AN: Enjoy Chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I don't own Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie or anything related to it.

Now, let the chapter begin!

Kamiya woke up to her alarm. She barely opened her eyes, glanced at her phone, and turned off her alarm with a finger. She changed into a white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black compression leggings. She then put on a pair of ankle socks, her running shoes, and tied her hair in a ponytail. She walked out of her room and out of the front door, starting her run after shutting and locking the door.

Kamiya took the path on her right, which lead to the train station. She ran at a steady pace, breathing in through her nose and out of her mouth. She got to the train station and turned around, running back to her house.

The sun hadn't fully risen yet, so there was barely anyone outside, giving Kamiya a lot of peace. That was exactly what she needed, which was why she was running at 6:00 in the morning. Running helped her take her mind off of everything because all she could focus on was running. Not a single thought filled her head.

Kamiya saw her house in the distance, so she picked up her pace to a full-on sprint. She pumped her arms as hard as she could while taking the biggest strides her legs could muster.

After what felt like the longest ten seconds ever, Kamiya finally arrived at the front porch of her house. She placed her hands on her knees, panting very heavily. She had to keep her eyes closed since sweat was dripping into them. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, but Kamiya didn't care. She felt proud of herself for having the discipline to get up early in the morning to run.

She wiped the sweat off of her face with her sleeve, which wasn't very effective since it was drenched in sweat. She walked into her house and went to her room, but stopped when she saw her mother sitting on the couch, watching TV. "Good morning, Mother."

Her mother just kept her blue eyes glued to the TV.

"Do you want anything for breakfast?" Kamiya asked, forcing a smile.

As if responding to her question, Kamiya's mother got off of the couch and walked to the kitchen, grabbing some fruit and yogurt out of the fridge. She then sat back down on the couch.

Kamiya took a deep breath, trying to keep her forced facade up as best as she could. "I'm going to make breakfast after I shower."

After not getting a response from her mother, Kamiya went into her room and got out a white short-sleeved shirt, black jeans, and a grey sweater, as well as her undergarments. She took her clothes into the bathroom, shut and locked the door, and took a quick shower. After drying herself off, putting her clothes on and brushing her hair, Kamiya walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen.

Kamiya opened a pack of jasmine rice and heated it up in the microwave. While waiting for it to finish cooking, she grabbed a bowl and the rest of the ingredients she needed. She cracked an egg and the yolk fell into the bowl. She opened a container of Natto, mixed it with sweet soy sauce, and put it in the bowl, followed by Mozuku Seaweed.

The microwave beeped, and Kamiya took the rice out and put it in the bowl, then proceeded to mix everything up. When everything was all mixed together, she took a seat at the dining table and ate her breakfast in silence.

When she finished her breakfast, Kamiya washed her bowl and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she finished, she went to her room. She grabbed the romance manga she's been reading from her desk, laid down on her bed, and started reading.

After reading a page, Kamiya looked up from her manga. She grabbed her phone, selected a song, plugged in her headphones, and continued to read, occasionally humming to the beat of the song.

Kamiya had the biggest smile on her face as she read. She was completely immersed in the manga.

After about half an hour of reading, Kamiya bookmarked the page she was on and put the manga back on her desk. She looked around her room, trying to think of anything she could do, but thought of nothing.

She narrowed her eyes, noticing the specs of dust that littered the furniture. I guess I'll just do some cleaning, then… With a heavy sigh, Kamiya took off her sweater, then left her room and grabbed a duster, rags, and a bucket, which she filled with soap and hot water.

Gathering all of the cleaning supplies, Kamiya started cleaning all over the house. She started by wiping down the kitchen, which included everything. The stove, oven, fridge, microwave, counters, sink, and cabinets. After that, she cleaned the bathroom, which didn't take too long, then dusted out her room, but didn't bother to organize or clean anything out. She then grabbed a broom and swept out the house.

Sighing heavily after finishing, Kamiya put everything away, then hesitantly approached her mother. "Is there anything you need, Mother?"

After a few seconds, her mother responded, not even bothering to look at Kamiya. "No."

"Are you sure?" Kamiya asked. "I can go out and get you something."

Her mother sighed. "I already said no."

