Horikita POV:
Ayanokouji-kun has just left the library. Why is it such an idiot?!
I tried to warn him about Kushida-san. I didn't expect running into Kushida-san here, but she's implanted herself into the class hierarchy. She's one of the top students, admired by those defects. It's similar to what happened in junior high and Ayanokouji seems to be falling for it. I thought at least I should warn Ayanokouji-kun about Kushida-san, but he's not listening!
I tried to push Kushida-san away and tried to give little hints on her true nature. Thus leading to the argument I had with Kushida-san while Ayanokouji-kun is listening in.
It look like that Ayanokouji-kun did not picked on it and left the library. Ayanokouji-kun is an idiot!
Wait?!
Why am I concerned about Ayanokouji-kun so much? It's true that I see him as an ally and that I should warn him about the danger of Kushida-san. For some reason, seeing Ayanokouji-kun leaving the library and leaving me by myself, it pains me.
Seeing him leave me felt like someone stabbed my heart with a knife. Knowing that he didn't believe me and why I did it felt like that knife in my heart was twisted, inflicting more pain.
Another thing: Ayanokouji-kun's entrance exam scores. It cannot be a coincidence. The likelihood of getting 50s on every subject is astronomically small and unlikely. One thing that I know for certain: Ayanokouji-kun has manipulated his entrance exam. That's most likely reason why he's in Class D. This brings up more questions: Is Ayanokouji-kun smarter than he looks? What is the reason to his scores? Did he know about S-System beforehand? Ayanokouji-kun is an anomaly. I can't seem to understand him at all. His logic and reasoning to some of his actions.
Chabashira-sensei brought this up. Why did she brought up Ayanokouji-kun's scores to me? Did she want to get Ayanokouji-kun involved? Why?! I have so many unanswered questions.
But...
I've been fighting this feeling for so long... Ever since I met Ayanokouji-kun... My denial... I believe that I've fallen in love with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka...
It can't be...
What do I do now? Do I pursue my love for Ayanokouji-kun or catch up to Nii-san?
Ayanokouji POV
Ayanokouji left the library and found Kushida sitting sadly at a bench.
"Hey Kushida." said Ayanokouji.
"Ayanokouji-kun..." muttered Kushida. Her cheerful and happy attitude and atmosphere seems to disappeared and replaced by one of sadness and remorse.
"Do you want a drink?" asked Ayanokouji.
"Oh no! I can't ask you to spend points on me." said Kushida, shaking her head.
"It's alright. I want to."
"If you insist. I'll have a grape juice."
Ayanokouji nodded and walked to the vending machine that was close by. Ayanokouji bought a cola and grape juice before returning to Kushida. Kushida took the straw and stabbed a hole. She took a nice long sip and there was a nice peaceful silence between the two as they drank their drinks.
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Ayanokouji.
"What are you talking about?" asked Kushida.
"I think you know what I mean. The study group."
"..."
Kushida fell into silence as she studied the nutrition label of the juice.
"I-ii don't what to do. The study group has fallen apart. Ike-kun, Yamauchi-kun, and Sudou-kun all quit before they made real progress. At this rate, they might be e-expelled. Horikita-san doesn't seem happy to help them..." said Kushida, looking at Ayanokouji with sorrow-filled eyes.
"Kushida, you're a smart and resourceful girl. I'm sure you can find a solution." said Ayanokouji, trying his best to reassure her. Kushida's eyes locked onto Ayanokouji's eyes and her face became a little flustered.
"I-i'm not sure-" started Kushida.
"Kushida. You're not the type of person to stop after one go. You'll push through it and find a way even though there are hardships along the way. You'll do it a smile." said Ayanokouji. Kushida fell into silence.
"D-do you r-really think that h-highly of me?" asked Kushida.
"Yes."
"I-i see..." said Kushida, after a few moments of silence.
"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun! I-i'll find a way to protect Ike-kun, Yamauchi-kun, and Sudou-kun from expulsion and be friends with Horikita-san!" said Kushida. A little bit of her usual cheerfulness came back.
"I'm sorry that Horikita said such rough things to you." said Ayanokouji.
"It's okay. You don't have to apologize for her. Horikita-san may be a little rough on the outside, but I think she means well in the inside! I'm sure of it!" said Kushida.
Ayanokouji was a little surprised by the tolerance of Kushida. She managed to be able to handle Horikita's brutal and cold verbal jabs without hating her.
"Are you sure?" asked Ayanokouji.
"Yeah, I'm sure! I'm going to make it up to her right now! We'll be friends by the time we eat dinner at your room!" said Kushida. Her usual cheerfulness is returning back exponentially.
"Okay. Are you planning to wait for Horikita?" asked Ayanokouji.
"Yeah! Why not go shopping with her?" answered Kushida.
"Okay. I'll leave to not bother the both of you."
"Oh no. You don't have to."
"It's the best. I don't want to be in your way of your reconciliation."
"Okay. See you later, Ayanokouji-kun." said Kushida, shooting him a warm smile.
"See you soon, Kushida."
With that, Ayanokouji got up and left Kushida all by herself on the bench. Kushida watched Ayanokouji's retreating figure as he slowly disappeared in the horizon.
**********************************************
Kushida POV:
Tch...
Horikita is such a bitch.
She's seriously annoying. Acting like a stuck-up snobby girl. Fucking annoying. I hate those kind of bitches!
She's the worst... the worst... the worst... I hate her. Why did she follow me? Why?! Out of everyone in the whole fucking world, this bitch has to be there!
I was so close to yelling and cursing, but it was a public area near the library. Someone could catch me. I managed to hold it back.
The agonizing pain... the pain that keeps getting built up... everyday... I fight it... and endured it
Day after day... no one can see me like that... the pain, stress, and agony that I went through...
Have to keep up the act... otherwise... no one will accept the true me...I know that... for sure...
Ayanokouji-kun...
Ayanokouji-kun...
Do I love him? That's the question I had ever since that day I talked to him.
The real question is: will he accept the real me? The truth that I'm hiding.
