I don't want to jinx myself by saying that I'm finally decent with updates, but my track record is looking pretty good rn. Most of the chapter is in italics to show it's what's written in the diary, but it's not written in the usual first person diary format. I wanted to make sure everyone could differentiate that it was a flashback while also being able to show that Kobayashi is making real time commentary on what's being read.

EDITED COMMENT: Changes were made in the scene with Yamamoto.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN KHR


Dear diary,

Today was another average day.

Michiko groaned, having read countless pages starting with the same exact phrase. In this timeline, she had gotten what she wanted. After the Varia battles, everything reverted back to the peaceful days. News had spread of Tsuna defeating Xanxus and as a result he became someone to fear. There were of course the foolish few who thought Xanxus had lost his touch after losing to a "powerless" child and had attempted to ambush him. Those few were easily disposed of. Aside from the occasional brawl, most days had been rather mundane.

The diary entries for the rest of her second year were monotonous. Her days consisted of studying or helping Tsuna with homework, with the occasional outing sprinkled in throughout the month. Michiko hadn't realized just how dull her life was until it had been put onto paper.

She flipped through the pages, determining how many entries remained. "Please tell me this gets interesting at some point."

Skimming through the pages, she noticed how little had changed going into their third year. During summer, she begrudgingly helped Tsuna and Yamamoto with their homework once again.

"Seriously?" she asked looking at the piles on worksheets on the table.

Tsuna nervously chuckled and Yamamoto scratched the back of his head. Michiko stared deadpan at the both of them.

"I've been helping you two study for the whole year. How do you still have to take remedial classes?"

"Well I haven't been doing my homework because of baseball practice." explained Yamamoto.

"I've been doing a bit better, but my average is still about a 50." said Tsuna.

She narrowed her eyes at both of them. Picking up a handful of the worksheets, she rolled them up and repeatedly smacked the tops of their heads.

"My precious summer break! Why do you two have heads if you don't use them? The only thing your heads are good for is hitting!"

"Don't hit the Tenth!" shouted Gokudera from the opposite side of the room, leaping over to stop her.

She paused, turning around and waving the papers in his direction. "And why were you invited? You never even help them with any of the work!"

She dropped back into her seat with a huff, slamming her forehead onto the table. Is this what every summer would look like?


Then in the fall the athletic festival came around once again.

Thankfully Sasagawa senpai had graduated in the spring and was no longer here to rally everyone up. A number of students in the year were studying for admissions exams, so all their energy was directed into the books leading to a rather dull event.


Followed by winter, known for final exams and Valentines Day.

"Mi-chan, you've never given anyone Valentines chocolate before?" gasped Haru.

Michiko shook her head. "Seemed like a waste of time."

Michiko, Haru, and Kyoko were gathered in Haru's kitchen the day before Valentine's Day to prepare chocolate. Cooking wasn't Michiko's strong point, so she learned to avoid it whenever possible. However, she figured it was about time to branch out of her comfort zone and learn some new skills.

"Ooh, so who made you change your mind?" smirked Haru, playfully elbowing her side. "There has to be someone you're giving chocolate to right?"

Michiko playfully bumped back, rolling her eyes. "The only boy getting chocolate from me this year is Chiaki."

"Ehhh, you're not even giving chocolate to Tsuna-kun, Yamamoto-kun, and Gokudera-kun?" Haru exclaimed.

Michiko shrugged. The boys had tried her concoctions from home economics for the past two years and it had always been an interesting sight. They couldn't exactly complain when she was giving them free food, but the hesitance on their faces before taking a bite was very telling. It's not as if the food was inedible, it just wasn't anything remarkable. It didn't help that the presentation was always on the sloppier side.

"I mean Gokudera and Yamamoto get chocolate from tons of girls, so I doubt they need mine. That does leave Sawada though." she hummed in thought. "I just don't want to end up giving something that doesn't turn out good. At least for home economics I can say it was mandatory, but you're not required to give anyone Valentines chocolate."

