AN: Hello everyone, and an early Merry Christmas to you all! This chapter is almost entirely original content, with only one scene being a rewrite of an existing scene that bridges canon Chapters 235-236. This chapter is also the second longest of "A Retelling" as of the time of posting, second only to Chapter 14. I hope you enjoy it!

Nothing is Ever Simple

Late morning of May 4th – Tokyo

Misaki was laying on her bed in her room at the rehabilitation center reading a book she'd borrowed from the center's library; she'd had a meeting with her counselor that morning after breakfast and needed to pass the time before lunch. After lunch she had the afternoon group therapy session and then an elective activity she'd selected: a knitting class. The center offered a wide range of these electives, but the thought of being able to make gifts for everyone who had helped her made the choice easy, that and it reminded her of the time she'd spent with her grandmother as a child.

"Come on focus Misaki," she mentally scolded herself as she realized she'd just read the same paragraph twice without absorbing any of its contents. She'd honestly never been much of a reader, Natsuo's book being the first one she'd read in years, but the facility was very strict about screen time. With only thirty minutes allowed per day one had to find other ways to pass the time.

She read in relative silence, the only sounds those of the clock on the wall ticking and her own humming of a favorite song of hers. After some time had gone by there was a soft knock on the door to the room. Confused by the sudden visitor Misaki called out, "Hello?"

A female voice, Misaki recognized as belonging to one of the nurses, called back, "You have a visitor Ogura-san. Are you decent?"

"Oh! Yes, come in!" Misaki replied with a smile.

As the door opened the nurse explained to the figure standing beside her, "I'm sure you remember from the entrance screening, but visitations are limited to one hour, it's very important that all patients maintain their routines while in recovery."

"Of course, thank you very much," the cheerful tone of Hina responded as she bowed slightly to the nurse.

"You're most welcome Tachibana-san, enjoy your visit. I'll be back once time is almost up," the nurse stated with a smile of her own as she started to walk back down the hallway.

Closing the door behind her, Hina met Misaki halfway as the two women embraced each other briefly. "Looks like you're doing well in here!" Hina observed as they ended their embrace.

"I am, though I'm glad they cleared me working part time at L'Amant: I think I'd go stir crazy otherwise," Misaki replied with a small sigh and laugh. She motioned to the desk chair for Hina to sit as she sat on the bed and asked, "But what about you? How are you?"

Hina laughed nervously as she took her seat and answered, "Oh you know... I'm getting by."

"Any chance I can get you to elaborate on that Hina?" Misaki asked hopefully. When it was clear that Hina was reluctant to expand on what she'd said Misaki added, "You know you gave everyone a scare right?"

"I know..." Hina sighed, "I may not have replied to the group chat but I log in quickly every now and then to catch up on how they're doing."

They were both silent for a moment, Misaki wanting to ask the obvious question of why Hina was being so secretive towards her family and Natsuo. She pushed that question aside for now and instead asked, "Hina... what's going on? If it's something you can't talk about with your family and Natsuo then can't you talk to me or Boss?"

Hina visibly struggled to answer before responding, "It's something I've talked to Mari-san a lot about before... and something I thought I'd managed to put behind me already... but I guess I wasn't as thorough about it as I thought."

"Was it something that Kai did? Did that bring - " Misaki began to ask, worried that maybe that night had brought back some awful memory she didn't know about.

Hina shook her head as she cut the question off, "No it's not anything like that... but that night made me realize that I hadn't put this behind me."

Misaki wanted to press further, but she could see from Hina's posture and tone that she wasn't likely to budge any further. So she relented and said, "I'm sorry... you took the time to come see me and I'm trying to pry into your personal stuff."

"No it's okay! I worried everyone, so it's only natural you'd be curious. I just ask that you be patient with me while I sort out my head," Hina assured her with a smile, though the tiredness in her eyes remained. She then changed course and asked, "So! Has anything exciting happened since you started working at L'Amant? There always seems to be something going on there."

Misaki smiled at her friend's attempt at keeping their reunion happy and light hearted. Her smiled grew as she answered, "As a matter of fact yes!"

"Oh? Well don't keep me in suspense!" Hina urged with building anticipation.

"So on my first night working Natsuo and some of his friends all came in: Fumiya-san and his girlfriend, and Natsuo brought Serizawa-san from the drama club. After everyone else left Natsuo hung around for a bit because he wanted to talk to me and Boss about something," Miyabi explained, pausing for dramatic effect, "He thinks he may have finally broken out of his writer's block!"

