5/11 Mon - Gekkoukan high - 2-E - Afterschool - Kazuki

Waking up from my afternoon nap is always so tiresome, but I can't stay asleep forever. I was up playing video games until three. It's a nasty habit to develop, especially when your grades just scraping over the line; yet, I can't help it, when I sink my teeth into a JRPG, I just lose track of time.

"Kazuki-kun," Fuu-chan calls me, staring at me from her desk.

I rub my eyes to alleviate my drowsiness. "Afternoon."

"Are you okay? You slept through classes and lunch."

"Sorry, I just didn't get any sleep last night."

He wages her finger at me with a look of disapproval. "That's no good, you need to make sure you get eight hours of sleep. You should do some light exercising before going to sleep."

"That's why I slept in class, to get my full eight hours. But getting away from that, do you wanna go somewhere?"

"Sorry, but I can't. Midterms are coming up, so I'll need to prepare."

"Seriously? You're already smart enough. You study anymore, you'll leave me in the dust."

She laughs, showing a wonderful smile. "I don't really think I'm smart or anything, however, it's important to review what I might've forgotten. You should get ready for them, too."

Studying isn't my strong suit, but I have to bite the bullet every now and then. Besides, I have nothing better to do since we aren't going to Tartarus because everyone wants to study for the midterms.

"Then how about I study with you?" I ask Fuu-chan.

"Stu-Study...together?" Fuu-chan blushes after repeating what I just said.

"Yeah. There's so stuff I might not get, and I don't feel like beating my head just to get it."

I know Kirijo-senpai is smart, so she might be able to help me. But something tells me I'd regret it immediately; that she's a bad person, I just feel like she's got that strict instructor vibe.

"A-a-a-ah! Okay…I'd be glad to help…you."

Why is she getting nervous? Does she think I'm a lost cause or something? I'll just play it off.

"Sweet, let's head over to the library then."

"To the library?"

"Duh, where else would we study?"

"Oh, yes, right!"

Fuu-chan seems kinda unfocused today, or maybe she's not used to studying with someone else?

Gekkoukan high - library - Afterschool - Kazuki

After an hour of studying, we decided to take a break. Thank god, I think my brain is near its breaking point. There are a bunch of students in here, prepping for the exams.

"Um...Kazuki-kun," Fuu-chan quietly says. "I wanted to talk to you about something..."

"Ask away."

She fiddles with her fingers. "...Lately, I've been concerned for Moriyama..."

"Do you mean Natsuki?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

I don't know why she cares about Natsuki; it still bothers the hell out of me that she does.

"I heard Ekoda-sensei talking to himself about the school possibly expelling Moriyama."

Proper punishment being served? Have no problem with that.

"But why do you care?"

"Because I don't want her to be expelled."

"Are you serious? Why?"

"Because I feel obligated."

"Obligated? Why do you feel responsible for her?"

"It's kinda hard to explain, but I feel like I need to help her."

My brain is trying everything to understand her position, but it can't. It doesn't make any sense..

"Kazuki-kun, could you help me?

"I...um..."

I'm hesitant to give my answer. If I say no, then I'm sure she's going to be upset about it. However, saying yes just feels wrong. I can't decide like this.

"I'm...um...not sure. Give me some time to think about it."

"Oh...I see."

"I'm sorry, I'm just confused about what I should say."

"Okay..."

Normally, I would help her, but I detest Moriyama, so it's no skin off my back if she gets expelled.

"Well then, do you want to continue studying," Fuu-chan says, averting her eyes away from me.

"Sure..."

We continue studying. Even though we talked, it was awkward at best, and a mood killer at worst.

Yamagishi household - evening - Fuuka

I'm going over the notes I made for the exam, my focus continuously shifts to Moriyama-san and her situation. I tried talking to her about it but she said she didn't care. I have no idea what to do, I just want to help her.

I know how Kazuki-kun feels about Moriyama-san, yet I still tried to ask him for help.

