Here I come with a new chapter!
I will probably speed up the pace of the story from this chapter on, in the sense that the days will go by faster. If I'm right, there are still several chapters to go before the apocalypse arrives, but I'll take advantage of those moments to develop the characters' relationships and abilities to the fullest.
Enjoy!
The bell rang throughout Fujimi Academy, signaling the start of recess.
The first hour passed really fast for Saeko and Takashi, who were hugging each other for most of that time. Now they were sitting side by side, the sad atmosphere managed to be forgotten, and that was reflected in Takashi's much calmer face.
"I think we need to get moving. Will use the gym in this hour." Saeko stood up and held out her hand to him, a gesture Takashi was quick to accept.
"I know. We should go to the rooftop, I'm sure Hirano must be worried because I left without saying a word." The young man stated as he stood up, rubbing his eyes one last time to make sure the tears didn't show on his face.
"Although I haven't talked to him much, he seems like a nice guy." Saeko commented as she began to climb the window.
Luckily for Takashi, she was the only student wearing long skirts, so it was impossible to see anything intimate by accident.
"Well, I guess it's not his fault. When we met we struck up a friendship almost immediately." Takashi grabbed her legs and placed her on his back so she could climb up more easily. "I'd say the problem is you. With the fame you have and how beautiful you are hardly anyone dares to talk to you." Takashi couldn't help but lower his head after thinking about those words.
"Indeed, it must be really hard to be her..." The young man thought with some concern as he watched as his friend managed to pass through to the other side. "I mean, how many people approached just because she was her father's daughter?"
Saeko demonstrated her perfect balance as she stood on the window, then knelt down and extended her hand to help him up.
"You're right. I think that's why I became interested in you." Those words made Takashi look at her with some confusion. "You don't care who I am, and because of that I feel that our friendship is smooth and sincere." Those words made the friend look at her with slight concern.
"Forgive me for asking, but how many important people do you have?" Takashi tried to ask the question in the least sensitive way possible, accepting the young woman's hand in hopes of climbing faster.
"Just my father. I've had female friends before, but they weren't what I thought. Maybe that's why I wanted to help you too, since I went through something similar, even if yours was more painful." She had no trouble at all responding, pulling Takashi's hand tightly.
"Well, now you have me too." Takashi replied with a smile, a response Saeko hadn't expected.
For some unknown reason she got over excited and ended up exerting more force than necessary. That resulted in both of them falling off the other side of the window.
Saeko slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Takashi's face glowing in the sunlight at its peak.
They had both fallen into a somewhat compromising position, as Takashi was on top of her, holding both of her arms tightly while their faces were very, very close.
It was as if he was about to kiss her.
That simple thought crossed Saeko's mind for a short second.
It was only a second, but it was enough to make her hands clench a little and her cheeks heat up.
"Well...I'm glad I'm not the only one who fell on my ass." Takashi commented with slight amusement, causing the uncomfortable atmosphere to break immediately, earning a light chuckle from Saeko.
Though it probably only proved uncomfortable for Takashi, as Saeko seemed to be enjoying that little moment.
That showed when Takashi wanted to stand up, as Saeko grabbed his arms to keep him from pulling away. The protagonist couldn't help but look at her with slight confusion after that action, and even Saeko herself seemed confused of what she had done.
The young man misunderstood her friend's intentions and helped her stand up along with him, so it was somewhat funny to see how Saeko blushed even more when they both ended up practically with their bodies stuck together.
"We have to move." Takashi commented with a smile, receiving an awkward nod from Saeko.
Takashi took the lead, leaving his future lover to debate with herself about what was happening to her.
She brought a hand to her flushed cheeks in great confusion. She couldn't understand the hidden reason behind why her body felt weird.
Saeko might have had some interest in some man in the past, that was an irrefutable truth.
But it was natural for her to be confused now, since interest was not the same as attraction, and she had never been attracted to a man.
Never, until now.
CHAPTER 3: HIRANO'S HOBBY!
176 days to the fall of Japan.