Hina's eyes lit up as her face beamed and she let out a load cheer as she jumped up from her seat, "Really?! That's fantastic I knew he could do it!"

As Hina's excited cheers and jumping continued, Misaki was taken aback slightly by the sudden change. Gone was the weariness that had hung over her friend from the moment she walked in, gone was any indication she'd been stressed at all. "I knew she'd be happy to hear that, but it's like night and day from what she was just a moment ago," she thought to herself, before realizing that Hina had asked a question.

"Misaki? Did he say what got him out of it?" Hina asked again after seeing Misaki refocus on her.

"Oh – Yeah! He said that he wanted to write my story, that's why he waited around so he could talk to me about it and get my consent for it. He's still in the early planning stages so it's a while off still. He's going to want to interview you for it at some point too, since you were so involved yourself," Misaki explained earnestly.

Hina was silent in thought for just a moment before cheering, "That's a great idea! I can't wait to read it!"

"I'm looking forward to it too, though I'd be lying if I wasn't a little embarrassed by the thought of so many people reading about my life... even if they don't know it really happened," Misaki admitted with a sheepish laugh.

The rest of Hina's visit continued in this manner: Hina asking about Natsuo's plan for the book, Misaki explaining what she could from what he'd talked to her about, eventually the conversation moved away from that topic and on to Misaki's progress and what she had been doing and how work at L'Amant had been.

As the hour drew towards its end there was a knock at the door as the nurse, as promised had returned, and called, "Just giving you ladies a heads up, time is almost up. Lunch will be start being served soon Ogura-san."

"Thank you!" Misaki called back gratefully, having lost track of time and realizing she was feeling quite hungry.

Hina stood up, a tinge of sadness in her expression and voice as she said, "Well... I guess that's my cue."

"Unfortunately so... are you going to stay in town long? I have a shift tonight if you want to drop by L'Amant," Misaki offered, hoping to be able to talk with her more.

Hina frowned slightly before replying, "I can't tonight... I'm catching a train right around dinner. I'm actually heading to L'Amant after I leave here for lunch... Next time though?"

"I'll hold you to that," Misaki declared with a grin

"It's a date!" Hina laughed before waving and moving towards the door, "I'll get out of your hair so you can go get lunch."

Misaki smiled and waved in return as Hina exited the room, the nurse guiding her as she left so as not to get turned around walking through the facility. Leaning back against the wall Misaki's brow furrowed in thought, Hina's complete shift in mood when Natsuo breaking his writer's block was mentioned had stayed on her mind through the entire visit. "What was that? And when we started to talk about things other than that her mood gradually went back to how it was when she got here... tired and stressed..."

A few moments passed before Misaki's eyes widened in shock as she remembered a conversation she'd had with Hina back when they'd gone to the restaurant with the observation deck.

"It's not the same as you having to give up your modeling... I was in a relationship that was completely unexpected, but it was the happiest I'd ever been in my life. Things got... complicated to put it shortly, and I had to end the relationship... even had to lie to him about not loving him anymore..."

"Do you still love him?"

"Lately I've been thinking about it... I've been trying to put what happened behind me and move on. But I'm starting to think that I might not be able to let those feelings go after all..."

"Then why not tell him how you feel? Or are you not able to because of those complications you mentioned?"

"I can't. He's completely moved on from me and is happy, I don't want to put any strain on that. I'm sure that eventually I'll be able to be happy just knowing that he is happy... and then I should be able to move on myself. I thought I was getting there, but I'm realizing that I'm not quite there yet"

The pieces fell into place and Misaki realized that what was on Hina's mind now was the same thing they'd talked about night while looking out of the city. Not only was it the same issue, but she'd realized who exactly Hina had been talking about, or at least strongly suspected she had. She muttered to herself, "Hina is in love with Natsuo..."

Lunchtime – Forester Training Camp

"She was doing what!?" Ibuki seethed, trying to keep his voice down in order to not draw attention to himself, Natsuo and Miyabi.

Miyabi's face was crimson, she'd done her best to relay what she and Natsuo had encountered the previous night, but she'd ended up only stammering until Natsuo took over. Seeing she was still in the process of short circuiting he answered, "Yeah... her and one of the new guys - I don't remember his name off the top of my head, but right in the middle of where the halls intersect."

"Do you think it was done purposely in order to ambush you on your way back?" Ibuki asked, pushing his anger at the situation down as best he could.

Miyabi found her voice and chimed in, "I don't know for sure... I mean wouldn't it be pretty hard to time... THAT with us walking back from the hall? As much as I don't want to give her the benefit of the doubt there is a chance it was actually a coincidence. It wouldn't be the first time someone has stumbled upon her like that."

