It's so frustrating... Not fair at all... He's helped me so much recently and I can't even talk to him properly now.. I'm the worst...
Please, Aoi.. just this time, please do something for him, something that I'm not able to do. Come up with something like you always do...
Those were my thoughts as I was sitting in class, watching Kiyotaka go away from me. He stopped once at the door before glancing over at the class as if saying goodbye for the last time. I instantly teared up inside. I was looking for Aoi, but it seems like she was missing. She was here not too long ago, when did she go away?
Wait, maybe.. she has a plan. Please, Aoi.. you always have the best answers for everything, you've got to do something!
I silently went to my seat, waiting and praying for Aoi to come back with good news. I think I couldn't hide my worriness.. even Takei wasn't as he usually was. The atmosphere was very.. cloudy in the class, mostly in our group. But whispers about Kiyotaka were present left and right. I wanted to do something about it, they were badmouthing him without even knowing what was happening behind the scenes. I can't stand that! It's so.. infuriating...
I clenched my fists, finally gathering my courage to stand up for him, but a hand suddenly was put on my shoulder. It was Takahiro's.
" Don't, Mimimi "
" B-but- "
" Look "
He pointed in front of the class. To the one and only; Tama-chan. She rose up from her seat to speak up.
" Stop whispering about Ayanokoji-kun's situation! You don't even know what's going on! " she said, pointing her finger at the class
Seriously.. what an amazing girl she is.. she is somehow able to find that courage to speak up about what is bothering her without any hesitation... Besides that, she's not afraid to show her true self to others. I really appreciate that about her, totally the opposite of me.
I gave her a slight smile as a sign of thanks as she sat down.
Then the door's handle was heard. The whispers were still present, but not as loud as before, thanks to Tama-chan. It was more tolerable now.
It seems like Aoi came back. It didn't take too long.. did she fail..?
I wanted to go and ask her, but someone already took that opportunity from me already. Kikuchi-san suddenly went to speak with Aoi. I wouldn't expect that, was it related to something about school or.. was it perhaps about Kiyotaka..?
Why is he all of a sudden a magnet for girls? -_-
I let out a small sigh, I'll just take it easy and ask Kiyotaka when he comes back. IF he comes back... I guess I'll just have to wait then.
-----
The teacher came back eventually, it took her some time but that was probably because of the cup of coffee that she had in her hand. But still, no sign of Kiyotaka.. my hope of ever seeing him again was getting slimmer and slimmer... We had some dispute with Takei, which would've lead to some trouble if Takahiro and Aoi didn't help. He's such a handful sometimes, but that's what we like about him~
As we were still in our day to day-life shenanigans, the teacher came in clutch with some amazing news!
" We'll wait for Ayanokoji-kun to come back "
That was everything I heard. She said something else as well, but those words echoed through my thoughts. He's actually coming back! I'm so happy to hear that, I can barely contain myself! I wanna jump on Aoi and Tama-chan right this instant!
And it wasn't just me, I glanced over to Aoi with a big smile on my face and it seems like even Takahiro was relieved.
I figured we should just wait for him to come back, so I should try to talk quietly to pass the time faster.
---
10 minutes or so passed and the door's handle was heard. My heart was starting to beat fast as I was focusing on the door.
Please tell me it's him! I thought constantly until he entered the room. But...
Something was wrong.. his expression.. was so.. dark.. and serious. As if he instantly grew up several years. What happened..? Why was he staring so coldly at us? He's kind of.. scary...
I always felt like his eyes had some deep darkness beneath them, but.. I never expected some highschooler to have such a cold glare.. they're really scary... But more than scary, they were soulless. And that lead to an assumption that I put away for a while now.. even though he is right now surrounded by us, sometimes even others, he always seems very distant.. very lonely...
Maybe I shouldn't approach him right now.. who knows what happened in there, I should just be happy that he's still here with us; with me.
He sat down after he had a small talk with the teacher. It seems I wasn't the only one who noticed his coldness. Almost everyone in the class was staring at him. I felt as if I shouldn't stare.. but I couldn't help myself. It was a side of Kiyotaka that I didn't knew or saw until now. It was kind of fascinating.
I have to say.. that he looks handsome even with that cold face he has. I mean of course, it could be bias, but that's just how I feel right now.
" Can you stop staring at me like that? It's annoying " he said
W-woah.. it's the first time I heard him talk about something that's bothering him. I immediately switched my glance from him. It was a weird instinct. I want to talk to him but.. what am I even gonna say though?
As I was still thinking, a flashback came to mind as I immediately blushed.
I k-kissed him.. didn't I? We didn't talk at all about it. Screw that, we didn't talk at all, much less about that! Shouldn't he man up and talk to me about it?? Was it so bad that he doesn't wanna talk 'bout it?
Wait.. what if my breath smelled bad..? No, no, no, no, no, that would be the worst!! It wasn't even with the t-tongue.. it was just lips to lips, so it shouldn't even smell good or bad.. wait what am I even thinking right now?! I should focus on what's in front of me right now.
