Chapter 2: Tattoos On My Heart

Summary:

Ishikawa is still hurt by the rejection. Meanwhile Hori is being weird and got caught peeping into the guy's locker room as they changed (But no one knows she was just trying to find out Miyamura's first name). Miyamura invites Ishikawa over to his house when he notices he's super sad. However, Ishikawai unknowingly admits that he might be into a certain type... Takes place during Episode 2 of the Anime.

The next day, right after what had happened, I showed to school feeling depressed. I barely had any sleep considering all the emotions I felt last night. So I dragged myself to my locker, shoes shuffling slowly across the tiled floor. I couldn't escape the feeling of dread. And as if fate had a cruel sense of humor, Miyamura was there too. It was as if he were the physical embodiment of Karma, taunting me with his mere presence. I desperately wanted to avoid him, to spare myself the awkwardness and embarrassment that would surely ensue.

"Good Morning Ishikawa,"

"Morning…" I rubbed the back of my head and was ready to apologize. At the time, I hadn't realized that Miyamura wasn't even thinking anything about what I had said to Hori. The guilt and burden had all been in my head. I wiped my tears off. "Listen…Yesterday I…"

"You don't have to say it Ishikawa!"

The dramatic tears I tried to hide were almost shed. He could probably see it too.

"Anyways let's get to class," He said, patting my back as we both took off. We both didn't realize Hori and Yuki were right behind us until we got to class.

By the end of self-study, Hori stood in front of the class, behind the teacher's desk, glaring intently at a particular person. I felt kind of scared for Miyamura. It was probably my fault for saying all those things about Miyamura to her. I never realized until now how scary our class sweetheart really was.

"Huh. I wonder what's on her mind." Miyamura muttered. Somehow he was so nonchalant and calm. If it had been me, I would've felt threatened by Hori for my life.

I walked up next to him, trying to save him from Hori's terrifying, yet concentrated gaze.

"Well, since we skipped P.E yesterday, we should get to the gym. Let's go change," I said to him, as I threw a tote bag over my shoulder, containing my clean P.E Uniform.

Since I still felt awkward, I left Miyamura's side to change on the opposite end of the boy's locker. I tuned into the conversation happening around us.

Surprisingly Shuu was trying to get Miyamura to feel included, as he made small talk while we all got dressed.

"Miyamura, today's PE class…I think another class is joining us-" Shuu paused.

"Hmm?" Miyamura hummed.

The scream Shuu let out prompted me to drop my shirt onto the ground.

"What?! What is it?" I asked.

"It's Hori! She's-She's is peeping at us!" He replied as he hid behind Miyamura.

"Seriously?" He asked, somehow not believing it. However, it was clearly confirmed Shuu was telling the truth. "...What's with her…?" Miyamura asked what everyone was thinking. But he seemed unphased by the situation since he was already fully clothed.
I don't know why, but I move in front of Miyamura.

"Hi Hori! Do you like what you see?" I called out to her, striking poses while shirtless. I could feel veins popping up after she walked away as if she had done nothing wrong, muttering something about us being useless.

I turned to Miyamura and gave him a look, obviously suspecting him. "Hey, are you sure you don't know what's going on with her? She's not being her cheerful self today…"

"No! I don't know anything about it. She was pretty normal last night-"

"Last night!? What the hell do you mean by that!" Last night I had been crying on a pillow in bed after being rejected. I bit the shirt in my hand, trying to hold back the tears.

"It's not like that. Like I already said, Hori and I are just friends. Sometimes I babysit her brother and she tutors me, that's all." Miyamura replied, though I knew it was a lie. After all, he had said that Hori had been the only one to have seen his tattoo.

I felt my face heating up.

Were they…friends with benefits!?

I started pounding my fist against Miyamura's chest.

"I don't believe you bro!" I almost cried.

He laughed nervously. "Ishikawa, stop stressing about it so much."

I felt my lips tightening into a straight line. "Can I ask you something, Miyamura?"

"Sure. Shoot at me."

"Right. Anyways, what's your name?"

"Oh that's right, our teachers only call us by our last name," When he laughed, something about his voice had caught me off-guard. "My name is Izumi."

"I'm Shuu!" Shuu chimed in, even though nobody asked.

"Call me Tooru." I said with a grin, extending out my hand to him. But he laughed and slapped it away.

"Haha, I already know. You call me Izumi. Hope I don't cause too much trouble for you guys."

As we spoke, we all started heading towards P.E. And just like Shuu had said, another class had joined in for gym.

I heard Shuu sigh right next to me.

"What's up?" I asked Shuu.

