Hello everyone! It's me. (I honestly feel like an outcast on my own account for the number of times I've went on hiatus, but...) I'm back! :') It's been a rough couple of months for me. Hope y'all are still doing well and staying healthy and keeping yourself entertained. 2021's quite tough. Hope it's getting better out there wherever you are! Anyway, here's Chapter 36 at long last! I'm so happy to be publishing another chapter of this fanfic. It just gives me the dokis that I need IRL.

Disclaimer: HxH is Togashi's. I just write using some of his characters for fun!


TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE

Chapter Thirty-Six
Pins And Needles and Chocolate-Covered Vanilla Ice Cream

Sleep deprivation.

Yup, Yuhi was certain that it's definitely because of that.

She leaned forward, tiptoes and hips supporting her weight against the white tiled countertop—that small, alien red dot peaking at the center of the bridge of her nose, mocking her. This sneaky little devil appeared out of nowhere, popped up on her skin unannounced and decided to live there for more than 24 hours and counting. Yellich told her not to touch it, do not even look at it, that it would eventually go away and die a natural death. But how could she ignore this thing when every single person she spoke with that day had their eyes instantly glued to it? It's annoying and embarrassing and incredibly timely. How could a pimple miraculously appear on her face on the day she'd see Killua again after he kissed her?

Sleep deprivation was the only answer she could think of.

She couldn't sleep a wink for two consecutive nights already. Stars in her eyes were consistently bright as the scene played in her head in an endless loop, keeping the fire in her chest ablaze. But her rollercoaster of emotions was what's keeping her up 80% of the time—a positive stressor she found both nerve-racking and exciting at the same time. Yuhi didn't know how to handle it. Consequently, she had no idea what to do with that information in her head. And what's funny about it was that it seemed like Killua felt the same.

They both kept on trying to pretend like it never happened: random "hey…" "…nothing" texts abundant come Saturday and Sunday nights, gazes always befell upon each other's lips during breaktime that Monday. If only her pulses didn't hammer so loud behind her ears every time it came across her mind, she would have mustered all her courage into suggesting trying again. Do you want to? Did you like it as much as I did?

"Ahhhh, stop stop stop!" Yuhi chanted to herself, slapping her cheeks with her fingertips. She eyed herself in the mirror and took deep breaths. "Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about it, okay?" Stop it, or else! No, she couldn't allow her mind to drift towards those kinds of questions that afternoon. She had to stay focused. She wanted to be as normal as Yuhi was on a daily basis; wanting to perpetually feel carefree around Killua—especially that afternoon where it would just be the two of them getting ice cream after school.

But what if another opportunity comes by? Or what if Killua intended for this to happen—never forgetting to inform her that Gon won't be joining them that afternoon—just so they could be alone together again? And then, they…

Stop. She must be losing her mind. That was one quick kiss, and here she was writing 5,000 worded essays about it in her head when she knew that she shouldn't. Okay, maybe she could reduce it to 300. Or express it in poetry instead, which was more fitting, since it felt more like a dream than a news flash. Does it have to lead to this, Yuhi, huh, huh, huh?

Huffing, she straightened her back and nodded to herself, smiling bitterly at the pimple on her nose before marching out of the restroom.

Naturally, as normal as Yuhi could ever be, she lost track of time. She thought it was still early because Killua hadn't sent an impatient-sounding text yet. But it was already 4:15PM by the time she returned to their classroom. She hastily stacked her things in her bag and checked her messages. No new text from him. Brows creased, she placed the phone back into her pocket and grabbed her bag.

"Bye, Sejin, see you tomorrow!" she said in her usual high-pitched tone, but with a nervous smile as she waved and walked towards the door, escaping immediately after catching a glimpse of Sejin's small grin and hearing her faint yet cheeky, "Goodluck on your date."

Yuhi's steps were fast, only slowing down when she reached the stairs going down to the ground floor. She took deep breaths to calm her heart that was triggered by Sejin's words, tickling her sides and the back of her neck, reminding her and reminding her and reminding her of the tension she was working very hard to ignore.

(Oh, Yuhi told Sejin. She had to. She didn't know where else to place her overflowing feelings for this silver-haired boy. And Sejin, well, unexpectedly showered her with teases that day, intentionally or unintentionally suggesting "what ifs" with quizzical words and glances.)

As she took the last step down the stairs, as if on cue, she instantly spotted said silver-haired boy. Currents in her spine and fingertips sparked like crazy on her walk towards him, invisible firecrackers in the background drew sappy pictures in the sky. She imagined this scene in her head when he texted that he'd wait for him there—her, sneaking in from behind and surprising him with a semi-back hug. But, in reality, her toes curled in her shoes and her elbows dipped to her sides.

Killua saw her immediately after turning his head toward the building, putting a hand up as if to wave at her, smile tiny and adoring. Oddly enough, seeing it made Yuhi feel like her heels were sprinkled with sugar, revving them to run to him. But that would be too much, so she just hopped instead, twice, thrice, four, five, six, seven, eight times, until she landed in front of him and forgot about what she was thinking about thirty seconds ago.

"Did you wait long?" she asked, auburn eyes locked onto his blue ones and blending into a sunset painting.

Killua's smile widened, the corners of his lips tugging upward almost automatically the moment she gazed, higher as the seconds ticked longer. He had to break it before it turned into minutes, shrugging coolly and burying his hands in his pockets. He shook his head, took a breath and glanced as he turned a heel. "A little," he replied, lips slowly forming into a smile again before he turned towards the gate, "but that's okay."

Yuhi's instant response was to cup her nose, as if to prevent the red from spreading to her cheeks, when she realized that he did not glance at her eyes. But that didn't stop her from sensing something odd. She had already prepared a justification for her late arrival, expecting teases and complaints while she's at it. But Killua's sudden serene and snug air made her pause on the spot and follow his shoulders with her wide-eyed gaze. First of all, he never sent a text even though she's almost twenty minutes late, and now this. It was unusual.

Killua seemed to notice from the corner of his eye so he retreated and stared back. "What?" he mumbled curiously.

Yuhi squinted her eyes when they met his. "Did something happen?" she carefully asked back.

Killua blinked once, twice, then tilted his head to the right, face unchanging except for his left eyebrow slightly arching upward, "Uh, nothing?" he answered slowly, tone confused. "Why? Is there something on my face?"

