Thank you for the 5k reads! (･ัω･ั) This story will update once a week due to a busy schedule. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for understanding. Happy reading everyone. 🙂
Warning: Cussing. Profanities.
IT WAS calm right after the storm.
After battling in a consecutive three-day chaotic war against test papers and ballpens, final exams were now officially over! All the students in Class 1-A can finally relax and enjoy their summer vacation to their hearts' content without any disturbance for they were momentarily away from their busy school life.
"Enjoy your summer vacation, everyone!" their homeroom adviser, Umeda-sensei, said gleefully. She pressed her hands together and gave them all her very bright smile. "And to those who failed, see you in remedial classes!"
Some of the students groaned while others snickered at their classmates' misery.
"Okay, class dismissed!"
Everyone sprang up from their seats and bowed their heads to their teacher. "Thank you, Umeda-sensei!"
"Congratulations for being the top 1, Akari-chan! You're amazing!" Nanami cheered to the ravenette girl as soon as Umeda-sensei left the classroom. Most of their classmates were also preparing to leave the room as well. "It seems like those eyebags have been paid for, huh?"
Akari chuckled at her friend while packing her things inside her school bag. "You think so?" She also can't believe herself when she saw her full name ranked 1st among the rest of the first-year students on the school's bulletin board. She had never been so happy over her achievement. Now, she can finally have a good night's sleep for days to come. She was also excited to tell Izana and Kakucho the good news.
Nanami nodded cheerfully. "Yeah! It's actually quite a surprise. You just kicked out Hiiragi-kun from his spot!" Her friend was talking about their classmate who was previously their top one and was actually their class representative. He was now ranked second with only a two-point difference from her grade.
"Oh, I did, huh." Akari actually kind of felt bad for him but there was nothing she can do. She was aiming for the top and she still considered him one of her greatest rivals in academics. In fact, she was planning to maintain her spot until she graduated from middle school and no one will stand in her way. She had to work even harder from now on.
"Aren't you guys going home?" Ishiyama asked as he approached the two girls. There were only a few of them left inside the classroom. "Congrats for taking the 1st spot by the way, Hanagaki-san."
The ravenette beamed at him. "Thank you, Ishiyama-kun!"
"Of course, we are," Nanami then told him. She and Akari rose to their seats and grabbed their school bags. The three of them then walked out of the classroom together.
"So, where are you going to have your summer vacation, Hanagaki-san?" Ishiyama questioned her while they were taking the stairs.
"I'll be staying in Shibuya for two weeks. My aunt wants me to visit them," Akari meekly answered. "What about you, Ishiyama-kun?"
Ishiyama shrugged. "I'll be in Osaka. My family and I will visit my grandparents there."
"Oh, that's cool. And you, Nana-chan?"
Nanami pulled a face. "Only here in Yokohama. Talk about boring. I also have to attend choir practice in our music club," she said. "What about the softball club, Akari-chan? Don't you have any training practice?"
"We did. Our coach even announced just this morning that we'll have our training camp soon. But it will start in the third week of August. So I still have some time to at least enjoy my summer vacation with my relatives."
"Lucky you. Just don't forget to bring me home any souvenirs when you guys come back, okay?"
Akari chuckled. "Don't worry, we will. Right, Ishiyama-kun?"
The boy nodded in agreement and grinned. "Yeah."
The three students continued chatting and laughing as they walked their way outside the school building until they reached the school gate and soon went on their separate ways.
"See you after summer vacation, Akari-chan!" Nanami bid her farewell, the same as Ishiyama.
"Bye, Hanagaki-san!"
She waved at her friends, smiling. "Goodbye, Nana-chan! You too, Ishiyama-kun! Take care!"
Afterwards, Akari happily skipped her way towards the parked motorbike while humming her favorite tune and saw Ran leaning against the vehicle, already waiting for her. He was wearing a helmet which he normally didn't do.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ran-san! Did you wait long?" she queried as soon as she reached him.
Ran only shook his head without uttering a word and handed his spare helmet to her. He mounted his motorbike and gestured for her to hop on which she immediately complied. After making sure she was already secured to her seat, Ran turned on the engine and drove off towards the road.
"WHY DID YOU bring me here, Ran-san?" Akari asked the moment she climbed down his motorbike after he parked it in an open space. Ran brought her to the port area where she and Izana watched the fireworks display a month ago. It was almost five in the afternoon when they arrived at the said place.
Ran was still not talking to her. He only helped her remove the straps on her helmet and placed the headgear on his motorbike.
The ravenette furrowed her eyebrows at the silent treatment. She noticed that Ran hadn't spoken a single word to her ever since they left her school. He was usually bubbly and talkative. Did he have a sore throat or something? "Are you okay, Ran-san? You've been awfully quiet this whole time. Are you sick?" she asked worriedly to him.
