Author's Note: Under this title are a series of events in no particular order, following the characters' career and love life three years after the story.

Allow this lone writer to blabber further about her work. I find this project a little ambitious for me because this will take a long time since I want to write about a lot of characters (like Rion and Makoto; Chieko, Reiko, and Rieko's friendship) but I'm not sure if I can get to that point. I still tried (thus this was published) because I'll never know until I try, right? The Chihayafuru characters would agree XD. So I'm treating this title as a bank of all my happy headcanons. I currently have 18 on the list. If only I can write as fast as I can come up with headcanons. The story will end when my Taichihaya headcanon babies are introduced, until then, this will continue even if I work on different stories (currently working on 2 multi chapters. gosh do I hate myself).

I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy thinking and writing it.

By the way these are the sure couples within the story: Taichihaya (main pair), Kana & Komano, Aranobu (slowburn), Chitose & Suo (slow burn), Rion and Makoto

1. Salt-seaweed Friends

Chihaya and Taichi's relationship had always been everyone's business. Whether it was platonic or romantic, whether they knew about what people say behind their backs or not, whether they liked it or not, it would eventually become everyone's business.

Case in point: their fixed friendship status throughout the three years of highschool was one of the 7 Wonders of Mizusawa, and they didn't know about it for a long time. Every student who went to Mizusawa High School in those years had an instant assumption they were dating. In the defense of the MHS student body, this was not a baseless assumption. It was derived from the times they saw the two of them in the hallways together and when they waited for the train, and the times they caught Chihaya Ayase gesticulating to Taichi Mashimaーmessages, they thought, that conveyed their hidden love. Nobody gets Chihaya Ayase like Taichi Mashima; and nobody gets Taichi Mashima's attention like Chihaya Ayase. So it was an unsaid, autonomous decision of the student body to stay away from Chihaya (which wasn't hard for the boys because they were immediately discouraged even before she said the K word) and Taichi (though this didn't stop the girls from trying).

It was an uncontrollable and inevitable assumption like how uncontrollable and inevitable their connection was to each other. In line of the ancient saying, an invisible string tied them to each other before they were born. No matter how far they went to opposite ends, without clues and compasses, the string would retract—dirnt—and they return to each other against reason, against hope, against promise, against discouragement that could be.

The business of their relationship took to a new stage and a broader scope of audience. It became a sensation in the small and humble karuta community since Chihaya's first year as a Vice-Queen thanks to Gasho Toshiko's documentary, "Nova Chihaya: A Journey to Queendom". The arrival of Taichi Mashima before the fifth match shifted the tone and color of the story which spurred controversies. Comments were endless and varied.

Did the Challenger and the handsome guy have a spat before the 5th match?

Why did Gasho-san cut that part?

That guy brought her bad luck! That's why Chihaya-chan lost.

Is it just me or was there something else going on when Mashima-san handed the Chiha card to Ayase-san in the last match?

Omg, you feel it too? The atmosphere was so romantic. And they were STARINGNG AT EACH OTHER'S EYES!

You're all delusional. It was because of the background music.

Why does this have to be romantic? Friendship is worth celebrating too!

The most controversial would be Chihaya and Taichi's hug, a spicy addition to Gosho Toshiko's coverage.

When I watched the live stream on YouTube I thought Ayase-san was a tough cookie, the kind who never cries. She faced the media interview showing professionalism and sportsmanship and was even able to congratulate the Queen and new Meijin in good spirits. She was smiling a lot (she's so pretty!) and you can tell she was not faking it. So imagine my surprise at Gasho- san's documentary! It offered a different side of Ayase-san the public media didn't cover. After that interview, she went straight to her handsome friend who was standing in the corner away from the cameras, and she broke into tears in his arms. I squealed and almost threw away my laptop. It's not the act, it's the intention...the why! When before this, his friends and family already comforted her. So why this sudden breakdown and why to that guy? Is this Mashima-san her boyfriend? I'm feeling something other than friendship between them! If they aren't together, I'll take Mashima-san for myself!

said a passionate commentator.

The small portion of Taichi Mashima's interview when Gasho Toshiko asked him, "What is your relationship to Ayase Chihaya?" and he answered, "We're childhood friends", didn't stop people from prying, or from hoping they would hook up. If not today then some time in the future.

After a year, the issue quieted down because nothing beyond romance happened between them after Chihaya posted their picture on their first day of university, captioned with: "still schoolmates" . But Chihaya's vague, inconsistent responses to this topic—on the rare occasions she engaged with the public—confused them. The speculatives and detectives wondered if she was an honest airhead or a smart pretender.

