Ayanokouji POV
After Sudou's trial had transpired, our class finally got to have some breathing room for once...Or so I thought. A new Special Exam has just been announced, and the class usually would reply with sighs, complaints, and groans of discontent. My expectations were betrayed, and so were Chabashira-sensei's when she smirked at the awfully mature response from the class. After putting up some papers on the board, she started explaining the exam rules and details to us.
"Alright, so that's basically the rundown of what's gonna happen. The exam takes place in a deserted island, hence the name, Deserted Island Special Exam. I will be entertaining questions now, so ask while you can" Chabashira-sensei says sternly
"Sensei-chan, will we be allowed to drop out of the exam voluntarily? It seems to rob us of a lot of freedom, and it seems dangerous on its own as well. It would be troublesome and could cause harm for us students, and it would be most unfortunate if such harm would befall my perfect self, not that I can see it happen" An eccentric named Koenji says loudly in class
"You may drop out of the exam, but it doesn't come without demerits. I won't specify what will happen, but I'll at least give this warning"
Chabashira-sensei's warning seems to resonate with the students as some shudder at the consequences of not participating. As we conclude the discussion of the exam, Horikita calls out to me to bring our class representatives to discuss the matter with the exam before involving the class. I do as I was asked and brought Kushida and Hirata.
"It seems like another exam has come up, I hope our classmates will do fine" Hirata says meekly
"If their incompetence doesn't fail them, then it would be wonderful" Horikita says harshly
"Now now, Horikita-san. We'll just have to unite everyone and cooperate together to ensure there are no expulsions" Kushida replies to Horikita
"Yes, and this could be our chance to win back some points. We can bring up the class's moral with this" Hirata says full of optimism
"Conversely, it can also lead to further demerits to our class that is already at the brink of 0 points again, we should be careful with our approach" I interject on Hirata's statement
"I am aware of the circumstances, so let us discuss our possible actions and approach to this special exam, so we can start here-" And so, Horikita took the lead in discussing our plans for this new exam
After our little discussion in class, homeroom had finished and the bell rang for the next class. We take head back to our seats and await the next teacher.
As the classes roll in, I do the usual routine of ignoring the teacher and observing the campus from my window seat. I had eventually done this so much that I've memorized nearly every detail that I could scan from my seat, so it eventually got boring apart from watching students and staff members pass by every now and then. I don't really have much to do since the current curriculum had already been taught to me years ago in that place. So with nothing to do, I just have to keep an eye on any misbehaving students and whatever I would need to do.
After morning class ended, I head out for lunch by myself. Before I could leave the room though, Sakura had approached me and started, or at least tried, having a conversation with me.
"H-hey, Ayanokouji-kun"
"Oh, hello, Sakura"
"A-Ayanokouji-kun, thinking about what happened in the weekend, I'm really t-thankful of you for helping me"
"O-oh, it's alright" so it was that time, huh
"You don't have to say or do anything, I just did it on a whim. Also, I should be the one apologizing to you, since I could have easily misunderstood the situation"
"N-no, you weren't wrong about anything, s-so I want to repay you somehow"
"No, like I've said, you don't have to do anything since you didn't really trouble me"
"But I made you go out on your weekend"
"It's alright, it's not like I had any plans anyways" Ah wait, that sounds a little too depressing, I shouldn't have said that.
"Still, I want to do something, even just a little. You didn't have to come with us and just focus on what you and Kushida needed to do that weekend" Sakura says a little bit more determined than before
(AN: Do any of you actually remember Airi where she wouldn't blush or get flustered so easily. Like in that time where she and Kiyo talked and she started to open up and speak normally. It's kind of like when you get terrain or territory buff for your character in a video game, and in Airi's case, that would be the safety of the dorms. I kinda miss that part of her, I feel like the author should have touched up on this more instead of making her as just another irrelevant character as the plot progressed. Airi fainting and Haruka having to take care of her is kinda getting stale /saf for her in most of the fanfics, but since her character wasn't really explored much, I guess we'll have to be the ones to fill up the blanks)
"If you insist, then what do you plan to do?"
"Y-you can come to my room tonight..." Sakura says boldly, not seeming to understand the implications of what she said
"..."
"..."
After not replying immediately, Sakura seemed to understand the possible double meaning of her words. Not that Sakura would be the type to do these kinds of things, but it could lead to misunderstandings, so it was fortunate that no one heard her because of how soft her voice is. In the corner of my eye, however, was a very suspicious and upset Kushida. I could almost sense her brow twitching from what Sakura said. And going back to her, her realization caused her to gasp and get flustered, her face lit up bright red. She started to mumble a bit to herself, before attempting to correct her choice of words.
"A-awawa, I-I meant to h-have some cake first, then y-you can come to my room later!" She says a bit louder from her embarrassment.
