Makoto and Shikimori arrived at the shopping mall, once in there, they headed to a clothing store
-"I am here to pick up a package belonging to Rakki Saizo" Makoto said to the counter worker
-"Yeah, let me go pick it up"
After a few minutes, he got his package
-"What did you get him?" Shikimori asked
-"Just some jeans and a belt, nothing too fancy" he replied "See anything you like?"
-"Huh?" Shikimori tilted her head in confusion
-"You said you wanted to check for something for Yuu, right?"
-"Oh, yes" she replied "Let's see what we have here"
They headed to the shirt area
-"Maybe something that will combine with the jeans?" Shikimori murmured to herself
-"Maybe, remember that his birthday was back in february, we just couldn´t meet that day, so don't pressure yourself"
-"I know"
Makoto´s phone began to rang, he checked the ID and it was his father
-"It´s my dad, I got to take this, I´ll be back soon"
-"Ok" Shikimori said, once she was sure he was gone, she let out a sigh "I feel bad doing this"
-"Shikimori-san!"
She heard someone calling her name, it was a girl
-"Oh, Yumi-san" she replied with a smile "What brings you here?"
-"I was picking my phone from the technical service and I saw you entering here. Once I was done, I decided to drop by to say hi"
-"That's nice of you"
-"What are you doing here?"
-"Looking for a present for Izumi-san, I couldn't get him something last time"
-"Huh?" Yumi was confused "But I thought you already bought him something"
-"W-Well, I figure one gift was not enough" she lied nervously
-"Awww, that's so cute. Anyway, I gotta go, see you later"
-"Take care"
And she was gone
-"Sorry about that" Makoto said as he returned "Have you decided on anything?"
-"Um, yes" Shikimori said "How about this shirt?" she pointed at one
-"Hmm, should be good" he then looked at Shikimori in the eyes "With whatever is that you bought for Yuu"
Shikimori´s eyes went wide in shock
-"I was coming back after talking to my dad, I heard what you were talking about with that girl"
Shikimori looked away, then took a deep breath and said "Can we talk outside?"
Makoto nodded
He was sitting on a bench, Shikimori arrived with two drinks
-"Here you go" she said with a small smile
-"Thanks, but you didn't have to"
-"I know, I still wanted to"
She sat next to him, and began to watch people passing by, minding their own business
-"Are you mad at me for lying?" Shikimori said embarrassed
-"Maybe a bit" Makoto admitted "Though I can understand why you did it"
-"What do you mean?" she said as she looked at him
-"I am guessing Yuu told you what happened with me and him at lunch, right?"
-"Just what he was comfortable sharing about" she replied
-"I figured as much" Makoto said and drank from his drink
-"But that was not my only reason"
Makoto looked at her confused
-"I was worried about you too"
Makoto raised an eyebrow at her "We just met 3 days ago, and this is our first private conversation, plus a rather unfortunate bowling activity"
-"True, but Nekozaki-san told me you apologized to her, and that's important"
Makoto looked away "Wasn't a big deal, I did something bad, and I took responsibility for it"
-"Which tells me that you are a nice and responsible person"
He let out a sigh "If you say so, all I ask is that you take care of Yuu, I know how accident prone he can be"
She looked at him with determination "I know, but I don´t mind, he's strong and cares for others, I want to be there for him as much as possible"
Makoto took a sip from his drink "I am glad to hear that"
-"But back to my original question, how´ve you been?"
Makoto looked at his drink "Just hanging in there, the usual, I have to start my school project tomorrow"
-"Yeah, same here"
Silence fill the environment
-"Say" Makoto said
-"Yes?"
-"If you ever need help with studies, let me know, I have great grades"
Shikimori looked at him puzzled "Really?"
-"Yeah, not that I'm bragging or anything, but I tend to do well"
She looked at him with a smile "I appreciate that Rakki-san"
They kept drinking in silence for a while
-"Thank you for taking the time to talk" Shikimori said "Again, sorry for lying to you"
-"It's fine" he said and thought "I am used to"
-"I´ll see you at school, and see you at Izumi-san´s house for his party"
He gave a nod in response, and they parted ways
As he was walking, Makoto pass a hand through his hair, feeling tired "You sure picked an interesting one, Yuu"
The following day, Makoto was walking towards school until he heard a voice
-"Yo, Rakki-kun!" it was Date, wrapping an arm around him "What´s up?"
Makoto let out a sigh "Morning, Date-kun"
Date looked at him perplexed "Geez, though morning?"
-"Something like that, can you get your arm off, please?"
-"No problem" and he did so "How are you feeling in regards to the project?"