Ayanokouji-kun just talked to me .
Ah!
Just hearing those words for me managed to temporarily calm me and it gave the same feeling that I craved. The feeling of warmth and praise... It's a wonderful feeling.
The pain that I felt feels like nothing, but a dull throb. His words put me at ease.
Ayanokouji-kun...
You are someone special to me...
But, I can't accept you. Correction: I know that I can't accept you. Because you will turn on me once you find out the truth. The truth... my past... the thing that I wanted to protect the most...
I'm sorry, Ayanokouji-kun... I cannot love you...
...
But, why does my heart aches for you? Why does it hurt so much? Why?!
**********************************************
Ayanokouji POV:
Ayanokouji decided to kill some time and walk around the Keyaki Mall with no purpose. It doesn't hurt to get some exercise and explore more of the mall. Ayanokouji only explored a small section of mall: the supermarket and convenience store to get some food. It doesn't hurt for him to walk around and see what they have to offer.
Besides, Horikita and Kushida are going to get the ingredients for me to cook. I have at least a hour and a half before our dinner.
Ayanokouji was walking around the second floor of the Keyaki Mall and he saw one of his classmates, looking troubled. She was staring at a shop and seems to be contemplating something.
"Hey, Azuma. Is something anything wrong?" asked Ayanokouji, approaching the girl.
"Ahh... Ayanokouji-kun. I'm just thinking about the store." said Azuma.
"Store?" asked Ayanokouji, looking at the store. Ayanokouji realized that it was a second-hand store.
"A second-hand store?" said Ayanokouji.
"Yeah. I was thinking about selling some of my stuff that I bought last month that I don't really need." explained Azuma.
"I see."
"It's a good way to get some extra points."
...
Ayanokouji didn't know what else to say, so he decided to stay silent.
"You know, I got some stuff already on me. I should sell it." said Azuma.
"Okay." replied Ayanokouji.
"You wanna come?"
"Sure. Why not?"
Azuma and Ayanokouji entered the second hand store and headed to the counter. Ayanokouji noticed that the shelves are full of random things that varied. Some were necklaces, accessories, books, game consoles, figurines, clothes, and other various items that seems to be bought from the Keyaki Mall. The shelves aren't full, but had a sufficient amount of items. All of the items looked to be in good quality. Ayanokouji assumed that the store's policy is to buy items that are in good condition, so they can resell them at a reasonable price. Ayanokouji wondered if buying it new from a store is better than buying from a second-hand store. The price difference is quite significant and students will few points will have limited options.
Azuma approached the counter where a clerk is waiting.
"Hi. I have a few items to sell." said Azuma.
"Very well. Please show them to me, so I can have it examined." said the clerk. Azuma pulled out several small items from her school bag. The items Azuma pulled out is some few shirts and blouse.
"Clothes?" asked the clerk.
"Yeah. I have 7 here. I haven't wore them that much." said Azuma.
"Let me get a look. There's no tags." said the clerk. Azuma shook her head. The clerk studied the shirts and blouses that Azuma had gave. After a few moments of inspecting the clothes, the clerk started typing on the computer.
He's most likely checking the prices of those items. The tags he was asking for is most likely used to scan the barcode and find the product and the price. He's most likely manually checking the price.
The clerk began typing on the cash register and the screen facing Azuma's began displaying some words and numbers. It was the items that Azuma brought in, the amount of points it's worth for each individual item, and the total amount of points.
"Your total points comes out to 9650 points." said the clerk.
"Is that it? I thought I'll get more points..." muttered Azuma. She seems to be thinking about it.
You can't barter and haggle for more points. The store mostly likely have a database for an approximate of most item. Prices may vary on the quality and quantity of the items.
"I'll take it." said Azuma.
"Okay. I'll transfer the points to you right away." said the clerk. He grabbed a tablet and tapped it to Azuma's phone. Azuma's phone buzzed once and she checked it.
"I've received the points." said Azuma.
"Here's your receipt for your reference." said the clerk, handing Azuma the newly printed receipt. "Thank you for coming."
Azuma and Ayanokouji left the store together and stopped outside.
"Thank you for accompanying me, Ayanokouji-kun." said Azuma.
"No problem." said Ayanokouji.
"You're always looking out for me."
"I won't say that."
"Stop being modest!"
*Flashback (about a month ago)*
This is when Ayanokouji had three soulmates: Horikita, Kushida, and Mii-chan. It was after Ayanokouji bought Mii-chan that jade bracelet and it garnered some attention from the girls. The girls found out that Ayanokouji bought it for her and rumors of Mii-chan and Ayanokouji was amongst the talk of the girls. Of course, some of the boys caught wind of the rumors and gave Ayanokouji some glares. Naturally, the girls were a little curious about Ayanokouji.
One of the groups were Azuma Sana's group which consists of Azuma, Minami Setsuya, Sonoda Chiyo, and Kyousuke Okyia.
"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Azuma, approaching Ayanokouji.
"What's up, Azuma?" replied Ayanokouji.
"You know my name."
"Yeah. I remember most of my classmates."
"That's good. Hey. Do you want to hang out with us? We're planning to go to the Keyaki Mall."
"U-uhh... are you sure to having a person like me?"
"Yeah! We have no problem."
"I have no reason to reject."
"Cool. I'll introduce you to my friends."
Thus, Ayanokouji met Azuma Sana and her friends. Ayanokouji walked with them to the Keyaki Mall and he was bombard with questions. Questions focused on Mii-chan and Ayanokouji's dating life.
"I'm not dating Mii-chan." said Ayanokouji, in an attempt to dispel the rumors.
"Really? You bought here a nice piece of jewelry. Are you sure?" asked Azuma.
"I'm sure. I'm not dating Horikita or Kushida as well."
"How did you know I was going to say that?" asked Sonoda, raising her eyebrows in curiosity.
"You kinda look at me with some expectations in your eyes. I assumed that you thought the other two girls I talk to might be my girlfriend." replied Ayanokouji.