Sakura...this doesn't change or solve the fundamental problem here, since you can't just casually invite a guy into your room in the dorms. Not that I have anything to say about it, since Kushida has stayed over once or twice from what I remember, but it was more of an invasion of privacy and space than anything. Sakura realized that she made a mistake again, and ended up just cutting short what she probably wanted to say, being too flustered to reason properly.
I wonder if it looks like I'm getting asked out by her from an outsider's perspective, since I could see Karuizawa's friends giggling to themselves, Kushida glaring at me with suspicion, and Horikita who, although looks calm at first, probably felt annoyed from constantly involving myself with others. It probably looked like I wasn't willing to help her, and I really didn't want to do anything extra, so she probably felt a little insecure that these 3 people had some sort of trait that she didn't have because I wanted to avoid her so much. Hopefully, Horikita can realize what that is.
"A-ah, n-no, that's...I-, l-let's get some cake after s-school!" Sakura says, finally managing to regain her composure.
"Well, I can do that then. After class, right?"
"Y-yes, a-and that's all. S-see you then, A-Ayanokouji-kun" Sakura says as she darts off out of the room.
Right now, I can feel the glares of the idiot trio as they eye me with suspicion. Yamauchi, in particular, seemed a bit more irked than his friends were.
(AN: Enter, a new target for my sadistic tendencies,and the next guy that I'm gonna screw over later on)
Kushida left her friend group and invited me out for lunch, probably making an excuse that a teacher called for her so she could separate from her group. But because of this, we'll have to eat somewhere desolate. I could climb up into the smaller roof area covering the stairway to the roof top.
Kushida and I make our way to buy lunch from the convenience store, making sure we wouldn't encounter our classmates on the way. Once we finished, we went back to the school building and started walking to the roof. Once the coast was clear, Kushida starts a conversation.
"Oi, Ayanokouji, you better not get any funny ideas with Sakura" Kushida starts talking with her other personality, her cheerful demeanor gone in a mere second
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I meant about taking advantage of her. You better not try anything funny just because she's a little shy. You helped her out of the goodness of your heart, so don't expect anything in return"
"Oh, you meant that. I don't plan on doing anything or going to her room, she was the one who offered it you know?"
"Still, I don't trust a pervert like you" Kushida answers back with a scowl on her face
Around this moment, I felt like I could tease her now.
"Ara~ara, Kushida, are you perhaps jealous?" Upon saying that, she immediately turned to me with a sour expression on her face.
"Huh?" She says with visible frustration.
"Well, if that's the case, then maybe I will come to her room tonight" I say teasingly. This, however, earns me a strike to the side from Kushida.
"Ouch, I was joking. I don't plan to do anything to her...yet"
I knew I was going to get hit again, but I decided to say it anyways. I wonder if Kushida does feel jealous, or maybe just a bit defensive that I might spill her secret to the docile Sakura.
We continue to walk in silence as we make our way to the rooftop. After some time of contemplating to myself, we arrived at our destination. Kushida enters first while I line the doorway with signs at the door to make it look like the rooftop was being cleaned or not available for whatever reason. I walk into the rooftop after and take a seat next to Kushida.
"Here" She says sternly as she hands a bento to me, I was a bit surprised at her actions.
"Let's talk a bit, if you want to discuss about the exam" She says as she starts eating
Kushida POV
Another special exam had just been announced earlier this morning, something about it being done in an island. The teacher had mentioned a part about it being a cruise, but she quickly glossed over it by immediately talking about the special exam. I feel a bit exhausted because of my involvement, so it may look like I wanted to vent some frustrations, but that's beside the point.
A few minutes ago, Ayanokouji-kun was talking to Sakura-san about going to her room. I don't particularly pay attention to whatever he is doing 24/7, but it was still a concern to me. My thoughts may just seem like I'm a jealous love interest in some run of the mill Rom-Com, but that's really not the case.
In our previous weekend, we had gone together with Sakura-san and helped her fix her broken camera. Some creepy store clerk, and Ayanokouji-kun intervened for Sakura-san. After that little prince charming act, he managed to charm Sakura-san and got invited to her room, or that's what I know from what I could hear from their conversation. I'm most likely wrong because Sakura-san doesn't seem to be that kind of person, but she is also very docile in school, so she might have some other hidden side like myself.
With all of that being said, it should be reasonable for me to question Ayanokouji-kun and his intentions. I don't want them to get chummy and spill secrets, even if Ayanokouji-kun doesn't seem like the type to do that, but I'd prefer being safe than sorry. So my actions at the moment are only for my sake, there's no other motive to this. I'm not jealous or anything, but my reputation and past is at stake.
I am not insecure, and I am perfectly fine. I'm only doing this for myself
"About the exam, let's talk about it" I say to start the conversation
"That's unusual, you're taking the initiative for the class, what caused the change of heart?"
"I was already planning to help the class, you know? That is, after I got rid of you and Horikita" I make a bold statement in front of his face
"Well, I can take that as a joke since you wouldn't be able to do anything anyways" I know that, idiot
"Whatever, and before we start talking about the exam, can I ask about Sakura-san?"
