"So you're sure that Sonohara Hana is guilty and wants to apologize?" Yuno couldn't stop herself from acting like a snob. Hearing her sister's partner protect someone who traumatized both her and Shiori didn't feel good.

"Yeah, Hana regrets it so if you could give her just one time to apologize then I swear, after that, I won't let her talk to both of you anymore." Hajime replied politely. He swallowed his pride just to fix a problem that involves two close people to him. If he didn't do anything then he might as well be blind and deaf, unaware of the world.

Yuno hummed in deep thoughts. She kept her eyes at the moon, her anger still evident in her facial expression. To forgive the person who made your life miserable, maybe she can do that especially when she hears that Sonohara Hana cut all connections she had with her formers friends, a bunch of bullies. Yuno thought about it when her mind sways back to Shiori.

"I'll talk to Shiori." Yuno says. "Make sure that your cousin is actually saying the truth, if she isn't, I'll really make her life a living hell." She threatened.

Hajime sighed in relief. He thanked Yuno and gave the phone back to Tooru, who gave him a grin. Going back to his room through the window, Hajime recalled what Shiori told him earlier. Suddenly, his stomach twisted in a way that made him feel scared of going to school tomorrow.

Plopping on his bed, Hajime eyed his ceiling. If somehow, Shiori decided to actually end it, what would he do? It can't be that easy to end, right?

Hajime pushed the thoughts away and closed his eyes.

The night passed with his head filled with worries. When the sun rose and the birds chirped, informing everybody that it was morning, Hajime woke up and fixed himself.


Yuno walked alone to Seijoh. Her phone was beside her ears as she talked to the person she called.

"Tobio, Iwaizumi-san told me that she regretted it." Yuno spoke softly.

"No! What if she does something bad again? Did you forget that she almost killed Shiori?" Tobio replied, fuming at his cousin's suggestion.

"She went to the hospital and someone apparently kept stopping her and told her that I didn't want to see her. You visited everyday so..." Yuno inhaled deeply before proceeding to talk. "Did you stop her every time you saw her?" Yuno interrogated.

Tobio didn't answer. It's true, he stopped her but what's wrong with that? Who knows what would happen to both Shiori and Yuno if that girl entered the room.

"Yeah. I stopped her." Tobio confessed.

Heaving a sigh, Yuno stopped walking to her school. She eyed her foot and wondered if she should convince Shiori to talk to Sonohara Hana. If that lady really did feel bad about her actions, then it's better to fix things with talking. Maybe it can help Shiori as well, Yuno thought.

"We'll talk to her. Don't go there, you'll only make matters worse." Yuno said. "What? You'll let Shiori talk to her? Are you crazy? Yuno, you better not do it!" Tobio exclaimed on his phone but Yuno only sighed at his reaction.

"I was raised by many nuns. They told me that forgiving is better than keeping anger inside. If a person truly repents for their sins, then give them a chance. It wouldn't kill you to do that, would it?"

Tobio didn't respond after that. Hearing Yuno talk seriously and calmly, it felt as if he was talking to someone... adult.

"Fine! Go on talk to her then!" Tobio scoffed. "Cool. Try to talk about this to Seri, I bet she'll say the same thing." Yuno replies before hanging up.

The seemingly-perfect girl pushed her phone inside her bag. She stretched before lowering her hands. Now that Tobio is out of the way, she'll just talk to Shiori. Yuno gulped in nervousness. Will she be able to do it? Shiori never listens to her, after all.


"What's with that expression, Kageyama?" Shouyo asked Tobio, who was feeling empty and confused.

Why did Yuno tell him to talk to Seri? What would Seri say to Tobio at this moment? It's not like she's involve in the problem, besides, Tobio didn't want to trouble her with his own conflicts.

"What's with him?"

All of a sudden, Seri's voice pops out of nowhere. Tobio whips his head to face Seri and sees her bringing two box of yogurt. Seri gives one to Tobio and smiles.

"You look empty. What's wrong?" she asks. Seri glances at Shouyo and mentions for him to go. Shouyo glares at Tobio before walking away, making Seri smile in satisfaction. She returns her gaze to Tobio and motions him to sit on a bench with her.

When they were seated, Seri opened her box of yogurt before taking a sip from it.

"What's the problem?" Seri repeated. Tobio hesitated to answer and kept quiet. When he catches Seri clicking her tongue, Tobio clears his throat. "It's something personal. It's best if you stay away." Tobio warned. Seri glanced at him and frowned.

"Do you not trust me? If so, fine. I'll respect that." She muttered, clearly sulking about Tobio's words. She turns her back from him and crosses her legs.

Silence engulfs the two and Tobio groans.

"It's about a person who used to bully my cousin." He finally gives in making Seri chuckle. She faces Tobio and moves inches near him. "And? Did that bully feel bad?" Seri asked with a sincere look on her face.

"That's... that's what happened. The girl wanted to apologize but I won't let her." Tobio responded. Once again, his anger returned so he glared at the thin air. Seri felt sorry for the wind as she watched Tobio glare at nothing.

