Yay! I got one last update before I head back to college in a few days! Anyway, thank you for all of your supportive reviews and making this story well-received! Also, there might be a few errors within the text (because I wrote this on my phone), but I'll be sure to revise this chapter later when I have the time. Other than that, I don't have much to say right now, so as always enjoy!
Chapter 3: The Second-Guessing Frog
At last, it was Monday. The weekend had –surprisingly- flown by without a hitch or bump on the road. The only stresses upon me were solving areas and circumferences of semi-completed circles for my Geometry homework. But other than that, my weekend was like any other, normal and mundane.
Time to prepare for school, I rolled out of bed and jumped into the shower. After taking the time to groom myself and get dressed, I made my way to my father's room to see if he had returned home from work. Unsurprisingly, yet still difficult to stomach, his room was empty and held no signs of his arrival.
As a doctor, Father was hardly at home because he took both early and late shifts at the hospital. And more often than not, he'd return home in the middle of the night when I was fast asleep. There were also instances in which he would spend a full day at the hospital without coming home. More than I'd like to admit, I usually found myself feeling lonely. Sometimes it felt like I was the only one living in the house. But it wasn't like my father neglected me on purpose or didn't care for me at all, I knew he was busy helping people and saving lives. Perhaps it was selfish of me to ask for his company, and I should be more understanding considering that our situation hardly gave us the opportunity to function as an ordinary family.
Koudou wasn't my real biological father. My real father, along with my mother, died in a car accident when Kaoru-san and I were barely old enough to remember them. Despite our loss, a quarrel ignited like hellfire over custody and financial arrangements between the Nagumo family and my distant relative, Yukimura Koudou. My parents hadn't left a will, which made the whole issue worse. The Nagumo family, who had been friends of my parents, demanded for full custody over Kaoru-san and me and ownership of our parent's fortune. However, Koudou, being more closely related to us, claimed custody as well.
The dispute got so out of hand that eventually the government had to step in. As a result, the Nagumo family obtained full custody over my brother, and Koudou had full custody over me. As for my parent's fortune, the government decided to hold onto it until me and my brother were of age, then it would be spilt evenly between us.
It was almost tragic whenever I thought about being separated from my brother, but we barely had a say in the situation. But we tried to make the best of it, or at least we tried to see each other as often as we could. However, going to the same elementary school or arranging play-dates didn't help my relationship with Kaoru-san. After we were separated from each other, Kaoru-san grew…colder. Distant, to be more accurate. It was hard for me to comprehend his odd behavior. We were always so close when we were young, but now we simply weren't.
In the end, we treated each other like acquaintances and went our own paths after elementary school. Perhaps that was another reason why I decided to go to Hakuou Academy, to be with my twin brother again. Though, he would scoff and sneer at me if he knew that. He was just that…derogative. But no matter…I could think about Kaoru-san some other time later, now I had to eat breakfast.
Confirming that my father wasn't in the house, I at least had to check the microwave to see if he had eaten his dinner I left for him last night –or rather, to check if my father had even come home at all last night.
I went downstairs and hurdled over furniture in haste to reach the kitchen. Panting, I opened the door to the microwave and held my breath. I let out a disappointed sigh when I realized my father's food remained cold and untouched.
…He hadn't come home.
Then again, what was I to expect? Trying not to let my anger get the best of me, I moved quickly to prepare some toast. I wanted to get out of the house fast, which meant running out the door with food in my mouth. And that's exactly what I did as soon as the toast was ready…
...
…Of course, I arrived at school earlier than usual, but it was best being here than at an empty house. Still stressed from earlier this morning, I laid my head on my desk in desperate attempt to rid myself of my headache (I suppose sprinting to school added to the headache…and not eating a full breakfast). I dozed off for a few minutes, waiting for the bell to ring. Then I felt something big and warm shake my shoulder lightly. Whatever it was, it was trying to wake me up.