However, a handful of believers remained lurking in the dark crevices of Discord; reading between the lines of their tweets, stalking their Instagram story, analyzing their matches and the poems they sometimes shared, scrutinizing and comparing their eye contact and smiles in photos posted by their friends. It was emotionally challenging for these loyal fans to keep believing when they only showed two pictures of them together (one on their highschool graduation, the other was the picture Chihaya posted), and they never replied to fan mails asking what poems 16 and 17 meant to them.

There were naysayers of course and they also made their relationship their business to the annoyance of the TxC fandom. When Arata Wataya's confession went out to the open after one of his Meijin interviews, they became more aggressively confident. They believed their sweet, innocent boy would develop his relationship with Chihaya now that there was only 30 minutes on public transport, 20 minutes on bicycle, 55 minutes on foot separating Waseda University and University of Tokyo. She would anwer him now that they were closer. Besides, in most of Chihaya and Arata's pictures, from Arata's Instagram, both of them were always blushing. Compare these to the two blush-less pictures of Taichi and Chihaya, the former was superior.

It was a different story when it came to their closest friendsーthose who had vast, front view of the landscape of their relationship. They too made it their business but in a secretive and subtle way and their zeal would put the TxC fandom to shame. But Taichi and Chihaya, once again, were clueless about the working schemes right under their noses.

But on the summer of 20XX, three years after college, Chihaya and Taichi's relationship took a new turn and some hidden things were revealed.

Chihaya's first business to settle that day, was to stake out outside Waseda University before 7:30 am. She stood alone in the sidewalk near the main entrance and watched like a bird looking for its morning prey the slow, lazy flow of students. Her eyes darted, paused, then shifted again until the man in question came to view.

"Arata!" she waved. She was quick to close their distance with long-legged strides. Arata looked at her with surprise and recognition. He looked behind her and the lined vehicles parked near them.

"It's just me. Taichi has an early class today too."

"Oh. And what are you doing here at..." Arata glanced at his watch, his brows furrowed, "seven ten?"

Chihaya flashed a cheeky grin. "I came for you."

"Don't flatter my poor heart this early in the morning." Chihaya laughed and he pulled her aside, away from the walkway.

"Did I miss the news of your transfer here?"

"Kami forbid!" Chihaya exclaimed, horrified. "No offense."

Arata shrugged it off. "So what's this about?" His eyebrows raised curiously. He didn't have to look closer to notice the unwary curve of her lips. Just by listening to her, anyone could tell she was smiling.

"Oh, it's nothing…" she said, dragging out the last syllable as she looked away. She twirled the end of her hair on her finger, and threw him over the shoulder glances from time to time.

If Arata didn't know any better, and anyone who didn't know them would say she was flirting with him. But at this point of time, Arata knew Chihaya didn't flirt intentionally and if she did, it wouldn't look like this. Besides, he only saw her flirt to a particular guy who, unfortunately, was not him—to his dismay at first but now to his amusement.

"Okay." Arata turned around to leave.

"Hey, wait a sec! I'll tell you already!" Chihaya pulled him back, revealing his victorious grin.

"You could have teased me a little more," she pouted.

"Oh, look I'm almost late for class!"

"Okay, fine!" Chihaya huffed, annoyed. But then her mood quickly lightened up and her mouth curved up again. "Guess what?"

"Yes?"

She put her hands behind her back and glanced down with a flushed face, Arata almost considered she was flirting. He can't help but blush too despite the settled, irreversible friendship between them. When a pretty girl like Chihaya looked at you like that, one would be easily flattered. He was just a guy susceptible to womanly advances after all.

"Taichi and I...we're dating." When she lifted her face, she sported the widest and most beautiful grin he had ever seen on her face. For a moment, he felt a full pain in his chest for not being the reason behind her smile. At the same time he was grateful to witness it. He was genuinely happy for her and Taichi even before this day.

"Oh," he said, looking down at the pavement in a split second before looking back at her again. "I already know that."

"Yeah, yesterday we—what did you say?"

"I already know that?"

"You know Taichi and I are...dating?"

Arata nodded.

"Like...boyfriend and girlfriend kind of dating?"

"Yes, like boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Already?" He nodded again.

"H-how can this be? Taichi swore he gave me the honors of making the announcement!" She forked her finger through her hair, slack-mouthed. "Unless…"

She viciously yanked the front of his blouse and said in an octave lower voice, "Did Taichi tell you yesterday? Tell me the truth or you will regret bumping into me today and you wouldn't be joining that godforsaken 7:30 class until the end of the semester."

He had half the mind to correct the accuracy of her statement but he stiffened at the remark. "Uh, Chihaya...you're making a scene…"

Chihaya gripped his blouse tighter. "Do I look like I care, you good for nothing four-eyes?"

Good for nothing…four-eyes? Why did that hurt more than her rejection? Shinobu used to be the only one to verbally bully him. Now Chihaya too? He despondently stood beside her, as he mourned the death of Chihaya's reverence for him.