Kyoko smiled. "I'm sure the chocolate will turn out nice. We're all making it together after all."

The next morning, Michiko walked into class with the chocolate neatly wrapped up and placed in a bag. She headed to her seat, waiting for the trio to arrive. As expected, Yamamoto had his hands full with all the chocolate he received, Gokudera was scowling at the girls who hoarded around him with chocolate in their arms, and for Tsuna it was just another ordinary day.

"Morning." Michiko greeted, as the boys settled into their seats.

Gokudera continued to scowl, glaring at the girls lined outside of the classroom. "Goddamn holiday. You'd think they'd get the hint about not following us around."

"If you think they're bad right now, wait until we graduate and they're chasing you guys around for your second button." she replied, staring at the endless mob.

Gokudera shuddered at the thought.

"Speaking of Valentines Day," she brought out the bag and placed it on her desk. "I made some chocolate."

She pulled out three rectangular boxes and handed one to each of the boys. Gokudera stared at it questionably, pinching it between his fingers.

"Don't make that face, it actually tastes good! Sasagawa and Miura helped with it."

He continued looking skeptical. "I don't want it." he said, tossing it back onto the desk.

"Fine then." she glared, sliding the box to Tsuna. "You can have two boxes Sawada. Yamamoto gets more than enough chocolate from his fans anyway."

"Oh, yeah thanks…" he muttered.

"It wouldn't kill you to show a little more gratitude. I swear it doesn't taste bad!" she defended. "Just try it."

She pulled the box back to herself and tore off the packaging. Opening the box, she grabbed a piece of chocolate and leaned over the desk, shoving it into Tsuna's mouth.

He apprehensively chewed, his expression changing into one of pleasant surprise. "Wow it's actually delicious."

"Told you so." she grinned. "I'm expecting something nice for White Day."


The month passed by and White Day was slowly creeping up. However, with the school year ending, it had completely slipped Michiko's mind. So when she woke up to Yamamoto in her house on a Saturday morning, she was definitely surprised.

"Why?" was the only word to come out of her mouth when she walked downstairs. She was still in her pajamas and had only just washed her face. She came down for breakfast, not at all expecting the baseball player in her living room.

Her mom was setting tea and snacks on the table, while Yamamoto was seated on the rug playing with Chika and Chiaki. Yamamoto looked up at her, beaming his usual smile. "I didn't think you were the type to sleep in."

"Onee-chan!" squealed Chika, leaving Yamamoto's side to rush to her sister. "Take-nii came to give you a White Day gift."

Michiko raised a brow. "Oh, I completely forgot. You're a few days early though?"

"My gift is going to take up most of the day, so I thought doing it on the weekend would be more convenient."

She leaned on one hip, her arms crossed over her chest. "What are you planning that could take all day?" she asked.

"Get dressed and you'll find out." he smiled.

She furrowed her brows, heading up the stairs and back to her room. Chika excitedly followed behind. Once the sisters entered the room, Chika threw open the closet doors.

"Onee-chan you absolutely have to dress up!" she shouted. She clasped her hands together, practically begging as her eyes sparkled.

Michiko held up hand, signaling Chika to stop. "I'd rather not."

She immediately pouted. "He's taking you on a date though! You have to dress nicely. Besides you didn't even tell me you gave Take-nii chocolate."

Michiko rolled her eyes. "Firstly, it's not a date. Secondly, I made chocolate for all the boys, not just Yamamoto. And lastly, it's not your business Chika.

"Please Onee-chan." she pleaded. "He's giving you a gift, wouldn't it be rude to look anything other than presentable?"

Considering how stubborn Chika was, Michiko knew it would be a waste of time to argue. She didn't want to keep Yamamoto waiting for too long either.

"Fine, but nothing excessive." she warned.