"I guess you caught me. You catch on quickly, Ayanokouji-kun." laughed Sonoda.
"Are you sure? It looks like you got the affection of those three girls." said Kyousuke.
"Yeah. I'm not sure if they liked me or not. But, I'm not sure if I'm ready to have a girlfriend yet." said Ayanokouji.
'This guy is pretty dense.' thought Azuma, Sonoda, and Kyousuke.
"Yet?" asked Azuma.
"Yeah. I'm not opposed to having a girlfriend. I'll wait until the time is right." said Ayanokouji.
I can't tell them about my situation. No one is going to believe it.
'Wow! Ayanokouji-kun is really mature for someone in the first year of high school. Most of the boys in our class are immature and can't hold a candle to him.' thought Azuma, shocked by Ayanokouji's maturity and indifference to having a girlfriend. It was different from the perverted boys in Class D and Azuma found it refreshing.
Ayanokouji and the group arrived at a clothing store and they began shopping. Ayanokouji didn't what to do when girls are shopping, so he stood back and watched as the girls hurriedly grabbed clothes off the racks and bring it into the changing room. He could hear giggles and comments from the changing rooms. Ayanokouji watched in wonder and amazement as clothes rapidly returned back and more clothes got taken. After 15 minutes of waiting, Ayanokouji heard some footsteps approaching him. It was Azuma in a black blouse with red embroidery which resembled roses and a dark-gray miniskirt.
"You look pretty good, Azuma." said Ayanokouji, nodding in approval.
"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun." replied Azuma.
"Maybe I should but it."
"If you want to."
"I'll buy it, then!" said Azuma, grabbing a few more pairs of shirts and blouses. Ayanokouji noticed that Azuma is buying an abnormal amount of clothes. He figured that Azuma is impulsively buying clothes.
Ayanokouji was still waiting for the girls to finish checking out. Ayanokouji saw Azuma talking to an employee of the store. It looks like they are arguing and Azuma is pointing at a shirt and the employee is shaking her head.
"What's going on here?" asked Ayanokouji, deciding to interfere.
"Ah... Ayanokouji-kun." said Azuma.
"There's a bit of a problem, sir. Your girlfriend damaged one of the shirts here. See?" said the employee, showing Ayanokouji the shirt. The shirt in question had a decent side tear on the inside. Ayanokouji deduced that the seam was damaged and ripped which left a decent tear on the shirt. It wouldn't be noticeable from far away, but if you got up close, you can easily find the hole on the shirt.
"She'll have to pay for it." said the employee.
"But... I didn't. The rip was already there when I found it. It's got bigger when I tried on the shirt." said Azuma, trying her best to explaining herself. But, it looks like Azuma was losing the argument and most likely have to pay points.
"I see. But, the seam is already damaged severely before Azuma wore it. Because of the previous damages, when Azuma wore it, it ripped the seam further and made a big hole. Are you claiming that Azuma purposely ripped the seam and made the hole bigger?" asked Ayanokouji.
"No, that's not what I'm insinuating, sir." said the employee. She seemed to be taken aback by Ayanokouji's logic and reasoning.
"Then, there's no problem. The shirt is already damaged before Azuma tried it on. You can't fault her for an already damaged product."
"Y-you're right. Please forgive me for my careless mistake." said the employee, bowing her head to Ayanokouji and Azuma.
"It's fine. You are just doing your job." said Ayanokouji, handing the shirt back to the employee.
"You have a good boyfriend." said the employee to Azuma before leaving. Azuma blushed a little bit and averted her gaze from Ayanokouji.
"D-don't listen to her, Ayanokouji-kun." said Azuma.
"I know. It was a joke."
"T-thank you for the help."
"No problem."
"I wished I was better at explanation. Without you, I would've wasted points buying a shirt with a hole on it."
"Yeah."
"Say, Ayanokouji-kun... you're really a nice and dependable guy. I can see why Mii-chan likes you so much."
"You flatter me."
'Ayanokouji-kun is a nice guy. The first time I saw him was during the first introduction. I though he was a boring and bland guy. Kinda of quiet and easy to forget. That all changed when I learned what he gave to Mii-chan. A quiet guy like him made his move?! At first, I didn't believe it and thought he was getting played. But, after seeing what he did for me, he's more proactive than I thought. I mean I don't mind quiet guys, but I prefer boys like Hirata. Someone with a presence. At least, Ayanokouji-kun is not a pervert like some of the boys in the class. I will order someone that quiet like Ayanokouji-kun than a pervert like Ike-kun or Yamauchi-kun. I mean he might be a closet pervert, but I don't think he is...' thought Azuma.
Those are the thoughts of Azuma Sana during their first encounter. Of course, those thoughts strengthen as she and Ayanokouji interacted more during the first month.
Azuma and Ayanokouji are walking together with no purpose or destination. Ayanokouji wondered if he should say something, but decided against it and to enjoy the peaceful silence.
Azuma Sana. She scored about average on the quizzes and around average test scores in Class D.
Her personality is similar to a gyaru. Not that outgoing and friendly like Kushida or overly judgmental and harsh like Karuizawa. She often place her trust in her friends and people that she deemed worthy's She seems to have a problem with impulsive buying clothes. She's a nice and average girl.
"Hey, Ayanokouji. Thanks for staying with me." said Azuma, stopping. They seems to have arrived at a quiet spot in the Keyaki Mall.
"No problem." replied Ayanokouji.
"How are you studies going?" asked Ayanokouji, deciding to speak up before it became an awkward silence. It would be bad because Azuma and Ayanokouji are facing each other directly and not walking.
"It's going all right. Me and you both average scores. So we might make it through okay. Hirata-kun is a good tutor." replied Azuma.
"Yeah. I hope that you make it through without getting expelled. It would be a shame."
Ayanokouji locked eyes with Azuma for a brief moment when he said that. Then, he felt a familiar shock when he stared at Azuma. Azuma's eyes widened in realization and started to blush after hearing Ayanokouji's words.
