Different but Same

Chapter 7

AN: I'm really sorry for the long wait. I've just been focusing on my other two stories and haven't been very motivated to continue this fic. I've also been doing a lot of thinking about my career, so I haven't been writing as often as usual. I currently work at UPS (hoping to get that raise), but have been thinking about becoming a Navy Seal. I know if I do, I'll be sacrificing myself for the United States, which is a complete shithole right now, but it's not like I have much in my life anyway...

If any of you served in the military, I thank you for your service. You all have my utmost respect.

And thank you UnknownAsian626 and Velkoaz for following this story. I hope you're both enjoying it.

Now on with the chapter!

Winter break was now over, somewhat relieving Kamiya. She didn't mind the short break from school, but it was starting to get rather dull, especially since she had to stay inside most of the time because of the snow.

She was actually rather excited about going back to school, but it wasn't school itself that excited her. It was being able to see Ryuga again that excited her. Ever since they officially became friends on Christmas, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She'd imagine them having endless conversations, but she had a feeling most of them would never happen. Ryuga just wasn't the type of person to laugh and smile, at least to Kamiya.

Just thinking about that sent a wave of disappointment crashing into the soft surface of her heart. She couldn't help but think that Ryuga just accepted her as a friend to make her feel better.

Now that she thought about it, him accepting her as a friend seemed to come out of nowhere. Sure, they've talked on multiple occasions throughout the past few weeks, but she was the one who initiated all of them. He never really seemed to be interested in talking to her. If he did, he would've approached her by now.

But he still hadn't approached her even after they became friends, and that bothered Kamiya even more. Does he not see me as a friend? Was he just trying to make me feel better in that moment? She shook the thoughts out of her head. No, I can't start thinking like this. Not at the start of the next semester. There're more important things to be stressed about than friendship.

But despite knowing that, friendship was the only thing occupying Kamiya's mind. She never struggled with her studies or with sports. She could practically do both in her sleep. But when it came to friendship, she felt like she was in preschool. She didn't understand social cues or jokes or anything friends teased each other about.

But I've been able to interact with Shikimori-san, Nekozaki-san, and Ryuga-san just fine, so there's nothing I should be stressed about.

Despite the little reassurance she tried to give herself, she still felt stressed, just like she did during Christmas.

But why?

She didn't know why. And if she did, she couldn't admit the truth.

Ryuga-san… please help me get through this…

Carrying the weight of her prayer on her slumped shoulders, Kamiya made her way to school.

The school looked exactly the same since Kamiya left for winter break. Kamiya knew what classes she was taking from the previous semester, so she could easily get ahead in her studies.

As she was walking through the halls to her classroom, she saw a familiar pinkette talking with a group of people. "Shikimori-san?" Kamiya asked herself. She wanted to approach her, but didn't want to bother her. She turned around to leave, but Shikimori's voice stopped her.

"Kamiya-san, over here!"

Kamiya hesitantly walked over to her, feeling guilty that she took Shikimori's attention away from her friends. "Hey…"

"Why so gloomy, Kamiya-san?" Nekozaki asked. "Is the start of a new semester that bad?"

Kamiya shook her head. "It's not that… I just feel bad for interrupting you guys."

Shikimori just stared at her blankly. "...You weren't interrupting us. We're more than happy to talk to you, Kamiya-san."

"Yeah, we had a blast hanging out with you during winter break!" Nekozaki added.

Kamiya smiled. "Thank you. So, how was Christmas?"

"It was the best—day—ever!" Shikimori exclaimed with stars in her eyes. She then glanced at Izumi and lowered her head, her pink bangs covering her pink cheeks.

What is she so shy about all of a sudden? What could be so embarrassing about spending time together on Christmas? Kamiya then remembered spending her Christmas with Ryuga and took a step back. Just thinking about it embarrassed her. She wasn't embarrassed about spending time with Ryuga, she was embarrassed about being the center of attention about it. That was why she didn't like approaching others and preferred to keep to herself.

"How was your Christmas, Kamiya-san?" Nekozaki asked, breaking Kamiya out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, it was alright, I guess… I didn't really celebrate." Please don't push the matter.

But Shikimori did, anyway. "How could you not celebrate?! We went Christmas shopping together! Didn't you give that necklace to Ryuga-san?"