Chika cheered, pulling out a cream colored balloon sleeved blouse, a lavender mini skirt, and a pair of black tights. As Michiko got dressed, Chika began giving her tips for her date.

"And remember if he leans in to kiss you, you can't freeze up, you have to kiss back or it kills the mood!"

"CHIKA!" Michiko screeched, her cheeks flaring up. "He's not going to do that! And how do you even know this stuff?"

After Chika had given Michiko a whole lecture on how to perfectly style her hair for a date, the older girl finally drew the line, reminding Chika that Yamamoto couldn't wait all day for her to look "perfect". The two headed back to the living room to see Chiaki and Yamamoto playing a card game.

"Yamamoto," Michiko called out. "I'm ready, let's go."

He stood up, saying his farewells to her family while she put on her shoes. They exited the house and he grabbed his bike, which was leaning by the front gate.

"You even brought your bike?" she asked. "How far are we going exactly?"

He got onto the bike, patting the back. "Hop on. We have to stop by somewhere first."

She seated herself, gripping onto the back of his shirt with one hand. He snorted.

"You might want to hold on tighter than that."

"Why? Are you trying to kill me?" she joked as he began pedaling.

He speeded down the road and on instinct she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She buried her face into his back and continued to cling onto him until he slowly came to a stop. As Yamamoto lifted his hands off the handlebar, he looked down at her arms still hugging his waist. Her eyes were shut tightly and the front of his shirt was balled up into the harsh grip of her fists. She heard him chuckle and could already envision his amused expression.

"Kobayashi we're here."

Michiko's eyes fluttered open and she observed her surroundings."We're at your house?"

"Just to pick something up." he stood up and she finally released his shirt. They headed inside, with him leading the way.

"Takeshi!" his father greeted. "It's in the back."

Yamamoto walked behind the counter and into the kitchen, while Michiko waited near the door for him. She bowed to his father, who gestured for her to sit by the counter. The two exchanged pleasantries until Yamamoto came out with a giant lunchbox in his hands.

"We can head out now."

She nodded, bowing to his father once more before trailing behind Yamamoto. He placed the lunchbox in the bike basket and the pair set off. This time, Michiko took precautions and placed her arms firmly around his waist.

"Don't worry, I won't go too fast." he reassured her.

She squinted her eyes. "Don't tell me you did it earlier to prove a point."

He chuckled. "A tiny bit, but seeing how scared you were…"

"I was not scared." she denied, her face turning red at the blatant lie.

"Sure." he whistled. He whipped his head back and extended a hand atop her head, ruffling her hair.

She held a deathly grip on his shirt and screeched out. "Oh my god, both eyes on the road, and both hands on the bar!"

"Don't worry, I'm a pro!" he laughed.

"If you're trying to give me the gift of death today then you are doing a really good job."


They continued traveling for almost 20 minutes, halting at the base of a widened staircase. He parked his bike, locking it to the railing. He lifted the lunchbox from the basket and proceeded to climb up the stairs. Even with Yamamoto slowing his pace to walk alongside Michiko, she was struggling.

"How long is this staircase?" she huffed, out of breath.

"It's just a bit more." he replied. "Do you want to take a break?"

"No." she shook her head. "Let's keep going. The less we stop, the sooner we're there."

The further they climbed, the heavier her legs felt. At this point, her thighs were so sore they were basically numb. She lifted her left leg up to the next step, however her toe hit the edge of the staircase, causing her to stumble forward. Thankfully, Yamamoto steadied her in time, preventing any injuries. He held her hand until they reached the top. Once there, she collapsed onto the nearest bench.

"How?" she asked, scanning his face for any sign of fatigue. "You're completely fine."

"We run up those steps for practice every morning."

She nodded, gulping down the bottle of water he handed her. "Why'd we have to come here?"

He pointed behind her, a breathtakingly gorgeous view of Namimori on display. "If you come early enough, you can even see the sunrise."