"Wow, I figured your problems were directed towards that point, but I didn't know it could be that bad. I don't know what to say, I just..." All Hirano could manage to do was rest a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Saeko was also accompanying the duo on the rooftop, listening intently without saying a word. The funny thing was that Hirano was the only one who seemed affected after what he heard, as Takashi had told him the story without much trouble.
"Don't worry. It was painful, but it's an awesome relief to be able to share this with you." Takashi didn't hesitate to respond with a toothy smile, revealing that his words were not untrue.
It was at that moment that Hirano realized something important, and that was the fact that Saeko had her wooden katana and backpack with her, indicating that she had not yet gone to class. That was more than enough to know that the two of them were together for this entire hour. The chubby boy gave a faint smile to the woman, who responded with the same gesture, as if they were both grateful that the other had cared for their friend.
But knowing that Saeko did much of the work to make Takashi feel better, Hirano couldn't help but feel a little annoyed with himself for not coming to his aid sooner.
That was exactly why he came up with a great idea, and he proved it when he suddenly stood up.
"Hirano?" Takashi asked him hesitantly, feeling that his friend's reaction was over the top.
"We're meeting at the usual park today! I just recently got the equipment, and I'm sure we're all going to get distracted and have fun!" Hirano exclaimed with much excitement.
"Everyone?" Saeko pointed at herself in great confusion after hearing the chubby boy's words, causing him to immediately get nervous.
"Of course, the great Miss Busujima is not obligated to go with us. It was just a..."
"I'll go." Saeko interrupted him, earning a pleasant surprise from the two men. "Can I have your numbers to make things easier?" Hirano immediately turned red at the thought of exchanging numbers with a woman, this being none other than the great Saeko Busujima.
"Sounds excellent to me." Unlike his friend, Takashi was as efficient and relaxed as ever.
"Shit, I left my new cell phone in the classroom and I can't remember the number." Hirano's embarrassment was not long in coming as he rubbed his hair with a nervous smile at the same time as he ran off the rooftop.
Both Saeko and Takashi stood silently watching as the chubby boy hurried down the stairs in search of his cell phone.
The buzzer that echoed over the speakers ended the break, indicating that Hirano would fail to accomplish his goal.
"You can give me his number when you're with him." Saeko commented as she handed the cell phone back to Takashi.
"Okay." Takashi looked towards the open door, sketching a faint smile. "I think you're still generating some discomfort for him with your presence." The brown-haired man scoffed as he extended his hand to help her up.
"Don't worry, I'm used to it." Saeko accepted Takashi's hand, and was in for a big surprise when the young man quickly pulled her to him for a tight hug.
"Thank you so much for today, really." Saeko's eyes widened a little after hearing those words.
Takashi's warmth and the sheer amount of emotions he was conveying with that strong and comforting hug made the beautiful teenager smile.
"Remember, you can always come to me if you have any problems. No matter how much time you need, I will give you everything." Saeko responded the hug and cupped her face into Takashi's neck, causing a faint blush to decorate her cheeks as she took in the comforting scent of her future lover.
"I know. Maybe I'm not the best example to say it, but you can also count on me if something bothers you." Saeko couldn't help but squeeze her body even tighter against his after hearing those words.
"No need." The doorbell rang once again, causing them both to break their embrace.
"I don't want you to miss another class because of me." Takashi commented with some seriousness, receiving a slight nod from her friend.
"But before you go..." Saeko took off a purple bracelet and took Takashi's hands to hand it to her. "If those nightmares come back to haunt you, remember that I'll always be around." Takashi just watched in awe as Saeko clasped his hands together so that he held the bracelet tightly.
Takashi watched silently as she left the rooftop, though she gave him one last glance before leaving.
"By the way, it's my favorite. I hope you don't lose it." The woman concluded with a beautiful smile.
That radiant smile made Takashi's eyes sparkle like never before, watching as that unique and cool woman descended the stairs with hurried steps.
Finally, one last thought crossed his mind.
"Who would have weighed that there is such a perfect woman like her in this academy?"
After that blunt sentence, Takashi returned to the class to the surprise of everyone in general, though the ones who were most surprised were Saya and Rei.
Hirano just gave him a smile. He knew his friend would be back.