Kamiya was as frozen as a statue. She couldn't move even if she tried. She wanted to lash out at Shikimori—to defend herself—to walk away—but she knew running away from the matter wouldn't do her any good. It would only prove whatever suspicions Shikimori had to be true. So, with a shaky breath, she built up the confidence to answer Shikimori. "Yes, I gave Ryuga-san the necklace. He liked it."

Shikimori was beaming at Kamiya. "Really?! That's amazing, Kamiya-san!"

Kamiya took another step back. "Uh… Yeah… I guess so…"

"So, are you guys friends now?" Nekozaki asked.

Kamiya thought back to the moment they acknowledged each other as a friend, smiling at the memory. "Yeah… We're friends now."

"It's about time! It only took him like, what, a little over a month?!"

"It's fine, Nekozaki-san," Kamiya said calmly. "I'm actually glad things turned out this way."

"Why?"

"I don't really know." She wasn't necessarily lying. She never thought about what things would be like if Ryuga immediately accepted her as a friend. Maybe things are better this way. At least we trust each other, now. She lowered her head. Does Ryuga-san trust me? She could never really tell what he was thinking, but she had a good feeling she finally earned his trust. Why else would he acknowledge her as a friend?

"Everything okay, Kamiya-san?" Nekozaki asked.

"Yeah, you got all quiet for a while," Inuzuka commented.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Everyone's eyes lowered to Hachimitsu.

"Kamiya-san likes Ryuga-san."

Kamiya gritted her teeth to hold in the embarrassed gasp that threatened to escape her mouth. She knew Hachimitsu was right.

How? She had no idea. But she didn't want her running around telling everyone.

"I knew it!" Shikimori claimed.

Just stay calm, Kamiya told herself. If I don't act out, they'll drop the matter. …Hopefully. "Yes, I like Ryuga-san. He is my friend, after all. Shouldn't all friends like each other?" She figured taking things literally would confuse the other girls.

"Yeah, but…" Nekozaki faltered. "We just meant that… Ya'know what? It doesn't matter. Your feelings are your own. We have no business intruding them, right?"

Kamiya smiled at how understanding Nekozaki was being and was also relieved that the matter was forgotten. She glanced behind her to see a familiar figure looking at her. When they made eye contact, he turned around and started walking along the other end of the hall. She looked back to her friends. "Excuse me. I have to go."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Nekozaki asked.

"Wait! Kamiya-san!" Shikimori exclaimed.

But their calls were heard on deaf ears as Kamiya was already walking to the opposite end of the hall, finally catching up with the male student.

"Ryuga-san?" she asked.

He stopped, turning around slowly to face her. "Kamiya-san, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

Ryuga just blinked, visibly confused. "But weren't you just talking with your other friends? Why did you stop talking with them to talk with me?"

"I just wanted to talk to you. Is that so wrong?"

"No…" The corners of Ryuga's lips curved upward into a small smile. "Thank you for coming to talk to me, Kamiya-san. You're a good friend."

Kamiya felt like her heart was going to burst from within, but despite that, she tried to keep her breathing under control. "Thank you. You're a good friend, too."

"How? I didn't do anything for you."

"Yes, you did."

Ryuga's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Kamiya smiled. "You're spending time talking to me. That's more than I could ask for."

Ryuga still looked confused, but nodded.

"So, are you excited to be back at school?" Kamiya asked. "It was starting to get a little boring at home."

Ryuga's eyes narrowed. "How are things at home? Is your mother still neglecting you?"

"Um…" Kamiya faltered. She never would've expected Ryuga to ask such a thing. "Yeah, she's still neglecting me, but she at least left a card for me on Christmas. Although she always does, so I guess it didn't mean anything…"

"She gave you a gift on Christmas?" Ryuga asked.

Kamiya looked back into Ryuga's eyes. "Yeah, but it was just an apology for how she couldn't spend Christmas with me and that she hoped I enjoyed it. It's not like it meant anything."

"Kamiya-san, I know this must be hard to believe, but I think somewhere deep down, your mother truly wanted to be with you on Christmas."

"But—"

"I'm aware that monotonous 'gift' has no meaning to you, but she took the time to give you something," Ryuga interrupted, yet his voice was still very soft-spoken. "I don't like using that as a justifiable reason, but you have to remember that your mother is a single mother working hard to take care of you. You said she made sure you were well when it mattered, right?"

Kamiya nodded, too immersed in the gentle way Ryuga spoke to give a response.