Oh. Uh-oh… It was a genuine concern, really. But Yuhi has once again overestimated her brain's capability to focus on a certain topic. She tried, she truly did, but her eyes couldn't help but lower their gaze the instant Killua asked that, catching a tiny glimpse of his lips before she successfully lowered her head down to repent to the grass. "No, nothing!" she gushed, cheeks and ears hot as her brain did a quick rewind of what happened last Saturday. But she had to keep her head afloat, shaking it in the process of shaking those thoughts away even just for a while. "Just wondering 'cause I'm late and you're not complaining," she said fast, breathing out slowly to calm her damn nerves down, carefully pinching the skin between her eyebrows to shadow her nasty, burning pimple.

"Oh…" Killua muttered. When Yuhi looked up, he instantly looked the other away where she couldn't see his face. He cleared his throat, took her hand and started walking out of the school gates. He then mumbled into the air loudly, "Yeah, I almost forgot to tell you that you'll pay for the extra toppings on my ice cream later 'cuz it's super late already," grumbling tone too familiar for Yuhi to worry about anything.

She turned to give him a smile, meeting his crooked grin before pulling his gaze from the space between her eyes.

Yeah, except maybe for this annoying red button on her nose.

It was easy. Spending time with Killua and talking to him about anything, laughing with him, exchanging jokes with him—it felt easy. It's as if Yuhi's overthinking stops the moment she sees him in person, and she becomes more like herself. Like magic. An instant switch. Maybe she's getting used to being around him; the comfort and warmth he brings. But Yuhi never bothered figuring that out. She never bothered figuring anything out whenever she's beside him.

They talked so much in the course of buying ice cream and walking, that Yuhi didn't realize that their feet had led them to the public park near the townhall at the center of town. Killua was adorably complaining about school when the cool Spring breeze blustered around their ankles, making the leaves dance on the ground and her skirt sway a little. She had to halt a step to keep it in check, one hand clutching the fabric and the other holding a half-eaten ice cream cone.

"Wanna sit for a bit?" Killua suggested, thumb over his shoulder to point at a bench near the seesaws.

They then sprinted towards it, on the lookout for potential takers passing by, and laughed when they spotted some suspicious dirt smudged on its surface. In the end, they settled for the old swing set at the farthermost corner of the park near the island of bushes and the trash cans. It's the only space unoccupied by kindergarteners and their guardians.

They basked in silence for a bit, observing the surroundings while they busied themselves with their ice cream cones. Yuhi noticed that the leaves of the bushes and trees were beginning to wash the scenery with their glossy green glory. Soon, buds would start to grow, the flowers would bloom, and the air would feel warmer, cozier. She inhaled a good amount to hold in, making sure to lock in her memory bank the smell of the earth and dew and leaves at the park with Killua. Him as the scent of her Springtime; a keepsake.

"The weather's nice, huh?" she pondered while looking around, heels rocking herself back and forth on the swing. She took a bite on her ice cream cone and giggled at the sight of a group of kids bickering by the sandbox. "Spring is here, and then we'll have Finals, and then the school year ends, and then," excitedly, heart jumping at the sudden thought, she anchored her heels to pause and turned to Killua on her left, meeting him eye to eye and exclaiming, "Spring Break!"

On cue, Killua coughed, pausing in the middle of biting on his ice cream cone and looking away to clear his throat.

"Oh!" She must have surprised him with her giddy disposition. So she leaned in closer, hand about to reach out when Killua shook his head in awe, grinning to the ground. Yuhi blinked.

"And you seem excited," he mumbled, smile transformed into a tiny smirk when he looked back her way. Yuhi blinked again then felt her face slowly form a goofy smile, sunflower eyes blossoming. Killua sat straight, shoveled the rest of his cone in his mouth and dusted off his hands. "They've been talking about it in the classroom all the time too." He asked as he chewed, "What's up with Spring Break anyway?"

Killua's actions made Yuhi laugh a little. She gestured for him to dust off the crumbs on his cheeks before answering, "Well, it's the longest school vacation period that we have here." She gestured again for a crumb on his chin, then reaching out and wiping it off with her thumb when he kept missing it. They had a 2-second stare-down before looking the other way, cheeks flushed with the striking hue of the purple-pink twilight. "The, um, break's about two and a half months, I guess?" Yuhi continued, tugging the corners of her lips upward to get back on track. It must be the sugar rush from the ice cream; it made her feel jumpy and brave all of a sudden. "It's really fun because we get to do a lot of stuff outside because it's Spring!" She smiled brightly, whilst hearing the loud bass of her heartbeat at the back of her ears.

Killua acknowledged Yuhi's response by nodding to the grass. He cleared his throat and pressed his lips, allowing for a few seconds pause before he opted to say anything. No, maybe tease her with something. He suddenly had that cocky grin on his face when he looked back up, an eyebrow arched upward and head a little tilted. "Bet you're full-on ramen girl mode on Spring breaks."

And Yuhi just felt incredibly ridiculous for instantly guffawing at this sudden transition, and about how accurate Killua was in the midst of goofing around. It couldn't be helped. She absentmindedly pushed his arm from cackling too much—even more so when she heard Killua's adorable snickers while she's at it.

"Am I right?" he asked proudly, jokingly, making Yuhi laugh extensively, that she must hold onto the thick metal wiring of his swing, pulling him closer. A faint oof sounded from Killua's throat as he braced himself for the light impact, cracking up at the sight of Yuhi for almost falling out of her swing when its wooden seat swiveled from the slam.

"You're—" She inhaled, basketful of giggles endless in her throat as she attempted to counter-attack with a witty joke of her own. But her painless efforts were in vain. It must definitely be the sugar from her vanilla ice cream. In the end, she gave in to the glee, and wiped happy beads of tears from her eyes when she calmed. She looked at Killua, and finding him already looking her way with that charming little grin ignited the sparkles in her chest and the candescence in her beam.

Killua raised his shoulders as if he's waiting for what Yuhi was to say; his wide smile suppressed in pressed lips. "So…?" he restarted, eyes bright and expectant.

Yuhi released the last leg of her cackles as she nodded in surrender. "You're absolutely right," she said slowly, feeding their little jive with a knowing gaze that sprinkled stardust in the hairbreadth gap between the two of them, tickling the back of their neck, and making them pull away just a tiny bit to catch their breath. Yuhi was the first to reset. She let her anchor loose so she could return to the swing. The wind felt warmer against her cheeks, sweeter. "Although Roroturo-san doesn't like it when I stay helping at the shop all day," she said as she looked around, noticing and noting that the other kids in the park seemed to have already gone home. "So sometimes I do other things like babysit and tutor Rowena-san's kids."

"Sounds cool," Killua responded after mirroring Yuhi's smile, savoring her gaze for a second or two before carrying on with the conversation.

