about it too much. If you like him, you should tell him!"
Yuhi paused.
"Or else someone would get ahead of you. Or someone might just come in your life and tell you he likes you. Wouldn't that be more confusing?"
Yuhi blinked.
"Heeey, I'm still here!" he exclaimed, noticing that the girl was not responding to his sentences. The boy sighed. "Yeah, I'll just go on ahead now!" He patted the girl's head. Yuhi flinched for a second and look at him. He smiled playfully. "One advice though. When you get up upstairs, go to the restroom. Your hair's a little messy."
Yuhi instantly touched her hair and tried to fix it, pulling out the rubber-band that tied part of her locks.
The boy chuckled. "There! I'll go now! Bye!" Then he sprinted away.
Yuhi followed him with her eyes for seconds as she stroked her hair and combed it with her fingers. The words of the strange boy hit her like a bulldozer drove over her chest. Yuhi could not believe all the people in the world were telling her to confess to Killua. But… "Someone might just come in your life and tell you he likes you. Wouldn't that be more confusing?" Yuhi instantly answered a 'no' in her head at that, because there was no one else but the white-haired boy—it was only him.
Thinking about his face suddenly she absent-mindedly turned to where she last saw him. There Killua sat on the grass with his best friend who had his back on her, arms crossed behind his head, chewing on something. Yuhi's eyes seemed to zoom in his face, and there she confirmed where his gaze was. He was looking at her, directly at her. Yuhi's heart skipped a beat. She gasped, thinking of sprinting away.
The bell then rang.
A small, shy smile instantly spread across the girl's face as a greeting before she ran towards the building, entering a shortcut to the main lobby, and climbing the stairs to the 2nd floor.
"If you like him, you should tell him!"
The strange boy's words recoiled in her head as she paused at the end of the hallway, resting her back in the wall to calm her breathing. Tell him… A sigh escaped her throat as she strode towards their classroom, smiling a little as she shook her head. My heart almost exploded when I see him, what more when I tell him, ne! Yuhi then paused for a second, and continued walking in their room—thoughtful. She forgot to ask what the boy's name was.
Silence commenced and the sound of chalk grinding against the board resonated throughout the room as students wrote the words intently on their notebooks, each having 'homework' labelled at the very top of it.
The moment the chalk stopped moving, the students sat straight to stretch their backs and turned their gazes in front.
Mr. Yama stood behind the teacher's table fixing the papers of another seatwork he made the pupils do. "Alright," he started, clearing his throat and pushing the bridge of his glasses. The man stood straight and placed his arms behind his back. "I expect each one of you to submit your homework tomorrow as usual. Also, study your lessons. We'll have a long quiz tomorrow as well."
The students gave their own unique way of expressing their dismay and disbelief to another schoolwork from their adviser.
Yama then took his things, ready to leave. "And before I forget, the school's winter festival is nearing." He looked at Sejin and the latter nodded. "Everyone in class should participate. Sejin will give the details soon, I believe. Good bye class."
The door clanking shut triggered noise inside the room. The students all went to their president to inquire about one of the main activities of the year—when they would discuss it and what they were to do when it comes. All seemed pretty excited about the topic, especially because they enjoyed last year's winter festival as freshmen.
"I'll discuss it soon, maybe later," Sejin said, voice sharp and full of force. Her classmates asking indefinite number of questions were starting to annoy her. "Alright, fine! We'll discuss it later. Now go back to your seats. Mrs. Akimiro will arrive soon!" The class then dispersed and loitered around after Sejin's speech, chatting about anything under the sun. The class president let out a silent groan as they walked away from her area. She sighed, and absently turned her gaze to the left where she found the most unusual thing—again.
Yuhi was quietly seated beside her, right elbow planted on her desk, chin rested on her palm, and gaze far out the window. Normally, the auburn-haired girl would be the first one to jump on the president the moment Yama went out of the room to ask about the school festival and to suggest weird things that she thought would be fun for the class to do. But at that time, she was just so quiet.
Sejin noticed Yuhi acting like that before and just recently, earlier that day. She silently observed her; see if there would be a difference in her behaviour by the day. To her relief, Yuhi then returned to normal quite fast and Sejin thought she did not have to insist on the girl telling her what was up. The president then figured that her seatmate was thinking about that Killua boy, or maybe because something at home happened, or that she felt down about having to deal with Science every day. Sejin, though, was not the type of person who would dwell into other people's lives just so she could know what was bothering them. She waits for them to tell her, because she believed that by that they would be ready to talk about it. So, she let it slide the first time. She attempted to ask, though, but she also knew Yuhi would not get what she meant unless she said it with literal gist.