"The way I see it, she loves you, but doesn't know how to express it, so she avoids you in hopes that she won't cause further harm to you," Ryuga explained.

"You're only saying that because she's not your mother," Kamiya snapped. "She's neglected me for sixteen years. I may never get to know if she truly ever loved me…"

"You're right. I don't know your mother so I'm trying to justify her negligence towards you, but I trust you and believe what you're telling me. I'm just trying to help you in a way that will lead you away from further resentment. I don't want such a poison to crawl its way into your heart, Kamiya-san."

Kamiya swallowed the lump in her throat, then exhaled a shaky breath, letting out both her anger and sadness. "I appreciate you for trying to help me, Ryuga-san, but I don't think there's much you can do. I don't think this will ever be resolved…"

"I'll help you resolve it, then," Ryuga proclaimed.

"Huh?" Kamiya asked, surprised.

"I'm aware that my relationship with my parents is already buried in a grave, and I'm not the best person to come to for this kind of advice, but if I can do something—anything—to help someone I care about, then I'll gladly do it."

"Ryuga-san…" Kamiya didn't know what to say. The first time she told Ryuga about her relationship with her mother, he sided with her and added onto her negativity. But now that they were friends, he was trying to help her. He was speaking like it was a life goal of his. "Thank you. I really appreciate your kindness."

Ryuga nodded, his serious expression still plastered on his face.

"Is there anything I can do to help with your family issues?" Kamiya asked. She knew that his mother was a lost cause, but she was still willing to at least try to make things better for Ryuga.

Ryuga opened his mouth to respond, but the bell interrupted him.

"I guess we should get to class, then."

"Yeah, let's go."

Kamiya walked alongside Ryuga to their classroom, ignoring the stares they received along the way.

"Hey, Kamiya."

Kamiya looked to her right to see a much taller student smirking at her. It was the same student who always bullied Ryuga. "Hey," she said neutrally.

"What's with the attitude?" the student asked. "I just want to talk."

"With all due respect, I don't want to talk to you."

The student's grey eyes narrowed, then lowered to Ryuga. "He's the reason you don't want to talk to me, right? You'd rather talk to that worthless piece of shit over me, huh?"

Kamiya narrowed her eyes, matching the student's stare. "Please don't say that about Ryuga-san. And I'm just not interested in talking to you."

The student gritted his teeth, letting out a growl of irritation. "You sound like him, too. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the person who won't tolerate bullies like you to pick on anyone. So I suggest you leave Ryuga-san alone."

"Or what?" the student asked with an amused grin. He suddenly pulled Ryuga's chair back, making Ryuga fall to the floor.

The entire classroom erupted into laughter.

Kamiya stood from her seat, blazing blue eyes widening in fury, then relaxed when she saw Ryuga on the floor. She knelt on a knee, ignoring everyone around her. "Are you okay, Ryuga-san?"

He nodded meekly, then got to his feet, completely ignoring the student.

"You really think you're better than me, don't you?" the student asked furiously.

Ryuga finally looked up at the student. "What's your name?"

The student just blinked. "Huh?"

"What's your name?" Ryuga repeated.

"...Kuso… Akira Kuso… What does it matter to you, Ryuga-san?"

"Kuso-san, I don't know what you're so insecure about that you need to rely on picking on me to get attention, but please take a look in the mirror and try to figure out what it is that is bothering you. I'm sure there's a good person within the tough bully you make yourself out to be."

Kuso continued to blankly stare down at Ryuga. The rest of the class seemed to be just as clueless as him as they all stared at Ryuga with similar expressions.

He suddenly swung the back of his fist into Ryuga's cheek, sending Ryuga flying across the classroom, crashing into a wall. "You don't know a damn thing about me!"

"Ryuga-san!" Kamiya cried, running to him. "Are you alright?" She reached a hand out to check his cheek, then retracted it, remembering that he didn't like to be touched. How am I supposed to help him, then?

"I'm fine," Ryuga breathed out, pushing himself off of the floor and onto his feet.

Kamiya breathed a sigh of relief, then looked back to Kuso, who was glaring at them. She wanted to get in his face—to hit him the same way he hit Ryuga—to give him a taste of his own medicine—but she couldn't. Ryuga was fine, that was all that mattered.

"Kamiya-san, just let it go. Retaliation will solve nothing."