My head hits my desk. 'I'm such an idiot!"

I don't want Kazuki-kun to feel uncomfortable. It's just...he's such a nice, warm, and friendly person. I just thought he would help… I'm so selfish...

"H-huh!?" For a moment, I pictured him in my mind, smiling. I shoot up from my desk, knocking over my chair. My cheeks are burning from the thought of him. This isn't the only time this happened; I see him in my dreams, even though I can't remember the details of the dreams. yet they give me a warm, gentle feeling...

"I can't focus."

He keeps appearing in my head, I can't think straight. Not that it's a problem, but– it's kinda– Umm… I'm so hopeless.

Iwatodai dormitory - Lounge - Evening - Kazuki

I returned to the dorm, mentally exhausted from all that studying. Makoto sitting on the couch, watching TV. I went over to him. "Yo," I greet him.

"Hey, Kazuki. You're pretty late."

"Yeah, I was studying with a friend. What about you?"

"I was helping someone else study."

"Ah, that's cool… That's sweet." I twiddle my thumbs."I'm just gonna go," I blurted.

"Kazuki, are you okay?"

"Huh...yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"I only asked because you have a weird look on your face."

"Weird?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean weird, but you do have a sour look about you. Want to talk about something?"

"You sure? It's kind of a long story."

"I got time."

I have no one else to confide in, so what can it hurt?

I sit on the same couch as him. "All right, I'll tell you… Just don't talk about this with anyone else."

"I won't."

I sigh to myself to relax my nerves.

"...Today, a friend of mine asked for my help on something."

"I don't see the problem."

"I didn't finish yet."

"Sorry, continue."

"...My friend asked me to help her convince someone to stop acting like a delinquent."

"Do you want to help her?"

"Normally I would want to, but this person my friend wants to help is getting bullied by her.."

"I see."

I stretched my legs out and put my hands on my chest. "So I'm feeling conflicted about this whole thing. I wanna help, but on the other hand, I don't really care if she gets expelled. Either way, I need to decide on what to do. What do you think?"

Makoto put his hand on his chin, closing his eyes. His index finger rubs his chin. "...I could tell you what to do, but instead of doing that, how about you decide for yourself."

"If I could, I would've done that by now."

"Then I might as well tell you this: do what your heart tells you." His advice gets me to raise an eyebrow. "I know it's a bit overused but it's true. Your heart knows you best and it'll never fail you."

"My heart?"

I plant a hand on my chest, where my heart is.

"As long as you listen to that, then impossible choices become possible. I would know…" A ringtone fills the lounge with sound. Makoto takes his phone out of his pocket, showing that his phone is going off. "I'm sorry, I need to take this."

"Don't let me stop you. Also, thank you for the advice. I'll repay your kindness!"

"No need, I hope everything goes well."

"Thank you."

He gets up from the couch and heads upstairs.

"Follow my heart," the phrase repeats in my head like a broken record. It sounds nice, but it's easier said than done to follow my heart. Because my heart wants to reject Fuu-chan's request, however, I also want to help her. But why do I want to help her? It's good to help, and I want to, but it has to be stronger than that; better than something like that… Well… It wouldn't be so bad if I could see her smile. Just seeing her do that would be great…

I imagine her smiling at me. It's a cute expression that outdoes any idol's smile. "Kazuki-kun," she calls.

Her calling my name while smiling like that rushes the blood in me to my cheeks. I snap out of my thoughts, trying to control my emotions with little success… What am I doing? I need to get a hold of myself! I don't want to help her just to see her smile, not that it's a bad thing, it's just… Yeah, I'm heading to bed!

5/23 Sa - Gekkoukan high - Afterschool- Kazuki

Midterms are finally over and I'm a free man...for now. I swear, all week, my brain was working overtime just to answer some of these questions, especially during today.

Fuu-chan turns her desk, connecting the front edge to mine. "How did you do on your Midterms?"

"I think I did okay. What about you?"

"I think I also did okay. Though I was confused on some of the questions, so I don't know."