Although that was the case, Sejin did not want to let it slide that time. She knew what not sharing one's problems could do to a person's mentality. She had a feeling that Yuhi wanted to talk about it then, especially because she initiated a conversation earlier that day but cut it immediately and decided to go out of the room instead. Maybe she just didn't know how to start talking about it? "Yuhi?"
No answer.
Sejin cleared her throat. "Yuhi."
"Hm?" The girl replied, not moving from her position.
"Are you… alright? You've been acting strange since this morning."
Heaving a deep sigh, the auburn-haired girl blandly turned to face her seatmate, a pout hideously painted on her face. "Sejinnnn…"
The addressed gasp silently and leaned back just as instantly, holding on tight to the back support of her chair. She blinked and pushed the bridge of her glasses, clearing her throat to compose herself. Her seatmate looked outrageously whacked and a little worn out mushrooms would have popped out of her noggin had she remained as that. Sejin swallowed a good amount of liquid. "What have you been doing?"
Yuhi pouted more. "…Thinking."
"Again? About what?"
Yuhi inhaled for a speech, but it was instantly halted by the sound of the door sliding open. An old lady appeared, smiling at her students as she walked to the teacher's desk. "Good afternoon, class." It was Mrs. Akimiro, Language teacher, their last period of the day.
"Good afternoon, teacher!" the students greeted back.
"How was your trip? I heard you learned about new things. Now, I want you to recall everything you've learned and we will apply that to our activity today, alright?"
"Yeesss."
Sejin went back to face her desk, grabbing her pen and started opening her notebook.
Yuhi did the same, glancing at their president. "Sejin?" she silently called, sounding a little hesitant.
Her seatmate heard her anyway. "Yes?" Sejin replied, turning to Yuhi.
The latter looked down. Then looking at her seatmate again, she let out a small warm smile. "Let's walk home together after class, ne?"
Sejin smiled.
Language has always been one of the most difficult subjects to get by with eyelids open for the class, next to History, mainly because, for 2-B, it was the last period of the day and the teacher talked gently and soothingly. Her voice sounded like a lullaby and the sound of flipping book pages was like a calm classical scoring to her tone. The class had always tried to stay awake even though their sights started to blur, and they succeeded in doing so since the start of the school year. Although from time to time there had been pupils who dozed off after half past the start of the period, there was always that one student who never failed in completely letting her head fall on her desk the moment Mrs. Akimiro starts reading pages and discussing the different strokes of a foreign letter.
Despite the numerous words and thoughts filling her head, Yuhi still fell asleep on her desk when the old teacher gave them time to read a literary passage from their books and try to practice writing it using the old alphabet. That was twenty minutes beyond the start of the period, and Yuhi did not know what she would miss throughout her catnap for forty minutes.
"Yuhi. Yuhi, wake up."
Slowly opening her eyes, the addressed looked around to try and establish in her sight where she was. When she realized that she was still inside school, Yuhi snapped up and tried to fix her face. She turned to her seatmate who believe was the one who woke her up. Yuhi blinked, wondering what Sejin was doing.
Gathering her things and putting them carelessly inside her bag, Sejin stood up and moved with such speed. "Sorry, Yuhi, but I think I won't be able to look out for you today. Home called. I need to head back right away. Also told the class that we'll be discussing the festival tomorrow."
Yuhi continued to blink. Her sleepy mind still could not process things properly.
Sejin took her bag and hung it over her shoulder. She took her jacket and books in her other arm and looked at her seatmate. "I'll ask Taro or someone else to stay behind so you can have company."
With one last blink, Yuhi understood it all. She slept in class and was to stay late to clean the rooms again. Sejin was summoned at home and no one was there to accompany her. She shook her head. "No, it's okay. I can do well by myself—" The girl paused when she saw the sharp look on her seatmate's face.
Sejin stretched her neck as she looked around. "Reina!" She called to the area near the door. The addressed was near exiting. She turned around. "Can you stay—"
"Oops! Sorry, pres! Me and the girls are going somewhere today. Sorry, Yuhi!" Reina waved at the latter and smiled sheepishly at their president before exiting the room.
Sejin sighed frustratingly and turned to the farther part of the room adjacent to the windows next to the hallway. She found Taro talking to his friends, grabbing his bag and hanging it around him. Sejin called him before he disappeared to the door.
"Yo?"