She looked back at Ryuga. She knew he was right. She didn't like creating conflict, either, but Kuso had been picking on Ryuga—her friend—for weeks, so she wanted to do something to put an end to it.

"Of course you'd say that, you coward," Kuso spat.

Ryuga's eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent.

Kamiya knew underneath that calm exterior of his, he was angry. She was sure getting picked on really annoyed him. She thought back to how his mother treated him. I see… He must be so used to getting talked down on that he's essentially desensitized to it, which is why he's never lashed out thus far. That last thought made her entire body quiver in fear. What if he does act out on his anger? She dismissed the thought. No, I can't jump to conclusions. I have to be there for Ryuga-san so that he doesn't do something he'd regret in the future.

"It was nice talking to you, Kuso-san," Kamiya reluctantly said, hoping he would leave them alone. "Come on, Ryuga-san." She then walked past the glaring Kuso, taking her seat next to Ryuga.

Kamiya was now in gym class, doing some light stretching. She knew they were going to be playing volleyball, so she wanted to be loose and ready. I wonder if I'll play against Shikimori-san again… She wasn't opposed to the idea. Shikimori actually gave her a challenge. Although I can hardly call it a challenge. She swept the floor with me.

"Kamiya-san?"

Who is it now? Kamiya turned around, widening her eyes when she saw Ryuga. "Uh… H-Hey, Ryuga-san…" she stammered, feeling guilty for getting annoyed when he approached her. "How are you doing?"

Ryuga lowered his face, turning it to the right slightly, his jet-black bangs covering his cheek, but Kamiya could still see the small bruise that formed.

"You're face is bruised."

Ryuga touched the bruise on his cheek. "I know." He looked at her. "Don't worry, it's not that bad."

Kamiya held her gaze for a few more seconds, then looked away when she knew Ryuga wasn't going to explain further. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to de-escalate things before they got violent. If I had, then maybe you wouldn't have—"

"Don't blame yourself, Kamiya-san," Ryuga said firmly.

She blinked, a bit startled by Ryuga's interruption. "Huh?"

"It wasn't your fault. I know you were trying to de-escalate the situation, but Kuso-san refused to see reason and resorted to violence to get his way." He stepped closer to her, making her heartbeat increase. "But the both of us didn't lose, even if he was picking on us."

"How?" Kamiya asked.

"Because neither of us gave up," Ryuga explained. "We stood our ground and spoke our opinions. We stayed true to ourselves. That's how we won. I'm proud of you, Kamiya-san."

"I never thought of it that way…"

"Hey, Kamiya-san, you ready?"

Kamiya turned around to see Shikimori walking over to her. "Ready for what?"

Shikimori giggled. "For volleyball, of course!"

"Oh, yeah…"

Shikimori glanced at Ryuga. "It's been a while, Ryuga-san."

"It has," he said.

Shikimori just blinked, visibly uncomfortable with the awkwardness of the conversation, or lack thereof. "Well, I'm gonna borrow Kamiya-san for a bit. Is that, alright?"

He nodded. "I have no right to keep her from you. She's free to do what she wants."

Kamiya felt flattered, but at the same time, she couldn't quite understand why Ryuga took things so literally.

"Great!" Shikimori exclaimed. "Enjoy the game!"

He nodded again, then looked at Kamiya. "Good luck…"

Kamiya giggled at how embarrassed Ryuga looked. "Thank you." She then let Shikimori lug her away to the group of teams.

Kamiya was standing in the front right corner of her side of the court, playing the position of outside hitter. She wanted to play in the back left corner so she would be able to counter Shikimori's setups, but knew her team needed her upfront. She was the ace of the volleyball team, so she needed to be in a position where she could lead her team to victory.

The gym teacher blew his whistle and the setter standing in the back of the court behind Kamiya threw the volleyball in the air, hitting it over the net.

Nekozaki hit the ball in the air. "Micchon!"

Shikimori ran to the front of the net, jumped in the air, and hit the ball as hard as she could.

Not this time! Kamiya dove to her left, barely managing to set the ball further into the air with the tips of her fingers. Her teammate to her left hit it back over the net, but it was sent right in Shikimori's direction. She landed behind her teammate, then jumped as high as she could when Shikimori hit the ball back, hitting it as hard as she could, sending it spiraling to the floor, scoring the first point.

The crowds in the gym started cheering.

"That was amazing, Kamiya-san!"

"There's no surprise why you're the volleyball ace!"

