Hello, Itsyoursis-Artemis! As promised, here is the new chapter!
To reviewer Etha: I actually went back and checked the word count, and it was actually not that short, but thank you for the review!
To reviewer Peristeria: Thank you for giving this story a try! :D
"Mina-chan, what are you doing on the 18th?" Ayano asked as the duo ate their lunch.
The short-haired girl checked the calendar on her phone to see what day the 18th fell on. It fell on a Sunday.
"That's in two days! I'll be on a volleyball camp in Tokyo this weekend. Why did you ask?"
"Oh, I see. I was going to invite you to the Wisteria Festival they're having just outside of Namimori town."
"A flower festival! That sounds so much fun! But unfortunately, my team will be practicing with other schools in the Tokyo division," pouted Mina.
"That's ok!" Ayano chuckled into her hand. "There are more upcoming flower festivals that we could plan to go to."
"That's true," agreed the volleyball player as she reached for her water bottle. "So are you going alone this Sunday then?"
Actually, the long-haired girl originally planned to attend it alone. There was an entry in her mother's diary about the Wisteria Festival, highlighting a "magical" event at night that served to conclude the festival. According to the diary, her mother would go there alone every year, and she recommended that going solo would be better if 'one needed to rejuvenate their inner spirit'.
The teenager was not exactly sure what that statement meant. She wanted to go to the festival to acquire inspiration and ideas for the fashion sketches she was going to design on her free time. Additionally, she wanted to check out the supposedly "magical" night event that her mother refused to elaborate in her diary because 'there are no words to describe it.'
However, if she decided to go to the night event, she wouldn't be home until late at night. She didn't feel safe to walk back home alone… in the dark. Tara always reminded her to travel in pairs if she ever went out at night.
She could ask Hibari to accompany her.
Wait. Hold a minute.
She lightly flicked her own forehead. Why did that person even come up on her mind? She could have thought of her aunt, or even Yamamoto (whom she barely even talk to) about a companion this Sunday.
Furthermore, she couldn't understand why she's been thinking about that person. She admitted to herself that something about the tonfa-wielding boy was very intriguing. However, she strongly denied that she was attracted to him. It was a foolish possibility. There was no way she would let her breath and thought be wasted on a thug. He was like a complicated puzzle that she refused to solve. Yet for some inexplicable reason, she kind of wanted to know his pieces.
It was not attraction. She called it, a mere curiosity.
"Hey Mina-chan," the Nicolaou girl hesitated. "What do you think will happen if I invite Hibari-san to accompany me to the Wisteria Festival?"
The short-haired girl was drinking water when she suddenly choked upon hearing her friend's deadly suggestion. It took her a few seconds to calm down before she grabbed her friend's shoulders and shook her violently.
"Did'cha hit your head or something, Yano-chan?!" Mina repeatedly tapped around her friend's head as if checking for an injury. She then placed her palm on Ayano's forehead to check her temperature. "Or do you have a fever?!"
"Let's just say… I might be serious about what I just said," the fearless girl teasingly shrugged.
"Was this just out of curiosity or were you really thinking on asking him on a DATE, out of any other boys you could have asked?" Mina facepalmed.
"Who said it was going to be a date? He's a mysterious guy. I was just highly curious on what he will say."
"First of all, that's definitely a date. Second, you've been Hibari-san this Hibari-san that at me lately so you're OBVIOUSLY attracted to him. So my question is, since when!?"
Ayano almost dropped her chopsticks upon hearing her friend's speculation. "I am not attracted to him," she frowned. "Besides, the worse case scenario is receiving a rejection, which is completely fine. I'm telling you I just want to see how he would react."
"NO. The worst case scenario is when he misunderstands your invitation, and you meet the ugly fate of his tonfas," the short-haired girl asserted.
Their conversation got interrupted when the bell rang which indicated that lunch period was over. The girls packed their lunch boxes away and headed back to their own homeroom. Before they separated, Mina uttered a one last comment.
"Wait, are you really going to ask him?"
Ayano smiled in response.
"Yano-chan, I feel like you like the thrill of living a dangerous life."
There was no council meeting on Fridays, so the determined Nicolaou searched for the certain red, armband-bearing, tonfa-wielding, boy. The first place she checked was the disciplinary room, but only Kusakabe was there. He told her that Hibari could be on the rooftop, as sometimes he would spend some time there after school before patrolling.
She climbed the stairs that led to the rooftop, and as soon as she reached for the doorknob, she halted her steps. She assessed the situation in her head and listed the possible outcomes of her little experiment. He could: 1. Accept her invitation (100% unlikely) 2. Refuse her (50% success) 3. Get pissed and bite her to death (50% likely). The second scenario would most likely happen. If somehow she accidentally turned the devil switch on, she would just have to run… for her life, and hopefully not trip on the stairs.
I'm just curious on how Hibari-san would react. It's not a date.