"Come on, you don't need to be modest. You probably aced it."

"You think so?"

I give her a thumbs up. "I know so."

Okay, now that I started a conversation with her, I can bring up the main subject.

"Fuu-chan, I have something to tell you. It's About you asking me to help you with Natsuki."

She drops her smile, taking on a stern look.

"Kazuki-kun...you don't need to help me, I can-"

"It's okay. I thought about it last night. I want to help you."

Fuu-chan directs her attention to me, her eyebrows raised. "Really? But I thought you didn't want to?"

"At first I didn't want to, but..." I lightly pat where my heart is with my fist. "...My heart told me to, so I got your back."

Fuu-chan's eyes widen while brimming with joy.

"Thank you, Kazuki-kun!"

Fuuka lunges at me, wrapping her arms around my chest.

"Umm...F-Fuu-chan, I think you're a bit-"

My throat tightens. Her head is on my chest. It feels nice.

Suddenly, she separates herself away from me as she gasps. "I...um...we...were... I'm sorry!"

"No, It's alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course..."

Put my hand where Fuuka's head was on my chest. A warm feeling resonates around the area, growing stronger with each passing second. It's as if any other emotion in me died. Is it happiness? No, this is different, something I can't pinpoint. I feel shocked, yet good, but also transfixed. What is this?

"Kazuki-kun, are you okay?"

My mind snaps back to reality at the mention of my name.

"Wha-what happened?"

"You were spacing out."

"O-oh… Sorry, I was just lost in thought."

Geez, what am I doing, spacing out like an idiot? We better get going soon. Actually, what time is it now?

I pull out my phone. Yep, I should be getting back to the dorm now. "Hey, Fuu-chan, I think we should start going home."

"Then let's go. Oh, do you want to stop anywhere along the way?"

"How about we get some grub? I'm buying."

"I'll try not to order too much then."

"Come on, you don't have to worry about that. I'm feeling pretty rich nowadays."

That Tartarus money truly is wonderful.

"If you insist, then let's stop at the strip mall."

"Cool, then let's go."

Fuu-chan goes ahead as I get my things together. "Kazuki-kun," she calls. "...thank you."

The smile that I wanted to see forms on her face. But it's much cuter than I thought it would be and expresses radiance that shines brighter than the sun. The feeling I felt moments ago sparks up again. The world is out of focus, becoming blurry while Fuu-chan's form is crystal clear to me. The emotion is still foreign to me. It's driving me up the wall, I need to know what it is!

"You're spacing out again."

Like the snap of the finger, my brain snaps back to reality. Damnit, this is getting weird. I can't come off as a weirdo to her.

"Sorry, sorry, I guess I'm still daydreaming."

"You should really get some sleep tonight."

"Will do."

Fuuka leads the way out of the classroom. My hand is still on the spot where her head was… Nope, not going to get caught up in my own thoughts! I run out of the classroom to catch up to the petite figure.

Iwatodai dormitory - Lounge - Evening - Kazuki

The dorm lounge enters my vision as I open the door. Everyone, besides Kirijo-senpai, is standing around the dining room table.

"What's going on guys," I ask on approach.

"Akihiko-senpai has healed up," Yuka-chan breaks the good news.

"Really, that's great! Glad you're feeling better, senpai."

"I wasted most of my time recovering. I need to get on the field right away."

Man, senpai is hardcore if that's what he thinks. Even when I got out of the hospital, I wanted to take it easy.

"Dude, that's not even the best part."

"What's the best part then?"

"We're getting a new member," he exclaims.

"Really, who?"

My curiosity is piqued. It's not every day we get new members. Actually, am I allowed to even say that; it's not like I was here long.

"I'm about to show you all." Sanada-senpai put a folder on the table. He opens the folder, revealing who it is. My heart beats loudly, my mind goes blank as it tries to deny the reality in front of me.

"Maaaan, she is too cute, what's her name," Junpei asks, hyped up from the possible new member.

