All or Nothing
By : rainy26541
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V2 SS
Kushida Kikyou SS
I had to let out all of my emotions out at that very moment.
"If you let any random guy touch your breasts just so you can blackmail them, then I feel sorry for your future. You might as well just join a strip club or become one of those 'hookers' I think they're called."
The fuck? Who says that to a girl even as a joke. I mean sure, I did exactly what he said but that was the only time I'd ever do such a thing. I was disgusted having his hands on my breasts but I had to put up with it so I could protect my image.
Hah... I shouldn't be thinking about that anymore. What's done is now done. Ayanokouji got me expelled and I can't do anything about it.
However, at the same time, the guy that got me expelled also gave me advice and a new path forward. Does he absolutely hate me or can he tolerate me enough to help me? I absolutely can't understand that guy.
Ah whatever. I need to leave the school now. My life at this school has come to an end and all I have left is going back to my own home where my parents will be disappointed once they hear why I was expelled.
I walked along the bridge that led to Tokyo City Centre. Apparently the school had called me a taxi by the barriers where this roadbridge meets the city. That taxi would be my ride back home.
As I walked on, I began to recall the things Ayanokouji said to me.
Taking therapy huh? I would be lying if I said it never crossed my mind. Of course I thought about taking therapy before, but there were two reasons why I didn't take the opportunity.
Reason 1: The cost.
Therapy sessions were not cheap. Back when I considered doing such a thing, I researched the cost of going to therapy and it seemed their pricing ranged from ¥8,000 and ¥20,000. That was not cheap.
If they were sessions that I would only conduct once a month, then it may not seem as expensive.
But my situation required more than just one session a month.
The reality was if I really wanted to get things off my chest so often and have a therapist listen to me, at most I would need to have sessions everyday and at minimum once or twice a week.
Even at the minimum, it was too costly.
But that brought me to reason 2: My actual situation.
I never really believed any therapist would understand or even listen to my rantings or even my situation in general. I was a special case. I really didn't think therapy would work for me.
But when I thought about it, I was a little younger and naive-minded (still am by the way) so that probably played a factor in the fact that I didn't think therapy would work.
Now that I'm a little more mature (yeah I'm not), I guess I can believe that therapy will work for me since there are different kinds of therapy.
However, that still didn't remove reason 1 from the occasion. Therapy was still expensive for my situation. I didn't have the money to afford it and I don't even think my parents would put all that money into it either.
I brought out the advertisement that Ayanokouji handed me. Looking at its pricing, I saw that each session was around ¥15,000. Still quite expensive.
"What the...?"
I didn't notice it probably because I was focused on reading the information on the front of the advertisement, but when I turned the advertisement around, I noticed some kind of card clipped to the back of it.
Pulling it out of the clip, I brought it closer to read what exactly it was.
"Use this card and get 10 free therapy sessions when you book online! Plus 20% off your next 10 after that!" was what it said.
Did... did that guy intentionally give this to me knowing I wouldn't be able to afford the amount of therapy sessions I would need for it to make some sort of a difference?
How... How fucking unbelieveable! It's like that guy actually knows everything!
What I have to wonder though is how he obtained something like this.
Does he have connections? Is he secretly affiliated with some sort of large organisation that can get these things? No one would be able to obtain a discount this big!
"Are you Kushida Kikyou?"
I was brought out of my thoughts when a voice called out to me. I was so out of reality that I didn't realise I arrived at the toll gates separating the main city roads to the school's one.
A security guard was standing at the toll gates staring at me. It appeared he was the one who called out to me.
"Yes, I am." I answered him, not bothering to use my overly nice mask.
The security guard then pointed to a car with a taxi sign above it. Obviously it was a taxi waiting there.
"Your ride back to your home is there. Expenses have already been paid by the school so don't worry about paying anything when your ride ends. Do you need help putting stuff in the taxi?"
"No. I'm alright. Thanks though."
I went over to the car's boot and loaded it with my two suitcases and bag. I closed the boot door when it was loaded completely and moved to enter the back seats of the car.
As soon as I was in and the driver confirmed we were all good, he started driving away from the school. The destination was set for the outer suburbs of Tokyo, around the Saitama prefecture.
It was good that the driver was silent not talking to me, because I wasn't in the mood to have a conversation. He had his radio on in the background playing some new song by ZAQ called Dance in the Game.
That reminded me. Ayanokouji mentioned a song called "Live and Learn" by Crush 40. I felt like I should ignore it, but Ayanokouji saying it resonates with my life made me curious.
He said it was in English which would be a problem for most Japanese people, but because I was quite good at English, I think I should be fine understanding it.
Bringing out my earphones and plugging them into my smartphone which luckily contained a headphone jack and began searching for this Live and Learn song. My search finally ended when I found a video playing the song in the background.
Can you feel life moving through your mind
Looks like it came back for more - yeah!
Can you feel time slipping down your spine
You try and try to ignore - yeah!
The song started. Unsurprisingly, it was some sort of rock song and the lyrics were completely in English. Luckily I understood the lyrics well.
But you can hardly swallow
Your fears and pain
When you can't help but follow
It puts you right back where you came
Live and learn
Hangin' on to the edge of tomorrow
Live and learn
From the works of yesterday
Live and learn
If you beg or if you borrow
Live and learn
You may never find your way
To most people, it may have sounded like just a simple rock song that sounded really good. I was kind of the same here.
However, even from these simple lyrics, I was already beginning to see what Ayanokouji was talking about when he said this song resonated with my current life.
Can you feel life tangle you up inside (Yeah!)
And now you're face down on the floor oh
But you can't save your sorrow
You've paid in trade
When you can't help but follow
It puts you right back where you came
Live and learn
Hangin' on to the edge of tomorrow
Live and learn
From the works of yesterday
Live and learn
If you beg or if you borrow
Live and learn
You may never find your way
In essence, the message behind this song was that even with the life I had been born with, as long as I continued to learn and grow, I would find the tomorrow I was waiting for. The destiny I had been searching for. I could easily tell this was the message before the last part of the song approached.
There's a face searching far, so far and wide
There's a place where you dreamed you'd never find
Hold on to what if...
Hold on to what if...!
Live and learn
Hangin' on to the edge of tomorrow
Live and learn
From the works of yesterday
Live and learn
If you beg or if you borrow
Live and learn
You may never find your way...
Live and learn
Hangin' on to the edge of tomorrow
Live and learn
From the works of yesterday
Live and learn
If you beg or if you borrow
Live and learn
You may never find your way
Live and learn
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Live and learn
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
As the song finally ended, I stayed silent as I took in the meaning of this song. On why Ayanokouji told me to listen to it.
Live and learn, huh?
It sounds like just some random words, but for me, they seemed to have a heavy effect on me.
I guess I should take this song's advice and get the therapy I need. If it ends up working then I may end up finding my way instead of hangin' on to the edge of tomorrow.