"Listen, Kageyama-kun, every person has a chance. I remember Shouyo telling me that you were really bad before but now... you're not so horrible after all." Seri says softly. "The reason why they know you're not really bad is because they gave you a chance, so learn to give someone else another chance too." She adds.

Tobio eyed Seri keenly. The girl beside Tobio knows about the person he was before yet she doesn't feel disgusted. What's wrong with her? In fact, what's wrong with him? Why does he feel oddly... happy?

"Shinomiya..." Tobio calls out. Seri shifts her gaze to him and notices his gaze. She stops sipping on her drink and smiles slyly. "Why? Are you amazed by my beauty again?" she asks, clearly bluffing. Tobio breathed deeply before grabbing Seri's shoulders, shocking her.

"Wha –"

"Can I... kiss you?" Tobio asked innocently.

Seri stared at him as if he was an alien. She backed away slightly and bit her lips. Should she let it? It's not like she hasn't experienced kissing before but right now... they were at school.

"Can I?" Tobio repeated.

Seri eyed his face and realized that if she's lucky, this seemingly-loyal and innocent man in front of her can love her, not just like, but love. That four-lettered word that feels good to hear when said to you. A verb or a noun, a fact or a lie. Seri doesn't want to take a swipe at Tobio just because he looks attractive but –

"Why are you making me question myself?" Seri suddenly cuts her own thoughts and asks Tobio. "You're too good for me." Seri adds. Tobio slowly let goes of her and gives her a baffled look. Seri grumbles and holds Tobio's hands.

"But since we've dated already and I've already taken an interest in you, I'll let you do whatever you want." Seri accepted and held his hands tightly.

Tobio smiles, more like smirks, when he hears her words. He throws all his nervousness away and decides to pull Seri close to him. He goes in for the kiss as Seri tilts her head a little bit. It wasn't a peck nor was it a smooch, it was a full-blown kiss. A steamy one.

Seri pushed Tobio softly to take a breath and the two stared at each other's eyes. Seri smiles and stands up. She dusts her skirt and peers at Tobio, who looked frozen after the small action they did. Seri chuckles and gives one last peck to Tobio.

"I'll be going then. See you later." Seri picked her garbage up and threw it in a nearby trash can. She turns to Tobio before leaving. "Don't forget what I said. Give others a chance." She reminds before walking away.

Tobio stayed seated on the bench. He clenched his fist before touching his lips. He smiles lamely before biting his lips. He clears his throat and stands up, deciding to go to his classroom before classes starts. The scene where he finally pulls Seri close to him kept replaying on Tobio's head. Feeling addicted to it, he slaps himself to snap out of his daydream.


Hajime stood in front of Shiori.

Awkward and nervous, the two avoided each other's eyes, scared of making a mistake. Shiori clicks her tongue and crosses her arms. She chooses not to feel scared and faced Hajime.

"Yuno convinced me so I'll talk to your cousin, just this once. After that, I don't want to see her until I'm finally alright with seeing her." Shiori informs. Hajime nods, still keeping his head on the low. Shiori's voice was still cold so he figured that she still isn't in a good mood.

Shiori realized Hajime's action. She heaves a sigh and approaches him. She grabs his cheeks and squeezed it, causing her senior to glare at her.

"Why are you glaring at me? I'm supposed to be the one who's angry." Shiori muttered. When Hajime stops glaring and says a muffled apology, she gives a small laugh. Her smile then morphs into a solemn look. "I'm sorry, Iwaizumi-san. I shouldn't have said that. Breaking up with you, I mean." Shiori mumbled.

"I was being mean. I didn't mean to say that. I mean, how can I end our relationship easily? I'm an idiot to do that so I hope you forgive me for saying those hurtful things to you."

Hajime sees her expression and pulls her in for a hug. The two kept quiet, neither one broke the silence and decided to let it stay peaceful for a while.

"I'm sorry as well." Hajime utters a short apology but it was sincere enough for Shiori. She didn't need a long explanation and only wanted to feel his warmth. Shiori tightened her hold on Hajime and buried her face on his chest.

Hajime hears a muffled sentence from Shiori so he let goes of her and gives her a questioning look. "What was that?" he probed. Shiori grinned and shook her head, refusing to say what she had said earlier.

"About your cousin!" Shiori changed the topic. "When will I talk to her?" she asked as she fixed her ponytail.

"After school, at the koi pond near my house."

Shiori drops her smile after hearing that. That was too fast. Can't she do it the next day? Or the next week? Or next month? Honestly, any date is fine, just not today or tomorrow. Shiori needs to prepare her mental state so it wouldn't crumble down again.

Shiori gives a sheepish laugh. She glanced at Hajime and saw his expression. She can't ask for another day when he looks serious. After a few seconds, Shiori nods.

"Okay! Let's meet her!" Shiori clapped her hands before cracking her fingers. She stretched her arms and shoulders, making her look like she's ready to battle someone instead of talking peacefully.

Hajime sighed before smiling. He pushed away his worry and watched Shiori ready herself. He clears his throat before speaking. "I'll leave both of you alone later. Don't try to kill each other." He reminds, evidently joking. Shiori gives a thumbs up.

"I'll try my best not to commit a crime." She says with a smile.

Hajime prayed for the two girls to keep calm. They won't injure each other... probably.