"Oy, Arata!"

"Taichi didn't tell me anything." She suspiciously squinted at him. "I swear it on my Meijin title!"

"Oh," she blinked, leaning away. The murderous intent vanished and she came back to her warm, smiling, cheerful self. How misleading!

"Sorry about that, Arata," she laughed, ruefully. "Did you mean it as a joke?"

"No, I wasn't joking," Arata said as casually as he could. "Everyone already knows that, Chihaya."

"WHAT?!" Her head twisted around abruptly, Arata was scared she'd snap her neck and he'd have to answer for it.

"W-well...you and Taichi are very open about it so…"

"HOW DID EVERYONE KNOW?!"

When she looked up at him with murderous intent, Chihaya seemed to grow bigger and it felt like she was hovering over him despite being taller. He eyed the few students who passed him by hoping someone would help him get out of this predicament but students at this hour of the day looked more dead than usual. Some guys who spared him a glance only gave him a pitiful look as if saying I've been through that too, bro. Hang in there. And the disapproving head shakes of the girls were saying, Of course men are stupid enough to break up with a girl in an open, public place as early as 7:21. You deserve it.

He wanted to scream at them for having the wrong assumptions. How did Taichi handle Crazy Chihaya again? He made a serious mental note to take lessons from him. It was an art he hadn't practiced yet.

"Ah, look at the time, I'm already late!" He pushed her away swiftly, pivoted on his heel and took off.

"Arata! We're not done yet!"

He covered only a few feet but at least Chihaya looked smaller. "Don't forget it's yakiniku night at Soraji. Later!"

The last sight he saw of her was her slumped figure at the middle of the pathway. It was a close call that Chihaya didn't act according to her aggressively offensive nature when she wanted something. His gateless campus would have encouraged it. Then, he would have no choice but face her brazzen self because something he discovered about Chihaya since he came to live in Tokyo: he couldn't outrun her no matter the odds.

"It is really weird, Desktumo-kun! It's really, really weird!" Chihaya exclaimed in whispers. But the whispering didn't quite suffice the gravity of her predicament so she compensated it by pulling at her hair over her pile of books and notes.

"Ayase, you're disturbing me," Komano said, without stopping from his scribbling. From Chihaya's side of the table, she couldn't see his head because of the big pharmacology book on a book stand in front of him.

"Just hear me out for a sec, Desktumo-kun!" she wailed quietly.

"You've been repeating yourself three times already."

"That's because you weren't paying attention!"

"Have you told Mashima about this?"

"His break is not until lunch," she said like she was on the verge of crying.

The scribbling stopped and she heard him sigh. "Five minutes." Komano pushed away the bookstand and folded his arms, a sign that she had his time and ears. She immediately latched on to this opportunity.

"It started with Arata. I told him earlier that Taichi and I are dating. You know, like boyfriend and girlfriend stuff." She paused, gauging his reaction but Komano didn't say anything nor did he look like he would comment about it. She didn't wait, thinking it was better to say what she needed before her time was up.

"I told him we're dating and do you know what he said?" No reply. "He said he knows! He—Arata—knows!" She slammed her hands on the table which earned glares and hissing sounds from the other students in their area

"Sorry, sorry," she apologized. "What did he mean by that? He knows? Is he more than a god of karuta now? He even said, everyone knows! Everyone! So I called Nikuman-kun earlier and guess what?"

Komano and the thick glasses hiding his eyes only stared on.

"He told me to stop bragging about my lovelife to someone who's trying to find one! But at first he told me that's old news then he told me to stop bragging. Can you believe him?" she cried incredulously.

"Is that all?"

Chihaya nodded. Komano fixed his eyeglasses like one of those detective anime character who had solved the mystery following her since early morning. "First of all, I still find it weird that you memorize our schedule. Every. Semester."

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Her voice rose but Komano didn't flinch.

"Second. I infer you already expected some kind of reaction from these people, thus making you annoyed by Wataya-san and Nishida's out of script reaction."

"I didn't make a script."

"The script is a metaphor, Ayase." Komano fixed his glasses again in a very composed manner. "Third, you failed to take into account that these are boys you were speaking to. Do you expect them to squeal and gush and ask about details?" Chihaya cocked her head. "Putting my second and third points together, there is no surprise then in their unwanted reaction. They acted according to the dictates of human nature and logic and you miscalculated."

Chihaya wilted in her chair. "Why are you making this complicated, Desktumo-kun? All I wanna know is how everyone knows about Taichi and I dating. Is this old news for you, too? Are you part of everyone?" She rolled her head at the back of the chair then something clicked which exploded her out of the chair.

