Original Published Date: September 3, 2016
Edited Date: February 8, 2018
September 20, 2016 - Dawn
It felt warm like the warmth of a mother and a father. However, there was another feeling laced within that embrace. It was so nostalgic yet new. Who knew that being embraced like this was gentle and sweet? She wished that she'd always be enveloped in his embrace.
"I'm sorry," his voice echoed that night. His voice was gentle, inviting - enticing.
"Gasp!"
Hinako woke up with small beads of sweat dripping down from her forehead. A bright red blush was painted across her cheeks as her dream repeats inside her mind over and over again. For many nights, she had those dreams - a dream where she is being embraced by the person she loves. It felt warm and fuzzy yet embarrassing at the same time. There really were those nights in which she dreams that golden-headed man.
'Douji-senpai,' she thought out his name as she hugs the sheets that covers her body.
September 20, 2016 - Morning
Before homeroom classes, Itsuka called the officers of the student council to the student council room. It was an important meeting and the agenda was...
"The Cultural Festival!" Itsuka declares with a grin plastered on his face.
On the blackboard of the student council room, the title "Annual Cultural Festival" was written. On the side, ideas for the community presentation are written. On the other side were food and game stalls.
"It's that time again, huh?" Jeanne mutters to herself as she smiles. Her memories of the cultural festivals in Homurahara were always sweet and filled with happiness.
Hinako saw the student council treasurer smiling and raised an eyebrow of curiosity. "You're smiling, Enko-senpai."
"Ah," she glances at the brown-headed underclassman. "it's because Homurahara hosts a very big festival. It's on par with the traditional festivals held here in Japan."
"Is that so?" Hinako, somehow, felt excited. It will be her first cultural festival in high school, anyway.
"All right, the reason why I brought you all here in the morning is because we have to think of the perfect community presentation," Itsuka explains. "We've already done a musical last year and an exhibition of Wagakki instruments two years ago."
"Can't we discuss this after classes, Itsuka-senpai?" Gil asks, his arms crossed over his chest. He has an irritated expression on his face as he ignores Mabu's constant staring. "We all have classes in ten minutes."
Itsuka laughs. "I bet we can come up with a concept before classes even start."
"And what if you don't?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Then, I'll make sure that you have less responsibilities to worry about in the cultural festival."
Gil's eye twitch. He liked what he had heard. Of course, Gil always wanted to take less responsibilities as much as possible. He already has his hands full with the kendo club and his responsibility as vice president. Plus, there's still that problem with his father. Gil was still carrying a heavy load.
"But if we come up with a concept before homeroom, you will have to participate in the community presentation."
"Hah!" Gil smirks. "You're on!"
"Ohohoho! I like your fiery passion, Gil-kun! I will make you participate!" Itsuka laughs.
Everyone in the room came up with lots of ideas but they were looking for the one that will appeal most to the crowd. Something, maybe, that has action or excitement. Something that will really get the crowd anticipating.
Nine minutes has passed and no single idea was agreed on. Gil was already laughing inside his head, thinking that he won his bet with Itsuka. Well, he thought he won, anyways.
"Uhmm," Hinako raises her hand. "why don't we do a play instead? Like, a classical play? Or an epic?"
"A play is a good idea," Asura ponders at the thought. "The school hasn't done that in a while."
"Oh, I like where this is going," Itsuka said as he looks at Gil with a grin. He knew that in less than a minute, they will come to a conclusion. Gil, on the other hand, glares at his bearded senior.
"Maybe we can ask the literature club for some ideas. I mean, it'd be great if we gave the community something that they'll really like."
"I agree," Asura smiles.
"Me, too!" Jeanne smiles.
"As long as I get to spend time with my Gil-darling, I don't mind!" Mabu happily locks her arms around Gil's.
"Lay off of me!" Gil pushes her away.
Hinako eyes at Mabu, still uncomfortable of her being so clingy towards the golden-headed senior even though she already served a one-day suspension for disruption of the school community and physical injury to a student. Hinako gets irritated at Mabu for her behavior.
"Then, all in favor, except Gil, of having a school play, raise your hands," Itsuka said before raising his hand.
Asura, Hinako, Jeanne, Mabu, and the other officers raised their hands. Gil, on the other hand, was excluded from the count and he can't help but let his right eye twitch in irritation for losing the bet.
"Then," Itsuka looks at Gil and leans a little forward towards him. "I look forward to seeing you in the play," his face darkens.
"Itsuka-senpai, you little..." Gil grits his teeth.
September 20, 2016 - Lunchtime
"A school play? That's awesome!" Marie sparkles, excited for having the school play. "What will be the story?"
"Oh, we still have to talk with the literature club for the titles that they can recommend to us," Hinako replies, taking out her lunchbox.
"How about roles?" Fūrin asks.
"Seifuku-senpai said that we'll hold an audition for the parts once the title's been decided. But, if ever it has a male lead, Douji-senpai will do it."
"What?!" The two were flabbergasted.