Speaking of which.. it seems like they were whispering about something. Him and Aoi. What's going on between them? He made sure to tell me that they weren't dating, so.. what could it be?
Wait, they aren't dating yet, right..? Could it be that they have feelings for each other?! No, that's impossible, she can't possibly fall for someone like that, not someone like Kiyotaka, nah. Someone so smart.. wise.. strong...
Damn it. There are so many reasons for her to fall for him.. should I be worried?
I sighed at the thought. Suddenly, whispers were all around the class once again. Did something happen? I was lost in my thoughts and didn't pay attention to anything else. Did I miss something important? I hope not...
Anyway, I had lunch with Takei and Tama-chan. Kiyotaka, Takahiro and Aoi were missing, I wonder why they didn't tag along with us this time. The rest of our classes were pretty boring and nothing really happened, except that one thing Nakamura mentioned when Kiyotaka got back to class. Something about a duel and some revenge? Oh- it was most likely about that game they played some time ago. I think Nakamura lost like 13 times against him? That must be really frustrating for him~
I sneakily popped up in their conversation and teased Nakamura about it, he seemed pretty angry as he responded to me. Perhaps I pressed a wrong button since he got a bit loud. Well, I will go and watch probably, it should be interesting to see if he can beat him this time. Though I will cheer for Kiyotaka, sorry Naku-kun~
" Eh? So you're going to fight this loser, Nakamura? "
Who dares to say such things?! Ah, of course. Erika Konno.
I quickly turned to face her and I was about to tell her some piece of my mind, but Nakamura got to her before me. It seems like that trip really left a good impression of Kiyotaka on Nakamura's mind.
She quickly left. Yeah, it was for her own good, 'cause I'd be after her head for what she said.
No one insults my Kiyotaka and gets away with it! It's what I thought. Of course it was more of a joking thought, I wouldn't actually do anything related to violence. I'm a pacifist after all.
-----
It was finally time to go home. I got out of class earlier than they did so I could wait for Kiyotaka where we usually met, to not be seen by others as well. I know he doesn't like attention, so I respected that.
" He's awfully late, isn't he..? " I mumbled
Wait. Of course he is late! He went to fight Nakamura in that game! How could I forget something like that so casually??
I ran through the hallway as I realized my thought process, checking each room then going up the stairs and down the stairs as well. But there was no sign of them.
I completely forgot to ask what room they'd go to.. I'm so hopeless.
" Oh my, you must be Nanami Minami-san, right? "
Suddenly, a voice that didn't seem familiar called my name. I turned towards the sound to see who it was.
It was a man with a great posture. He seemed pretty old, maybe in his 40s. He seemed very gentleman-like. Also, his eyes were closed, so how did he know who I am? That's kind of weird.
" Yeah, that'd be me.. sir? "
" Oh, how rude of me. I'll be the new chairman of this school starting next week. You can call me Tsukishiro. I'm on my way out, but I can't seem to find the exit. Would you be so kind as to show me the way? "
" Ohh, yes. I should know that the school is like a labyrinth sometimes, hehe~ I lost myself on the first day as well, so I should know how it feels. Don't worry though, leave it to me, I figured out the exit by now~ " I said proudly as I punched myself slightly in the chest
" What a reliable girl we have here. But it seems like you were waiting for someone? " he asked
" Well.. yes, but I honestly forgot that he had somewhere to go to.. so I shall use this time to be of help~ "
" I see. Then, where to? "
" Right this way~ "
And so I showed him the way to exit the school. But wait.. now that I think of it, how could he enter the school but doesn't know how to go back..? Strange...
And also, something felt strange about him. He was kind of like Kiyotaka. He seemed like a very mysteryous person.
" By the way, Nanami-san "
I turned my face towards him as I waited for him to continue.
" Are you perhaps acquainted with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka-kun? "
My eyes widened for a bit. How would he know or assume such a thing? And why does he know Kiyotaka? Something doesn't smell good...
" Y-yes. We're good friends "
" Friends, huh? You should be careful about him, you know "
" W-what do you mean by that, chairman-san? "
" I'll just tell you something small. He's not someone that you should put your trust in "
What does he mean by that..? Don't put my trust in him..? Why? And how does he know Kiyotaka? Is he some kind of relative? But if he is, does he have something against him? Is he the reason Kiyotaka had that cold look on him today?
So many questions came into play. So many questions and no answer for none of them.
" I-I don't really understand, sir.. "
" Well. You're a smart girl. You'll figure it out eventually. Just keep this conversation between us, and be sure to be cautious. If you wish to know more, you can contact me with this "
He handed me a phone number and a visit card. He already had that in his pocket for some reason. Did he plan this meeting from the beginning?
But what does he have against Kiyotaka..? Or, a much better question- does he really know stuff about Kiyotaka?
" Anyway, I should take my leave from here. Thank you for your help, I hope we'll get along "
And he left without letting me say anything in response. What a weird way to get to know someone... He seems suspicious but.. if he knows something about Kiyotaka.. then this is my chance to know more about him as well! I won't let this chance go to waste.
I really want to know more about him