That was when she heard him click his tongue. "Why do you keep on mentioning that idiot's name, huh little shrimp?" He then removed his helmet and a familiar face welcomed her vision. "Have I been away for too long that you can't even tell us apart now?"
Akari's blue orbs dilated in surprise, her mouth agape as soon as she recognized that bleach-blonde hair and his signature pair of hanafuda earrings. She can't believe what she was seeing right now. "Iza—IZA-SAN!" she blurted out and immediately went to hug him. "I-it's you! It really is you!"
Izana was taken aback by her action but hugged her back nevertheless. "Of course, it's me. Is there anybody else?"
She buried her face into his chest and hugged him tighter, her hands gripping the back of his shirt. "I'm so worried, Iza-san! I've been trying to contact you for days but you never answered any of my calls or my messages! I thought something really bad happened to you!" she cried out. Well, he can't blame her. She just missed his presence so much. She lightly hit his chest. "You're so cruel, Iza-san! Stop making me worried like that!"
Izana was only quiet as he continued to caress her hair gently, his arms wrapped around her petite body. They stayed in that position for a few minutes until Akari retreated herself from him. She lifted her head up to look at him and gave him a closed-eyed smile.
"Welcome back, Iza-san," she greeted him properly, her hands behind her back. She was beyond happy right now. Aside from being the top one in their batch, Izana finally came back from Shibuya.
The older teen was a little bewildered, his orchid eyes grew slightly wide yet he smiled back at her and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, I'm back. Just like I promised." Then he flicked her forehead.
"Ouch!" she winced. She rubbed her forehead as she shot him a glare. "What was that for?"
"That's for mistaking me for Ran, stupid. You've been constantly babbling his name that it's getting annoying. You don't even recognize my CBR400F."
"Well, I can't help it, alright? I was too overwhelmed today in my class that I didn't notice it was you who picked me up. I really thought you were Ran-san. You didn't tell me you're already here in Yokohama," she reasoned out. She caressed her chin. "Hm. Now that you mentioned it, Ran-san is a lot taller than you."
She was met with another flick on her forehead.
"Ouch! Hey, knock it off!" she growled.
"Say that again and you'll never get your souvenir from me," Izana warned her. He went back to his motorbike and placed his helmet on the seat beside hers before coming back to her again.
"But it's the truth though," Akari mumbled to herself. He was always teasing her about her height. Why can't she do the same thing to him?
"Did you say something, shrimp?" he asked, squinting his eyes on her.
"Nothing, sir," she replied lamely, rolling her eyeballs. "So, where's my souvenir?"
Izana scoffed. "I'll give it to you after we find a place to sit. Let's go." He took her hand and made her follow him until they found themselves a bench to occupy.
"So how are things back in Shibuya, Iza-san?" Akari asked, curious.
The bleach-blonde teen shrugged. "Good," his answer was short. She quickly understood he didn't want to talk anything about what happened there so she didn't press the topic further.
"Have you bought me taiyaki?" she questioned instead in a hopeful tone, eyes twinkling.
Izana snorted. "I did. I just left it at my apartment. I'll give it to you tomorrow," he muttered. "Have you been a good girl while I was away?"
"Of course, I am! Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you that I aced my exams!" she stated proudly at him. "I ranked first!"
He gazed at her intently with a blank expression. "You're joking, right?" he said in disbelief.
"What's with that face? I'm serious! It's the truth! I did top the final exams!" she persisted.
He narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his eyebrows. "Is that the reason why you have dark circles under your eyes?" He cupped her face and pinched both of her cheeks hard. "Didn't I tell you not to sleep late?"
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop it, Iza-san! It hurts!" Akari whined and swatted his hands away from her cheeks. "I only did it because I wanted to pass the exams and rank first! I worked hard for it!"
"Still it doesn't change the fact that you slept late. That's why you're still a midget. You'll never grow up if you continue that kind of routine."
She rubbed her cheeks and then hung her head low. "You're a meanie, Iza-san. I just wanted to prove something and make everyone proud of me that's why I studied really hard. I wanted them to see my worth and be acknowledged."
Izana breathed a sigh. "You don't need to prove anything for anyone, Akari. As long as you know you did your best, then it's still worth it." He gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "Isn't that already enough?"
"Y-you think so?"
He hummed and tucked a few strands of her loose hair behind her ear. "Now, turn to the other side and close your eyes."
She blinked. "Huh? What for?"
"Just do it, shrimp. And no peeking, alright?"
Akari reluctantly did as she was told. "I swear, Iza-san. If this is some kind of a prank..." She felt something was placed around her neck.