She relished at the light breeze that cupped her face and took in a deep breath. "This is nice. You know I'm not one for nature though."

"I figured you'd like this place because it's not very crowded."

"Jeez I wonder why?" she sarcastically retorted, side eying the staircase.

Yamamoto opened the lunchbox and the two began their lunch. He told Michiko that in reciprocation for her homemade chocolate he decided to make homemade sushi. She was rather impressed by his presentation, considering how subpar hers tended to be. The rest of the outing was spent making lighthearted conversation sprinkled with an occasional snarky retort. When the sun started to set, they decided to pack up. Yamamoto dropped Michiko off in front of her front gate where she thanked him for the thoughtfully planned day.

"Next time we should go there with everyone else." she suggested. "Although I doubt anyone other than you can make it up the staircase without losing their breath."

"Yeah of course." he smiled.

The two stood in silence, staring at one another. Yamamoto leaned forward, his hand raising up to the side of Michiko's face. Her eyes widened as his face drew closer. She recalled Chika's advice from earlier in the day, 'If he leans in to kiss you'. Michiko pushed her arms out, jerking away from his hand. Yamamoto tilted his head, staring quizzically at her sudden movements. She looked over at his hand, a leaf nestled in his fingers.

"I'm gonna head inside! Bye!" she turned around and speed-walked into her house. When she shut the door, her hands immediately flew to her face in embarrassment.

Why did I think he was gonna kiss me? It's all Chika's fault for even bringing it up. I'm such an idiot, an absolute idiot.


"Did I just go on a date with Yamamoto?" she asked herself in disbelief. "I know he said we started dating in high school ,but does this mean he's liked me since 9th grade? Unbelievable."

Michiko stared at the passage, thoroughly reading each word once again. What really stood out to her was how she had expected him kiss her. At that point, she must have realized it was a date too then? She shook her head disdainfully.

"Please tell me I wasn't that surprised when he dropped a confession, otherwise I really would be an idiot."


When White Day finally arrived Michiko went to Tsuna's house to help him with homework. They were seated on opposite ends of the table. While he was doing work, she was reading a book.

"Kobayashi?" called out Tsuna.

"Do you need help?" she asked, looking up from the page.

He shook his head, handing her a white package. "It's your white day present."

She tilted her head, wondering what it could be. The thickness and the shape reminded her of some kind of workbook. "Can I unwrap it?"

He nodded. Michiko tore off the paper to reveal a lavender colored journal with a small heart shaped lock and a matching key.

"I always see you writing in similar notebooks, so I thought that it would be nice to have a spare on hand. If you don't like it I have the receipt somewhere." he spoke, moving his arms around anxiously.

"No, it's nice! I really like it Sawada. Thanks." she smiled. "In fact I'm glad it's a journal because I was seriously convinced you had bought me a test prep book."

"At first I was considering it, but you've probably done most of them." he replied. "Besides in Midori High your schoolwork will probably keep you busy, so you won't have to do extra work."

"Midori High? I'm not going to Midori High. Where'd you hear that from?" she asked.

"You were studying really hard during admission exams, so I just thought… If you're not going to Midori then where are you going?"

"Namimori High where else? You guys know you wouldn't last a day in school without me. Moving onto more interesting topics, what did you get Sasagawa for White Day?"

"I think I should get back to my work." he suggested, obviously avoiding the question.

"You're no fun." she grumbled, determined to eventually pester him into telling her.


Michiko found it interesting how evident it was that a year from now she was much more comfortable with Tsuna and company. Even going as far as to skip taking any entrance exams. Namimori High was more convenient to travel to and most of the students from Nami Middle ended up there. It was probably the most logical of the choices her future self had made.

Mapping out all her decisions to see where she went wrong wasn't proving to be as simple as she thought it would have been. From what Chika had said it seemed like Michiko had become a completely different person, but her entries made it seem that the only thing that changed was how comfortable she felt around everyone. There were still no hints as to how that would cause her to betray her friends and family.