Hinako releases an anime sweat-drop, blinking a few times as she looks at her friends.
"So, what will we do for our class shop?" Marie asks as her, Fūrin, and Hinako eats at the school rooftop.
"The other classes are already planning for their class shops even though the cultural festival is a month away," Fūrin explains.
"We have to be creative since the class that has the best shop will win a prize," Hinako said after swallowing her food. "Seifuku-senpai suggested that we should hold it as a class competition."
"Is that so?" Marie thinks for a moment. "I guess I'll try and come up with something."
"I'll also help, Marie-san"
"Thanks! Let's go win and that prize!" Marie clenches her right hand and lifts it up to the air.
"Yes!" Hinako and Fūrin did the same.
September 20, 2016 - After School
Asuto keeps on laughing, trying to control his volume while Koujiro tries to hold his own laugh back. Gil, on the other hand, has an anime vein throbbing on his cheek. He just told the two about how he's going to participate in the school play after losing a bet with the student council's very own president, Itsuka Seifuku.
"You're seriously - pfft - gonna act?!" Asuto asks with his laughs in-between breaths.
"May I smack you, Asuto?" Gil readies his fists.
"I - pfft - I'm sorry!" Asuto bursts out in laughter. "Do you even know how you acted during your second year in middle school?"
"Don't remind me," Gil hand-chops Asuto's head out of embarrassment. It was true, though. Gil, in a way, was bad at acting. He lacks the feel for the story and just delivers his lines like he was reading it in front of class. He sounded like a robot back then.
"Ow..." Asuto held his head, stinging from pain.
"Just get back to training. Seriously..." Gil was a little stressed out.
"Okay, okay," Koujiro smiles but was stiffing a laugh. "Come on, Asuto-senpai, let's get back to practice," he picks up the whimpering upperclassman like a plush toy.
Asuto and Koujiro returns to the spacious area where the other kendo members were. The gold and bronze medals that Gil and Hinako attained during the prefecture kendo competition were placed inside a frame and were displayed on the kendo room's glass shelf.
"Good afternoon. I'm sorry if I am late," Hinako enters the room and hurriedly places her bag on the shelf for bags.
Gil turns around and looks at Hinako with an irritated expression. "You're late, idiot! What kept you?"
"Again with the name-calling, senpai," Hinako plainly stares at Gil. "Souji-senpai asked a favor of me earlier before coming here."
When Asura's name was mentioned, Gil was surprised. Yes, he still has feelings for the blond-headed upperclassman but somewhere, inside his heart and mind, an unknown force is interfering with it. Just like back on that day.
"What did Asura-senpai ask you?"
Hinako stands up straight and looks at her senior properly. She feels uncomfortable whenever Gil asks of Asura. There's still the fact that they were once lovers and sometimes, Hinako wonders if one of them still holds the other dear. Just thinking about it makes Hinako jealous, a lot.
"She just asked me to fix a couple of documents at the student council room," Hinako smiles.
"I see," Gil looks lost in his own thoughts.
Hinako already knows what's going on inside Gil's mind. She just doesn't make it obvious that she's a little hurt about it.
"Anyway, I'll go on ahead and change clothes, senpai," Hinako walks towards the changing room.
"Huh?" In a moment, Hinako wasn't in front of him and just passed by him, walking towards the changing room.
"Sigh..." Hinako leans her head on the wooden door after closing the door to the changing room behind her. In a way, she hates the feeling of jealousy.
"So, ever thought of auditioning for the play?" Koujiro asks Hinako as the two sparred.
"Eh?" Hinako was surprised, countering the purple-headed upperclassman's shinai. "No, I haven't thought about it. I, uh, don't have a knack for acting."
Koujiro laughs under his head gear. "Just like Douji-san?"
"Douji-senpai participated in a play before?"
"Yes. You should have seen him act, though."
Hinako blushes under her head armor, quite excited to see her senior act on a play. What if the Literature club gave them a romance-themed story for the school play? Would she go and audition for the female lead? Maybe. Maybe not.
"I, uh, I'll think about joining the play, senpai. I'm not sure yet."
"Sure. It's still a month away. You have a lot of time to think about it."
Their shinais crossed. "Yeah."
September 20, 2016 - Evening
"You know, senpai, you always walk me home every after kendo meetings," Hinako points out as she and Gil walks on Big Bridge.
An imaginary arrow strikes Gil's head. "What? Do you think it's bad for me to walk you home? I could just leave you here," he was annoyed at the question.
"Ah!" Hinako waves her hands. "I didn't mean it that way. I mean," she looks at the ground with a smile. "I think this is, uh, how friends do? It's been five months since the start of the school year and I never thought that I'd be walking home with someone."
Gil looks to his side, a small blush on his cheeks. He, too, never thought that he'd be walking home with someone, let alone with a girl. Usually, he walks home by himself since he likes the solitary walk. But, in a way, he likes walking home with Hinako every after kendo practice. It felt strange but new. He never did anything like this when he was still in a relationship with Asura.