Takashi brought his gaze to his two friends from the past who had hurt him so much, who were sitting together as they looked at him with some puzzlement.
The growing discomfort in his heart instantly disappeared the moment he brought his hand to his arm, rubbing the bracelet that had recently been given to him by that perfect and beautiful woman.
The mere thought of feeling the displeasure leave his body caused a triumphant smile to emerge from his face.
The protagonist advanced silently towards his desk, but first made a small pause as he focused his gaze on Saya.
"I will keep my promise." It was Takashi's simple reply, and Saya responded in her own way as she smiled back.
Takashi didn't expect any response, so he simply closed his eyes and advanced to his desk.
Saya's smile widened and the whisper was heard by the protagonist:
"But you already broke it, idiot..."
A few hours later...
"Thank you for joining us today. I understand your house is quite far away."
"It wasn't a bother. Besides, I didn't have much to do today."
Takashi and Saeko were chatting under the shade of one of the many trees in the park waiting for the only missing man.
Said man made an appearance in a rather unique outfit, causing their two friends to stand up while looking at him with great strangeness.
"What's up with that suit?" Takashi was the one who asked the question, as it was impossible to overlook that orange bulletproof vest, added to the red knee pads and other additions that made him look like a toy soldier.
"This suit is what we'll be wearing for fun." Hirano commented with complete confidence as he tossed them two large bags.
Saeko and Takashi opened the bags, their gazes reconnecting almost immediately, showing slight surprise on both sides as they pulled out a toy rifle.
"Your sport is guns?" The first to snap out of his stupor was Takashi, who couldn't help but stare at it with widened eyes.
"It's not just a sport, it's my vocation. It's my hobby." The confidence Hirano showed in his tone was surprising, as he had never been seen proud about anything before.
"I understand, and it looks fun." Saeko commented, eyeing the toy rifle closely. "But is it necessary to use protection?" Hirano's glasses glittered dangerously after hearing that question.
"Believe me you'll need it." Was his blunt reply as he put on special goggles and withdrew a toy gun from behind his back.
"Hum, don't you think it's too uneven?" Takashi looked at his big rifle and Hirano's small pistol with some uncertainty.
"It's the skill that matters. You guys need the gunsights, I've already practiced so much that I'm practically incapable of missing my target." Hirano again showed his great pride in the one subject he probably felt safe to talk about.
"If you say so..." Takashi bowed his shoulders as he eyed his rifle closely.
Meanwhile, Saeko couldn't help but get a strange feeling after listening to them.
"For some reason, I feel like that talk can work in various measures..." The woman thought with great confusion as she looked at Takashi's large rifle and Hirano's very small pistol.
Once the three were ready, the fun was about to begin.
Or well...
That should be so, but Saeko was having "certain problems" with her vest.
"Sorry. I took the measurements wrong, I didn't think your ... were so..." Hirano couldn't finish the sentence, and you only needed to see how even Takashi was blushing to know the importance of such a scene.
"Hey..." Saeko looked somewhat uncomfortable as she tried to adjust her vest, where you could tell that her cleavage was visible due to two buttons of her blouse popping off because they couldn't stand the pressure. "Is it really necessary to carry this?"
Hirano could think of no better idea than to show it to her directly, and used Takashi as a lab rat.
The poor protagonist flew to the ground when a rubber bullet hit his chest hard, causing a stunned silence to settle over the entire area.
Takashi was quick to raise his gaze, showing how stunned he was by what just happened.
"Holy shit..." Was all he could think to say in the face of such a bizarre situation.
"We can adjust the air if you want the shots to be lighter. It has a total of three levels." Hirano commented as he pointed to a small slot on his gun that was divided into three distinct spaces.
"Actually, I think it might be interesting to leave it like that." Takashi commented with some excitement, an excitement that took a back seat when a button fired at extreme speed hit his forehead squarely.
"Sorry." Saeko showed her concern as she crouched down in front of him.
Takashi was forced to avert his gaze after noticing her friend's large cleavage, something that also made her a little embarrassed as she brought both hands to her bare skin.