"Am I the only one worried about the result of our grades? I Know I can't magically turn my grades around but I've been trying really hard."

"You'll be fine dude." I said, feeling like I had a good sense for this kind of thing for sure.

When school ended, everyone rushed out of the class, with Izumi, Shuu and Yuki lingering around.

"Does anyone have any plans after school?" I asked, an open invitation.

"I don't have to help my parents at their bakery today, so I'm free." Izumi replied, while shoving some things into his bag.

"I'm gonna go look at the results of our grades, and go home to study." Shuu said.

"Hey, has anyone seen Hori?" Izumi asked.

"Yeah, she's just wandering around the halls, probably too ashamed from peeping at you guys. She's lucky she didn't get reported." Yuki said with a sigh.

"Our perverted sensei would've probably given her extra points to her grade if he had found out." I couldn't help but laugh at Izumi's comment.

"Yeah, you're right. That man is gonna one day get arrested." Shuu replied, but he was already halfway out the door.

"What's going on with her anyways. Do you know?" I asked Yuki, since Izumi didn't seem to have the answers.

"Idon'tknow. See you guys later!" Yuki rushed through her words, and grabbed her bag, along with Hori's bag and belongings, and rushed out the room.

"Alright, I guess it's just you and me now. How does fast food sound? I found a really good joint that opened up by the train station."

"Alright. But,"

"Yes? Use your words."

"I'm gonna head to the bathroom first. If you see Hori, let her know to go on ahead without me. I'll meet you at the exit."

"Cool. Take your time. I'll carry your bag."

After parting from Izumi, I found Hori standing in front of the bulletin board, looking at her grades. I decided to act normal, as if my confession hadn't happened.

"Yo, you heading home?" I asked Hori, while fixing both mine and Izumi's bag on my shoulder.

Hori spun around with a big smile, as if she had finally had some kind of epiphany. Her smile wasn't aimed particularly at me.

"Hey Tooru, your timing couldn't be better!"

"Yeah? Really? What gives?"

"It's about Miyamura, I wanted to ask-"

Is she for real?

"-Miyamura…? Why are you asking me about him? You…you rejected me. I'm still grieving. Are you being serious right now…?"

I felt everything all over again. The heartbreak from rejection, along with the pain came rushing back with an overwhelming force. The pain was so intense, so raw, and so real that I could barely breathe. In a desperate attempt to escape the torment, I twisted and ran back to the classroom, trying to leave the memories and emotions behind.

"Wait! Ugh! You're so useless!" I heard her cry out in frustration, her words doing nothing to help. Ugh, is everyone around here wearing more than two faces? How could sweet Hori turn so sour?

Sitting back in class I remembered that I was supposed to meet Izumi by the lockers.

I dropped both bags on the floor and sat down on a chair, letting my head hit my desk. I closed my eyes and sighed. Why is being an adolescent so hard? My mom had said it gets easier and better with time. When was that time going to come?

I heard Izumi's voice from afar. It sounded like he was entering the classroom.

"Hey, I just saw Hori. I thought I told you to let her know to go on ahead. Hold on. Are you sleeping?"

My eyes did feel kind of heavy. I forced them open just to deny it, but I only saw Izumi's face, kind of close, as he crouched down by me. Most of the time, he was really hard to read. But right then, he looked more concerned than anything.

"Are you still feeling up to some fast food?" Izumi asked.

"Nah, man. I think I'll pass." It was kind of hard to be around him. So many emotions swelled up in me. A large part of me wants to hate him.

"Thought so. But there's something way better than fast food."

"And what's that?" I asked, slightly interested in what he had to say.

"Hold on, give me just a second." He got up, and took out his phone, walking a few steps away to dial a number. "Hey mom. Yes. Everything is fine. Listen, I made a new friend. Yeah, yeah, I know, pipe down I'm not that kid anymore. Just expect my new friend to come over for dinner. Yes. Alright. Yes. No. It's not another girl. Love you too."

I was left gaping. What did he mean by "It's not another girl?" Who the hell was this guy?! How many chicks has he had? Is that why he looked like he was immune to Hori?!

Izumi flipped his phone closed and smiled sympathetically. He grabbed his bag and hooked it over his shoulder. "I guess I didn't ask if you have a curfew."

"No, no I don't. Is your mom really okay with me coming over?"

"Yeah, let's go."

And that's pretty much how I started hanging out with Izumi, but mostly during school. The guy was awesome. He had such a laid-back aura that I had once misconstrued as an attitude. I found out we both loved the typical things guys our age are into. Since that day, he started standing out more and more to me to the point that I knew a lot about him that there was to know about. And because we didn't spend much time outside of school, I had a feeling that most of his time was being spent with Hori, since he's always brushing off plans to hang out after school.