"You can tell me if Taichi told you yesterday, I promise I won't tell on you. And you better say the truth or I'll—" she looked down at his things on his side of his table. "I don't know yet what I will do because these look like important stuff and I don't want you to fail but I'll make you regret that you know me."

"For your information, Mashima told me nothing." He pushed her head away with a finger. "And I was surprised about this...news. Who wouldn't be when it's the first thing you blurted out since you came here to..." he slightly turned his head to her unopened books and notebooks, "whatever it is you're here for."

"Liar! You looked like I just reported the weather."

"Ayase, have you ever heard of the saying, the eyes are the window to the soul?" he said as he fixed his glasses again. Chihaya screwed up her face at him and reluctantly returned to her seat.

"That's more than five minutes. Now, leave me and my drugs alone."

There was no helping it now that she used up her time and Komano was "back on schedule". Might as well do school work. But after flipping a few pages she couldn't help but said, "Don't you think it's time to show us what's behind your glasses, Desktumo-kun?"

The question fell on deaf ears.

"Ah, Kana-chan you picked up!" Chihaya was walking down the stairs from the library after an hour of studying. Theoretically speaking.

"You caught me at the right time, Chihaya-chan." The soft voice of her petite friend flowed through her phone's earpiece.

"Would you like to have lunch with me?"

"Ah, gomen. We're about to have a lunch meeting in our org."

"Oh, okay. I'm still going to spill a really good tea. And I mean really good."

Kanade laughed. "Okay. Let me have it."

"Ano ne. Something happened yesterday and now Taichi and me are," she intentionally paused for added suspense. "We're dating!"

"Yes, of course you are!" Kana said good naturedly. "And then?"

"T-that's it," she tittered. Maybe she should stop any extra movements for her two brain cells to understand what her friend was telling her, so she stopped in a corner.

She heard Kana's voice picking up again. "Oh. I'm sorry Chihaya-chan. I expected something else..."

"Taichi and me dating is the tea, Kana-chan!"

"Yes, of course. But weren't you—" She was interrupted by confusing sounds in the background and someone screamed and Kana scremead too.

"Wh-what's happening there?" It sounded bad, making Chihaya frightened.

"Someone was hit by the avalanche!"

"AvaーWHAT?!"

"Ah, don't worry about it, but I've got to go. I'm sorry, Chihaya-chan. We'll talk later, okay? Bye, bye."

"Sure...take care, Kana-chan. Bye, bye."

Chihaya slowly brought down her phone and watched it like someone who was confounded by a spell. Was she calling the right person? Was this the Kana-chan she knew? The person, along with Sumire, she could count on to squeal and gush and ask details about this thing (like what Desktumo said) because they were girls? Girl problems could only be solved by girls, right?

So how did they know about her new relationship status with Taichi? She swore on all the hundred karuta cards that what happened yesterday only transpired between the two of them. So no one was supposed to know! And who were part of "everyone"?

She navigated through her contacts again, searching for Sumire but then Taichi's caller ID flashed on her screen.

"Taichi! Where are you?!" she bawled her eyes out as she stopped in the corner of a hallway. A spring of relief gushed from her heart. She needed an ally and she knew, as an irrevocable fact, that Taichi would always be an ally even if a choice was presented to him.

"Hello to you too, Chihaya," Taichi's voice filled in.

"Where are you? I need to talk you!"

"You'll probably hate me for this but I can't meet you for lunch today. Something in our SGD needs last minute patching up."

"Oh...oh…"

"I'm sorry. But I can talk to you for a few minutes now." She remained silent in her end. "Hello? Chihaya?" There was more static. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"HUH? NO, NO, NO! Oh my god, I'm not!" Chihaya shouted at her phone. "What makes you say that?"

"I'm trying to get you to speak and it worked."

"That's not funny at all!" she screamed at her phone again, her eyes prickled with tears and it didn't make her feel better that Taichi was laughing at his end.

"Did you tell our friends about what happened yesterday when you swore on your pinky that I will make the announcement to pull a prank on me?" she said accusingly.

"Uh, no I didn't." There was no longer a trace of amusement in his voice.

"It turns out Arata, Nikuman-kun, Desktumo-kun, and Kana-chan already knew about us!" She narrated everything that happened since early morning in one breath.

"That is weird," Taichi said.

"Finally, someone said it!"

"Komano has a point though."

"Taichi! I thought you're on my side!"

"I am. But let's take this with a grain of salt. You might be reading too much into this. And you don't need to get worked up telling our friends we're dating. I don't mind keeping it private for a while."

"B-but...after all we've been through we finally reached this point and it makes me so happy and I want to share it to everyone because I want them to know how much I...I love you..." Chihaya thought she was about to burst and melt into goo for saying that phrase out loud again. It replayed in her head for a thousandth time what happened between them yesterday.