"Yeah, what do you want to know?"
"What were you guys talking about, it's unusual for her to approach anybody"
"It wasn't much, just something about the previous weekend"
'She invited you to her room today, and you gloss it over like it's totally normal. You are obviously going to do something to Sakura later on if you didn't tell me this important detail, so I'm doing this to protect Sakura-san and my secret too!' I thought to myself
"Are you sure that was all she said? Nothing important you left out?"
"I think that was all she asked, I'm pretty sure I didn't miss anything"
So you continue to deny me and play innocent, huh? I'm going to expose you now, Ayanokouji-kun.
"Ehh? I thought Sakura-san invited you to her room tonight, was it some sort of confession? Why didn't you let me in on this?" I say a little smugly, which seemed to confuse Ayanokouij-kun a bit.
"Oh, there's that too. It wasn't a confession, I just invited me over for some cake. She wanted to thank me for the other day"
"Is that so? A girl inviting someone to her room is suspicious, you know? Are you sure she wasn't going to confess to you?"
"She didn't say anything about that"
"That's because it's a confession, she won't say it directly to you, idiot" I reply to Ayanokouji-kun, a bit dumb founded by how stupid he can be sometimes
"But I don't think it's anything of the sort. I didn't do anything worthy of her gratitude, I think she just wants to thank me"
That doesn't solve the fundamental issue here you idiot, it's that she's inviting you to her room.
"Ayanokouji-kun, you do realize it's not normal that a random girl just invites you to your room alone at night, something could happen"
"But I come to your room sometimes too"
"Yea- hey no! That's because you come over to give me orders to do this and that, she invited you to her room"
"Is something wrong with that? She just wanted to thank me" He asks, looking a bit clueless
"Yeah! Tha-" But then, I realized something
Ayanokouji-kun isn't normal, was what I remembered. He did a lot of crazy things before. He threatened me coldly, managed to create a plan to save Sudou-kun twice from expulsion, and now he was able to coerce me into working for me. Despite all of these commendable, and questionable, achievements, he still has a lot of unusual traits to him. One that stood out to me was him eating ice cream for the first time in his life. This happened a while back in a convenience store we went to, and his reactions seemed too genuine, and it turned out that it was his first time.
He is a very unusual person, so I'm going to have to stop expecting these kinds of things from him. Still, not being able to enjoy ice cream as a child is quite sad, even for me.
"Kushida?"
"Eh- oh, never mind. But still, I don't want you to do anything strange"
"Strange? What do you mean by that?" I got a little annoyed at him playing dumb, so I hit his side to get my point across.
"That hurt a bit, but I see what you mean. You really don't have to worry about anything, I don't plan to do anything like that"
"Hmph, that's good then" that's a bit relieving.
"Still though, Kushida, what does it matter to you anyways if something like that were to happen?" What?
"I mean, there is a possibility that I might be interested in Sakura-san, so that could explain why I'm so insistent on going to her room for cake"
"W-what? But I'm just protecting Sakura-san, and so that you don't spill anything about my past"
"Well, whatever your intentions are, I want to head over to Sakura's room later. It's not like I get invited to a friend's room often anyways" N-no
"B-but I come over to your room sometimes too" I say with a slightly disappointed voice
"Well, that depends on how you define our relationship. As far as I see it, you only see me as 'that annoying guy who tells me to do things'. So I don't mind seeing Sakura tonight, I might do something else later too" He says, probably trying to tease, but I still feel bad about it either way.
"H-hey, wait a minute, you're not allowed to do those kinds of things!" A cold sweat forms on the side of my face
"I might be interested to see what she'll bring tonight, especially the cake that she said she was getting, but there could be more to that" He says bluntly, looking over to my direction a bit.
"S-still, you shouldn't go, I still can trust you that you might say something about me"
"I have nothing to gain from Sakura if I were to break our trust, it's alright"
S-still, something doesn't sit well with me, but what is this weird feeling in my chest.
"Anyways, I just want some free cake, you have nothing to worry about. We can start discussing about the exam now"
Ayanokouji-kun says as he takes a seat against the railing. I do the same, but I scoot over a bit closer to him than usual. He starts talking about the exam and giving his opinion on the strengths of the classes and other important details, but for some reason, it's a little difficult to pay attention because of what was on my mind.
Sakura-san invited Ayanokouji-kun to her room. Even though it was meant to give Ayanokouji-kun thanks for the weekend, I can't help but imagine something strange going to happen. Sakura-san is a reserved girl after all, so her going out of her way to invite Ayanokouji-kun for something little like this would mean she intended to do something.
Although it is none of my business, I feel like intervening still.
"Kushida, are you still paying attention?"
"Huh, oh, yeah..."
"Are you really alright, you usually pay attention to important things like this"
"I do, but my mind is on something else important" I say in a low voice
"Is there something else you want to talk about?"