"O-okay. I-I'll try to hang in there." Azuma muttered and averted her eyes from Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji nodded his head in response.
"H-hey, Ayanokouji-kun. D-do you want to get some dinner together?" asked Azuma, blushing while averting her gaze from Ayanokouji and scratching her right arm nervously.
"Sorry. I already have dinner plans with others." said Ayanokouji.
"I-I see.."
Azuma looked surprised and a little saddened by the news. She was hoping that she could get some alone time with Ayanokouji. She also hoped that Ayanokouji is not eating dinner with any girls.
'Why am I feeling this way?! I feel sad and heartbroken knowing that Ayanokouji-kun won't be with me. What is wrong with me?' thought Azuma.
"I don't mind having you join me for dinner as well." said Ayanokouji.
"R-really? Will that okay? Am I going to get in the way?" asked Azuma.
"It's fine. I'm sure they won't mind if you joined."
"T-then, I guess I'm in."
"By the way, who's coming to this dinner?" asked Azuma. Before Ayanokouji could answer, a voice interrupted them.
"Hi, Ayanokouji-kun." said Tachibana, walking up to them.
"Who is this?" asked Azuma. She recognized Tachibana from earlier when she went to Class D and invited Ayanokouji to lunch. Azuma instantly felt on guard and anxious when Tachibana came.
"Azuma, this is Tachibana Akane from Class 3-A. Tachibana-senpai, this is Azuma Sana, my classmate." said Ayanokouji, introducing the girls. The two girls stared at each other and seems to checking each other out like two athletes seeing their opponents before competing. Ayanokouji was confused on why they're staring at each other for a few moments and cleared his throat, loudly.
'This is the purple-haired senpai that grabbed Ayanokouji-kun. She's a dangerous rival. Wait?! Why am I acting this way?! An overly jealous girlfriend?!' thought Azuma.
'Who is this girl? Why is she with Ayanokouji-kun? Hmm... something doesn't look right. It looked like they were planning something before I interrupted.' thought Tachibana.
"U-uhh... nice to meet you, kohai." said Tachibana.
"Same here, Tachibana-senpai." said Azuma.
Ayanokouji could feel the atmosphere getting a little heated as the two girls stared at each more.
"Yeah. I was inviting Azuma for dinner." said Ayanokouji. Tachibana and Azuma both froze when Ayanokouji said that. Azuma nodded and was blushing a little bit.
'No. It can't be. This kohai is getting ahead of me. Wait! Why do I care so much about this? Ah... this remind of me and Horikita-kun. How people would describe as "gatekeeping". Ah... I must be in love with Ayanokouji-kun. There no doubt. But, why...' thought Tachibana.
It reminded of the encounter with Elder Horikita that happened earlier today.
**********************************************
*Flashback (a few hours ago)*
Tachibana POV:
Tachibana is walking to the student council office after leaving Ayanokouji. Her heart was racing and face was a little red after Ayanokouji was feeding her some food. Her thoughts wildly raced as she began picking up her pace as some students in the cafeteria looked at her and whispered to each other.
I can't believe it. I let Ayanokouji-kun feed me! I can't believe I let my guard down in front of everyone. How shameless of me! There's no doubt that rumors about us will be circulating.
Although, I don't mind if the those rumors are true... Wait! Why am I thinking about that?
Calm down, Akane. You trust Ayanokouji-kun. That is all. Now calm down and don't worry about this silly thing. Keep you mind focus on the student council business.
Tachibana opened the student council room and entered the room. There was three students in the room: Horikita Manabu, Nagumo Miyabi, and Kiriyama Ikuto. Tachibana made his way to the president desk and took the closest seat. It was the president's secretary desk and there was a small pile of paperwork for Tachibana to sort through.
Tachibana began working on the paperwork for a few minutes before Nagumo spoke up.
"Tachibana-senpai, there's something odd going on." said Nagumo.
"What is it, Nagumo-kun?" asked Tachibana, still engrossed on the paperwork.
"It's about you and a certain first year student."
"E-ehh?!"
Tachibana froze and looked up form her paperwork. She managed to hide her embarrassment, but failed to hide her surprise. Manabu and Kiriyama both looked up from their work in shock and surprise.
"What's the meaning of this, Nagumo?" asked Manabu.
"You didn't hear about this, Horikita-senpai? Some of my friends messaged me about it. Tachibana-senpai is eating lunch with a first year. I believe his name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class D." said Nagumo.
"Ayanokouji, huh?" mused Manabu.
"Yeah. A Class D student. Not impressive. I wonder why Tachibana-senpai is hanging out with him." said Nagumo, giving a smirk. Nagumo seems to be poking at Tachibana's and Manabu's relationship.
"Don't be ridiculous, Nagumo. Tachibana is free to do whatever she wishes. I have no intention in stopping her." replied Manabu.
"Whatever you say, senpai. Don't come crying to me if something unfortunate happened."
Manabu maintained his silence, got up from his desk, and opened a file cabinet. He pulled out a file and returned back to his desk. Nagumo realized that he's not going to get anything out of Manabu and returns back to his work. Kiriyama also returned back to work. He was quietly sitting to the side and observed both sides.
No one can see the file that Manabu got and what he is doing. Manabu opens the file and it revealed a familiar face. The blank face of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and on the paper, it said "Entrance Exam Scores". Manabu took a quick look at it and the other notes made from the exam proctor and interviewer. Manabu smirked as he looked at the results.
What an interesting student. Tachibana, you ran into an interesting person. I wonder what he's hiding.
*Timeskip (15 minutes later)*
The student council is empty expect Tachibana and Manabu who remained there. Nagumo and Kiriyama already left to their respective classroom and there is about 10 minutes left of lunch.
"Tachibana, there's something I'll like to talk to you about." said Manabu.
Tachibana froze before continuing, "What is it, President?"
"It's regarding about the incident between you and the that class 3-D student."
Tachibana froze and averted her eyes from Manabu. Tachibana was trying hard to hold back her tears because she knew that she can't lie to Manabu. Manabu is skilled at discerning lies and Tachibana knew that she wouldn't be able to lie and get away from it.