She's annoyed. I guess I'll just go out by myself, then… Kamiya forced a smile, trying to hide her disappointment. "Well, I'll be going out, then."

After not receiving a response, Kamiya put on a pair of socks and shoes, then left the house.

Kamiya looked at the ground as she walked to the train station. She didn't know what to do or where to go, but she didn't care. She was fine just being out of the house.

That disappointed her; saddened her even. The fact that she enjoyed being away from her mother made her happy, yet ashamed.

Why? Why does she never talk to me? Why does she just neglect me? Kamiya didn't have an answer to any of her questions, which frustrated her. She's been asking herself

the same questions for years, and she could never figure out an answer.

Did I do something wrong to her? Kamiya thought back to every time she interacted with her mother, but couldn't remember a single time where she did something wrong.

Now that she thought about it, Kamiya realized that her mother had always neglected her. Sure, she provided for her and gave her basic needs such as food, water, shelter, clothes, and even some things Kamiya wanted for herself. She was grateful for everything her mother did for her, but always felt lonely and disappointed. Her mother gave her everything except for comfort affection, and support. Kamiya would easily give up everything she had just to feel loved and needed by her mother.

"Why?" Kamiya whispered. She glared at the ground. "Why do you neglect me? How could you just work all of the time, and when you are home, just sit around on your phone or watch TV, as if I don't exist?"

Kamiya heard the whistle of the train and looked forward. She could see the train station, but it was blurry. Confused, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. When she looked at her hand, she saw something wet. Tears? Am I… crying…?

She heard people getting off of the train and ran to the station. She boarded the train, but stopped when she bumped into someone.

"Sorry…"

The person's voice sounded familiar. Kamiya looked up and saw red, downcast eyes. "Ryuga-san?"

He locked eyes with Kamiya. "Kamiya-san… Forgive me for bumping into you."

His apology made her smile. "It's alright. I forgive you."

Ryuga widened his eyes, looking surprised, then narrowed them. He looked at her eyes for what seemed like the longest time.

Kamiya finally broke eye contact, her bangs hiding the blazing heat that crawled up her cheeks.

"Whatever's bothering you… try to forget about it, even for a little bit. Hopefully… you'll feel better…" Ryuga said, his voice numb from all emotion, and his eyes were downcast again.

Kamiya looked up at him, confused by what he suddenly suggested. She focused on where his eyes were, noticing that he was looking at her eyes. She touched just below her lower lashes and realized that he must've noticed that she's been crying. She forced a smile. "I'll be fine…"

The bus started moving, and Ryuga widened his eyes. "Wait!" He moved to the front of the bus. "Please stop!"

The bus driver looked annoyed. "What do you want, kid?"

"I want to get off."

She sighed. "Why didn't you get off when you had the chance? Now you're just wasting my time."

Ryuga looked at the floor. "Sorry. I'll be more cognizant of that in the future."

The disappointment in his voice saddened Kamiya, which reminded her of how often she felt disappointed from being neglected. She walked up to Ryuga and the bus driver. "Excuse me, Ma'am, I was holding him up. It's my fault."

The bus driver glanced at Kamiya.

"Kamiya-san, please don't say any more," Ryuga said. "You're just dragging this out. And it's my fault because it was my decision to stay behind and talk with you, so don't blame yourself."

Kamiya looked at the ground. She knew he had a point, but didn't want to voice it, so she didn't say anything.

Ryuga looked at Kamiya. "Thank you, anyways."

Kamiya just looked at him, watching him get off the bus.

Ryuga started walking, but stopped when Kamiya's eyes locked onto his. They looked at each other until both were out of sight.

Kamiya got off of the train and walked through the city, not knowing what to do. Because of the train incident, she completely forgot about how disappointed she felt about being neglected by her mother. Instead, she thought about how Ryuga interacted with her. The very fact that he even bothered to take notice of her surprised her, and him being able to notice that she wasn't doing okay surprised her even more.

Still, he only bothered to interact with me because I approached him first. Kamiya remembered all of their interactions and noticed that she initiated all of their conversations. She assumed that was the way he was since he didn't like interacting with other people.

Kamiya looked at the ground with downcast eyes. Does it annoy Ryuga-san when I approach him? Does he think I'm a nuisance? She furiously shook her head. No! I can't assume things like that! I have to think positively!