Both Ibuki and Natsuo were silent for a moment as they considered what Miyabi had said. The conversation was uncomfortable for all of them, but they could see that Miyabi looked like she wanted to vanish. It was Natsuo who broke the tense silence, "Miyabi-san is right... we can't be sure it was intentional or not. She would have had to know exactly when we'd be done and our way back."

"Be that as it may: I explicitly warned her yesterday that if I caught any wind of her continuing to harass you Fuji that I'd be removing her from Forester and reporting her to the university. And I'd say asking you to 'join in' is her harassing you," Ibuki stated with authority.

"When did you do that?" Natsuo asked, surprised that Ibuki hadn't let him know.

"It was during lunch yesterday. You two must have been distracted with the conversation you were having with those new girls but Kuzuoka-san was watching you. I let her know I knew what was going on, and gave her the warning. She acknowledged it and then left. I didn't think she'd completely ignore my warning like this though..." Ibuki explained with a sigh, exasperated with the entire situation.

Another silence formed between the three before Miyabi spoke, "That just backs up my theory that there is something else going on with her. For her to be this single minded and uncaring about potential consequences..."

"Well whatever it is I'm not putting up with it. Nara-san turned a blind eye to her, thinking that if she was just hooking up with willing guys then it was none of his business. But this is different," Ibuki declared as he stood up, having finished his food, "You two just focus on your duties today and practice. Try not to give the thought of her the time of day."

Ibuki didn't wait for a reply from either of them before he started walking away. He knew that both Natsuo and Miyabi were kind to a fault, that if the situation was left to only them they'd keep letting Nene's actions slide until she crossed a line. What that line was he wasn't sure, but he didn't want to find out. As he looked around the meal hall he didn't see any sign of the girl in question and sighed again and thought, "I don't think I'm going to have a chance to talk to her until least dinner... but then again she shouldn't have a chance to ambush Fuji before then either. This game of hers is over."

That night – at L'Amant...

The late afternoon into dinner rush had been busier than normal that day, Kobayashi had asked a few customers and found there had been some kind of event in the area, something involving a sweepstakes raffle. Whatever the reason, he was glad for the extra business and in turn even more glad that he had hired Misaki: he and Fumiya would have had their hands full with just the two of them. He emerged from the back, having finished cleaning the kitchen to see Misaki wiping down the bar while Fumiya was wiping off tables in the dining area – both looking tired but proud.

"Good work today you two! Sorry to work you both so hard, but I'm relieved you were both on shift tonight," Kobayashi exclaimed as he moved around the bar to take a seat.

Fumiya sighed as he approached the bar area, "That was crazy... I don't think I've ever seen it that busy here other than Valentine's Day or White Day..."

"I was wondering about that, it hasn't been that long since I started so I didn't know if it gets like that a lot... that's a relief," Misaki commented as she wiped aggressively at a spot someone had spilled soda and it had gone unnoticed until now. After a moment she had a realization and whipped around to ask, "Wait what time is it?"

Kobayashi raised his hands to signal her to calm down as he replied, "Don't worry Misaki-chan. I called the center already and let them know you'd be a little late due to how busy it was here. They're strict about curfew but work related circumstances can be an exception."

Sighing in relief Misaki returned to her cleaning as she replied, "Thanks for that Boss, it completely slipped my mind with how busy it was."

"You're very welcome!" Kobayashi enthusiastically cheered. He silently observed until Misaki had scrubbed the spot in question to her satisfaction before he spoke, "Looks like your cleaning is all set, I'll give you a lift back to the center. Fumiya, can you handle any last minute customers and closing down?"

"Sure thing Boss!" Fumiya responded with a salute, glad for the trust and additional responsibility Kobayashi was willing to give him.

"Excellent! Misaki-chan I'll go start up my car, just meet me out there once you finish up," Kobayashi stated as he made his way towards the back exit, grabbing his keys off of a hook on wall as he went. While he vastly preferred his motorcycle, on days Misaki was working he opted for the car for just this kind of situation.

"Thank you!" Misaki called as she stored the cleaning supplies under the bar. As she made her way to the back, where there was a small changing room, she called, "Goodnight Fumiya-san, see you next time!"

"Goodnight! Good work today!" Fumiya responded as he took the spot behind the bar to wait out the last hour of the cafe being open.

In less than five minutes Misaki had changed out of her work clothes, gathered the few things she had brought with her and was getting into the waiting car behind the cafe. "All set?" Kobayashi asked.