"N-nothing gets away from you, President." muttered Tachibana.
"Tachibana, this is a serious crime. The school needs to know about this." said Manabu.
"I can't, Horikita-kun." said Tachibana, quietly. She was trying her best to hold back her tears, but is losing the fight. Her voice became quiet and soft. Tachibana clenched her fists tightly in an attempt to strengthen her resolve and emotions to prevent crying. She knows that if she cried, it would be an admission of truth.
"Why not?"
"B-be side I don't want to get you involved. If I report this to the school, you would get involved! Every time a classmate gets in trouble, you always help us! All the time! You've been carrying the burden of Class A all this time. I'm sure the others realize it by now! You're been doing this all alone! For three years! I don't want to get you involved! I-I d-don't want-" yelped Tachibana. Her eyes were overflowing with tears. Her face flustered and eyes closed. Manabu watched in silence.
After a few minutes of crying, Tachibana seemed to have calm down.
"Tachibana, why didn't you consult me first if you didn't want to report this to the school? I would've protected you." said Manabu.
"Horikita-kun, I'm sorry. I knew that you would take the burden upon yourself. I don't want that. The burden you carried will be heavier if I told you." said Tachibana, with some tears still trickling down her face. Manabu handed her a handkerchief and she accept it, wiping her tears.
"Tachibana..."
"You've been fighting alone for so long. The second years and third years! Why can't you let us take some do the burden off you?! Why?! You're supposed to be the best student council president that the school ever had. Why can't you understand this?! If you fail, then Class A will fall!"
Tachibana's anger was evident and it took Manabu a little back. Tachibana hardly shows her anger and frustration to anyone. Of course, there's a few exceptions: rule breakers, people that don't disrespect Manabu, or people that pissed her off.
Tachibana felt angry and frustrated by Manabu's lack of empathy and understanding of his classmates and her. Horikita Manabu is a good leader that is exceptional talent: academically and physically. His leadership skills is incredible but sometimes he lack the foresight of understanding his classmates properly.
Similar to Tachibana's anger, her love for Manabu clashed fiercely with her newfound love with Ayanokouji which confused Tachibana even more. She screamed at herself internally to not fall in love with Ayanokouji, but her heart won't listen. It began beating fiercely and faster when Tachibana starts thinking about Ayanokouji.
"I-i'm sorry, H-horikita-kun..."
"..."
Manabu fell into silence and began processing what Tachibana said.
She's right to a certain extent. The burden that she described certainly exist. Perhaps I should change my thinking and see what's truly wrong.
"Tachibana, I understand what you're saying. Thank you for telling me this. I now understand your reasoning." said Manabu.
"Are you reporting this to the school?" asked Tachibana, nervously.
"Normally, I would. But, I've changed my mind."
"T-thank you, H-horikita-kun."
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka... he's the one that saved you?"
"H-how did you know?"
"You would never have lunch with just any boy. More or less an underclassman. He must have done something good for you."
"U-uh... well h-he did helped me out with that."
"I see..."
"..."
Manabu was quiet for a few moments and Tachibana wondered what he was thinking.
Horikita-kun. What are you thinking about? Is he jealous? He seems interested in Ayanokouji-kun.
"Is there something wrong, Horikita-kun?" asked Tachibana, nervously.
"No, everything is fine. I was just thinking." replied Manabu.
"O-okay. We should get going."
"All right."
Tachibana and Manabu left the student council office and headed to their classroom in silence.
'Ayanokouji... what an interesting young man. His entrance scores... Is it an coincidence? I don't think so. At any rate, I'll have to thank him for helping and saving Tachibana. With him around, things will be interesting with him around.' thought Manabu.
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Ayanokouji POV
"I see." said Tachibana. Ayanokouji noticed that Tachibana did not looked pleased after hearing what Ayanokouji said.
"How about you join us, Tachibana-senpai?" asked Ayanokouji.
I don't want anything bad to happen if I didn't all of my soulmates to a dinner. The risk of potential death would be bad and could blow my cover.
Tachibana's expression brightened after Ayanokouji's invitation and Azuma looked shocked by Ayanokouji's invitation.
"R-really? You don't mind?" asked Tachibana.
"I'm fine with it. I'm sure the others won't mind." said Ayanokouji.
"Others?"
"Don't worry about it. Meet me at my room at 7. The room number is 401."
"Y-your room?"
"Yeah."
Tachibana began blushing as she started thinking about being in Ayanokouji's room for the first time.
'Already?! It's been a day after meeting Ayanokouji-kun and he's already invited me to his rokm. Tch... too bad that I'm not alone with him...' thought Tachibana.
'Wait! What am I thinking? I can't be thinking about immoral things! Why is my mind become dirty? That's cannot be. Calm down, Akane. Calm down. It's just dinner with Ayanokouji-kun and a few others. There's nothing wrong with it.' thought Tachibana, shaking her head in embarrassment.
"How about this? Me and Tachibana-senpai are going to spend some quality time together before the dinner." said Azuma, grabbing Tachibana's shoulders.
'I need to separate her from Ayanokouji-kun! Maybe I could get some information about her!' thought Azuma.
Ayanokouji looked puzzled by Azuma's action and he watched as the duo walked away quickly as Azuma dragged Tachibana along. He heard some whispering and Tachibana rapidly shaking her head.
Okay. Well, that's interesting.
Ayanokouji took out his phone and texted Horikita. He told her that there will be 2 more extra guests coming over to dinner and to buy more extra ingredients. Horikita texted back immediately and she reluctantly agreed, but asked who was coming. Ayanokouji dodged the question which annoyed Horikita and a barrage of text messages came from her. After a few moments, Horikita stopped texting and Ayanokouji assumed that she shut off her phone and ignored him.
I might have to deal an angry Horikita later.
I still have about less than an hour left before dinner. Maybe I should go to the park for a bit.