"No, you can't know about it, idiot" I turn to him and show a pout
"If you insist, then I won't ask further" I felt a bit annoyed at how little he cared, so I reached for his wrist and squeezed it a little.
"?" Ayanokouji-kun raised a brow at my unusual actions, I managed to surprise even myself, but I decided to see this through
"Hey" I asked in a softer voice this time
"Ask me what's wrong" I say while I look at him in the eyes
"Fine, what's the matter then, Kushida?"
He says in a subtle, heavier tone, which worries me since I might be annoying him at this point. But, I still want to be selfish right, and I want to know why I'm feeling this strange emotion in my chest. I have an idea of what it is, but I still deny it. "This can't be it, right?" keeps on repeating in my head.
"Can you tell Sakura-san that you can't go to her room?"
"Why not? Is it really that bad for a boy to go to a girl's room?"
"It would d-depend, but I just don't want you to go there" I say with my head a little low
"If I do go, I can bring some cake for you as well. The cake that she's buying is a little big, so I can get a slice or two for you"
"Fine, go then if you want" I get up, feeling a little irritated.
"I'll resolve this myself"
"About what?"
"It's nothing important, I'm heading off now"
"You going back to class already?"
"Yeah, let's talk about it some other time, class is going to start soon"
"I see, let's walk to class then"
In the end, I wasn't able to convince him, and I wasn't able to figure out how I really felt about that. I'll just have to bury this deep into my other personal problems and figure it out later.
I walk together with Ayanokouji-kun to my right. Our walk is silent as always, because we don't have much to talk about. For some reason, I'm hoping that this will change some time in the future, but it's not like I'm particularly attracted to this jerk anyways.
"sigh"
"Is there really no problem?"
"It's nothing, don't mind me"
Ayanokouji POV
Right now, I'm walking with Kushida, who, was acting very strangely. There seems to be something on her mind, and I have an idea what it is, but I wouldn't be able to explain it. I could be wrong altogether, so I just keep this to myself.
I slow down as we reach the door to class so that Kushida and I would enter at different times to avoid suspicion. I thought she would understand this, but she turns to me and asks why I started to lag behind her.
"Hey, you tired? We're almost at the room" Kushida asks with a flat tone
"No, I just don't want to come to class at the same time as you"
This might come off as a little hurtful, but she would already understand why I'm doing this. As I said it, it did cause her brow to twitch a bit, but she understood what I meant and started walking to class ahead of me.
She enters the classroom and I follow her a little while after. I see that my neighbor is diligent as always and preparing her materials for the next class, in contrast to myself who spends his time looking at the window again, letting my mind drift and process what I should be doing for the next special exam, and thinking about food while the teacher comes in to start our lessons.
"Ah, I want ice cream" I mutter to myself, accidentally saying what was on my mind
"Hm?" It seems my neighbor heard and hummed a questioning sound.
"It's nothing" She turns her attention back to her notes
Thinking back to my conversation with Kushida, I might have teased her a bit too much, but I wasn't expecting those kinds of reactions. She looked a bit worried, but her pouting face is kind of cute. I hope there won't be any consequence to teasing her too much.
As the rest of the afternoon classes blow by, I tag along with Sakura who calls me over with her to buy some cake. We left the classroom early to avoid any questions, mostly for Sakura's sake. We walk to Keyaki mall without much to talk about. Sakura had tried to start a conversation, but my short and flat replies make is sound like I'm disinterested, so Sakura stops after a while.
"You know, I don't mind listening to you talk. I might be a little interested in cameras and photography too"
"O-oh, I know, but I don't have anything else interesting to talk about other than that"
"I see, let's talk about the cake you wanted to get. I don't have any particular preferences, so just get anything you want" Not that I've eaten cake or anything close to it
"Ok, does cheesecake sound good to you?"
"Hmm"
"O-oh, is it something you dislike after all?"
"No, I just thought that I've never gotten to eat cheesecake before, or any cake to spe-"
"You've never had cheesecake before?!" Sakura says loudly into my face
"N-no"
"O-oh, sorry for suddenly raising my voice. I was just surprised that you've never gotten to try something so tasty"
"It's alright, It'll be a first for me then"
"F-first?"
"Yeah"
"O-ok, I'll be sure to pick the nicest cake for you to try"
"Alright, take the lead"
Sakura and I arrive at Keyaki mall shortly afterwards and go to one of the cake shops. Sakura seemed very enthusiastic about picking the cake, and it took her a while to choose. Eventually, she settled for a small, simple, but very well made cheesecake. It was topped with a few fruits and syrup, but so much that it looks heavy and fussy to eat.
"I'll have this one please"
"Ok, that'll be 2400 points"
It seems that Sakura isn't really bothered with conversing with the employee here, even though I expected her to speak a little strained. So even with strangers, it would depend on whether or not she knew that person or regularly see them. Hopefully she will be able to handle people better in the future.
"Ayanokouji-kun, I'll pay for the cake, so don't worry about it!"
