UPDATED COMMENT: So a lot of things have changed in this edited version. The good news is that I'm finally done editing all the old chapters. I'm hoping to post the next two chapters together because I want to finish up the flashbacks. It really depends on how long the chapters end up being though. I have an idea of how I want things to go, but that ideas are always subject to change in the middle of typing up chapters, so I'm sorry that I can't guarantee anything.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN KHR.


Dear diary,

I may be stuck with the student council, but that doesn't mean I haven't learned how to deal with them. I've learned the less I speak, the less inclined they are to try and interact with me. Sugiyama-senpai doesn't interact with anyone. Fujimoto-senpai also tends to keep to herself, rarely ever starting conversation. Sakamoto-senpai and Takagi-senpai thankfully manage to keep each other occupied.

Michiko sat at the circular table in the student council room with the rest of the members as Sakamoto distributed the paperwork. Takagi chattered about, her pigtails bobbing as she enthusiastically relayed her day to the others. Sakamoto actively engaged in conversation with her, equally as energetic. Fujimoto focused on her work, occasionally humming in response to their stories. Sugiyama had a typical scowl on his face, his earphones shielding him from the noise. Today was an ordinary day of after school activities, excluding the fact that the seat next to Michiko was occupied by none other than Kinoshita Riku.

I've finally managed to make the best out of this situation. Yet here he was, that asshole Kinoshita.

Following her outburst in the hallway, the two had not been on good terms. He attempted to apologize to Michiko the following week, but she didn't even spare him a glance. Instead of apologizing to her, he should have been apologizing to Tsuna. Realizing that Michiko was dead set in her decision, he stayed out of her way, or so she thought. As opposed to conversing with the other members, he decided to strike up a conversation with her. When words began to fall from his mouth, she glared at him, shifting her chair so that the back was now facing him.

The other members silently glanced over, slight discomfort showing on their faces. Although they did not know the reason, the animosity Michiko held for Kinoshita was evident. She wasn't on the best of terms with any of the members, but the difference between her treatment of them and her treatment of Kinoshita was clear. If any of the other members talked to her, she would at the very least give one-word responses.

Kinoshita's mouth thinned into a flat line and his eyes bore into her back. He tightened his grip around the pen in his hand and returned to his paperwork, no longer trying to pursue further conversation.


When the clock struck 5, indicating the end of council activities, Sakamoto clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. At the end of every meeting he would collect the work done and make any final announcements before dismissing the rest of the members. Michiko stood up from her chair and grabbed her bag, throwing it over her shoulder. She wordlessly exited the room and strolled down the hall. While passing the window she glanced outside, admiring the orange-golden hues of the sky. The view before sunset was one of the few pleasures she enjoyed while wasting her hours away with the student council. Behind her she heard the loud stomps of Kinoshita's feet. Most days he would wait until she had already cleared the hall before walking out. This was common practice given Michiko's distaste for him. His actions today were out of the ordinary, but she paid no mind to it and continued to walk. Kinoshita maintained his distance from her, watching her and waiting for an opportunity. Finally, when they reached the front gate, he leapt forward and wrapped his hand around her upper arm. She jumped at his sudden touch.

"What are you doing?" she hissed out, her heart racing from shock.

"We need to talk." His voice was stern and his expression indicated he was in no mood to be ignored. "You keep giving me the cold shoulder whenever I try to talk to you. I understand that you don't like me, but I've tried apologizing to you. I don't know what more you want!"

Michiko glared at him, harshly pulling herself out of his grip. "I don't want nor need your apology. I dislike your attitude, so why should I have to pretend like I don't? All I want is for you to leave me alone."

He clicked his tongue. "Are you kidding me? All because I laughed at some dumb joke about Sawada?"

She clenched her teeth, screaming back at him. "You are unbelievable!"

Insults piled upon insults as their shouts filled the empty school yard. The longer the argument went on, the more frustrated Kinoshita became and yet Michiko refused to back down. Despite the pain in her throat and the her cracking voice, she continued screaming back. Their faces were inches apart, staring into each other's eyes with venomous glares. She wanted so badly to punch him, her hands already balled up into fists. Instead, she settled for lifting her hands up to his chest to push him away. Unfortunately, she didn't use enough force and Kinoshita grabbed both of her wrists, rendering her incapable of movement. She glowered at him, readying her leg to kick him in the shin until a familiar face interrupted.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Michiko whipped her head around to see Yamamoto standing a few feet away from them. Kinoshita glanced back and forth from Michiko's wrists to Yamamoto, immediately releasing his hold on her. Michiko pulled her wrists to her chest, tenderly rubbing her left thumb over the spot he had held on her right hand. She protectively held her wrist, her glare unfaltering. Yamamoto walked over to the two, strategically placing himself in between them.

