Chapter 51 - A Student's Heart II - Yuuka
...
As the day continued, I began tearing through a literal fuck-ton of paperwork that had piled up during the last week and a half, taking breaks only to eat and use the bathroom.
As the sun began to set and the day neared its end, I noticed something on my desk.
A pamphlet, advertising a new movie. The description of it is weird though.
"Watch the powerful hero overcome adversity with his math-based powers and sizable IQ? The fuck?" I read aloud, absolutely confused to no end.
Hmmm... Maybe I should go watch it for the fun of it.
Or maybe...
I DID promise to hang out with her...
Picking up my phone, I draft up a text to send to Yuuka.
Hey, Yuuka. You still up to hang out?
What's this about?
Remember? During the mess over there at Millennium?
The mess you caused?
Helped with, not caused. Besides, Schale's already helping to pay for the damages.
That's not the point, though. The point is, I promised to make it up to you.
Yeah?
So, do you wanna hang out tomorrow?
I got a pamphlet for a weird movie and thought about going to see it for the fun of it.
Wanna come with?
...
Sure, I'd love to.
Great!
It's starting at about 1, but we should meet up earlier and grab some food.
That's fine by me.
See you then, Sensei.
Putting my phone back down, I smile. I haven't spent time with Yuuka in a while, after all.
Hmm. I should hang out with Chinatsu later. I know she's super busy. And Hina as well. Hoshino too!
Eh, but for now, I'll worry about Yuuka.
As I ruminate that, I get another text.
Hey, Sensei!
Yo, Hoshino.
Are you finally done with that job over at Millennium?
That I am.
Do you wanna hang out tomorrow?
Erm, actually, I gonna hang out with someone else tomorrow.
Let's just say, I ended up causing some trouble over at Millennium and I'm making it up to her.
'Her'? Are you going out on a date, Joshua?
Oh, no. She called me by my name...
I guess? If she sees it that way, then I suppose.
Hmm...
...
What are you thinking about?
I'm thinking you might get another girlfriend.
Huh?
I don't think Yuuka likes me THAT much.
You're going on a date with her tomorrow, you never know~
Fair enough.
Hey, if she does confess or something tell me. I wanna meet her sometime.
Alright then. I'll text you after the 'date' tomorrow, girlfriend.
I'll be looking forward to it, boyfriend.
Heehee. Boyfriend.
That girl...
At a little before noon the next day, I stroll on over to Millennium.
Once I arrived at the meeting spot Yuuka and I agreed on, I find her in her uniform, speaking with another girl.
The other girl has long white hair, reaching her ankles and vivid purple eyes with odd headbands on either side of her head. She wears a uniform similar to Yuuka's, except white with a white hoodie worn over it around her arms, like Yuuka. She has white, high heeled boots and carries a customized white pistol. Her halo is comprised of a white, 3D outer ring and a light blue, 2D inner ring.
"For the last time, Noa, it isn't a date!" Yuuka shouts at the white haired girl, Noa. "It's just Sensei paying me back for the trouble he put me through last week."
"And what about me? I was locked in that hallway for almost the entire night, you know." Noa asks, teasingly.
"W-Well, that's..." The purple haired girl says, trying to retort.
"Though I suppose I shouldn't get in the way of your date any longer." Noa says.
"It ISN'T a date!" Yuuka roars.
"It's totally a date." I say, causing the two to whip their heads around to see me, with a teasing grin.
"S-Sensei?!" Yuuka shouts, shocked by my sudden presence. "When did you get here?"
"At around 'For the last time'." I say with a smile.
Yuuka merely groans in frustration, while Noa steps towards me. "So... You're Joshua Sensei?"
"That's me, uh..." I say, fishing for her name.
"Oh, that's right, we've yet to meet." The white haired girl says. "I'm Ushio Noa, the secretary of Seminar. It's nice to finally meet you, Sensei."
"You as well." I say with a smile. "And, uh, sorry about that mess last week."
"Fufu~ If you want to apologize, show Yuuka a fun time today." Noa says.
Yuuka sighs loudly. "Someone seems to be in high Spirits today."
"I'm surprised you aren't." I point out. "We haven't hung out in a while, after all."
The treasurer blushes at my words. "Well, that's..."