"No, it's alright. We can split the pay since it's only a couple thousand points, our class is still struggling with points after all"
Although I had said that, I still have some points from that senpai that I expelled some time ago. Sakura doesn't look like the spending type to blow all of her points in a few days, but I still wan't to help her either way.
"No really, it's ok, I don't do much or have anything to spend them on anyways. I'd be happy to treat a friend to cake any time"
"...Friend..."
"O-oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be assuming like that, but, we kind of are n-now. I appreciate what you did for me, and I-I think you're a good person, so can we be friends?" Sakura says with her gaze pointed to the ground, and her face red to the ears.
Sakura had started to talk more comfortably around me, which is good since she could get used to talking to strangers better like this. But as a friend, I wouldn't mind having such a nice thing as well. What a cute person you are.
"Well, I wouldn't mind having a friend like you as well. But still, I'll pay for the other half, thank you though"
"O-ok...also..."
"Yes?"
"Can I call you Kiyotaka-kun" she started to speak again, but her voice trailed off at the end
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
"N-no, it's fine, it's too s-soon for t-that!"
"What is?"
"A-ah, Ayanokouji-kun, l-let's pay for the cake now!"
"Alright then"
After getting the cake, we started walking to the dorms to eat it there. (But, I plan to eat something else tonight as well, oh wait, ignore that please.) Today, I was also able to make a new friend. It's nice to be able to feel normal like this, and hopefully, I wouldn't have to return to that place too soon. The cake smells so nice.
"W-we're here, Ayanokouji-kun" Sakura says shyly, hesitating to open the door
"Sakura?"
"O-oh, right! Sorry, I was spacing out"
She opened the door to her room quickly and invited me in. I guess she was hesitant about inviting a boy to her room, or that she was keeping an eye out for any school mates who might be passing by. Although she might not have seen it, I was able to notice someone's presence at the corridor. Well, I won't concern myself with that for now.
"Pardon the intrusion" I say as I take my shoes off and head over to the little dining room and kitchenette.
"I-I'll change first Ayanokouji-kun, so you can eat ahead of me"
"It's ok, I'll wait"
"O-oh, thank you"
Sakura goes out and heads to her room, while I seat myself at her table. I head over to get a knife, utensils, and 2 plates for ourselves, and I prepare a slice for both of us. Sometime after, Sakura comes back changed into her casual wear for her room.
"T-thank you for waiting, Ayanokouji-kun"
Sakura comes out wearing a large hoodie, and maybe some shorts under it as well. It has a cute cat design stitched on the front, I suppose it does look like something she would wear.
"The little cat on you looks cute, do you happen to like cats too?"
"I would take care of one if it were allowed in the dorms"
"I see, let's eat then"
Now that we've gotten into her room, she seemed to be a lot more relaxed now. We continued to talk about the little things that has happened in school so far, she seems more expressive than before, which highlights her cute appearance. If she changed her hairstyle and ditch the glasses, I'm sure that she would have been very popular in class, though I'm not sure how she would the extra attention.
"A-Ayanokouji-kun, would you be able to keep a secret between us?"
"Sure, if it's nothing too personal or important that you should keep to yourself"
"O-ok, uhm, I was actually a gravure idol before I came into this school" He says a little hesitantly at first, but she started to laugh it off as she eventually unveiled her secret.
"Oh, is that so?"
"Ehh?! You're not surprised at all?"
"Well, I'm not particularly interested in those kinds of things, and I'm not really well versed with idols"
"Hmm, I guess that's a little unusual. I thought boys would know about these kinds of things, or have magazines about them"
"I guess I'm the odd one then"
"N-no, that's perfectly fine! I think that's a nice trait about you as well"
"Hm, is it now?"
"Y-yeah, and, your eyes aren't scary at all" Sakura had said something rather confusing
"My eyes?"
"Yes. I can't explain it in detail now, but I think they aren't scary for me. You don't look at me in that way"
"What way do you mean?"
"Oh? Uh, never mind, you don't have to know about it right now. B-but, I think you have a pleasant atmosphere around you. It's very calming"
"Well, if you find being around me pleasant, then I would already be very happy with that"
"Hehehe" Sakura giggles at my little remark
"..."
"..."
Our conversation had come to a lull, and we have gotten a bit quiet after running out of things to talk about. After some time though, Sakura had begun to talk again.
"Ayanokouji, I-"
knock knock
The door was knocked twice right as she was about to talk, I wonder who would be visiting Sakura at this time.