"Yamagishi Fuuka," I mutter, too shocked to even emote it properly.

Everybody eyes me with baffled stares. I put my elbows on the table while hanging my head over the file...

"This can't be happening."

"Oh yeah, you're in 2-E as well," Yukari pointed out.

"Ohoho! Kazu, do me a huge favor and try to recruit her!"

"No."

"What, why not, you have to," Junpei demanded.

Anger swells up in my gut as he pushes me further. "I said I won't!"

"Come on don't be-"

"She's not joining this team, damn it!"

Everyone around the table is shocked by my outburst. Did I just do that? Shit, I need to calm down...

"Kazuki must have his reasons for her not joining, let's respect it," Makoto stated.

"Well, I guess that's the case anyway. I saw her at the hospital while I was being treated there. She doesn't look fit for fighting. Shame too, I got her an Evoker made."

Good, good! Now that he made that decision, I don't have to worry about her getting involved in this. She doesn't have to get involved in this.

"Ah, man, I was gonna give her some private lessons~"

Something in me snapped, a piece of me lost itself from that disgusting comment. I can't take it anymore. Seething with rage, my fist hits Junpei in the face. He collapses to the floor.

"Kazuki-kun, what are you doing," Yukari demands an answer.

Junpei jumps up from the floor and then grabs me by the collar. He scowls at me. "What the hell was that for!?"

"I want you to forget about Fuuka joining this team because it's not happening."

I grip his hands by the wrist. I squeeze them tightly enough for him to wince in pain and to lose his grip.

"And if you think about going against what I just said… I'll break you!"

Everyone in the room goes silent, no one dares to speak a word… There's this violent urge, something that's out of my control. Is it anger, or maybe...

Yukari edges away from the table. I snap out of my rage-induced haze.

"Okay, that's…"

Akihiko-senpai says something I can't hear. Sound becomes unfocused as my mind is playing static. Slowly, an image shows. It's like a TV being played in my head. Two girls look at me, disgust brimming from their eyes, yet condescension.

"Stay away from us, you freak!"

Pain stabs at my brain, causing me to clutch it. Any second now, my head, my brain can split open… If this goes on, my brain will spill out and it will be all over the floor… It'll spill, it'll spill, it'll spill, it'll spill, it'll spill!

As though it seemed like it would never end, the pain lessens, slowly going away. Sound registers itself to me again, my head no longer feels terrible.

Instead, I am now facing something else. Everyone's expression is that of fear or caution. Don't look at me like that, not you guys...

"I'm...I'm...!"

Not wanting to face these expressions, I run upstairs. I barge into my room without turning on the lights. I'm sprawled out on the ground, breathing heavier than I ever have.

"What happened to me out there!? I didn't mean to hit Junpei, but I couldn't control it"

I can explain why I got angry at Junpei, but I didn't want to hit him.

"Damn it!"

My fist hits the hard, wooden floor.

"Not again!"

5/29 Fri - Gekkoukan high - Dusk - Fuuka

Kazuki-kun sits in our homeroom, even though everyone else has long since gone home. For half of this week, he's been leaving school on his own and hasn't talked with me. He's acting quieter than usual. I want to know why he's acting like this, so I waited until we were alone.

"Kazuki-kun?" He doesn't respond. "Are you okay?" His silence doesn't go away. "...I tried talking to Moriyama about the school wanting to expel her, but she said she didn't care. However, I haven't given up on her yet, so it would be great if you could help me next time. Of course, you don't need to, but..."

He gets up from his seat with his bag in hand. He walks off to the other door, but I stop him by grabbing his hand.

"Don't go yet! Please, tell me what's wrong, Kazuki-kun? Why are you acting so distant? Is something bothering you, are you not well? Did I do something to upset you, if so then... I want you to tell me. I want you to depend on me as I do for you. Even if I am unreliable, I still want to help you, because I..."

He turns around. He projects a smile on his face like usual, but it's different this time. It's being forced out.

