Ah... the five signs. The signs that changed her point of view~ Although that would happen in the next chapter. (. _ .) Uhm... well... yeah. And thanks for the reviews~~~~Aiyaaaaaaaaaa~~~

You may now continue reading~

Chapter 21 – The Five Signs

It's a beautiful sunny day. The birds are chirping and the sun shined like there's no tomorrow. "It's too bright." Yachiyo thought as she walked to school. She entered the gate and everyone stared. Especially the guys.

"Hey, that's the manager of the basketball club." The guy said to his friend. "The one from the game last Friday!"

"She's cute, isn't she?" another guy said.

Yachiyo showed a little pink in her cheeks and thought; "Too much attention… I hate this…."

"WHAT THE FREAKING HECK. STOP STARING AT ME." She thought as she forced a smile.

" Ikemen always experience this. Ikemen… he's popular… the girl she likes must be popular too."

"Oi oi, you're getting a lot of attention, Meganekko~" Kise greeted. He smiled at her and she just looked away; "Good morning, Ikemen." She said timidly. "Speak of the devil."

"Huh? Yeah… Good morning." Kise said. "What happened to her?"

They got to the room and they were greeted with great enthusiasm.

"Kuroko-san! Kise-san! Ohayouu~~~" An energetic guy greeted. "Ohayou." The two greeted back.

They got to their seats and Yachiyo was approached by Mikage.

"Kuroko-san! Ohayou~ " Mikage asked in a friendly tone. Yachiyo smiled and also greeted her good morning. The other girls also gathered around Yachiyo. "Ne, Kuroko-san? Are you wearing contacts?" "Sugoiii~"

In turn, Kise was also surrounded by guys. "Ne, Kise. Your manager is kinda cute." A guy teasing whispered to Kise. Kise gave him a deadpan look. "Ne, Kise? Do you have her number?"

"Uwaa~ You're so cool Kuroko-san!" Mikage said. Like a fangirl and her idol.

Kise looked at Yachiyo and she looked back. Kise smiled but she just looked away.

"Did I do something wrong?" he thought.

Time for recess~

"Meganekko, are you mad at me?" Kise asked Yachiyo who was nibbling on a sandwich. "I'm not mad at you."

"I'm just making sure I won't get affected with your brain damage. It's highly infectious." She said in a deadpan voice.

"Oi oi, why are you insulting me so early in the morning?" Kise frowned.

"Insulting? Am I merely diagnosing you disease." She nibbled the sandwich and said; "You should eat too."

"Uwaaa~ Are you concerned?" Kise looked happy.

"No. It's just that, your constipation might come back." She replied in the same deadpan voice.

"Ouch." Kise said with a teary chibi face.

"Kise-kun!" A girl's voice called. Kise turned around and waved at the girl.

Yachiyo watched as Kise walked towards the girl and talked to her. "That girl's kinda pretty." She thought. Kise was laughing and the girl laughed too. She had wavy light brown hair and fair skin with brown eyes. "Seems like they're close."

Yachiyo looked away and took a pencil. "Maybe I should just check my homework." She thought. She heard Kise's laughter and the girl's laughter fill the air; "Ahahahaha." And snap.

"Eh? My pencil…" Yachiyo said as she looked at the pencil that was snapped into two.

She then grabbed a ruler from her bag. Then she heard Kise's laughter again; "Ahaha, really? That happened?". Yachiyo thought; "He seems happy." And snap.

"Aree… my ruler." She said innocently. "Maybe I should just use a mechanical pencil." She took a mechanical pencil from her case and started writing.

"Ahahaha. That's funny. Izumi." And once again, a loud snap.

"Oh my… my mechanical pencil." Yachiyo looked at the horrible looking thing that shattered in her hands.

"So, I guess I'd see you this lunch?" the Kurumi-girl asked Kise.

She forcefully stood up, knocked her chair and made a loud noise. Everyone in the room looked at her, including Kise and the Izumi-girl.

She blushed in embarrassment. "A-ano… G-gomenasai. I… I thought I saw… a s-spider."

"Ahaha, that's adorable~" the guys thought.

"You okay?" Kise asked.

Yachiyo gave him a dim-faced twitchy smile and said; "Yeah! I'm feeling awesome! Don't mind me. You can continue your conversation with that pretty girl, ne?"

