"Ugh! Whose idea was it to make these costumes so damn itchy?"\
Miku groans in uncomfort, slipping a finger inside her collar to stretch it a bit. "And it's so hot and stuffy!" she huffs, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, "I swear if this affects our performance, I'll…"
"Instead of complaining, why don't you just keep quiet and focus on the performance?" Ikuno says bluntly, mildly irritated with redhead's babbling and their costume's draftiness as well. In her hand was her electric guitar being tuned by none other than herself.
Crossing her sleeved arms, Miku lets out a loud 'hmph!' at the freckled girl before her, "Mou! It's not like I can help it! Besides, I AM thinking about the performance, that's why I'm complaining about this crappy costumes!" suddenly, Miku feels a hand on her head seemingly trying to comfort her. Looking up, she sees her friend Kokoro shooting her an assuring smile.
"Don't worry Miku, I'm sure we'll do great later even in these clothes!" Kokoro chimes happily, making Miku smile at her infectious optimism.
"You're kind as ever Kokoro…"
Just then, Ichigo enters the room alongside Zero Two, who was wearing a costume far different than the rest of them. The horned girl wore a black cocktail dress with red roses sewed on it, a huge contrast to the white dresses the others wore. Also, she wore fishnet stockings that were slightly ripped, a pair of black combat boots, and a choker that had 'XX:me' personally engraved. Not only that, but Zero Two had applied some dark eyeshadow and eyeliner that accentuates her intense, teal orbs and some red lip tint smudged on her lips.
'She looks absolutely stunning' all of the others thought.
"Zero Two! Nice look you got there!" Miku calls out, complimenting the pinkette while slinging an arm around her shoulders.
"Thanks." Zero Two replies nonchalantly, looking at Ichigo who had a slightly apprehensive look on her face. Finding it amusing, her lips curl into a slight smirk. Meanwhile, the others had also noticed the bluenette's expression.
"Ichigo? Is something wrong?" Ikuno asks, clearly worried for her friend.
"It's because of her…" Ichigo grumbles, pointing at Zero Two. "She was supposed to wear white just like the rest of us, but look!" her voice raises in annoyance, a vein almost popping out her head, "She absolutely ruined it!"
Zero Two shrugs, "Relaaax prez, it's not like anyone got hurt you know." twirling a bit to show off the modifications she did to her costume, she adds with a hint of mirth in her voice, "Besides, you gotta admit, I look great in black.."
Ichigo grits her teeth, feeling more exasperated by the second, "Even so...you still have to consider that all of these are just rented!" she says while pointing to her and the others' costumes, "Now how would I explain to the owner that?" her eyes narrow challengingly at the pinkette before her, but before Zero Two could retaliate, Kokoro steps in between them, placing a hand on each of their shoulder.
"Now, now, let's all put these misunderstandings to rest for awhile.." Kokoro tells the both of them in a motherly tone, "For now, we've got to focus on the performance, okay?" shooting a smile at Ichigo and Zero Two, all the two could do was sigh and agree over the gentle girl's words.
"Kokoro's right, Zero Two..but don't think you'd get away with this after, okay?" Ichigo says with a teasing wink, feeling a bit calmer with the situation.
"It ain't a big deal anyway...since I plan on paying for the damages in the first place.." Zero Two murmurs, looking away from the girls.
"Well then! With that settled, let's go and hit the stage!" Miku exclaims enthusiastically, pumping her fist to the sky before turning to Zero Two with a teasing expression embedded on her face. Sauntering slowly over the pinkette, she hooks an arm over her shoulders and lean in to her ear.
"Ne, I bet Hiro would enjoy your performance with that outfit, don't you think?" Miku whispers just loud enough for Zero Two to hear and is satisfied when she sees the pinkette slightly flush in embarrassment before pushing her lightly.
"Shut up." Zero Two mutters to which the redhead answers with a giggle.
"Whatever you say~" Miku drawls out, when she suddenly grabs all the girls into a circle. Grinning, she places her hand in front of them and shouts with determination in her voice, "Best of luck girls! In 3, we say, 'Xx:Me, Fighting!' Infected by the intensity to her words, the others feel the adrenaline coursing through their veins, pumping them up with motivation and excitement. Putting their hands over one another, they yell at the top of their lungs in unison,
"1, 2, 3... Xx:Me FIGHTING!"