"There. You can open your eyes now."
Akari again followed his words and looked down to see a beautiful pink omamori necklace hanging on her neck. Her blue irises widened in astonishment. She whipped her head to him. "W-what is this, Iza-san?" she queried. She didn't know what to say.
"Your souvenir. Just like you asked."
Her fingers grazed through the small brocade pouch with the embroidered word 'shiawase' on it. Her eyes twinkled with stars as she continued to admire the given charm. "It's so pretty!"
"Do you like it?"
The ravenette nodded with a blush on her cheeks and smiled brightly, appreciating his simple gift. "I love it very much! Thank you so much for this, Iza-san." She absentmindedly kissed his cheek and hugged him again, her head rested on his torso. Hot tears threatened to spill out her eyes. She'll absolutely treasure the charm for the rest of her life.
Izana chuckled and patted her head. "That's good. I made the charm into a necklace so you wouldn't dare lose it. Don't take it off."
"Even if I take a bath?"
"Except for that stupid. It will get wet."
"Then, I won't! This is your gift, after all. Just don't forget to bring the taiyakis tomorrow."
"Tch. I think I've spoiled you damn much."
She only giggled at him.
They stayed at the port area for a while as they both watched the beautiful sunset in silence. It was until nightfall that Izana decided for them to leave and take her to a dining restaurant for dinner before finally bringing her home to her apartment.
"GETTING TIRED already?"
"N-no! W-wait! Not yet! I'm not done! I'm not done!"
"You've been saying that like three times already."
Wiping the dripping sweat off her forehead, Akari tried to give Izana a strong roundhouse kick on his temple. But the older teen managed to block her attack with his arm and countered her with a light kick on her gut making her step backward and lose her balance then fall on her butt. She winced in pain.
"That kick was too slow and too predictable. Stand up. Try hit me again."
She raised her hand telling him she was still catching her breath. "T-this is so hard! How can I beat your ass when you're this strong, Iza-san! Are you sure you're a human being?! I can't even lay a single blow on you!" she exclaimed, whining. Ever since the start of her summer vacation, Akari did nothing but spend her days in a gym having these combat training together with Izana as her personal mentor. "Why am I even doing this in the first place?!"
"You already know the answer to that, shrimp."
Akari growled and collapsed her body to the training ground, whining even more like a little kid with a tantrum. Then she recalled their conversation that night when she told him she'll be spending her summer vacation in Shibuya with her aunt.
"You're going when to Shibuya?"
"On the first week of August. I'll be staying with my aunt for a while," Akari answered as Izana walked her to her apartment. The ravenette unlocked the doorknob with her key and pushed the door open. They both went inside with the older teen closing the door behind them.
Izana then followed her to the living room and took a seat on the couch. Akari sat next to him. She noticed how he fell silent as if he was thinking something.
"Is something the matter, Iza-san?" she questioned in worry. "Your head seemed to be in the clouds."
"For how long are you going to be there?" he only asked her in return, his expression suddenly turned dead serious as he glanced at her.
Her eyebrows puckered in confusion. What's with the seriousness? "Two weeks. Why?"
"Can't you cancel your visit with her?"
"Huh? What?" She shook her head. "No. I can't. I already made a promise to her. She'll be terribly upset with me if I didn't go visit them," she reasoned out to him. "You're acting really strange right now, Iza-san."
Izana let out a deep sigh. "I guess, it can't be helped."
"About what? You're making me confused." She can't read what was going on inside his mind right now.
"Akari, do you remember that bastard, Ogai?"
"Uhm, yeah? That guy with a lot of piercings? What's that got to do with me?" She gasped upon realization. "Do you think he's going to take his revenge???"
"No, not him. But his other colleagues. Some of them are in Shibuya."
Akari's blue eyes broadened in disbelief, baffled. She cast her head low and bit her lower lip. She finally understood what he meant. "O-oh, I see." So that's why he didn't want her to go there. He was protecting her from a possible threat because she might get targeted again by the same gang.
"I will not be there to protect you, Akari," Izana then told her, making her look at him. "That's why I think of something else."
"And that is...?"
"I'll teach you how to fight personally. Not just ordinary self-defense like how your sister taught you. It's more like combat training with a much-experienced fighter," he stated. "That way, you'll be able to defend yourself against those scumbags and kick their fucking asses even if I'm not there to help you."
She blinked. Eh?
Was that even possible?
"I-I don't know if I can do it, Iza-san. I-I mean—"
"You can do it, Akari. You already have the knowledge. You even knocked down an enemy before, remember? All we have to do is harness your combat skills," he explained, trying to convince her as if what he just said was the simplest thing to do on planet Earth. "It's easy as pie. Trust me. You'll enjoy it."
