Persona 4: Eyes of Truth [Please Read New Ver.]

The Basketball Team

3rd POV

Hitomi slowly opened her eyes, a familiar area coming to her vision. Hitomi sat across from a man with an unusual long nose and a woman with platinum-blonde hair.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room" the man with the long nose, known as Igor, greeted. The platinum-blonde haired woman next to him, known as Margaret, looked up; a small smile creeping to her lips.

"I foresee the effects of two arcana's shining very brightly in your future" Margaret began as two cards descended, glowing a bright blue. The cards were shining more brightly than normal that Hitomi couldn't make out the designs of them. "I see the moon and strength. Soon, you will forge an entirely new set of bonds. And these new powers will be born." The cards suddenly disappeared instead of falling to the tome on Margaret's lap.

"These bonds play an important part" Margret continued as she looked over to Hitomi. "They will illuminate the path that lies before you, and will shine the light that will unfold the truth." Igor opened his eyes slightly, knowing that Hitomi was about to awaken in the real world.

"Now then" Igor began, catching Hitomi's attention, "Until our paths cross again. Please, take care..." Hitomi flinched in surprise, a little stunned that he was able to take note of Hitomi's injury without her even mentioning it. Soon, her vision began to blur as darkness engulfed the room.

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Tuesday, April 19th

I let out a soft yawn while covering my mouth, feeling lighter as the yawn escaped. I suddenly flinched in pain as a sharp stung the back of my neck. I let out a silent sigh as I gently rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the rough material of the bandage. Everything that happened yesterday was intense and certainly something I never would have expected. As the group's leader, I need to create a more balanced plan. I thought back to the events yesterday after we had gotten out of the television.

If it was Amagi's exhaustion or something else that had prevented Amagi from remembering her kidnapping, it was something I won't know until she returns. Amagi was a lot more tired than we had thought, and almost passed out from exhaustion. So we decided to call it a day, with Nise taking Amagi home.

Hanamura was worried about my injuries from the Prince like shadow and didn't let me go home until he treated them. As Hanamura treated my neck wound, we started talking about the case. We weren't able to gather any new clues like Berry had said, but we did put so and so together. Amagi was most certainly, 'attacked' as -Hanamura puts it- the same way as the last two victims. And the 'Amagi' that we had seen on the midnight channel wasn't the real 'Amagi', but rather her shadow expressing her inner feelings. But with the little information we had gathered, it feels as if Hanamura and I are going around and around in circles.

As I walked towards the school, I noticed a girl with shirt light-brown hair tied into a short ponytail jog past me, wearing the YasoHigh school Jersey. I blinked after her in surprise, feeling as if I had seen her somewhere before. The light-brown haired girl jogged a little further up to a girl with medium dark-blue hair tied into two pigtails.

"Morning!" the girl in light-brown hair greeted the other. "You know how girls can join the sports club starting today, right? I thought that maybe if I ran around a little, that would be some good promotion." The dark-blue girl took one look at her friend before giggling.

"Girl, if you run around in that, how're people gonna know which club you're in?" the dark-blue haired girl giggled.

"I didn't think about that..." the other girl gasped. Her face suddenly turned red as she ruffled up her hair in frustration. "Augh! And I forced myself to run by all those people too! Do you know how creepy it is to have boys stare at you as you run?!"

"Why're you so bothered by that? It's not like you have anything in the front. That's classic you!" the dark-blue haired girl laughed. The brown haired girl punched her friend's arm in embarrassment, huffing.

"But, you know, I hope our club gets some fresh blood. Not a lot of girls join, which is real bad for us!" the blue haired girl whined.

"Yeah, I hear you... Let's just wait and see what happens" the brown haired suggested. I stared at the two girl's, finally recalling where I've seen them before. Right before Amagi was thrown into the television, I bumped into them after school. If I recall, Hanamura got a punch in the face after disrespecting Nise's hand writing.

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Early Morning...

Hanamura sighed out in exhaustion as he rested his chin on his desk. I stared at him as he mumbled, a soft pink on his cheeks.

"Good Morning, Hanamura" I greeted after staring at him for a little bit. Hanamura tensed up as his cheeks reddened. I blinked in confusion, tilting my head slightly. Hanamura cleared his throat as he slowly sat up, resting his right on his right hand.

"Mornin'..." Hanamura replied weakly, the once red cheeks disappearing. He went silent after that, avoiding eye contact with me. Something was obviously wrong with him. I opened my mouth, wanting to ask him what was the matter, when the sound of the door opening caught my attention. It was Nise, a familiar bright smile on his face as he happily walked inside.

"Goood Mornin'!" Nise greeted, slipping off a strap of his blue backpack.

"Good Morning" I greeted with a nod as Hanamura groaned. Nise threw his bag onto his desk as he sat on the edge of the desk, a grateful smile on his face.

"Thanks for your help yesterday!" Nise chirped, looking at me then over the Hanamura. Hanamura groaned once again, not saying a proper word. Nise ignored him and looked back over at me with a worried expression.

"Hey, about that cut you got... It didn't stir up to much trouble did it? Like, over at your place with the folks your stayin' with?" Nise asked nervously. I blinked at him in surprise as I touched the bandage.

"Ah, well... My uncle didn't come home last night, and his daughter didn't notice because of my hair" I explained. I looked over to Hanamura, who had one eye open, listening to our conversation. "After you and Amagi-san left, Hanamura took out some bandages from his father's office and fixed me." Hanamura's face exploded red as he looked away, gritting his teeth.

"Can we please not talk about my dad right now?" Hanamura muttered, finally using words. I stared at him in confusion as he sighed, trying to regain his composure.

"What's wrong with you, dude?" Nise asked, raising an eyebrow, earning a groan of exhaustion.

"I'm totally spent..." Hanamura began. "But, we did save Yukiko. So I guess that makes up for it." A small smile formed on Hanamura's face as he slowly got his energy back. I nodded in agreement before looking over to Nise.

"So, where is Amagi-san? She didn't come to school with you?" I asked. Nise frowned a little bit as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Nah, she's still pretty beat up considerin' all that happened. So she's going to a couple days off" Nise explained. A bright smile fell on his face as he gave a thumbs up.

"But hey! Don't worry, she wanted me to tell you guys that she'll be fine" Nise chirped. He stood up straight from his desk and pulled out his chair.

"Well, that's good to hear" I said, my tension draining. Nise laughed as he took a proper seat.

"Yeah, ain't it?" Nise began, his smile looking almost identical to the American cartoon character, Cheshire Cat. "I feel so much better now that Yukiko's safe. It's like we can finally go back to a regular routine again!"

"You are way to perky right now" I heard Hanamura groan, catching our attention. Hanamura was slouching over his desk, his eyelids closed as if he was about to pass out from exhaustion at any minute.

"Narukami-chan and I have been running our selves ragged for what seems like forever..." Hanamura groaned, opening one eye. "Haven't we, brah?" I stared at Hanamura with a slightly bored look, a little stunned by his choosing of words for me. I don't think a boy has ever called me 'bra' before. Why would he call me that anyway?

"Besides from my neck, I feel pretty good" I said bluntly, reaching for my hair and fiddling with the ends of it. Hanamura exclaimed in shock as he sat up, his hands hitting the desk.

"Say what?! What the hell are you two made of!?" Hanamura exclaimed. He began to ramble on about how he's been using multiple products to ease his stiff bones but nothing has been working.

"Now that I think of it, you have been holding up pretty well through all this. For a girl, that is" Nise began, catching my attention. He used the 'for a girl' phrase again... I guess I'll let it slide for now. He'll get better at that.

"Do you play a lot of sports?" Nise asked, slugging his arm around his chair. I shook my head.

"No, not really" I replied. Nise thought for a moment, deep in thought as he stared at me. His face suddenly light up as an idea came to mind.

"Well then, if you haven't signed up for a club or a team, I could really use your help with somethin'!" Nise said, leaning forward a little bit. I leaned back, suddenly uncomfortable by his closeness and blinked in surprise.

"Um... Alright then...?" I said softly, a little nervous as to where this was going at. Nise grinned, a happy chuckle escaping.

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After school...

"The... Gym?" I muttered, staring at the doors in front of me. Right after the school bell rang, Nise dragged me straight here. No words needed, he just grabbed my wrist and dragged me here. I could hear the sound of rushed footsteps echoing from inside as well as something being constantly hit.