One day, after school was over, I noticed Izumi watching Hori from a distance. His worries were justified, I mean she had all those dark bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. She was obviously overworking herself.

Yuki pulled up a chair and sat, facing Hori's desk as I finished erasing the board. I turned around and Izumi was standing next to me, listening in on the conversation. For some reason he refuses to approach her too frequently in class.

"Hori, you have bags under your eyes. Girllll." Yuki spoke, stating everyone's observation.

"No way! Are they that bad?!"

"Yeah… So are those tasks from the student council again?" She asked, motioning to all the work on her desk.

"Yes."

"Why do you have to do the student council's work?

"Since they just took over, there's a lot to be done."

"Is that so? But why are you doing the important stuff? You're just being used."

"Even if that's the case, at least I'm being helpful…"

Izumi sighed right next to me. "It looks tough on her. I wonder if I could help."

"Idiots like us can't really help her with anything." I said, part of me being petty.

"That's true. President Sengoku is the top student in our grade, right?" It took a second to take in this new information.

"Seriously? I thought It was Hori." I said, surprised.

"I thought so too. President Sengoku is really popular with the girls. Hori is probably helping him because she kind of likes him…" He whispered to me.

I crossed my arms. Why would Hori helping President Sengoku be a problem? Izumi never really spoke about the subject of Hori, probably because of me…that's understandable. I wondered if finally…Izumi had a crush on her. That thought clouded my judgment, and for the first time it was like I couldn't read the room.

"Hey, wanna get something to eat after this? Hori said she's going to be here for a while."

"No, you can go on ahead. I'll stay and wait until she's done." I could tell he had something planned from the way he stared intently at Hori.

"Mayimura, don't worry about me. I'm almost finished." Hori said without looking up from her work.

Someone came and peeked their head into the class. It was a girl with pink hair and matching eyes.

"Is Hori here?" She asked.

Hori stood up. "Ayasaki. Here are the files and notebooks. They're a bit heavy. Will you be okay?"

"It's not a problem. Thank you." She said, as she collected all the paperwork and notebooks, and left.

"What a cutie!" I commented out loud after the girl had left, just to see what Hori's reaction would be. There was none.

"She's President Sengoku's girlfriend." Yuki, ever the gossiper, replied.

"What a good-looking couple!"

"Ayasaki is also a member of the student council, but it seems like she doesn't do much." Hori replied.

"Ah, so she's kind of like a mascot." Yuki's words sometimes could be kind of brutal, but her observation was probably spot on.

I walked up to their desk, with Izumi following me.

"What? So her work is being passed on to you?!" I almost wanted to slam my hands on the table. Now I could tell why Izumi was so worried.

"Don't say that. Although the work I did earlier was supposed to be done by Ayasaki."

"They really are just passing work on to her and totally taking advantage of her," I could feel like we all had the exact same thought.

We all watched Hori collect her notebooks and readied her bag. After she zipped it, she stood up from her desk.

"Well, since I'm done, I'll head back first. I kinda want to go home and just catch up on some study tonight, and then sleep. Sorry,"

Yuki also joined her by the door, and waved our way. We waved back. I could sense it all over this guy. Sometimes he was so easy to read. He was worried about Hori.

He turned to me.

"Tooru." For some reason I jumped when he said my name. It was the first time I heard Izumi say it. Well of course, I had asked him to call me that but… I felt my face flushed.

"Dude don't just say my name if you're going to say it bashfully and be weird about it!"

He rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Well, you see I'm actually kind of short on funds at the moment," He didn't specify why, but I listened, wondering where this was going and if he was asking me for money. "If you don't mind, why don't we head over to my place instead and play some video games. I'll text my mom and let her know. Is that cool?"

"Only if it is cool with you," It's been weeks since I've come over to his house.

"Yeah, it's no problem at all." He placed down his bag. "Hey, can you go on ahead though and wait for me. I need to use the restroom."

"Come on man, again?!" I sighed and extended my hand. "Want me to carry your bag and meet you by the shoe locker?" I asked Izumi.

"Nah. Meeting me by the school gates should be fine. I don't want any school council yelling at you for loitering around."

"Right."

After waiting for a bit, I pushed myself off the wall when Izumi walked by, as he seemed to be shoving a stack of paper into his bag.

"All good?"

"I guess." He replied, with a solemn look in his eyes. I fell into step right next to him as we talked about all the activities we could do at his house.

This time, we rode the bus together. When I hopped off, I still gawked at his home, just like I had the first time. I get that his parents own a bakery, but jeez it must be nice to be surrounded by the scent of pastries and sweets at all times in such a beautiful house.