They talked more about what Yuhi usually did during Spring break (ramen shop, kids, babies, baking, cooking, errands), which led Killua to ask why she does manual labor instead on vacations. This confused Yuhi for a good minute, debated with him about what manual labor is, then asked him what he's usually up to during Spring break. It's only then that Killua realized that he had not yet experienced a long school break per se because he'd been homeschooled ever since. Yuhi never dared ask about what his childhood was like when he's not studying, wary about accidentally igniting unwelcomed pictures in his head. So, she asked about what he and Gon did during homeschool breaktime back at Whale Island, and felt that she achieved a little feat since his face lit up while he spoke about it.

"First of all, we do not do manual labor," was his smug opening statement, immediately elaborating on their adventures on the island (cliff diving, picking up rocks, climbing trees, discovering caves, waterfalls, rare plantae). He mentioned a boatload of activities that bedazzled Yuhi—with her materializing a fistful of shells in her hands, hot sand beneath her feet, saltwater on her tongue and the sun's scent in her hair with the vivid imagery of Killua's stories. It ended with him saying "And that's how you spend a vacation" with an index finger up, and immediately following it with, "You should come with us when we go back to Whale Island."

Yuhi was so convinced that she almost said yes. But same with how she responded to Gon's invite, she told him that it had to be approved by Roroturo first—to which was nodded at by Killua.

"Hope he's cool with it though, so you could come with," he said softly while shifting ahead, eyes lifting to stare at the sky, a small smile perpetually painted under colored cheeks. "It's hecka fun, I swear."

Yuhi mimicked this action while imagining scenario after scenario of Whale Island moments. Gon had shown her pictures of his hometown when she came to visit last Saturday, and her impression of it was that it's half forest and half beach. An ultimate tropical sanctuary. The images were engraved in her thoughts so much that it almost felt like she had been there before, seen and smelled and touched it with her own person. Like a recent memory, fresh from the waters. Maybe she dreamt of it when she fell asleep for five minutes. Maybe her unconscious travelled there when she was dozing off. Nevertheless, it's a calming vision to behold, a relaxing TV show that automatically turned down her energy volume to prepare for slumber. She yawned in that short while, and at that moment Killua caught her sluggishly rubbing her drowsy half-lidded eyes, and he yawned too.

"Tired?" Yuhi asked, blinking away the sleep in her eyes.

Killua shook his head, eyes shining like sapphires because of the drip effect. "Nah, I'm good." He then gave his back a big stretch, arms forming parallel lines at level with his chest while popping his knuckles in the air. Inhaling deeply, he yawned again. And this time he looked at Yuhi, a little flushed, before turning back ahead, muttering, "Just…" He glanced her way for the second time, or third, then released a huge lump of air from his lungs, soundless, before brushing his forelocks back for a second and revealing his full face.

This strange and new gesture seemed mystical to Yuhi. She stopped her swing, wondered why Killua was looking thoughtful with color on his cheeks, and stared at his side profile with quizzical brows. She opted to ask what was bothering him since they met after school. But Killua succeeded in breaking the ice first, mumbling words he seemed to regret letting out mid-sentence.

"Just a little sleepless… Lately… That's all..."

Oh! Yuhi's mind then immediately shifted to Roroturo-san Mode. She sat straight, twisted her torso so she was fully facing Killua, and rested her fists on her sides. Maybe that's why he looks out of it today! "Too much homework?" she asked politely, caringly, gaze locked onto Killua's eyes, which were locked onto the budding grass on the ground.

There were a few seconds pause, with Yuhi noticing that his eyes grew a little wider with what she asked. Maybe it's not that? "Videogames?"

Another pause before Killua slowly, hesitantly, shook his head, wide-eyed gaze remaining with the earth.

"Hmm," Yuhi hummed, studying his facial expression for a better understanding of what he's thinking. So she leaned forward a bit, trying to catch his eyes with her stare. "Did you get in trouble?"

Killua finally, accidentally, caught her gaze for a second before returning to the grass, pupils unstable. This time, however, his eyebrows curled in obvious frustration, bloomed cheeks puffing a little as he avoided Yuhi's stare; like a little boy sulking at a corner in his head.

It reminded Yuhi of a conversation they had one late afternoon at the school clinic—of her sitting on the bed while he bombarded her with questions about why she had not slept the night and dawn before; and him not knowing that it was just because of this silly little thing called assuming something while madly infatuated. Yuhi couldn't forget how that felt, and the number of teases she received from him that night alone. Hence, with a swift idea passing, at that pristine moment at the park while asking him about why he's sleepless this time, she thought of exacting revenge—jokingly, of course—to lighten up the mood. So, quickly and smugly, she said, "Because you're thinking of me?"

She thought she could hold onto her triumphant smile for more than two seconds and attack with another cheesy statement. But her bright and gleeful beam was short-lived, for when after a split second, Killua looked at her intently, jolting her senses like an electric shock. The instant reaction always had to be to smile and bellow, "I'm kidding!". But his stare got intense, strong yet tender, that made it difficult for Yuhi to decipher how she should react. Still, she couldn't bring herself to look away. His eyes seemed to be expressing words that failed to escape his throat. So, she just stared back and waited, mind full yet blank, until Killua's eyes shifted downward.

It didn't even take a moment for her to realize where his gaze befell. Subconsciously, she swiftly mirrored this action, caught her breath when she caught her mind red handed with the flashbacks of last Saturday, and immediately looked him in the eyes again, meeting his awestruck mien. In a flash, they both looked away, with Yuhi feeling every pulse in her body beating loud and mad against her skin and bones.

"W-What!?" Killua blurted, tone high-pitched and oddly shaky.

"N-Nothing!" she blurted back, trying to unthink everything. "What do you mean!?" She cupped her cheeks to somewhat hide her hot face, and wished to be reborn in a world where embarrassment didn't exist and confidence reigned.

Killua yelped back. "Huh?"

Yuhi staggered. "I don't know!"

There was then a pause in the air that made Yuhi feel as if they've transcended into space and crash-landed into the black hole. It was quiet but she was eternally screaming in her head, wishing she didn't result in opening a Pandora's box of pure awkwardness by asking that question. Yuhi, what'd you do, what'd you do, what'd you do!?

Amid her internal panicking, of thinking of ways on how to explain herself, she heard Killua clear his throat. And her world stopped again, scared yet anticipatory of what might transpire from this humble ice cream date.

"Anyway, I actually wanted to… um..." he started in another mumble, rolling words on his tongue until they break free.

Yuhi tried to calm down so she could listen, at the same time, contemplate on whether she should turn around to look at him. She shifted in her seat, but her face remained with the opposite side, pressing her eyes shut for a second to control her senses (especially the drumbeats thumping loudly behind her ears).