The game continued for the next several minutes, becoming more competitive with each setup, block, and hit made by both Kamiya and Shikimori.

Kamiya blocked yet another serve from Shikimori, fighting the numbness that was spreading in her hands. Damn… Where does she get all that strength? She was forced out of her thoughts when she saw the volleyball flying over her. She wanted to jump back to try and set it up, but she knew it wasn't possible, no matter how good she was. "Set it back up!" she called to the teammate standing in the middle of their end of the court.

Said teammate jumped in the air and hit the ball, but instead of going over the net, it went flying to the right side of the gym. It slammed into a student, knocking them back into the wall.

The entire gym was silent as they stared flabbergasted at the collapsed student.

"Uh… My bad?" the girl who hit the ball said, shrinking away in embarrassment.

Kamiya ran over to the student, widening her eyes in fright when she saw who it was. "Ryuga-san?! Are you okay?! Can you hear me?!"

He groaned as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Of course I can hear you. You're literally yelling in my ear."

"Right… I was just scared," Kamiya said, laughing nervously. "Are you okay?"

Ryuga glared at the floor. "I'll be fine…"

Kamiya opened her mouth to respond, but the shouts of her volleyball teammates interrupted her.

"Hey, Kamiya-san, aren't we gonna finish the game?!"

"Yeah, get over here!"

"What are you doing over there with that freak, anyway?!"

Their comments made Kamiya's blood boil to the point she thought her veins were going to burst out of her skin. She was about to give them all an explanation, but stopped when she saw Ryuga grab the volleyball that hit him, glaring at one of the male students. He reeled his arm back, but couldn't bring it forward since Kamiya grabbed his wrist. He looked back at her with wide, horrified eyes, the volleyball dropping out of his hand.

Kamiya didn't even say anything. She just shook her head firmly, silently telling Ryuga to not do anything rash.

His hand dropped to his side. "Please let go of my wrist," he whispered.

Kamiya held her gaze for another second, then released her hold on his wrist. "Let's just go up to the balcony, okay?"

Ryuga just nodded.

"Hey, what about the game?!"

"Are you just going to abandon us, Kamiya-san?"

Kamiya glared at her teammate, the one who hit Ryuga. "So you expect me to prioritize a game over my friend's well-being?" she asked calmly. On the inside, however, she was enraged. She wanted nothing more than to shout at her teammate, but she knew that wouldn't solve anything.

"Huh?" her teammate asked.

Not seeing a reason to explain further, she walked up to the balcony with Ryuga, watching the rest of the volleyball game.

"See ya, Kamiya-san!" Nekozaki said, waving as she walked out of the school gates.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow, Nekozaki-san," Kamiya said. She watched Shikimori and Izumi walking away as well, and once again felt disappointed that she had no one to walk home with. I wonder if—

And then as if reading her mind, Ryuga said, "Hey, Kamiya-san." He didn't sound excited to see her, though. He sounded as disappointed as he looked.

Does he not want to see me? Kamiya hoped that wasn't the case. "Hey, Ryuga-san. How are you feeling?"

Ryuga lowered his head. "Better…"

"I'm really sorry about what happened during volleyball. I should've—"

"You're blaming yourself again," Ryuga pointed out. "Please don't. And please don't apologize for something that was out of your control. You did nothing wrong."

"Right. I just wish there was something I could've done to prevent that from happening."

"We can't control everything."

Kamiya just nodded her head. She knew Ryuga was right, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself for just being able to stand and watch Ryuga suffer through life. She wished there was something she could do to help him, but she felt completely helpless. Some friend I am…

"Come on," Ryuga said, snapping Kamiya out of her thoughts. "Let's go home."

Kamiya nodded and followed Ryuga out of the school gates. The atmosphere around them was rather awkward, much to her dismay.

"Look, about gym class…"

Kamiya looked at Ryuga, surprised to hear him actually start a conversation. "You don't need to apologize for anything, Ryuga-san," she assured him.

"I wasn't going to apologize."

Kamiya blinked in confusion. "What?"

Ryuga looked at her. "I was going to try to justify my actions. I didn't actually do anything, so there's no reason for me to apologize."

Kamiya opened her mouth to say otherwise, but she knew Ryuga had a point. Despite that, she still disagreed with the actions he planned on taking. "I don't think your actions were justifiable." She didn't want to bring Ryuga down, but she wanted to tell him what she thought of the situation.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Why? Because I was going to throw that volleyball at a student?"