"Goodness, it's so strange seeing Yuuka this flustered." Noa teases.
"I am not flustered!" Yuuka snaps. "And stop messing with Sensei."
"When have I 'messed with' Sensei?" Noa asks, smiling. "I've simply offered my formal greetings to Sensei here, as a member of Seminar ought to do. Have I... offended you in any way? Or is it that you cannot bear to see Sensei growing fond of me...?" She asks, stepping closer to Yuuka. "A little bit of jealousy perhaps? Hm?"
"What?" Yuuka asks, very flustered. "No! Wh-What would I have to be jealous about, anyway?!" Yuuka groans in frustration. "Let's just go already, Sensei." She says, grabbing my hand with hers and walking away.
"Goodbye, Sensei!" Noa says, politely, as Yuuka drags me off.
Yuuka's face is stern, as she grumbles to herself, while dragging me off the Millennium campus.
"She seems fun." I say, joking.
"Not you too." Yuuka groans, letting go of my hand.
"Sorry." I apologize. "But you do get flustered way to easy."
"And whose fault is that?" She asks.
"Mine." I admit.
"Hmph." Yuuka says, crossing her arms and looking away. Essentially, the classic tsundere pose.
"Heh, let's just go get some food. I haven't eaten this morning." I say.
"You haven't? Why not?" The treasurer asks, confused.
"I was so focused on us hanging out later that I forgot." I say with a shrug.
"Sensei, you have to take better care of yourself." She berates me.
"I know, I know. Now enough stallin', let's go eat." I say, as we walk towards our first destination.
As we walk, Yuuka hesitantly and slowly grabs onto my hand, holding it in hers. Looking down, I see her looking away from me, her face red. I grab onto her hand in return, surprising her, as she turns to look at me, her eyes a bit wide.
I flash the purple haired girl a smile, who flashes me one in return.
We go into a small cafe, getting something to eat. They're still serving breakfast stuff, so I grab some eggs, pancakes and coffee. Yuuka, who hasn't come to places like this often, didn't know what to order, but eventually settled on what I got.
Yuuka takes a sip of her coffee, the smoke wafting up into the air. She then sits the cup down, letting out a happy sound.
"It's good coffee, huh?" I ask.
"Yes, it's quite good. I wonder what brand it is." She says.
"Oh? Wanting to get the Seminar office stocked up?" I ask, smiling.
"You know, that isn't a bad idea, Sensei." She says, a wistful look on her face.
I take a big bite of my pancakes.
"Did you really need to put that much syrup on those?" Yuuka asks.
"Yes." I say, without any space for uncertainty. "Besides, I like a lot of syrup on pancakes."
Yuuka lets out a soft chuckle at my words. "It's so odd how that sounds exactly like something you'd do, Sensei." She says, shaking her head a bit.
"Heh, if you say so." I say, chuckling as well. "So, uh... How's everything going over there."
"Well, things have finally calmed down after last week. No thanks to you, Sensei." She accuses, half-heartedly.
"Again, sorry." I say.
Yuuka sighs again, but she doesn't hide her smile. "Repairs on the shutters and various other parts of the building have begun."
"Oh? It gonna take a while?" I ask.
"It shouldn't. Millennium students are quite capable with these sorts of things." She says, proudly.
"And the hole in the ground on that one floor?" I ask.
"Which one? The one you made, or the one Neru made?" She asks, eyes narrow, accusingly.
"Uh, both...?" I ask, slowly.
"Well, the one Neru made will be fixed quick, but the other one will take quite a bit of time." She explains. "I still can't believe you shot a hole in the floor like that!" She says, pointing her fork at me.
"Hey, it slowed you down, didn't it?" I ask, hands raised in faux surrender.
Yuuka sighs, lowering her pointy utensil. "Why can't I be mad at you...?" She asks herself, quietly, shaking her head.
I merely chuckle, smiling at Yuuka's words. Despite shaking her head still, her smile is there, in full force.
After enjoying our wonderful meal, we head towards the movie theater.
"So what is this movie about?" Yuuka asks.
"Apparently, some guy beats bad guys with math." I say.
"Huh...?" Yuuka asks, deadpan.
"It sounds stupid, right?" I ask.
"Is it... a kids movie?" The treasurer asks.