"I think before we start it would be better to teach you the postures and the basics." Hirano commented, being in a rather similar situation to Takashi.
And so it was that Takashi and Saeko started practicing with semi-automatic rifles with the great help and tutelage of Hirano, so the progress in a single day was really amazing.
Although undoubtedly what impressed Hirano the most was that Takashi seemed to have a certain affinity with weapons, even more than Saeko herself, who was always good in every aspect. Though obviously he was really far from surpassing the master.
The hours passed as fast as the entertainment, so it was time to say goodbye. Anyway, Saeko went to Takashi's house to help him a bit with the academic backlog he had accumulated.
At first, the protagonist seemed somewhat reluctant to accept Saeko's help, but she eventually convinced him.
Her elder's tutoring worked better than with Hirano, but the reality was that Takashi really sucked with practical matters, so he was still in deep trouble if he didn't improve in the next few weeks.
Still, the young man appreciated all the help as best he could.
After all that hard work, the two of them could finally give themselves a break.
"Do you like it? I'm not very good at cooking..." Takashi declared as he rubbed his hair with a nervous smile.
Saeko finished slurping the noodles, giving him a silent look.
"They're not bad, but you could have left it to me..."
"No way, you're my guest, and somehow I had to repay you for all the help you've given me!" Takashi exclaimed with complete seriousness, causing a faint smile to appear on the young woman's face.
"Thank you." She commented to then continue eating.
Once she went back to slurping her noodles, Takashi watched as Saeko looked around the surroundings very curiously. It was quite amusing to see her like that, especially since she still had noodles hanging out of her mouth.
"What's wrong?" Takashi instantly picked up that something was bothering Saeko.
"Do you always eat alone?" The woman asked very curiously.
"My parents are always traveling for work. I'm used to living alone." Takashi didn't have any problem answering him as he continued to eat.
That gesture made it quite clear that the absence of his parents didn't bother him much. Or maybe it did, but he was already resigned to living this way.
"In that case we already have another point in common." Saeko commented, catching Takashi's attention. "My father runs a big sports company in the United States, so I only get to see him once a year." Those words came as a great surprise to Takashi.
Although the circumstances were similar, the truth was that he was able to see his parents every two or three weeks. Having to endure a full year without seeing them again must be very difficult.
But he quickly realized that something was missing from the equation.
"So you live with your mother?" Takashi asked, feeling that made the most sense.
Hence, his surprise was more than great when he saw how his friend shook her head.
"My mother died of cancer when I was 5 years old."
"..."
"..."
"..."
A very awkward silence came between them after such a statement.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know..." Takashi couldn't help but lower his gaze with great remorse.
"Don't worry, it was a long time ago and it doesn't affect me anymore." The young woman commented with a slight smile, something that helped lighten the mood.
"So, are you alone for the whole year?" Takashi tried to continue the conversation so that the awkward moment would fade away completely.
It obviously hadn't been a very intelligent question, but Saeko didn't seem bothered.
"It's been a little over a year since my father left. Eventually I was able to get used to it, plus he calls me almost every day."
"I see..." Takashi paused in his answer, thinking about something very carefully.
The decision didn't take long to come to his eyes the moment he raised his gaze.
"Wouldn't you like to stay over?"
Saeko didn't bother to hide the great astonishment she felt after hearing such a proposal.
"But I don't want to intrude. Besides..." She commented as put the chopsticks down on top of the bowl.
"It's no bother at all." Takashi interrupted her, and Saeko's eyes widened slightly as she noticed the look he was giving her.
They were one of those gazes coated in brightness and confidence that she enjoyed so much.
"I know the feeling. Even if you say you're used to it, the reality is that it's impossible to adjust to loneliness." Saeko had no choice but to lower her gaze, for deep down she knew he was right. "You can sleep in my parents' bedroom, I'm sure they won't mind." He concluded, handing her a half smile.
Still, that speech didn't convince Saeko completely.
"But..."
"It doesn't matter if you need 1 minute, 1 hour, or all night. You can stay as long as you want." Saeko's eyes widened as she noticed that this sentence was the one she had shared with Takashi this morning, with minor modifications. "Besides, it's very late and your house is far away." He added as an afterthought, watching as her friend lowered her head and thought of a response.
