These next two endings are written a bit differently from the main endings in the respect that obviously neither Hachi nor Leon actually confessed to Shiina. So there is a bit of developing their relationships first. In terms of Leon's ending which is just after this (cuz I double updated, again), I doubt any of you particularly care about his character but I at least wanted to flesh him out more. I originally had the idea to include him in the main harem but that didn't work out, so I'm just putting these ideas to use now lol.
They are written entirely in Shiina's POV and are in essence an extension of Chapter 40. They're also decently lengthy.
Let me know what you think! <3
(PS: I'll be publishing the last ending - Toru's - hopefully tomorrow ^^)
________________________
~Eight Months Later~
Shiina Kisaragi's POV:
"The truth is, I. . . have somebody I already like. I'm touched you all feel this way about me, but I can't go out with any of you. I'm sorry."
Several months had passed since that fateful day.
Seasons passed in the blink of an eye.
And unfortunately for me, my love meter with him still sat at zero.
"Hachi!"
"I don't understand this. Can you help me?"
"Me next!"
He was a people person, a popular class figure. That I knew. Nevertheless, here I was being pettily jealous.
Hachi once told me I was special to him. That it was different from everyone else—I was different. I wanted to trust that. But, the insecure girl in love part of me honestly wished he wasn't so well-received.
Dissimilar to Naru who had piles of girls fawning over his existence, boys and girls alike naturally found it easy to socialize with Hachi. His outgoing personality broke boundaries in no time. I wasn't sure there was anybody who didn't hit it off with him in some way. Though, all of it was friendly—unromantic.
Therefore, rationally speaking, this jealousy was rootless. I knew that. I knew it, but. . .
"Shiina, you're gritting your teeth," Kiharu so kindly pointed out.
"Your forehead is wrinkled up, too," Tsumugi added.
Shoulders drooping I removed myself from the wall. My two best friends poked their heads into the hall I was intently surveying. Primarily, the crowd bombarding Hachi right by the exit of our classroom. They tossed question after question at him, to which he delightfully grinned and answered. One girl even had her hand wrapped way too intimately around his shoulder while she requested his undivided attention.
Tsumugi flickered her attention between a fuming me then him. "If you like him so much, why not confess?"
"Don't you think I've tried?" I whined. "It's not easy. He's unbelievably straightforward. So—so even when I told him I liked him last month, he just smiled and told me he likes me too."
Kiharu grimaced. "Ouch."
Tsumugi gingerly patted my back.
"It had to be an honest misunderstanding," Kiharu said to console me. "There's no doubt in my mind that airhead has romantic feelings for ya'."
"How can you make such baseless claims?" Sniffling, I collapsed into a crouch. "Hachi isn't interested in romance enough to read between the lines. In the first place, imagining him being 'in love,' let alone with me, is impossible."
Their silence exemplified their agreement.
"He's quick to befriend people," I murmured sullenly. "Tell them how much he cares about them. He's considerate, too, so he'll share his belongings with anyone, no matter how little he has."
"Not to mention how innocent he is," Tsumugi sheepishly added. "The other day, he asked me what the word 'intercourse' meant since it was mentioned in a show he was watching. I didn't know how to answer, of course, and he shrugged it off and went about his day."
Kiharu sweatdropped. "Someone like him is the smartest student in our grade?"
"I'm worried about his future," Tsumugi concurred.
Dragging my knees closer to my chest, I extended my lower lip. "What do I do. . . ?"
"Shiina! Shiina!" Hachi chose that moment to bumble into the scene, arms flailing, a grin stretched to his ears. "Let's walk home together!"
It was the last thing I expected. As such, my mind had difficulty wrapping my head around the current situation. It wasn't the first time he'd asked. Multiple times since our second year began, we'd frequently hung out after school, per his request. But. . .
"Aren't you busy?" I asked, hoisting myself upward.
"I let the other class rep handle it! Let's go! Let's go!"
"A-are you sure?"
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have asked." His hand found its way to his forehead. "Oo, Kiharu and Tsumugi spotted! I'm taking Shiina, okay? She's mine today!"