"Nope. It's a PG-Thirteen movie and everything." I explain. "Somehow, a pamphlet for the movie ended up on my desk. When I saw it, I just kinda shrugged and thought 'Maybe I should go see it? It could be fun'."
"And... you thought I would like a math-based superhero movie?" She asks.
"So asks the mathematician." I point out.
"That's... well... Fine! Let's go watch the movie, then." She says, relenting.
"Alrighty then." I say. "Who knows, maybe it'll be good."
It was not good. The movie was shit.
Terrible music, terrible acting, terrible script, terrible premise, terrible editing, terrible CG, terrible everything.
One funny thing did come of this, however.
"Are the people who wrote this idiots?!" Yuuka roars.
"Oh, definitely." I say, wholeheartedly agreeing. "Who has their main hero fight a monster, only to have it befriend him like that? It was so sudden and non-sensical."
"I know! And they couldn't even get their math right! Why would a hero that uses math as fuel for his powers be unable to properly do math!" She complains.
"I ain't able to do mental math like you and even I knew they weren't right." I agree.
"Honestly... How did something like this ever get made?" She asks.
"Idiots green-lighting it." I say.
Yuuka chuckles suddenly. I smile and chuckle as well.
After a moment, we calm down. "Still, this was kinda fun." Yuuka admits.
"Wierdly enough, yeah." I say. "I mean, the movie sucked, but hanging out like this was nice."
"Yes, this was nice." Yuuka says, looking up at me with a smile on her face.
The two of us stare at one another's eyes for a long while, both of us unable to move.
Huh... I never noticed Yuuka has red in the very center of her pupils... How neat.
The two of us are standing a bit close to one another, our focus completely on the other, and-
"Hey, Sensei!" A voice calls out.
Yuuka and I tense up, stepping back from one another, as I turn to see... "Hoshino?"
"Hey, what a coincidence!" The heterochromatic eyed girl says.
"The hell are you doing here?" I ask, shocked we'd run into one another.
"Well, Shiroko needed a part for her drone, but she was busy, so I figured I'd go buy it for her." Hoshino explains. "Heehee~ Sorry if I interrupted your date."
"H-Huh?! We aren't on a date!" Yuuka defends, her face red and eyes wide.
"Oh? Your face tells a different story~" Hoshino teases.
"No it doesn't!" Yuuka says, crossing her arms. "And who are you, anyway?"
"Ehh~? Didn't I see you help out during that mess with that whale?" Hoshino asks, surprising Yuuka. "Oh well, I suppose I don't know everyone that showed up, either. I'm Takanashi Hoshino, from Abydos." She introduces.
"Well, I'm Hayase Yuuka, from Millennium." Yuuka introduces.
"Oh? You go here?" Hoshino asks, her eyes widening a bit.
"That's right. I'm the treasurer of Seminar. Er, the Student Council, that is." Yuuka says.
"Oh-ho! That's pretty impressive! You must be pretty smart to take that job here." Hoshino says.
"I... guess so?" Yuuka asks, confused as to where Hoshino is going with this.
"Hmm..." Hoshino hums in thought, looking at Yuuka. "Hey, Sensei." She says, turning to me.
"Yeah?" I ask.
"Is it okay if I borrow your date for a sec?" Hoshino asks.
"Huh?!" The purple haired girl shouts.
"Sure, I guess." I say, awkwardly.
"HUH?!" The purple haired girl shouts, louder.
"Great! Come here for a second, Yuuka-chan~" The pink haired girl says, grabbing Yuuka's hand and dragging her off.
"What? Hey! Slow down!" Yuuka shouts, being dragged off by the shorter girl.
Just what is she planning? Knowing Hoshino, she's gonna mess with me, huh?
Around the corner, Hoshino finally lets go of Yuuka's hand.
"Okay, what is this all about?" Yuuka asks, fed up.
"I just wanted to make sure of something." Hoshino says, surprising Yuuka with her sudden seriousness. "And it'd be better to ask away from Sensei."
"And what is it you want to ask?" The treasurer asks, eyes narrow.
"Why do you like Sensei?" The shorter girl asks.
Yuuka's eyes widen and her face reddens. "Huh?! I-I don't like Sensei!"