"So care to explain?" he asked, sporting his signature smile. The smile however, did not reach his eyes.

"It's nothing." Kinoshita muttered, eyes glued to the ground. "We just had a disagreement."

Yamamoto quirked a brow in response. "Really? You had your hands on her. Anyone passing by would assume this was something serious."

His eyes shifted around, still refusing to look Yamamoto in the eye. "Yeah it's nothing. I'm gonna go now."

Michiko and Yamamoto watched Kinoshita's back slowly disappear down the road. With a sigh Yamamoto looked over at Michiko, who was still cradling her right wrist. He threw her a worried glance, examining her wrist.

"What did you get yourself into this time?"


After the incident Yamamoto offered to walk Michiko home. Unsure of whether Kinoshita would reappear, she had no second thoughts on the offer. The two walked along the street discussing the earlier fight.

"He's part of the student council?" questioned Yamamoto, further appalled by Kinoshita's behavior. "Are you going to be okay working with someone like that?"

"As long as I'm around other people I don't think he'll do anything. I don't know why he suddenly decided to explode today." Michiko shrugged.

He stared back at her incredulously. "You can't think of anything you did that might have set him off? You're not the most agreeable person around."

She rolled her eyes, letting out a small huff. "I barely did anything. He's the one who started it and then got upset when I didn't accept his apology."

"Well what did he do?"

Michiko bit her lip, hesitant to answer. She knew Yamamoto would understand, but if he told Tsuna she knew he'd urge her to settle the bad blood. He would say there's no reason to hold a grudge over a silly little comment. Tsuna may have been able to shrug off the snide comments, but that only fueled her further. If he wasn't going to get angry, she would have to do so in his stead.

"He made fun of Sawada." she grumbled out, frustrated upon just recalling the incident. "Then he had the audacity to act like apologizing to me would make it all better. If he thinks it's fun to mock other people, I want no part of it."

Yamamoto nodded knowingly. "I still don't think it's safe for you to walk around alone knowing what he did today. I can pick you up from the council room and walk you home after practice ends. He won't try anything if he knows I'm there."

Michiko scrunched up her face. If Kinoshita was willing to wait around for her and even go as far as to grab her, it would be much safer with Yamamoto around. Even today, without him intervening she wasn't sure where things would have gone, but she hated the thought of being a burden. She wanted to assert that she could handle it herself, yet the current situation showed otherwise.

Noticing the disgruntled expression on her face, he opted to change the mood with some lighthearted teasing. "I'm not doing it for you, it's for his sake. If I hadn't pulled him away, you would've killed him."

She snorted, playfully elbowing him. "Shut up."

Just like Yamamoto to try and make it seem as if it was no big deal. I used to think he was extremely dense, but he always had some weird sixth sense when it came to noticing the little things. It's embarrassing enough to write so I doubt I'll ever tell him in person, but I really am grateful to have him around.


From that day onward, Yamamoto was seen outside the student council room daily, patiently awaiting Michiko's exit. As soon as the clock struck 5 and someone slid open the door, he was there, leaning against the wall adjacent to the door. It confused her that he somehow managed to be perfectly on time every day, yet showed no signs of fatigue.

The one time she caught him slipping was when her eyes spotted small droplets of sweat forming at his hairline. "So, you do you run here right after practice?" she questioned.

He hastily wiped off his forehead and laughed. His breathing was stable and the only indication of him rushing to get here was the sweat. That was the most disheveled she had seen Yamamoto and after that day she noticed he never appeared sweaty again.

When a week had finally passed by and Kinoshita made no effort to approach her, let alone acknowledge her, Michiko assumed he was now as equally uninterested in reconciling with her as she was with him. On that day, Yamamoto had come to walk her home once again, but now there was no reason for him to wait around. The pair walked down the hall and Michiko looked up at him.

"Kinoshita isn't bothering me anymore, so you don't have to pick me up anymore Yamamoto." she stated.

"You never know. He might try something again when he sees that I'm not around." he countered, frown on his face.

Michiko hummed. "Well how about I meet you at the baseball field instead?" she suggested. "I know you've been sneaking off early from practice to walk me home. Baseball practice goes on for another hour."

He chuckled, averting his gaze. "I was hoping you wouldn't find out."

"Well I don't think you realized, but the student council room has a pretty good view of the baseball field. Besides the one thing I didn't want was to be an inconvenience to you. If you insist on walking me home, I'm going to insist on waiting for you until practice is over."

"Okay then I'll see you on the field tomorrow." he smiled back.