Killua cleared his throat again, seemingly fidgeting in his space as it rustled a little from where he was sitting, and then drummed fast, mumbling, "I wanted to say I'm sorry for doing what I did last Saturday without asking you first." It sounded as though he spoke only five words for that long of a sentence with how fast he said it. But Yuhi heard him loud and clear. Yet she was confused.

Why is he apologizing for that?

She immediately turned, baffled. Killua was looking away, but he glanced and caught her gaze for a second. In that second, he looked bashful and concerned and irritated all at the same time. And Yuhi still couldn't determine why he's saying sorry for that. So she asked.

Killua then finally looked at her, eyebrows creased of obvious disarray. "What do you mean why?"

Meeting his sharp eyes instantly reminded her of the brief emotional fiasco 30 seconds ago. Killua suddenly looked dazzling; she thought she needed to squint a little or look the other way. But she powered through—albeit shy and small. "W—" she started, trying to assemble words in her head. "Do you mean the, um, k—-"

"Yeah," Killua answered abruptly, tone and gaze lowering to the ground. "Yes. The, uh, thing."

Yuhi blinked, trying to ignore the fact that he just cut her sentence right when she's about to say kiss. Is he regretting it? She shook her head for that thought to disappear. Slowly and cautiously, she rephrased her question. "Why are you saying sorry?"

Killua fiddled with a dried leaf on the ground with his shoe, securing his hands in his pockets and refusing to look up. Still, he gently answered, "Because I didn't ask you first."

Yuhi blinked again. And again. "If I… want to?"

"...yeah."

"Oh…"

She paused, thoughtful, eyes shifting to the leaf on the ground between Killua's feet, heartbeats suddenly resting in a calmer state. That's strange, she pondered. Is that how it's supposed to be? She couldn't recall a movie clip, from among Roroturo's favorite rom-coms that they've watched, about a character asking their love interest first if they could kiss before she covered her eyes for those scenes. Shouldn't it be swiftly done? What if the other person said no? She blinked. I wouldn't, though...

Slowly, she lifted her eyes at Killua again and mutely, thinly, she said, "You can ask me now."

This made Killua face her fully, this time with wide, surprised eyes. "What?" He blinked. "Now?"

All that Yuhi could think of at that time was to insist on recreating the supposed preamble so that they both could redeem themselves. She simply nodded, ignoring the bitter taste to Killua's tone of disbelief; her response to the impending question itching at the back of her throat.

Killua's eyes grew wider, seemingly stupefied yet cheeks hinting a tint of red. He looked around and gestured a circle with his index finger. "Right here?"

Yuhi could be wondering why he looked so agitated all of a sudden, but she was determined to let him do what he thought he should've done, so that he—they—wouldn't feel bad about it. She nodded again.

Killua gulped, and leaning forward a little, he asked in a whisper, "You do realize that there are people around, right?"

It could be her heart beating fast because of his sudden action but Yuhi's mind instantly placed in a marquee the realization that Killua might be thinking of redoing the thing right there. He might have thought that she was asking him to kiss her. Right there. Right now. Heat flooded her entire head which was combo-ed with needle pricks of utter embarrassment on the balls of her shoulders. She spun away, palms on cheeks, and tried not to scream. "No, not here!"

"H-Huh?" Killua rustled. "What did you mean?"

"Never mind what I just said!"

"O...kay?"

She breathed out, inhaling and exhaling deeply in the process, lowkey afraid that her painful pimple would over-swell and explode with her entire head. Ohhh, today's that day that shouldn't have been that day, Yuhina…

It was not Killua who needed redeeming that day. It was her. She thought she needed to say something right and rebound immediately. Thus, albeit shaky, she found her voice, and courage to turn back around, peeping between the curtains of her bangs to see him while she expressed. It was frivolously nerve-racking. He was already looking her way. "Anyway, I…" say you liked it, say you liked it... "I appreciate… you…" uh-oh… "wanting to ask me first. For the record, I…" say you liked it! "It's okay. I mean, it was fine, what you did." Magical. "I mean, I don't mind if…" say the right words, c'mon, "you do it again."

Yuhi had no vivid recollection of what happened after she said that. It was all a blur, a dream. It felt as though she allowed whatever spirit to possess her while she spoke her mind, and to flee her body immediately after, putting her in a trance. But she did remember Killua muttering, "You say the most embarrassing things," before they both tried to lower the tension and pretended to act normal.

They tried to talk about random things for a while before walking to the bus stop in silence. From time to time, Yuhi would sense that Killua squeezed her hand a little tighter, pulling her flying mind back to its present time. At the bus stop, they talked a little about school, and none during much of their waiting time.

Yuhi was trying not to think of the embarrassing things she said earlier to rid herself of the awkward feeling. But when familiar headlights flickered within reach, just right before the bus stopped in front of them, she quickly, hastily, shakily turned to her right where Killua was standing. She couldn't give him a chance to look back as she immediately lifted her toes, pulled his arm closer, and prayed that her lips would land on his cheek. She thought they did. And feeling it against her skin made her want to run a marathon. She never dared to meet his gaze nor check his reaction. But she did spare a second in her position before sprinting toward the bus to whisper, "Now, we're even."

No regrets. But definitely no sleep to gain that night either.


The next day, Yuhi opened her eyes to a bright Tuesday morning with a smile on her face, as though her own laughter tickled her into waking up, coming from a lovely dream about budding daffodils, stolen glances and cheerful company. Half of it became blurry in her head, but the happy feeling it brought lingered in her chest. So much so, that getting up felt light and easy. Air beneath her feet; as though she had not slept past her bedtime of 10PM again talking to Killua.

They both knew that Roroturo's bedtime rule was still in effect, and would remain as such until the school year ends. But the good night texts seemed to be deferring their show as the evening deepened. Conversations got too good to drop, senses got too attached to stop, even for just a few hours. It's as though they'd miss out on a lot of news from each other's diaries if they close their eyes. The rush felt good, nonetheless. The effect painted pink roses on Yuhi's cheeks and sun rays on her eyes in a natural way, overpowering the dark circles drawn by the lack of sleep.

Her alarm clock rang a few seconds after she sat upright, giggling to herself before reaching out to her side table to turn it off. Her hand then automatically glided towards her phone that was sitting next to her desk clock, irises tinted with white when she booted it up and scrolled through her thread of messages with Killua the night before. Tiny smiles and giggles here and there; pillow squeezed between her chest and knees as she reread his witty replies, ending that mini morning routine after see u tomorrow ;) stamped at 12:29AM.