"You totally do. Now spill." Hoshino says, teasingly. "C'mon, you can tell 'ol Uncle Hoshino~"
"Uncle...? Ugh, look I don't like Sensei." Yuuka defends.
"Okay, then. What do you think of him exactly?" Hoshino asks.
"Well, he's a bit irresponsible and definitely suicidal, if that mess with that whale was any indication." Yuuka says, causing Hoshino to frown from the reminder. "But, after what happened here last week, I know he really does care about his students. I'm almost afraid to ask just how far he'd go for us. He..." Yuuka pauses to sigh. "He's a really nice person." She says, her face burning crimson.
"Yeah, he's a really nice person. What happened last week?" Hoshino asks.
"Well, to keep a long story short, this group of girls, the Game Development Department, were about to lose their club, so they asked Sensei for help. They ended up finding this thing called the GBIBLE, that was supposed to show them how to make the greatest game ever." Yuuka explains. "But, they needed to unlock it, and the only way was with a piece of tech we confiscated."
"Oh? Did Sensei steal it?" Hoshino asks.
"Of course he did!" Yuuka snaps. "He, the Game Development girls, the Engineering Club and the hacker group Veritas all worked together to raid the Student Council building and steal the Mirror, then unlocked the GBIBLE and made their game."
"Game...? Hang on, wasn't there a lot of people online talking about some new game from Millennium recently?" Hoshino asks.
"That's them. They ended up keeping their club with Sensei's help, but still... He really went far for them." Yuuka says, still a bit surprised by the events of last week, clearly. "Though, I still don't know why Himari told us about them."
"Himari?" Hoshino asks.
"She's the club president of Veritas." Yuuka says, causing realization to light up in the shorter girl's eyes. "She told us about their plan to steal the Mirror, but I can't figure out why."
"Hmm." Hoshino hums.
'Looks like I'll have to have a talk with this Himari girl too.' The pink haired girl thinks to herself.
"Well, you've confirmed my suspicions." Hoshino says, after a silent moment.
"What suspicions?" The purple haired girl asks.
"That you like Sensei."
"Huh?!" Yuuka shouts, red faced again. "I told you, I don't-"
"I know what you said, but ya can't lie to me." Hoshino says, staring right into Yuuka's eyes.
After a tense stare down, Hoshino not relenting, Yuuka's composure slowly crumbles. "Okay, fine! I... I guess I do kinda like Sensei." She admits, quietly.
"Then go tell him."
"Huh? B-But..." Yuuka tries to defend.
"Just tell him how you feel, I know it'll work."
"How do you know that?" Yuuka asks.
"Oh? That's because I like him too." Hoshino reveals, nonchalantly.
"What?!"
"Oh, come on. You had to have seen it coming." Hoshino says, deadpan. "How many other guys are there in Kivotos that aren't robots or animals. Even then, how many of those guys would go that far to help their students, were they in Sensei's position?"
Yuuka remains silent, contemplating the shorter girl's words.
"He's a great guy, y'know? He's bound to get lots of girls liking him." Hoshino continues.
"Do..."
"Hm?" Hoshino asks, hearing Yuuka's mutter.
"Do you think he has a... girlfriend?" Yuuka asks, shyly.
"I already know he does." Hoshino says. Yuuka's eyes widen, before her face turns into a visage of sadness and hurt. "And you've got her approval."
"Wh-What...?" Yuuka asks, confused.
"Geez, I thought you were smart." Hoshino says, a tad surprised. "I'm giving you my blessing to date him too."
"Wait, YOU'RE his girlfriend?!" Yuuka shouts.
"And you are too, if you want." The older, yet shorter girl says.
"Hang on... Are you suggesting we share him?" Yuuka asks, stupefied.
"Yup." Hoshino curtly responds.
"I... I don't..." Yuuka tries to formulate a response.
"Like I said, he's bound to get all sorts of girls interested in him, and I don't mind sharing." Hoshino says with a shrug. "Besides, he deserves all the love he can get."
"What do you mean, Hoshino?" Yuuka asks.
The shorter girl merely sighs. "It's not my place to say, just know he got hurt by his ex, badly." She says, surprising the treasurer. "So if you are interested in him, don't you even think about hurting him, or I'll hurt you, got it?"