Oh for fucks sake, now the lyrics are stuck in my head.
End of Kushida Kikyou SS...
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Hasebe Haruka SS
Chess.
I never thought I would be playing a board game such as this. Was chess really a board game to begin with?
Either way, I always felt chess was a game that really smart people would play, and that was true to begin with. But Yukimuu was really smart and didn't know how to play chess surprisingly enough.
That ruined my view of smart people...
Until I realised that Kiyopon could play chess better than I ever thought he could play.
Don't get me wrong, I remember when he said that he could play chess when the Event Selection special exam was announced, and the fact that apparently he played chess before coming to this school, but I didn't expect him to be amazingly good.
Eh... was that a good way of describing how great he was at chess?
Either way, myself and Keipon got to see how amazing he was at chess when the three of us met up at Keyaki Mall. There was a store that held a chess table and a man who apparently used to be a professional chess player.
Apparently the man could see that Kiyopon knew how to play chess because he gave off an aura that emitted "absolute confidence in chess skills". Kiyopon was going to reject the offer, but after being pushed by me and Keipon, he ended up agreeing to go against the guy.
The thing was though, both Keipon and I forgot one key fact about professional chess. It was the fact that just one single game could go on for more than 1 hour. So we should've expected Kiyopon's game to go on for quite a long time.
Yes, I guess both me and Keipon are idiots for not thinking this through.
"I concede." The professional chess player ended up saying after 2 and a half hours.
"Thank you for the game." was what Kiyopon replied with.
Ever since then, we have been in Kiyopon's room. Keipon and I somehow got interested in learning chess, so Kiyopon took us back to his room to teach us.
"Ah damnit!" Keipon shouted after losing a game to me.
"Yes!" I couldn't help but project my victory in the whole room.
This was the fifth game we played against each other and just like that, I finally overtook Keipon's victories with 3 to me and 2 to her. Our tutor, Kiyopon, was sitting at his study desk off to the side, watching our little scuffle.
"Congratulations on your best out of three victory, Haruka."
I couldn't help but giggle at his praise. Keipon was pouting immensely off to the side, which was pretty cute. But I'm sorry Keipon. I'm the victor today so I can't care about you as much as I want to as of this moment.
"But Kei could've actually won 3 turns ago if she noticed where you had placed your Bishop."
That surprised me, and it obviously ruffled up Keipon's feathers. Kiyopon replicated the exact place where our pieces were the moment Keipon could have won and showed us exactly what she should've done to win.
Obviously, that annoyed Keipon and she belittled herself for not realising such a fact. The fact that I didn't realise either was something, so I'm with you there Keipon!
"Well you two did well as starters to chess. If you two really want to learn more about chess, then I don't mind teaching you two. Horikita learned quite quickly and I'm sure you two will get the hang of it. Though maybe not as quick as Horikita."
Kiyopon... You shouldn't praise another girl like that... Especially if it's Horikita-san. You're lucky I care about you Kiyopon, otherwise I would've smacked you for mentioning her name.
As for Keipon though...
"Grrrrrrrrr."
Yeah... Let's just say her pouting and noises represented some sort of beast ready to attack her prey.
I'm sure Kiyopon realised his mistake because as soon as he saw Keipon's face, he performed an apologetic stance by bringing his hands together and bowing his head.
"Hmph!" Keipon looked away.
I knew this was going to be a little bad for the couple if this continued on, so I decided to change the subject.
"By the way, Kiyopon. While we're on the subject of chess, I've been wanting to ask you. Do you see those who you aren't acquainted with and those who aren't your friends as pawns or tools for your benefit?"
After the day Airi was chosen for expulsion, Kiyopon visited me to try and cheer me up. But at the same time, he finally told me his past. Everything that had happened to him. His view of people, everything.
I have to say I was extremely shocked by his past. It was darker than I ever thought and I honestly felt bad for feeling angry over Airi when he probably felt worse off since he couldn't protect her just like he couldn't protect his best friend in that so-called White Room.
Apparently the only other person he told his past to was Keipon, and the only other person who knew about his past and him before coming to this school was Sakayanagi Arisu-san. I really couldn't believe all this.
After hearing such a story, I thought about what he told me the day Airi left and I decided to lend him a hand with his plan and he would allow for my revenge as payment. But that meant I was actively becoming his pawn.
For what it was worth, I felt that becoming his pawn wasn't a bad thing. But I wanted to know if he thought of other people as pawns or tools in his arsenal. It didn't matter as long as he saw me, the KiyoKei group, Keipon and the rest of his friends as actual people he wanted to keep close and not tools.
Kiyopon looked at me with a surprised expression. It appeared he really didn't expect me to ask such a question.
"To be honest with you Haruka, I would be lying if I said I didn't see people who are not exactly my friends as possibly useful pawns. Some people in our class that I don't talk with or even consider good people or friends, for example. That's a part of me I find slightly difficult to change. However, I do believe even those views are changing bit by bit I guess."
"So... You can't get rid of that White Room persona but you think you can start seeing people a little differently depending on the situation, right?"
That's what I deducted from his explanation. It was sad really, but I honestly couldn't care for anyone I wasn't friends with anymore. After what happened.
"Yeah. I guess so." He answered back.
I couldn't help but look at Keipon. I remember Kiyopon saying they got acquainted during the special exam on the cruise ship last year. That made me wonder one thing.
"If you're wondering whether Kiyotaka saw me and used me as a pawn before we started dating, then yeah he did. There were a lot of things I conducted, tricks and investigations for Kiyotaka either related to the class competition or just for him. He even betrayed me just to get him as his pawn and almost led me to believe he abandoned me completely before his feelings for me changed."
Keipon must have gone through a lot when she was working for Kiyopon. I couldn't help but wonder if I was going to go through such a thing becoming his pawn by helping out his plans. Perhaps to be on the safe side, I'll ask.
"Hey, Kiyopon. Since I'll be working with you more for your plans, will... Will I go through the same process?"
Kiyopon narrowed his eyes a little bit, which looked a little scary but I held my ground.
"Don't think I'm the same as I was back in the White Room or when I first started here Haruka. While I will appreciate you working with me to ensure my plans go smoothly for both myself, the class and your protection, I won't be overworking you, making you feel awful or betraying you in a situation similar to Kei's. I've moved past that now. If you're going to be my pawn, even pawns need to be treasured more than people usually do on their chessboard."
I sighed in relief. I didn't want to accuse him of such a thing. But if anyone heard the story he told me and the stuff he had done before, I think anyone with a right mind would ask such a question.
"You're alright with being my pawn, Haruka?"
That was the million dollar question. Of course no one would like being someone's pawn. You would have to be crazy if you did enjoy such a thing. However, sometimes being crazy is actually the right thing to do.