They were both silent for a while. Passers-by wondered what made the beautiful girl leaning on a wall in the corner of an hallway flush so much; some were almost concerned she was burning with a high fever.

"I understand." Taichi finally said. He sounded composed and if she let herself believe what her ears could discern, she would say he was also smiling as he spoke.

"Maybe it's better if you tell them in person."

"You really think so?"

"Yes. And I'd like to be there too. This is a special moment for both of us."

"Y-yes! You're right, Taichi! It should be the two of us telling this. Maybe that's why everything went wrong."

"You're okay now? I have to go. I'll pick you up later...5:30?"

"Yessir!"

"Walk me through your plan. If you have any." They were driving away from their school campus on Taichi's Subaru Legacy.

Chihaya bounced in her seat. Taichi didn't have to look to tell she was excited. Her aura alone gave her away. "I know I said we're gonna do it together but please, please, please lemme be the one who'll say it. I'll be generous and let you answer any follow up questions after I narrated everything."

"Not everything!" Taichi protested.

"Okay….the important parts."

Taichi sighed. "On a normal occasion, I wouldn't trust the kind of words your mouth spews but I'll let you have the glory this time."

"Awesome!" she clapped. "I feel like I gained new powers with this girlfriend thing."

"Don't use up your lucky stars, princess." He pulled on the breaks at an intersection as the traffic light turned red. "How exactly are you going to tell them?"

"Talking to them individually didn't work so I'll announce it when everyone's present. It will be like a nuclear bomb hit. BOOM! A moment of silence...then a burst of screamingーthe good kind. We're gonna blow. Their. Minds. Yeah?"

She held up a high five and Taichi laughed as he slapped it with equal energy. He began to feel the kind of excitement she had.

"So that's how you want to play it out. No wonder the guys disappointed you."

"I still don't understand what they mean," she said, rubbing her chin.

Taichi pressed on the accelerator as the lights changed to green. "Maybe they didn't believe it. Ayase Chihaya having a boyfriend?" He gasped dramatically. "And that boyfriend happened to be the Mashima Taichi?" He gasped again and shook his head. "That handsome, smart friend she has who's in medーouchーwoah...idiot! I'm not taking responsibility for you if we get into an accident."

Chihaya retracted the hand she used to punch his arm. "Did your expanded fanclub finally get into your head, Taichi? Then maybe an accident will straighten you up."

"Aren't we the feisty, jealous one today."

Chihaya scoffed. "I've dealt with your fan base of male and females ranging from grade schoolers to grandmas since we were eight. I couldn't care less about them then, I wouldn't care less about them now. They are nothing to me."

"So you're the secure, confident, physically abrasive type, huh? Aren't I the lucky man! " He winked cockily at her and she laughed. "But on a serious note, cool girlfriend of mine, maybe you should wait for signal queues before you make the announcement. It'll be less awkward that way."

"What and why do we need them?"

Taichi turned to the parking lot of Soraji and drove to an empty space. "You can't just drop the bomb at them like the way you're talking about the sale prizes of Daddy Bear merchandise."

"That's because Daddy Bear gives generous discounts!"

"They really do. Why is that?"

"So you're saying to lessen the surprise factor?"

"Our getting together will be enough of a surprise, Chihaya. Trust me. These friends of ours are like family to us and what we have is a very personal thing. You don't casually drop a news like this to your family, do you?"

Chihaya gave a half shrug. "I did."

Taichi clicked his tongue. "Of course you did."

"But if you want, I'll look out for your signal queues." She patted his hand on the break. "I hope you're not overthinking about this."

"Nope," he said with a popping sound. "Not overthinking at all."

Soraji was the go-to place for students who could stretch their budget if they wanted an occasionally luxurious yakiniku experience. Its open space, nicely ventilated booths for big groups, and quality meat was the best place to escape their real world problems and dive into the holy land of pork, beef, and grilling. The gang dined at Soraji four times each semester to celebrate the end of each Hell Week. After having their brains grilled for six straight days, it was only expected that they'd want to also grill their stress and weariness away on Soraji's grillers. Todai and Waseda held Hell Week a week earlier than Keio University, where Nishida, Sumire, and Tsukuba went so it was mostly the latter's celebration if anything.

Taichi and Chihaya came into their booth to find Arata, Komano, and Kanade in the middle of a light conversation. They exchanged small inquiries about their day. The avalanche Kana-chan mentioned in Chihaya's call was explained as the towering piles of paperwork of her economics organization that needed to be archived into its new place. But Kanade didn't pick up on the subject that was left with her call, nor were Komano and Arata alluded to it.

Their talk quickly shifted to a discussion on drug composition and prescription, and Arata demonstrated body exercises everyone found interesting except for Chihaya, who was determined to pick up the signal queues.