She fixed her chair and sat straight. Then she faced the window with her hand cupped under her head. Everything about her said; "I am angry and desperately trying to hide it."

Kise stared at Yachiyo with a terrified expression; "What did I do wrong?! Is she mad at me?! I didn't do anything?! Is this because of yesterday!?"

….

Time for lunch

"Yachiyo~ Ryouta~ Let's go eat lunch~" Shigeru called in a friendly and energetic manner.

Yachiyo stood up and Kise followed. Before they could go out of the room Yachiyo asked; "Aree? You're not eating with the pretty girl?" Her voice was deadpan and cold.

Kise shuddered. "W-what? Uhm… if you mean Izumi, I told her I won't join." he said in a shaky voice.

"Shigeru, let's go eat." Yachiyo said and quickly she and Shigeru went away.[Actually she dragged Shigeru away] They were followed by Kise who was screaming; "OI WAIT FOR ME!"

At the rooftop:

"Uhm… Yachiyo? You okay?" Shigeru asked. Yachiyo smiled at him. The same twitchy and terrifying smile. "Yeah, of course! I feel perfect!" Liar.

"Uhm… okay? So… Ryouta… who's the girl?" Shigeru asked. And SNAP.

"Sorry, I broke my chopsticks." Yachiyo said innocently.

"THAT'S NOT BROKEN! IT'S SHATTERED!?" the two thought.

…

Time for basketball practice…

"Uwaa~ Manager~ Your lenses suit you~" Moriyama praised.

Then he was hit by a flying ball on the head. "Sorry, senpai! The ball slipped out of my hand!" Kise apologized in the most innocent way possible.

"You did that on purpose didn't you!?" Moriyama shouted at him.

"SHUT UP. GO AND PRACTICE, IDIOTS. NOW. 30 LAPS. ALL OF YOU." Yachiyo said over her megaphone.

"It's the same old manager, only cuter. But same attitude." The members thought. "But still cute~"

…

After practice…

Yachiyo was already walking to the gate of the school when Kise called her; "Oi, Meganekko!" She looked back and gave him a deadpan look. She sighed and said; "What do you want?"

"Oi oi, why are you mad at me again?" Kise asked.

"I am not mad at you. You are over-thinking things." She said in the same deadpan voice.

"Kise-kun!" The Izumi-girl called. She was with her friends. "Hello~ Where are you going?"

"Well, just going home." Kise answered. "Oh right, Izumi, this is Megane-Kuroko... Kuroko-san."

Kurumi smiled at her and she smiled too. "Domo."

"So, Kise-kun, want to join us? We'll go karaoke~" Izumi asked.

"Uhm… no thanks. I need to go home now. Thanks for the offer though." Kise said. He waved at the girls who then walked away.

Yachiyo started walking too. Not saying anything.

"Ne, want to go eat ice cream?" Kise asked Yachiyo. "If you're really not mad, then let's go."

She stopped and said; "Where."

Kise smiled and said; "It's just near~ Let's go!"

He caught up to her and they both start walking.

"Didn't you say you need to go home now?" she asked.

"I lied. Ahaha. Do you want me to go home?" Kise said.

"Did you forget I'm a feminist?" Yachiyo asked in a deadpan irritated voice.

"Do you always get angry easily?" Kise asked.

"Do you have to always misunderstand me?" she asked.

"Then why don't you explain?" Kise asked again.

She didn't say anything more. Kise raised his arms and said; "Yay~ I won the argument!"

"We weren't arguing." She replied. "I just told you that you should lie to a girl, especially when you are close. Or if you like her."

Kise stopped walking and said; "What? Wait… do you mean—"

" I didn't mean anything." She said she stopped walking.

"Are you jealous?" Kise asked. She started walking again. But Kise caught up to her and blocked her way. "Are you jealous?" he asked again.

"No. I'm a feminist." She replied.

"That wasn't the answer I was hoping." Kise said then he laughed out loud. "Fuwhahahahahha. Sorry! I can't really help it! Ahahahhahahaaahaha."

"If you don't stop laughing, I will punch you and run away." Yachiyo said in a deadpan voice.

"Sorry sorry!" Kise said. But his eyes were teary with laughter. They started walking again but Kise was smiling along the way. "Was she jealous? Does that mean anything? It does, right? So… I have a chance? Right? So that means my chances aren't zero! Uwaaaaaaa~~~"

"Oi, stop making silly faces. Is this the store?" Yachiyo asked. Kise wasn't answering. He was just standing there with a silly blushing expression on his face.