"Oh, I'll get it for you" As I was about to get up, however, I was stopped by a reluctant Sakura
"W-wait, Ayanokouji-kun, I don't want anyone to see you in my room"
"Couldn't we have eaten at the cake shop then if you were concerned about that"
"W-well, I don't have many friends, so I would've thought I wouldn't have many visitors as well" She lets out a self deprecating laugh
"I see, should I hide then? Would you're room, be fine"
"I-I don't-"
knock knock
"A-ah, o-ok, hide there now!Sakura had quickly pushed me into her room and went straight for the door
After I got in, I noticed how girly it was in her room. I remained as quiet as possible while I survey the place. There were a lot of plush toys and fluffy pillows around, and her bed looked very comfy to sleep in. I'm not sure why, but I feel some sort of excitement in my chest. Perhaps it's from having to hide from a schoolmate, having been invited to the room of a friend, or because it was my first time being in a girl's room like this. Her room was a little messy over all, but it was much cleaner compared to any of the 3 idiot's rooms, and it had a sweet and distinct scent to it too. I wonder if she has some kind of air freshener in here. (It's her love nectar from fantasizing about you Ayanokouji. Oh no, another typo)
I took a seat at the edge of her bed and mutter to myself,
"Well, I guess I'll have to wait now"
Meanwhile, at Sakura's POV
"Ah, I'm coming!" I say as I rush for the door, hehe, that sounded a little lew- ah no! Begone evil spirits in my mind!
As I get to the door, I was surprised to see Kushida-san with some sweets on hand.
"Mind if I come in, Sakura-san?"
"Ah, w-wel-"
"Well then, don't mind my intrusion!" Before I could stop her, Kushida-san entered enthusiastically
"I brought some treats for you, Sakura-san. I want to be closer to you, especially now that I've helped you before, so I might as well be your friend too!"
"O-oh, that's very nice of you to bring something for me"
"Hehehe, I'll leave the sweets on your table"
"O-ok" Before I realized it, she was going to see the 2 plates with the cake
"A-ah wai-"
"Eh, Sakura-san? Why do you have 2 plates out with cake? Was someone here?" She emphasized the last part, which made me shudder a little.
"O-oh, w-well, I accidentally used 2 plates for myself. I'm a bit of a klutz"
"Ayanokouji-kun is here, isn't he?"
"E-eh? W-well"
"You know, you weren't very subtle with you invitation in the classroom, you might as well come clean now"
"O-oh, I'm sorry for hiding that, Kushida-san"
"It's alright, we can enjoy the food with us 3 now" She says as she gives me a big smile. It seemed a little scary though, even though her expression is so bright and cheerful.
"Ayanokouji-kun, could you come out?"
Back to Ayanokouji POV
Listening in on the noises outside, they seemed a little too noisy. They quieted down a little after, but I was eventually asked to come out by Sakura.
From the voices, I could tell that it was just Kushida, so I guess I won't have to jump out of the window this time.
"Ah, Ayanokouji-kun, so you were here!" Kushida says loudly, almost a little angry, but I'm not exactly sure
"Hey"
"Don't 'hey' me, the both of you were going to do something lewd right? I mean, what else could you be doing trying to hide from me, and in her room as well"
"E-eh! N-no, w-we weren't..."
"It wasn't anything Kushida, she just got flustered and made me hide. It could have been someone else at the door, and there could have been a misunderstanding"
"Y-yes! P-please believe me, Kushida-san!"
"Hehe, it's alright, I believe you" She says with a satisfied look at her face
"Well, I go to the kitchen now and prepare a plate for you, Kushida-san"
"Ok, I'll follow you after a bit"
As soon as Sakura had left the room, Kushida turns to me with a scowl on her face, and I get kicked in the leg again.
"Hey, you tried something, didn't you?" She whispers aggressively to me, despite Sakura's close proximity to us.
"Didn't Sakura already vouch for me? We didn't do anything"
"Heh, I bet you forced her to keep quiet. You have some dirt on her, don't you? You'd totally do the same thing to her that you did to me"
"I didn't do anything, really. And please don't be so angry, didn't I tell you that I was coming to her room anyways?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Exactly, there shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"B-but you were at a girl's room..." She says with her brows furrowed, a little upset at my statement.
"I've been to your room before, and it's not like I can't go to her room anyways. We aren't dating or anything"
As I said the last part, it seemed to click with Kushida san as she decided to hit me in the stomach and stormed off to Sakura. Before she left though, she turned around and stuck her tongue out to me.
"Neh" >(.> ▿<.)< With that, she heads over to Sakura, and I follow suit. Her personality back to her bright and bubbly self.
"How unusual" I mutter to myself before taking a seat next to Kushida.
We continued to talk and eat through the night. Kushida seemed normal for now, and the conversation between her and Sakura eventually eased up compared to the rather tense and heavy atmosphere from before. Kushida displayed unusual behavior lately. I guess I'll have to ask her later about it, something must be bothering her again.