Yuuka is taken aback by Hoshino's sudden terror-inducing face and tone of voice. All she can do is dumbly nod in affirmation towards the shorter girl.
"Good. Now-" Hoshino says, grabbing Yuuka and rotating her around, before pushing her away. "-go tell him how you feel."
"I..." Yuuka says, turning back to the older girl. "Thank you, Hoshino."
"Oh, no worries. It's this old lady's job to help youngsters out." The older girl says, walking away.
'What a weird girl.' Yuuka thinks, a smile in her face, as Hoshino walks away.
She then turns and walks back towards her Sensei, her emotions turbulent.
'I really do like Sensei, don't I?' The treasurer thinks to herself. 'And... he's been hurt before? What did she mean by that? Gah, never mind, I... I need to tell him.'
Thus, she walks towards the source of her interest, determination in her heart.
After a minute, I got tired of waiting on the two speaking and sat down on a bench.
After a few minutes, Yuuka came back from around the corner, Hoshino nowhere in sight. Her face looks normal from a first glance, but she seems serious underneath the normalcy.
"Sensei, can I have a moment of your time?" She asks, a determined look on her blushing face.
"Sure." I say, standing up.
Yuuka then grabs my hand once more, pulling me along to the entrance of an alleyway, before stopping, out of earshot of the various pedestrians walking to and fro.
"So, uh, what did you wanna talk about?" I ask, a tad awkward.
"Sensei...! I, um..." Yuuka begins to say, but she stumbles over her words, her face burning a stronger and more vibrant crimson as time passes. "I... Oh, dammit!" She shouts, fed up at herself. "I really love you!"
I let out a soft gasp at the purple haired girl's sudden confession.
"Yuuka, you... Really?" I ask.
"Yes. I-I didn't realize it at first, but Hoshino helped me realize it." She explains.
"That girl..." I say with a light chuckle.
"I... I realized that I really loved you. I don't even know how it happened." She says with an awkward chuckle. "But somehow, I ended up becoming really fond of you. I know Hoshino said she'd be fine with sharing, but..."
"Yuuka." I say, stopping her, causing her to look up at me. "I love you as well."
Her purple eyes widen as her red pupils dilate. "R-Really?"
"Of course, dummy. You've been good to me, ever since I first came to Kivotos." I say, remembering our foray into the Schale Building for the first time. "You're a sweet girl, even if you get a tad tsundere at times."
"I am NOT a tsundere." She defends, ironically in a tsundere manner.
I merely chuckle, causing her eyes to narrow at me. "But honestly, I love you as well, Yuuka." I say, pulling the blushing girl into a tight hug.
"Sensei..." She says into my chest. "I... I want to be with you. And... And I promise I won't hurt you like your ex did."
My eyes widen at her words. "Hoshino told you?"
"She didn't say specifics, that it wasn't her place to explain." She says.
"Yuuka." I sigh. "Come with me." I say, grabbing her hand and pulling the girl along.
"Wh-Where are we going?" She asks.
"You'll see."
And so, I lead the blushing Yuuka to a park in Millennium. The two of us sit down on a bench in the quiet, empty park.
"Okay, Yuuka. If you really want to be with me, then..." I close my eyes and sigh deeply. "Then you should know what happened."
"I... Okay." She says, surprised by my seriousness.
"Long story short, my girlfriend, who I was gonna ask to marry, was cheating on me with my best friend." As I say that, Yuuka's eyes widen in shock. "The guy was using me from day one, so the two of us fought after he smacked Jane. See, the guy was the son of the biggest conglomerate in the world. About a week later, he came on tv, saying his dad died, and that I attacked my girlfriend and he fought to protect her. Jane ended up in a coma, and the piece of shit used his daddy's money to place a ten-billion dollar bounty on my head.
"Ten bi-?!" She holds in her shout, eyes wide.
"A little over a trillion yen." I say, putting it in perspective. She remains silent in contemplation. "And so, for the past five years before I ended up here, I was running all over the world. I wasn't just a criminal... I was wanted. Ten billion is a lot for bringing someone in dead or alive."
I turn to the silently shocked Yuuka. "I've done a lot of bad things, Yuuka. I know I might look like a great person to y'all, but I've done things that would disgust even bad people, all just to survive..." I sigh. "So... Are you really fine with being with someone like me?"