"Yup! Thanks again for this Boss, it's a huge help," Misaki replied with a grateful nod.

Kobayashi shook his head as he pulled the car out of it's parking spot and made towards the road, "No thanks are needed. If anything I should be thanking you for being such a hard worker. Fumiya and I would have been a little overwhelmed without you."

"Well I wouldn't have even been here if you hadn't offered me the job... so I guess we call it even?" Misaki offered with a laugh.

"I guess I can live with that," Kobayashi laughed in return as he steered onto the main road, "So how are things going?"

Misaki was quiet for a moment, she wanted to ask about Hina but pushed the question down for now. She replied, "Things are going well. I still get withdrawal symptoms, that's only to be expected with how long I was using... but the medication keeps them manageable. A lot of the therapy is focused on developing healthy habits to take its place and honestly that's a huge help."

"Having habits isn't inherently bad, so taking the 'bad' part out and putting in a 'good' makes a lot of sense. I know a few people from my old life who have gone through this; it's a long and difficult road and not everyone can stick to it... but you're more determined than most I've seen," Kobayashi commented, with a rare seriousness, yet still gentle tone in his voice.

As the drive continued Kobayashi asked a few more questions regarding Misaki's experience at the rehab facility. These questions ranged from asking about the specific treatments to how Misaki was spending her free time to how the staff was treating her. She answered all of the questions earnestly, grateful again that she had found people who genuinely cared about her and her well being. It was as they were getting close to the facility that Misaki asked hesitantly, "Boss... can I ask you something?"

Noting the hesitation in her voice, Kobayashi shifted gears slightly as he replied, "Of course you can, is something wrong?"

"Well... I'm not sure," Misaki admitted with a sigh before explaining, "Hina came to see me this morning and we talked for about an hour. She still wouldn't tell me what exactly it is that she had to disappear in order to figure out, and I didn't want to press her since she seemed very adamant about it. After she left though I think I figured it out."

Kobayashi frowned almost imperceptibly for a moment before saying, "It makes sense that she hasn't told you; it's something she doesn't want anyone to know about. I've known for a good while already, and as far as I know I'm the only one she's confided in. I'll hear what your theory is, but please understand that there are things I'm not at liberty to disclose."

"Of course, I'm not going to ask you divulge all of Hina's secrets. I just need a sounding board so to speak," Misaki replied reassuringly. When Kobayashi nodded on agreement she continued, "She seemed tired and stressed when she got there... that usual spark in her eyes wasn't there. But when I told her about Natsuo's idea to write a book about my life and how he may have finally broken his writer's block she... lit up. It was like night and day Boss, and as the conversation moved away from that she dimmed again."

Kobayashi was silent as she paused to collect her thoughts, as she did he thought, "Misaki-chan really is good at reading people... either that or Natsuo-chan is just unusually dense. She's figured it out already."

Misaki continued, "After she left I was thinking about how she was acting, and then I remembered a conversation we had back just after we had met; we were talking about dreams we had to give up on. I told her about my modeling, and she told me about a relationship she'd had to give up on because of 'complications'. She then said she wasn't sure if she still loved the guy, but even if she did he had already moved on and was happy," she paused again, clearly uncomfortable with what she was about to say, "Boss... Is Hina in love with Natsuo?"

With a heavy sigh Kobayashi relented, "Hit the nail on the head."

Misaki's eyes widened in shock: she'd been hoping she was wrong and had connected dots that weren't actually there. After a moment she stammered, "B-but... how... t-then why... what about Rui-san?"

"It's a very long... and complicated story, and like I said there are things I'm not at liberty to tell you. There are things only those three can tell you about what happened and their circumstances. But yes: A couple years back Hina-chan and Natsuo-chan were briefly in a romantic relationship, Rui-Rui didn't know about it and had feelings of her own towards him. As she told you, there were some 'complications' and she ended things – she disappeared for a while then too. Rui-Rui and Natsuo-chan gradually grew closer during this time, she made her feelings known and the rest is history. By the time Hina-chan came back into the picture those two were completely head over heels for each other, so she decided to do her best to support them," Kobayashi explained, giving her the confirmation she was dreading while simultaneously being vague to omit what he couldn't discuss.

There was silence again until Misaki had a realization and spoke up, "Wait! You said this was 'a couple years back'? Then... that means Natsuo was..."

When she trailed off Kobayashi finished her thought, "A minor. Yes. I've told this to Hina-chan myself: that relationship was not healthy for either of them."