"So, uh, what are we supposed to do with this again?" Zorome asks, examining the pink glow stick in his hand with questioning, amethyst eyes. He and Zorome were already standing within the growing crowd and it the sky was already dimming, slowly revealing the stars that painted the night.
"We wave them in the air when the girls perform!" Futoshi explains with a grin on his face. He held two green glow sticks in each of his hands and had a bandana that had the name 'Kokoro chan!' with a heart written on it. Zorome outwardly cringed over his friend's immense support for the said girl, it almost made him puke just how whipped Futoshi was but he chose remain quiet over it.
Just then, Zorome spots two figures walking and realizes it was Goro and Hiro. "Oi, you guys, over here!" he calls out, waving towards them to gain their attention, and he succeeds. When the two approach them, Goro and Zorome exchange fist bumps, while Hiro and Futoshi wave to each other.
"You two seem excited." Goro notes, seeing how early the two were being in the concert grounds, as compared to them.
"Blame fatty over here." Zorome teases, pointing to Futoshi with a smirk, "He wanted to get a good view of 'kokoro chan'" He says Kokoro's name in a nasally tone before sticking his tongue out and patting Futoshi's butt "This guy's ass is whipped for sure!"
Swatting Zorome's hand, Futoshi burns in embarrassment. "Quit calling me fatty! Besides, you wanted to film Miku's performance up close too, you know!" Futoshi points out, exposing his friend who suddenly chokes over the revelation. Goro and Hiro only laugh at the two's antics.
"I guess we all just came to support the girls, don't we Hiro?" Goro elbows Hiro, a lopsided grin etched on his lips.
"..Yeah.." Hiro nods in agreement. Just then, the raven haired boy notices someone missing, and he couldn't help but ask the others, "Hey, where's Mitsuru?"
"Beats me." Zorome shrugs, "We all know that guy isn't interested in stuff like this. He's probably scowling by himself or something.."
"Excuse me?" They all hear a cold voice behind them, quickly turning to see the olive haired boy with his hands in his pockets and sporting his usual, aloof expression.
"Ah, Mitsuru! It's good to see you here.." Hiro greets but is completely ignored by the boy, choosing to walk past him and settle beside Futoshi. "Here to support Ikuno?" Futoshi asks, receiving a mere shrug from the shorter boy.
"I'm here to criticize her musical performance, as per her request." But truth be told, he had no plans in coming anyway, if it weren't for Kokoro's request for him to watch earlier.
"Well that's…" Zorome is at loss at what to say over Mitsuru's uptight response, "..So you, I guess?" Just then, Zorome felt someone suddenly shove past him, making him stumble a bit, and of course, being rash as ever, the blonde turns towards the person with the intent of giving them a harsh scolding. "Hey! Watch it, will ya?!" He shouts, but as he looks up, he sees none other but Nana sensei, his long time crush, and in an instant, his hot temper crumbles.
"N-n-nana Sensei!" He blurts out, panicked he might've given off the wrong impression earlier, "I-I didn't know it was you…"
Noticing Zorome, Nana smiles. "Ah, Zorome, here to support Miku?" said boy only nods quickly. "Really? That's good to know.." the red headed beauty sighs in relief, before adding, "I'm glad she has someone like you as a best friend…"
Blushing over Nana's compliment, Zorome mutters a small thank you before being elbowed by both Futoshi and Goro, who had teasing smiles on their faces. Glaring at them, the smaller boy grumbles, "Ah, quit it you two.."
But that doesn't stop him from stealing glances at his teacher from time to time.
A few moments later, the group spots an old man with a partly mechanical face walk towards Nana, who to their surprise, and Zorome's horror, plants his palm against the teacher's bottom, lightly squeezing it. Letting out a small yelp, Nana jerks away from the assailant, only to see the headmaster eyeing her in amusement. Blushing heavily, she greets the old man and at the same time, reprimands him.
"D-doctor! M-must you always do that!" she says, shielding her backside away from the geezer.
"Nana." the doctor starts, "I haven't seen you in ages, but I see you're still as stiff as ever, unlike your-"
"Please, let's not talk about that!" Nana cuts him off, clearly growing annoyed at the senior's lecherous tendencies, when suddenly, she hears a voice clearly belonging to Zorome yell out to them.
"Nana sensei! Get away from that perverted old freak!" She hears him say running towards her with the others trailing behind him. Glaring at the unabashed doctor, Zorome points a finger at him angrily, before saying, "Ya dirty old scumbag! Who do ya think you are putting a hand on her ass like that?!" he was about to say more until he gets hit on the head by Nana.