"Don't worry! It'll be all good!" Nise chirped as he opened the doors. I blinked in surprise at what I saw inside. There was a small amount of girls inside, running about, playing basketball. I was certainly a little surprised by this, thinking back to all the other school's I've been too. I don't think a single one of them had a girl's basketball team. I guess the countryside is just a bit more open to women's sports.

"Hey, Ichijo!" Nise called out, catching a familiar dark-blue haired girl's attention. I blinked in surprise, realizing that the girl was from this morning. But instead of her hair being tied into twin pigtails, they're tied into a sloppy ponytail. The girl stopped dribbling the ball, a smile forming on her lips at the sight of Nise.

"Oh, hey Nise-kun!" the dark-blue haired girl chirped. She turned back to her teammates and passed one of them the ball before running over.

"So, what brings you here? Need something?" the girl asked happily, her medium lengthened ponytail bouncing. Nise smiled back, while patting my head.

"I came here to bring you a new teammate!" Nise said with a wink causing me to tense. The blue haired girl blushed a little as her smile widened.

"For real?!" she squealed, taking note of my presences. She stared at me for a moment before smiling and leaning toward me."Hey, you're that new girl right? You did show up!" I blinked nervously as sweat began to form on my forehead.

"Uh... Well I only... Nise-kun asked me... I'm just here to watch" I tried to explain. The blue haired girl suddenly grabbed both my hands with her own, giving me a closed eye smile.

"My name's Kou Ichijo! Thanks so much for showing up!" she giggled, her teeth shining despite the cloudy day. I stared at her wryly, hesitantly nodding.

"Sure... No problem...?" I said with a hint of confusion. She was waiting for me to show up?

"Hey, what's the hold up? I can't stay around too long, you know" a female voice called out, as the light-brown haired girl with her hair tied into a short ponytail walked towards us. Noticing the blue haired girl and me holding hands, the brown haired girl looked at me.

"Hm? Oh, are you joining? I'm with the soccer team, Chou Nagase" the girl introduced. I blinked in slight surprise and confusion.

"So this is... The soccer team?" I asked, a little confused at the information. Nagase laughed, causing me to blush faintly in embarrassment.

"No girl, I'm just came here today to ditch practice! Ichijo and I go way, way, way back" Nagase explained, making an exaggerated face if exhaustion while saying how long Ichijo and Nagase go back. Nise laughed as he slugged his arm around her neck, earning a bored look from her.

"Come on Chou-chan, no need to be so shy! I know that you were helpin' out Kou-chan with practice since they're short on members" Nise laughed.

"I wasn't being shy, now get off me" Nagase said coldly, removing Nise's arms. Nise pouted at Nagase's cold behavior as Ichijo's grip on my hands tighten, turning my attention towards her.

"Yeah... See, they're about to shut my team down 'cause we're way low on players. Especially since not too many girls join sports and only go for the culture clubs" Ichijo began, her tone sounding sad. But a smile quickly fell on her face. "So we'd, like, be totally happy with you as a new recruit!" I flinched at her sudden perkiness, the sweat rolling down my forehead.

"U-Um... Well, I-I'm not so sure that-" I stammered, trying to get out of this situation. I've never played basketball before and if I were to join, I would only bring the team down.

"Please!" Ichijo begged, Nise and Nagase standing behind her, with pleading looks. Ichijo let go my hands and clapped them together in front of her face. "We really need your help girl, even if it's just for a little bit! I'm begging you!" I gulped at the eyes that fell on me. I wasn't used to all this attention.

"Well, I... Uh..." I stammered. Ichijo and Nagase bowed, supporting Ichijo's begging state. After a moment I silently sighed in defeat.

"...Even if it's just for a little bit?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. Ichijo's face light up at my defeated tone and threw her hands up in the air.

"Yes! Thanks so much for joining, you're the best!" Ichijo cheered, tackling me into a hug.

"Hey lineup you guys! We got a new temp. team member!" Ichijo called out, causing the girls who had stopped playing to scatter about, forming a line. Nagase and Nise smiled at Ichijo's happy face, as Nise patted me on the shoulder.

"Thanks for helpin' out, Narukami-chan. I gotta take off, so later!" Nise waved goodbye as he began to walk out the door.

"Look's like I'm not needed. See you later, Ichijo" Nagase said with a nod, walking out the door as well. I sighed once more as Ichijo began to drag me towards the other payers. There was about five players present and a boy there as well. Ichijo wasn't joking when she said there wasn't a lot of girls playing.

"This the new transfer student from class 2-2! Her name is Hitomi Narukami, so be good to her okay?" Ichijo chirped. Ichijo poked me in the ribs after a pause of silence.

"Go on, say something, don't be shy!" Ichijo whispered in my ear.

"Ah... Happy to help out" I said with a small bow.

"Thanks a lot" the girls replied as they bowed.

"So, uh... Where did everybody else go?" Ichijo asked, looking around the empty gym. A girl with blonde hair straightened up as she pointed her thumb behind her.

"They all bailed" she said bluntly.

"We wanted to work on rebounds, but they said that they were all tired and left" another girl with auburn hair explained, an upset look on her face.

"Again?" Ichijo groaned. I looked at her with a blank face as she suddenly remembered something. Ichijo smiled a little as she directed my attention to the right side of the line.

"Oh, I nearly forgot. This is our team manager, Aki Ebihara!" Ichijo introduced. I blinked in surprise of the boy's persistence. He had short light brown hair like Nise's, but it wasn't a bob like his. He has brown eyes, a long chain necklace hanging down from his neck with a few earrings priced into his ears. His jacket was open, showing his white dress shirt.

"Generally, I'm not even here" Ebihara began, running his hand through is hair with a bored look. "So don't go askin' me for any favors, got it?" The girl's sweat dropped at Ebihara's blunt behavior, leaving me speechless. For a manager, he didn't seem to be very motivated.

"I'm done for today" Ebihara said suddenly as he began to walk out the door.

"What?!" Ichijo squeaked, her face becoming pale. "B-But hey, we still have to clean up the place!" Ebihara waved as he continued to walk, grabbing his bag along the way.

"Not my problem. You're all athletes right? Do it yourself, can't be that hard" Ebihara said bluntly, leaving Ichijo and I speechless.

"Ichijo, we got to head off too" the girl auburn hair said, slowly walking towards the doors as well. Ichijo exclaimed in surprise and shock, unable to say anything. A girl with black hair wearing glasses passed by, a big smile on her face.

"There's a party tonight! Can't miss it" she said with a wink.

"Are you guys serious?!" Ichijo asked, stunned by her teammates unenthusiastic behavior. As the players lift the gym, leaving only Ichijo and I, a depressing silence formed in the air; mainly radiating from Ichijo. With a silent sigh, I tapped Ichijo's shoulder, catching her attention.

"I'll help clean up" I said. Ichijo blinked in surprise at my offer, a soft blush forming on her cheeks.

"Huh? Really?" Ichijo asked, stunned. I nodded, causing her face to light up.

"Wow, you're really nice Narukami! Thanks, and sorry for bothering you" Ichijo chirped happily. I shook my head.

"It's fine" I reassured. Ichijo smiled happily as the two of us began to clean the gym.

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Evening...

Nanako and I watched the televisions by ourselves, as usual. The news hadn't come on yet and nothing good was on. I stretched out my arms and legs, humming in sensation. Maybe I should go and study...?

Just as I thought that, the door opened, catching my attention.

"I'm back" I heard Dojima call, causing Nanako to nearly jump to her feet in joy.

"He's home!" Nanako cheered, walking in front of the television and making her way towards the door by passing by me. Nanako's bright smile suddenly disappeared as she froze, quickly walking towards me. I blinked in confusion at Nanako's sudden behavior when she sat down behind me and grabbed my left arm. I looked over to the door and saw that Dojima wasn't alone. As Dojima enters the house with a slightly apologetic, tired, and irritated face; a familiar man entered as well.

"What's up?" the man smiled, brushing off the awkward atmosphere Nanako was creating. Nanako's grip on my arm tighten.

"Um... Hello" Nanako muttered shyly. Dojima rubbed the back of his head as he looked over at the man next to him.

"We got off work at the same time for once, so I'm giving him a ride back to his place," Dojima explained. "I thought we might as well swing by."

"Nice to meet ya. I'm Tohru Adachi, the guy who's been your dad's slave since spring" the man introduced. Dojima made a face at Adachi, as he began to walk towards Nanako and I.