"I'm alright with it. As long as we continue to stay together, bring Airi back and save you from your father's control, then I'll be your pawn for your plans. In a way, it's kind of fun."
"Ain't that right? Even though I hated it at first, I actually had a lot of fun with Kiyotaka doing what he asked. I will happily become your pawn again to save you and have fun," Keipon added with a smile.
I smiled at her as well. It seemed it was set in stone and Kiyopon didn't have anything against it either. We would help him and he would help us. We would continue to be together as friends and even as a family. That was all that mattered.
That was why, being a pawn on this chessboard... might not actually be a bad thing in the end.
After all, sometimes your most precious pieces are not your bishops or rooks, but the pawns that go in front and take the hit for you.
End of Hasebe Haruka SS...
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Onodera Kayano SS
"Hey hey! Look at the outfit on that mannequin! It toats looks like something a fashionista would buy. Don't you girls think?"
"Yeah yeah. You should buy it, Ruri-chan. It'll look great on you."
"I-I think so too, Ruri-chan."
"What do you think, Kayano-chan?"
On the Saturday after the sports festival, I decided to join my girlfriends on a shopping trip and a day at the cafe. It was me, Ichihashi Ruri, Ishikura Kayako, Inogashira Kokoro and Mei-Yu Weng, otherwise known as Mii-chan.
The five of us decided to treat ourselves, or well more specifically they wanted to treat me after earning the MVP reward with Sudou-kun and after Ayanokouji-kun earned the Commander rewards.
Honestly, I tried to tell them that they didn't need to do what they did, since I had all the points so it would've been easier if I just treated everyone. But when Ruri-chan and Kayako-chan insisted that they wanted to pay for my sake.
After that little lunch, we went around the mall and somehow witnessed Karuizawa-san and Hasebe-san with Ayanokouji-kun. They appeared to be playing chess, or well it was mostly Ayanokouji-kun doing so and Karuizawa-san and Hasebe-san watching, with one of the adults there. We thought it was best not to disturb them so we walked past and continued with our shopping trip.
Anyway, that brought us to this situation. We were in front of the famous UNIQLO store. Anyone who wanted to buy clothes to create a great fashion sense, this was the store to come to.
Ruri-chan saw an outfit that really stood out on the mannequin which was why she called out to us when she saw it. And now it appeared Mii-chan was asking for my opinion. I took a look at the outfit and smiled upon coming to a realisation.
"Yeah. This is definitely an outfit Ruri-chan would wear. You should go ahead and buy it."
"You think so? I may be a little bit of a fashionista but even I have my limits at times. Maybe... Kayano-chan. You should try it on. It might look good on you too," Ruri-chan said with a smirk on her face.
Oh no. That cannot be good.
That's Ruri-chan's evil look. The one she wears when she's thinking of something to write about in her fanfiction head of a mind. I hope it isn't terrible since it might involve me.
She's a devil in disguise.
"Um... I'm not sure, Ruri-chan. I don't think it would look good on me at all."
I spoke the truth. I was a very athletic girl. Quite tomboyish. Very girly and fashionista type outfits wouldn't suit my overall outlook since that was the personality I seemingly had. I don't know why she thought it would suit me.
"Even if that outfit might not work with you, we can find one by mixing and matching. Don't you have someone you want to impress now to direct his view away from another girl?" Ruri-chan replied, smirking with her evil eyes.
Geh!
Crap. She knew!
Ah whatever. Everyone in this group knew at this point. It's not like I didn't keep quiet about it. More of the fact that it was almost pretty obvious after the results of the Sports Festival were released.
"Oh! You mean impressing Sudou-kun with an outfit that makes Kayano-chan look cute!?" Kayako-chan immediately realised what Ruri-chan was talking about and I quickly looked away in embarrassment.
Yes. It was true. I liked Sudou Ken-kun. I don't know how or when I became conscious of Sudou-kun. Perhaps it was when we were arguing about whether we should go to Hokkaido or Okinawa for the school trip in late November. Perhaps it was when I talked with him to team up for the sports festival.
Either way, it was during the sports festival that I began to realise that I must have liked him more than I thought. It probably didn't help that Ayanokouji-kun pushed me to have such thoughts throughout the rest of the sports festival after the tennis event.
"You should get closer to him so he can change his image of Horikita. It will be for the better and you'll even have someone for yourself. A win-win I'd call it." was what he said.
Ahhhh!
I can't believe he said such a thing. The fact I got so flustered by just the one comment said a lot about how I felt.
"Yeah yeah. Cmon, Kayano-chan. Just try out a few and maybe then you can decide whether you want to wear it. If you really want to impress Sudou-kun. I think this will be worth it."
There was no way I was going to get out of this without saying yes to Ruri-chan's evil smirk. I was friends with a living devil, damnit!
Since the others were agreeing with Ruri-chan, I had no choice but to accept their pushing and force myself into UNIQLO to try on some outfits.
There were quite a lot of clothes, separated into the respected categories unlike the outfits displayed in front of the window of the store. It was here that a girl's fashion mind would pick outfits to pick and try on. Since I didn't have that much of a fashion mind, I would unfortunately have to rely on Ruri-chan and Kayako-chan.
...That wasn't going to go well. I'd rather rely on Kokoro-chan, but she was a little too quiet to take part here, probably understanding there was no point trying to level with the other two. Mii-chan definitely understood that too.
We spent about 30 minutes just getting me into different outfits and in the end, we only found 3 that I actually liked and just decided to buy to get the devils off my back. After that, we continued to walk around Keyaki Mall a little longer before ultimately deciding it was time to head back to the dorms.
The path we were taking ultimately passed through the school's outdoor tennis and basketball courts. There were times where clubs were practising during the weekend either outside on the courts or even in the school. It wouldn't be a surprise to see clubs practising out here.
So while I shouldn't have been surprised to see the basketball club practising on the courts, probably due to my earlier conversation with the girls, I was surprised to see Sudou-kun there with a towel around his neck and a bottle of water in his hands.
...
Was I getting mesmerised by his image?
"Go talk to him, Kayano-chan."
It seems the girls instantly realised I was staring at Sudou-kun and beckoned me to go see him. Ahhhh! Stop trying to force me!
"Argggh! Fine! If it will get you guys off my back then I'll go."
It was better for me to just go along with the flow, otherwise Ruri-chan wouldn't let me hear the end of it.
Since the courts were at height, I had to travel up a couple steps just to get to them. I finally got to the gates and luckily for me, Sudou-kun was standing right by the gates with another person. It appeared to be a third-year senpai. Maybe he was the captain?
Anyway, the senpai left, leaving Sudou-kun to finish off his drink of water. I finally decided it was time to speak up.
"Sudou-kun," I called out to him.
He turned to face me and raised his eyebrows in surprise. I guess it was strange to be seeing me here.
"Onodera? I didn't expect to see you here. Whatcha doing?"