Whenever I'd gotten unnecessarily pessimistic or discouraged, his presence alone washed all concerns away. Although I knew he didn't mean much behind his words—that he was a ball of spontaneity twenty-four-seven—it supplied me with unlimited euphoria.
"Ugh." Kiharu deadpanned. "He's way too peppy for me."
Tsumugi giggled. "Take good care of her."
"I'll escort her with my life!" he dramatically proclaimed.
His hands were on either side of me, prodding me forward in that same interval. Unable to control myself, a smile identical to his enveloped my face. I complied, allowing him to lead us into our class. We procured our coats and bags, paying a brief farewell to the female class rep who was now in Hachi's previous jam, then made for the front doors.
"The snow's so pretty," Hachi mused upon arriving outside. We ambled side by side. "Do you think it's gotten thick enough to roll around in?"
"Roll?"
"Ah. You laughed at me." He pouted when I snorted. "Doesn't seeing all this make you want to build snowmen, snow forts, or make snow angels?"
"Maybe when I was a kid."
"Isn't it a shame if kids are the only ones allowed to find joy in snow?"
"Is it?"
"It is," he asserted. "It takes away from the joy of winter! I'm sure if we get everyone together and have a snowball fight, it'd be tons of fun! I'll ask Ban-Ban and the others tomorrow. Ooh, then we can compete for who can make the biggest snowman. Losers have to treat the winners to hot chocolate!"
It was seriously endearing how easily excitable he could be.
"I'm not going to lose, then." Folding my arms behind my back, my breaths came out in white puffs. "You'll regret going up against me."
"You're that confident? I'd advise against it, Shiina. I'm tough."
"We'll have to see, won't we?"
He laughed. Soon, I did as well.
The mood was sweet enough to take me over the moon.
The tepid skies, bare vegetation, lightly trickling snow concealing everything in sight—all of it glistened in Hachi's vicinity. It was the stark of December, but around him, it felt like a never-ending summer.
I treasured moments like this most. Since my first day at Hoshizaki, while my peers belittled me left and right, Hachi was the ray of sunshine that brightened those dark times. I cherished chatting with him, socializing with him—although I did wrongly convince myself he viewed me the way he did everyone else. When he cleared up the notion, I couldn't have been happier. Yet, selfishly, I desired more. I wanted to close this distance further. Hachi was the simplest person I knew. His intentions were consistently clear as glass. Therefore, me getting my hopes up was pointless.
He'd never see me that way.
The day that he'd reciprocate these feelings would never arrive.
"Shiina."
He reeled to an abrupt standstill, piquing my confusion. Stalling as well, I swivelled to face him.
"Yeah? What's up?"
His eyes glittered in the minuscule daylight.
"Please—please go out with me!"
.
.
.
I knew better than anyone.
I convinced myself I understood it without a realm of doubt.
Exactly the type of person Hachiko Ogami was.
Yet. . .
Yet. . .
"Sis likes this kind of stuff, but. . . it's hard to decide for sure. Wow, those shades are cool!"
This was too cruel, God. . . !
Fighting back tears the best I could, I watched as Hachi scanned the shelves of the store we'd ducked inside minutes prior.
My unparalleled joy had gotten the better of my judgment.
How was I supposed to know 'go out' in Hachi lingo literally meant 'go out'? That there was nothing romantic about the phrase? That he platonically wanted to make a detour on our way home to purchase a gift for his older sister whose birthday was tomorrow?
"Sorry about this, Shiina," Hachi said after springing around the store for a good while. "I completely forgot what date it was today. Sis most likely won't mind even if I don't get her a present. But, for my birthday back in August, she bought me the coolest shoes. It won't feel right unless I return the favour, y'know."
Forcing a smile, I waved. "I-It's all right. I don't mind."
I just wish you weren't as misleading so I didn't have to get my hopes crushed. . . !
"Since you're a girl, you'll probably have better insight about a present. What do you think of this?"
At the wooden monkey sculpture he'd picked up, sugarcoating my remark proved futile.
"Why. . . would you ever think that's okay?"
"It's funny, right?" He gave it a look over. "Plus, Sis is obsessed with monkeys. She loves watching animal documentaries about them because she thinks they're adorable."
