Greetings.

If my MC acts like a Mary Sue in any way or if there are any mistakes (grammar, story plot holes, etc.), TELL ME IMMEDIATELY! Thank you!

"" - speech

italics - memory

[ ] - thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own Diamond no Ace.

End of Second Term - His Answer

Nami sighed as she looked out the window. It was snowing again, making the scenery into a winter wonderland.

[At least, it's soft snow.]

"Tsukimukai." A male's voice called out to her. She turned her head, facing Eiichirou.

"Hinata-san."

"..." The two locked eyes, contemplating the other's intention.

"I assume that you have your answer?"

"Yes."

"Then do you completely accept my terms of our possible friendship?"

"It's better than nothing." His eyes flashed momentarily of bitterness and sadness. When she looked at him again, his eyes held nothing but understanding of his position. "Yes, I accept."

"Then it's nice to meet you, friend." Nami held out her hand. He stared at it before holding it himself.

"Nice to meet you too, Tsukimukai." They shook for a brief moment. Nami then let go of his hand and gave him a small smile. His eyes soon softened as he also gave her a smile.

"Tsukimukai-san. Your ride is here." Arisu approached the two as she pointed in a general direction towards the window. As she said, Sebastian stood patiently at the front gates with the car.

"Ah, thanks for the notice, Suibara-san." Nami hurriedly stuffed her items into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I'll see you both soon! Maybe during break? Or during the New Year?" When she saw both of them nod, she grinned and waved at them before speed walking out of the room.

After a few minutes of silence, Arisu turned towards Eiichirou. "You like her."

He subtly flinched, not giving any indication that he heard her. However, Arisu caught his reaction to her words. "You always did."

He said nothing.

"I know why you do."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you trying to say...?"

"Do you want to protect her? From them?"

Eiichirou locked eyes with Arisu. Before she could recognize the emotions in his eyes, he turned his head. "And what if I do...? Is that a problem, Suibara?"

"No, it is not a problem. As long as you want to protect her, then I will stand by your side as an ally."

"And if I do something that you don't approve of?"

Her eyes darkened before quickly lightening up. "Well, let's just hope that you stay friends with Nami and keep her safe, so that you won't have to find out."

He nodded in agreement. "So why do you call her Nami when she's not around and yet you call her Tsukimukai-san when she is here?"

"Conflict between etiquette and my own wish." Her smiled twisted into one of bitterness. "Must maintain the polite image for my family as you know very well."

"But you're her cousin, aren't you?" He pointed out.

She sighed. "I understand that you are not completely familiar with this type of environment, along with the expectations you are required to meet on a daily basis, but for now, please drop it. I don't feel like talking about it." Arisu straightened out any wrinkles on her skirt. "When the time comes, I will call her Nami, but right now, the time is not right."

"You're right. I don't understand why family members have to be so rigid and stiff with each other. I don't get why public image is so important when you feel opposed to it." Frustration permeated his voice.

Her voice softened. "All I want is for her to be safe."

"I know." He whispered.

"You know that she doesn't feel the same towards you, right?" Arisu locked eyes with Eiichirou. "And she probably won't for a long time or maybe even forever. Can you really accept that?"

He tightened his fists before loosening. "I can and that's why it took me this long to accept her offer." He sighed as he looked up at her with sad acceptance. "I won't expect her to feel the same towards me and I know that I'll be hurt by her continuous rejection, but what can I do?"

Arisu wisely stayed quiet.

"One thing that I learned in my short life so far is that having hope only hurts you when you know that something is unattainable. As the adults tell me all the time, you can't have everything in life." He sat down on top of the desk without care. "As long as I'm by her side and as long as she is alive, then I'll live. I won't be completely happy, but I'll still be alive and that's all that matters."

"...I'm glad that you understand that." She stayed silent for a few minutes before speaking again. "I understand... No, I don't think I can truly understand, but I do know of your other situation. I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need help, you know where to find me."

He stared at her. "Why?"

"Because Nami took you under her wing." Arisu smiled at him with no hesitation in her voice.

Eiichirou briefly chuckled to himself. "I guess I can accept that answer."

"Of course you can." She huffed.

He raised his eyebrow. "You should really show this side of you more often. It's way better than what you show as your public image."

Arisu crossed her arms. "Shut it."

"Shall do." He snorted in amusement.

"Then do we have an agreement in regards to Nami and our position in her life?"

"Yes."

They then shook hands in official agreement with a grin.

Keep the reviews coming because they really help me stay motivated to write. :)

Note: Eiichirou is still a child, meaning that his previous outburst or tantrum at the salon does not mean that he will be like that the entire time. Because I teach children who are in elementary, I have also taken the opportunity to cross-analyze the behavior of those of that age and from my own experience or memories of the past. Eiichirou is a selfish brat and that reasoning is shown through his actions and words. However, because of his background and other unrevealed issues, he's learning to become a better person or is learning to act mature. One must not judge the mask of another person until they know everything about them. While his attitude doesn't make sense right now, it'll be revealed eventually; whether you accept his reason to be selfish or not, that will be a different issue.

As for Miyuki, I don't think his personality is that different from his high school self because he is still all about teasing her and being initiative. While he doesn't outwardly tell Nami that he trusts her, he shows it through his actions, such as drying her hair. While I don't really talk about the timeline that much, they knew each other for about four months by now and since they meet weekly, they at least hung out with each other for around twenty days. For kids, time goes by really slowly, so it should feel more like years, rather than months. Also, he's not a negative or a dark person by nature, compared to Nami. Even though he experienced bullying as a child and was all alone at home since his father was so busy with work, he always focused on baseball and had a goal in life, meaning that he becomes positively realistic (while Nami is pessimistically idealistic). That's why he's not a depressed person.

In regards to Eiichirou and Arisu's super mature or deep conversations, I think it is quite normal. They are almost done with elementary school. Not to mention, they grew up under different circumstances - compared to the normal people. They grew up under high expectations, are forced to maintain the family image and etiquette, must figure out who their allies and enemies are, need to find out the hierarchy of the rich society, and continue to deal with possible abuse or live with high pressure from every side of their life. In other words, their background and issues that they each need to deal with forced them to grow up or are forcing them to see things that they wish they never knew about until they were older. Sometimes, their reactions to certain situations are childish, but that can't be helped since they are still children and their brains are not fully developed.

If there is something that you are still confused about or need clarification on, please PM me. I'll be sure to respond! :D