"Mn…", I groaned, reluctant to comply with what felt like a hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, Yukimura-san, are you all right?", a concerned and mature voice called out. My eyes flew open once I figured out that it was my homeroom teacher trying to wake me.
"Ah! U-Um, I'm awake!", I blurted without thinking and snapped my head up. My outburst drew in the attention of several peers in the classroom, who were all giggling and chuckling at me. Why do I always embarrass myself like that in front of people?! The redheaded teacher ignored the outer commotion, and his concerned amber eyes that were looking at me softened warmly.
"Well you are now", Harada-sensei couldn't help but snicker out.
"W-Was I…sleeping through class?", I asked worryingly, still flustered over what I had done.
"Not at all, actually. But there is only a minute left before class starts, so I thought I'd wake you", Harada-sensei explained. The warm smile on his face faded and morphed into a small frown.
"But are you feeling okay? Do you need to go to the infirmary?"
"N-No, I'm fine", I wasn't stuttering because I was lying; I was stuttering because I definitely did not want to go to the infirmary. With Sannan-san as our school nurse, not-so-pleasant rumors were spread about him. Even though he always had on a friendly smile, there was something mysterious and unnerving about him…though no one knew what it was.
"If you say so. Just don't try to fall asleep during class, okay?", Harada-sensei proceeded to say.
"I won't, I promise", I assured with a firm nod of my head.
As soon as the bell rang, homeroom resumed with attendance and announcements. Normally I would've paid attention to every word spoken out of Harada-sensei's mouth, but I was still tired and now in the midst of zoning out. However, I remembered that Harada-sensei had caught me snoozing earlier, so it was best to avoid further trouble.
"…Also –and I'm sure all of you have heard this already, but I'm going to remind you anyway- there will be no classes this Friday unless you're in the Theatre Club. If you are in the Theatre Club, you're to report to the auditorium at 9 AM on Friday. So don't be late", Harada-sensei said as he gave a warning look to several students in the room. Right as he finished, the bell rang, and it was time for classes to begin…
…
…Lunch finally came, and I took my usual spot at the table in the corner of the cafeteria. Heisuke-kun was already sitting there as well and stuffing his face with rice. Right next to him sat Saito-senpai, a second-year who was also a member of the Disciplinary Committee. He was in the Kendo Club with Heisuke-kun, so because of that Saito-senpai and me were something similar to acquaintances.
I sat right across from Heisuke-kun, who immediately flashed me a huge smile, though it wasn't as charming considering that rice grains decorated his mouth. I tried my hardest to stifle a giggle as I took out my bento box.
"Heisuke-kun, would you like a napkin?", I offered politely, still doing my best to not burst out laughing at the sight of Heisuke-kun.
"Huh?", he blinked at me, confused by what I was implying.
"There's rice all over your mouth", Saito-senpai –almost monotonously- clarified for him.
"O-Oh…", Heisuke-kun murmured awkwardly, before immediately grabbing a napkin from the end of table to wipe his mouth.
"Sorry 'bout that. I was just so hungry, I guess I got a little carried away", Heisuke-kun snickered in between embarrassed laughs.
"You don't need to apologize, though you should take your time when you eat", I chided him.
"C'mon Chizuru! I'm fine, no need to fuss about how I eat!", Heisuke-kun, as carefree and energetic as ever, tried to dismiss my sermon.
"Yukimura is absolutely right, and you would do well to listen to her, Heisuke", Saito-senpai spoke with a fascinating air of stoic maturity.
"I've heard that by eating slower, you can help maintain a healthy metabolism. Also, you decrease your chances of gaining weight because the brain can recognize when you're full. By eating rapidly, you would only consume more and the brain wouldn't have time to indicate that the body has had enough food", he went on to explain.
It wasn't the least bit surprising to hear that sort of lecture from Senpai. He was one of the best students in his grade and did considerably well at kendo. Combining intelligence and athleticism, it was fairly common to hear Saito-senpai talk about anything health-related.