"I can still work you harder, you know" Dojima said coldly, lifting up a plastic bag in his left hand. I blinked at it in surprise, realizing that it was our dinner. Understandable, since he was home a lot earlier than normal. I didn't even have time to think about making food.

"Haha, good one, Sir! Ha... ha... uh..." Adachi laughed nervously. I looked over to Dojima, thinking that he might have been serious about that. Dojima placed the plastic bag down on the table, revealing four black bento boxes with the Junes logo on the side. Noticing the even number of boxes, I looked over to Adachi.

"Will you be having dinner with us, Adachi-san?" I asked, catching Adachi's attention. He stared at me for a bit, deep in thought as Dojima stood up straight; catching my attention once more.

"Yeah. Hope you don't mind if he does" Dojima said with a slightly apologetic tone. Nanako was too busy being overjoyed at the Junes food to have heard him, so I shook my head in reply for both of us.

"It's fine. Just wash your hands first" I replied. Dojima chuckled a little, a weary smile on his face.

"Yes ma'ma" Dojima chuckled, walking over to Adachi. Dojima patted Adachi's shoulder, causing him to tense up.

"Come on, let's go and wash our hands" Dojima instructed. But Adachi remained silent as he continued to stare at me. I stared back, wondering what he was thinking about. Just the other day we met, before Nise had created a commotion that is. Dojima looked back and forth between Adachi and me before smacking Adachi on the head, earning a yelp of pain.

"That's my niece. She'll be living with me for a year" Dojima growled, trying to sound threatening for some reason. Adachi's face went pale as he rubbed the spot that Dojima had hit. I turned my attention over to Nanako, who was happily taking out the black bento boxes one at a time. I helped her take the bento's out as the two men began to wash their hands.

Once all the bento's were set and the two grown-ups in the room had washed their hands, the four of us began to eat. There was a nice selection of rice with a sour plum in the middle as well as some pickles out in the corner, a variety of fish, vegetables, egg, and meat in the smaller sections.

"Oh, you're in high school right? Well, we found that Amagi girl yesterday! Tell all your friends at school" Adachi chirped after swallowing his food, catching my attention.

"We owe you a lot" I said politely. Dojima and any other officer working on this case really do deserve some praise. Working days on end without the proper treatment your body needs isn't good for anyone. Adachi blinked in surprise at my words, a smile forming on his lips.

"Oh! Well, uh... Thanks!" Adachi said sheepishly, a soft blush coming onto his cheeks. Adachi began to mutter to himself, taking a sip of his tea. I continued to eat, finding the food rather decent. Dojima was scarfing down the food, just glad to be eating a real meal; even if it was store bought. Nanako was happily eating, happy that the food came from Junes.

"But, I have to say... She isn't quite off the hook yet" Adachi began, causing me to stop eating; catching my attention. He was flipping the pages of a little blue notebook, skimming it as he continued, "We were just questioning Ms. Amagi, but she says she doesn't remember anything that happened while she was missing. And that sounds to me like she's hiding something..." I flinched at Adachi's hypothesis, wondering how well of an officer he was. At that moment, Dojima smacked Adachi behind the head.

"Stop blabbering, dumbass! Learn to shut your mouth" Dojima growled. Adachi rubbed his head for the second time this evening, if not more.

"Okay, I'm sorry..." Adachi apologized sadly, slouching. After hearing Adachi's apology, I began to eat again, thinking that he dropped the whole suspicion with Amagi. Dojima looked over at me with a normal face, his stern face disappeared.

"Now that the missing person's case we had is actually settled down" Dojima began. "Looks like I can finally take a well earned break during golden week. Around the 4th and the 5th." Nanako gasped a the news, a surprised look on her face.

"Really?" Nanako asked, wanting to make sure she didn't hear it wrong.

"Yep. Is there anywhere you want to go?" Dojima asked, nodding at Nanako. He looked back over to me, raising an eyebrow. "You're going to have at least one day you can take off, aren't ya?" I swallowed the food in my mouth, blinking at him with a blank look.

"For golden week? I believe so..." I replied, a little uncertain. Nanako suddenly gasped excitedly, bouncing up and down, catching everyone's attention.

"Let's have a picnic lunch!" Nanako giggled, causing Dojima to smile.

"Sounds good. We've been eating enough processed food as it is" Dojima chukled. His smile slowly drifted as he sighed in shame. "If only I was better at cooking healthy stuff for ya..." Adachi laughed as he patted my head, causing me to nearly choke at his sudden actions.

"Isn't that what this girl is here for?" Adachi laughed. I swallowed my food and huffed in surprise. Adachi looked over at me with a bright smile. "Right?"

"Who, me?" I asked, a faintly surprised look on my face. Dojima smacked Adachi on the back of the head once again, a recalling look on his face as Adachi yelped. Dojima is rather violent, isn't he?

"Oh yeah, that's right. Didn't you make that small fish meal a few days back?" Dojima asked. I stared at him for a moment, trying to recall what he was talking about. I suddenly remembered about the meal I cooked after my first day of school.

"Ah, yeah... That's right" I muttered, returning my attention to my food. Dojima smiled as he pointed his chopsticks towards me.

"Well then, making picnic baskets are now your responsibility" Dojima said with a smile before returning to his food. I blinked nervously at the sudden responsibility, slouching in defeat.

"Okay, I'll do what I can..." I muttered, slowly picking at my food.

"And for our picnic, we can all go to Junes!" Nanako cheered. I looked up at her as she began to squirm happily, mixing her rice with the sour plum. "Junes! Junes Junes Junes!"

"Junes...?" Dojima muttered, questionably. Dinner was most certainly energetic tonight.

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Wednesday, April 20th | Morning...

"All right, alllllll right! Settle down, now. Class is now in session."

I stared at the male teacher standing in front of the class. He seems to be an elderly looking man with white spiky hair and a wide forehead. He was also wearing large, thick round glasses that covered his eyes. At a first glance, he seemed a little dull and had a hand puppet on his right hand. The puppet looked much like him, with the addition of a red bow-tie.

"My name is Mr. Hosoi and in this class you'll be learning about contemporary writing. Let's all have fun" Hosoi said to the class. I nodded at his positive behavior while taking out my writing notebook. I pulled out my mechanical pencil, opening my notebook to a blank page; ready to take notes.

"I know this is off-topic, but what's the point of applying for colleges outside Inaba? Why even bother? Nothing good ever comes out of competing with city-folk. The countryside is all you need" Hosoi rambled.

"Well, since this is our very first lesson, why don't you show me how much you already know!" Mr. Hosoi began, with a small smile. "Now, then... How many parts are there in Murakami's 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle'?" Hosoi scanned the room, finding a victim.

"Hana-chan! I'm calling on you! I get the feeling you're not much of a reader" Hosoi called out, causing some of the students to look behind me to Hanamura.

"Hey! I read!" Hanamura replied, rather quickly. "I mean, not books, but..." I felt a tap on my shoulder, causing me to look over my shoulder. Hanamura had a desperate look on his face, slightly pale.

"Narukami-chan! C'mon, help me here!" Hanamura begged softly, making sure no one heard him. I leaned back as I looked forward again.

"Three" I whispered. Hanamura nodded and quickly told Hosoi the answer I gave him.

"Very good, Hana-chan!" Mr. Hosoi praised. It seems he didn't notice the answer I gave Hanamura. "Either you're more literary than you look, or that was a lucky guess." Hanamura laughed nervously at that.

"'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle' was released as three separate stories," Mr. Hosoi began to explain. "It's the eighth of his twelve published books. His latest book, '1Q84,' was published in 2009. Its first printing sold out on the very first day of sale! And, of course, that's not counting all his short stories and essays, which I don't have time to get into right now." Hanamura sighed in relief, catching my attention. He smiled wearily at me as he winked at me.

"You're a lifesaver, Narukami-chan, thanks" Hanamura whispered.

"Try to read some more books, Hanamura" I said with a nod. Hanamura groaned softly in defeat as he nodded.

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Lunchtime...

I finished the remaining curry bread in my mouth, swallowing as I began to make my way to the second floor stairway. I usually go to the cafeteria to buy some Mellon or curry bread for lunch. Then I'd head back to the classroom and chill there. The hallways are pretty quiet during this time because they're all hanging out on the rooftop or in the cafeteria.

As I made my way up the stairs, I noticed Ebihara all down them, his bag being carried over his left shoulder. Noticing me, Ebihara rose an eyebrow.