Kamiya nodded. "Yes. Words can be very harmful. I understand that. But it's like you said in class, resorting to violence to win solves nothing. If I didn't stop you and you did throw that volleyball at that student, you would probably be suspended right now."

Ryuga looked away from her. "You're right… I wasn't thinking clearly. I was just so angry at the way they were talking down on you and wanted to shut them up. Then I saw the volleyball and…" He lowered his head, his bangs covering the sides of his face, hiding the glare he just shot at the ground. "I know what I did—or what I was about to do—was nowhere near justifiable, but I couldn't just sit there and watch you get talked down on. I was just trying to defend you…" He looked at her. "...Because you're my friend, Kamiya-san."

"Ryuga-san…" Kamiya couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ryuga, the anti-social loner who never once bothered to approach her just admitted that he wanted to protect her. She felt like she was dreaming. "Thank you for defending me."

"Don't thank me for such a violent act," he said sternly. "You did the right thing by stopping me. So I should be thanking you for putting me in my place."

"Ryuga-san, don't ever think that I would want to put you in your place," Kamiya said softly. "Yes, we may be out of line sometimes, but if I'm coming to you straightforwardly like this, it's because I want you to learn from your mistakes so that you can grow into a better person. I'm doing this to help you."

Ryuga just stared at her, as if he didn't understand a single word she just said.

"What I'm trying to say is—"

"I know what you're trying to say," Ryuga interrupted. "I'm just not used to hearing criticism like that."

Kamiya frowned as she was reminded of his mother. "Well, you won't have to worry anymore, because I will always be here for you," she reassured him.

Ryuga also frowned. "Don't give me false hope. The moment we have to go to our respective homes, we can't be there for each other."

Kamiya looked at the ground with downcast eyes. She wanted to be there for Ryuga, but he was right, she couldn't. Some things were just out of her control. Unless… She suddenly snapped her head up, seeming to startle Ryuga.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Kamiya pulled out her phone, opened her contacts, and handed it to Ryuga. "We can exchange numbers, that way when we're not around, we can still keep in touch with each other."

Ryuga just stared at her phone for a second, then took it, typing in the digits of his phone number. "I probably won't text you that often, just so you know."

"Why not? We're friends, aren't we?" Kamiya asked.

"We are, but my history with texting 'friends' isn't that great. I was always the one texting them and initiating our conversations and asking to hang out, but they never reciprocated that, even though they reassured me multiple times that they did and that I shouldn't think like that. But now I see that they just used that as an excuse to dodge my suspicions and doubts," Ryuga explained, now glaring at Kamiya's phone.

"Ryuga-san." Kamiya took a step closer to Ryuga, but he didn't back away. "I know you probably won't believe me when I say this, but I won't take your friendship for granted. I will text you, call you, and ask you to hang out occasionally. I'm glad we're now friends and want to keep helping you, not just with building your trust back up and strengthening our friendship, but with your personal problems. I know it's none of my business, but I don't want you to feel helpless without me anymore. I want you to be strong on your own." She felt her hand reaching toward Ryuga, so she grabbed her wrist with her other hand to hold herself back.

Ryuga handed Kamiya her phone. "I will trust you for now. But I won't hesitate to approach you if I start having doubts." He suddenly looked at his phone. "Why did you just text me when we're standing here talking?"

Kamiya smiled. "One, so you now have my number, and two to further emphasize my promise."

Ryuga nodded, pocketing his phone. "Thank you for… everything you've done for me today, Kamiya-san. I will do my best to be a good friend to you."

Kamiya widened her smile. "And I thank you, Ryuga-san." She was smiling from ear to ear when she saw the corners of Ryuga's lips curve upward into a barely noticeable smile.

"Let's head home."

To be continued

AN: I'm finally back! Again, I'm really sorry for the month long wait. I just haven't been motivated to continue writing this story. But I recently realized that writing this makes me very happy and helps me with my depression and internal struggles. I hope this story is able to help all of you as well.

The whole point of this chapter was to completely solidify Kamiya's and Ryuga's friendship. Since they're both deep thinkers and internalize everything, I figured they would both question their friendship. But it seems that Ryuga is starting to become more approachable, so there's some development.

I don't know how often I'll keep updating, but this story isn't going anywhere, nor will it be forgotten.

See you in the next chapter!