Akari had no choice but to agree with him. There was nothing wrong if she tried, right? She shrugged off her shoulders. "Alright, if you say so. Just promise me you'll go easy on me, please Iza-san?"
Izana curled the corner of his lips into a mischievous grin. "Sure, I'll try."
She scoffed at the memory. Easy as pie, he said? Easy as pie, her ass! She didn't know that this combat training was hellish! It was an absolute nightmare! Her body was already bathing with sweat and smelled like somebody's toilet! She was so dead tired and extremely hungry! They've been doing this strenuous training for two consecutive hours straight, now going three. How on earth was this even enjoyable? With Izana being a heartless mentor to her, this was seriously no fun at all!
"C-can we just do this again tomorrow, p-pretty please Iza-san?" Akari pleaded, still panting. She was now sitting cross-legged.
"No. We won't stop until you land a single hit on me," Izana said sternly.
"But I don't think my body will last long! I wanted to take a bath already!"
"You will after we're done here. Now stand the hell up, Akari. We're not finished yet."
Oh, he can't be serious! This training was a lot more difficult than playing softball! Now she fully regretted agreeing with him for doing this! She shouldn't have listened to those persuasive words of his! How much stamina does this dude have anyway? It was like this training was just a breeze to him. He didn't even look like he break a sweat! Was he really that invincible? "Geez, you're just as much as strict a mentor as my older sister was, Iza-san," she groaned, pouting. "You're both ruthless."
"Then the two of us are both on the same side," he said with a smirk. "You've been on the ground for too long, shrimp. If you're injured, I might probably take consideration but unfortunately, you aren't. Do you want me to double your training hours today?"
Akari's jaw dropped. How cruel! "You love to see me suffer, aren't you, Iza-san?"
"What the hell are you talking about? I'm doing this for your own benefit," he muttered in a matter-of-fact tone. "We're only wasting time here, Akari. If you don't move your ass this instant, I'll do something you'll forever regret."
She remembered what he did to her not so long ago on how he tickled her nonstop when she was in his apartment. Oh hell no she'll experience that kind of shit again!
An idea popped into her genius mind.
She stretched her arms to him. "C-can you help pull me up, Iza-san? I don't think I'll be able to stand on my own with how tired my legs are."
"Alright."
A small smirk crept to her lips as Izana grabbed her hands, only for her to pull him down instead with her, surprising him. She switched their positions in a swift motion with her straddling above him. She raised her fist into the air, ready to give him her strongest punch. "He-he. It's my win, Iza-san!"
Izana grinned at her in amusement. "That's a dirty tactic, little shrimp. But too bad, it won't work on me." He was a lot quicker than her when their positions swapped again with him now on top of her. "See?"
"NO FAAAIIIIR!" she shrieked in annoyance. She tried to push his body away from her yet he wouldn't budge. "Get off me, Iza-san!"
He pinned her body down, making her hard to move. He leaned closer to her. "How am I being unfair? You're the one who cheated in the first place, you brat."
She averted her eyes away from him and turned her head to the other side, hiding her blush as his face was only a few inches away from her. Some strands of his bleach-blonde hair were partly tickling her cheek. "W-what are you talking about? I did not!" she quickly denied, feigning innocence.
"Akari, look at me."
Akari reluctantly cocked her head back to him, only to receive a flick on her forehead. "O-ouch!"
"That's for your stupid lie. You know you suck at lying, idiot."
The young girl rubbed the pain on her poor forehead as she glanced at him. She sighed. "I'm not as strong as you, Iza-san. I can't think of any other way to beat you," she admitted in a low voice. "I'm just a small and weak girl. Everybody I know says so. That must be why I was always targeted for bullying way back when I was much younger."
Izana stared at her with his usual impassive expression. "You're not weak, Akari. Whoever told you that bullshit was a complete moron. They didn't know what the fuck they are talking about," he said. "That's why we're doing this. To prove them all wrong. That you're not as weak as everyone says. Anyone who tries to mess up with you will have their asses get kicked."
Akari gaped at him, stunned at his words. What he said was absolutely right.
"C'mon. Let's take a break for a short while. We'll resume after you've rested well enough," he announced and moved his body away from her. He stood up and held out his hand to her. "Once we started again, no more tricks, or else there will be severe punishment waiting for you."
Akari took his hand and chuckled as he pulled her up. "Fine. I won't. I promised. But you have to treat me to dinner later, Iza-san. All this training is making me super hungry."
"Aren't you always hungry, shrimp?"
"H-hey, that's just rude!"
Thoughts?
Should I try making a Mikey fanfic next?