Ayanokouji walked out of the Keyaki Mall which took about 10 minutes. He slowly walked to the park and watched the scenery and the sunset. Ayanokouji sighed contently and took a seat at one of the benches.
After a few minutes of sitting silently, Ayanokouji looked around and saw a girl sitting alone at one of the benches near him. The girl has short green-blondish hair with a pink flower hairband on the right side of her head. She seems like a quiet and timid girl. The girl seems to be deep in thought and nervously shifting in her seat.
This girl seems extremely nervous. Perhaps she's waiting for someone.
The girl caught Ayanokouji staring at her and her expression changed to uncomfortable and shy.
That's expected. I mean if I was a girl, I would be a little creeped out if a guy was just staring at me without saying anything I better saying something.
"Sorry for staring at you. I didn't mean for creep you out." said Ayanokouji.
"I-it's o-okay." said the girl, nervously twirling her fingers around.
"I don't mean to pry into your business. But, you seemed to be deep in thought."
"O-ohh... I was just thinking about some stuff , you know."
"I see. Think thoroughly about it, then."
"Y-you're not going to ask more?"
"There will be no point. You don't seem comfortable sharing. So, there's no point in sticking my nose into someone else's business that they are not comfortable sharing."
"..."
The girl seems to be thinking about Ayanokouji's words. After a few moments of silence, the girl responded.
"Y-you seemed to be really good at giving advice and explaining things." said the girl. "U-uhh... what's your name? Sorry."
"It's Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class D." said Ayanokouji.
"I'm Shiranani Chihiro from Class B. Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mines."
"Ayanokouji-kun..."
"What is it?"
"Can I trust you?"
"The answer is up to you. Trust is something that needs to be gained and is fragile. It can break anytime and needs to be treasured and maintained properly. Only you can decide where you should pace your trust."
"..."
Shiranami seems to be thinking about Ayanokouji's words.
'Should I trust Ayanokouji-kun? He seems like a good guy. But... telling him about it would just trouble him. My problems... is something that should only involve me and her.' thought Shiranami.
"I'm not sure myself." said Shiranami.
"I see. Don't worry about it." said Ayanokouji.
"I-I'm just nervous about making a decision. I'm worried that if I don't do it, I'll regret it."
"We make decisions every day, Shiranami. Sometimes we regret doing something because of our decisions. But, I think it's better to do it than regretting not doing it later on."
"I-I keep that in mind. Thank you for your opinion, Ayanokouji."
"I hope that helps you."
"It does. I-I think I know what I should do now."
"You can talk to me anytime if you have any problems."
"T-thank you, Ayanokouji-kun."
The duo fell into silence as they stared off into the sunset. Ayanokouji didn't mind the peaceful silence. After a few minutes, Ayanokouji spoke up,"Hey. Do you want anything from the vending machine?"
"Yeah. I'm coming with you." said Shiranami. She got up and followed Ayanokouji to the nearest vending machine. Ayanokouji bought an oolong tea and Shiranami bought a peach soda. The duo stood nearby the vending machine, sipping their drinks quietly.
"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun." said Shiranami.
"For what?" replied Ayanokouji.
"For just being here. Thank you for talking to me and giving me advice. I appreciate your company."
"I don't think I'm good company."
"T-that's not true!"
Ayanokouji was surprised to see Shiranami raise her voice a little bit. She didn't seem to the type of girl to raise her voice often. Shiranami realized what she did and blushed a little.
"I mean... you're fine." said Shiranami.
"Thank you, Shiranami."
The duo finished their drinks and threw their empty bottles into the trash can.
"I need to get going, Shiranami." said Ayanokouji.
"Okay. Before you go, can w-we e-exchange numbers?" asked Shiranami.
"Sure."
They exchanged numbers. Shiranami waved to Ayanokouji who started to walk away, but stopped and turned around.
"Shiranami. The regret that I talked about earlier. Don't feel too down if you experienced it. It's not your fault." said Ayanokouji.
"I-I keep that in mind." said Shiranami.
With that out of the way, Ayanokouji gave one final wave before leaving the park. Ayanokouji could see the clock and it displayed 6:40 PM. He hurriedly made his way back to the dorm.
*Timeskip (15 minutes later)*
Ayanokouji got off the elevator to the fourth floor and headed to his room. Ayanokouji saw a group of girls waiting in the hallway by his room. They looked unhappy and curious, but stared at each other intensely. The grocery bags were on the floor.
"Hey! There's Ayanokouji-kun!" said Kushida, cheerfully and gave Ayanokouji a wave.
"Hi Ayanokouji-kun." said Mii-chan, Tachibana, and Azuma.
"It's about time. You kept us waiting, Ayanokouji-kun." said Horikita.
I think they've been here waiting for a while. They put the shopping bags on the ground to rest their arms.
"Sorry for being late, everyone." said Ayanokouji, sliding his keycard on the scanner. The door popped open and he pushed the door open, making way for the girls to come in first.
"Sorry for the intrusion." said the girls as they entered Ayanokouji's room. They removed their shoes and placed it at the doorway. Ayanokouji entered his room last and removed his shoes.
"Wow! You're room is so clean!" said Kushida, looking around.
"And empty. There's no furniture at all." noted Azuma.
"I live a minimalist lifestyle." said Ayanokouji. "Have a seat at the table or on my bed. I don't have any chairs."
"E-ehh?!" said the girls, turning a little red. They looked at Ayanokouji's bed and averted their eyes from it.
"I-I'll take the chairs." said Mii-chan, sitting down quickly on one of the chairs. There was only 2 chairs and small table available for each students' dorms. They was only a chair left and the rest of the girls eyed the chair. A moment later, the battle began and the girls lunged for the last chair.
In the end, Azuma won and got the seat. She sat there with a smug and triumphant smile. Horikita, Kushida, and Tachibana both gave Azuma a glare, but Kushida has more of a playful glare. Tachibana's and Horikita's glare was more deadly.
"We brought some chopsticks, silverware, bowls, plates, and glasses from our rooms!" said Kushida. Kushida and Mii-chan had brought bags with them containing a few of items mentioned by Kushida. Ayanokouji had a small number of bowls, plates, glasses, and utensils in his room. He wasn't expecting so many guests at once.
