Chapter 1 - Bonding Over Homework

Many people with communication disorders have a disposition which does not allow them to join their friends when they see them with someone whom they don't know.

And the emotion they feel…

Is something that others might call jealousy.

—

Tadano was overwhelmed. He had been assigned so much work by his teacher due to being the class representative. Stacks of documents layer on his desk, only seeming to get bigger every day.

Tadano and Komi were the only ones in the classroom. Komi was looking at Tadano. She wanted to offer him some help but couldn't seem to offer up the courage to ask him.

The door to the classroom opened.

"I wonder who that could be? Nobody comes around after school hours," thought Tadano.

"Ah, umm, you're Onemine-san. From our class," stated Tadano.

"You look like you got a lot of work on your hands, being the class representative and all. You okay?" asked Onemine.

"Ahh, do you need something?" asked Tadano wearily.

Onemine looked at Tadano with empathy, feeling bad for the amount of work on his hands. "Hey Tadano-kun you look like you need help, I'm going to take some off documents off you. Mind if you can help me take them to my prep room?" said Onemine.

Tadano stood up, ready to go with Onemine, when he noticed Komi looking at him. "Hey Komi-san, do you want to help too?"

"Hmm, I think the two of us would be enough for this," stated Onemine.

"Ahh, you're right. You can wait for us here then."

Komi looked over as Onemine and Tadano went to complete the work. She felt a strange feeling in her chest. Not sure what it was, Komi grabbed a book from her bag and started reading.

—

Tadano and Onemine were walking down the hallway to the prep room when Onemine started talking to Tadano.

"So Tadano-kun, how's school been lately?" asked Onemine.

"Um, why do you ask?" Tadano replied.

"Well, aren't you getting bullied at school?"

"N-no, I don't think that's the case…" stated Tadano, confused about where she had gotten that from.

"Eh, is that so? I noticed the teacher playing Minesweeper while saying 'Being able to leave my work on Tadano-san is so nice,' so I was sure that was the case," Onemine replied cheerfully.

"Huh, am I being bullied after all?" thought Tadano.

The duo reached the prep room and started placing the work on the desk.

"So you offered help because you were worried?" Tadano questioned, seeming to understand.

"Ah, you found out? I really couldn't sit around and watch you be overworked," chuckled Onemine.

"Wow she's so nice!" thought Tadano.

They finished putting the documents away and started to stroll back to the classroom.

"Tadano-kun, one more question. About your relationship with Komi-san, are you perhaps a masochist?"

"Errr, could you tell me how you reached this conclusion?!"

"I mean, people say that approaching Komi-san is difficult since she is a beauty, but she also has this menacing stare that looks deep into your soul."

"I-is that so?" responded Tadano.

"Then a normal guy like you is around her, so uhh, I just thought that you liked being glared at. It's okay if that's the case, I completely understand!" Onemine said bashfully.

"You're wrong about that."

Her face flushed red, embarrassed at her accusation. She looked down at the floor so Tadano wouldn't see her.

"Besides, Komi isn't menacing, you just have to talk to her. I'm pretty sure she would be happy to talk to you," Tadano reassured Onemine.

"Eh, are you sure? Everyone thinks really highly of her, so maybe she looks down on oth-"

"That's not true," stated Tadano boldly.

Onemine looked up at Tadano. "That's nice how he's defending his friend," thought Onemine.

Onemine kept staring at Tadano, noticing just how cute he looked. She quickly realised and blushed.

"Um, here's my phone number. Call me if you need any more help!" Onemine said manically, hoping he didn't notice her looking at him.

Onemine turned her forward when she saw Komi peering at Tadano and her behind a corner. Tadano seemed to notice as well.

"Huh? Komi, what's wrong?" asked Tadano.

Komi stayed silent, looking at the duo.

Onemine thought back to her conversation with Tadano. "Komi-san isn't menacing, you just have to talk to her."

"Hey Ko-" she ran off before Onemine could finish. She was devastated.

"Ehhh, what did I do?!"

Tadano desperately tried to explain that Komi was just like that, but he couldn't get the words out.

—

The Next Day

Onemine walked into Tadano covered with even more documents. "Guess I have no choice but to help you!"