. . .She was Hachi's sister all right.
"We can throw in these sunglasses, too!"
He lifted the wildest pair off the closest rack. The frames were two opposing shapes—a circle and rectangle—and decorated in distinctive beads.
I was at a loss for the second time.
"Again, why would you think this is okay?"
"Shiina, Shiina, try this on!"
I wasn't given the time to prepare. Darkness consumed my vision. It took me a hot second to recognize half my face had been covered by a hat he'd tossed onto my head. Lifting the cap, I snuck a glimpse in the nearby mirror. Hachi was already snickering about how hilarious the flamingos patterning it was, and that my cranium was small. Pettily, I flipped it onto his head. From there, we tried on the oddest articles of clothing and accessories. It'd somehow become a competition for who could find the weirdest items. Throughout the process, though, our laughter resounded.
As I deciphered the label off a bizarrely designed mechanical pencil, my hair fell over my eyes. Right on cue, Hachi's fingers grazed my skin.
He effortlessly tucked my bangs behind my ear. I bristled at the contact.
"Sorry," he said. "Thought it might've been bothering you."
I struggled to steady my uneven heartbeat. "Th. . . thank you."
"Your hair's gotten long again, huh." He grinned from ear to ear. "I like it."
Then I'll grow it out forever. . . !
Concealing my joy was out of the question. I had to force my lips shut to keep from goofily smiling.
"W-we should focus," I said to distract myself, shoving the pencil back on its shelf.
"What about this?"
It was the most ordinary thing he'd picked out all evening.
"It's cute," I confessed, eyeing the flowery hairpin he outstretched. "Anything you think your sister will like should be fine."
Hachi merely chuckled. "Not for my sister, silly."
Prior to figuring out his intentions, he tucked my bangs for the second time, slipping it into place. He retreated to rake me over with awe dancing in his eyes.
"You're super-duper adorable, Shiina! The cutest! That's it. I'm buying it for you. Sis can have that monkey sculpture we passed earlier!"
He took off to acquire the said item all the while I stood there blushing in silence.
I eyeballed the hairpin in the mirror and my beet red complexion was all I could pay attention to. If he assumed this would make me happy, he was one hundred percent correct, dammit.
What the heck, what the heck, what the heck. He was the adorable one!
This was too unfair on my poor heart!
It wasn't until Hachi purchased the items and we'd vacated the store that I regained proper functioning of my lungs. The biting wind cooled my extensive blush. We walked in silence for a good while. Though, Hachi was on about something in no time.
"How about we go there next?"
I followed his index finger across the road.
"That's. . ."
A ramen shop?
Hachi dashed toward it, leaving me no choice but to speed-walk in pursuit.
"We ran around a lot today and now I'm peckish. Let's eat! Let's eat!"
Well, I had no legitimate complaints. I hadn't eaten ramen in a while. Plus, considering the frigid weather it'd be a good thing to heat me up.
"Welcome!" a voice shouted as soon as we ducked inside.
It was fairly deserted, the sole customer being a middle-aged man at the back.
"Look, Shiina! Toru's working!" Hachi exclaimed.
I spotted the very guy in that instant, black cap holding back his hair, black uniform, and apron.
Oh, so Toru worked here?
"Toru, feed me, feed me!"
From behind the counter that Hachi raced up to, Toru pulled a face.
"There's a certain order to this. I tell you that every time you visit. Get a meal ticket then bring it here."
I approached with a Cheshire grin.
"Your treat, right?"
"'Cause I'm totally working my ass off to blow my entire month's payout to two gluttons with insatiable appetites."
"'Kay, thanks. You're the best."
Toru provided a scathing look.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Hachi whispered, lips pursed.
"Taking his frustrations out on innocent customers is frankly, absurd. I've never been this insulted."
"You two are so lucky I'm on the clock."
Following lighthearted apologies, and promising no further harm to his job, Hachi and I visited the ticket machine. We split the costs and followed proper protocols. By the time we were eating away at the delicious ramen Toru had skillfully delivered from the stiff-looking owner, only the four of us remained in the establishment. Toru, who'd been given a break, decided to spend it entertaining us with small talk.