The next day, Michiko left the council room and headed to the baseball field. During middle school, she had gone to watch games to cheer for Yamamoto with the others, but she had never watched them practice. Her eyes scanned the field, stopping upon a small crowd of girls huddled on the benches, whispers and hushed giggles buzzing amongst them. She wasn't surprised by the group considering Yamamoto's popularity, probably growing even more after he had entered high school.

She took a seat at the edge of the bleachers and noticed a few girls whip their heads over, scanning her up and down. However, the arrival of a new batter quickly distracted them. The squeals resonating through the crowd of girls was enough for Michiko to know Yamamoto was at bat. Their eyes met and he threw her a quick smile before sharply hitting the ball across the field. The girls cheered out his name, jumping and clapping. Michiko let out a snort. If they were that excited over him hitting the ball during practice, she wondered how they would react during an actual game. Either way, she had no interest in watching these boys hit balls and run around.

As the practice continued, Michiko pulled out her homework and began working on it. With student council activities, time was limited, and so any time completing work would be time well spent. When practice had finally come to an end, the players headed for the locker room. Absorbed in her work, she hadn't realized Yamamoto had already finished changing and was heading towards her until his shadow towered over her.

Her head jolted up at the sudden change in lighting. "Oh, you're done."

"Yup." he replied. "You get a lot done?" he asked, gesturing towards her book.

She shrugged, closing the book and straightening up. "I still have some more to do when I get home."

She turned to her side, using her right hand to pull her bag strap up around her shoulder. Her left arm wrapped around her book, holding it to her chest. Yamamoto extended his hand, still continuing the conversation.

"Really? You were so focused on your work, I figured you finished everything." he responded. "You didn't watch any of the practice."

Michiko furrowed her brows, placing her free hand into his as he pulled her up from her seat. "I watched you though, isn't that enough? I didn't come here to watch a bunch of random people run after a ball."

"I suppose so. Practice might not be as interesting to watch as an actual game, but if you watched you might enjoy it." he suggested.

She rolled her eyes. "Or I could keep studying and occasionally look up to see if you're anywhere on the field, so you know I'm giving you my full support."

He let out a small snort. "I guess we'll just have to agree on that compromise then."


For the next week, Michiko's schedule stayed constant. Morning student council meetings, then class followed by after school student council activities, and finally watching Yamamoto at baseball practice. Nothing particularly exciting or out of the ordinary was happening, but she didn't mind. In fact she found comfort in the monotony of it all. Her middle school years had offered more than enough action. However, a feeling in her gut told her this peace wouldn't last long. The feeling was only confirmed when in the midst of the baseball team's practice, an upperclassman approached her.

The older girl's arms were crossed, her face donning a haughty smirk. Her eyes traveled from Michiko's head down to her feet, obviously unimpressed. Michiko recognized the girl as one of Yamamoto's many devoted fangirls. Throughout the week, she noticed how the girls would give her the occasional glance and how their voices would quiet down to a hush whenever she was in proximity, but she paid it no mind. She hadn't had any problems with Yamamoto's fans in middle school, so she assumed the situation wouldn't change in high school.

She realized how wrong she was when the girl opened her mouth. "So a lot of us have noticed that you're pretty close to Takeshi-kun."

Michiko's expression stiffened as she refrained from reacting. The statement just confirmed her worries. These girls were attempting to intimidate her because they misinterpreted her relationship with Yamamoto.

No one had any questions about this in middle school. Why is it suddenly a problem now? Is it so strange to have friends of the opposite gender? Yamamoto and I don't even act like a couple.

"You obviously don't seem to understand how this works, so I thought I'd lay down the ground rules." She waved her hand around, her words coated in a sweet tone belying her actual message. "Number one, we believe that Takeshi-kun should be shared and as such no one is allowed to date him."

Michiko bit her lip, trying to contain her protests. Being forced to listen to the girl's patronizing words was bad enough. If she spoke up, the situation would escalate and she could only imagine what she'd have to put up with.

The girl continued on, lifting up two fingers. "Number two, you're not allowed to monopolize his time. This goes hand in hand with number one, but a lot of individuals seem to believe if they're not dating him, then any extra amount of time they spend with him shouldn't be a problem."

She narrowed her eyes and lifted another finger up. "And number three, if you don't follow either of the two rules, you'll have to be sorted out."

By now the girl had placed her hands on her hips and leaned so far forward Michiko could maintain direct eye contact with her despite being seated. Neither girls broke eye contact. Michiko's lips unfurled forming a disdainful frown. "Well I'm not quite sure how you could so egregiously misinterpret my relationship with Yamamoto, but I can only imagine that any female who enters a 10-foot proximity of him must be suspicious in your eyes."