"Very well, I'll stay today. Thank you for your hospitality." Saeko didn't take long to respond, her beaming smile making it clear that she appreciated the concern.
After doing some general cleaning and playing a game on the console for a while, Takashi took it upon himself to tell Saeko which room she would be staying in.
The night went by at a brisk pace, and the next day that show of gratitude became a weekly routine between them, even if they didn't know it yet. After all, Saeko would go every weekend thereafter to sleep over at his house.
Two weeks passed, and the three friends' friendship deepened even more. Takashi and Saeko had an impressive synergy, while Hirano shared a great deal of likes and dislikes with his two best friends, though undoubtedly his most important achievement was being able to address Saeko without feeling nervous or embarrassed. Well, depending on the situation it might still cost him a little.
In those two weeks they met almost every day to play some baseball or just accompany Hirano's fun and hobby. It was impressive to see how Takashi had improved his aim so much in just two weeks, but Saeko was no slouch.
Another thing completely different was when it came to studies, because, although Saeko is extremely good and responsible in that area, the truth is that she wasn't very good at teaching this kind of things. Especially when Takashi would bring up any kind of conversation every so often out of his obvious boredom, and she wasn't at all displeased to play along.
After all, she had a pretty clear weakness with her best friend that was deepening as the days went by. Not that she wanted to indulge his every whim, rather, she had her own whims as well and let's just say they were extremely similar to Takashi's.
Those whims were to try to spend most of the day with him to enjoy the time together as much as possible.
All in all, Takashi was catching up in terms of baseball and Hirano was the one who helped him the most in that regard thanks to his superhuman aim. He also found a new kind of entertainment in what he happened to be good at, and happened to be one of his new best friend's main tastes.
And last, but certainly most important...
"I suck at studies..." Takashi thought with a pale face as he noticed that much of the practice exercises were wrong.
"Wow, even I'm not that bad at statistics..." Hirano commented, a comment that clearly did anything but help.
"Thank you so much for your words of encouragement!" Takashi exclaimed with clear indignation, earning a nervous smile from his best friend.
"You had improved a bit this past week. But now I hardly notice any improvement." Saya spoke up, causing both friends to turn to look at the petite teenager sitting behind them. "If you keep this up, you'll stagnate and run great risks of flunking." Evidently, his friend's words were not supportive either.
"I do what I can, it's really complicated. Especially with these kinds of matters..." Takashi commented with clear discouragement.
"It wouldn't be so complicated if you hadn't abandoned your studies for three months." Saya stated with a cutting look, forcing him to look away.
While the three friends were still arguing, or rather, only Takashi and Saya were, Rei watched all of this from her boyfriend's seat, as she was on her boyfriend's lap while they both ate in complete silence.
Hisashi was much more focused on enjoying his meal, but Rei was much more focused on the whole completely one sided discussion Saya and Takashi were having.
This was something that did not sit well with her.
That was obvious, as Takashi didn't seem like that gloomy man from a while ago.
Now he was a completely renewed man.
It reminded him of how he was in the past, when they were still friends.
Those memories made her eyes narrow.
"How is it that he could change in such a short time?" That unanswerable question parked itself on the precious bracelet Takashi held in one of his hands, as if that small object was the answer to everything.
Indeed, it was.
Only she still didn't understand it.
Even Takashi didn't.
That feeling of insecurity and dislike made her hatred for Takashi deepen even more.
But...
Why did she hate him?
Takashi most likely did know about it, but he never bothered to talk to her about it.
After all, they weren't friends anymore.
They were no longer anything.
Rei's thoughts were interrupted when the bell rang a third time, and just then the teacher from the last class on Friday walked in.
Rei's hatred deepened to unconscionable levels. But it wasn't because of Takashi.
It was because of that teacher who just arrived.
"Good morning everyone. Before I go to the lab, I'm going to take attendance." Clarified the man as he lifted a notebook and put on his glasses.
"Koichi Shido..." Hisashi instantly noticed the hostility presented in his girlfriend's vocabulary.