"Zorome! Watch your tone!" Nana scolds him, especially after hearing the boy refer to her bottom as…
'Mou! No wonder he and my sister fight endlessly!'
"B-but, Nana sensei..?" Zorome tries reasoning out, but seeing the adult shake her head, he chooses to remain silent.
"I appreciate your concern but as you see, this person over here would've been sent to the hospital if he was some stranger...and fortunately, he's not." with a headache threatening to form over the course of events, Nana places a hand on her head. Sighing, she looks back once more at the boys in front of her, before motioning to the headmaster with her free hand.
"Guys, since it seems you haven't known by now, I introduce you to Dr. Werner Frank, the headmaster of this school."
"E-ehh?!" The boys react simultaneously, shock over how such a peculiar old man was actually the headmaster. Since the doctor didn't usually show himself during ceremonies, opting for his subordinates to represent him, the students were left imagining what the headmaster would look like, envisioning a tall, dignified man in his fifties.
Instead, their expectations were left shattered when the headmaster was revealed to be a short, old man with half his face looking like the terminator, who was an extreme lecher.
Meanwhile, Hiro can't help but think back to the time Zero Two told him her grandfather was the headmaster and had an extreme love for ceramics and the like.
'T-this man and Zero Two...are related?!'
His thoughts are cut off when he sees the doctor's scrutinizing gaze shift towards him, causing him to gulp at the sudden pressure building inside his gut. Has Zero Two told him about their unique friendship? Did the old man even approve of someone as weak and pathetic as him? His mind is bombarded with questions that he feels himself growing faint and cold, the world spinning hazily until-
"Oh, you must be the guy that child's been babbling about." The doctor says nonchalantly to Hiro, receiving surprised gasps from the others, excluding Nana.
"O-oi, what does he mean by that?" Goro whispers to Hiro, who only stood frozen on the spot.
"You must be Hiro, am I correct?" the doctor says to which the raven haired boy nods.
"Y-yes sir, Zero Two had told me about you…" Hiro responds back.
"Oho, is that so?" faint amusement can be heard from the robotic echo of the doctor's voice. "I bet she told you about my love for ceramics, haven't she?"
Dumbfounded, Hiro couldn't help but exclaim "H-how did you..?"
But the doctor ignores his question, and instead, lets out a loud guffaw, making Hiro and the boys cringe at his informal behavior. Once he tones down, the doctor says, "That granddaughter of mine! Always trying to tarnish my reputation!"
"GRANDDAUGHTER?!" The boys exclaim loudly, far more surprised than earlier.
shaking his head over what sort of stories Zero Two could've said about him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride over her performing tonight for the first time. He knew that the pinkette was a bright child with an immense talent for the arts, but she was unable to express herself because of the prejudice and insecurities that came with the red horns on top of her head. He has seen her grow fragile behind the nonchalant mask she wore and it pained him to see her ultimately isolate herself from the world, unable to see its true beauty.
Most of all, it was excruciating seeing her suffer alone in her endless search of something she has lost a long, long time ago and not be able to help her.
But now, whenever they get to talk, he could see how the reclusive young lass was slowly beginning to feel and reciprocate warmth the world had to offer; establishing bonds, expressing herself bit by bit, and if possible, finding love once more, he wonders if she has finally found what she was looking for
And from the looks of it, he too believes that by some miracle, she has found it.
Turning towards the group one last time, the doctor gives them a wave, "I'll let you youngsters be for the night. Gotta find a spot where I could watch Zero Two in peace...also, Hiro?" the doctor turns to Hiro one more time, his expression dead serious.
"Yes, headmaster?" Hiro asks reluctantly.
"Don't let Zero Two near any kitchen, okay?" with that, he turns his back and walks away from the flabbergasted group. Deep inside though, he couldn't help but think back to the meek, raven haired teen who served as a complete opposite to his vibrant, granddaughter.
'That boy...I wonder if he really was her answer…'
A few more moments later, the concert grounds were filled with a lot of people, both students and bystanders coming from other schools. Finally, the stage was colored with vibrant lights of different colors, and with a smoke-filled entrance, came five womanly figures standing confidently on stage. With a certain bluenette grabbing hold of her mic, she yells out to the rumbling crowd,
"Everyone! We're sorry for keeping you waiting, but we're super happy for the support you've been giving us since day one of preparations!"