-"Kamiya-san and I are meeting after classes to start with it"
-"Sounds good, man, you are a lucky one"
Makoto clenched his teeth in anger and looked away
-"You alright there?" Date asked with a raised eyebrow
-"Just tell me how exactly am I lucky?"
-"Dude, where have you been these last couple of days? We go to the same classroom and everything"
-"And I don´t talk to anyone, I am surprised I am having this conversation" Makoto thought bitterly
-"Kamiya-san is the ace of our school´s female volleyball team"
Makoto stared at him, surprised to hear that "Really?"
-"Damn right, not only that, she's a beauty, does good academically, everyone admires her"
-"Now that I think about it, everybody always greet her and treat her like an idol" Makoto thought "That explains the death stares I´ve been receiving, well, more than usual"
-"Well, you do sit next to her and got her assigned as your partner" Date pointed out "Still, just ignore them"
Something clicked on Makoto's head "What about you? Are you also angry with me?"
-"Nah, I know she's a beauty, but I don't see her that way, and, I don't know how to approach her, she seems to prefer her privacy"
-"Now that he mentions it, she's always either eating alone during lunch or just by herself, not to mention she turned Nekozaki-san offer to hang out, why does she do that? Then again, who am I to judge?"
-"Plus, I have my eyes set on someone else"
-"Good for you"
They kept walking to school, with Date talking about pretty much anything, and Makoto just listening and giving short answers
-"Geez, this guy is complicated" Date thought
The school day was over, after packing up his stuff, Makoto turned to his partner
-"Ready to go?" he asked politely
She gave a nod, and they headed towards the library, and took a seat
-"Do you have the list with the topics?" he asked
-"Yes" she checked her notes "They are: Start your own nonprofit that benefits your local community, organize a petition that will help solve a problem that your community faces, film a documentary about an issue in your neighborhood, lead a workshop on a topic like sustainability or equity, plant a community garden. What do you think?"
-"Hmm, the petition seems like the best one, the question is for what though?"
Kamiya put a hand on her chin, thinking "Pollution is a problem that is raising more awareness here in Japan, I saw it on the news today"
-"Sounds good to me, we can ask around our neighborhoods and gather data first, then we work on that"
-"Sound good Rakki-san, we should pick up some books about pollution though"
They chose some books, and started to read through them
-"There he is" Makoto heard a female whisper, and realized it came from behind him
-"Lucky bastard, having Kamiya-san all for himself" another whisper came from the same table, this one was male
-"I swear, he doesn't talk to anyone, does he think he is better than us?"
-"It was just random circumstances, this is a library, get to work, would you?" Makoto thought annoyed
-"Then again, it is Kamiya-san, she's just out of everyone reach" the first student whispered
-"Yeah, I wish I could talk to her now and then" the second one whispered
-"Why don´t you just talk to her? She's just another person" Makoto thought and looked at her, focusing on her book "She seems not to mind though, good for her I guess, but that just makes it more weird why she seems… alone" Makoto shook his head, getting back to work
After working for a while, they finish the questionnaire, as well as writing down some stuff for their report. Then they asked around Kamiya´s neighborhood. After that, they asked around Makoto´s neighborhood
-"And that´s the last one" Makoto said "Now we just need to organize this and make the petition"
-"We´ll need a computer though" Kamiya pointed out
-"My house is available, you don't have a problem, right?"
-"Not at all"
They got to Makoto´s house, he opened the door
-"Come on in"
-"Please excuse me"
-"Make yourself at home, the computer it's just in the living room, I´m gonna make some coffee, want some?"
-"Regular is fine, 2 of sugar please"
-"Ok"
After a bit, he came back with the drink
-"Here you go"
-"Thanks"
After turning the computer on, they started to type in the information
Until they heard the door opening
-"I´m back" a male voice said
-"Welcome home dad"
Kamiya´s eyes went wide
He walked into the living room "I just came back to pick up a file that I" he stopped until he realized his son was not alone "Oh, sorry, didn´t know you have company"
-"She's my classmate and partner for the project" Makoto said
-"The name is Ai Kamiya, sir" she stood up and gave a short bow "It's nice to meet you"
-"Nice to meet you as well, I´m Doctor Rakki Saizo. Anyway, I won't interrupt you, I´ll just look for my file and leave" and he headed upstairs
They kept working for a few minutes, until
-"Makoto!" his father yelled from upstairs "Can you come for a moment? I need your help"
-"On my way!" he replied "I´ll be right back"
-"No problem"
And he headed upstairs, to his father room
-"What is it?"
-"Close the door"
And he did
-"Hey" Makoto said embarrassed "Sorry if I didn't inform you, it was just"
-"I am not mad" his father said, sounding serious
-"Huh?"