"No you don't have t-"

"If you say no, I will give you more work."

Tadano looked over at Komi. "Komi-san, you can just go home ahead of me."

Komi was conflicted. She wanted to offer Tadano some help but for some reason, she couldn't even seem to write it down. Coincidentally, that feeling in her chest was back. Unsure what to do, Komi ran out of the classroom.

Onemine noticed this conflict in Komi and started to wonder why. She soon concluded that Komi was jealous of Onemine and that she got to spend time with Tadano. She felt bad about it but she needed to help Tadano with the excess amount of work he was given.

—

Onemine yawned. It was 7 o'clock.

"That work took longer than expected," thought Onemine.

"Finally it's done! Thank you so much Onemine!" Tadano remarked.

"Yeah, no problem!"

There was then some awkward silence. Onemine thought back to them when they were completing work together. Not only did they work they also talked about their families, school and their personal life. She felt like she got to know Tadano a lot more.

"I'm going to go. See ya on Monday, Onemine-san!"

"Hey Tadano-kun, do you want to get some coffee, it is pretty late after all?" Onemine said, hoping to break the awkward silence.

"Um, sure," replied Tadano.

Onemine and Tadano walked out of the school, going to the nearest Standbakes.

"Can I please get 2 salted caramel frappuccinos?" Onemine asked the cashier.

"Sure, that will be 1200 yen, but you can get 300 yen off because of the couples discount this week." replied the cashier cheerfully.

Onemine was incredibly flustered. "Oh n-no it-its not like that!" spouted Onemine while waving her arms around.

The cashier giggled at seeing the girl so flustered like that.

"Ok, if you say so!" the Standbakes worker replied.

"Come on Onemine-san, let's go!" said Tadano cheerfully as he paid for the drinks.

—

"I'm so sorry that I didn't pay for the coffee! I will pay you back on Monday!" offered Onemine.

"Oh no it's fine! It's the least I can do for helping me with my work," Tadano chuckled.

—

They were near Tadano's house.

"Bye Onemine-san, see you on Monday!"

"Bye Tadano!"

Tadano walked through the door to his mother and sister at the dinner table.

"Where have you been?! I was so worried!" questioned his mom, Jeanne.

"Onemine was just helping me with some work, then we went for some coffee."

"Ooh, Onii-chan hanging out on a girl late on a Friday!" his sister, Hitomi, joked.

"It's not like that."

"Come on, sit down and eat your dinner. I made some curry!"

Tadano sat down and started to eat the delicious curry his mum prepared for him.

—

Meanwhile…

Onemine jogged to her house. She opened the door and noticed no one was there. She took her shoes off and went to go upstairs to her room when her mom walked in.

"Nene! Where have you been?!" shouted her mother. Her mother was very strict and had a rule about staying out too late. Through talking to Tadano and getting coffee she had gone way past her curfew.

"Um, I was with a friend, helping him out with his class representative work."

Her mother was not impressed. "Then why do you have a Standbakes cup in your hand?"

Onemine looked down, terrified. She had forgotten to throw it away.

"I, uh, offered to get coffee with Tadano-kun, my friend, after helping him out. Then he and I walked to his house. Then I walked back here." Onemine winced, ready for her mother's shouting.

"YOU DID WHAT! What does this Tadano guy thinks he's doing! You bring him here tomorrow or your grounded!"

Onemine was very surprised. "Wait, why?!"

"As a mother I need to see who this 'Tadano-kun' is and whether he is right for my daughter. You like him, don't you?! It's obvious! Why else would you offer to go get coffee?" replied her mother, clearly annoyed at her daughter.

"It's n-not l-like that!" Onemine desperately tried to convince her mum.

"I don't want to hear it. You bring him tomorrow or you're grounded for a month."

Onemine put her face in her palms. Tomorrow was going to be so embarrassing, having Tadano at her house. If she could convince him to come to her house.

"Alright, time for you to go to bed, Nene."

Onemine started walking upstairs to her room. "I wonder if I could make it less awkward if I ask Komi-san to come over as well?" pondered Onemine.

Author's Notes

This is my first Fanfiction, so any feedback is appreciated!

Next On Bonding Over Homework: Onemine's House