"How? How did that even happen?" Misaki asked, still reeling from this revelation. She then shook her head and added, "Sorry Boss. I know you can't discuss that..."

"I just can't get into the specifics," he replied simply before explaining, "The simple version is that Natsuo-chan, as most boys his age do, had an infatuation with an older woman. The difference is that Hina-chan had just gone through a relationship where she was treated as second best and when she found out how Natsuo-chan felt she latched onto it."

"I was hoping I was wrong... so she's left again trying to sort out her feelings? What changed?" Misaki asked with a sigh.

Kobayashi turned the car into the facility's parking lot as he answered, "From what I've gathered it was the night he and I saved you two from Kai and his goons. Seeing how far he was willing to go in order to protect her must have reignited the feelings that she was trying to bury, so now she's at war with herself: on one hand she's still very much in love with him, but on the other she wants to be a good older sister and not break Rui-Rui's heart."

"That's... I can't even imagine..." Misaki trailed off as the car came to a stop near the front entrance of the building.

Nodding, Kobayashi said, "It's a disaster waiting to happen. If Hina-chan acts on her feelings one of two things will happen: Natsuo-chan reciprocates and breaks Rui-Rui's heart or, and I think this is more likely, Natsuo-chan doesn't reciprocate and Hina-chan's heart is broken and either way the sisters have no relationship with each other moving forward. Unless Hina-chan can put her feelings for him behind her and truly move forward there's no good way this ends."

"What should we do...?" Misaki asked, wracking her brain trying to figure out how she could help her friends without heartbreak being involved.

With a sigh of his own Kobayashi replied, "Whatever you do don't mention any of this to Natsuo-chan for now, my personal hope is that this can be resolved without him or Rui-Rui ever knowing. The circumstances of how they came to be together withstanding: what he and Rui-Rui have is real and healthy, and what happened between him and Hina-chan wasn't. They're good for each other in so many ways, and it would crush me to see that ruined. The next time you see Hina-chan tell her you figured it out, like you told me, and see what she's willing to tell you."

"Thanks for telling me what you could Boss... and don't worry, I won't tell Hina about this conversation, unless she's too obstinate. I don't think she should be left to think about this on her own," Misaki stated with determination.

With another nod Kobayashi responded, "If that's what it takes to get her to talk about it with you I don't mind. And I agree, that's why whenever I'm able to I've been trying to guide her towards moving on." He then checked the time and added, "You better get in there. We're a little after curfew, but it's still within when I said I'd get you here so it's okay – just don't want to push it."

"You're right," Misaki reluctantly agreed as she opened the car door to get out before adding, "Good night Boss."

"Good night, I'll send you and your counselor the work schedule for next week so we can figure out shifts that work around your schedule here," Kobayashi replied cheerfully. He received a confirmation in the form of a nod and smile before she shut the door and he drove away.

After Misaki made it back to her room and went about her bedtime routine she thought to herself, "This is such a mess... nothing is ever simple with them."

Meanwhile at the Forester Training Camp...

The hallway outside of the men's bunk room was silent, only the occasional boisterous laugh making it through the wall and closed door. Most everyone had retired to the men and women's bunk room respectively by this hour, but not Ibuki. He was staked out a bit down the hall from the door, around a corner he could peek around quickly. After what he had been told earlier in the day he had attempted to corner Nene when she was alone but she'd managed to elude him, like she knew what was happening. Because of this he was now staked out waiting to see if she'd try to repeat her stunt from the previous night when Natsuo was returning from his practice with Miyabi.

"I should have brought a pillow or something with me..." he grumbled to himself quietly. He'd been sitting on the floor around the corner since Natsuo had left, multiple hours ago, and he had been uncomfortable for most of that time, but was unwilling to risk moving from his spot.

As he leaned back against the wall to give his neck a rest he ran through the information he had available to him and still couldn't believe what was going on, "This is ridiculous. I always just thought Kuzuoka-san was... well... easy. I just don't get why she's so fixated and persistent with Fuji. He's happily in a committed relationship... Is it just some kind of sick game to her?"

The sound of approaching footsteps echoing down the hall snapped him out of his thoughts. Peeking around the corner, concealed by the fact the light in the corner of the hall was off, he watched until the approaching figure came into view. His eyes narrowed as he thought to himself, "Got you."

Nene approached the men's bunk room at a normal pace, she wasn't making any effort to be stealthy but she was also not being overly noisy. As she got closer to the door however she slowed her pace, and periodically looked around to see if anyone was in sight. When she arrived at the door she very slowly turned the handle and softly pushed the door until it opened just a crack and peered through. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, changing her point of view slightly, she let out a small sigh, little more than an audible breath. "Not here," she thought to herself, "He must be with Miyabi again... more acting practice."

