Loyal Alike (Male!Rivals X Reader)

-9-

"And so I had to go back inside and push him off the bunk bed for revenge." Hanako finished up the story he was telling and smiled innocently at (Name), who was laughing at the thought.  She smiled and ate part of her lunch.

The two new friends had both decided to eat under the sakura tree on the hill behind the school. Taro ate in his usual spot by the fountain, along with his other friends. Hanako glanced over at (Name) and frowned slightly. She looked over at him curiously.

"What happened between you and Taro?" Hanako asked hesitantly, unwilling to make eye contact with the brown haired girl. Her face almost immediately darkened. She sighed sadly and forced a smile.

"You wouldn't need to kn-"

"I don't need to but I want to!" Hanako complained, finally looking at her directly in the eyes. "When you're around one another, there's an awkward tense silence!" (Name)'s eyes widened at the accurate description, but soon regained her composure.

"You sure notice every detail, don't you?" She asked, "Well, let's start that I had actually never been loved before. My family always paid attention to my big sister, which is why they brought her instead of me to America. They all pretended as if I didn't exist.

Even with these problems at home, I always tried to look bright and happy, so others won't question me. Kids like Osano, Aso, Amao and you make me feel like I'm actually being loved, in a way. If I were to lose any of you, I'd be really sad.

When I first met Taro, I felt loved, even if we never met before. There were also many other girls that liked him, eight at the least." (Name) laughed at Hanako's awed expression. "They're not around anymore, because- well, that's unimportant.

Last week friday, I confessed to him right underneath this very tree." She tapped the rough burch of the tree. " even after we became friends and started to like one another, he refused.

I'd really rather not being friends with him, but we're being forced to be with one another, for safety reasons." (Name) wrapped up her story and glanced at Hanako, who was now over his previous state of awe and now looked thoughtful.

Suddenly he embraced (Name) in a tight hug.

"You have horrible parents... I don't understand why they wouldn't love someone like you. I sure do know I do..." Hanako blushed slightly at the last sentence but knew she took it in a different way, for now at least.

She gave a small laugh before hugging him back. He smiled brightly and released her from his right grip. He brushed a piece of hair out of his eyes, which shone brightly as well.

(Name) opened her mouth to thank him, when the bell interrupted her. They both looked at one another with a competitive gleam in their eyes. Grabbing their lunches, they both sped down the hill and into the school.

"Guess it's a tie." (Name) stated once she couldn't decide who entered the building before the other. They both quickly put their lunches into their lockers and separated into their own classrooms.

After Class

"Hey (Name), can we hang out after school today? We could go around town and have dinner!" Hanako asked excitedly when they met up at the fountain. (Name) sadly shook her head.

"I'm going to a hot spring with Osano, Aso and Amao. But can once I get back three days from now." Hanako looked down, but smiled and waved goodbye to (Name). A few moments she felt bad for saying no, but cheered up once she saw that in a hour she would be leaving.

You guys still up for hot springs?

She texted her three friends the message and waited for them to respond. (Name) started her way home, quickly weaving her way through streets and alleyways. Amao responded first, then Osano, and then Aso.