"So, what are you two doing together?"
"Shiina and I are going out!"
"What?"
I sighed. "He needed help shopping for a birthday present for his older sister, and I agreed."
"Oh." Toru's shoulders slumped. "Hachi, even your word choice is idiotically straightforward."
I'd gotten the wrong impression too so I couldn't blame him.
"Toru, these your friends?"
On cue, the owner poked his head out from the kitchen.
Toru apathetically swatted the notion aside. "No, sir. Never met them in my life."
"Meanie. Meanie," Hachi cried.
"Are all those days we dedicated to you worth nothing?" I added.
"Seriously, sir," Toru insisted, shifting his gaze. "I haven't the slightest clue who these weirdos are. I'm one hundred percent keeping them company out of pity."
"Now, Toru," his boss retorted. "You can't say such cold things. I'll feel bad for your girlfriend who came all the way to see you."
Every inch of my body stiffened.
"Oh," I interjected promptly, "we're not—"
"Shiina isn't Toru's!"
"H-Hachi?" Frazzled, I swerved left.
"She turned him down! Rejected him! Made it tremendously clear she has and never will have interest in him!"
Imaginary buckets struck Toru across the forehead. Hachi's pout was synonymous with a puppy's as he enunciated every syllable.
"I'm the one who dragged her inside! It wasn't to see Toru at all! It wasn't!"
A weighted quiet lapsed, all of which consisted of the three of us staring at him in shock. I'd never seen Hachi get so heated.
"Sorry, Shiina," he told me, extending his bottom lip further. "I interrupted you."
"Th-that's okay. Thank you for cutting in."
"Argh. I'm just mad. Simply because you get along with him doesn't give anyone the right to assume you're dating. Seeing as how easily he got that idea, clearly the world has no clue how precious you are."
Hold on. Was. . . he jealous?
"My apologies, young man," the owner said. "It was an honest mistake."
"Then, I'll forgive you. Shiina is my special friend so I don't like when people get the wrong idea about her."
. . .Or not.
"Shiina doesn't see you that way, all right, Toru? She isn't public domain either so you have to give up on her!"
Having paid enough of a listening ear, he shoved his cheek. "I have given up! Months ago! 'Sides, when did I ask you to bring up old wounds?"
"T-Toru, that hurts. I'll spill my food."
"Good."
I delved into my ramen while the two exchanged banter. The owner expunged a boisterous laugh about 'youth' before offering Hachi a thorough explanation about his life story and recipes. Being the beam of sunlight he was, Hachi was nonchalantly blathering away with the owner before long, as if this awkward shebang never occurred. He then volunteered to give Hachi a tour of the shop as well as offered him a part-time job since there was an available position.
I set my empty bowl onto the table after gulping the last of the soup.
"There's nobody like him, seriously," Toru sighed beside me. "Even after getting the job here, it took me months before the owner was that friendly towards me."
"Being with Hachi makes it easy." I had to smile. "It doesn't matter if you're a stranger or a long-time friend, he'll treat you just as warmly. He means so well all the time. Like a sunny spot you never, ever want to part from."
Embarrassment consumed me once I noticed I'd rambled. I downed my glass of water to save face. Unfortunately, Toru had noticed.
"Let me guess," he drawled, resting his chin on his palm. "You like him."
I just about choked.
Never mind. I did.
"Hmm." Indifferently, he stared on as the guy himself frolicked around the cramped shop. "My condolences."
"Is it something worth feeling sorry for?"
"Hachi's a lost cause. Last year, he didn't even know the definition of romantic love."
"His level of understanding is that low?"
"It was. Who knows how much that's changed since. For cases like him, simply confessing won't make a difference since he'd take it at face value. He'll understand with action."
"Action?"
Toru raised an eyebrow. Rocking back and forth on his chair, he shrugged. "You should give him a kiss."
". . .The chocolate?"
He tapped his mouth.
"On the lips."
.
.
.
"A-are you c-c-crazy?"
"It's a suggestion."
"K-kiss? W-with Hachi? Us?"
"Oi. Earth to Shiina?"