Miku nods at Ichigo's words before yelling out too, "And because of that, we're gonna rock your night away with our awesome performance!" she pumps her fist in the air and winks, causing the crowd, who were also some of her subscribers, to scream louder.
"Let's go Mikuuuu!" Zorome roars at his best friend, waving his glow stick with his hand and holding a video cam with the other.
Next, it was Kokoro's turn to speak up. She addresses the crowd with a sweet voice, "I've seen how everyone has worked so hard for this concert to happen, so as gratitude, please feel free to enjoy this performance, okay?" with just a smile, the men in the crowd almost went crazy, including Futoshi, who was screaming her name the loudest.
"KOKORO CHAAAAN!" He cried out, causing Mitsuru to squint at him, annoyed.
"Also, this concert wouldn't have been made possible if it weren't for our dear president, ne, Ichigo?" Ikuno says, giving the bluenette an endearing smile.
"E-eh, Me?" Ichigo exclaims with a blush on her face. "Well, I wouldn't have done it if it weren't for Ikuno and the others, as well…"
"Do your best Ichigo! Ikuno!" Goro cheers from the crowd.
"Ne, Darling! Do you see me from there? Because of you, I am able to be here, that's why I'm dedicating all these feelings for you!" Zero Two calls out, scanning the crowd before finally seeing Hiro, whose cheeks were stained red. Grinning widely, she proclaims to the crowd, "Found you, my darling~"
"Ehem," Ichigo intervenes, "A-anyway, let's not stretch things out further, shall we?" Signalling to Ikuno, the bespectacled girl starts the instrumental with her guitar, making the crowd roar out in excitement and anticipation.
In unison, the girls shout,
"This is Xx:Me, now playing: Torikago!"
through the classroom window, I absentmindedly ask the sky
what's the purpose of my life? I have no idea
things i want to know but don't think myself are all I study
As I realized this, I was losing my own voice
In my textbook's margin, I wrote my ideals
not to do as I'm told, but to have the freedom of a soaring bird
though I showed my dreams, my granted power and ungranted just become bitter
when I can't even decide the length of my skirt or do as I'd like,
where am I?
the voice in my heart answered "you're here."
The sky is beautiful, though.
After a few more songs the girls have prepared, the concert had finally come to an end, and individually, they were approached by the boys with a bouquet of flowers as congratulations for the job well done.
Approaching Kokoro was Futoshi, who not only had flowers, but had a basket of bread hanging from his arm. Grinning sheepishly, he presents it to the flattered girl, "Kokoro chan, you were great out there!"
Smiling at his compliment, Kokoro humbly shakes her head, "This wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for you and the others' support."
Feeling his heart constrict over Kokoro's genuine kindness, Futoshi couldn't help but gush all over her, "Ah Kokoro chan! You're as kind as ever!"
Just then, they are approached by a slightly irked Mitsuru, who had just finished talking to Ikuno in private. "I couldn't hear the songs because of you're constant noisiness Futoshi." he reprimands coldy, to which the bigger boy responds by scratching the back of his head in a bashful manner.
"Mou, I can't help it...Kokoro chan was cute on stage after all…" Futoshi confesses, making Kokoro blush slightly. "Anyways, I gotta go help with packing up. See ya later by the bonfire, Kokoro chan!" he says before heading off with a wave, leaving both Kokoro and Mitsuru alone in silence, and as usual, it is Kokoro who speaks up first.
"Um, Mitsuru kun, did you enjoy the show?" Kokoro asks, her grip on the bouquet and basket unconsciously tightening in anticipation.
Pondering on what to say, Mitsuru sighs, "I suppose it can be called a 'success'..."
"Oh is that so.." Kokoro says, a bit disheartened over the cold response. Glancing over the ash blonde, Mitsuru speaks once more,
"...you sang great as well, Kokoro san…" he says, hiding the blush threatening to stain his cheeks.
Perking up at the sudden compliment, Kokoro could feel her chest warm up for an unknown reason yet, she manages to cover up her initial surprise with a grateful smile.
"Really? That means so much to me!" with her eyes sparkling in happiness, she says, "Thank you, Mitsuru kun.."
And although he couldn't find it in himself to look her in the eye after feeling so different, Mitsuru knew she was brimming with happiness because of what he said and oddly, it felt right.