But if it's not a date, then how would he perceive it?
I'll make him think that it's just a friendly hangout thing.
Were they even friends?
Oddly enough, Ayano wasn't even nervous. This was why she was so sure she did not develop any feelings for Hibari. She didn't even blush when Mina made a comment about her being attracted to the chairman of the disciplinary committee. There was no heart-fluttering-whatsoever thing that she has seen in romance shows.
She opened the door and immediately saw her target lying down on the ground, using his arms to support his head. He noticed the long-haired girl entered the rooftop, which prompted him to sit up. She stood still to keep a great amount of distance between them.
"Students are not allowed on the rooftop, herbivore."
He slowly stood up and moved toward the railings to scan the ground below and see if most of the students were gone. His attention then got disrupted by Ayano's remark.
"You're a student, yet you're here."
"I can do whatever I want."
What kind of logic is that?—A question she could have blurted out but decided not to. She has impressively learned within three weeks the words that would pose a "threat" on the authority of the certain leader of the disciplinary committee.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Listen Hibari-san, I just have a quick question, then I'll disappear from your sight," she announced.
"Speak now, woman. Don't bore me," he responded while still examining the school ground from the roof top.
Here I go. She took a deep breath to collect her composure.
"You should go to the Wisteria festival just outside of Namimori with me."
I'm stupid, that wasn't even a question, Ayano facepalmed herself mentally.
There was no reaction from him. He instead side-eyed her before he responded to her invitation.
"No. Is that all? Now leave."
The determined girl sighed. It was a flat-out rejection. He didn't even question her statement. She was about to leave when all of the sudden, her curious mind instantly came up with a plan.
She wanted to test if Hibari was the type of person who would make a girl wait for many hours. This is a BAD idea, she mentally scolded herself. But the idea entertained her at the same time. You see, one of Ayano's unique personality traits was being curiously fearless. She easily would get entertained by whatever random idea she came up with. She then would test it to see the outcome, even if an idea was a terrible one.
Ayano took out her mini, sticky, notepad from her bag and wrote a few things on it. She then approached the uncooperative boy.
"I really think you will like it," she calmly said as she handed him the piece of paper. "We could just attend the night event, if you want. I wrote the address here and the location where I'll be at. Don't worry, there are spots we could go to avoid crowds."
For the first time, he noticed her persistence and was a little bit—just a little—surprised by her unwanted enthusiasm. However, it wasn't enough.
"Give it up. I'm not interested at whatever you're plotting, herbivore." He lightly pushed her hand away.
Ayano patted the sticky note onto his jacket because he didn't want to accept it. Afterwards, she quickly dashed away from him to exit the rooftop.
"I'll see you at around 6 pm this Sunday, I will wait for you and I won't move there until you arrive, so you better come!" She then finally disappeared out of his sight.
Hibari grabbed the piece of paper that was stuck on his jacket. He read the address, the time, and the messy sketch of what he assumed to be the map of the park.
Foolish girl, he mumbled.
Hibari completed his patrolling duty by early evening. He went back to the disciplinary room to resume the paperwork he left behind. There he encountered Kusakabe.
"I have finished patrolling the baseball and soccer field as well as the gymnasium," Kusakabe initiated. "Most of the athletes went home already, with a few who stayed back to do a clean up of their equipment."
The skylark nodded as a response. He placed the sticky note he received from Ayano on his table and sat down.
"I have also organized these documents with the highest priority on the top," the vice-chairman continued as he handed his leader a pile of papers. He then removed the completed paperwork from the desk to create a working space for Hibari to use. As he cleaned up his senior's desk, he detected a sticky note that he didn't remember using. He took the sticky note and read it.
"Kyoya-san, may I ask what this small note pertain to?"
The head of the disciplinary committee, who looked like he had already fallen asleep on his chair, slowly opened his eyes. "The new historian of the student council gave it to me. It is nothing but a foolish request."
The vice-chairman instantly knew whom his leader was talking about: Ayano Nicolaou. Kusakabe thought of the new transfer girl as a quiet yet outgoing, elegant girl. She usually would initiate the greeting whenever they pass by each other in the hallway. They would chat for no more than three minutes about their day before they continue with their own errands. He was astonished that Ayano fearlessly invited Hibari on a...date.
"Nicolaou-san asked you out on a date?"
The skylark was definitely not amused by his assistant's conjecture. "I don't associate myself with such a naive idea," he firmly responded.
"I understand. What would you like me to do with it?" his assistant asked.
Hibari stared at the paper once more and hesitated for several seconds, before he closed his eyes again.
"Leave it on my table."
So I already am five chapters ahead of the game, which means I already completed the next chapter. I want to know if you guys can guess correctly whether or not the skylark will go to the festival? Let me know what you think of it :D
Also, if you detect any grammatical errors, please tell me and I will immediately fix them! (Sorry for always repeating this)
I'll see you in 2 days!