"Do you have something to do? I need to go now and Yuhi needs company."
Taro walked to their area and paused in front of the president. He looked at the auburn-haired girl next to Sejin. He whistled. "Yuhi slept again! Good thing Jinop wrote crappy things on his notes or I'd be staying late cleaning the rooms too." He laughed.
Yuhi laughed sheepishly and rubbed her nape as she bowed a little to apologize.
Sejin heaved a deep sigh. "You'll stay, right, vice president?"
Taro raised his hands in the air. "Sorry, Sejin. Can't." He looked at his wristwatch. "I'm actually late for my job. Can't ditch work now. My boss will fire me for sure." He returned his gaze to Yuhi. "Really sorry, Yuhinanana."
The latter shook her head. "No, it's totally fine!"
"Maybe Reina's cool about it?" Taro asked Sejin.
"She already left."
"Hm…" The boy paused to think.
"Yo, Taro! Let's go or your butt's screwed this time!" A call from outside. It was Ren's voice.
Taro stood up, opting to turn around and leave. "Really, really sorry, pres. Next time Yuhi sleeps in class, I'll be the one to watch over. Is that okay?" He smiled at Sejin then at Yuhi. Receiving no response from their president he ran out of the room shouting, "I'm out, guys, bye!"
Another frustrated sigh escaped from the president's throat. She looked around, but everyone already went out of the room and perhaps even the building.
Yuhi fixed her things and hair as she stood up. "Don't worry, Sejin. I'll clean all the rooms, I promise!" she exclaimed, face looking gritty.
Sejin looked at her seatmate for a while, thinking whether to ask her right there and then what was bothering her. But feeling her phone vibrate ceased her thoughts. She took it out of her bag and answered the call, holding a palm out to Yuhi. "Hello? Yes… Yes, I'm on my way… Alright. Just stay there, okay? Bye."
Yuhi's eyes grew wide. "Is something wrong?" She could not help but inquire.
Sejin put the phone back in her bag. "It's my little brother. Tiny problem."
"Sejin, you have a brother!?" It was the first time Yuhi heard Sejin talk about something familial.
"Yes, two actually, and twins."
Yuhi's eyes grew wider with surprise and amazement. "Really!? That's awesome!" Then she imagined two little boys looking exactly like her quiet, introvert seatmate with glasses and blank expressions. She giggled at her thoughts.
"I'll talk to Mr. Yama when I head down and explain everything. You can report to him before going home. Teachers stay here until eight in the evening, I think, so he's probably still here until about six. Will you be okay, Yuhi?"
The addressed then stood straight and saluted. "Of course! You can go now, Sejin, I'll bet the call's important."
Sejin nodded. "I'm really sorry. We can talk tomorrow. Take care on the way home." She waved a hand before sprinting out of the room. Sejin really seemed to be in a hurry that day.
Yuhi watched as her seatmate moved about the room recklessly, thinking of how nice it must be to have siblings. She giggled at the thought of Sejin acting like an elder sister to twins. Taking a deep breath she looked around and savoured the silence. The room was still and quiet in the golden-brown shade of the afternoon sun. A smile escaped the girl's lips. She stretched her arms and walked to the corner where the cleaning materials were. She chuckled a little. It's been a while since I cleaned rooms, ne.
The afternoon drifted off slowly that day. Well, for Yuhi the day had been as slow as a crawling snail. She did not know why but it seemed as though the teachers from all subjects gave them more than enough lessons and activities, even added homework and projects to their to-do list for the week. It seemed as though so many things happened that day, but assessing them all, the only thing interesting that happened was when she met the strange boy from the backfields of the campus. Yuhi thought about the purpose of his appearance in her life. Maybe he was a prophet sent by the heavens to scold her and tell her what she needed to do. Maybe he was her guardian angel she did not know. Maybe he will be a friend of hers in the future. Maybe he just happened to pass by to give her a good hit because he thought she was being silly. Nonetheless, Yuhi was so sure to ask his name next time she saw him.
Other than that, not a thing was worth thinking about throughout the day. But Yuhi was thoughtful every second. Her mind was full of things she did not want to think deeply about. She figured that if she told Sejin her case, she might forget about it. Yuhi was so sure Sejin would enlighten her to blurry things in her head. Sejin's rational analysis had always been effective. But lo, her seatmate had gone out already. And although she thought about telling her, Yuhi still could not comprehend how to speak about it.