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand slowly reaching from behind her, grabbing the door handle and softly pulling it closed with a muted click as it latched. Before she could say anything a male voice, she recognized as Ibuki whispered sharply, "Come with me." Without waiting for a response he began walking down the hall towards the intersection that served as the halfway point between bunk rooms.

Nene wordlessly followed him, figuring there was no point in arguing with him, he'd caught her fair and square. When they arrived at the intersection she smirked at him and coyly asked, "So what is it Mizusawa-san? Oh I know! You want your own turn with me huh?"

Ibuki's eyes narrowed in frustration, and even disgust before he replied, "No thanks. Maybe if you didn't throw yourself at any guy with a pulse I'd have taken you up on that. I thought I made myself very clear with you at lunch yesterday: that I'd kick you from Forester and report your harassment if you didn't leave Fuji alone."

"Oh yes, you made yourself perfectly clear. No room for misinterpretation there," Nene replied with a bored tone now that it was clear Ibuki didn't want some fun of his own.

"Then what's this I heard about you fucking someone right where we're standing and asking Fuji and Serizawa to 'join in'?" Ibuki asked incredulously, fighting to keep his voice down.

Nene moved to lean against the wall and gave a nonchalant shrug as she answered, "Oh so they told you about that? Did Miyabi actually manage to say anything or was she still blushing and stuttering the whole time? That girl is completely hopeless."

"What about - " Ibuki started but was cut off.

"What about your warning? I acknowledged you made yourself clear, I never said I gave a damn about the warning though. I honestly couldn't care less about being in Forester. And the university? They'll probably put me on some kind of probation, no big deal," Nene explained coldly.

Ibuki just stared at her in shock, she'd completely shot down the one card he thought he had. As he observed her he thought to himself, "I think Serizawa-san is right... there's something else going on here. She really doesn't care about any consequences at all..."

"So are we done here? My offer still stands you know," Nene spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts, her seductive tone making its return, the look in her eyes unsettling him.

Ibuki grit his teeth in annoyance at her insistence before he ordered, "Go back to the women's bunk room. Now. Once we return to Tokyo you're no longer a member of Forester effective immediately."

She gave another shrug as she pushed off from the wall and began walking away and practically sang, "Oh alright, it's your loss though."

Ibuki watched in silence until she was out of sight, having rounded the corner to where the other bunk room was, and he listened until he heard the faint sound of the door opening and closing. He sighed in relief before muttering, "What the hell is wrong with her? I need to make sure Fuji is careful tomorrow, with it being our last day and night here it wouldn't surprise me if she did something drastic."

Deciding to keep watch at the intersection until Natsuo and Miyabi returned, Ibuki settled in as best he could. Despite his best efforts he couldn't shake the feeling he had while talking to Nene: the sensation of being cornered by a hungry predator.

Evening of May 5th – Forester Training Camp

The area outside the building, along the tree line, was a abuzz with activity as the final rays of light from the sunset sank below the horizon. Several tables, lights, cooking stations and drink stands had been set up beforehand, and had just finished preparing food for the entirety of Forester. True to his word, Ibuki was having Natsuo, acting opposite Miyabi, give a performance in front of them all to show he could pull his weight if needed.

As everyone was getting their dinner, additional food and snacks would be served afterwards, Ibuki was walking around the area confirming that everyone was getting their share, calling out questions such as "Is there enough for everyone?", "No issues with the selection?" and "Was it prepared properly?" as he made his rounds.

He looked around, to anyone not in the know he was simply observing, but he was keeping an eye on Nene. Since their confrontation the previous night she'd behaved, simply going about her previously assigned tasks the same way she always had. Right now she seemed like any other member of the club, consuming the food and drink like any other, and seemingly excited for the performance that was to come.

"It's too perfect. She's putting on one of her acts again, you'd never suspect what she's really like based on how she is right now," Ibuki thought to himself as he noted her location near one of the drink stands, having just gotten a refill on hers. He was relieved though: if she was there then that meant she wasn't sneaking into the tree line where Natsuo and Miyabi were preparing for their performance. As he made his way to the "front" where the performance would be he thought, "Hopefully we can get through tonight and tomorrow morning without any more drama from her."