"There's a couch here. The rest of us can sit there." said Ayanokouji, pointing to the sofa. The dorm also came with a small sofa. The sofa was a three-seater and can fit 3 people.
"By the way, before Horikita starts. This is Tachibana Akane from Class 3-A." said Ayanokouji, introducing Tachibana to Horikita, Kushida, and Mii-chan.
"It's nice to meet you all." said Tachibana, bowing her head to them. Tachibana glanced at Horikita and studied her.
"So, you're the senpai that ate lunch with Ayanokouji-kin." said Kushida, eyeing Tachibana. Mii-chan and Horikita noticed that too and stared at her. Tachibana shifted uncomfortably. and nodded.
"I'm going to start cooking." said Horikita, grabbing one of the bags and headed to the kitchen. Kushida and Tachibana grabbed the rest of the bags and went to the kitchen.
"Let's watch down TV!" said Azuma, grabbing the TV remote and turning on the TV. She began browsing through the channels and settled for a comedy show.
Azuma, Mii-chan, and Ayanokouji began making small talk while the kitchen is full of activity. Horikita, Kushida, and Tachibana are busy preparing the ingredients: chopping the vegetables, preparing the rice, boiling some water, and other preparations.
15 minutes later, Kushida and Tachibana left the kitchen and sat down on the couch with Ayanokouji in the middle.
"Are you done already?" asked Ayanokouji.
"Yeah. The prep is already done. Horikita-san said she's doing the rest of the cooking." said Kushida.
"You didn't tell me that she's going to be the one cooking." said Tachibana, pouting cutely.
'I thought Ayanokouji-kun was going to be cooking! I wanted to try out his food. Horikita?! It can't be! She has the same last name as Horikita-kun. She has the same black hair and calculating eyes. She seems to have an aura similar to his. It's like she's mimicking him! Is she Horikita-kun's little sister? It can't be! Horikita-kun never told me about his family. She's also in Class D. A sibling of Horikita-kun would never be such a low and defective class.' thought Tachibana.
"I didn't. Horikita offered to cook me dinner." said Ayanokouji.
"Hmph... let's see if she can satisfy my strict palate ." said Tachibana.
The group became engaging with conversations, talking about their school life, for about 15 more minutes.
"Ayanokouji-kun. Can you set up the table? The food will be ready in a couple of minutes." called Horikita. The smell of food is coming from the kitchen which got the attention of the girls. The alluring scent of cooked mackerel, steaming miso, and pickled vegetables reached the nostril of Ayanokouji. He heard a grumbling noise coming from the table where Mii-chan and Azuma are. Ayanokouji looked at them and Azuma blushed and averted her eyes. Mii-chan and Kushida giggled.
Tachibana and Ayanokouji got up from the sofa and started set the table.
A few minutes later, Horikita came out of the kitchen carrying a tray. She placed it on the table and went back to the kitchen. Tachibana got up from the sofa and went into the kitchen. Horikita and Tachibana came back carrying trays. They placed it on the small table which took pretty much all the space on the table. Ayanokouji and Kushida both got up to take their portion of the food. They carried two trays from the table and placed it on the small coffee table that was in front of the sofa.
On each tray was a nice spread of Japanese cuisine: miso soup, white rice, grilled mackerel and tuna, and sides of pickled vegetables.
"Itadakimasu." said the group. They began to eat and trying each of the side dishes.
"It's so good!" said Kushida.
"Delicious!" said Azuma.
"I didn't you could good so well, Horikita-san." said Tachibana.
"It's pretty good, Horikita." said Ayanokouji. Horikita blushed when she heard of Ayanokouji's compliments.
"I-it's nothing." said Horikita, shyly. She grabbed her rice bowl and used it to hide her blushing red face with it.
"Your cooking skills are nothing to scoff at. Fairly good for a first-year high school student."
"Both of my parents worked, so I was often put in charge of making dinner."
"I see."
Ayanokouji noticed that the couch that he was sitting on with Tachibana, Horikita, and Kushida is pretty small and can fit at most 3 people. They were 4 people on the couch and it felt a little cramped. Ayanokouji is sitting at the middle with Kushida and Horikita at his sides. Tachibana was sitting right next to Horikita. He could feel their warmth generating from their bodies and there was little room for them to even move their arms freely. Ayanokouji noticed that Horikita and Kushida were blushing slighting and Tachibana was giving them a jealous stare.
The group ate their food in silence and within 10 minutes, all of the food have been consumed.
"Thank you for the meal, Horikita-san." said the girls. Ayanokouji volunteered to wash the dishes, but Tachibana and Kushida both beat to him. They insisted that Ayanokouji shouldn't wash the dishes since it's his room. Ayanokouji argued that he shouldn't make his guests wash the dishes, but they insisted since they didn't make the food. Ayanokouji decided to let them to do it without making a scene.
After the dishes were washed and everything was cleaned up, Ayanokouji and his 5 soulmates spend the rest of the time, socializing. Horikita stayed off to side and read her book. From time to time, she looked up from her book and spoke when the conversation involved her, but she kept to herself. Tachibana looked kind of awkward, but still talked and got along with Mii-chan. It's probably because she was the only upperclassmen in the group. Kushida and Azuma led most of the conversations and Ayanokouji watched the TV, but talked from time to time. But, of course most of the conversations were directed at him thus leaving him to abandon the TV and joining in.
After an hour, Ayanokouji checked his phone and saw that curfew is approaching.
"Hey guys. It's time for you to leave. Curfew is coming up." said Ayanokouji.
"Ahh...I want to stay though." said Kushida.
"W-what do you mean, K-kushida-chan?" stammered Mii-chan. Azuma and Horikita both gave Kushida a glare and Horikita's glare was colder and deadlier.
"K-kohai, y-you can't do that. Not in front of a student council member." said Tachibana, reprimanding Kushida.
"I was just kidding." said Kushida, chuckling a little.