Waking up early always felt nice and peaceful, with just enough time for her to prance 'round her room or look out the window before preparing for school. Now her favorite morning hobbies, aside from rereading Killua's texts, include staring at the daffodil necklace he gifted her and retelling cheesy moments in her mind she deemed worth remembering, as if she's watching it on TV. That morning, she recalled their ice cream date, cringing at her mishaps but grinning, nonetheless. She especially took note of asking first when thinking of trying something new, remembering how she instantly felt bad about stealing a kiss on his cheek before hopping on the bus—for which she immediately said sorry through text.

Maybe there were rules to love, or maybe people just created boundaries to protect themselves from getting hurt. Either way, they both agreed to let each other know how they feel about the things they wanted to try, before or after anything, whenever they felt comfortable talking about it. Yuhi liked the idea, no stressor, no pressure. But it made her want to tell him those three words now more than ever. It filled her mind, yet she couldn't seem to imagine a perfect timing for it.

In the most practical sense, Yuhi could just send him a quick text at the most random time, like hey, killua, guess what… i love you! That with all the times she had decided to 'save as draft', or long press the delete key, she could type in those exact same words on her phone with her eyes closed. For an easier method, she could simply press call, swallow all pride and senses, and just blurt it out. Or she could bleed ink instead and pass him a heartfelt note. That seemed easy, private and personal, right? But no. Yuhi decided that she'd use the most nerve-racking, head-spinning, hand-trembling way, among all of the ways, of expressing those precious, fragile words. She was determined to tell him in person—in which speech is required, and the recipient must be physically present at least a meter radius away for them to hear and receive the message.

Yuhi initially thought it would be easy as pie, backed by confidence in her ability to vocally proclaim ideas and emotions that were otherwise left unsaid by most of the people her age. But as the days with Killua went by, as they got to know more about each other, as her feelings grew bolder, those words flowed into her heart's core deeper and deeper—so much so, that just thinking of letting them out in the open was already making her feel as though a large chunk of her skin and bones would be taken away with them. Perhaps in a way it frightened her, albeit itching to offer a piece of heart for him to keep.

She had hoped that he would keep it.

"Is it worth it?" she asked herself once, felt bitter and uncharacteristic, and never did again. Yuhi had decided that she loves him, and negating it felt like she's lying to herself—which was the last thing she wanted.

Nonetheless, despite all these lucid thoughts filling her head, she was blissful, peaceful. She was comfortable in her skin and in every company. Maybe saying I love you was just a big bonus to this major prize she's already enjoying. To bask in that cheeky smile and hearty laughter, freely graced by those warm, sea-blue eyes. Maybe she could express it in different ways, like passing him an egg roll from her lunchbox, or voluntarily waiting for him after their late afternoon volleyball practice just so they could walk home together, or stacking her bag with chocolate bars that she could give him whenever he suddenly craved sweets. She loved doing these things for him; loved being present in the moment with him. In a way, the deeds materialized her emotions and expressed the words she'd been longing to say.

Still...

I love you, Killua.

She must practice saying that. Out loud.

She thought of asking her brother for advice, but it might sound too much. Plus, Yellich had a major topic of his own that he kept talking about for days now.

While walking to the bus stop and throughout the bus ride going to school Wednesday morning, he never ran out of stories to tell Yuhi about his newfound friend. Apparently, the owner of the antique store where he's working part time has a son who's the same age as him. This person just came back from overseas and had been helping in the shop for a week now and Yellich, well, already befriended him and just couldn't stop talking about how mystified and amazed he was of him.

"He knows quite a lot of stuff. Like ask him anything and he'll answer you with such finesse, it's insane! You should totally meet him. I'm trying to invite him over to our house, but he always has stuff to do! I mean, what else would you do with your life if your fam owns a freaking luxury antique shop!?"

Yuhi found him funny. She wanted to say the same thing about her brother but couldn't ruin the fun. She's happy that he's this excited over meeting new people. "Maybe I can go visit your shop to meet him," she suggested, trying to help her high-key frustrated brother out.

"Heeey," he pondered as the bus stopped in front of the school gates, and then grinned. "That is an excellent idea!" he exclaimed, raising an index finger up, and cheekily said, "Killua and Gon could come too! I'm pretty sure those kids would be interested in meeting someone like me."

Oh, if only her brother knew what she was high-key frustrated about when it came to Killua. But she made sure to brush that off her mind whenever she thought about it. "But what is his name?" she asked insistently, probably for the fifth time that morning alone, chuckling at the end because she already knew what her brother would answer.

"Name revealed when I introduce you guys!"

A typical morning at school that consisted of stealing glances and smiles when passing by 2-A, and switching between chatting with classmates and texting with Killua had become a routine now. Even her friends were beginning to get used to seeing her smiling by herself with her phone in hand. Yuhi felt good about this dynamic, as though everyone could finally accept the fact that she's dating Killua… and not Gon.

Sejin's disposition had also changed. Positively. She always teased her, smiled and laughed at her and with her whenever Yuhi talked about Killua, and even gave her so-called "inexperienced" advice whenever she asked. One afternoon, out of curiosity, Yuhi asked Sejin what made her suddenly switch from having the grossed-out perspective on crushing and love to now being sweet about it. To which Sejin answered:

"I thought I needed to protect you from hurting yourself in the end, so I decided to become that other conscience in your mind that tells you to do a reality check. Also, I don't trust boys. But the reality now is that you two are together, and you seem happy about that. So, I'm here to support you."

Yuhi couldn't forget Sejin's words. She couldn't forget how she opted for a hug after and Sejin surprisingly didn't resist for the first time. It's been a few weeks after that, but everything had since been going so well, that even with the cold left by Winter as the season transitioned to Spring, she felt warm and loved and full. Overflowing with joy and mirth and gladness. She was ready to give it all back to them, most especially to him.

The days went by like this, and it felt more and more natural with each passing time, yet heart-pounding and screech-worthy, still. Like a boost. An energizer. Every single day she went to school feeling inspired, cheeks rosy and eyes bright, ready to conquer the world. His effect in her life trickled through even in her studies. She's doing well so far. Her quiz scores consistently soared between 89% and 95% on most of the subjects. It's just History (the class she always dozed off and daydreamed during) and long-distance archery that she needed to grind for.

"It's just simple Physics," Killua said during one of their practice sessions that week, shrugging smugly as he picked up the arrow that Yuhi just flung into the grass.

They were talking about Math and calculations and how Yuhi wished that physical activities could just be done like how Math problems for first-graders were solved. And then there was Killua, low-key bragging about his advanced scientific knowledge. Of course, Yuhi had to roll her eyes and shake her head in response. Was it because she had no intellectual retort to clap back at him? Absolutely.