His eyebrows furrowed and his face became serious, knowing that she had some major issues with that teacher.
Once Koichi took attendance, the entire 2-c class ventured towards the lab.
"You know, it's been two weeks since anyone has bothered me. It's really strange to me..." Hirano commented quietly, making sure Takashi was the only one who heard him.
"I know..." Was the protagonist's simple reply, silently watching as Eiji watched him out of the corner of his eye occasionally, as did the Mitakashi sisters. "I think we should thank our dear friend." He whispered back with some grace in his words, earning a smile from Hirano.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Saya joined the conversation, catching the attention of the two young men. "It's true that Busujima-san is helping you guys a lot. But the cure may turn into something worse than the disease the longer it goes on." Saya couldn't help but frown after her words. "In case you didn't notice, now they don't have only the attention of that blond idiot and the twins with princess complexes." Hirano and Takashi looked around after hearing those words.
Not only Eiji and the Mitakashi sisters had an eye on them.
Almost everyone seemed to have them in their sights.
It was thanks to that fact that Saya's next words made much more sense:
"Now you guys are on everyone's lips, and that can only mean trouble."
The tense moment that had arisen was broken when Koichi clapped his hands once, drawing everyone's attention.
"As I had told you last week, we will be doing a little group work today. I will choose the groups, so I want the aforementioned to get organized." The teacher adjusted his glasses before starting to dictate the groups.
But Takashi, Hirano and Saya didn't seem to be very focused on that. In fact, all their attention was focused on something else.
"How do you think they might act?" The chubby guy asked, to say he was just tense was an understatement.
"Surely the idiots only plan to use brute force. Beware of the bitches, as they'll do anything to make you look bad. Especially with you, Kota-san." The fact that Saya mentioned it made him even more nervous. "If I'm not mistaken, I understand that you proposed to one of the Mitakashi sisters last year. They will think they can play you somehow. Just don't let them."
"But why would they do something like that?" Takashi asked with great hesitation.
"Idiots and bitches act like apes. Apes will always seek to stand out more than others by who shows more manliness, or who is the one who can steal the most." Saya folded her arms for emphasis on her next words:
"In short, the men will seek violent way to drive them away from Busujima, while the women will try some way to make them look bad so that Busujima's image will be affected and they will gain more renown."
"Sixth group: Takashi Komuro, Hirano Kohta, Saya Takagi and Rei Miyamoto."
The professor's words brought the group back to their senses, and hearing the last member made everyone tense up.
Well, the curious thing was to see that Takashi actually didn't seem to be affected at the mention of her former best friend.
"How?!" Rei was obviously quick to show her displeasure as she approached Koichi with hurried steps. "How could you set me up with him?! You're doing it on purpose!" Shouted the teenager with much fury as she grabbed the man by his shirt to the stunned looks of everyone.
"It's just an equal distribution. Kotha-san and Komuro-san don't rank well, so it's best to pair them with the top two students in my class." Koichi declared with his hands raised in defense, though his smile hinted that it was clearly not a match.
"But you took it upon yourself to screw up my class rankings! There's no way I'm in the top two!" Rei snarled angrily at him, earning a somewhat depraved grin from the man.
"Are you sure about that? Perhaps you should check your rankings, since I'm sure you're at the top of my class." Those words only made Rei's hands clench even tighter on the man's shirt.
"What's going on?" Hirano wondered with much uncertainty and even confusion.
"Even I don't understand..." Saya replied with a tone that supported her sentence.
"Koichi..." Both Saya and Hirano turned their gaze towards their friend, who had a frown on his face.
"That guy is not clean wheat..."
END OF CHAPTER!
Sorry for the delay, it's been really hectic days and I haven't had much time to write. Hopefully the days from now on will regularize and then I will be able to continue updating without problems.
As I always say, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
With this we are slowly approaching the end of this first arc. I plan to close it in a special event that is closely tied to the title of this story.
For those of you wondering how long it will be, I'm honestly not too sure about that. Maybe the number of chapters will be between 20 to 25, may be more.
Without anything else to clarify, I hope to see you soon.
Thank you very much for reading!