"Alright everyone listen up!" he called out to get everyone's attention. When the bulk of the members had quieted and turned to face him he continued, "Gather up over here and make sure you've got a good view. Vice-Prez Fuji and Serizawa will be giving their performance soon. To remind you or inform anyone who doesn't know they'll be performing the scenes where Eddie and Grace have gotten away from some drunk patrons, and then the one where Grace confesses her love and Eddie tells her they can't be together."

Various members could be heard speaking throughout the crowd.

"Finally! Let's see how much he's improved."

"I thought he couldn't act?"

"Poor guy, having to to perform next to and be compared to Serizawa-san. She's a star."

As the murmurs died down Ibuki finished, "Alright! Now watch and learn everyone! Let's begin!"

The crowd immediately fell silent as the lights were turned to focus on the "stage" for the scenes. Having heard their cue Natsuo and Miyabi ran into view from behind a patch of trees on stage left, both panting as though they'd just run for their lives.

Eddie: "God damn, he was wasted. Are they always like that?" as he wiped his brow.

Grace: "No... I was surprised too." she replied as she stood up straight with a deep breath.

They took a moment to compose themselves and catch their breath before they continued.

Grace: "Thanks for the help. And you are?" she asked with a faint smile, her tone reflecting both hesitancy and genuine curiosity.

Eddie: "Eddie. Just another customer." he answered resolutely, turning to see if they'd been pursued, but sneaking a glance at Grace.

As the scene of Eddie and Grace's first meeting played out the members of Forester quietly discussed and commented among themselves.

"Whoa, is that the same Fuji-san? He's so believable now..."

"He actually seems like he belongs up there, next to Serizawa-san of all people."

"It's like they're in their own world!"

Yuka leaned over Ibuki's shoulder and asked, "That's really Naa-kun? How did he improve so much so quickly?"

"Serizawa has been coaching him, apparently she figured out a way for him to properly put himself in the character's shoes," Ibuki replied quietly, not taking his eyes off of the performance.

It wasn't long before the scene was concluded, Natsuo and Miyabi resetting themselves both mentally and physically for the next scene while the lights were dimmed. Once given the signal that they were ready the lights came back on and the next scene began.

Eddie: "Being with me won't make you happy." he said somberly, his body turned away as he look down and closed his eyes.

Grace: "You're wrong!" she practically wailed, a sob catching in her throat as her eyes began to tear up.

Eddie: "Please, try to understand..." he attempted to explain, but hesitated long enough to be cut off from continuing, wincing as he was.

Grace: "No!" she yelled frantically before taking a breath and quietly saying, "I... I love you Eddie." Eddie stood silent, eyes wide at her confession before he visibly grit his teeth and forced both his eyes and mouth shut. Seeing this, Grace continued, "Ever since then... I haven't been able to forget you."

Eddie: "But..." he finally managed to force out, his resolve wavering.

Grace: "I don't want to lose you... but you must have some reason. I know you feel the same way." she finished after he had trailed off, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill with every word.

Eddie: "Grace... I... thank you, for everything." he said after a tense moment, "In a perfect world we could be together... but..."

Grace: "Don't say anymore." she ordered adamantly, the sadness leaving her voice.

Eddie: "Wha -" he voiced in confusion, only to be cut off again.

Grace: "I understand," she said with a smile, "It's not that you don't feel the same way, but there's something you need to do. Right?" she asked, her voice happy, but the tears had escaped to fall down her face.

Eddie: "I... yeah... I do." he confessed, the weight lifted off his shoulders with his own admission.

Grace: "Then it's okay, I understand. Maybe once you've done what you need to do..." she said with that same smile, wiping the tears away as she stepped closer.

Eddie: "Thank you Grace." he replied with his own smile as he pulled her into a tender embrace. Grace buried her head in his shoulder as she returned the embrace and lights faded until they could no longer be seen.

The members of Forester were in awe: many of them had seen Natsuo's earlier attempts at acting and were completely blown away, the new recruits likewise had heard about how poor the vice-president's skills were... everyone in attendance was stunned by the cognitive dissonance. It was Akane, one of the freshman recruits, that broke the silence by jumping to her feet and applauding with all her heart. She was quickly joined by another, and another, and more until everyone was applauding, a few whistles also breaking through.

The lights came back on to show Natsuo and Miyabi both bowing to their audience, resulting in even more frantic applause and cheering. Ibuki ran up to them, put an arm around each of them and cheered, "I knew you could do it!"

A little later...

Natsuo had been bombarded by praise and cheers for the better part of half an hour after the performance had ended. Eventually Miyabi and Ibuki had distracted the crowd long enough for him to slip away to grab something to eat and drink, which was where he was now.