Meanwhile, Zorome and Miku were hunched together while watching the performance on Zorome's camera.
"Kyaaah! I look so cute at that part!" Miku squeals.
"Psh, yeah, right." Zorome scoffs at his redheaded friend, "You were ABSOLUTELY adorable.." Rolling her eyes, she puts a finger on the boy's lips, shushing him as a result.
"Hush your dawdling boy! Can't you see I'm watching?" Miku says. "And besides, this would be great for my channel! I'd even credit you for filming it!" she grins at Zorome who smirks at the idea.
"Ya know, that ain't bad at all." He says to himself, imagining the subscribers he could gain from his friend's shout out. "You really do come up with good ideas at times, eh Miku?" Zorome exclaims, patting the girl's back vigorously.
"Heh, of course! I'm the smarter one, after all!" the redhead declares proudly, making the blonde grimace, "Yeah right, be grateful you just had a tiring day…" he grumbles to himself when suddenly, a familiar brunette from earlier approaches them.
"Miku!" the man calls out, making the two of them look up.
"Rokuro senpai?" said girl blurts out, making the man ruffle his dark locks and grin boyishly.
"Ah, I thought you would've forgotten me." he teases lightly, quickly adding before Miku could respond, "Anyways, you were cute on stage."
"R-really?" Miku blushes with Zorome eyeing her on the side, thinking how weird she was acting.
Rokuro nods, winking at the reddened maiden, "Yeah, in fact, I came to ask you to join me for tonight's bonfire if it's okay?" Shock over the sudden turn of events, Miku could do nothing but stare dumbfoundedly at Zorome, seemingly asking him what to do. They stare at each other for a long while, with Rokuro feeling a bit awkward just standing there, until Zorome shrugs, as if sending her a mental message to accept the boy's proposal.
Luckily, Miku gets his message and snaps back out of it as she turns back to Rokuro with an excited smile on her face- after all, it was her first time being asked out by a cute guy, and a senior at that. "Sorry about that senpai, but I'd love to join you later!"
"That's great! In fact, you could join me right now." Rokuro says, offering his arm to her, to which she immediately grabs without a second thought, leaving her best friend alone.
Seeing her retreating form, Zorome thinks to himself how he should be happy for Miku, but truth be told, it kinda bummed him out seeing how his best friend left him without a second thought for some random guy she just met. Pouting, he mutters to himself in disappointment.
"So much for bros before hoes…"
"Thanks for this Goro.." Ichigo says, clutching the jacket said man brought for her.
"Don't sweat it." Goro reassures, taking a seat beside the bluenette. "I know how you hate being cold…" he says before rubbing his palms together and placing it on both sides of her cheeks, slightly squishing them. 'Cute..' he thinks to himself.
"Ne Goro, where did Ikuno go off to?" Ichigo manages to say with her cheeks puffed up. "And would you please take your hands off my face now, please?"
"A-ah, sorry 'bout that." he retracts his hands and places them in his pockets. "Ikuno just went to by some coffee.."
"Coffee huh…" Ichigo murmurs to herself, only to notice Ikuno approaching them with two cups in her hand. "Well speak of the devil, Ikuno came." the bluenette grins at Goro, who was grinning as well.
"Hey guys, these are for you." Ikuno says handing the cups over to them.
"Are you sure? How about you then?" Goro asks, reluctantly grabbing the cup since he wasn't sure if Ikuno had already drank some coffee. "Goro's right, Ikuno. It would be unfair for you since you bought this.." Ichigo backs up.
Shaking her head over her friends' concerns, Ikuno chuckles softly, "It's fine. I've already drank mine at the stall.."
"I completely forgot how you're able to chug down your coffee so fast." Ichigo teases before smiling sweetly, "But that's what makes you 'Ikuno', huh.." blushing, Ikuno looks down to the ground.
'There are a lot of things that make me who I am..'
Taking a small sip from her cup, the blazing hot liquid burns her lips, making her hiss in pain.
"Ichigo!" Goro calls out, instinctively putting a finger upon her lips, making the bluenette blush slightly at the feel of his cool fingertips. "Are you okay?" he asks.
"Y-yeah.." Ichigo whispers, feeling her face burn as hot as the coffee she drank.
Just then, Ikuno suddenly grabs Ichigo's hands that had the cup in between them and lifts it to her face. "I-Ikuno?" Ichigo asks, confused on what her friend was about to do. "W-what are you…-
Cutting her off, she feels Ikuno carefully blow on her coffee, her breath fanning across her fingers and face.