"Look out for that moment when they give you a lingering look or when they jiggle their eyebrows," Taichi said back in the car.

She looked intently from one friend's face to another, hoping that if she stared hard enough they'd be able to hear her telepathic screaming. But no one chanced to glance her way. They soon broke into laughter about something Chihaya completely had no idea about but she went along with it anyway.

"They may even smile or smirk at you for no reason and that means they want you to spill the beans."

Somewhere in the middle of Komano's explanation about a complicated drug name, Chihaya's staring worked. Arata accidentally glanced her way and spared her a small smile but he soon looked away to comment about what Komano said before she could put a word to it. Taichi was overly absorbed in his discussion with Komano and Arata which had something to do with old people rehabilitation and medication. The closest thing she got was Kana-chan asking her why she looked like she was holding in her pee and if she wanted company to the toilet.

Just then, Hanano Sumire barged in, breaking the initial atmosphere of the room with her exuberant energy and no later was talking to everyone at once. Chihaya took this diversion to get back to Taichi's side.

"No one's giving the signs!" she whispered between gritted teeth.

"Yeah, I noticed."

"You're not much of a help," Chihaya grunted.

"Sorry. Let's just give it time. Sit close to me…Too close!" Taichi squeaked, red in the face. He felt her chest against his right elbow.

"Oops," Chihaya scooted a little away, blushing too.

"You're very perky today, Ayase-senpai. Did something good happen?" Sumire asked from the other side of the table.

"I'm glad you asked!" she straightened up. "There is something-"

"Oh good, you're all here!" Nishida's voice boomed, startling everyone. "I can't believe no one has ordered anything yet. Tsukuba, call in the waiter!" He trudged his way to the inward end of the table and flopped down unceremoniously.

"Nice to see you too, Nikuman-kun," Kanade greeted good-naturedly.

"I'm loaded with exams today, I feel like I lost 10 pounds!"

Sumire, sitting to his left, patted his arm. "Don't worry, senpai. No pounds were shed." And everyone laughed, even Nishida.

Tsukuba joined the group with the waiter in tow, then everyone started flipping the menu and giving out orders, even Chihaya. Soon, the waiter came back with plates of raw loin, kalbi, and lettuces, a tray of sauce and spices, and bowls of vegetable side dishes. Kanade, always the hostess, distributed the utensils around the table.

Taichi had perfectly grilled a slice of kalbi and was pulling it out of the griller when Chihaya leaned in to him and gushed. "Oooh that looks good, Taichi. Feed me!"

"Uh…" He made a quick glance around the table. No one was paying them any attention since they weren't tastier than the prospect of grilled meat. He looked back at Chihaya whose face was screaming, Do it!

"D-do you want it with the lettuce?"

"Yes please."

He cleanly wrapped a lettuce around it. "With sauce?" Chihaya nodded.

"Hmn…" Chihaya dramatically savored the piece of kalbi. She cracked open an eye and peered at her friends but they were still preoccupied with their first serving of meat.

"You're so sweet for feeding me, Taichi!" she said, over the sizzling and cluttering of plates against chopsticks. She peered over her shoulder again.

"Yeah...I'm so sweet. I wonder why…" he said, also a little loudly. He offered her another piece but it fell on the small space between them when Chihaya brusquely sprang up from her seat.

"Okay, what's going on?!"

"Uh...we're eating barbecue," Komano said. A piece of meat dangled in his chopstick, briefly spared from its imminent consumption.

"For the past minute, Taichi and I have been flirting at each other right here, in this open place for everyone to see!" Chihaya said, enunciating each word carefully. Taichi slowly slid down on his seat. Everyone looked at the two of them with stuffed cheeks.

"Yet, none of you even reacted or asked us about it when this," she strongly pointed at Taichi and herself, "should be something that needs to be talked about!"

"But you and Mashima-senpai are always flirting, Ayase-senpai," Tsukuba said coolly, sitting at the far right end.

"HUH?!" Taichi quickly bolted up, furrowing at Tsukuba's direction like he had just said the most inconceivable thing.

"No we don't. We're only doing that tonight to make a point!" Chihaya exclaimed frustratingly. "Taichi and I are dating!"

"We know!" everyone said almost at once.

"No you don't!" she screeched. "How can you when...yesterday weーhow can you?"

"Wait a minute," Nishida said, wagging his chopsticks at her and Taichi. "So you two just knew that you two have been dating?" They shook their confused, pretty heads. "Ugh, I'm out of brain cells to process this."

Chihaya pulled at her hair. "And I'm losing brain cells with you guys playing around! I only have two and I'm not planning on losing them both at once!"

Taichi patted her shoulder and gently pushed her to sit down as he took her place. "Okay guys, no more cryptic statements 'cause I don't want my girlfriend to get any dumber."