"…Well I guess Chizuru's right, but the way you talked about it just makes it seem so boring to do…", Heisuke-kun whined to Saito-senpai. All of the sudden the tension between them became alarming as soon as Senpai fixated his cool and frigid sapphire eyes on his younger peer. I knew by that look in his eye that he was not to be taken lightly.
"Fine, then allow me to word myself differently. If you don't eat healthily, your body will become weak, and consequently your kendo performance will significantly decrease. So I suggest you heed Yukimura-kun's advice", despite the ice in his tone, Saito-senpai maintained his polite disposition with dignity. This young man was really something else. Definitely what anyone would describe as an early-maturing youth.
"Okay! I get it now! Geez, why you gotta get so intense like that?", Heisuke-kun murmured the last part to himself, though I could tell that Saito-senpai obviously overheard him when he sighed exhaustingly. Sensing that the conversation was turning into something unnecessarily awkward (especially since it was about something as silly as eating), I decided to change the topic.
"…Well anyway, are you two excited about getting the day off on Friday?", I tried to sound cheerful as I spoke.
"Hell yeah! I can't wait to sleep in! Hey, we should get ice cream to make up for missin' last week!", Heisuke-kun –thankfully- contributed brilliantly to the positive tone I was trying to set.
"Yep!", I agreed enthusiastically before turning to Saitou-senpai.
"You should come too, if you want", I suggested. Unlike Heisuke-kun, Senpai didn't seem to catch onto the bubbly atmosphere.
"Thank you for the offer, but unfortunately I have to attend school on Friday for the Theatre Club's play", he explained.
"Whoa, I didn't know you were in the Theatre Club too, Hajime-kun", Heisuke commented with bewildered eyes.
"I'm not, actually. The teachers asked for several members from the Disciplinary Committee to help organize the show, so that's why I'll be there", Senpai stated. I could feel my eyes widen with sudden interest to what he was saying about the Disciplinary Committee's involvement in Friday's show.
"Do you know if Kaoru-san will be there too?", I asked with a mighty effort to contain my desperate curiosity.
"I'm not sure, but Nagumo is highly involved in the Committee, so there's a good chance he'll be there", Saito-senpai answered. I was eager to ask more about my brother's whereabouts, but before I could open my mouth, I felt a warm arm drape over my shoulder.
"Ah!", I jumped, startled by what –or rather, by who- touched me.
"Never mind what Kaoru's up to. We have all of Friday to spend alone together, so what do you wanna do, Chizuru-chan?", Okita-senpai, who was only inches away from speaking directly into my ear, spoke sultrily.
"Wh-wha-?!", I babbled.
When did he sit next to me?! And what does he mean by spending alone time together?! At that moment, I couldn't tell what part of my body was working harder, my brain, my lungs, or my frantic heart?
"Hey Souji! Don't come up like that and scare her! And why do you have your arm over her?!", Heisuke-kun nearly stood up from his seat as he scolded Okita-senpai with an accusatory finger. Not even slightly rattled, Okita-senpai merely chuckled and tilted his chin arrogantly.
"Oh? Am I intruding?", without looking remorseful, Senpai gave my shoulder one last squeeze, making a vein twitch on Heisuke-kun's face, before letting go of me.
"Sorry Heisuke-kun, but it's not fair to have Chizuru-chan all to yourself. After all, you already had your whole childhood with her; you clearly don't need anymore time with her."
I had a strong feeling that Okita-senpai's apology was hardly sincere, but what grabbed my attention and embarrassed me the most was the fact that he was talking about spending more time with me. This surely had to be another one of his jokes. He was, after all, the school's prankster and troublemaker.
"Hey Hajime-kun! Aren't you gonna say anything about this?!", suddenly Heisuke-kun's yelling interrupted my train of thought.
"…Honestly, this isn't surprising at all. We all know about Souji's tendencies to make jokes, you should be used to them by now", by the time Saito-senpai finished his sentence, he looked drained, as if Okita-senpai's presence alone could make him tired.
