Chapter 4

Ryou and I ended up heading back to the classroom separately as she ran off ahead after saying that she had something that she needed to take care of. I couldn't help but think back to the moment she leaned on my shoulder.
"Yo." I heard a voice I hadn't heard in a while. "Woah, Okazaki! Your face is red!"
"Huh?"
He came up extremely close to me, turning his back to the class.
"So who's the lucky one?"
"Who's the luck-" I stopped, realizing what he was asking. "No one you moron."
"Hmmm? I didn't think that the sun could get you-"
"Shut up." I put my head on my right hand, turning my head away from him. He's surprisingly sharp in the worst possible moments.
"Hey Okazaki, I've been thinking." My head did a full turn towards him, making him jump back in surprise.
"You've been doing what?"
"Thinking."
"AHAHAHAHA! YOU? THINKING? AHAHAHAHA THAT'S RICH!" I couldn't stop laughing, never have I heard those words come from him in a serious tone.
"Oi, you better shut it. Miss class pres is coming." Following where he pointed with his thumb, I saw Ryou entering the classroom walking towards us. "Ah, too late."
"Sorry we couldn't come back together, Tomoya-kun."
Oh yeah, since Sunohara hadn't been here he wouldn't know that we've gotten close recently.
"Huh?" He blinked a couple of times. "Come back together? Tomoya-kun?" His look of surprise and confusion only grew as he looked between me and Ryou. "OKAZAKI, YOU BASTARD! WHAT HAVE I MISSED?"
"We're getting married." I non-clamantly spouted out the first thing that came to my mind to throw Sunohara off his track of thinking. Well if he had any that is. Now turning my attention to Ryou, I noticed that she couldn't comprehend what I had just said. Even though she had been able to be bold recently, in one line she had gone back to how she was before.
"M-m-m-married… With Tomoya-kun…" It seems that with that line, Ryou had completely broke and was now in her own land.
"Now I see what you meant by she's not your girlfriend." Tomoyo walked into the class with a serious tone, although there was a tinge of sadness to it.
"Tomoyo, I've said bef-"
"I know, just joking with you. I saw it all." She sounded like she was about to crack up laughing. Looking at the situation, she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Well, I'll come by tomorrow. Good luck."
"You're leaving?" I slightly heightened my voice as she began to walk away.
"Lunch is almost over!" She walked off out of the class and raised a hand in goodbye. Her brief appearance not making the current situation any better.
"Okazaki… Stop leaving me in the dust." Sunohara had gone to his desk and basically flopped down on top of it.
"Ahhh I have no clue how to handle this!" I hadn't noticed due to the commotion before, but the class had once again turned all attention to me, as well as a few outsiders peeking in. Whispers were going around the room much to my dismay.
'Marrying Fujibayashi? They're just in high school.' 'They've gotten close really quickly.'
I felt like this was going to be a long final period.

"Okazaki Tomoya. Please report to the principal's office immediately. I repeat, Okazaki Tomoya. Please report to the principal's office immediately." Halfway through the period my name was called out through the PDA. Confused on why I would be needed there, I ignored it for a short while.
"Okazaki!" My teacher yelled out to me, catching my attention. "You were called."
I stood up from my seat without a word, and my teacher retracted back as far as he could to the wall of the classroom. Given his behavior I assume I had a horrible expression on my face right now.
"I'll go to make sure he gets there!" I heard Ryou as I left the classroom. I stopped and leaned against the wall to wait for her. She left the classroom running and went pass me without seeing me.
"You won't catch up to me like that Ryou."
"Ah…" She stopped and turned around. "You waited."
I started walking to the principal's office, passing her. Ryou began to walk fast to catch up to me before slowing down to match my pace. The walk to the principal's office was silent. I thought I heard her try to say something, but every time I looked to see if she had, her head was slightly looking down towards the ground. Almost as if she was thinking of something.