Kamiya stopped next to a manga café and decided to go inside. She looked up at the signs on the bookshelves that described each genre. She went into the romance section and looked at the various manga. After flipping through a few pages of manga, she decided to leave the café.

Kamiya looked around, trying to find something to do, but nothing she saw looked interesting. She thought about asking Shikimori or Nekozaki if they wanted to do anything, but decided against it, not wanting to bother them. I'll just go back home…

Letting out a heavy sigh, she walked back to the train station.

Kamiya finished writing in her journal and put it in her desk drawer, as well as her pen. She got off of her bed and let out a yawn as she made her way to the kitchen. She opened the fridge, looking for something to drink, but didn't see anything besides a carton of milk.

She went into the living room to see if her mother was in there, but didn't see her.

She's probably sleeping… I guess I should get her some more coffee… and maybe some juice.

Liking her idea, Kamiya slipped on her shoes and went out of the house, heading to the convenience store.

Kamiya got off of the train, walking along the sidewalk to the convenience store. It was dark outside, but the illuminated street lights provided her with enough light to help her see where she was going. She looked up at the various signs with each store's given name and saw the convenience store. She made her way towards the store and entered, causing a bell to ring as she opened the door.

She walked to the back aisle and grabbed a container of coffee powder. She then went to the refrigerator and grabbed a large bottle of cranberry juice. She walked to the counter to pay, placing the items on the counter.

"That will be ¥3,365.16."

Kamiya grabbed her wallet out of her pocket. She took out her Credit Card and handed it to the cashier, but stopped after getting a full look at him. "Ryuga-san?"

His gaze shifted from the card to her eyes. "Yes?"

Kamiya only recognized him because of his red eyes. His ears were clearly visible and the back of his hair was tied in a ponytail, similar to hers. "Your hair looks good."

Ryuga barely widened his eyes, looking surprised by her sudden compliment. He took the card from her and swiped it, then handed it back to her after it was approved. "...Your hair looks much better than mine."

Kamiya was surprised by his compliment, averting her gaze. "Thanks…" She glanced at Ryuga's hair and noticed that his bangs were disheveled. "Why did you tie your hair in a ponytail?"

"To look somewhat professional," Ryuga said.

Yet you're wearing a hoodie… Taking notice of what he was wearing, she noticed that he was wearing an Attack on Titan hoodie. One half was black with white kanji on the sleeve, the other half being the exact opposite, white with black kanji on the sleeve, and the Survey Corps symbol was printed in the middle, half white and half black.

"Again, thank you for earlier…"

"Huh?"

"When you defended me on the train, thank you."

"Oh… I don't even know why I did that… I'm not really the kind of person who voices their opinion…" Kamiya looked away from Ryuga. After not hearing a response, she looked back up at him. "It's okay to think that I'm pathetic or shallow, just—"

"Please stop," Ryuga interrupted, surprising Kamiya.

She looked at him, surprised to see how guilty he looked.

"Please stop saying those things about yourself. I don't think you're pathetic or shallow. You are honest and mature enough to realize and admit the mistakes you have

made. That is why… you shouldn't come near me… You'll start to think negatively, and I don't want that for anyone."

"I…" Kamiya faltered. She wanted to assure Ryuga that it wasn't his fault that she was thinking negatively, but remembered that she never really thought negatively throughout her life. She never considered such negative thoughts about herself until… Until I met Ryuga-san… It's not his fault though. He just made me reconsider the decisions I've made. That's not a bad thing, is it?

"I don't want you to talk to me anymore, so please leave… for your own sake."

Kamiya narrowed her eyes, seeming to surprise Ryuga. "Ryuga-san, I know this is selfish of me, but I'm not going to stop talking to you."

"Why?"

Kamiya smiled. "Because I like talking with you."

"I-I still don't understand. Why? Why do you like talking with someone as insecure and negative as me?" Ryuga asked.

"Because… I guess… I see myself in you… Is that good enough for you?"

"No…" Ryuga said, confusing Kamiya. "You're not like me. You're nothing like me. You're better than me." He looked away from Kamiya. "Everyone is better than me…"

Kamiya gasped, barely registering the last thing Ryuga said since it came out as a raspy whisper. "Why would you think that?!"