A frustrated sigh escaped the girl's throat as she paused. "I'm thinking about it again," she said to herself, sweeping off the last pile of dirt from their room. She looked at the time and reckoned she only spent fifteen minutes cleaning two rooms—2-C and 2-B. Another sigh. The day feels so, so long.
Walking to her desk, the auburn-haired girl fixed her things so she could instantly grab her bag the moment she's done. She put two books on her desk from the shelf: Chemistry and History. Ms. Irisa gave them things to do from the book and Mrs. Malu gave them things to read. There were no homework in Economics. There would be a practical exercise in P.E. the next day, readings from History, homework in Science, long quiz in Mathematics, homework in Language. Yosh! Yuhi exclaimed in her head as she zipped her back shut. Last room of the day!
Doki.
It was a strange thing to feel during that time. Before, Yuhi would be pumped up and excited about being able to catch a glimpse of her secret love-life's vandalized desk. But at that time—during the course of her confused thoughts and tiny Killuas dancing in her head—there was a strange feeling crawling up her spine. She was anticipating. But before as well, she anticipated that he would be there, however that minute, she anticipated that he would not be there. It was more like a hope or a wish. She wished that he would not be there. But there was this faint part of her that wanted him to be there. It was a very, very strange feeling—like she wanted two things to happen at the same time.
Yuhi shook her head off the self-deliberations and grabbed her broom-chan as she took a deep, deep breath. She stretched her arms and stomped towards the door to the hallway. However, the moment she started walking towards class 2-A's room, her heart began to beat fast, and faster. It raced equally with her slowing pace. She suddenly felt nervous and hesitant.
What if he's there?
Step.
What will I say?
Step.
What will I do?
Step.
What if I go blank?
Step.
What if I stutter?
Doki.
Well, I always stutter when talking to him but, what if he asks me why I stutter?
Doki.
What should I do?
Pause.
Yuhi's eyes were wide as she stared staggering at the door in front of her that read the sign '2-A'. Her heartbeat was galloping, bolting, dashing. She could feel it hammering against her chest and lungs, drowning her, making her brain picture out the white-haired boy sitting alone on his seat, turning his sea blue eyes towards her who stood erect and flustered at their room's doorstep. Her heart raced faster. What if Killua really was there? Yuhi lifted her hand and grabbed the door's handle, gripping it tight as she swallowed a good amount of liquid.
Will I tell him?
Then she slid the door open.
It was a few seconds before Yuhi's eyes could take the view in before her sight could finally clear up. She blinked and immediately did a perimeter check. The room was empty, still and quiet. Yuhi exhaled, breathing out the air she did not know she was holding in, and relaxed her shoulders. Her muscles calmed and her heartbeat returned to normal. Another deep breath. She rubbed her nape and laughed at herself, clenching her rather cold palms. How silly am I to think that he'll be here. Yuhi shrugged multiple times to aid her nerves before walking in. Her smile never left her face as she scanned the room, eyes pausing at a certain white-haired boy's desk.
Doki.
Her heart stopped for a second, smile slowly fading as she examined a blue bag hanging on the back support of his chair. She then silently gasped. He's—
Clank.
Yuhi instantly turned around when the sound from behind her grinded the peaceful silence of the room. The world seemed to stop. But her pulses then started to dance peculiarly, meeting the wide, surprised eyes of the white-haired boy standing by the door.
-CHAPTER END-
Note: Gassho Zukuri is an old Japanese architectural design that is still used in some towns of Kyoto as heritage sites and/or house designs. It's like a huge comfy cottage. You should go search for it on the web. You might be amazed-especially if you guys like Jap culture and architecture. :D
And here's the never-ending author's footnote for everyone! How have you been guys? How's the chapter? What do you feel about the revelation of Yuhi's emotions? Do you think she should tell him? Nyahaha! Type in you reviews in the cute little review boooooooxxxx!
Reply to you 2102032 (because you're the only guest reviewer in the previous chapter, hooray!): I'm so glad you're keeping up with this. And yes, yes. I know, Yuhi's a slow-runner, but hopefully starthis chapter she'd learn how to grasp things fast. But at least we know it's a field trip. XD No problem! The review is enough :3 Although Yuhi and I would still give cookies. Cookies for everyone! Thank you for reviewing!
NEXT CHAPTER: I believe at that time the students were out of campus grounds. So that means... Yuhi and Killua... Oh, I wonder what could happen.
Thanks for all the reviews, people! I think I've been doing good in replying to every review personally. *fist in the air* Hope you all can review on this one too! This needs reviewing. Really, though. Thank youuuuu!