"Ah. Well I'm with my friends down there." I pointed at them and Sudou also looked in that direction nodding. "We were hanging out a little bit as a celebration for our MVP win in the sports festival."
"Oh I see. We really rocked the sports festival, didn't we? Even if our class didn't win in overall rewards, the two of us and Ayanokouji smashed everyone to pieces! Even Suzune praised me well because of it!"
"Ahahahaha."
Sudou-kun was the same as always. Proud of his achievements when it mattered and absolutely gunning for Horikita-san. I couldn't help but feel really annoyed at that, but there wasn't too much I could do. He was set for heels for Horikita-san.
...Am I really that hopeless? I'm falling right into Ruri-chan's trap. Goddamnit!
...Ah well. I really do kind of want to try something with him since these... feelings are something I'm not sure I can get rid of.
"Hey... Sudou-kun?"
"Yeah? What is it?"
I felt a little flustered with his curious and expectant eyes on me. I needed to control myself to say the next few words carefully, especially since I have Ruri-chan and the others watching me from behind.
I wasn't confessing to him, oh no not yet. But this was going to be quite a thing to say with the type of feelings I have.
"D-do you have time tomorrow? I-I would like to practice tennis again with you. Or maybe we could even go swimming or maybe you could teach me basketball."
It wasn't a date! Totally not a date! I know what you and they're thinking and it's DEFINITELY NOT A DATE!
...Ah who am I kidding. Maybe I was a little too direct because Sudou-kun looked surprised. However...
"Sure why not. Maybe we can show everyone in this school that we're not a mass to be reckoned with. YOSHA! I finally have a partner to train with me on off days!"
He surprisingly accepted quite quickly with a smile and a shout of pride. Ah. I was successful. I couldn't help but feel little chibi versions of myself cheering in my head, proud of my greatest achievement second to winning the sports festival.
Ehehehe.
"Ahahahaha. Can we meet at these courts at around 2pm?"
"Sure. That works best since it was what I was thinkin' too."
"Great. I'll see you tomorrow then! I got to get back to drop these bags off."
"Oh sure. You should do so. What's in there by the way?"
I escaped so quickly that I didn't even hear his question. If I stayed longer, I probably wouldn't hear the end of it from Ruri-chan and the others.
But at least I can say that this was a swing in the right direction. A successful match. I can't wait to have fun with him tomorrow.
Perhaps, Ayanokouji-kun was right.
End of Onodera SS...
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Tsubaki Sakurako SS
As the person chosen to be the Commander for Class 1C, I was inevitably going to fight the very person I was looking to expel in the island exam.
Yes, that person was none other than Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
When we first started at this school, some of us were immediately given a task to expel Ayanokouji-senpai as he was apparently a person of interest that was likely a little too dangerous to keep in Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.
I had done my bit during the uninhabited island exam to try and get him expelled using a lot of the first years under my ring, both in Class C and in other classes too due to a partnership with the other classes in my year.
Unfortunately for us though, we didn't expect Ayanokouji-senpai to be better than we thought, and even to gain help from Sakayanagi Arisu and Ryuuen Kakeru from the other classes. He managed to escape out of our plan and focus on his own issues.
Ever since then, we haven't really been bothered to engage further with trying to expel Ayanokouji-senpai. Our interest in him is still the same, but it was better for us to stay back and just focus on this school's competition.
...At least that was what I wanted to say.
...But my situation was a little different.
I wasn't obsessed with trying to fight Ayanokouji-senpai like Yagami-kun and Nagumo-senpai. Far from it. If I wasn't in the situation I was in, I could care less after my attempt and reward disappeared.
But the fact of the matter was that I was under control by someone outside of this school. Both me and Utomiya-kun.
And that person wouldn't let us direct our focus away from Ayanokouji-senpai. She really wanted to know everything that was happening in the school and now wanted to influence everything from the outside.
How are they able to contact us in a school that forbids outside contact, you ask?
The answer is actually simpler than you think.
While we can't receive phone calls or send texts to people outside of the school since the school uses firewalls to block us from accessing them, the school doesn't actually use them to block some important sites such as forums and a few social media sites.
The reason was because sometimes students may need to do research and forums and some social media sites were quite important for studying. So a school couldn't block those sites and prevent people from studying, even if this was an isolated and elite school.
And on these sites there was one means of communication available there...
The Comments Section and Instant Web-Based Messaging.
It was through this very means that this person controlling me was able to contact me and Utomiya-kun.
And her orders were to always do something to gauge Ayanokouji-senpai's abilities. I had used every method I had to make sure I could.
Yes, I never actually wanted to expel Ayanokouji-senpai, but I had to put on a show to see what he could do. To relay all that information to this very person.
But now... She wanted to strike. She finally wanted a piece of the action in this school.
Her first orders were as such: Stop Yagami Takuya-kun from going after Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun.
That was what my meeting with Yagami-kun and Amasawa-san was, to advise him to not do anything anymore. I knew how powerful the woman controlling me was. Even for someone like Yagami-kun, this woman would likely win against him. The very reason why she was controlling me and Utomiya-kun was because she was a powerful girl.
But Yagami-kun didn't listen. He was still gunning for Ayanokouji-senpai in this sports festival. And he might continue after the sports festival if he loses. Well I did my best, he was only going to feel the power of this woman when she arrives.
My thoughts were interrupted when I was called up to face a match against Ayanokouji-senpai.
Being called, I walked over to the court to see the ever bored-looking Ayanokouji-senpai with a racket in his hand.
"I wish the best of luck to you, Senpai. You beat me in the archery round but I won't try to let you win as easily."
I was very good at archery. It was one of the very things my family was good at and so I took their offer to teach me. I could've joined the archery club in this school to pursue archery further, but I really wasn't in the mood to do so. Plus, with that girl controlling me, I really couldn't spare much time for personal hobbies.
Tsubaki said as she engaged in a friendly handshake with Kiyotaka before the game.
"Likewise. But I have my own reasons to win, so I won't be letting you win this either."
Oh? Does Ayanokouji-senpai know about that girl? I'm sure he knows about Yagami-kun, but he can't know about that woman. There was no way.
Ah, it seems I was letting those thoughts show in my expression as Ayanokouji-senpai looked quite confused. I'll assume he doesn't know anything and this is just him saying that for other reasons. Perhaps to do with his girlfriend, Karuizawa-senpai.
Our match began after I sent the shuttlecock over to Ayanokouji-senpai's side. It appeared he was also good at badminton as he easily returned each of my hits with ease. I had to actually try to keep up with him.
I knew I wasn't going to win this game, but I felt I needed to at least make this game somewhat fun, you know?
My thoughts ultimately went back to the woman controlling me and Ayanokouji-senpai in front of me. I assumed he probably didn't know about that woman, but maybe he did? I guess there was only one way to find out.
"Hey. Senpai?"