"Because… I just… It's just what I see as the truth…"

Kamiya continued to look at him with wide eyes.

"I'm the one who is pathetic. I'm the one who is shallow. I'm the one who is—"

"Ryuga-san."

He widened his eyes, as if he just came back to reality.

"I don't believe any of that is true."

"But I—"

"Please let me finish what I have to say, then you can decide whether or not you believe me."

Ryuga nodded.

Kamiya smiled before continuing. "Whatever it is you think about yourself isn't true. You're just overthinking things, and completely ignoring your positive qualities. I think you just dwell too much on the mistakes you make."

Ryuga looked at the counter, avoiding Kamiya's gaze. "I can't think positively… I've locked every memory and quality of positivity in a cage I've created within myself. That's why I always dwell on the negative."

"Well, you may not realize it, but…" Kamiya waited for Ryuga to look at her before continuing. "You can be very positive at times, and it's helped me out a lot, so thank you, Ryuga-san."

Ryuga widened his eyes. He opened his mouth, but closed it when someone walked into the store.

"Hey, Ryuga-san!"

Ryuga looked at the person who greeted him. "Hey."

The person looked at Kamiya, then back to Ryuga, smirking. "Who is this? Your girlfriend?"

"She's just someone I'm acquainted with at school."

Kamiya looked at the floor, clenching her teeth to stop herself from gasping. She knew Ryuga didn't consider her a friend, but she didn't know it would hurt so much when he just considered her an acquaintance. Does he not care? After trying to help him more and more every time we encounter each other, does he still not care? She glanced at Ryuga.

He caught her eye. "Why are you glaring at me?"

Kamiya widened her eyes, realizing that her eyebrows were furrowed. Why was I glaring at Ryuga-san? Am I mad at him?

"Anyways, Ryuga-san, you and your girl can head out. I'll take care of everything from here."

Ryuga looked at his supposed co-worker with narrowed eyes. "I just told you, she's only an acquaintance. Second, she is not my girl. Kamiya-san isn't a slave. Like everyone in this world, she's just a human, who is born free. She's free to make her own choices."

His co-worker looked a little shocked. "Umm… Okay… You didn't have to go on such a deep monologue about freedom…"

Ryuga walked to the door. "Have a good night." He looked at Kamiya, jerking his head towards the door.

Understanding his request, Kamiya followed him outside.

Kamiya followed Ryuga to the train station in silence. The night breeze flew past them, making Kamiya's parted bangs fly behind her. She looked at Ryuga to see that his bangs were even messier than before. They were still parted in the middle, but several strands rested all over his face in diagonal arcs. How can he see with his hair all over his face? She wanted to ask him, but decided against it, feeling that Ryuga would move it out of the way if it annoyed him.

"Are you upset with me?" Ryuga suddenly asked, surprising Kamiya.

"Why would I be upset with you?"

"You were glaring at me earlier."

"Right…" Kamiya averted her gaze. "Sorry about that."

"No you're not."

Kamiya looked at Ryuga. "What?"

"You're not sorry. You only apologized because I called you out, so it wasn't genuine. If you're going to apologize, try to understand why you're apologizing. If you just apologize to try and make me feel better, you're just going to piss me off."

"Are you angry with me, then?"

"Before I answer your question, please tell me why you were glaring at me, and if you truly feel bad about it, try to understand why you want to apologize," Ryuga said.

Kamiya looked at the ground, not feeling confident enough to look Ryuga in the eye. "I was glaring at you because… you don't seem to care that I want to be your friend."

It went deathly silent for what felt like the longest time, making Kamiya very uncomfortable. She snuck a glance at Ryuga and was surprised to see him staring at her with wide eyes.

"You… want to be my friend…?" he asked.

"Yes. So when you just addressed me as a mere acquaintance, as if I didn't mean anything to you… it hurt," Kamiya said.

"It wasn't my intention to hurt you or to make you feel bad. I just… can't think of you as a friend…"

Kamiya clenched her fist. "Why? Because you don't think it would be appropriate to consider me as a friend in such a short amount of time? If that's the case, don't worry about that. I don't think it would be inappropriate."

"That's not the reason."

"Then what is it?" Why am I getting so angry all of a sudden? It's not like Ryuga-san did anything to upset me.