"Well now, if it isn't the new recruit" Ebihara said with an amused tone. I blinked at him as he made his way past me.

"Your name is... Ebi-kun right?" I asked, recalling a few of the girls I my class calling him that. Ebihara scoffed as he glances at me.

"To some people" Ebihara said coldly as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "To you, it's Aki Ebihara." I nodded taking a mental note of his name as I continued to climb up the stairs.

"Actually... Hey, new chick" I heard Ebihara call out, causing me to stop and turn around. Ebihara had a small smile on his face, as his free hand tucked itself into his pocket.

"What do you say you ditch the remaining time of lunch with me?" Ebihara asked. I blinked in surprise at his offer.

"The team asked me to go get a few things for them, see. I could use another pair of hands" Ebihara explained. "You are a team player, right?" I blinked a few times, wondering that to do. Since its for the team... I suppose it wouldn't hurt. We might be able to make it back before lunch is over. I nodded, telling Ebihara that I'll go. Ebihara smirked as he did a thumbs up.

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3rd POV

Hitomi was baffled by the large city she and Aki walked in. It wasn't as big as Tokyo, but after spending time in Inaba; it felt slightly nostalgic. The duo had to take a train, which took about ten minutes. Because school was in session, it wasn't very crowded, allowing the two teens to grab a seat. The place is called, Okina City, which is the nearest big city to Inaba. The first place that Aki took Hitomi was a store called, Croco Fur. Aki browsed through the clothing's, trying on an outfit or two.

"Whoa" Aki exclaimed as he took out an outfit. It was a rather showy dress, a low cut in the middle that made it's way to the stomach, just above the belly button. From the upper thighs down, the sides of the dress flapping open. Aki held it up, showing him and Hitomi that the aqua blue fabric was thin and faintly see through. Aki held the dress in his hands as he turned around to face Hitomi. He smirked as he offered the dress to her.

"Wanna try it on?" Aki said in a sly tone, causing Hitomi's face to explode red. Aki laughed uncontrollably at Hitomi's straight, yet red face.

The two of them continued to walk around the store, Aki completely forgetting about school. Aki just wanted to ditch the remainder of school and go shopping for anything to make him more appealing. But after hanging out with Hitomi, he started to have fun.

After window shopping for a bit more, the two of them decided to buy something over at Starbucks before returning to school. Well, Aki was the one who wanted some coffee.

"The basketball team sure needs some strange things..." Hitomi said as she fiddled with a napkin. Aki laughed a little, finding her denseness amusing.

"That was obviously a lie" Aki snickered. Hitomi blinked in surprise, her eyes still glued to her napkin.

"Really?" Hitomi asked. "Then what was the purpose of brining me?" Aki blinked in surprise. He thought about it for a minute, trying to figure a reason why he did ask her to come. His whole purpose was for her to carry some things, but in the end she didn't even lift a finger.

"Meh, details. Who cares!" Aki said with a scoff, picking up his ice coffee. "Doesn't it feel good to be out? Everybody else is stuck inside at school with their stupid studies. That's what makes this so much fun!" Hitomi nodded in agreement as she continued to fiddle with the napkin, almost turning it into a paper crane.

"It is a nice change. I've never 'ditched school' before" Hitomi admitted as Aki took a gulp of his drink. Aki blinked in surprise at Hitomi's confession, a genuine smile forming on his lips.

"Wow, so you totally get it. And here I thought you were nothing more than a boring square" Aki huffed. Hitomi didn't respond as she focused on finishing her paper crane.

"Ah, hey before you start getting the wrong idea" Aki began, not noticing Hitomi's concentration as he took a gulp of his coffee once again. "Its not like I do this all the time. Since the school started keeping track of my attendance and behavior record, I've been a good boy." After a pause of silence, Aki noticed Hitomi's intense concentration. Aki placed his drink down and stared at her in confusion.

"Just what are you making over there?" Aki asked after a moment. Hitomi finished her paper crane, lifting it up to her lips. Gently, she blew on the paper crane to puff it out.

"What? Did you seriously just make that out of a napkin?" Aki asked before bursting out in laughter. Hitomi placed her paper crane down, exchanging it with her coffee for a sip. Aki rested his head on his left hand, a smile plastered on his face.

"You're different from the other girls at school. I may actually like you" Aki admitted, raising an eyebrow in interest. Hitomi blinked in surprise, the coffee cup still attached to her lips.

"We should get together again. But next time, it really should be after school. Agreed?" Aki suggested, winking. Hitomi nodded in agreement, taking another sip of her drink. Once the two of them finished their drinks, they rushed back to school just in time before school was over.

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Thursday, April 21st

Hitomi's POV

I walked down the stairway to the first floor to head over to the cafeteria. The bell had just rung for lunch, so the hallways were filled with students. Hanamura and Nise had already rushed over to the cafeteria. Unlike the two of them, I wasn't all that hungry or urgent to get food seeing as how I only eat bread from the vending machines.

"Oh hey, if it isn't my favorite teammate!" I heard a familiar high pitched voice call out. I looked over my shoulder, noticing Ichijo walking towards me though the crowds of people. I walked over to a corner of the hallway where not too many people were passing by. I didn't want to stop abruptly in the middle of the hallway and cause traffic. Ichijo caught up to me and smiled.

"Hello Ichijo-san" I greeted. Ichijo laughed nervously, a blush creeping on to her face.

"Hey, no need for formalities! 'Kou' is fine by me" Ichijo giggled, flicking her wrist. I nodded, finding it alright.

"Note taken" I said, rubbing the back of my neck. Kou smiled as she pointed weakly at me.

"It's fine if I can call you Hitomi-chan, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. No formalities, right?" I said with a nod, causing Kou's smile to widen.

"Cool!" Kou giggled. She suddenly gasped as she remembered something. "Oh! Right, I wanted to remind you that we have practice today after school. You better be there!" I nodded, causing her to smile before dashing off to the cafeteria. I walked back into the crowded hallway's, making my way to the cafeteria as well for my bread. Let's see, should I have curry or melon bread today...?

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After school...

The same people from last time were present in the gym, passing balls with each other. We were all changed into appropriate attire. I wore a light blue tank top with white rims, along with black shorts. I passed a ball with Kou due to her persistence on wanting to see how good I was. With the basket ball in my hand, I forcefully passed the ball over to Kou, causing her to smile as she caught it.

"Hey, nice pass! Looking good!" Kou chirped as she passed the ball. I caught it in my hands, feeling the force Kou had put in it. I nodded a thanks before passing the ball back again.

"What, no team manager?" a girl on Kou's row asked, a bored look on her face.

"That guy is the only reason I even come to practice" the girl next to her admitted as Kou passed the ball back to me. Kou flinched at the girl's confession, passing the ball more gently this time.

"Yeah me too! He's probably flirting with a bunch of girls right now. That guy is super easy" the first girl snickered, a smirk on her face as the others besides from Kou and me laughed. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the two girls, finding it strange how they could talk about Ebihara like that. After all, as women; they're the ones who get talked about like this. It sometimes happens to guys, but it's mostly a girl thing. To be called 'super easy'. Not that I know what that means.

"I heard that he has a few sugar mama's!" the girl next to me sneered. She looked at me and started laughing, thinking that I would join. I raised an eyebrow at her as I held the ball.

"Dude with that face, that body, and those abs?! Of course he's going to have a few sugar mama's!" the girl next to Kou scoffed, as if it was the basics of breathing. Kou glared at the girl, placing a hand on her hip.

"Hey, knock it off would ya?!" Kou snapped. "Don't go making up a bunch of crap about him! That's not cool!" The girl next to Kou winked as she waved her hand in front of her face, telling Kou to calm down.

"No girl, it's true! I heard-" the girl began before abruptly stopping, her face turning pale. Everyone turned their attention over to the open double doors and saw Ebihara standing there, a blank look on his face. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became very heavy as Ebihara's eyes practically started shooting daggers at everyone. After a small pause, Ebihara turned around, ready to leave. Kou extended her hand out to him, a nervous look on her face.

"Uh, hey-!" Kou began, only to be cut off by a glare from Ebihara. Kou flinched at Ebihara's eyes and froze in place. Once Ebihara left the room, the girls started to panic slightly in fear. With a silent sigh, I dropped the basketball down to the ground and jogged out the gym. I was able to caught up with Ebihara near the bike racks.

