'Are you and Mori-senpai dating?'
Shocked I stared at Kyo-niichan, I opened and closed my mouth several times but no sound came out. "Well? Are you two dating?" Kyo-niichan repeated.
"N-no! We aren't!" I quickly replied, finally words coming over my lips.
"Then why are you two being so familiar with each other?" Kyo-niichan asked further.
"T-that…" I stuttered.
"Kyo~chan~! Are you bullying Haru-chan?" Mitsu-niichan scolded Kyo-niichan.
"I'm not, I just wanted an answer on a question."
"What did you ask Haru-chan that it made her look so troubled?" Mitsu-niichan asked curious.
"Mitsukuni." Taka-niichan said.
"We want to know two!" the twins interrupted them.
"I hope you didn't ask our daughter something indecent." Tama-niichan warned.
Kyo-niichan looked at me and for a moment I thought he wasn't going to tell them. "I just asked whether she and Mori-senpai were dating." He explained, of course he would tell them.
"We're not." Taka-niichan answered immediately.
"But you two are really close these past days." Hika-niichan mentioned, his hand on Kao-niichan shoulder. Tama-niichan stayed unexpected silent, I thought he would have thrown a tantrum.
I looked at Taka-niichan, would he tell the others the truth or will he lie for me, Taka-niichan looked back and I saw his inner fight about whether to tell them my identity or not. The normally cheerful Mitsu-niichan looked up in silent at his old friend. Taka-niichan has always been bad at lying to Mitsu-niichan.
Mitsu-niichan touched Taka-niichan's hand and smiled to him, Taka-niichan looked first surprised by the action but then smiled back at his little friend.
"Haruhi and I discovered recently that we knew each other when we were young." Taka-niichan explained and actually he wasn't really lying.
"So Haruhi asked me if she could call me Takashi."
"Whoa, you knew Haruhi when she was little?!" the twin asked Taka-niichan curious. "How did she look like?" Taka-niichan looked over at me and smiled, I was so glad that he hadn't told them. Hika-niichan and Kao-niichan were still speculating about how I would look like when I was young, Kyo-niichan started writing in his book, I really hope he won't suspect things any more. Mitsu-niichan had begun eating the leftovers from his sweats.
Tama-niichan was the only one who hadn't moved from his place, he looked at me with a strange expression.
"Tamaki-senpai?" I called him.
He blinked a couple of times. "What?"
"Are you all right, senpai?"
Tama-niichan's eyes grew big. "Haruhi, could it be… that you're worried about me?!" he asked hopefully. "Like hell I would be." I said coldly and turned my back to him.
"Haruhi~" Tama-niichan cried. A small smile showed on my lips, I was glad that he was normal again. Kyo-niichan question had caught me off guard and that had brought my secret in danger, next time that someone suspect something, I have to be prepared.
...
The next school day Shiori called me to the corridor so we could talk without being heard.
"Really, I'm so grateful to you, that you want to help me, Haruhi-kun." She said.
"I'm glad to be able to help." I replied. "So what do you want me to do?"
"You just have to tell Hikaru-kun that you want to speak him tomorrow after school at the gym." She explained.
"That's all?" I asked surprised, I hadn't thought she would ask me something easy like this, more something like putting her love letter in his locker or something. It's quite brave of her to confess her feelings for Hika-niichan face to face. "I'm sure he'll also come when you ask him yourself." I said.
"I doubt that, we haven't talked with each other very much so it would be awkward if I were to ask him such a thing." She replied.
"You think so? Well, I don't mind doing it. So tomorrow, after school at the gym, right?" I repeated.
Shiori nodded. "Ask him to come alone and also tell him not to tell anyone about it, not even Kaoru-kun." She added.
I laughed. "If I ask it like that, it will almost sound like I'm going to kill him." Shiori also started to laugh. "I won't kill him, I promise." She joked.
"I'll tell him right away." I said. "Good luck with your confession."
"Thank you, Haruhi-kun." She answered.
I walked back to the classroom and saw Kao-niichan and Hika-niichan waiting at my desk. I'll have to separate them and see that I can talk to Hika-niichan alone.
"K-kaoru-kun?" Shiori called. "Sensei asked if you could help with carrying the books."
Kao-niichan sighed annoyed. "Why do I have to do such a stupid thing?"
"S-sorry…" Shiori whispered softly, as Kao-niichan walked out of the classroom, Shiori glanced at me and smiled. What a smart girl…
"Hikaru?"
"Yes?"
"Could you come to the gym after school ends tomorrow, alone?" I asked.
Surprise was written on his face. "Why do you ask?"
"I want to tell you something important, oh and please don't tell anyone about this, not even Kaoru." I added. The tips of Hika-niichan ears turned slightly red. "O-okay." He answered an looked quickly away. "I'll be there."
I felt a bit guilty to lie to him but it was for a good purpose. Hika-niichan and I kept talking till some noise rose among the other students.
"Arata-kun! You're back!" a female classmate yelled cheerful. Arata was standing in the doorpost and waved to the girl.
"I'm sorry for being absent so long but my health decreased." He explained. He had already told me this morning that he would come back to school so I wasn't surprised to see him.
I can't longer trust him but I really do feel safer when Arata was around.
Yay, Arata's back!