"I'm, you know, happy, senpai," Hinako can't stop herself from smiling a wide smile.
"You are?" He raises an eyebrow, looking at the underclassman beside him.
"Yes," Hinako nods. Then, she looks up to meet her senior's eyes. "I never felt lonely again after all these years. Maybe it's because of my friends, including you."
"Friends, huh?" Gil ponders at the word.
Gil and Hinako finally arrives at the two-storey apartment complex. Hinako takes out her home keys and inserted it on the door knob.
"Do you want to come inside for a bit, senpai?"
"It's all right, Suzuhana. My mother told me to be home before she leaves for Kumamoto," Gil replies.
"Oh, it's all right. Your mother is the CEO of Fuyuki General Hospital, right?"
"Yeah. She has a conference to attend to."
"I see," Hinako, then, frowns. It surprises the golden-headed man greatly.
"What's wrong?"
"Kumamoto..." Hinako trails.
It hit Gil. He knows what his underclassman is thinking. It's about that day during the prefecture kendo competition - him, his father, and little Shuuten.
"Are you worried that they might meet?"
"A... A little..."
Gil releases a small sigh, then pats Hinako's head. He rubs it teasingly. "You don't have to worry about that, Hinako."
Hinako's eyes widen as Gil referred her by her first name. Even Gil was surprised.
"S-Senpai?" She blushes.
"U-Uh..." Gil lifts his hand from Hinako's head and turns, ready to leave. "S-See you tomorrow, all right?"
"Uhmm, all right," Hinako blinks rapidly, unsure if what she heard was right or if it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Nevertheless, she felt happy.
"Take care on your way, mother," Dio said, smiling at his mother after giving her a small kiss on the check.
"I'll be away for a while. You and Gil are in-charge of the house."
"Yes, mother."
Dio looks to his side since he saw a person from his peripheral vision. It was none other than his big brother.
"Ah, big brother, you're just in time. What took you so long?"
Gil approaches his little brother and his mother. He slightly bows to his mother in apology. "Forgive me if I am late. I walked a friend home."
She raises an eyebrow. "You don't walk your friends home."
Gil was slightly taken back but nevertheless, he held his position. "We take the same route, so I thought that it'd be best if I accompanied her for a while."
"Her?" She raises an eyebrow. "You're seeing another girl that I do not know about?"
"It is not what you think it is, mother. She is a close friend of mine and I simply cannot let her walk in the dark, alone," he defends.
Slowly, Gil's mother approaches him with a serious glare. "You do still remember the shame Souji-san and Himeji-san did to you, right? People will continue to look down on you, my son. It's best if you keep your guard up."
"Suzuhana is different, mother," Gil gave his mother a serious look, as well. "But you wouldn't know who she really is because you keep on judging people you haven't even met yet."
"Big brother?!" Dio was astonished to hear his brother speak back against their own mother.
The yellow-headed woman remains unfazed, eyeing deeply into her son's crimson eyes. After releasing a small sigh, she says, "I'll be back in a week. You are in-charge and take of your brother."
"I always have."
The two didn't exchange words any longer. Gil's mother turns around and enters the black car with her driver closing it. She didn't bother to look back at her two sons, her look remaining forward. Gil, on the other hand, looks to his side with a slightly clenched fist. He didn't want to talk back but he needed to. He didn't like how his mother easily judged the brown-headed underclassman.
When the car was not in sight anymore, Dio and Gil proceeded inside the house. As the younger male closes the front door behind him, he frowns.
"You didn't have to put it like that, big brother."
Gil halts from ascending the stairs with his hand on the rail. "What else would you have wanted me to say? Would you have preferred to have me stay quiet?"
"It's not like that, big brother-"
"If mother starts judging your friends, won't you try and defend them, as well?" Gil asks as he turns his head to the right to look at his little brother through the corner of his eyes. "Suzuhana is not someone who will look down on me and I'm sure..."
Gil approaches Dio and places his hand over his head, slightly rubbing it with a small smile on his lips.
"I'm sure that she's someone who will look out for us."
"Big brother..."
"I'll go and get changed," he lifts his hand and turns around, walking up to his room. "Let's have dinner together."
Dio smiles with a small blush on his cheeks. "Sure, big brother."
To be continued: (Autumn) Chapter 31
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Author's Note's | September 2, 2016
Finally! Chapter 30 has been published. *claps*
Six chapters left before Winter comes but that's still a bit far, especially that I'm busy with exams and school stuff. *laughs*
So, now, I will reveal Hinako's last name!
(Inner me: Why didn't you think of a last name in the first place, baka!)
I-It's because I wrote the plot without putting a last name in mind. Sorry. (T^T)
Anyway, this is Hinako's full name:
(鈴花雛子) Suzuhana Hinako
I thank hen333 for participating in my contest. (You will get a dedication from Chapter 31 to Chapter 33.)
Thank you for reading Fate/Stay Gakuen, everyone! (^_^)