So Okita-senpai can irritate even the most stoic and collected person I know…should that be considered a talent of his? No, it'd only make him cockier if knew what I was thinking. Now, just thinking about Okita-senpai was frustrating me, let alone him sitting next to me.
He really was difficult to grasp…
"…But Heisuke's right. Frightening a student could be considered a form of bullying, something which the Committee has no tolerance for", Saito-senpai was close to giving Okita-senpai an admonishing glare. Yet still unsurprisingly, Okita-senpai's mirthful smile proved that he was far from being intimidated. He had guts -I had to give him that- for putting on a brave face to Saito-senpai, perhaps the strictest member of the Disciplinary Committee.
"Hajime-kun, I put my arm around her. I didn't chase her around with a snake", it was clear that Okita-senpai thought Saito-senpai was taking things too seriously, which was partially true. But-
Chase me around with a snake? Why would he say that-?
"Don't even bring that up!", Heisukue-kun yelped.
"Oh? You still remember that?", Okita-senpai seemed pleased Heisuke-kun's reaction.
"Of course I do! You're the reason why I hate snakes!", Heisuke-kun retorted. Somehow, it wasn't hard for me to imagine Okita-senpai chasing down Heisuke-kun with a snake in his hand.
"Calm down already. It was only a small, nonvenomous snake; it was completely harmless", Okita-senpai replied. At that, Heisuke-kun's eyes narrowed until I almost couldn't see them.
"Sh-shut up!"
"I could say the same to you. Now lower your voice; there's no yelling allowed either", now Saito-senpai turned his icy eyes to Heisuke-kun.
"U-Um…we don't need to argue about this", I shyly intervened. What else was I supposed to do? If I didn't say something, all three of them would start fighting. But as soon as I entered the conversation, it was my turn to receive one of Saito-senpai's reproaching stares.
"From where you and Souji stand, even teasing you is hardly appropriate since the two of you aren't exactly the best of friends. Therefore, Souji could be punished for bullying you", Saito's focus on the situation all the more emphasized just how serious he was. Was he going too far? Yes, and from the way I see it, what Okita-senpai did wasn't something that called for the Committee's judgment. Though I did think Okita-senpai deserves some scolding, I didn't want to get him in trouble for the simple act of having his arm around me. I had to settle things now before the situation blew more out of proportion than it already had.
"Really, it's no big deal what Okita-senpai did", I tried reasoning with Saito-senpai.
"…Forgive me for assuming this, but are defending him because you have some sort of relationship with him?", Saito-senpai inquired back.
I nearly chocked.
"R-Relationship…?!", I stuttered helplessly as I could feel my cheeks blushing into a shameful shade of scarlet. Quickly I realized that I wasn't the only one struggling with Senpai's words because Heisuke-kun spat out the apple juice he had been drinking.
"T-That's a joke right?! Ha ha ha! Oh Hajime-kun! You're gonna make me cry!", Heisuke-kun was practically doubled over laughing and raised a steady finger to wipe away his fresh tears.
"There's no way Chizuru would be in a relationship with Souji-!", he cackled, but someone interrupted him.
"As a matter of fact, I am in a relationship with Chizuru-chan", to my misfortune, it had been Okita-senpai who had spoken up rather boldly.
What?! Where did that come from?!
"N-No! That's not-!", I was angry with myself for struggling to spit out the truth, but my nerves were getting the best of me. I was further irritated when Okita-senpai hadn't let me finish blurting out the truth and instead put his arm around me again.
"Damn, you're only cuter when you squirm like that. I'm so lucky I have you, Chizuru-chan", his grip on me tightened as he pulled me in closer to him, with my face half-buried in his chest.
Hot! Everything was burning! My face! His body heat! I was hot! He was hot! No, not that kind of hot! Well no- he is handsome, but I'm not-! Wait-! What am I even thinking?!
"…S-Sorry, I had no idea you two were…together like…that…I didn't mean to uncover your relationship…", Saito-senpai murmured while adamantly avoiding my gaze. Now he was embarrassed too, and his flush face only seemed to add more fuel to the fire!