"I-Ikuno?" Ichigo stutters with Goro looking shock as well.
"Shhh, I'm cooling it down for you.." Ikuno whispers as she blows one more time at the piping hot liquid until Ichigo could feel it cool down between her fingertips. Once done, she thanks Ikuno and sips, quietly thinking to herself how lucky she was to have friends concerned for her well-being.
"Darling!" Zero Two chirps happily, clinging unto Hiro's arm and tightly squeezing it. "Did you like my performance?" she asks, expecting an answer from him to which he responds with a smile and nod.
"Yeah, you were great back there." He answers honestly, "To be honest, I never thought you knew how to sing…"
The pinkette pouts, feigning insult, "Did you just underestimate me, darling?" she asks before grinning deviously, pushing up against his arm, "I have you know I could do a LOT of things you'd never dare to imagine…"
Hiro gulps at the innuendo behind her words, "L-like what?"
"Hide a dead body."
"What the-" surprised, Hiro suddenly jerks back and stumbles on his feet. Thanks to her fast reflexes, Zero Two immediately takes hold of his hand and pulls him back with a playful smirk on her lips.
"I could also do that." she tells him.
Suddenly, Doctor Frank approaches the two of them. "Zero Two, looks like you're performance was a success. Good job on that." he says to the pinkette, congratulating her.
"Gramps!" the horned girl exclaims.
"As a matter of fact, you seemed to be enjoying up there earlier. Mind to explain why?" wiggling his eyebrows, the old man says with a hint of teasing heard in his robotic voice, although this doesn't make Zero Two abashed, instead, she wraps her arms around Hiro and pulls him into an innocent hug, surprising him.
"I really did enjoyed! And it's all thanks to my darling." she smiles before seemingly remembering something, "Ah gramps! I forgot to tell you. This is him, my darling." Hiro blushes at how she introduces him as her 'darling' so freely.
The doctor chuckles. "So I've heard. Truth be told, we've kinda crossed paths earlier, haven't we, boy?" Hiro could only make a sound of agreement. "Anyways, Zero Two, an old man like me should be heading off. Meanwhile, you two should go back and enjoy the bonfire."
"Bonfire?" Zero Two turns to Hiro in inquiry on what her grandfather meant.
"It signals the end of the school festival where we just kinda dance and have fun." Hiro explains.
"Really? I'm so happy!" Zero Two exclaims, hugging Hiro tightly, to which the latter complains that he couldn't breathe. turning to her grandfather once more, she says, "Ne, gramps, darling and I are about to head back okay? Take care of yourself."
The doctor nods. "Have fun."
Grinning, Zero Two lets go of Hiro and instead, clings on his arm once more. "I will gramps. I'll be fine with my darling as long as we're together." with that, the two relatives both say their farewells and head off to the opposite directions, but not before Hiro could hear what the headmaster's last words were for the night.
"Ah young love, it certainly brings back memories, doesn't it Zero Two?"
That night, Hiro was left pondering on what the old man's words meant, especially when he mentioned the word 'love.' Was that the main reason he and Zero Two stuck together? Was that the feeling that erupted in his chest whenever she smiled and held his hand? All this thoughts ran on the back of his mind since then, but for now, he'd rather focus on the enjoying the bonfire for Zero Two.
'Maybe someday, I'll get my answer.'
Hello again! It's been a long time since I've updated huh..college isn't so stressful for now, but I've been kinda adjusting to my new lifestyle in my dorm so I couldn't write so often. Also, org recruitment is starting this week so I hope on joining either a writing guild or I guess, theater so I expect to be kind of busy once I enter them. Anyways, I promise I'll continue this fic till the end so no worries about that!
Also, I've been receiving reviews about the italicized thing happening in the fic and honestly, I DON'T KNOW WHY EITHER. Whenever I edit them in , they look normal to me, then suddenly, BAM, it's italicized. I get it's gonna be a problem in the future, especially when I incorporate flashbacks, so if anyone out there has encountered the same problem and has fixed it, please let me know and I'll be grateful for your help!
Also, next chapter would be the end of the school festival arc, meaning we're entering a new chapter of the story! (*cough* beach *cough*) Anyways, thanks for all the support and please look forward to the next chapters. Don't forget to Review too!