"Thank you," Chihaya said obligingly.

"What I'm finally getting here is that you guys thinkーno, that's not the word. You guys assumed Chihaya and I are already dating before today?"

Everyone nodded more than once.

"When would that be?"

"First year college," Sumire said.

Taichi almost choke at his own saliva.

"I think the summer before college." Kana.

"After the highschool Queen-Meijin match." Arata.

Their table suddenly broke into a heated discussion of dates and events both Taichi and Chihaya couldn't patch up together.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!"

They clumped their mouth and looked down apologetically.

Chihaya, who felt safe in knowing Taichi's fuming anger was not directed to her, broke the ice. "But why make up something about us?"

"Because, we're tired of seeing you dancing around each other!" Nishida boldly spoke up.

"And it took up a lot of my studying time." Komano pointedly looked towards the area around Nishida, Tsukuba, and Sumire. "They wouldn't stop talking about it."

"We haven't come to a unanimous decision yet, as you have heard," said Arata, who went back to his food. Everyone did as the tension subsided.

"We're actually doing you two a favor." Sumire said proudly to which Taichi scoffed.

"I can't believe you're part of this," he glared at Arata.

"Since I came here I have been third-wheeling you two, if you didn't notice. Is this really surprising to you?"

Taichi decided to ignore his question. The innocence on his face when he looked up to him, and the nonchalant way he questioned him irked Taichi. The off-handed way their friends made up his and Chihaya's relationship irritated him too. Like, they were being obvious about it and he should be smart enough to have anticipated it. No wonder Chihaya felt annoyed. This should have been their day. They should have been the one dropping the bomb on them, not the other way around!

"You too, Ooe-san?"

Kanade momentarily looked away and then burst out. "You know I've always rooted for you! So it cannot be helped." She shook her head helplessly. "I was turning into salt seaweed waiting when you two idiots get your act together. We all were!"

Salt seaweed? Idiots? Taichi and Chihaya cocked their heads.

"To be honest, I wouldn't know if it weren't for Hanano telling me about it when we started college," Tsukuba said, turning a new lettuce leaf on his plate.

"I thought it was unlikely since I don't think Ayase is datable." Komano started grilling again. "But here they are."

"And how lovely it is that you two finally made it official!" Kanade happily clasped her hands together. "I've always believed in Mashima-kun's chances but I wasn't thoroughly convinced until senior high."

"Ha, I win!" Sumire exclaimed, jumping from her seat. "I was sure of it since they were in second year."

"Are you making bets on us?" Taichi said incredulously.

"We haven't reached that low, Taichi," Arata said, calmly.

"Ah, no. Ooe-senpai still wins," Sumire continued as if she wasn't interrupted. "It wasn't until their graduation day when I saw something entirely new between them. I even bet my entire mascara collection it had nothing to do with the graduation fever. And I was right! By their first year at uni they started hanging out a lot and I mean just the two of them."

"That's because Arata always has something to do," Chihaya retorted.

"I'm not a martyr to keep on third-wheeling," Arata deadpanned.

"You guys always have something to do!"

"We were giving you a favor," Nishida said matter-of-factly.

"Then, somewhere along the first person you look for in gatherings like this is each other."

"Don't we always do that?" Taichi.

"You weren't restless until you saw each other back then," Kanade answered, smiling. "Also, the distance between your seats became closer and closer until it was near enough to easily put your hand on each other's arm." She giggled like it was a fond memory to reminisce.

"Remember how they laughed too much at each other's joke? Even when they're not joking?" Komano said acerbically.

"By second year, the hands on the arm slipped lower until there were too many convenient instances they held hands platonically." Sumire rolled her eyes.

"It was the hand-holding that crushed my heart. I knew then I had no chances." Tsukuba sniffled.

"Oh honey, you never had a chance to begin with," Sumire said.

"There were also a lot of convenient hugs and sparkling eyes, and the atmosphere between them was thick with romance. I can't even sit with them alone because they make me gag." Nishida shook his head amusedly before drinking his glass of iced tea.

By now, Taichi and Chihaya's faces colored like red meat served a while ago.

"Let's all move on from that old news." Sumire put down her chopsticks and curiously eyed the hot seat couple. "Tell us how you two came together, senpai."

Sumire might have phrased it poorly because the moment it was spoken, Taichi and Chihaya found their revenge and it only took them a quick glance to confirm it to each other. If their friends were paying them undivided attention, they would have caught the abrupt change of their abashed expressions to gleam of devilry.

"We're not telling." Chihaya said, cheerfully.

"You're not?" everyone shouted, aghast.

"We're not." Taichi affirmed. "Since you already figured out almost everything about our relationship and ruined our surpriseー"

"C'mon!" Nishida interjected. "Don't be such a weenieー" Chihaya and Taichi glowered at him. "Fine," he begrudgingly muttered.