"I'll get back to you on that when we've studied enough Physics next school year," she responded in a silly attempt to sound menacing, making Killua snort and Gon grumble and plead: "Please don't remind me." Yuhi couldn't help but cackle before hitting the wooden deck from seven feet away exactly three seconds after she lifted her equipment.

From time to time, Yuhi wondered whether she'd stay in the same class once they became Juniors. She wondered and hoped that she'd still have the same classmates, her friends, loitering in the same room. But she couldn't help but fantasize about being classmates with Gon and Killua. She pondered if that was possible, because that would mean that she'd either step up and become a Section A student, or they would end up as Section B students. Both options had the probability of spotting a shooting star every single night. Plus, she wouldn't know what to do if she's transferred to Section A. Section A students of Tomo Academy just seemed so prim and… perfect, while Section Bs and Section Cs seemed more 4D and real. But Gon and Killua, while no doubt Section As, she reckoned, would fit right in Section B since they're very much like her classmates—4D and real—and they've hung out with Jinop's group. Meanwhile, she still felt stiff and small whenever Section A students were around.

"I'd ask to be transferred back," Sejin answered one day when Yuhi asked what she'd do if she ever got A-level grades by the end of the school year. Pushing the bridge of her glasses, eyes glued to her History textbook, she added, "I like it better here."

That was what her sentiments suggested too: Yuhi liked it better in Section B. She liked how everything is placed at their current positions. She liked her new and refreshing daily routine, the air she's breathing in, the faces she's seeing every single day. It made her thoughtlessly wish that she could stay living like that forever.

Economics ended with a big unison sigh from the class after finishing one long quiz Friday morning of the same week. Movements were scarce and slow as soon as Mr. Pironst exited the room, all mourning for their poor brain cells at nine in the morning. Yuhi, on the other hand, was feeling fabulous. She did great on the quiz; even challenged Sejin for a run-through of correct answers shortly after class was dismissed. Sejin won by two points and Yuhi couldn't be any prouder. She offered to buy her a banana milk drink as a prize, rushing toward the door immediately after Sejin shook her head for a no thanks.

Yuhi found her own little antic funny, cackling to herself as she stepped out the door, energized by her tiny success on the long quiz. She met Killua at the usual spot just right outside their classrooms, hand lifting to give a little wave, eyes curling into blossoms. She had to let some more of that laughter out upon seeing him.

Killua looked a little confused and amused at the same time. Still, he returned that smile. "What's so funny?" he asked as he pushed his back off the wall, hands perpetually in his pockets, and followed Yuhi down the stairs.

"Sejin did so well on the long quiz!" she exclaimed excitedly, almost spinning around at the staircase's sharp turn. "It was a teeny bitty hard, but I feel like she'll get a perfect score. So cool." She then paused midway and looked around. "Where's Gon?"

Killua walked past her, looking over his shoulder at her before gesturing toward the canteen. "We'll meet him there,"he hastily said and ushered for her to follow. Yuhi hopped down and strode next to him. "How'd you do on the long quiz?" he carried on almost teasingly.

Yuhi smiled brightly, showing her full white teeth before pressing her lips and shrugging. "I… I did alright," she answered proudly, pleased with herself.

"Niiice." Killua gave her a thumbs up, then lending one hand as if to shake hers. Yuhi instinctively reached for it, with Killua grabbing and squeezing into one tight handshake. When Yuhi looked at him, he had this huge impish smile on his face. "Since you did alright..." he started, excited, and Yuhi instantly knew what he would say. She started to laugh and shake her head. Killua continued his speech, "...on the long quiz given by your Econ teacher who also happens to be my Econ teacher…"

Laughing, still, and shaking her head, Yuhi managed to say a not-so-very-convincing, "No… Stop it…" while attempting to retrieve her hand.

Killua, not letting go, was also cackling in between pauses. "See, if we share bountiful information to one another, the world would become a better place, right?"

Yuhi grabbed Killua's arm with her free hand and, again, attempted to escape this hilariously forced treaty. "Nooo…," was the only response she could manage to offer while cracking up. She didn't even realize that they're already inside the canteen until after Killua loosened his grip and held her hand softly in that handshake position for two seconds before finally letting go and returning to his usual stance. Yuhi jokingly gave him a glare "Read your notes, Killua," she warned.

"Nah." He just shrugged, grinned, and smugly said as he walked past her, "Aced that quiz yesterday."

And Yuhi couldn't determine whether she should be mildly infuriated or hella proud of him. Or both. She took one big breath with one big smile as she turned sharply, fists on her waist, ready to fight him, at the same time shower him with compliments. But Killua, unfazed, just looked over his shoulder at her with that tiny evil grin that always made Yuhi's knees melt into jellies. She gave up easily with a big exhale as she hopped to his side at the canteen's pantry, trying to ignore the tingles that tickle her nerves.

Killua ordered first and left Yuhi at the counter to meet Gon at their usual spot. She got her hands full after paying, cradling two milk drinks on her left hand and a fist-sized marble cake on the other. She automatically walked to the table where Killua was standing but halted upon seeing him pull a chair next to Gon, who was sitting next to Lykira.

...Lykira?

"Noodle girl, c'mon."

"Hi, Yuhi! Kira wanted to join us!"

Yuhi quickly snapped out of her faze and approached the group slowly, fixing herself next to Killua and fixing her smile toward Gon and their new tablemate.

"Hi!" Lykira greeted Yuhi with her confident air that always caught the latter off-guard. "Hope you don't mind me joining your little group for recess," she added, the tails of her eyebrows lifting together with the corners of her lips in an earnest smile.

Yuhi mirrored her almost instantly, letting out a strangely shaky and tiny "Oh, no, not at all," catching herself feeling and acting as though their Science teacher called her attention to recite the Table of Elements in front of the entire Student Body.

Lykira beamed, the bridge of her nose wrinkling, before turning to Gon to carry on with a conversation they were having before she arrived with Killua.

Yuhi stared at her for two whole seconds, eternally mesmerized by Lykira's facial proportions that looked perfect in her eyes, until Lykira caught her gaze for a second and gave her a swift adoring smile. Yuhi instinctively returned it, as she would whenever it happened, before fiddling with the wrapper of her marble cake with nervous fingers and thinking of ways on how she should engage in a conversation with her.

"Slippy hands?" Killua asked, waking her up for a sec when he grabbed the wrapped marble cake and tore the packet for her.