-"I am happy" he said with a big smile "You brought a friend"
Makoto rolled his eyes "We are just working together for a project, not a big deal"
-"Not a big deal!?" he asked, sounding quite shocked "It is, I was worried you were just gonna isolate yourself and work on your own"
-"I am not gonna bring down someone else´s grades because of my issues, it's basic common sense"
-"Regardless" he wrapped his son in a hug "I am proud that you are trying"
Makoto rolled his eyes once more, and pat his dad on the back "Yeah, yeah, now get a move on, or you´ll be late"
-"Right, I´ll be working late tonight, so don't wait up for me, I´ll eat dinner outside, and make sure to accompany Kamiya-san to the station once she goes home"
-"I know"
His father walked downstairs "All right, I´m off, it was nice meeting you Kamiya-san"
-"Nice meeting you too, sir" she said with a small smile
And he was gone
-"Sorry about that" Makoto said as he joined her
-"No problem, your father seems like a nice person"
-"Yeah, he is" he said and thought "Though he can be a handful"
-"Anyway, let's continue" Kamiya said
As they were working, Makoto thought "I am glad she´s not mad at the surprise arrival of my dad, I don't want to cause her problems" he then thought of those whispers he heard earlier today, as well as the death stares his classmates have been giving him "Is she really ok with this?"
-"Say, Kamiya-san"
She looked at him "Yes?"
-"..." he shook his head "N-Nevermind"
She looked at him puzzled "You sure?"
-"Yeah, let's keep going"
And they did so, despite the awkwardness
After a while, they stopped for the day, now they were walking towards the station, the sun beginning to set
-"You didn't have to accompany me, you know?" Kamiya said
-"I know, but It's ok, a little walking is fine"
They kept walking on silence, until
-"Say, Rakki-san"
He looked at her "Yes?"
-"How have you been doing?"
Makoto raised an eyebrow "What do you mean?"
-"It's just… I heard the comments people make about you"
-"Oh, that" he shrugged "Don´t think that I consider myself better than them, hell, I am pretty sure they are better than me in any way, I am just a loner, nothing against them, they are free to say what they want"
-"You sure?"
Makoto was deep in thought "What should I do? She´s concerned, and it's not like that is a bad thing, but…"
-"S-Sorry" she said embarrassed "I overstep my boundaries"
He let out a sigh "Don't apologize, it's just"
He remained quiet, wondering how honest can he be with her
-"Nothing, I do appreciate you asking, but I'll manage. Sorry if I sound mysterious"
-"It´s ok. We all have the right to our secrets"
-"Thank you for understanding"
They kept on walking on silence
-"Were you able to fix your crux?"
-"Yeah, it's not the first thing that has happened, so it was an easy repair. Once more, thank you for finding it"
-"Don't mention it"
Silence filled the environment once more
-"So, how´s volleyball going?" he asked, trying to lighten up the mood
-"It's going fine, we are training for the sports festival, then we start the regionals. Are you interested in volleyball?"
-"A… friend of mine plays at my former school"
-"That's nice"
-"Yeah, I am from Tachikawa, so maybe you´ll face each other"
-"I look forward to that"
They arrived at the station
-"Well, here we are" he said
-"Thank you, see you at school"
-"Yeah" he took out his phone "I´ll give you my contact"
-"Huh?" she was confused "Why?"
Makoto raised an eyebrow "Well, we still have some stuff to do for our project, it will be better for us to communicate over the phone, rather than waiting to meet up at school"
-"O-Oh, right" she took out her phone and trade contact info "Thanks"
-"Take care"
-"You too"
She boarded her train, once she was gone, Makoto started to walk back home, he let out a sigh
-"Well, that wasn't so bad, she seemed to be comfortable enough at least… Though, why was she so confused about trading contact info? We are doing a project together" He shook his head "I don't know why I focus too much on it, once we are done with this, we will return to be strangers"
Having said that, he got home, another day was over
It was finally the day for Izumi´s party
Makoto and his father arrived at his house, after knocking on the door, a tall yet slim woman with purple hair greeted them with a small smile
-"Hey there sis" Saizo said to his elder sister, Motoko Izumi/Rakki
-"Welcome little bro" she gave him a small hug and looked at Makoto "Hello Makoto"
-"Hi aunt" Makoto said politely
-"Please, come in"
and the duo went in
-"Is Yuu here?" Makoto asked
-"He's at the movies with Shikimori-san, should be back soon"
-"I see. Anything I can do to help in the meantime?"
-"If you would like to set up the table please"
He only gave a nod in response
-"How is he doing?" Motoko asked
Saizo let out a sigh "Well, could be better, could be worse"
-"Did he apologize to Nekozaki-san?"