"Ebihara-san, wait up" I called out, catching his attention. "Are you alright? I know that stuff like that doesn't really happen with guys... You don't feel too uncomfortable by that, are you?" Ebihara tied his hands behind his head, a long sigh escaping.

"They're always like that, I'm pretty much used to it by now. I'm fine, really. No biggy" Ebihara explained. There was a small pause as Ebihara thought for a moment.

"To be honest..." Ebihara began, a smile slowly forming. "I kinda think its awesome...!" I froze at Ebihara's words, wondering if he had recently been in an accident over the past 15 hours. Ebihara looked at me with a blushed face, eyes twinkling.

"I love it! I find it flattering!" Ebihara exclaimed, facing me with hands rolled into fists. His blushed face became more red as he looked down at the ground, somewhat embarrassed.

"Ya see, I have the hot's for..." Ebihara began, causing me to blink in surprise. Ebihara's face burned a new shade of red as he smiled brightly. "For Ichijo-chan, she's so cute!" I stared at him for a moment before nodding hesitantly.

"Um... Sure, she is...?" I said uncertainly. People are active in their own way, but there was something about Ebihara's behavior and tone that suggested a different topic.

"She tries to act tough and stuff, when she's really an airhead. She's always so happy and nice, she even stood up for me form those girls back there!" Ebihara began to ramble. "Hey, you two are pretty close right? Do you think I'm her type? Do you think she has eyes on anyone else?!" I stared at him with slightly confused eyes, tilting my head. After a moment I shrugged, closing my eyes.

"I don't know" I replied bluntly. Suddenly, both of my hands were grabbed, causing my eyes to shoot open. Ebihara had a happy yet pleading look on his face as he held my hands, leaning his face slightly closer to mine.

"Please, you gotta help me out here! You're the only one I can turn to!" Ebihara exclaimed, his face turning brighter. "Find out if she likes anybody or not, got it?!" I blinked in surprise, sweat staring to form. I nodded hesitantly, not entirely knowing what was going on. Ebihara cheered as he let go of my hands.

"Aw man, thanks Narukami! You're a pretty awesome chick!" Ebihara cheered, giving me a thumbs up. "I'm going to wait until practice is over. You guys are going to have to put the balls back, so I'll hide in the jumping mat while you put them back!" Ebihara laughed to himself as he walked over to the main building, leaving me completely dumbfounded by the events. After a moment, I sighed before returning back to the gym for the rest of practice.

Once practice was over, the rest of the team members left, leaving only Kou and I alone to clean up. We gathered up all th basketballs the team left behind, pushing the ball filled carts towards the storage room. Ebihara must already be in there, so now should be the time to ask her...

"Hey, Kou-chan? May I ask you a question?" I asked, causing Kou to look over her shoulder at me.

"What's up?" Kou asked. I hesitated for a moment as I held the door open for her to push her ball cart inside. I cleared my throat as I tried to find the proper words for this.

"Um... Do you like anyone?" I asked, using the words Ebihara used. Kou squeaked at my words as I began to push my cart inside the room. Kou rubbed the back of her head as her face turned red.

"D-Do I like anybody? Wh-What brought that on?" Kou asked, her voice nearly cracking. I stopped the ball cart in front of the jumping mat, where Ebihara was supposedly hiding in.

"So... You don't?" I asked, noticing Kou's discomfort. Kou's face turned even more red as she stammered strange sounds, unable to find the right words.

"Oh perfect... You're not going to let this go, are you?" Kou sighed, rubbing the back of her head once more.

"A-Alright, but I'm only telling you this because I trust you. Don't tell him! In fact, don't tell anybody!" Kou said with a serious tone, almost glaring at me. I nodded, accepting her conditions. A suspenseful silence filled the room as Ku took a deep breath.

"... I-I..." Kou began. Her face exploded red as her hands tightened up into fists. "I-I like Nise-kun, okay?! I LIKE NISE-KUN!" I jumped at Kou's loud voice, finding it unnecessary to shout like that. Kou turned her attention to me, her face looking like a ripe tomato.

"And while I'm at it, let me tell you, I'm so jealous that you sit next to him everyday in class! It's so unfair!" Kou squeaked with a pout. I blinked nervously, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I'm, um, sorry?" I replied, confused at what was happening. Kou puffed out her cheeks as she suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck, bringing our faces close.

"Look Hitomi-chan, now that you know, you gotta put in a good word for me!" Kou said with a serious tone, almost sending shivers down my spine. I froze at Kou's words as she let go of my neck.

"I'm gonna go change! See ya later, Hitomi-chan" Kou chirped as she quickly left the room. After a moment, the top of the jumping mat slowly rose up, Ebihara's sad eyes popping out. Ebihara and I stared at each other as a heavy silence filled the room.

"Um..." I began, trying to break the silence. "...Are you alright?" Ebihara said nothing for a moment before standing up fully, getting out of the jump mat.

"I'm fine. Guys don't get emotional about stuff like this, ya know?" Ebihara muttered, placing the jumping mat lid back on. Ebihara calmly walked towards the door, patting my head as he walked by.

"Thanks for your help..." Ebihara muttered, opening one of the doors. I stared after him as he exited the room. After a moment, Ebihara started to sprint. I gasped at his sudden actions, feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"Ebihara-san!" I called out as I ran after him. I chased Ebihara down, nearly slipping every now and then when I made sharp turns. I fallowed Ebihara up to the school top, where Ebihara began to climb the fence.

"I'M GONNA KILL MYSELF!" Ebihara cried out, unsteadily climbing up the fence. I ran over to him and grabbed his waist, trying to pull him down.

"Ebihara-san, please calm down!" I said nervously, putting all my strength into pulling him down.

"I know that Nise guy! Nise Satonaka, that stupid girly man!" Ebihara shouted, his voice cracking. "I'm so much hotter than he'll ever be!" Ebihara started to climb up some more, my hands slipping from the uniform.

"You have to calm down!" I said a little louder, trying to get to him. But he continued to climb, almost reaching the top. My hands struggled to grab something to pull him down, slipping at the fabric. I gritted my teeth as I got closer to Ebihara's body, wrapping my arms around his legs. He let out a sudden yelp as I managed to pull him down. But soon, Ebihara's body started to fall backwards, causing me to fall backwards as well. Ebihara and I both let out a squeak as we fell back, our backs hitting the ground. I let out a small groan as I sat up, quickly turning around to glare at Ebihara.

"Ebihara-san, think how your parents would feel. You aren't thinking straight" I growled a little, as Ebihara stared at me with a faintly red face. After a moment, Ebihara covered his face with his right hands, pressing his lips together.

"So she... Doesn't eve notice me?" Ebihara asked suddenly, his tone sounding sad. I blinked in surprise at his sudden words. "But... I'm so hot now... I worked really hard to look like this..." I flinched in surprise as small tears began to fall down the sides of his face.

"But she..." Ebihara continued, letting out a sob. "Doesn't love me at all! So what's the point?!" I stared at Ebihara, my eyes softening. I gently grabbed his arms, slowly pulling him up so that he could breath properly while Ebihara continued to cover his eyes.

"I'm sorry..." I muttered, trying to comfort him. Ebihara flinched at my words, shortly breaking down after words. Ebihara continued to cry like an infant for a while, trying to stop himself every now and then only to have new tears fall down.

"You see..." Ebihara began once he managed to find his voice again. "I used to be fat and ugly... Everyone in my class would tease me." Ebihara continued to hide his eyes from me as he sniffled, slowly regaining his composure.

"All my classmates would gang up on me and call me... 'Fat-ki' or 'Piggy-hara'..." Ebihara sniffed. "As a guy, it really hurt my self-esteem and pride. So I got sick of it and starved myself, finding ways to be sexy and popular. But in the end, no one likes me." Ebihara's breathing hitched as he took a shuddered breath, tears starting to fall again.

"Why won't they like me...?" Ebihara sobbed, followed by a sniffle. I stared at him with pitiful eyes, unsure how to comfort him.

"I get it, you worked hard for this" I said, thinking it was appropriate. Ebihara laughed a little, while sniffling.

"You're one hell of a girl, you know that?" Ebihara chuckled, wiping away his tears with his sleeve. He looked away from me, a small grin on his face.

"Sorry about that whole crying thing... It wasn't very cool of me, huh?" Ebihara laughed wearily. I shook my head in disagreement.