Yuhi couldn't help but give him the warmest smile as her heart raced when he returned it, igniting her brain to once again flash those three words that had been pickling in her throat. "Thank you," she said instead, and turning ahead to proceed with her snacks, she caught Lykira's gaze for a moment before her eyes shifted back to Gon, and in an instant, an unruly tension dominated her entire person, subconsciously making her sink in her seat and keep her limbs close to her core.

That Friday's recess was new to her.

Since she and Killua got together, it had just been the three of them—four whenever Sejin felt like taking a walk after Economics—getting snacks. There were times when they'd greet classmates and friends briefly in the canteen or wherever they were at, but they never really invited someone over to hang out, or vice versa. That Friday was different in all sorts of ways. It's as if Yuhi was watching a TV show featuring the coolest kids in school, discussing topics only they could relate to. She had a chance to participate in their little debate about Math, though. But the majority of the time, she just listened to their intellectual conversations. Which was fine, she thought. At least she got to eat her cake and drink her strawberry milk in silence. But all the while, the air she's breathing in felt stiff in her lungs. She couldn't shake off this weird tension creeping at the back of her neck the entire time she was with them. It only slightly disappeared when she returned to their room and handed Sejin her banana milk reward.

Yuhi managed to unthink unnecessary things when it was time for P.E. Her uneasiness was easily replaced by excitement when Sejin announced that they'd have P.E. inside the gym that day. She'd been wanting to watch 2-A's volleyball games for quite a while now. She missed seeing him play.

Ms. Juno had been making them shoot at a max 15-feet distance since Monday that week, and it took quite a toll on them. Yuhi still couldn't place a bull's eye shot at 5 feet, but she's faster now, and her arrows miraculously never flung out of sight anymore. That day was their rest day, with Ms. Juno coaching them intricately in groups of five. It's the most perfect time to look over at the other side of the gym and search for a familiar face.

Yuhi found it funny and enchanting how easily they could find each other from a distance. Killua gave a little wave to acknowledge her stare, to which she automatically responded with a giggle; heart swelling whenever Killua glanced her way after every point.

She couldn't finish watching their match as Ms. Juno called her group during their last set. But when they finished and returned to their seats, she caught Killua's gaze and a thumbs up, signaling a win. She gave him a tiny applause and mouthed a good job, earning her teases from classmates who saw.

During the remainder of P.E., while waiting for the other groups to finish and Ms. Juno to dismiss class, Yuhi immersed herself in chatting with her friends. It was only when they paused that she started watching the ongoing volleyball game of 2-A girls, instantly invested in the close match, always fascinated by the gist of athletic women. They had deuce twice, with the match ending with a perfect set from Lykira's team. Some of her classmates were glued to their seats watching it too, and they agreed that it was the coolest thing they saw that day.

Maybe next time Lykira joins their recess group, Yuhi could finally contribute a little to their 2-A conversations.

She congratulated Gon and Killua at lunchtime, earning the boys unending declaration of pride and pinches on their cheeks from Yellich. Yuhi also expressed how incredibly impressed she was by the 2-A girls' match, mentioning Lykira and her winning team. Surprisingly enough, Yellich knew her; said she's that prodigy well-known to Juniors and Seniors, not forgetting to mention that it's also because of how she looked.

"Pretty and cool and smart. Every person I know has their eyes on her."

Yeah, no doubt, Yuhi thought then, glancing at Gon's earnest smile and Killua's annoyed eye-roll. No doubt…

There really was no reason for her to fill her mind with jumbled and garbled thoughts about Lykira, but Yuhi couldn't seem to get her persona off her internal attention bubble during the remainder of their school hours. Pretty and cool and smart. Yes, she could agree. Yes, that's a fact. Still, what about it? What was bothering her so much that she couldn't shake off? It's not as if she disliked her. In fact, she wanted to be friends with her. She seemed so interesting and fun to be around with. Gon and Killua seemed to be enjoying her company too, even though the latter kept complaining about every single thing she did or said. Her confidence was admirable and she's someone Yuhi had so much respect towards, kind of like how she thought of Sejin. But there's just something holding her back. Maybe it's because she's a 2-A god-child. Or maybe she couldn't imagine someone like her, an ordinary Tomo pupil, being friends with a school celebrity. Pretty and cool and smart. Everyone has their eyes on her. Yes, she could agree. Yes, that would include Yuhi. And yes, that could also include Killua.

Yuhi instantly opened her eyes to a bright afternoon sky when she caught herself thinking of this, heart racing and breath short as though she just woke up from a nightmare. She blinked and took deep breaths three times, relaxing her back and shaking her head for those thoughts to go away. Then heard someone clear their throat so loud she had to turn to see who that was. Yuhi immediately froze in her seat. When did Mr. Yama arrive in class!?

"Good morning, Ms. Nagame. Care to tell the class what you've been dreaming about?"

When…!? Yuhi scanned her brain for memories of ten minutes ago while also scanning the room, heat abundant in her cheeks. Her panning landed last on her seatmate, who met her gaze with a raised eyebrow. And then she remembered that they were doing a little problem-solving exercise in their textbook, that she finished pronto and decided to daydream to kill some time. She didn't realize that she fell asleep. How… How embarrassing! She cupped her cheeks, almost covering her face with shame as she turned back to their homeroom Math teacher.

"Well?" Yama said in a tone that only Yuhi could easily tell as disappointed.

She bowed so low her forehead touched her desk. "I'm really, really sorry, Mr. Yama," she pleaded in her tiny voice, praying to the Math gods to spare her life.

Yama exhaled loudly and proceeded to write the summary of their exercise on the board. "Please don't make me remind you again that you shouldn't be sleeping in class, Ms. Nagame," he said while writing, and Yuhi could feel the screech of the chalk on the board slicing her skin with every stroke of every letter. Yama turned with a cold stare and handed out the chalk in the air towards Yuhi's direction. "Solve the problem, Ms. Nagame, and explain to the class how you did it."

Oh man… Yuhi, with small movements and her head down, walked to the front and did what she was told. She saw Jinop's group mouth a "you can do it" while she struggled with words to explain the equation she did. And all the while she said to herself that yes, she could do it, but she was just too embarrassed to do it well. She returned to her seat after Yama said "Okay", never forgetting to remind her to clean classrooms after school before proceeding to properly explain to the class how the problem was solved.

Yuhi sunk in her seat and did so until the last class of the day. She closed her notebook shut as soon as Eli left the room, and exhaled deeply, sliding down a little and staring out the window. She couldn't move on from dozing off during Math. It had been months since she last slept in class, and she couldn't believe herself to break that streak when she's doing consistently well every school day. She took another deep breath and sobbed in her head. What were you thinking, Yuhi, and why?