-"He did, and according to him, they are on good terms, but he's usually by himself"
-"The poor thing"
-"He did brought someone home the other day, just a classmate for a project though"
-"There´s that silver lining" Motoko said "I hope he's alright with Yuu and Shikimori-san being here"
-"I can only hope sis"
After waiting for a while, the door opened
-"We're back" Yuu said
-"Welcome back" his mother replied "Dinner will be done in a few"
-"Hi, Yuu" Saizo said
-"Hello uncle" he said "This is my girlfriend, Miyako Shikimori"
-"It's nice to meet you sir" she gave a bow
-"Nice to meet you as well"
-"It´s Makoto here?" Izumi asked
-"Right over here" he said as he left the bathroom "Hey"
-"Hey"
-"Did you two enjoy the movie?"
-"We did, thank you" Shikimori said
-"Anyway, let's take a seat, sis it's about to bring the food"
Shikimori and Saizo walked ahead, but just as Izumi was about to
-"Can we talk for a moment?" Makoto asked in a whisper
-"Oh, um, sure"
They walked into the garden
-"What is it?" Izumi asked
-"Listen, I" he felt embarrassed "I owe you an apology"
-"What do you mean?"
-"You were looking after me, and I pretty much told you to go to hell"
-"Oh, that" he looked down "I mean, it did hurt a bit, but"
-"It's not your fault what happened to me, I shouldn't take out my frustration on you"
-"Don´t worry Makoto" he looked up "With what you went through"
-"You also went through your fair share of misfortune"
-"But I have good people with me, so please, let me be there for you"
Makoto smiled a bit "You really are a nice guy, Yuu, specially when you consider"
-"We are family, nothing changes that" he quickly added "And family looks after each other"
-"Yeah"
-"So how have you been?"
-"Me? You know, working with Kamiya-san in a project"
-"Oh, I know Kamiya-san"
Makoto looked at his cousin, slightly surprised "Really?"
-"Yeah, we met last year when working at the library, she's a quiet person, but really kind" he put a hand on his chin ""You know, for some reason, she reminds me of you"
-"Why?"
-"I don´t know, I haven't seen her in a while, but I just thought of it"
-"If you say so Yuu. Anyway, let's get inside"
-"Right"
And so, they did
Everybody were at the table, eating and chatting happily
-"Have some pasta, Micchan" she grabbed the tongs, but just as she was about to grabbed some pasta "Ups" she dropped them
The tongs fell on a fork, which was sent flying, going at Izumi
-"Ah" he panicked
But before they could reach its target, they were stopped by two hands
-"Wow" Izumi said surprised
Both Makoto and Shikimori were holding the fork each
-"Would you look at that" Saizo said
-"That was amazing both of you" Motoko said
-"You have nice reflexes, both of you" Akisada said
-"Um" they were both embarrassed "Thank you" they let go of the fork
-"I´m sorry, both of you" Izumi said "Are you two ok?"
-"I´m fine" Shikimori replied with a smile
-"Don´t worry Yuu" Makoto replied "I've seen worse" he then looked at Shikimori "Thanks for the assist, Shikimori-san"
-"No problem"
After finishing eating, the three adults were washing the dishes while the three young ones were at the living room
-"He always falls asleep whenever he eats a lot" Makoto said once he notice his cousin sleeping on a chair
-"I think it's cute" she said, then quickly blushed once she realized he heard her
-"Relax, it's fine for you to say that"
-"I-I see"
-"Once more, good work catching that fork"
-"You did it good yourself, Rakki-san"
-"Well, we do know each other since we were kids" he looked at the ceiling "Once time, we were at the river camping, he almost got hit with one of the paddles"
-"How would that even?"
-"Beats me. I´ve learn to not question it, just be ready" he looked at her "I am glad he has you as well"
-"I am the one who should be grateful that he has such nice family"
-"Yeah, well, the guy is simple too nice, despite everything he's gone through, I am actually a little jealous"
-"Rakki-san" she said concerned
-"Ah!" he realized what he said "Don´t get me wrong, he's the best cousin you could ask for, so"
-"I understand how you feel" she looked at his boyfriend "He's really strong and cool… I´m happy that I met him"
He only gave her a nod
Eventually, it was time to part ways
-"Thank you once more for receiving us, sis" Saizo said
-"You are always welcome here"
-"See you at school tomorrow, Yuu… and you as well, Shikimori-san"
-"Take care Makoto"
-"Yeah"
And they left
Now they were on their way home
-"Did you enjoy yourself?" Saizo asked
-"I… It wasn't so bad"
He smiled at his son "I am glad to hear that"
He couldn't lie to his father, he honestly did have a good time
Maybe there´s some hope after all