"I think it's admirable for a man to cry. They have it a lot tougher than girls. So don't worry, I'm sure you'll find someone who'll like you soon" I said gently, unaffected by Ebihara's crying. Ebihara flinched and looked at me with wide eyes, a surprised look on his face. I noticed how red his eyes and nose were from all that crying and rubbing. After a moment he snickered, a small smile forming on his face.

"You're really nice... I wish I had fallen for someone like you instead" Ebihara joked.

"Uh, thanks..." I muttered, while blushing a bit at his words as I looked to the left, feeling shy. I quickly shook off the feeling as I stood up.

"We should head back. I still need to change and lock up the gym..." I apologized, thinking that leaving at a time like this was rude. As I stood up, I suddenly felt my right hand being grabbed, causing me to stop.

"Hey, wait a minute" Ebihara began, catching my attention. "Why don't we... Start seeing each other?" My face brightened as my eyes widened slightly. Still holding my hand, Ebihara locked eyes with mine as he stood up.

"If you mean what you said, you'll do this" Ebihara began, his voice turning serious. "Until I can find the girl I want, I want you to act like you love me." I felt all the blood drain from my face at his order, taking a step back.

"H-Huh?!" I stammered, completely stunned by Ebihara's quick recovery. Ebihara practically glared at me as he slammed his other hand on to the fence, pushing me back as well.

"Do it! Or I'll kill myself!" Ebihara threatened. I stared at him with surprised and nervous eyes, not sure how to cooperate with this. In a way, this was blackmail isn't it? I'm not used to this whole 'love' situation... What if I don't get it right and mess it up? I snapped out of my thoughts as Ebihara's face started to slowly approach me.

"Show me your love, I want it" he cooed, causing my face to explode red. I ducked from underneath him, turning around towards him now that we weren't only inches apart.

"S-S-Sorry! I-I really need to change back to my uniform! A-And I also need to head home, so-!" I stuttered, slowly walking backwards to the rooftop door. Ebihara stared at me with a surprised look before it slowly turned into a mischievous one.

"Then I'll walk you home!" Ebihara chirped. I felt the tip of my ears burning as I waved my hands in front of my face furiously.

"N-No! I-It's fine! It's not that far away! Th-Thanks though!" I stuttered before turning around and running towards the door. Hopefully, all of this was just some sort of prank.

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Friday, April 22nd

3rd POV

It was a sunny day this Friday morning as Hitomi silently walked down the Samegawa Flood Plain, other student's conversation going in one ear and slipping though the other. It's been a while since it was this sunny in Inaba. The sun rays felt rather nice on Hitomi's clothed skin. At the crossroad of the Samegawa, Yosuke and Nise were talking with one another as they turned the corner.

"Huh? Oh hey, Narukami-chan!" Yosuke called out, recognizing the familiar head of silver hair. Hitomi turned around at the sound of Yosuke's voice. A smile came across Yosuke and Nise's face at Hitomi once she locked eyes with them.

"Good morning to ya!" Nise cheered as he waved at Hitomi his smile brightening. Hitomi stopped walking, making it easy for them to catch up.

"Oh, hey. Good mornin-" Hitomi began, but then was abruptly cut off by a call of her name. Hitomi froze as the blood in her face drained. Yosuke and Nise turned around to see who was calling for Hitomi, students nearby slowing down to see what the commotion was about. Soon, girl's eyes widened as they saw Aki, a wide grin on his face as he speed walked towards Hitomi.

"Hey, Hitomi!" Aki called, pushing Yosuke and Nise out of the way. Hitomi took a step back with a pale face as he linked arms with her. Nearby students jaw's dropped at the action the popular boy shared with the transfer student.

"Come on, let's go ditch school today and hang out! I'll take ya shopping, my treat!" Ebihara chirped as he started to drag the silver-haired student away from her original destination.

"I-I can't skip out on school! H-Hey, wait a minute! I-I have a math test today!" Hitomi stammered, causing Yosuke and Nise's eyes to widened. That might have been the first time they have heard Hitomi, they're calm and collected leader, struggle to say words.

"Isn't that the new kid?" a girl in Hitomi's class asked, her eyes looking as if they were about to pop out.

"Is she going out with Aki Ebihara?!" the girl's friend asked, her mouth dangling in shock. Yosuke and Nise felt their blood boil at the girl's suggestions, glaring daggers at Aki's back.

"Just when did the two of them hook up?" Yosuke growled softly. Nise didn't say anything as he continued to glare at the two. Nise scoffed as he turned around, tying his hands behind his back and closing his eyes.

"Who cares. Come on, we'll be late" Nise huffed as he began to walk to school. Yosuke watched Nise walk to school, glaring once more at Aki before fallowing Nise in defeat.

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"You wanted hot chocolate with whipped cream right?" Aki chirped as he handed a small cup to Hitomi. Aki had dragged Hitomi over to Okina City once again, heading straight over to Starbucks. Hitomi hesitantly nodded, taking the cup from his hands.

"Um, thank you..." Hitomi thanked softly, worried about what will happen tomorrow. Aki placed his hand on Hitomi's head as he leaned in towards her.

"Can I get an 'I love you' as a thanks?" Aki cooed, causing Hitomi's face to explode red. Aki chuckled a little at Hitomi's straight expression, a blush of his own forming.

"I'm waiting~! Come on, say it!" Aki chirped, causing Hitomi to slouch a bit. Her face twitched nervously as she looked away.

"I-I can't..." Hitomi stammered, closing her eyes. Aki laughed at Hitomi's response, causing her to blush a little in embarrassment. She wasn't used to this and it made her a little uncomfortable seeing as how this was all forced.

After Hitomi had finished her drink, Aki dragged her to the movie theater "30 Frame". Aki decided to watch an action movie since Hitomi couldn't choose. They had arrived pretty early before the movie could actually start with 20 minutes to spare. So Aki dragged Hitomi into a picture booth.

"What do you want on it?" Aki asked as he wrote something near the bottom. Hitomi blinked in confusion at Aki's question.

"Huh? What do I want on it?" Hitomi asked. Aki nodded as he looked over his shoulder at her, waiting for a reply. Hitomi tilted her head a little as she rose an eyebrow. "Um... A clear picture?" Aki stared at Hitomi in surprise before laughing uncontrollably. Hitomi sighed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of her neck. Aki wiped the tears from laughing to hard out of his eyes as he decided to put a sparkly border around the frame. Once the border was set up, Aki got behind Hitomi and wrapped his arms around her neck, causing her to blush.

"You barely go out, huh?" Aki asked, a chuckle escaping. Hitomi glanced over at him, her eyebrows twitching nervously.

"Um... Well I got out, but never like this before" Hitomi replied softly, her voice cracking. Aki chuckled at Hitomi's response hugging her more tightly but not enough to hurt her. Before the timer showed up, Aki came up with an idea and smiled mischievously at Hitomi who was staring blankly at the camera lenses.

"Hey, let's make out" Aki cooed, resting his chin on top of his arms, his cheek touching Hitomi's. Hitomi's face paled as her eyes widened a little, looking at Aki now.

"What?" Hitomi squeaked, completely baffled by Aki's boldness. Aki smirked at Hitomi's response and poked her nose.

"It's okay. No one is watching, and we are dating after all" Aki chuckled. Before Hitomi could respond, Aki started to draw his face closer to her. Hitomi began to panic silently, not knowing what to do.

"I-I can't, I can't!" Hitomi protested as their faces became uncomfortably close. Hitomi looked away and started to squirm out of Aki's grasp, the photo booth taking their pictures all the while. Once the photo's were done, Aki laughed uncontrollably as they printed out. Hitomi covered her face in embarrassment as she sat in the corner of the photo booth. Aki was actually having fun hanging out with Hitomi. Her face remained straight and expressionless, but her tone showed her true emotions which made Aki laugh. It was especially fun teasing Hitomi the way she was.

"Hey! The pictures turned out great!" Aki laughed, holding the finished small picture rolls in his hands. Hitomi didn't respond, causing Aki to blink in surprise. He peeked inside the photo booth and saw that Hitomi was still sulking in the corner. Aki rested his shoulder on the side of the booth, raising an eyebrow at Hitomi's behavior.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Aki asked. Hitomi didn't reply. Aki stared at her in surprise, amazed at how upset she was at him.