Before I sent the serve his way, I called out to him. He immediately paid attention but I could tell he was being cautious, watching my every move.
"Do you have any siblings? Like a brother or a sister? Urgh!"
To test that ability, I sent the serve right after I asked that question. Whatever he answers with will determine how much he knows.
I put more power into the serve too and yet he was still able to return it quite well before answering my question. Ayanokouji-senpai was definitely more powerful than he let on.
"Siblings? I don't have any. I'm what you call an 'only child'. I don't think my family would be good with an extra person to take care of honestly."
Ah that explains a lot. Well I guess he would find out when she comes to this school probably during the cultural festival.
"Why do you ask?"
Ah, I guess he would ask why I was asking such a question. Luckily, I have a coverup to not raise any suspicions.
"I have a little sister and an older brother, Senpai. My older brother is currently getting ready or is probably already working at Toyota Motor Corporation. He's quite successful, more so than I would like to believe he is. And as for my little sister, she's still in middle school at the moment. I don't think she'll be admitted here or even choose to, but I believe she'll do well to become like my mother. Her grades aren't too high but they aren't bad either. Just average like mine."
Toyota was one of the only companies in this country to feature in the top 50 most valuable and profitable companies in the entire world. So having my brother work for them was a big deal.
Ayanokouji-senpai was still confused as to why I was talking about this. I continued to give my actual reason while continuing this game of 'hit back the shuttlecock'.
"There are many other students in this school who have siblings too. A lot of the time, it's easy to tell who has a sibling and who doesn't by looking at their personality and body actions. Sometimes, those with siblings will act a certain way and if you look carefully for those actions, you can easily understand whether they have a younger sister or an older brother. They emit this type of energy around them."
It may sound stupid, but it's kind of true. Some people gave off an aura or energy that exuded that they had a sibling of any sort. Of course, not everyone would notice it but there are people who would. Me being one of them.
Ayanokouji-senpai didn't believe one bit of that. I could easily tell he didn't. He was the type of person to believe in logic and reasoning and my explanation of people giving off that energy definitely wasn't logical.
The unfortunate fact for him was that it was true, but that didn't matter too much.
"And do I emit that kind of energy?" He asked me.
"Not at all, Senpai. You don't emit any kind of energy at all. But I just felt that you might've had a sibling. You never know sometimes. You might even have a sibling and you just don't know about it."
I spoke the truth. Ayanokouji-senpai didn't exude that type of energy. In fact, he didn't exude any type of energy anyway, except for a boring and lazy one, similar to me.
"I see. Well if I did have a sibling, I would like to see and learn about them."
I stopped moving for a moment, frozen completely in place. Because of that, the shuttlecock hit the ground and crowned Ayanokouji-senpai his win against me. He definitely noticed me stiffening up as he stared at me in confusion.
But he didn't have time to question me as we quickly walked away from the pitch so he could begin his next game against the Student Council President. I also quickly escaped so that he could try to find me before that game would begin.
Senpai. I don't think you realise how impactful those words will be in the future. But you will soon come to realise that when the time comes.
I'll be continuing to work for her, and she'll definitely order me and Utomiya to continue to watch Ayanokouji-senpai and ward off others like Yagami-kun and even the Student Council President. From that point onward, she might try to battle with Ayanokouji-senpai when she finds an opportunity.
I wonder how Ayanokouji-senpai will fare against her? Only time will tell.
End of Sakurako Tsubaki SS...
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Ayanokouji Kiyotaka SS
Intro
Tuesday October 20th.
For most people in Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, today just marked another day at an honours school. Preparing for the inevitable midterms that were approaching fast.
For certain others, it was just a day after a certain event had occurred in the classroom of a certain class.
For Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, today was the day he, admittedly, was kind of looking forward to.
Today was not just any normal day for him. Today was a special day, a day where the stars of the night would sparkle in front of his eyes, a day where the flowers of the ground would bloom in the sun and elegantly procure their pollen for the mothering bees to flourish in their honey, a day where all the worries of the subconscious mind could warry away from its worries and think of all the positive aspects that cover the planet in all of its beauty.
[Too sappy, truth be told.] Kiyotaka thought as he heard Chabashira Sae finish her final homeroom registration before letting everyone go and leaving the classroom herself.
The students in his class were silent after Chabashira had left, a tense atmosphere procuring its new position in the Class B classroom. It wasn't a lie to say it was slightly difficult for Kiyotaka to ignore, since it was obvious to understand that he was the reason why.
Just yesterday, right as class ended, a certain student with a "reputation" in his class had become a victim of targeted expulsion by Kiyotaka's very own hands. Despite being called a victim, said student was hardly a victim at all.
Kushida Kikyou. She was a student who infamously had a cute and friendly reputation. A reputation that made people want to trust her, want to hang out with her, want to leave their secrets with her.
But beneath the face that always spoke of "I will help you, always" or "You will always be my friend" was a monster waiting to reveal its true nature under the stress of dealing with people she, in truth, really didn't like.
Kiyotaka shook his head, trying to rid his mind of his own actions he had conducted after attaining his goals after the sports festival. Today was a day where he needed to forget about his plans moving forward and just have fun with what today represented to him.
"Kiyotaka!"
Even in this tense atmosphere, the voice of a very important girl to Kiyotaka rung from in front of him. The blonde haired gyaru with a ponytail smiled as she approached her otherwise apathetic looking boyfriend. The contrast was almost like night and day, and yet the two looked perfect together according to many of their friends.
"Let's go to Akuisha again!" Karuizawa Kei called out as she immediately grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the classroom. Kiyotaka only had seconds to grab his bag as he was pulled out of the room by his kitten-like girlfriend.
After a few minutes of being dragged towards Keyaki Mall, Kei released Kiyotaka and turned to face him with a beaming smile. That smile made Kiyotaka's heart flutter a little despite the fact he wasn't one to feel anything ever since he became the White Room's Demon Masterpiece of the 4th Generation. However, since dating Kei, he had begun to feel a lot of warmth and changes to his overall attitude and feelings.
"Cute..." He couldn't help but mutter. However, upon seeing Kei blushing, he realised she had heard him mutter that loudly. Kiyotaka quickly spoke up again. "Let's go to Akiusha now then."
The two began treading their way through the ever so busy Keyaki Mall. Students across all years were flocking to their favourite shops to buy items they wanted after recently receiving the points they likely earned as part of the sports festival. From what he could analyse, most of the students appeared to be from either Class 3D or Class 1D, both of the lower classes. And upon further inspection, Kiyotaka noted they were mostly the students who looked like those who kept spending their points, purposefully being low.
[A pitiful sight for their own ignorance.] Kiyotaka couldn't help but think in his head.
"By the way. Happy birthday Kiyotaka! I never actually said it yet today, did I?" Kei said, breaking Kiyotaka away from his thoughts for a moment.