"My cardiovascular system can't even handle his smile. A kiss will kill me!"
"You have that little faith in your heart?"
I nodded vigorously.
He groaned. "So dramatic. Of course, you can sit by and do nothing. Give or take ten years, there's a chance he'll return your feelings."
"Ten years?!"
I'd leaned closer, in hopes Hachi wouldn't overhear.
"I can't wait that long!"
"Then, smooch. He may be dense, but at least he understands the importance of lip to lip contact."
Toru never had a filter. He resembled me in that regard. As such, I understood. What he recommended was reasonable. Rather, at this point, it was my sole chance to get my emotions across.
Nonetheless. . . a kiss? One I had to initiate?
Could I do such a thing?
"I . . can't." The answer was instantaneous. The heaviness in my chest multiplied tenfold as I frowned. "Even if I wait ten years, Hachi won't feel the same way. He isn't interested in me like that. All I'll ever be to him is a 'friend.' I'm. . . I'm better off giving up. . ."
"Jeez, you're always quick to cry."
"I'm not crying."
"You obviously will if we continue discussing this. Crybaby."
I resisted the urge to smack him.
"Valuing other's feelings above yours is one of your bad habits. The solution is simple, then. Don't worry about what Hachi feels. Use that single brain cell of yours to instead make it so that he can't see you platonically. 'Course, I'm pretty confident he doesn't see you that way in the first place."
He murmured the last bit too softly for me to hear. I tilted my head nearer. "What?"
"Shiina! Guess what, guess what? Making ramen is waaay more complicated than I thought! So many things go into just one bowl! You won't believe it!"
I was bumped from behind. Hachi had sprinted toward me too swiftly to hit the brakes in time. Likewise, I couldn't decelerate.
Toru's face closed in on mine in an instant.
"Oopsie! My bad, Shiina, Tor—"
His voice caught. Eyes bulged to the point of saucers, likewise to mine.
A clatter.
The owner had dropped a pan, proof of his astonishment.
"Oh dear."
✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧
". . .You kissed him."
"Hardly."
"Your mouths touched."
"Barely."
Ever since we left the establishment and resumed our pursuit home, Hachi could only manage three-word sentences. He'd been shaken up since the mishap occurred. Being with him was like a constant sunny spot but now, within the stark evening and the lamplights being our only source of light, the darkness was smothering.
"Toru doesn't feel that way for me anymore," I added, matter-of-factly. "He said it himself. Besides, it was an accident."
"I understand that!" Screeching to an abrupt halt, Hachi clutched his hair. "I do, but, I still don't like it. I don't, I don't, I don't!"
Typically, his first instinct would be to apologize like his life depended on it. This outburst—his teeming frustration—was odd. I wasn't fond of the incident either. Expectedly, Toru and I banished it from memory as soon as it happened. Since it wasn't on purpose, and it could hardly be considered a "kiss" due to where our mouths grazed, there was no reason to hold onto it.
I'd comprehend if he were guilty about inadvertently causing what he did, but his agitation seemed to stem from something else entirely.
"Even if Toru doesn't feel that way, there's no guarantee you won't—"
"I don't."
"H-huh?"
Stabilizing my poise, I squarely stared at him. "I. . . have somebody else I like."
Like a switch, and after all these months, it clicked for him.
"No."
He declared it without hesitation.
"Hachi?"
"I don't like that," he elaborated—gingerly, desperately. "I don't want you to feel that way for someone else!"
My jaw slackened. "But—"
"Being with you—by your side—makes me incredibly happy. It's my favourite place. Having someone else monopolize that. . . seeing someone else kiss you. . . imagining you feeling the way Toru and the others described to me. . . I can't stand it!" The sentiments spilled out of him. "Why can't I stand it? It was an accident I caused. There's no reason for it to hurt this much—for me to be so irritated. Right? Right?"
My heart took flight.
There was no way.
But, if. . . if I could have just one wish. If I could be a little selfish, then. . .
"M-maybe it's because you like me?" I squeaked.
"'Like'? Of course I like. . ." He stopped. Least to my expectation, he'd frozen. Mouth agape, pupils dilated, as if decrypting the phrase. "H-huh? I like you? I. . . like you. I like you."