The girl straightened up, amusement on her face. "Oh, trust me, the only reason any of us were concerned was because you two looked close. But Takeshi-kun's taste couldn't possibly be this bad."

Michiko closed her eyes, plastering a bright smile on. "I'd say his taste is perfectly fine seeing as he chooses not to associate with you."

The girl grit her teeth. ""Say what you will but we already looked into you, Kobayashi Michiko. You're no threat. Consider this your warning though, if you try to get too close to Takeshi-kun, you will have to deal with the repercussions."

"Oh, I am shivering in fear" Michiko scoffed, rolling her eyes. The girl said nothing more, turning on her heel and rejoining the group of girls.


After that conversation, none of Yamamoto's fans approached Michiko. They did continue to awkwardly stare during practice and she could have sworn she had spotted a handful of familiar faces loitering around the classroom. Despite how eerie their behavior was, until they physically did something she would just have to tolerate the strangeness.

While walking to school, she noted how much more humid it was outside. Time passed much more quickly than she had realized with summer vacation nearing the corner. It had been about a month and a half since she first began watching baseball practices. She still couldn't fathom the appeal in the game but seeing a more serious side to the usually relaxed Yamamoto was fascinating.

The arrival of summer was not something Michiko particularly looked forward to, but it was a sign that the semester was coming to an end. The end of the semester meant only one thing to Michiko, vacation. Not summer vacation, but a break from student council, a rare yet welcome occasion. The school year consisted of three semesters, each occurring every four months, where the student council's work would be put to review for the week. That meant for three weeks a year she did not have to endure the student council's antics.

With her temporary freedom, she planned to spend as much time as she could on academics. She was far from falling behind, but the amount of time spent on student council left her little time to move onto more advanced topics. She had already informed Yamamoto that she wouldn't be coming to practice for the week to prioritize studying, leaving her evenings free. She was also grateful that this meant she wouldn't have to deal with his fanclub for the week. The week was already looking much better.

As she walked into the classroom, eagerly anticipating her afterschool study session, she noticed Tsuna hunched over his textbook. He scratched his head, scribbling onto the page with mild frustration. Seated next to him was Kyoko, peering over his arm to see the textbook.

"Does this look right, Kyoko-chan?" he asked her, his eyebrows furrowed. She tilted her head to read his answer.

Michiko approached the two, sitting in the chair at the desk in front of Tsuna. "What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"We're just reviewing some problems. I had a bit of trouble with them yesterday so Kyoko-chan is helping me go over them." explained Tsuna.

She blinked at him, a slight furrow in her brows. "You know if you need help you can always ask me Sawada. I did tutor you for three years."

He smiled, shaking his head. "You've been really busy with student council, so I didn't want to bother you. Kyoko-chan and I have been studying together which has been working out well."

They've been studying together? How long has that been a thing? And do they always meet before class starts to go over problems?

"Oh…Well okay." she replied, shrugging it off. "What about the problem you just did?"

She glanced at the textbook lying flat on the table, attempting to check his work. Scanning through the numbers, she spotted the mistake. Before she could point it out, Kyoko tapped her finger onto the page, explaining the incorrect calculation to Tsuna. He nodded his head to her words with his eyes fixed on her movements. When she looked up at him to confirm he had understood, his cheeks flushed, and he warmly smiled back. Michiko rolled her eyes, scoffing at the interaction.

As the teacher entered the classroom, Kyoko went back to her seat. Michiko examined Tsuna's eyes, which were still glued to Kyoko. She grimaced as a sinking feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. She blinked, placing a hand to her stomach with a questioning look. She shook her head and focused back to the teacher's words, opting to ignore the sudden discomfort.


Once school had ended, she headed for the library to start studying. After finding a seat, she dumped the content of her bag onto the table, scouring for her books. Flipping through the math book, she grew irate while recalling the incident that occurred immediately before she exited the classroom. The strange feeling in her stomach appeared once again and her lips shrunk into a thin line.

The teacher had just dismissed the class and Michiko eagerly turned to face behind her. "Sawada, I'm free from student council for the week so if you want to study together after school we can."

He waved his hands back and forth, politely rejecting her offer. "Don't worry about it. I don't want to inconvenience you Kobayashi, especially if this week is your free week. Besides, Kyoko-chan and I have managed pretty well."

Her brows furrowed and small frown formed on her face. "Oh…It's not an inconvenience though." she muttered, shifting her gaze towards the floor.

I mean it was completely fine that Sawada didn't want me to tutor him. I'd probably just get in the way of him and his quality Sasagawa time.

