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Disclaimer: I don't own Classroom of the Elite but if I did, there will be MAJOR CHANGES.


16.1

Hiyori remained quiet for several minutes, unable to formulate a proper response because she didn't know what to say. Right after going through a massive wave of embarrassment from learning of her demeanor last night, Hiyori was once again in the same situation as a consequence of her own actions.

Apparently, she told him that she liked him, and now the young man wanted to know if those words were true or not.

Meanwhile, Kiyotaka simply remained where he was. He knew that he was asking a big question with an equally big answer, and he didn't really expect Hiyori to give him what he wanted right away.

But to be fair, he was pretty justified in wanting an answer. It didn't matter if she was half-asleep or not. It was a pretty serious matter, and he wanted to know if it was true or not.

It's not like he was trying to embarrass her or anything. This was just an issue that he wanted to deal with before he could forget it.

Finally, after what felt like a long time, Hiyori took a deep breath and muttered her response.

"I suppose… you can say that… it wasn't entirely false."

Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow as he listened to her words, both out of surprise and growing interest.

"Oh. Does that mean—?"

Hiyori buried her face into her hands again, feeling another huge wave of embarrassment wash over her. Her answer just now already took a lot out of her, and the young man before was already pushing it too far.

"Yes, it's exactly as you think! You don't have to say it, please!" she cried.

So, Hiyori actually liked him? For some reason, he wasn't surprised upon knowing this, as if he was already expecting it.

Perhaps it's due to the fact that they were already spending a considerable amount of time together, even before the events from the previous night took place.

"Are you embarrassed?" he asked, feeling amused at seeing Hiyori in this state.

Hiyori looked up for a moment to give him a big pout, her cheeks as red as ever, which made for an adorable sight.

"What do you think?" she huffed.

"I mean, you made the first move by kissing me already. While being half-asleep, no less. You did that as if you were another person completely," he pointed out.

"Because I was half-asleep, you meanie!"

"So does that mean you weren't going to kiss me but somehow, your subconscious mind wanted you to?"

The red hue on her face turned darker, and it reached the point that Hiyori couldn't fight against it anymore. All she could do was look away in order to hide her face from him.

"Ugh, it's not just that… it's… deeper than you think, Kiyotaka-kun," she mumbled.

"Deeper how?"

Hiyori hugged her knees close to her chest and rested her head on top of them, her blush becoming deeper and deeper as the seconds passed. It was honestly so cute to see.

"I… I like being around you. As I have said a lot of times before, you're the only person I've known in this school who shares the same interest in books as me. As far as I'm concerned, you're my only friend here, Kiyotaka-kun. I hope you know that."

"I know that already."

"Please don't interrupt me," she frowned at him.

"Okay, okay."

Kiyotaka immediately raised his hands in surrender, choosing to remain quiet from now on.

Hiyori sighed and took a deep breath. "As I was saying, you're my only friend in this school. I enjoy every minute we spend together, and I also enjoy it whenever we meet up at the library. I always look forward to seeing you whenever possible, so… that's it."

Having a moment to muster her courage, the girl ignored the growing embarrassment she felt and faced her friend again.

"I have never felt this way towards anyone before, but I'll say it anyway," she donned a more serious look and looked at the young man before straight into his eyes. "I like you, Kiyotaka-kun. I suppose… that's the reason why I k-kissed you subconsciously."

He stared at her for a moment, taking in her words carefully.

It seems that despite her state of mind last night, there was still an underlying desire within Hiyori to kiss him, which was likely the reason why she made that sudden move on him when he lay down in the bed beside her.

He was also surprised that Hiyori admitted it right away, even if she was embarrassed about it.

From what he knew about girls and how they act most of the time, they would rather hear the boy confess their feelings first… and he didn't really know why.

But, that wasn't the case here. Hiyori actually said it to his face, and she wasn't waiting for him to make the first move or anything.

It's only fitting that he does the same as her then.

"Well, I'm the same. I've never been interested in anyone else until you came along," he confessed nonchalantly.

Hiyori's eyes widened. "You… also like me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked rhetorically.

It's as though being uninterested in Hiyori was the more surprising outcome, at least for him.

Admittedly, Kiyotaka had no idea if he held romantic feelings for Hiyori or if he was simply interested in her. One thing that's clear is that he likes spending time with Hiyori more than anyone else right now.