Whether my eyes were playing a trick on me or not, colour filled his cheeks with every reiteration.
"That's. . . it," he finally sputtered. "That's exactly it. It's love. I love you, Shiina! Romantically!"
My glee was unparalleled. I could cry, even.
"The reason it irritated me when the owner assumed you were dating Toru. Why sometimes my heart feels all weird and fluffy. Why I'm always thinking about you. Why I love being with you. . ."
As if connecting the pieces of a long puzzle, Hachi giddily transcribed it aloud. His eyes innocently widened for the second time.
"B-but. . . you have someone else you like. You don't feel the same way."
His sullenness at the prospect allowed a giggle to slip my mouth.
I smiled up at him. "I already told you who I like, remember?"
"You did? When? Is it Rumi? Sei? Dai—"
"It's you."
"Who's "Yuu"? Wait, that transfer student that joined our class in September, Yuu Kurose? The one who's super smart and wears glasses?"
. . .
Amidst moments like this, his denseness prevailed. Regardless, my nerves settled. My fingers grasped his shoulders. I tugged him toward myself, pressing onto my tippy-toes at the same time.
Our lips overlapped. It lasted a millisecond but I was convinced my longs would collapse on me nonetheless. Withdrawing, I gazed into his eyes.
"You," I repeated.
I'd never outright witnessed Hachi blush, but at this moment, underneath the artificial light, he was redder than a flickering flame.
"Sh—Shiina, that's against the rules! I-I wasn't ready!"
"But, unless I did that you wouldn't get it."
He swivelled from me, clutching the fabric of his coat. "I—If my heart bursts right out of my chest, it's your fault."
Unable to help myself, I beamed. "No worries. I'll take full responsibility, then."
Hachi timidly fidgeted from foot to foot—the complete opposite from his animated demeanour.
"R-really?"
I cocked my head.
"Shiina, you. . . you love me?"
Warmth burned my face like wildfire. I bashfully nodded. "I do."
"Romantically?"
"Romantically."
He sprung forward with newfound vigour. "So, so, there's no one else? Just me?"
"Just you. Has been for a long time."
"Shiina!"
I was barrelled into a hug. Stifling a laugh proved impossible.
"I'm happy. So, so happy!"
"Me, too."
Hachi retreated for a moment. "But one thing is bothering me. Really, really bothering me. How many?"
"Many?"
He pouted at my confusion. "Did you and Toru. . . How many times did you two kiss?"
I rapidly fluttered my eyelashes. Was he envious? Well. . . there was that time he did it twice in a row. Then, including today's collision. . . "Three?"
"Three?" Hachi gawped. His soul appeared on the verge of departing his body from the shock. "No. No, no, no. Toru took advantage of you that many times?"
"Well, I wouldn't say 'took advantage of'. . . Besides, today—"
The tears that swelled in his eyelids stopped me short. I could already understand what the look meant. He wanted the upper hand.
"All right," I said. "Now I'm the one who has to worry about the well-being of my heart."
Hachi smiled as he closed the distance between our mouths for the second time.
Maybe God wasn't so cruel after all.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Chapter Bonus:
"Hey, Shiina!" Toru greeted me upon crossing paths with him at school a few days later. "I heard you two got together. Congrats."
"Thanks. It's all because of you."
"Me?"
He quirked a brow, motioning I elaborate. I opened my mouth to do so when a shout cut off my chance.
"Hold! On! A! Minute!"
Footsteps thundered down the hall. Hachi possessively tugged me into an embrace from the side, locking his arms around my neck and head.
"Shiina's dating me! Toru can't have her!"
"H-huh—"
"Five feet distance at all times. Shiina's cute, but not for you to gawk at. Also, I kissed her four whole times! More than you! So there!"
He petulantly stuck out his tongue.
The number of students around us, overhearing this, clearly was the last thing on Hachi's mind. Nevertheless, I giggled all the while Toru visibly sweatdropped.
". . .Why're you getting all defensive? It was an accident. That you caused."
My amusement expanded as the two bickered back and forth.
Life from now on would certainly be interesting, that was for sure.