Ryuga looked at the ground. "I… don't see the point in telling you… Sorry…"

Kamiya's anger was replaced with confusion. She couldn't tell if he meant his apology or not, but decided to accept it. "It's fine…"

Ryuga stopped walking and continued to look at the ground, confusing Kamiya even more.

"Ryuga-san?"

He looked at her.

Kamiya wanted to ask if Ryuga was okay, but she couldn't even tell because he looked like he wasn't feeling anything. His eyes looked devoid of all emotion. "What…" She stopped herself, feeling that asking him anything emotional would annoy him. "...We should get going…"

Ryuga nodded, and they made it to the train station. They boarded the train, which was mostly empty, and sat in the back.

Kamiya looked at Ryuga as he took the seat on the opposite side of her, so he was facing her. "Why did sit there? You can sit next to me."

"I don't like sitting close to other people," he said, then looked out of the window to Kamiya's left.

Kamiya looked out of the window next to Ryuga, but kept glancing at him occasionally. Why? Why do I want to be friends with someone who doesn't even want to be my friend? Why do I want to be friends with someone who doesn't want to open up to anyone? She looked out of the window, thinking about how she never wanted anyone to get close to her. She looked at the floor, clenching her left hand into a fist. I have no right to be angry since I'm just being a hypocrite. She glanced at Ryuga. Is this how he feels about himself? Does he constantly think like this?

Ryuga's eyes met hers, but he immediately looked at the ground. He blinked slowly a couple of times, then his eyes slowly closed fully.

Kamiya just blinked. She didn't know if he was sleeping or not. "Ryuga-san?"

No response.

Did he… fall asleep? She covered her mouth, muffling the giggle that escaped her lips. Ryuga-san… when you're not mumbling about deep, depressing monologues, you can be… cute… She widened her eyes after realizing what she just thought. D-Did I just think that?! Is it inappropriate to think someone you barely even know is cute? Ryuga-san would be disgusted with me if I ever told him that. She managed to calm the storm that was raging inside her and took a deep breath. Does Ryuga-san think I'm… attractive…? Kamiya shook her head, ashamed of even thinking of something like that. She knew that Ryuga would never think of anybody in such a way.

Before her thoughts could wander any further, the train came to a stop. Kamiya looked out of the window, realizing that they had to get off. She looked back to Ryuga, who was still asleep. "Ryuga-san."

He didn't respond.

Kamiya called to him again, raising her voice, but she still got no response. She outstretched her hand, but hesitated. She knew Ryuga didn't like to be touched, but she had to wake him up. "I'm sorry, Ryuga-san," she whispered. She hesitantly placed her hand on his shoulder, scared that she would hurt him with the slightest touch. She shook him lightly, but he still didn't wake up. "Ryuga-san, please wake up." She shook him a little harder, and he finally woke up.

Ryuga slowly opened his eyes. "What happened?"

"We need to get off," Kamiya said.

He nodded, then started to stand from his seat, but stopped, looking at his shoulder, which Kamiya was still holding onto. He widened his eyes, looking frightened, and jumped out of his seat, shocking Kamiya.

She lowered her hand. "I-I'm sorry…"

Ryuga just looked at the floor, then walked past Kamiya without saying a word. She followed him off of the train, and they walked in silence.

Kamiya was hesitant to look at Ryuga, even though he was walking in front of her. She didn't know why she felt so afraid. Am I scared of him, or do I just not want him to be angry with me? "Ryuga-san?"

He didn't respond.

"Are you angry with me?"

He just kept walking.

"You have every right to be. I knew that you didn't like to be touched, but I did so anyway. I just… didn't know how else to wake you up. You must think that's a terrible excuse but—"

"Please be quiet," Ryuga said, cutting Kamiya off. He turned around to face her. "I'm not mad at you."

Kamiya walked towards him, and Ryuga walked alongside her. "Why did you ignore me, then?"

"I guess I was just… angry at myself."

"Why?" Kamiya asked.

"Because I allowed myself to be vulnerable like that. I let you touch me."

"You were asleep, so you weren't aware of anything."

"When I woke up, I should've been aware that you were holding onto my shoulder, but I didn't do anything about it."

"You reacted when you noticed, so there's no reason to be mad at yourself."