If this leads to him developing romantic feelings for her, then that's a good thing.

Having a girlfriend was always something that interested him and he'd be fine with Hiyori filling that role. If he doesn't end up developing feelings for her, then they can always remain friends."

"I always look forward to any instance that we'll meet each other as well," he continued. "I enjoy our conversations, whether it's about books or each other. And on top of that, remember what you told me yesterday? About helping me change myself because you believe that I can change, I won't forget that."

"O-Oh, right… I… did say that…" she stammered, remembering that particular statement which made her feel embarrassed from how it made her sound.

…like she was his girlfriend.

"As a matter of fact, it's strange that you seem surprised at hearing how I feel. You didn't think there was a chance that I could be interested in you?" Kiyotaka asked.

"W-Well, you said it yourself, didn't you? You can't show your emotions when you want to, how was I supposed to know that you also liked me? For all I know, you only liked me as a friend this whole time!" she retorted.

"Okay, okay, point taken. I can't blame you for that," he shrugged. "I guess the both of us were pretty clueless on what the other felt, huh?"

"I guess so…"

The two teens remained quiet for the next few moments, an air of awkwardness developing between them now that their feelings were out in the open.

They were both interested in one another, simple as that.

Out of nowhere though, Hiyori was struck with realization when she thought about her friend's words more deeply and what they could possibly mean.

"H-Hang on, when you said you also like me, do you mean—?"

"If I meant it in a romantic sense?" he cut her off, knowing what she already had in mind. "No, not really. I was simply stating that I am quite fond of your presence. I would rather spend my free time with you than with any other person."

She looked at him in confusion. "Well, doesn't that mean you like me then? If you feel that way towards me and not anyone else, then you see me as something more than a friend."

Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow. "Does it? Interesting…"

"Wait, are you really that detached from your emotions that you don't even know the implications of what you said?"

"I apologize if it seems that way. This is also the first time that a girl has ever confessed to me, and I'm pretty clueless on how to handle this," he spoke while scratching his cheek.

"Then this only means that I have to work harder to help you be in touch with your emotions again," Hiyori bore a sad look and sighed. "I don't want to see you with that emotionless look on your face when you deserve more than that. Like I said before, you deserve to show what you feel just as much as everyone else."

Kiyotaka nodded slowly, thinking back to what they had discussed the other day. It was quite a deep discussion between the two of them, and almost as if he talked about the White Room with Hiyori.

"Do you honestly think that I bear romantic feelings for you?" he asked.

Hiyori sighed. "You're the only one who can answer that question for yourself, Kiyotaka-kun. Even if you did say that you liked spending time with me more than anyone else, I don't know what's inside your mind to be able to answer your question."

The young man retreated to his thoughts, as he considered her words. Kiyotaka was pretty certain that he didn't have any romantic feelings for Hiyori yet but then again, it's not like he spends his free time with anyone else for him to be able to differentiate what he felt towards her and what he felt towards people whom he considered friends.

After all, the three people whom he actually saw as his friends were all gone now.

"I believe you, then."

The girl's eyes widened slightly.

"Huh?"

"If you think that I hold feelings of affection towards you, then I'll try and see if that's really the case," he explained.

Hiyori stared at him, feeling more confused than anything. "But I just said that I don't know what you truly feel about me…"

"Well, would you rather get rejected by me right away? Personally, I wouldn't want to reject the only girl I constantly spend time with."

"N-No…" she blushed and looked away.

"That's good, then."

Things became quiet between them once again, as Kiyotaka felt his stomach grumbling. Good thing it was quiet, otherwise Hiyori would have heard it and would likely tease him about it. He could easily turn it around and blame her for his lack of appetite if she does, though.

Anyway, it served as a reminder that he hasn't eaten anything since last night, because he spent the rest of his evening in this room.

Does Hiyori have something that he could eat here? He'll have to ask her this because he's starving…

"Kiyotaka-kun…"

Hiyori's voice snapped him out of his thoughts for a moment, as he turned towards the girl once again.

Despite the deep blush on her face and the growing embarrassment she felt, the silver-haired girl managed to look up at Kiyotaka in order to utter her next words.

"Do you… want us to start dating then, or…?"


MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*

-Lance