"Thanks, for being my friend… But I think you should stay away from me from now on, Fuu-chan."

He breaks free of my grasp. I reach for him, but I trip on myself. Even though he noticed I did, he left without closing the door behind him.

"Kazuki...why...?"

My chest is burning as I picture him with that fake smile. There was no way I could be fooled by his smile, not when tears were coming from his eyes. It hurt to see him force himself to smile. I want him to smile at me like he usually does, without tears in his eyes, without the sadness in his voice. I want to be with the one that's cheerfully smiling all the time!

So, I can't waste time sitting around. I want to show him my gratitude towards him, not only that but my love towards him! As I open the door to exit the class, an imposing figure greets me outside.

"Hey there, Fuuka."

It was Moriyama and her friends...

Iwatodai strip mall - Evening - Kazuki

A bag full of food swings around in my grasp, along with medical supplies, and my sword. I was starving. As for the medical supplies, I went out to get them for Tartarus tonight.

For six days now, everyone in the dorm acted as if the other night didn't happen, minus Junpei; he's still pissed at me.

Yukari is still startled by me. Every time I tried to talk to them, they got away from me immediately, and they looked at me like I was some sort of monster.

Huh, doesn't that feel familiar? I've been keeping myself away from Fuuka so she wouldn't get caught up in the Dark Hour, and SEES. But today proved that I couldn't even keep my distance properly, so hopefully, our last conversation is our last.

Yet, even though I'm doing this for a good reason I can't help but notice that tears are running down my face.

"Tch, why the hell do I have to go through this…? I'm such a loser."

A can on the ground gets crushed by my feet.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit!"

Why did I say goodbye to her? Why couldn't I just keep my distance for the time being? I never think things through like I should… I really am an idiot. Now she thinks I want nothing to do with her, but that can't be further from the truth!

I want to stick with her, hang out with her more, and be with her more but I screwed it up... I'm such an idiot, and this feeling inside me keeps telling me so. There's also this other feeling that gets flustered but sad when I think about her…

God damnit! I punched a wall out of rage. The pain that comes quickly dulls itself, acting as if nothing happened.

I take out my phone to see the time. 12:03 P.M.

"It's like Mikage-cho all over again."

In the corner, there's a notification that I got a message from Fuuka. Maybe I should leave it… What am I saying!? If I leave it alone, who knows when I'll get another chance to speak with her?

"It's okay, just see what she wants." I head to my messages, Opening the message she sent me.

"What the-"

It takes an instant to read the message.

"Kazuki-kun, I'm locked in the gym storage closet! Please, help me!"

I feel like I'm about to have a heart attack. Reality is playing a cruel joke on me as of today, but if it isn't a trick, then I need to hurry. The Dark Hour is going to begin soon! If she's still in there before then, who knows what'll happen?

"No time to think, just go!"

Strength runs through my legs as I try my best to make it there before the Dark Hour hits the world.

Gekkoukan High - gym - Midnight - Kazuki

Making my way into the school, the emergency door was locked, so I sliced it open.

There were guards in here, but I don't give a shit if they see.

Barreling into the gym, it's empty. Of course, she's in the storage closet, not in the gym itself! Taking a look at my phone, I'm edging on the arrival of the Dark Hour by seconds. I ram the door on approach, using all my body weight to knock it down. It's still standing in place.

"Fuuka, I'm here! Don't worry, I'll get you out in a second!"

The door is locked, probably needing a key. We don't have time for that.

"Don't stand near the door, you hear me? I'm going to break it down!"

My sword glides out from its sheath, cleaving open the door. I take out my phone to check the time. Six seconds left. We'll never make it out.

"Screw it!"

I burst into the closet. Reaching her, I hold onto Fuuka as tight as I can.

"Kazuki...kun..."

At that moment, darkness wraps my mind, body, and vision. This is the worst outcome to happen. What'll happen is unknown, but it won't be good, that's for certain.

"I'm so sorry, Fuuka."