"...Teasing people isn't very nice Ebihara-san" Hitomi muttered after a moment. Aki blinked in surprise, startled by Hitomi's soft response. After a moment, a soft blush came across Aki's face. He let out a silent sigh as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Um... Sorry. I'll lay off the teasing" Aki said with a scratched throat, causing him to shortly clear it. Hitomi slowly looked over her shoulder, to see if he was lying or not. Aki's face brightened up some more as he looked away. Hitomi stared at him a little longer before standing up and walking out of the booth.

"...You'll stop?" Hitomi asked once more, catching Aki's attention. Aki hesitantly nodded, avoiding eye contact.

"Yeah, I mean... I'll try to" Aki muttered. Hitomi stared at him for a bit before nodding.

"Thank you, Ebihara-san" Hitomi said, causing Aki's face to burn red. He knew that Hitomi wasn't smiling, but for some reason he pictured a cute little smile on Hitomi's face from her tone.

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Saturday, April 23rd

Hitomi sulked at her desk, recalling the scolding that she and Aki got from Morooka. Morooka was mostly upset at Aki rather than Hitomi, saying that Aki shouldn't drag innocent girls like her away from school. She tried to push the memory away as she took out her history notebook, listening to a lecture from a female teacher named Sofue.

"Well then, I'll begin my lecture on the Age of Discovery, which occurred between the 15th and 17th centuries" Sofue began, eagerly. "Many types of vegetation were introduced to Europe during this era. Among them, tulips from Turkey deserve special attention. Gardening for pleasure was becoming popular, causing the price of tulip bulbs to rise. It was the world's first economic bubble incident: 'Tulip mania.' Along with the South Sea Bubble and the Mississippi Company, it is said to be one of the biggest bubbles in European history."

"Hey!" Sofue suddenly shouted, pointing her encryption rod at Yosuke. "Mr. Hanamura, wake up! What was the first economic bubble incident in the world?" Hitomi looked over her shoulder to see Yosuke jolt in his seat.

"Ngh?! What?" Yosuke asked, blinking his eyes to help his vision focus. Sofue looked expectantly at Yosuke, who looked to Hitomi for help. Hitomi looked forward, placing her hand to the back of her neck. She slowly began to spell out a few words, which Yosuke concentrated on translating.

"Tulip mania...?" Yosuke guessed, putting Hitomi's words together.

"Hmm, so you were actually listening" Sofue hummed, satisfied with Yosuke's answer. "Yes, it was tulip mania. Tulip bulbs imported into Holland became extremely, and prices jumped dramatically as a result. At its highest, a single bulb was worth the price of a luxurious house. However, once the bubble burst, prices fell once again, and the trade cities in Holland were thrown into confusion." Yosuke sighed as he rubbed his eyes, relieved that he translated Hitomi's words correctly.

"Mr. Hanamura, do take care to not let that snot-bubble of yours burst, or you may also be thrown into confusion" Sofue laughed, joking with Yosuke. A few of the students began to chuckle as Yosuke blushed a little.

"I'm not making snot bubbles!" Yosuke replied. "Anyway, I was right, wasn't I?" Hitomi sighed as she went back to writing down her notes. Hearing Hitomi's sigh Nise glanced at her in confusion. It wasn't everyday that Hitomi sighed so loudly. Hitomi felt a tap on her shoulder and looked over to see Yosuke smiling at her.

"Thanks, Narukami-chan" Yosuke whispered, clearly grateful for her help. Taking care of Yosuke was starting to become a part of Hitomi's school life. "I'll have to stay awake for the next one." Hitomi nodded slowly before looking back at her notes, sighing. Yosuke and Nise stared at the silver-haired girl in confusion, unsure what was wrong with her.

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After school...

"Hey Narukami-chan" Yosuke called out to the sulking girl as he and Nise walked over to her. "We're goanna meet up at Junes's food court after school today."

"We need to sit down and review those cases" Nise explained, crossing his arms with a smile. Hitomi sighed softly as she lowered her head.

"Yeah, right... We need to do that..." Hitomi muttered. Nise and Yosuke blinked in surprise at the sulking girl, recalling that she was like this earlier this morning too.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nise asked, uncrossing his arms. Hitomi didn't reply. Yosuke rubbed the top of Hitomi's head, leaning in towards her slightly.

"You aren't feeling good or something?" Yosuke asked. Hitomi shook her head slightly. Nise and Yosuke exchanged glances, concerned about their leader's strange behavior. Suddenly, a dark and slightly creepy ringtone went off, causing Hitomi to freeze. Yosuke blinked in surprise, seeing her iPhone going off inside her desk.

"Uh... You're not gonna get that?" Yosuke asked, removing his hand from her head and standing up straight. Hitomi flinched at Yosuke's words and gulped.

"O-Oh yeah... Right..." Hitomi stammered, causing Yosuke and Nise's eyes to widen. This was the second time that their leader struggled with words. They would have considered this cute if it weren't for Hitomi's frightened atmosphere.

"Hello...?" Hitomi muttered into her iPhone, her eyes closed with slight fear.

"Hey! If it isn't my girl! You sure take your time picking up, making me wait three rings" Aki said on his side of his iPhone, a grin widening on his face. Hitomi quickly ended the call, putting the iPhone on top of her desk. The trio went silent as the boys stared at the silver-haired girl.

"What was that about?" Yosuke finally asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. Hitomi flinched at Yosuke's words and glanced down to the ground.

"Oh, n-nothing... Much..." Hitomi stuttered. She gulped loudly as she fidgeted, thinking what to do. After a moment, Hitomi grabbed her iPhone and her bag, dialing someone's number as she walked towards the door. Nise and Yosuke watched Hitomi walk off, dialing the numbers with shaky fingers.

"Hey, Narukami-chan! Where ya goin'?" Nise called out. Hitomi didn't reply as she put her cell device next to her ear, struggling to open the door. Once Hitomi was out of the room, Nise stared at the door with shocked eyes, that almost looked betrayed.

"Did she just blow me off?" Nise asked, tying his hand behind his head. "That was pretty weird..." A thought came into Nise's head as he scrunched up his face in anger and disgust.

"Oh, I bet it was Ebihara who was calling her" Nise muttered.

"Ebihara?" Yosuke raised an eyebrow at the now closed door, crossing his arms. "What the hell is he doing to make Narukami-chan so wound up like that?" Nise went silent for a moment before scoffing, turning around from the door Hitomi exited.

"Whatever. Come on, let's go" Nise grumbled, catching Yosuke's attention.

"Huh? We're going on without her?" Yosuke asked, not wanting to leave. He preferred to go spy on Hitomi and Aki right now.

"I'm in the mood for some steak. We'll just chill today since Narukami-chan's out" Nise began. He looked over his shoulder, through his vented arms and looked at Yosuke. "And you're buying!" Yosuke lowered his head in defeat, letting out an exhausted groan.

"Of course I am..." Yosuke muttered.

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Sunday, April 24th

Hitomi's POV

I walked down the road of the central district secretly, hoping not to run into Ebihara. Nanako was out playing with a few of her classmates, giving me the opportunity to go to June's and buy ingredients for dinner tonight.

To my surprise, Ebihara has been a lot kinder to me. He hasn't been teasing me as much, which is a good thing. But at the same time, he has also become rather protective of me. He somehow found where the Dojima's lived and tries to walk me home. He also insisted that I text him everything I'm doing. I'm a bit nervous because of him now. What if Dojima sees the two of us together and think we are in an intimate relationship? It would be rather troublesome to explain to him that I was only helping Ebihara emotionally recover from his one sided feelings.

As I stealthily walked through the central district, keeping my head low, I noticed Nagase walking alone.

"Hm? Oh, if it isn't the new basketball player" Nagase said with a surprised tone, noticing my presence. I walked over to her with a slightly surprised look.

"Good afternoon, Nagase-san. What are you doing here?" I asked, a little curious as to why she was by herself. Nagase was wearing athletic attire today with tight black shorts, a large black and a white striped v-neck t-shirt.

"Uh well..." Nagase began, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "I was going to hang out with Ichijo today, but she had to go to the 'Mighty house of Ichijo's' today. I was just walking around, trying to find something to do." I nodded, taking in her information. Nagase started to stare at me with questioning eyes, causing the air between us to become slightly intense. I blinked in surprise at her intent staring, a soft blush forming on my cheeks. After a moment, Nagase looked at me straight in the eyes, her expression becoming serious.

"Hey, do you have a moment? I could really use your help with something" Nagase said sternly, causing me to straighten up.