Ryuga clenched his fist, then let it relax.

"Again, I'm sorry."

"There's no need for you to apologize. You were only trying to help me." Ryuga looked at Kamiya. "So… I guess I should be thanking you."

Kamiya blinked. "Why would you need to thank me?"

Ryuga blinked. "Because you woke me up when you could've just left me. It was my fault for falling asleep."

Kamiya slightly widened her eyes. "Why would you think I would leave you behind?"

Ryuga looked at the ground, not giving her an answer.

Before Kamiya could question him further, she felt something hit her head. She looked at the night sky and felt a raindrop hit her face, which turned into a full-on downpour. She looked ahead and saw several houses in the distance. "Quick, Ryuga-san! We can make it if we run!" She stopped walking when she saw that Ryuga was just standing still, looking at the ground. She couldn't see his expression since his face was covered by his wet bangs. "Ryuga-san?"

He just continued to stand there, remaining silent. He started to shake, worrying Kamiya.

"Hey, are you cold? If you stay out here any longer you'll get sick," she said, but Ryuga didn't seem to hear her. She took off her sweater, instantly shivering when she felt several drops of rain stab onto her exposed skin, and held it out for Ryuga to take. She looked at him closely and saw a stream of water running down his cheeks. She widened her eyes. Is Ryuga-san… crying…? She didn't know why he would be crying. She thought they had already worked through their arguments.

Ryuga looked at the sky, his bangs neatly parting on the sides of his face. He wiped his eyes before looking at Kamiya. He seemed to notice the sweater she was offering him, then widened his eyes. "Why did you take your sweater off?! You could get sick!"

"...You looked cold, so I was offering it to you…"

"Hold it over your head! That should keep you somewhat dry!"

"What about you, then?"

Ryuga through his hood over his head. "Come on!"

They started running towards the neighborhood, flinging water behind them as their feet splashed through puddles of water on the muddy ground.

Kamiya heard something hit the ground and stopped. She widened her eyes when she saw Ryuga on the ground, arms sprawled out in front of him. "Are you okay?!"

Ryuga clenched his fists, then pushed himself up with his knuckles. "I… can't run…"

"Why not?" Kamiya asked.

"...My knees hurt," Ryuga said.

Kamiya looked forward and saw how close the houses were. She looked back to Ryuga. "You can make it! We're almost there!"

Ryuga slightly widened his eyes. "Just go without me. Don't risk getting sick because of me."

"I'm not going to leave you out here!"

"You have to! I can't run home!"

"Then I'll help you!"

Ryuga looked scared. "How…?"

Kamiya slowly reached her hand out, then grabbed onto Ryuga's sleeve. She stared at him for a few moments, silently asking permission. Ryuga slowly nodded, and Kamiya began to run, pulling Ryuga behind her, helping him keep up with her.

They finally made it to Kamiya's house after what seemed like the longest time. Kamiya felt exhausted. She looked back at Ryuga, who was panting heavily. He looked like he was about to collapse.

"Do you want me to help you get home?" Kamiya asked.

Ryuga took a few deep breaths, then looked at Kamiya. "No… I'll be fine…"

"Well…" Kamiya smiled. "Thank you for walking home with me… and for spending time with me. I really appreciate it!"

Ryuga just blinked, not seeming to understand what Kamiya just told him.

"I'll see you at school. Have a good night, Ryuga-san." Kamiya turned on her heel and walked into her house after taking her drenched shoes off. She made eye contact with her mother, who was looking at her curiously, surprising Kamiya. "Is there something you need, Mother?"

Her mother looked away from her.

Kamiya sighed, then walked to her bedroom, closing the door.

To be continued

AN: And that's chapter 3! I hope there was a little more development between Kamiya and Ryuga.

And Kamiya's mother is introduced. I'm not very aware of her family situation in the manga, so if someone could tell me about it (if her family situation is in the manga) in the reviews, I would appreciate it. I came up with the idea that she had family problems by how she was surprised every time Izumi said she was nice or a good person. It seemed to me that she wasn't used to any kind of intimate affection or love. So I decided to give her a neglectful mother to reflect the way she acts. This was a very emotional chapter to write out, and I hope I was able to display Kamiya's emotions well.

Thank you for reading! See you all in the next chapter!