"EH?! HOW THE HELL ARE DATING?!", Heisuke-kun shouted as he stood up abruptly, making his chair tip back and crash to the floor.
Why is this happening?! I'm not dating Okita-senpai!
"Heh? You think Chizuru-chan's my girlfriend? Well I'm flattered you can imagine us as a couple, but we're not dating", Okita-senpai clarified. Finally! He was cleaning up the mess he'd started. Still, I couldn't help but notice he still had his arm around me, and I was forced to bask in his body heat.
"Then if you're not dating…", Heisuke-kun's rampage came to halt has he pondered over Okita-senpai's words. Then he gasped with what appeared to be sudden realization.
"Don't tell me you're using Chizuru for impure reasons!", then the rampage continued.
'Impure?!'
"Heisuke-kun!", I rebuked scandalously.
Okita-senpai must have found Heisuke-kun's proclamation rather amusing as he suddenly started laughing.
Heisuke-kun was angry and astonished, Saito-senpai was coy and embarrassed, and Okita-senpai was mischievous and laughing; they were all ingredients to a recipe for dissention, if not outright disaster.
Our once quiet table in the corner of the cafeteria now looked like a circus arena, and the other students were giggling and laughing as they watched the action from a distance. If this keeps up, everyone in the school will think I'm dating Okita-senpai! The very thought of that clenched my chest uncomfortably. I could not let this go on.
Before thinking through my actions, I rapidly stood up and vigorously slammed my hands on the table.
"Okita-senpai and I aren't dating! And neither are we doing anything like that!", I nearly shouted out from the top of my lungs. The loud sounds of my hands slapping the table and my firm voice seemed to have quieted the whole room.
Oh dear… What have I done?
At that moment, I suddenly recalled the frog dissection lab from middle school. The room had been dark, and the only light shining was the spotlight directly over the smelly dead frog. The frog was the center of attention that day, receiving all sorts of reactions, from fascination to disgust.
…Right now, I felt like that dead frog as all eyes in the cafeteria were on me. However, I wasn't dead, which unfortunately would not spare me from facing literally everyone in the cafeteria.
My knees buckled, forcing me to quickly plop down on my chair. With strong purpose, I avoided all gazes coming my way and focused on my half-eaten bento. I thought -foolishly, I knew- that if I didn't look at anyone, people would eventually ignore me and resume their normal business. As if my day hadn't been horrible enough, it became completely and utterly worse.
"Um…Chizuru, are you okay…?", I heard Heisuke-kun ask cautiously, as if to not overstep my boundaries. I didn't answer; I only focused on the food in front of me.
"…This is all my fault. I never should have mentioned you sharing anything with Souji…", then it was Saito-senpai who spoke up quietly.
"No! It's my fault, Chizuru! You can put the blame on me for screaming out assumptions", at that point, Heisuke-kun seemed desperate and determined to get me to talk.
"…C'mon Chizuru-chan, giving them the cold shoulder will only make them feel worse, and they're already begging for you to forgive them", astonishingly, Okita-senpai was trying to reason with me in the gentlest tone I've ever heard from him. Though it was hard stomaching the idea of listening to him, he had a point. I was about ready to apologize to Heisuke-kun and Saito-senpai, but Heisuke-kun stole my chance with a frown directed to the man beside me.
"That's odd coming from you, Souji. And as far as I could tell, you're also to blame for embarrassing Chizuru", there was a sort of uncharacteristic harshness in Heisuke-kun's tone. Albeit, he was also right. But I wasn't one to start pointing fingers at Okita-senpai, especially in front of others.
"Perhaps, but I guess we all have something to feel sorry for", despite the signature smirk on his lips, there was something in Okita-senpai's voice that sounded so sincere and…kind? Was he actually being remorseful? It seemed so out of character for him, but then again, he was full of surprises.