"It's getting pretty late now, I think we should be going now, Ayanokouji-kun"
"You're right. I guess this will be all for tonight, Sakura"
"O-oh, yes. I'll see the both of you off" Sakura gets up to see us off at her door
"Ok, thank you, Sakura-san" Kushida says to Sakura
"Thanks for having us, Sakura"
"Yeah, it's alright. You can come again if you want, you too, Kushida-san"
"Oh, thank you, Sakura san"
"Ok, we'll visit you again after the special exam. Hopefully all of us make it through"
"Yeah, it's really scary to suddenly get expelled like that, Ayanokouji-kun. You're always welcome to come back"
She says to me with an adorable smile. Kushida didn't seem to welcome it though, as her face turned sour when she was facing away from Sakura. It's unusual, since Sakura has been very polite throughout the entire conversation. Perhaps there is something between them, or that she's just really in a hurry to leave, but I guess that's something I won't know.
As we leave for the door, Kushida pulls on my arm and begins to lead me somewhere.
"Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, we're going to my room, Ayanokouji"
"Oh"
"Huh, you aren't excited. But really, what is there to expect from you" she lets out a sigh, probably disappointed that I'm not properly expressing myself
We walk over to the elevator and hop in. Fortunately, there weren't any students in there, and we take the ride in silence as she stands next to me very closely. Her room is at the second to the last floor, if I remember correctly. After we arrive at her dorm level, she quickly drags me into her room to avoid getting caught.
After I enter, she drags me to her room and makes me take a seat on her bed. I'm still very confused, but there must be something in her mind that's really troubling her if she's acting this way. After that, I simply wait for her to talk.
"So?"
"Ugh, so annoying" She started talking, completely removing any restraints and speaking in her dark and irritated voice
"I'll listen to you, so just let the stress out"
She continued after that, and started to complain about Ike who bothered her again and with Yamauchi, nothing out of the normal so far. She continued to shout and angrily let out her voice, but it somehow led to Sakura, which was strange. I didn't think she would hate Sakura as well, she seemed like a generally polite but docile person, certainly not the type to bother Kushida. Then again, I still don't know a lot about Kushida, so I'll just wait for her to finish.
"Ah, you stupid annoying pig! I don't hate you, but you're so annoying! You and you're stupid cow breasts! You're disgusting, you stupid slut!" Kushida continues with more insults as she starts to insult Horikita too. Not that she has anything to say about that
Kushida again, is really letting out her true colors. I haven't seen her this angry in a while, it's kind of strange to hear her again. But, that's just the reality of the situation, and I chose to deal with her regardless.
"You're really angry today, what else could possibly be bothering you"
"I might know what it is, but I don't know why I'm frustrated about it"
"That's confusing, but I'll just continue to hear you out"
"Ugh, I'm still irritated for some reason"
"Mhm"
"And because, I'm frustrated, you're going to sleep here with me"
"Mhm- ah, what?"
"I'm gonna change to my night clothes, could ya get out for a sec?"
"Ah-, ok" Wow, that escalated quickly, like really fast, almost as fast as Hashimoto switching sides. Wait, who's Hashimoto?
"Ok, you can come in now"
As I enter the room again, she's back to wearing her casual clothes for sleeping. She's wearing shorts over a white cotton shirt with a bunny on it. It fits her nicely, making her well endowed body look more attractive for anyone who would see it.
"Am I really going to stay here tonight?"
"Yes, you will"
"...Why?"
"This isn't your first time here, so why not?"
"I'd rather avoid unnecessary risks if possible, we don't have anything important to discuss tonight"
"What about the exam? Hang around here for tonight"
"Alright, I'll borrow a shirt if you don't mind"
"Yeah, just pick one from the closet"
I walk over to her closet and start looking for a shirt that fits me. Hoe unfortunate, her underwear is mixed in a stack neatly placed next to her casual clothes for sleeping. I understand that it's more convenient this way, but she should probably care about little details like this. Unless it was on purpose, but, in what world or timeline would she actually do that. What would it even be for?
While I was scouring for something to wear, I picked a dark shirt that looked like it would fit. As I pick it up though, one of Kushida's pantsu was over it and I accidentally pulled it out too. I quickly put it back where it belongs and peek from the corner of my eye to see if she saw, and it seems like she did. A pillow gets thrown to me, but it was very soft, so it didn't really bother me.
"That's your pillow for tonight, pervert" Oh, so she did see
"It wasn't on purpose"
"Heh, but my night wear were placed next to my underwear, and you didn't say anything about it at all"
"It wasn't necessary for me to have to tell you every little detail, and that's just how you organize your things"
"So was pulling that thing out with my shirt wasn't an important detail"
"Like I've said, it wasn't on purpose"
"Hmph, pervert" She says while falling back on her bed while tightly hugging a pillow shaped as a large cow. A little ironic considering what she was complaining about a few moments ago.
"Do you still want to discuss about the special exam"
"I'll pass, I'm tired"
"That again..."
"You coming in here, or not?"
"...Is it really normal for friends to share a bed like this?"
"Yeah, a loner like you wouldn't understand. I bet you've never been to a sleep over before"
I understand what a sleep over is, but that's usually done with multiple friends, and sharing a bed might be too much. But then again, she's right in that I've never been to a sleep over before, so I just keep quiet and go over to her without any fuss.