"Ah. Thanks. You hadn't said anything yet about that so I almost began to think you forgot. Usually it's the girlfriend who wishes happy birthday first... Well after family that is." He muttered the final part to himself, hoping Kei didn't hear that this time.
"Huh!? How could I forget Kiyotaka's birthday like that!? I... I just couldn't find the right time and space to wish it to you personally. I wanted to say it when it was just the two of us."
That was understandable in Kiyotaka's opinion, but even just a text in the morning would've been fine in his opinion. In fact, that was exactly what Kei did to wish him a happy birthday last year. In addition to that, she was the only one to do so too. This year though was probably going to be different. Instead of Kei being the only one to wish him a happy birthday, he had already received wishes from Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami and even a few of his own classmates. Kiyotaka wasn't sure if he was meant to feel awkward or really happy about that newfound fact.
Shortly after, they arrived at Akiusha, a restaurant they had first eaten at right around the time the unanimous vote special exam was announced. Despite wanting to come back here again, the couple never really showed up to eat at the restaurant again after that day, until today that is.
The fact was that the two decided to come here more on a special occasion rather than just an everyday school day. Today just happened to be one of those days.
"Welcome. Oh... Welcome you two, once again!" The waitress greeted the couple, instantly recognising them despite it being quite some time since they visited. "Table for two again?"
"Yes! Thank you!" Kei immediately and enthusiastically replied before following the waitress to their table, Kiyotaka following slowly behind.
The cute couple arrived at what Kiyotaka believed to be the exact same table they had previously sat and eaten at when they were last here for a date. He couldn't help but consider this as deja-vu.
"Would you like the same as last time, or would you like to try something new this time around?" The waitress asked while handing over the menus.
"Go on Kiyotaka. Pick out what you want. It's my treat today!" Kei smiled at her boyfriend, beckoning him to pick out what he wanted first. As the seasoned birthday boy, Kiyotaka appreciated the gesture, however, he didn't ignore the last part she said.
Kei couldn't help but feel a few shivers down her spine as she witnessed her boyfriend put up what he believed was an evil smirk. However, it was too late for her to take back what she said, and even if she could, Kiyotaka would easily understand that she wouldn't want to.
"In that case, please could I have the yellow chicken curry to go with a Akiusha blend. And for a dessert, the homemade tiramisu will suffice for me," Kiyotaka answered, giving Kei a sigh of relief as she realised her boyfriend ordered normally for today.
"And for the lady friend?"
"I'll take a yellow chicken curry as well, but could I have that smoothie and the software again as a dessert?"
"Of course! Coming right up!"
The waitress left with the menus, allowing the couple to talk while they awaited for their respective dishes. Even though this was meant to be Kiyotaka's birthday, the two treated this day just as they would any other day they went on a date. In Kiyotaka's opinion, that was enough for someone like him who wasn't used to experiencing any form of birthday parties. However, there was still a part of him that felt slightly hopeful that this wasn't it for the day.
Part 1
After busking in the satisfying afternoon meal that brought a weird musical taste into their taste buds, the couple left the restaurant with the waitress and even the chef happily waving them off. Kei clinged Kiyotaka's arm as they walked down the mall towards the exit.
"Oh! Kiyotaka! Let's go in there!"
However, just before they reached the exit, Kei forced them to a stop. Her strong-arm pointed at a certain machine. Kiyotaka followed her finger and read the text on the machine. For just the briefest of moments, he flinched, though it was barely noticeable unless one had a very closeup view of him like Kei had right now.
It was a photo booth machine - a pretty common thing to find in malls. They were always used by friend groups, mostly consisting of girls, to take group pictures to create memories. Even couples used them whenever they were on their dates. But that wasn't what made Kiyotaka flinch.
In Japan, there was a certain type of photo booth machine that was created during the millennial age, way before the existence of digital photo editing on personal computers. This photo booth was what the modern day Instagram or Snapchat filter was in the millennial age and it was called...
Purikura.
Kiyotaka had read about these when he was researching things to do on dates online one time. He had never felt horror in his life until he had read about them. Not even his father, the White Room, Chabashira's early threat or his very "close" battle with Tsukishiro had made him feel as much horror as the things he found out about purikura.
"Is there something wrong, Kiyotaka?"
He was brought out of his thoughts when Kei called out to him, apparently worried. Kiyotaka looked between his girlfriend and the photo booth machine before sighing and turning back to his girlfriend.
"Isn't that...?" He didn't want to finish the sentence, but it looked like he didn't need to. Upon staring at the machine Kiyotaka had his eyes on, Kei smirked and nodded in understanding.
"Ah... Are you thinking it might be a purikura one? Hehehe. Are you afraid of purikura, Kiyotaka?"
Kei's smirking face felt unnerving to him. She wasn't acting scary or angry, instead being very teasing. Something like this shouldn't have been able to sway Kiyotaka as he was teased all the time by his friend group and others, and felt nothing from it.
However, the situation in front of him was different. It was purikura they were talking about, and the things he saw about purikura online were definitely one not to take lightly. This was especially the case after he watched a video from a certain British YouTuber who lived in Japan talk about it.
"Well you can relax." Kei finally spoke up after seeing Kiyotaka still silently staring at the photo booth machine in what she assumed was fear. "Purikura machines nowadays have a certain design on the outside that are easy to pick up. This machine doesn't have one, so it's just a normal photo booth machine."
Kiyotaka couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at that.
"You've done purikura before?"
"Ehehehe... Well not before coming here. There's a purikura machine on the upper levels of Keyaki mall that I've used with the girls before. Just once for the experience. But in all honesty, it's more for old people, since, ya know, our phones pretty much do the same thing for free."
"I see..."
When she explained it like that, it made sense. Kei's past of facing extreme amounts of bullying probably ruined her self-confidence to use a purikura machine. Even if she was curious, there was a risk that if others saw her, they would not only bully her into submission, but ruin her experience of taking those filter photos from the beginning. Now that she had friends at ANHS, she didn't have to worry about that, plus she could enjoy it more with others too rather than just by herself.
But it was also just as she said. Smartphones had developed so much to the point that purikura machines were pretty much pointless. All you needed was a smartphone, a camera app and social media to do exactly what those machines were built for during their time.
"Anyway. Let's go take one Kiyotaka! Me and you together!"
Without even giving him a chance to respond, Kei grabbed Kiyotaka's hand and pulled him with her into the camera booth. The bright white plastic of the small booth came into view, and it unintentionally reminded him of a certain place he had been trapped in for nearly 15 years of his life. However, that soon disappeared as soon as he noticed the camera lens and the screen showing both his and Kei's faces in the booth.
The only time Kiyotaka had gotten his photo taken like this was during the early days of the White Room. It was a vivid memory, but Kiyotaka could remember the cameras and environment that resembled that of a prisoner in a police station getting a mugshot taken. At least this situation felt different.