Yachiyo sighed and entered at store. She came back with 2 popsicles. The first one was blue and the other was pink. Kise was still standing there with a silly face. People are starting to stare at him. Yachiyo sighed and opened the pink popsicle.

She walked toward Kise and inserted the popsicle in his mouth. With brutal force. Kise shrieked and almost dropped the popsicle. "What was that for!"

Yachiyo was already walking away and therefore did not pay any attention to him. Kise caught up and said; "Jeez, that was very violent." He looked at Yachiyo who was eating the blue popsicle.

"Not answering eh?... well then…" Kise thought. "Oh right, remember the prize you were supposed to give us after we won against Yumesaki?" he asked.

Yachiyo seemed to jump a little. "I lied when I told our teammates that it was just a joke." He admitted.

"S-so, Mega—" He was interrupted by a sudden strong jab on his side. "Ugh…Ouch that hurts!"

"Joke or not. I will not do it." Yachiyo said and she gave him a half-eyed look. "Never."

"But it's a promise, is it not?" Kise teased. "Are you embarrassed?"

Yachiyo blushed a little and said; "I'm only doing that to guy I like."

"So… there's someone?" Kise asked. His expression changed. He held his side and stopped walking.

Yachiyo looked at him. Her eyes widened; "A-are you okay?"

"Yeah… I am…" Kise said with a smile but he was still holding on to his side. "Can we sit there for a while?" He pointed at the playground with swings.

When they got there, Kise and Yachiyo sat on the swings. "I'm sorry…" She apologized she can't bear to look at Kise now.

"Eh? I-I'm fine really! Ahaha. But I dropped my popsicle though. So. Ahahaha." Kise said in a frantic manner. Yachiyo was still worried. "How do I cheer her up?" he thought.

"But if you give me my prize then I'd be fine." He teasingly requested.

"I-I already told you! I'm only doing that to the guy I like!" she shouted with embarrassment.

Kise stayed quiet and swung a little. "So… there's someone? Someone you like?" he asked.

"I…" Yachiyo said. "I… don't know." She paused and looked at the melting popsicle. "I don't know. I'm not sure. I am clueless on how to know… if I do like someone or not."

"That's simple. Look for these signs:" Kise looked up and swung like a child. His hair swayed in the wind. Yachiyo looked at him as he seemingly enjoyed the swing. "Why does my heart…" she thought.

"First, whenever you're with the one you like, your heart beats fast." He said after the first swing. Then he swings again. Yachiyo's eyes were sparkling as she stared at him.

"Did I eat something funny?" she thought.

"Second, if you're together, you feel like there are butterflies in your stomach." Kise said after the swing. He swung again but this time, he pushed himself higher into the air.

"what an idiot, he might hurt himself…" she thought with a worried face.

"Third, you care about them, like if they get hurt." Kise said after he got down. He rode again, but it was higher. He laughed as he got higher into the air. "He's so childish… but…" Yachiyo smiled as she watched him play like a little child.

"Fourth, even if he acts weird or immature, you still accept him." Kise said. He stopped swinging and then she smiled at her. His smile was warm and genuine. And it made her blush.

"And fifth, whenever they smile, you forget everything."

They stare at each other for seconds until Yachiyo stands up from the swing. "T-the popsicle is melting." She tried to say in a deadpan voice. She then starts eating the popsicle again while blushing. "T-thanks for that…. For telling me those signs."

Kise also stood up. He faced her and said; "Well, you could thank me by giving me my promised prize." He teased.

Yachiyo blushed and shouted angrily; "What is wrong with you! Stop talking about those things!" She forcefully stuffed her popsicle into his mouth.

"Whatever! I'm going home!" she shouted and then ran off.

…

Kise didn't run after her. The blue popsicle was still in his mouth. Then slowly… he took it out and turned bright red. "WHAAAAATTTT!" he screamed.

"T-that… that was…. a-an…. an i-indirect… k-k-kiss?!"

.

.

.

TBC

THE FIVE SIGNS END

Tetsuya is on the next chapter... And... I just realized I am writing 2000 words per chapter. (. _ .) is it too long?

Matta ne~