"Try to focus until Finals," Sejin interjected while turning pages on her Science book. Yuhi looked at her with a pout on her face. Sejin glanced nonchalantly and pushed the bridge of her glasses before returning to her book. "It's been a while since the last time you napped in class. Mr. Yama, I think, could pass on that one. But do it again and he might flunk you out of spite."

Yuhi sat straight and looked around as their classmates loitered and headed out to go home. "You think he'd do that?" she asked worriedly in an almost whisper, embarrassed of how embarrassed she was of herself.

Sejin paused, took a deep breath, and jadedly eyed Yuhi for two seconds before saying, "No. But if I were your teacher, I would."

Yuhi knew that this was just Sejin being Sejin. Still, that made her want to bawl. "I'm sorryyy..." she said tinily with a frown, shrinking on her desk and melting half of her face on her notebook.

Sejin shook her head in surrender. "At least you've got something else to do while waiting for Gon and Killua to finish practice."

A spark of silver lining. She nodded, Killua's face a shadow at the back of her mind, trying not to put color to the pictures she drew in her head while sleeping during Yama's class. "Yeah, at least. But I was hoping to not sleep in class anymore…" I've been holding up for a long, long time too… What a shame… Yuhi lifted her head up and looked at Sejin, who nodded slowly to signal that she should start with her chores before it got late. Yuhi nodded in response and lifted her shoulders up straight, grabbed her phone and read Killua's text at 4:03PM:

'class over. headed to gym for 1hr practice. see u l8r?'

She sighed. She couldn't determine whether her heart swelled upon reading this update or cracked for not being able to watch them. She typed in, 'Yes! I just have school chores today, can't watch :((( I'll just meet you here when you're done. Good luck!' then grumbled while lifting herself up, and dragged her feet to their cleaner's cabinet for the broom. She checked her phone one last time for a reply from Killua before starting.

'ok, see u and goodluck too with chores lol ;p'

It was a good decision. Killua's text made her laugh a little, boosting her energy meter up about four bars, trying to ignore the idea that this wonderboy had such a disappointing girlfriend.

Yuhi couldn't even tell why she's incredibly bummed out about sleeping in class. In the past whenever it happened, she'd just laugh about it and proceed with accomplishing the punishment with a bundle of fun. Not a second of dim could be seen in her eyes, unlike that Friday afternoon. She found herself acting and feeling weird, embarrassed even. She thought of not telling Killua about this story, afraid that he might see this weakness as a turn-off—even though he knew that her falling asleep in class was normal and never said a word about it. He probably even already guessed that she'd slept in class when she said that she'd be doing school chores.

She sighed and grumbled for the nth time while she made her way to 2-A's classroom after finishing 2-C's. Why are you even thinking about this, Yuhi? she said to herself in her head, determined not to think about Killua being that boy. He already told you again and again and again. Stop overthinking things with him. Don't make it weird. She paused in front of the entry to 2-A and closed her eyes for a second while taking deep breaths. But her little meditation session was cut short when she heard rustles from inside the room. She opened her eyes and peeked in, consciousness halting for a good moment upon meeting Lykira's puzzled gaze, and then all the unwelcomed thoughts splashed sharply in her face like a tsunami of mixed emotions and irony.

Dumbfounded, still, instinct told her to flush them all down the drain again and smile and wave and say, "Hello!"

Lykira appeared to be equally surprised. She looked around, seemingly for someone that Yuhi might be looking for, then turned back to the girl by their door. "Hi," she greeted back and added slowly, unsure of the words she was offering her guest, "Gon and Killua are still at volleyball practice..."

"Oh, no, um..." Yuhi figured she'd think that she's there for them. She shook her head, her smile not leaving her face, and held her broom up shyly. "I'm here to clean rooms." She tried to sound enthusiastic about it but couldn't force her pitch to go higher.

"Oh," Lykira blinked and closed the book she was reading on her desk. Thoughtful, she paused for a while, staring at the floor, before lifting an index finger up together with the corners of her lips as though she just had a breakthrough. "So that's why Mr. Yama let the cleaning group go home early today!"

And Yuhi couldn't be more embarrassed than she already was. My own homeroom teacher… She nodded, cheerily. "I guess so."

"Come in!" Suddenly energetic, Lykira stood up and strode toward Yuhi's direction. She stopped right in front of her, hands clasped behind her back, with a smile as bright as the full moon. She tilted her head to the right and said, "Since I'm killing some time, let me help."

Yuhi held her broom to her chest, looking up at Lykira who's about two inches taller than her, and blinked immensely, surprised at this uncanny interaction. This was what she'd been dreading to happen while doing school chores—a student from either 2-A or 2-C still in their classrooms before or after she entered their door. It only happened once in her afterschool maid lifetime, but the dread was negligible because it was with Killua. Now, she's facing true dread because it's with a different student. And not just any study, a 2-A student. And of all people, it's Lykira. She honestly didn't mind if she'd help out. It just felt… embarrassing for her to be seen like this, especially by a 2-A prodigy. Yuhi smiled in a polite refusal. "It's okay, I can do it. You don't have to—"

"I insist!" Lykira beamed, and hearing no response from Yuhi after two seconds, she swiftly glided to her side and pushed her in the room through her shoulders. "I can study when I get home anyway." She pushed Yuhi slowly until they reached the teacher's table at the center of the aisle, reappearing in front of Yuhi upon stopping and chuckling at a sudden thought. "I don't think Mr. Yama would bother checking, do you?"

Yuhi had to blink first before shaking her head. She had no idea how to deal with what's happening that day.

"Thought so too." Lykira held a thumb up, her chuckles dimming into hearty giggles as she retreated to a cabinet at the far right corner of the room to get a broom. She spun to face Yuhi, right hand on her hip and left hand gripping the broom in the air, like she's ready to fight dust bunnies. "Division of labor," she said loudly, gesturing for Yuhi to take the boys' area and for her to take the girls'.

Yuhi nodded diligently and walked to where she usually started sweeping floors, mind blank yet full of questions and possible conversation starters, while analyzing just how strange that day had gotten so far.

-Chapter End-


A/N: Is it just me, or is this chapter too short even though it has 10k+ words? Lol anyway! I'd like to thank everyone who read Chapter 35 and the Special Chap, and to all who have been waiting on this fic. Your patience is admirable and I love you for it. Thank you so much! I'd appreciate it even more if you guys would leave a little note for me about what you think of this chapter on the review box down there :')

NEXT CHAPTER: What's this feeling that's bothering Yuhi so much?


Really sorry that I couldn't reply to last chapter's reviews, but I just want you to know that I've read them and they give me life (to be real though). Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed! xx