The only thought that plagued Michiko as she took her first step through the gates of Namimori Middle was how she couldn't wait until those three years were over. The faster time passed, the better. Now that the day to leave had finally come, it was impossible to feel anything aside from nostalgia. Today was the graduation ceremony, her last day as a third year of Nami Middle.

After the ceremony had finished she lined up to take pictures with everyone else. From afar, she spotted Tsuna who watched the ever-growing crowd around Kyoko. Everyone needed to get a picture with the school's favorite idol of course. Michiko approached her lightly jabbing her elbow into his rib, nudging him to go up to her.

"You're her friend, you know? It's much weirder to watch her from the corner like a stalker."

"I'll just wait until the crowd dies down." he exasperatedly spoke.

"Are Gokudera and Yamamoto still hiding from their fans?" she questioned.

On cue, Gokudera whispered out from behind a tree. "Tenth! I'm over here!"

He had taken his uniform blazer off and had it tucked under his arm. He hastily checked both ways before running towards them. He pulled out five buttons from his pocket, stuffing them into Tsuna's hands.

"I came to school without a second button, but that didn't stop them. They kept chasing me for whatever button was left, so I ripped them all off. I want you to have them Tenth."

"Not quite the confession you were hoping for, huh?" she commented noting Tsuna's bewildered expression. "Actually our uniforms really aren't suitable for the second button practice. It's supposed to be done with the gakuran which isn't as commonly worn in modern day."

Gokudera scoffed at Michiko's useless trivia. "Doesn't stop them from hunting people down."

The crowd around Kyoko lessened and so the group gathered together for pictures. Yamamoto, who had no buttons left on his blazer, arrived as well. Afterwards, they went to the usual celebratory location, TakeSushi. Everyone settled down and started eating. Conversations and laughter filled the restaurant.

Kyoko reached over for a piece of sushi, the silver around her wrist peeking out. Michiko stared at the bracelet, certain that Kyoko normally didn't wear one. She noticed the former's expression and smiled back.

"Tsuna-kun gave it to me for White Day." she explained.

Michiko nodded and smiled back. "It's pretty."

In the past half of the month she had pestered Tsuna to no end about what he gave Kyoko for White Day, yet he hadn't spilled it. It was odd. Was he embarrassed about it? A bracelet is a good gift though. Or was it because Michiko and Kyoko had given him the same gift, and one received a more extravagant form of reciprocation? It was a given though, considering Michiko was just his friend and Kyoko was his crush. She decided to drop the thought because in the end no matter how close she believed them to be, there were bound to be things they kept hidden from one another.


Daily life chapters are always so much fun to write. KHR before it got super serious is so under appreciated. Highlights of this chapter are most definitely Yamamoto and Kobayashi's kinda date as well as how much more open she is with everyone. I thought I'd just ramble about how I like that in Tsuna and Kobayashi's pairing, Kobayashi is the one to tease Tsuna, but with Yamamoto and her, she's the one being messed with. I'm honestly considering just writing a spin off where Yamamoto and Kobayashi get together anyway just bc the relationship has grown on me.

I feel like such a hypocrite bc I'm literally throwing Yamamoto in everyone's face while screaming Tsuna is going to happen lol. More scenes with Tsuna will happen in later chapters, patience is key is all I can really say. This chapter marks the end of middle school flashbacks and next chapter will be the start of high school flashbacks. It will jump around through the years, not sure how yet. The beginning of their freshman year will definitely be included and from there maybe just some isolated incidents. If it ends up getting too long there will probably be another chapter of flashbacks.

As always thank you to everyone who has read and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think! I am so appreciative of every single review. Also if anyone ever notices some kind of spelling/grammar/syntax/ or whatever other issue feel free to tell me bc I tend to miss them until I reread my chapters like months later. Thanks again!