"Are you ready, Kiyotaka?" Kei asked after messing with the machine and then leaning back to hug Kiyotaka. "Make sure you pose with me. And smile too! We're going to make a memory here!"
Not knowing what else to do, Kiyotaka nodded and hugged Kei back with one hand and made a V with his other. He did his best to form some sort of smile, at least one that was visible and obvious to Kei's eyes.
Soon, the countdown showed on the screen and at the end, the sound of a camera shutter was heard, indicating that their photo was taken.
Thinking that he didn't need to do anymore, Kiyotaka tried to position himself so that he could stand up and leave, however, to his own surprise, Kei made another pose and the countdown on the screen began again.
Realising that it wasn't over yet, Kiyotaka quickly got into another position, opting to follow Kei's own poses rather than do his own. The sounds of about 4 more camera shutters were heard, and after that, the screen showed that the session was over.
The two left the inside of the machine and immediately picked up the printed photos by the printer outside. Seeing them, Kei couldn't help but laugh, specifically pointing out some of the faces Kiyotaka made. If he was being honest, he had to agree with her, but that didn't make him feel much better after being made fun of.
"Well, that's one gift for you, Kiyotaka! It's yours to keep!" Kei said, handing the photos over to her boyfriend with a beaming smile. "Come on. Let's head back now so I can give you your real present!"
Kiyotaka accepted the photos, although he questioned why Kei didn't keep some for herself. That didn't really matter too much to him though as he understood it was a small gift from her as a part of his birthday. Without further word, he walked with Kei back to the dorms, where he expected the real exciting part of his day to begin.
Part 2
Kiyotaka was not an idiot.
Unlike any other protagonists, Kiyotaka wasn't one to not expect something out of the ordinary to happen today. It was his birthday, so he knew a party was being planned in his room, and that he and Kei were just out together to give some time to prepare that party for him.
If Kiyotaka wasn't different from a typical protagonist, he probably wouldn't have come to that conclusion, only figuring it out when his friends surprised him in his room.
"Surprise! Happy birthday!"
So when the inevitable "open the door to your room and find the room dark, only for the lights to be turned on after a few seconds revealing birthday decorations and your friends jumping out while shouting HAPPY BIRTHDAY and SURPRISE"... was not a surprise to him at all.
"Ahh..."
That was all he could say in this situation. It was the only thing he could think of that both didn't show he was in complete surprise, but also wasn't that surprise at all - a middle ground emotion was the way to think of it.
"Geez! Kiyopon, you could at least do a little bit better to act surprised. Like maybe stop having that unchanging face on just for a moment!?"
Hasebe Haruka was the first to complain about his feeble attempt of trying to act surprised. That also wasn't all that of a surprise to him, as everyone knew he couldn't really change his expression all that much.
What was a surprise to him though was the presence of a certain person leaning against the wall near to his kitchen. It was someone he honestly didn't expect to be here, but was somehow here today.
"Yo." was all Ryuuen Kakeru said while smirking at him.
Kiyotaka knew that Ishizaki Daichi, who was standing near Ryuuen as well, would try to convince Ryuuen to combine both his and Kiyotaka's birthday parties together so that they could all celebrate together. But Kiyotaka wasn't sure how Ishizaki was going to make that happen, especially when Kei herself wasn't completely 100% onboard unless Ryuuen apologised to her.
[So how did Ishizaki manage to get Ryuuen on board with this?] he thought.
Ishizaki probably understood Kiyotaka was asking such a question, as he pointed at another attendant in this room. As soon as he looked at who it was, Kiyotaka understood everything. It was because of Shiina Hiyori, who was standing with an annoyed Ibuki Mio.
Shiina and Ryuuen apparently had some sort of special relationship where the two would listen and reach out to each other. Kiyotaka deduced that from when he met the two just before the unanimous vote special exam. Ishizaki probably used that to his advantage to get Shiina to get Ryuuen to be here.
[Which also might mean...]
"Oi. Karuizawa."
Just as he expected, Ryuuen called out to Kei with a serious expression. This caught the attention of everyone as their eyes were moving between Kiyotaka, Kei and Ryuuen. Kei herself was a little surprised at being called out.
"This will sound half-hearted... but I apologise for what happened back then. A tyrant just needs to have fun to get what he wants, so I just wanted to have fun messing with someone close to my target. However, I praise your quick thinking and determination that day that you earned my respect and still do to this day. You're the monster's girlfriend after all. Either way, it's in the past, but I apologise for it."
After that, Ryuuen turned his eyes towards Shiina, who nodded with a smile, as if approving that what he'd done was for the good. Everyone else was silent, staring at Kei and waiting for her response, while Kei herself was shocked by the apology.
Despite requesting one as a condition to allow Kiyotaka and Ryuuen to have a combined birthday party, Kei was honestly not expecting to actually receive one from the tyrant himself. She didn't know how to respond to this.
"Ah... Um..." Realising she needed to respond, Kei tried to form up an answer. "Well... Like you said, it's in the past. So I've moved on from then. But... Thank you for the apology."
With the exceptions of Ishizaki, Albert, Ibuki and Shiina, no one else in the room understood what Kei and Ryuuen were talking about. However, seeing that a near enough heartfelt apology was accepted, the rest of the room smiled and gave a few cheers for it.
"Good." Ryuuen then returned back to his usual smirking tyranny. "Let's get this fucking party started! It's Ayanokouji and my own birthday after all!"
Karuizawa Kei, Satou Maya, Nene Mori, Shinohara Satsuki, Mei-Yu Wang, Hasebe Haruka, Miyake Akito, Yukimura "Keisei" Teruhiko, Hirata Yousuke, Sudou Ken, Onodera Kayano, Shiina Hiyori, Ishizaki Daichi, Yamada Albert, Ibuki Mio, Nanase Tsubasa, even Kouenji Rokusuke of all people. These were the people present at the birthday party.
Whether it was handing presents to the two powerful second year boys, or boogying it out to Lyn, Shihoko Hirata and Lotus Juice like there was no tomorrow, or just conversing with their punches in hands, everyone actively took part in the large scale party in Kiyotaka's room.
While I believe by Lyn was playing in the background, Kei and a few others of course singing it too, the two birthday boys had moved over to the side with their punches to talk.
"Gotta say. I never expected that you and I would have the same birthday. I ain't going to be spouting any of this ' it must be fate' bullshit, because that's cringe."
Kiyotaka had to agree with him there. It really was unexpected to be born on the same day as one of your biggest rivals/allies/enemies. But, at the same time, despite thinking it as a little cringe, Kiyotaka did believe that maybe it was fate in a way.
[...I've been corrupted by Kei's favourite fairy tale shows.] He couldn't help but think. It must've been that in addition to the punch he was drinking.
"Oh. I don't got a present for you by the way. I'm sure you don't have one for me either. But, let's consider our continued partnership and my chance to fight you again one day as an exchange of our own presents. That all good with you?"