"Sensei." She says seriously. "You're an idiot."
Not the response I was expecting.
"Sensei, I don't care what you did in the past. You've helped out so many people here in Kivotos, I know that you aren't a bad person." Yuuka says passionately, as she leans towards me. "So stop being so hard on yourself."
I softly chuckle. "Geez, you and Hoshino both are adamant about that... Alright, you made your point. If you're sure about this... then I'd be glad to be with you."
"Sen-Sensei..." She says with a happy smile.
I gaze my eyes into Yuuka's, her body still leaned towards me. The both of us seem entranced by the other.
Before I realize, the both of us have leaned forward, our lips connected. Her lips are soft and taste of the coffee from earlier.
After a moment, we pull back from one another.
"I... So that's how a kiss feels..." She mutters quietly, averting her gaze from me.
"It's nice, huh?" I ask.
Her gaze snaps up to me, surprised I heard her, but she just smiles serenely. "Y-Yeah... I... Thank you for giving me a chance, Sensei."
"Josh." I correct. "If we're gonna be together, call me Josh when it's just us."
If possible, her face somehow burns a stronger crimson. "All right, then... J-J-Josh." She stammers cutely.
I hug the purple haired girl. "You're way too cute, Yuuka."
She stiffens in my embrace, before leaning into it. "And you're too sweet, Josh." She says, quietly.
And so, Yuuka and I sit on a bench in a park in Millennium, both of us held in the other's arms.
The rest of the day passes quickly, as the sun soon begins to set.
"Hey, Yuuka."
"Yes, Josh?"
"...Love you."
"...?! Joshua...!"
"H-Hey, don't shake me!"
"Stop teasing me then!"
"But I love you, girl!"
"GAH!"
The two of us spend a while together, until we part ways as the sun sets.
As I return to Schale, I get a text from Hoshino.
Soooo~
Soooo~?
How did the date go?
It was great.
Oh, do I have some opposition?
I would say I rival instead.
Haha!
So...
Did she confess?
Yeah.
And...?
And I have two girlfriends now.
God, that sounds so weird.
It kinda does, yeah.
Hey, how about we hang out over at Abydos tomorrow?
Sounds like fun! You haven't been by here in a while.
Yeah, I haven't, sorry.
I should give my girlfriend more attention, after all.
...
...
...
Hoshino?
Sensei, I don't know if this old lady's heart can take you saying stuff like that.
Oh, hush. I'll come by sometime tomorrow.
Oh.
Actually, I've got something to do tomorrow, so can it be the day after.
If you want.
Great.
I'll be looking forward to it.
Me too.
I really haven't been by there in a while, huh? Not since she confessed to me.
I can only hope I can be a good boyfriend despite my busy job.
Not long after, Yuuka texts me.
Sensei, I...
I had a great time today.
I did too.
And thank you for accepting my confession, rushed as it might have been.
Eh, it wasn't that rushed.
Still, you don't have to thank me for that. I felt the same way, after all.
...That makes me happy.
...
And I...
I look forward to being your girlfriend.
...
You are way too adorable, Yuuka.
Wha?!
I told you to stop teasing me!
Sorry, sorry.
I look forward to being your boyfriend.
Thanks, Sensei.
Goodness, what a day this has been.
As I reach my office, Arona is on screen looking at this and that. "Oh, Sensei! Welcome back!"
"Thanks, Arona." I say with a smile.
"You look really happy, did something fun happen?" She asks.
"You could say that." I say, mysteriously.
"Are you gonna tell me~?" The AI girl asks, fishing for info.
"Hmm... Nah." I deny.
"Aww..." She whines.
"How about I tell you after I make myself some dinner?" I offer.
"All right, then." She chirps, happily.
Chuckling while shaking my head, I walk into the kitchen.
Oh, that's right.
Pulling out my phone, I dial a number.
'Hello? Sensei?'
"Hey, Utaha. I need a favor."
AN
Girlfriend numero dos.
How was the chapter? Did I do a good job writing this one?
Did I surprise you by writing this instead of another Down Time?
Edit: January 27, 2023: Changed some dialogue to set up the next chapter.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next!