"You don't sound like you're kidding." said Horikita.
'Tch... dumb bitch. Stay out of my way.' thought Kushida.
'I can't leave Ayanokouji-kun alone with her!'thought Mii-chan.
'How indecent! To think she has the gall to say that in front of me! Wait... me and Ayanokouji-kun alone... Wait! Stop it, Akane!' thought Tachibana.
The girls reluctantly began walking to the door to exit Ayanokouji's room. They wished Ayanokouji a good night and started to the leave the room after Mii-chan and Kushida gathered the rest of their stuff. Horikita stopped and turned to Ayanokouji, "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"
The girls that already exited the room froze and peeked back inside of Ayanokouji's room.
"Hey, that's no fair!"
"Horikita-san is staying over with Ayanokouji-kun!"
"That's cheating!"
Horikita turned a gave them a cold glare to shut them up.
"I have something important to tell Ayanokouji-kun! It's none of your business." said Horikita, coldly. Ayanokouji nodded and shut the door in their faces and followed Horikita further into his room.
"What do you want to talk about?" asked Ayanokouji.
"It's about the study group." replied Horikita.
"I see..."
"I have no intention in maintaining the study group. These three morons are deadweight to the class. We can never hoped to reach Class A with them with us."
"I hope you can change your mind."
"Don't. It will be wasting my and your time."
"Understood. Is that all you want to say?"
"Yes. One more thing: be careful around Kushida. Remember what I told you before."
"I got it."
"Good night, Ayanokouji-kun."
With that Horikita walked out of Ayanokouji's room, Ayanokouji closed the door and locked it. He heard some noise through the door. It seem like Horikita was getting integrated by the other girls.
A stubborn little princess. You'll learn in due time that your way of thinking is flawed, Horikita.
*Timeskip (next day, morning)*
Ayanokouji was walking by himself to school. It was a rare experience for him because Horikita, Kushida, or both of them had been walking with him recently. Ayanokouji was halfway to school when he noticed a commotion happening in front of him. It was off to the side where there was a bunch of vending machines are located at. The students involved is Shinohara and two other students. They looked like upperclassmen: a boy and a girl.
"Hey. You're a first year, aren't you?" asked the girl.
"E-eh?" replied Shinohara, sounding bewildered.
"Were you staring at us right now?"
"N-no, I wasn't. I'd never..."
The upperclassmen looked like a couple. Their arms are almost touching and they pretty close to each other. They were clearly broadcasting "couple" vibes.
"You were totally staring," the senior girl told Shinohara. "What, can't face forward when you're walking?"
"Come on, let's just go already. Don't mind her," said the guy.
His girlfriend seemed pretty angry, though. "You're just a first year. And you're a Class D student too, aren't you?"
"Well, um, yes. But...but I wasn't staring." said Shinohara.
"Don't lie to me. You're the one who bumped into us! "You should do something about that attitude. Bumping into a senior? Apologize." said the girl
Ayanokouji was willing to bet she and Shinohara had shoulder-checked each other accidentally. Since neither seemed to have any injuries, it couldn't have hurt that much.
"B-but you're the one who wasn't paying attention, so—"
"Huh? Are you saying it's my fault?"
Shinohara tried, but she couldn't take the pressure. She reluctantly bowed her head. "N-no. I'm really sorry."
However, that wasn't enough for the senior. Her fuse was lit, and she was ready to explode. "Hmph. With an attitude like that, the apology means nothing."
"A-attitude? But you weren't looking ahead, Senpai."
"Don't screw with me! You were the one being a space case."
"But—"
Ayanokouji wondered if he should step in. He decided against it and tried to leave the situation quietly and slowly backed away. But, Shinohara glanced at him and shot him a look for help. The senior girl noticed and turned around seeing Ayanokouji. She instantly glared at Ayanokouji, thinking he's planning to help Shinohara and her enemy.
"Who are you? Piss off." snapped the girl.
"Sorry, senpai. But, this is my classmate. Did she do something wrong?" asked Ayanokouji. He realized that there's no way to get out and decided to deescalate the situation to give himself and Shinohara to get away from the situation.
"Did she do something? She crashed into us. On top of that, she got all huffy and mean and kept glaring at us."
"Ah, I see. Her face looks like she's glaring, but I assure you that she is not glaring at you. Sometimes she rub people the wrong way." said Ayanokouji.
Before the female senpai can reply, Ayanokouji decided to finish it.
"At any rate, sorry for the trouble. We better not cause a ruckus. Class is about to start." said Ayanokouji. He directed his comments to the guy, not the girl.
It was an effective strategy. "Let's go," said the boy.
The senior girl still looked dissatisfied, but her anger apparently faded.
"Hmph!" she said, and strode ahead with her boyfriend.
After the two upperclassmen left, Shinohara let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Ayanokouji-kun." she said.
"It's no problem. Sorry about that comment." said Ayanokouji.
"Kinda hurts, but it's fine. You did help me after all."
"Glad I could help. Let's go to class."
Ayanokouji started walking away from Shinohara, preparing to hear her footsteps behind him. But, there were no noise. Shinohara was standing still. Ayanokouji turned around curiously, wondering why Shinohara wasn't walking and glanced at her. Suddenly, an electric shock ran through Ayanokouji's body as he stared directly at Shinohara's eyes.
Oh no.
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Author's Note:
YO! I've been procrastinating and not working on this chapter otherwise it would've been out already. Apologies for that, everyone!
I looked at the my post and noticed most people decided not to include Shinohara as a soulmate. But, I made an executive decision to not listen to them! Forgive me, everyone! But, I found the idea of adding Shinohara as a soulmate to be interesting and I wanted to see if I can turn her to a likeable or decent character. And also there's not much fanfics with Shinohara as a romantic interest, so this should be interesting! So, expected character development and a backstory!
To make it up to everyone, the next chapter is going to spicy and fill with information and some new characters. So, be on the look out for it!
Anyways, I'm tired and it's time to sleep.
Until next time, my dear readers.
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