"Like I said, since you ruined our surprise," Taichi's voice raised a little as he unrelentingly stared at each one of them, "then there's nothing to tell."

Dead air hung over them for a good full minute.

"That's not what we mean," muttered Arata.

"We reasonably left that part for you to tell the story," Komano explained.

"We still want to hear what happened, Senpai!" Tsukuba cried.

"Oh, I'm sure your imaginative, creative minds will come up with something," Taichi said dismissively, and Chihaya nodded pleasantly and agreeably beside him. "Now, who wants a second round? It's on me!"

"Indigenous! Quick thinking, and flirty!" Taichi extended his arms in front of him as he proudly clapped at his girlfriend. "Kami, is it possible to love you more?"

"Thank you, thank you," Chihaya bowed to her imaginary audience at the almost empty parking lot of Soraji. Their friends had respectfully left them to enjoy the last hours of the night to themselves.

"You like feeding me, don't you?" she smiled coyly at his shoulder.

Taichi halfheartedly shrugged. "We never did that before."

"We should also congratulate ourselves for having the last laugh!"

"They'll be restless if they don't know the whole story," Taichi chuckled.

"They asked for it. It would have been nicer if they didn't spoil the moment," Chihaya mused. She was surprised when Taichi gently pulled on her arm, twisting her body around to face him. He searched her face silently and a flush crept up her face.

"W-what is it?"

"Are you happy?" Taichi asked quietly.

Realization dawned on her. Chihaya noticed how the muscles in his face tightened when she peered in closer but she still kept a steady gaze. She took her time to look into his eyes and wondered how she could tell him that they were brighter and more beautiful than the stars dotting the sky above them.

"I learned something today," Chihaya said softly. She smiled when his closed up expression slackened. "Sometimes, we don't need to tell other people what we feel because if those feelings are real, they speak louder than words. They always show in everything that we do, even when we try to hide it. And it is the right kind of people who will always see them."

She heard the gurgle of his laughter first before it broke free into a hearty manner and his face opened up. She laughed with him too.

"I don't need you to answer that question then," he said as he leaned his forehead against hers. Chihaya curiously watched the last traces of his laugh lingering in his lips even when he grinned.

"No one but yourself can take my happiness away, Taichi. So I intend to keep you. For a long, long time." Her arms went around him and he brought her closer. She buried her face against his chest, breathing him in. Taichi didn't wear perfume that night. She only smelled his natural scent and liked it better.

His mouth pressed into her hair as he whispered, "I'm not going anywhere."

Meatbun Intended: those sneaky bastards!

Desk2where: It was a very smart move.

Meatbun Intended: theyre getting too clever for our own good!

Lashes 'n Fleek: and i thought i was careful enough not to sound too interested

Demon King: i knew they would get back at us but i didn't think it would be too soon

Ancient Ladybird: It is only fair. Aren't we a bit cruel? I don't think Chihaya-chan and Mashima-kun were happy about it.

FoxIze: all's fair in love and war

Desk2where: That's out of context.

FoxIze: only joking, senpai :sweat_smile:

Lashes 'n Fleek: argh im really curious what happened yesterday! Do you think they've kissed?

Ancient_Ladybird: Hanano-san! /

FoxIze: :dizzy_face:

Desk2where: They're still new to this, so I don't think so.

Meatbun Intended: mashima is not. I can totally see him initiating it :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

Demon King: :flushed: :flushed: :flushed:

Lashes 'n Fleek: Wataya-san, do you think you can bribe Ayase-senpai?

Demon King: Chihaya would see it as a form of defeat.

Lashes 'n Fleek: if they aren't so cute together i would have hated them but #ship

Ancient Ladybird: I'm so happy for them. Again. :joy:

FoxIze: i hope they wouldn't always keep us in the dark

Meatbun Intended: lol not happening

Demon King: Chihaya can't keep her mouth shut

Desk2where: *seen*

Lashes 'n Fleek: and i wouldn't let them get away with it!

Meatbun Intended: ayase's already making a big deal out of it like they're getting married!

Ancient Ladybird: Imagine if they were getting married!

*Demon King and Desk2where reacted 'HAHA' to Kana's comment*

FoxIze: that'll be fun

Eyelash 'n Fleek: when do you think that will happen?

FoxIze, Ancient Ladybird, Meatbun Intended and 2 others are typing...

Consider yourself as an active, highly involved Taichihaya fan if you get what I was trying to pull in the introduction of this story. rofl

I think the gang still won over Taichihaya in the end. Fufufu

The next two chapters will still be Taichihaya-focused, exploring how their closest people accept/see their relationship.

Until next time. Cheerio!