"Here you go Fuji-san, enjoy! And great job out there!" the Forester member who was manning a makeshift tako-yaki stand said as she handed him a plate with his food on it.

Giving a tired and sheepish laugh Natsuo replied, "Thank you... for both the food and that." He received a smile and a nod in response before he walked over to a table that was off to the side, and because the lights were further away the spot was darker than others. There weren't any chairs but he didn't mind since it was not in the center of all the commotion.

He stood there eating his food, thankful for the relative quiet for several minutes. As he reflected on the events of the weekend and watched Miyabi and Ibuki continue to keep the bulk of the crowd's attention he reached for his drink which he had set down. But his hand came into contact with something else, and familiar voice teased, "Oh my! And I thought I'd have to try harder."

Natsuo whipped his head to the side see that Nene had silently sat on the table between him and his drink at some point, and his hand had grazed her thigh which was not covered by her shorts or hoodie. He ripped his hand back as he jumped away from her and the table as he exclaimed, "What the hell?! How long have you been there?"

"Only a minute or so, you were really lost in thought. You should really be more aware of your surroundings you know," Nene teased coyly with a smirk.

Natsuo grimaced, she was right after all. With how she'd been this weekend it was a mistake to let his guard down. Sighing, he replied, "Thanks for the advice. What do you want Kuzuoka-san?"

Nene made a show of acting like she was in deep thought before answering, "Well you know what I want..."

Letting out a groan in agitation Natsuo prepared to tell her off, "Now listen, I've been - "

"Perfectly clear in that you're not interested: I know," she cut him off before continuing, "You win."

Natsuo stared in confusion before blinking and asking, "I win...?"

"Yeah. You win," Nene responded as she stood up, shoving both her hands into the hoodie's pocket as she did so.

"What do you mean?" Natsuo asked cautiously, this having completely caught him by surprise.

Nene let out her own sigh before explaining, "It's exactly what it sounds like: you win, I give up. I'm sure Mizusawa already told you, but as of arriving at campus tomorrow I'm no longer part of Forester, so I doubt I'll have any more chances to try. And I can't think of anything I haven't tried up until now that would work tonight so... you win."

There was a tense silence between them before Natsuo spoke, "Well then that's a relief. I'll be happy to not have to keep looking over my shoulder."

"Yeah I'm sure you are," Nene laughed as she turned away and started walking. Before she got far she looked back and called out, "Good job by the way. Miyabi really managed something after all!" Not waiting for any response she walked around a corner formed by some trees and was out of sight.

Natsuo waited a moment before muttering to himself, "That was unexpected... but hopefully she meant what she said about finally giving up. That's something I really didn't need to keep looming over me."

Remembering he had been reaching for his drink initially, he returned to the table, grabbed his drink and took a long gulp. He coughed slightly as he brought the drink away from his face and thought, "I must have grabbed sparking water by mistake, didn't expect the bubbles... oh well."

As Natsuo ate his food and finished his drink he continued to watch and listen to the gathering in front of him. It was a few minutes after finishing his meal that he noticed something: he was having trouble making out what people were saying... and he couldn't tell if it was because they'd turned some of the lights off, but he was having trouble telling who was who. Deciding it was probably best to rejoin the others he took a step, but a sudden wave of dizziness brought him to his knees, dropping his plate and cup in the process as he gasped out, not realizing he was slurring, "What... what's going on...?

As the world around him spun and lost detail, he felt a hand on his shoulder and a female voice whisper in his ear, "You don't look so good Fuji-san. Here, let's get you somewhere where you can lay down." The woman, he couldn't identify the voice, then started assisting him in standing up and allowed him to lean on her as she helped him walk away from the party.

"Thank you... don't know where this came from..." Natsuo mumbled as he desperately tried to keep his balance.

"Oh I'm sure it's just all the pressure and hard work catching up with you. I'm sure you'll feel much better after laying down," Nene reassured with satisfied grin plastered on her face as she led him away from the others and into the tree line.

AN: And so I leave you all with a cliffhanger. I debated ending the chapter with the performance but as you can see I decided to include this last part. This chapter ended up being different from my original plan for it: I was going to incorporate more of manga chapter 235, but I felt it flowed better this way.

I plan on getting Chapter 22 up by the end of the month in order to wrap up this "mini-arc", after which I will be going over my plans and the remaining canon chapters to see what from the canon can remain as key moments or events and what can be trimmed in order to better follow this butterfly effect.

If you feel inclined please leave a review and let me know what you think!