"...Sure..."
"On that note though, I have to ask you, Ayanokouji. How does it finally feel to have Kikyou gone from your life? I heard you really cooked up a storm after her expulsion was announced."
Ryuuen started up a conversation with Kiyotaka while the two watched the rest indulged in an almost drunken dance battle. Kiyotaka welcomed it as he knew he didn't want to engage in such a slightly embarrassing activity, even if it was his birthday.
"With someone as dangerous as her gone, everything will begin to feel somewhat normal again. The class may become a little more scared of me because I had to reveal my ruthless self to ensure Kushida quieted down, but it won't be a problem for me moving forward. More importantly, what do you plan to do about Yagami?"
Hearing Kiyotaka ask a question like that, Ryuuen couldn't help but chuckle evilly. Well, it was probably evil to other people's eyes, but from Kiyotaka's point of view, it felt just like a normal chuckle. Did he know any better? Not even he was sure of that.
"Interested, huh? Well, you defeating him is sure to rile him up and make him want to get revenge. I will be taking advantage of that at some point, but I'm not going to say any more than that. However, if you really want to know what I plan to do, then make sure you get that Student Council President position."
Kiyotaka raised his eyebrows at that declaration, but nodded a few seconds later. He was curious to find out what Ryuuen was going to do, but if Ryuuen wasn't going to tell him what it was, then he would have to at least play along until the time came. Kiyotaka didn't need to be told twice about taking the Student Council President position. That was his new goal starting now.
"On another note, I heard you called out Horikita to talk to you after the sports festival. Has she seen you yet?"
"Kukuku. Of course you'd find out." Ryuuen laughed at Kiyotaka's question, continuing to drink the punch after laughing.
"Hey, birthday boys! Stop hanging off to the side and join us. It's both of your days after all!"
"Yeah yeah yeah. We're coming. Come on Monster. Let's go wild again."
Before Kiyotaka could inquire further, Haruka had called out to them to rejoin the party, causing Ryuuen to agree and move without continuing their conversation.
Though it technically wasn't the best time to inquire about such a thing, Kiyotaka wished he wasn't interrupted so that he could find out what was going on. Horikita, just today, despite wishing Kiyotaka a happy birthday with the best smile she could muster, wasn't her usual self. He knew it was because of Kushida's expulsion and him being the cause of it, but that didn't explain Ryuuen trying to meet with Horikita.
Kiyotaka sighed, thinking it was best to leave it and find another time to ask Ryuuen. Today was his and Ryuuen's birthdays so he at least had to put any important tasks towards the back of his mind and focus on having fun. He rejoined the party and, surprisingly, joined in with the karaoke singing of Lyn songs.
Part 3
"So how was the party, Kiyotaka?"
The party finally ended towards midnight. Everyone had decided to leave after cleaning up a little bit, with Kiyotaka and Kei finishing off. After the final cleanup, Kei asked Kiyotaka that question.
"It was the first birthday party I've ever had, but I really enjoyed it."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"You really planned everything well. I don't know if that was what all birthday parties are like, but it felt like it was similar to that of the karaoke club."
"Ehehehe. Well I actually used that karaoke bar as a baseline to plan this birthday party. When you told me you never had a birthday party before or that you never celebrated your birthday more than once, that made me want to go all out to prepare the best birthday party for you with help from the others. Most birthday parties aren't always like the one we had today."
"I see."
Considering how the only birthdays he actually did more than just continue with his life, not including today, were the one he had with Matsuo and last year when Kei wished him, Kiyotaka had gotten a larger experience than he could ever hope for. He was thankful that Kei and, technically, Ishizaki went so far as to allow him to experience such an eventful birthday party.
"Oh! I haven't given you your real presents yet, have I?"
[Real presents?] Kiyotaka thought to himself.
As soon as that thought left his head, Kei, who had traversed towards the sofa, returned with a bag in her hands. It wasn't big by any means. In fact, it was small, making Kiyotaka wonder what it was that Kei got him.
"Open the bag up, Kiyotaka."
He concluded it was better to just do what she said and find out the easy way what it was. Taking the bag from her, Kiyotaka opened it and shoved his hand in. With his grip on the item, he pulled it out and raised his eyebrows upon seeing what it was.
In his hands, staring directly right back at him, was a picture frame. A generic size. Kiyotaka easily recognised this picture frame.
"It's the picture frame you kept constantly looking at when we were window shopping at Keyaki Mall before the sports festival. It looked like you really wanted it so I took some time to buy one and put a picture of us in it. You can leave this on your bedside and have it as the first decoration in your room."
Of course, Kiyotaka's attention wasn't just on the picture frame itself, but the photo inside it too. Just as Kei said, it was a selfie taken from Kei's phone of Kiyotaka and Kei cuddling on the sofa. It was likely she went to a local print shop to get the photo this way.
"Do you like it?"
To say that he liked it was an understatement. Even if he couldn't show it on his face, and even though it was embarrassing for him to admit it, Kiyotaka loved this gift. Compared to all of the other gifts he received from his friends, such as the traditional tea-cup set from Haruka or the specially farmed coffee beans bag that Ishizaki bought him.
A tiny smile threatened to appear on his face, however, Kiyotaka kept his cool and just nodded to his expectant girlfriend.
"I'm glad. You got quite a lot of presents today so you better make use of them. Heh heh."
"I'll treasure them with care."
Excluding the coffee beans from Ishizaki, a lot of the presents Kiyotaka had gotten were decorations for his room. Although he liked the simplicity of how empty his room was, Kiyotaka was thankful that he now had something to complement the white bedroom that unintendedly reminded him of the place he called "home" for 14 years.
"By the way, I still have one more present for you." Kei suddenly said again.
It was only then he realised that Kei had mentioned "presents" and not "present" earlier when they had finished cleaning. However, he did not see anything around the living room that indicated another present was waiting for him.
"It's not here," Kei continued, reading her boyfriend's mind. "Well... Actually it is, but this just isn't the right place to give it to you."
"It's not the right place?"
"Nope. I need to give it to you somewhere else. Follow me!"
Without being given much of a choice, Kiyotaka followed Kei into what appeared to be his very own bedroom. There, as soon as they entered, Kei immediately shut the door, slightly startling Kiyotaka.
"Kei?"
Confused, Kiyotaka called out to her, but instead of turning around and responding normally to him, Kei just stood staring at the door she just closed. She stayed like this for a few more seconds before turning to face him with a look he hadn't seen her make for some time.
"Get on the bed, Kiyotaka."
He knew what this face meant. He knew what was about to come next. He really should've understood from the beginning that this would be the very last gift she would give him, despite it being a constant activity that they conducted often.
[Tonight is going to be a long night] Kiyotaka thought before obeying his seductive looking girlfriend.
End of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka SS...