Both of us stood outside the principal's office nervously. Although to me, it felt like Ryou was more nervous. Before I had a chance to enter the office, the principal himself came out.
"Okazaki, you're here." He noticed Ryou standing beside me as well, his eyes narrowed slightly before returning to a normal resting position. "Fujibayashi? I don't believe I called for you. Actually, it's good that you're here as well."
We sat down in his office opposite him. The fact that it was good to have Ryou here as well only added to my confusion. Even though we were in the presence of the principal, Ryou was sticking close to me.
"You two seem like you're close."
"Yes sir," I responded. "We are only friends though." Beside me, I could feel Ryou shift a little, as well as seeing her look down from my peripherals.
"I thought as much. I wouldn't have imagined you getting yourself a wife at this age."
"Wait, you heard about my small joke?"
"You and your class have been the center of attention among the seniors as of late. Rumors and whispers have reached my ears, of course." Coughing to clear his throat, he set his hands down crossed together on his desk. "Anyway, do you know what I would like to speak to you about Okazaki?"
"No sir, I have no idea."
"The other day, at the courtyard…" My blood drained from my face as he said those words. "I do believe that you had yelled at Fujibayashi Kyou, her sister." He gestured to Ryou before continuing.
"Sir, you misunderstand! Tomoya didn't do anything wrong!" Tomoya?
"Please, Miss Fujibayashi, let me talk to Okazaki first." He turned his attention to me, silencing Ryou. "Would you like to explain what happened that day?"
I nodded.
"Well, to give context here, Kyou the day prior had been harassing me about a… certain topic. I think that's why I did what I did, or at least to some extent. She invited me to lunch with the premise of having Ryou there, which I didn't mind doing. Although she did have to harass me quite a bit to get me to go." I took a huge breath, calming myself for what I was about to say next. "At lunch, I left the class with Ryou, and we headed down to the courtyard were Kyou waited. As we sat down though, and she positioned me to sit next to Ryou, I felt something come over me, like it wasn't in my control. Because of that I yelled at her, about, things that I didn't even think." I took another deep breath. Ryou looked at me with a compassionate stare. "I'm alright Ryou."
"Okay Okazaki, that should be enough. Thank you." He let out a breath, slightly making me nervous about what he would say next. "You will not be suspended. But please, refrain from any behavior like this in the future. I can say for sure though that being around Fujibayashi has made you a little more… Kind, I should say."

He waved us off out of his office as he finished talking to us, mainly me. I was surprisingly let off easily.
"Tomoya-kun. Would you um… Um… Um…" Ryou had stopped outside of the office after we got shooed out. She was fidgeting as she spoke. "Well um… Would you… Like to uh… Come over?" She said the final words quietly, but I was still able to hear them.
"Come over? Wait, do you mean your house?" All I got from her was a nod. "But what about-"
"I-i-it's fine… She's not mad at you or anything…" Her expression seemed to tell the truth. It was also probably why she hadn't brought up the events from yesterday today.
"Well…" I thought about it, did I really want to go there?

"Tomoya-kun, would you like to come over?"
"Huh? Why the sudden invite?"
"Well… My parents wanted to meet you. There's no problem with it right?"
"No, there's no problem. But a bit bold from you."
"Tomoya-kun!"

"Tomoya!"
"Ah, Kyou? What's up."
"Come round today. My parents want to meet you."
"You sure it's fine with your sister. You know, after… Well everything…"
"I'm sure it'll be… Fine. She's partially the reason why we're together anyway…"
"You're right… But I don't want to upset her."

"So, you're the one who's dating my daughters!"
"Just one, sir."
"I do understand the situation. As a father I should be mad… But Ryou told me everything and asked me to not be mad at you… Because of that, I see you as a respectable man. You didn't run away, and you tried to solve things personally."
"Thank you sir."
"Don't think it's over just yet though. Try your best to give Ryou space, but at the same time take responsibility for what you've done. Either way, she'll forgive you."
"Thank you for the advice sir."
"Call me –"

"Tomoya!"
I snapped awake from a loud voice. I felt like I had been sleeping.
"Tomoya!"
I could see Ryou above me through my blurred vision. Had I actually fallen asleep? A jolt of pain shot through my head, prominently in the back.
"Tomoya!" She started to shake my shoulders. What had happened?
"Ryou?" My voice sounded quiet and hoarse just like the other times my head had ended up hurting. I felt a pressure on my chest and found that Ryou lay across me.
"Tomoya… You're alright." The pressure on me tightened as she tried her best to wrap her arms around me.
"Hey Ryou, can you get off of me? I appreciate your concern, but uh… I kinda can't move."
"Ah…" She loosened her hold on me and slowly moved off of me, allowing me to move. Now being able to clearly look at her, I noticed that she had begun to form tears in her eyes. I stood up, brushing myself off.
"You've been calling me just Tomoya sometimes haven't you?"
"Ah… Sorry… I'll stop."
"No, it's fine with me. It's just so sudden…" "Tomoya-kun… Is it all right if I just call you Tomoya? Onee-chan does and I… I-I want to be a better girlfriend to you!" "And familiar…"
I must have ended up in another daze because Ryou was shaking me.
"Tomoya-kun, are you feeling alright? If you're not, we can save the visit for another time." Her eyes were focused on the ground. The tears in her eyes had now gone, but I felt like they could return at any moment.
"I'm fine. Just need some… Thinking to do." I sighed. "But I'll go." She looked up at me after my response. Her expression lightened.
"Y-you don't have to if you don't want to…"
"No, I'll go." I felt uncomfortable about it, but, I wanted to find out what this feeling was. There was no verbal response from Ryou. Only her arms around me.