I go to her bed and move over to make some space for myself.
"We'll, I'm glad you didn't kick me off like before, I guess th-"
My positive view on her a moment ago was shattered as mentioning that seemed to remind her of what happened. I fall of the bed as she pushes me off with her feet and land on the cold floor.
"Agh"
I look over to Kushida who is currently giggling at her mischief, her expression of satisfaction looking more menacing because of the light and difference from our perspective, with me being on the floor.
I get up and tried to make some space for myself, this time she doesn't do anything and just felt content with her little prank. To get back at her, I suddenly put her on a chokehold to scare her. She didn't seem to welcome this, as I obstruct her airway slightly, giving her a little scare. Her face is red now, probably from getting flustered at my sudden actions and from limiting her breathing.
"A-ah, y-you i-idiot...s-stop"
In response to her request, I turn her face to me and try to form a serious and evil looking expression on my face, which only made Kushida smile and maybe laugh a little in defiance, probably. I eventually stop and she starts gasping for air. I get a solid punch to the side, which I don't dodge just to let her feel satisfied.
I had thought about this before, but this is definitely not normal. According to internet-sensei, even normal friends don't do these kinds of things often, more so with a girl and boy.
"Hey Kushida, you still awake?"
"...Yeah...what?" she asks groggily
"What are we?"
"Humans, now go to sleep..."
"I'm aware of that, but what exactly is my relationship to you. Even you are aware that normal friends don't do this. I'm sure you already have me for bothering you so much, so can I get an answer from you?"
"I don't know, I don't want to think about it"
"...Hey..."
"..."
"Wanna date?"
"HUH?! What are you on about, you idiot?"
After my question, she shot up immediately and looked straight at me. She asks with a very irritated voice, but her face is a little pink.
"Ah, you're so stupid, don't say that kind of crap" She seems to be too tired to care, so she went back to sleep
"Hm, I thought so" I mutter to myself
Kushida lies down back on her bed and covers herself.
I wonder what my relationship with Kushida is. Currently, it's more of master and puppet, where I tell her to do things for me. Despite that, this still feels a bit more normal than I thought,.I'd expected her to hate me more than she does now, but she might also hate me a lot more but just doesn't show it.
The new Special Exam is going to be a bit annoying too. But still though, renting out a cruise ship and using an uninhabited island of all places. This school really goes leaps and bounds with their exams, and I'm starting to question how relevant they actually are for our development. But then again, the White Room is a very questionable place in of itself. Curricula of special schools like this one really vary.
There's a lot of things too worry about. The strength of each class is still very unknown to me, but I do have an idea of what Class-C can do. Class-B has Ichinose and Kanzaki taking the leading roles, but I haven't taken a good look at their class yet. And for Class-A, the class I have the most uncertainties about. I'd heard about the rift in their class between 2 factions. I know who Katsuragi is, but I haven't seen who Sakayanagi is. There's still a lot to consider beyond the other classes, since Class-D would still be in danger because we don't know what's going to happen.
As for Kushida, she's still acting strangely. Ah, I'm too tired to think about this, so I guess I'll just sleep too.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hey, Ayanokouji..."
"..."
"If you're still awake, then, I'll c-consider it"
"..."
"A-about, w-what you s-said"
"Ayanokouji..."
"..."
"h-hey..."
"..."
'd-dammit, this is more embarrassing than I thought' Kushida thought to herself
She squirmed a little at her bold actions, but decided to stop and lean closer to Ayanokouji's face. She moves again, this time a little bit closer, being careful not to bother Ayanokouji, and placed a hand over him and tried to sleep.
"Ah, whatever, this is fine...Nothing, has to change..." Kushida muttered before trying to sleep.
Kushida had trouble sleeping that night.
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Hello there, that's Chapter 6 down, hopefully it was alright. I did say this was gonna come out sooner, but my motivation and creative thinking fell off the window.
Ok, beyond this point is some long rant about Ichinose, nothing important to read here.
I'm considering making a Honami fanfic while I'm making this one, or maybe after the 8th chapter since I saw a Reddit post somewhere of some guy that shared the same opinion with me, or at least half of what we agree on.
Ichinose's background about her getting depressed and feeling really bad over 1 hair pin that she didn't even get for herself is pretty solid considering her character. It might seem really weak at first, where she's getting sad over a gift for her sister, and her family was in a pretty tough spot. But that only highlights her good nature as a person.
To any normal person, they'd feel bad and get over it, but Ichinose still feels guilt over her little act of kindness for her sister. She's got a really good moral code for herself, but the LN doesn't really show that aspect of her, so I want to make an Ichinose fic sometime in the future. Not that I'll be able to write it any better, but I've got some free time on my hands, so I'll see if I can make one.
Also, this season is great! A lot of manga that I was reading a few months ago got animated, so it's gonna be a fun season this year. What a time to be alive (>u<)
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Date Published: 4/12/21
8189 Words