"Izumi, can you go grab a few ingredients that I need?" His mom said after greeting us with a plate of snacks and treats.

"Sure. Just give me a minute."

I laid down on Izumi's bed, smashing down buttons on his handheld device that I had borrowed from him. Distracted, I stopped to watch his transformation for the first time, first-hand, as he prepared to leave the house briefly to run a last minute errand.

However, I couldn't help but laugh at him as I took notice of something I hadn't before.

"Dude, your hands are so girly," I commented.

"Then it must be true, since you're not the only one to say that," He said, while fingers danced across his ears, adorning them with four piercings each - two on the upper helix and two more on the lobe. His lips were not spared either, as he skillfully inserted a stud that seemed to lead to an unknown destination, possibly an earring hidden within his mouth. With meticulous care, he gathered half of his hair, and strands of his hair cascaded down the sides of his face, framing his features in a way that… I shrugged that thought off.

"Is it really necessary to change? We're only going around the corner to pick up two ingredients."

"Truth is, this is how I look all the time outside of school."

"I see." I looked elsewhere. Izumi's reply was both surprising and revealing. Did this mean Hori, too, had seen Izumi in this very state? I mean I could get behind why Hori would find him both alluring and mysterious.

"Sorry for dragging you along," Izumi said apologetically.

"Hey, I can't complain since I'm the one who's going to enjoy an awesome dinner so stop apologizing. When you told me you were out of funds, I honestly thought you were going to ask me for money,"

"Hahah, what the heck?"

"Right?!" I replied while laughing, and pushed myself off his bed.

When we got to the convenience store, we branched on different missions. I browsed through the magazine aisle and whistled. It had been a while since I bought a piece of spicy media. I browsed the section until I stumbled onto a magazine cover. It was a girl with hair that was the same shade as Izumi's, though maybe a bit longer. I picked it up and flipped it open.

"Is that what Tooru is into?" I immediately jumped when I heard his voice right beside me. Lately he's been spamming my name with no good reason. Still, Izumi's laugh had a way of making it seem okay.

"Hey Izumi, have you ever, you know, with a girl?" I asked him, placing the magazine back.

"Well…" Just then his phone rang. "Hold on, I gotta take this. It's probably my mom, I bet you she forgot to ask me to buy something." Izumi stepped away. And for some reason I wanted to know what he was about to say.

Izumi came back after hanging up the phone. I grabbed the magazine I had put back and decided to just purchase it.

"What's up? Everything good?" I asked Izumi as we went to the line.

"Yeah."

We didn't revisit the subject of until after we had sat down to play video games, which had happened after dinner. It was almost 8pm when we had stopped, and I had taken out the magazine I had bought and opened it up to browse.

"Hey, you wanna borrow this after I finish it?" I asked.

Izumi laughed the same way he always does. "She's not really my type."

"Huh?! But why? The model Yumi-chan is so pretty!"

"Yeah, but one of my old classmates said that I kind of remind them of Yumi." I froze for a moment, in disbelief, before lifting the magazine, viewing Yumi from different angles. "Don't you agree,Tooru?"

"Hah-hah…" I laughed nervously. "I guess I can sort of see that."

Izumi must've sensed my discomfort but continued to tease me nevertheless. "I don't mean to point this out, but there were a lot of magazines with girls that resemble Hori. Yet you chose Yumi. Is Yumi your type?"

"Do you want to…know?"

"With that expression you're making, maybe."

Huh?! I dropped the magazine. What expression?! I could hear myself swallowing. Izumi's hair swayed as he tilted his head, giving me a smile that made me feel like I was being flirted on. But then I reminded myself that he was just teasing me when he started chuckling. I launched at him, pounding my fist against the side of his arm.

"Izumi you Meany!"

"Ow, hey, cut it out or you'll really hate it if I retaliate," He said with a laugh. "By the way, who says Meany anymore? I'll have you know I'm being serious."

"Yeah sure." I found myself zoning out as I stared back at the magazine that I had just let go. I could vaguely hear Izumi saying something on repeat.

"Tooru,"

"Tooru,"

So close. Izumi's face was so close. I had the biggest jump scare when I realized how close he had gotten. It was the smell of his cologne that had snapped me out of it.

"Tooru, are you listening? You didn't answer my question. So is Yumi your type?"

I'm not sure if I was not supposed to say it, but that model Yumi, "Yeah. She's my type."

I didn't expect Izumi to beam at my answer. "Yeah. I thought as much."

I narrowed my eyes, too nervous to continue this conversation and I didn't know why. "I'm going home."