…Eventually I gave in and apologized to everyone at table for being so cold, but the rest of lunch went by with the men tackling over the responsibility of driving me to my breaking point. Even though all three of them drove me mildly insane that day, I realized that they truly did care for me and viewed me as a friend. They're just all trying to look out for me…
As we prepared to leave the cafeteria and resume our classes, Saito-senpai left to fulfill certain Committee duties. As soon as he left, Heisuke-kun turned to look at Okita-senpai with a curious look on his face.
"So if you're not dating Chizuru, then what exactly is she to you?"
The question shouldn't have interested me as much, but since it involved Okita-senpai, I couldn't help but listen in. After all, he was really only interested in me because he thought that I'd be "entertaining" to him, but I wasn't really sure what that meant. Now was my chance to get some clarification on that. Just what was I to Okita-senpai? A friend? Someone to poke fun at?
"I'm glad you asked! Chizuru-chan is now my personal manager for kendo~", Okita-senpai responded with an all-too gleeful smile. Personal manager? That was the first I've heard of that, and I didn't understand how I could be beneficial in that position.
"U-Um, I never said I'd be your manger…", I said coyly, but at the same time trying to be direct.
"He he. I knew Chizuru wouldn't take that kind of offer from you", Heisuke-kun seemed both relieved and proud of my response. He might have been Okita-senpai's friend, but I could tell he didn't like that friendship being extended to me. Was that a new possessive trait? Or was he just trying to look out for me? Either way, I could handle myself around Okita-senpai just fine, or at least that's what I wanted to believe.
We parted ways for classes, but Okita-senpai hadn't left my side. I supposed it was because our classes were in the same direction, but I immediately overruled that idea. My gut just knew that Okita-senpai was up to something…I just didn't know what. There had to be a reason why he was following me. Perhaps it had something to do with me being his "personal manager".
I glanced sideways at him, curious to see what he would do.
"That was kinda mean, rejecting to be my manager in front of Heisuke", he spoke up quite sheepishly. Instead of his trademark smile, he looked like pouting child with a frown. Was he seriously sulking about that whole manager thing?
"I only said the truth. You never even asked me to be your personal manger, so how else was I supposed to respond to that?", there was no point in trying to spoil him in this situation.
"I felt I didn't need to ask", he replied bluntly. It took a lot of energy to not sigh exasperatedly in front of him. Just how confident was he? Too confident, and not in a good way, but that was just my honest opinion.
"Either way, I wouldn't agree to be your manager so easily…", I said.
Okita-senpai merely chuckled and his brilliant green eyes seemed to spark with enthusiasm. And then there was that zesty half-smile of his…yeah, he was definitely up to something. Should I have been worried?
"Did you forget, Chizuru-chan?", this all seemed perfectly calculated coming from Okita-senpai.
"Forget what…?", I asked suspiciously. My memory was not mistaken; never in the past did we ever have a conversation regarding about me becoming his personal manger. Despite my sureness, Okita-senpai's wolfish smile had the ability to make me second-guess myself. Was I missing something plainly obvious? The more I thought about it, the more confusing this all ended up being.
For the third time that day, Okita-senpai put his arm around me. Why did he have to be so clingy?! I was more than ready to remove his arm and run straight to class where I wouldn't see him, but before I could do anything, he leaned close to my ear and whispered softly.
"We made a deal."
…And that's when I suddenly remembered my next class was with Hijikata-sensei.
So there's that! Sorry for hardly mentioning Hijikata in this chapter, but I wanted to introduce some of the other characters before I delved in too deep with his character. But no worries! He'll reappear in the next chapter, and that whole Theatre Club information will also be present in the next chapter.
As far as updating goes, I plan to work on my other fanfics before I continue with this one, so I really can't tell you when chapter 4 will be posted because I simply don't know. However, I will do my best to work hard in between classes.
Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! It's really helpful to me because your reviews help inspire ideas, correct mistakes, and keep me motivated to write! And if you want to get in touch with me, you can send me a message or visit my tumblr blog (hakuoukiandmocha11).
As always, have an awesome day!