I've tutored him for years and now he suddenly thinks it would be an inconvenience? Especially when he finally understands the basics of the subject? That's ridiculous. Even if he just said that to spend more time with Sasagawa, it's not as if they're not already spending a bunch of time together. I've barely even seen Sawada outside of class since starting student council duties.

Still flipping through the pages, Michiko sucked her teeth before slamming the book shut. She shoved the books and supplies back into her bag. She had absolutely no motivation or focus. There was no way she was going to complete any work when she was this frustrated. She grabbed her bag and dragged herself outside of the library. She stood in the hallway, reading the clock that was hanging on the wall. It was only 4pm. She had time to waste, but on what? Her two main activities were hanging out with friends and studying, neither being an option at the moment.

She leaned against the wall, staring down at her shoes when an idea hit her. She sighed, hating herself for even thinking of it. She did have nothing better to do though. And that was how Michiko found herself in the bleachers, hunched over with her elbows propped up on her knees, watching the baseball team practice. She observed the players, scouring through the crowd for Yamamoto. Baseball was not of any interest to her; specifically, the idea of watching unknown players hit and run after a ball seemed like a waste of time. When she finally spotted him, she noted the stern expression on his face. It always interested her how highly he regarded the sport. Baseball was one of the view occasions he didn't have his trademark smile plastered across his face. She quirked her head, analyzing his expression.

Another characteristic of Yamamoto's that never changed was his passion for baseball. The boy did try to throw himself off of a roof in middle school because he thought he wouldn't be able to play. I wonder what it's like to be so dedicated to something.

She sighed, contemplating her interests. She really didn't have any. Michiko enjoyed studying, or rather she enjoyed learning new things, which she was able to do through studying. However, the thought of studying brought about the image of Tsuna and Kyoko studying together. She lifted a hand up to her mouth, feeling the bile rise in her throat. Something about the idea unsettled her deeply. She had known about his crush on Kyoko since middle school, but she couldn't recall ever feeling this way. Michiko couldn't help but feel pathetic. In a weak attempt to bury her newfound feelings, she forced herself to focus on the field in front of her, failing miserably.


When practice ended Yamamoto approached her, his lips quirked upward in confusion. "Did studying not go as planned?"

Michiko's face was buried into the palms of her hands. She exhaled, lifting her head up at him with a slight frown. "Not really."

He held out his hand, which she accepted, clasping it in her own as he pulled her up from the bench. The two of walked away from the field and began heading home. Yamamoto was surprised to see her at practice today, wondering what had compelled her to watch. He had hoped it was nothing serious, but seeing how exhausted she appeared, he knew something was on her mind.

"So, did anything happen today?" he asked.

"Not in particular." she replied, staring at the ground.

He stared at her face, reading her expression. "Really? I can't imagine you gave up studying to come watch 'a bunch of random people chase after a ball' for no reason." He held up air quotes, a joking tone coating his voice.

She huffed out a breath of air. "I just couldn't focus, it's nothing. Besides, I thought you'd be glad to see me pay attention for once."

He hummed. "I can't say I hated it, but even when you're there you always have a book in hand. I've never seen a day where you haven't been able to study."

"Well I don't know!" she shouted, throwing her arms up in exasperation. Michiko stopped walking, burying her face in her hands.

Yamamoto froze in his tracks, leaning down to her eye level. He placed one hand on her shoulder and the other cupped her face. "Hey, hey. What's wrong?"

She kept her hands attached to her face, shaking her head. She felt the tears prickling the corners of her eyes and rolling down her cheek.

Yamamoto moved the hand from her face to the side of her head, comfortingly stroking her hair. "Hey, it's okay." he spoke, trying to soothe her.

Michiko sniffled, spreading her fingers so she could peer through them. She scanned Yamamoto's face, which was littered with concern. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth, taking a sharp inhale.

"If it's too much you don't have to tell me right now. For now let's focus on stopping your tears." Yamamoto spoke up, his lips curved into a soft smile.

She nodded her head. "I'm sorry, I've just been feeling overwhelmed."

"Don't worry about it." he flashed her a smile, removing his hands from her. "It's only natural considering how much work the student council is making you do. This break is good for you.""

She nodded, wiping her face with the back of her hands. Should she bother telling him the truth? That the student council wasn't the reason for her tears? There was no doubt in her mind that she could trust Yamamoto, but what good would it do to tell anyone? Tsuna was interested in Kyoko and Michiko was just the one who was stupid enough to fall for a boy that would never look her way.

Sawada and I are just friends. We're just friends. And that's all we'll ever be.


Anyways, let me know your thoughts. As always thank you to everyone who read, followed, favorited, or reviewed.