"Um... Sure" I replied, sensing the tension she had in her words. Nagase looked around and pointed over to the left. I followed her finger and saw that she was pointing to the popular Chinese restaurant, "Aiya".

"Wanna grab something to eat? We'll split it" Nagase suggested. I frowned faintly at the Chinese restaurant. I had only brought enough money for tonight's dinner. If I waste even a small portion, I won't have enough. Well, guess I'll just buy a to-go for Nanako. I looked back over to Nagase and nodded.

"Alright then, let's go!" Nagase chirped as the two of us cautiously crossed the street.

The first thing that caught my attention was the heavy aroma of meat, seafood, noodles, and different kinds of broth. The room was decorated with many different kinds of Chinese artifacts as well as Japanese. The store was rather small and right in the middle that instantly caught your eye was the main serving counter where a man with round glasses and a small mustache worked at. There were several oak wooden tables along the walls with red cushions on top of the chairs. It seemed like a nice place. They certainly like the color red. Nagase walked over to the first stool connected to the counter in front of us, taking a seat. I followed her to the second stool next to her on her left and took a seat.

"I'll have the beef and rice, and some green tea" Nagase ordered. She looked at me with a small smile on her face, causing me to flinch. I looked over to the man behind the counter, nodding a little.

"I'll have the same. And one more to-go please" I said shyly. The man smiled at us and nodded, turning around to begin cooking.

"So... About Ichijo..." Nagase began after a moment. She was slowly starting to open up. "I don't really like talking behind her back like this, but... I want you to help her out." I stare at Nagase with questioning eyes, tilting my head slightly.

"What do you mean...?" I asked.

"It's about Ichijo's family" Nagase began, her eyes narrow. "She lives by herself, but her parents' place is like, right next door. Once a week she drops by there, like today." "Her family is- what's the word I'm looking for- distinguished? Very traditional, very strict. But you'd never know just by looking at them." I slowly took in Nagase's information, nodding occasionally.

"I see... So, how does this affect Kou-chan?" I asked, not fully understanding the situation. Nagase tied her hands together and rested her elbows on the table, resting her chin on top of her hands.

"Well, let's just say that her family doesn't like basketball. They call it 'barbaric'" Nagase sighed. She let out an exhausted chuckle as he glances at me. "It's completely understandable though. I mean, girl soccer and basketball teams? We barely get any new recruits because most girls don't like the fact about getting sweaty and stuff." I nodded, understanding Kou's family point of view. I tied my hands together and rested them on top of the table.

"I got it. I'll do everything I can to help, Nagase-san" I said seriously, causing Nagase to sit up and look at me, a wide smile in her face.

"Really? Oh man, that'd be great!" Nagase chirped. She gave me a thumbs up and winked. "Since you're helping me out on this, there's no need for you to call me 'Nagase-san' and stuff." I nodded, taking a mental note of our new friendship. An idea slowly drifted in my mind as I placed my right hand to my chin, thinking for a moment.

"...How about a game?" I suggested, softly. Chou blinked at me in confusion as I continued to this about the solution to Kou's problem. From what Chou had told me, Kou is losing interest in basketball because her parents... So all I need to do is spark that fire she once had!

"Huh?" Chou asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A game" I repeated. "You and Kou-chan both said that most girls sports are low on team members. If a sports team doesn't have enough players, they can't participate in a game right?" Chou thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, that's right. I think it's in the handbook or something..." Chou replied, a little unsure herself. I nodded, putting more of the pieces together.

"Okay, so then" I began, "Because I'm a part of the team, the basketball team has enough players. So, let's sign up the basketball team with a game." Chou thought for a moment, nodding at my idea. Slowly, a smile began to form on her face.

"Not a bad idea!" Chou exclaimed, excited by my idea. I scratched my right cheek sheepishly, as I averted my eyes from hers.

"I don't really know much about stuff like this, so can you do it?" I asked shyly, feeling that I should have done it. Chou giggled with a nod, causing me to silently sigh in relief. I wouldn't know what to do if neither of us knew what to do.

"...I'm glad I can count on you" Chou said with a smile. I nodded back, feeling her gratitude towards me. I can feel a bound forming between Chou and I.

"AIYAA! You're meal is ready!" the owner shouted, causing Chou and I to jump. Chou laughed at my surprised expression as she took her bowl of glistening rice and beef. I took my own bowl hesitantly, along with the plastic bag with the to-go box inside.

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Tuesday, April 26th

I panted softly in exhaustion as everyone in the basketball team lined up, as ordered from Kou.

"Alright, listen up ladies! I got some good news!" Kou began, a bright smile on her face. "Thanks to Hitomi-chan, our team is big enough to play at a practice game this weekend!" A loud groan of shock and exhaustion swept over the other team members, causing Ebihara to raise an eyebrow at them. Kou smiled wearily at them, waving her hands in the air.

"Hey come on, don't be like that! We haven't done this since forever, so let's get out there and show them what girls are made of!" Ku chirped, pumping a fist in the air. The others groaned in defeat, exhausted looks on their faces.

"Sure..." they groaned.

"Yo! Ya got a second?" a familiar voice called out. I blinked in surprise to see Hanamura and Nise walk into the gym. Hanamura had a small smirk in his face while Nise looked confused.

"Hm? Oh, wassup Yosuke-kun" Kou asked. A faint blush covered her cheeks as she noticed Nise.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked, drawing my attention back to them. Hanamura smiled a little me before looking back at Kou.

"I've been talking to Nise here, and he wants to become your team manager!" Hanamura chirped. I froze in shock as Ebihara flinched while Kou exclaimed.

"Say what?!" Nise exclaimed, just as surprised. Hanamura brushed off their surprised looks as he placed a hand in his hip.

"Can he give it a shot?" Hanamura asked. Nise glared at Hanamura as the two of them whispered to each other.

"U-Uh, yeah, that would be great!" Kou stuttered, a big smile on her face as her cheeks grew more red. She walked over to Nise and smiled brightly at him, tying her hands in front of her chin. "Thanks so much Nise-kun! We can really use the help with the upcoming game!" Nise turned his attention over to Kou, noticing her happiness.

"Uh... Well, I guess I can help out for just one game..." Nise said sheepishly, a small smile on his face. The blood in my face began to drain as I glanced over to Ebihara. He was glaring daggers over to Nise, an angry look on his face. I gulped silently as I glanced back over to Kou.

"Alright, now that that's all done and settled; let's go and shower up guys!" Kou instructed. Almost immediately, all the girls ran over to the locker room. Kou turned her attention over to Hanamura and Nise. "We'll see you later Nise-kun! Yosuke-kun!" The boys nodded and walked out the gym, Nise smacking Hanamura at the back of his head. Once they were gone, Ebihara grabbed his stuff and began to storm off, catching Kou and my attention.

"Oh! Uh, Ebihara-san! Can you help clean this time?" Kou asked. Ebihara looked over his shoulder, his eyes filled with anger.

"I'd love too, but I'm in a pretty crappy mood right now" Ebihara growled, causing Kou to squeak a little. Ebihara waved and turned back around, making his way out of the gym. "I'm outta here."

Once Ebihara left, Kou sighed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Looks like it's just you and me again..." Kou chuckled wearily. I nodded in agreement.

"I'm alright with it" I said bluntly, causing Kou's eyes to water. She suddenly hugged me, nearly squealing the air or of me.

"You're the best, Hitomi-chan! I can always count on you!" Kou squeaked, clearly happy by my help.

"So I've been told lately" I choked out, gently breaking Kou's bone crushing embrace. Kou laughed as the two of us began to collect all the basket balls.

Once the gym was clean of basket balls, and the carts were pushed inside the storage room, there was a heavy silence in the changing room. I was slightly uncomfortable by the silence, wondering where the cheerful Kou had gone.

"Hey... Hitomi-chan?" Kou began, her tone soft and serious. I pushed my arms out of the long turtleneck sleeves, turning towards Kou, whom was still in her underwear while sitting on the bench; her back facing me

"Yeah?" I asked, smoothing out my turtleneck.

"Listen... After this next game, I'm afraid I might have to quit the team" Kou hesitantly explained as she put on her uniform skirt.

"What for?" I asked, a little surprised by her sudden announcement.

"Well..." Kou began, a little nervous to open up. "You see, my grandma never really approved for the whole basketball thing... I'm from a big family and I'm the first in line to run things." I stared at Kou's back, understanding her situation thanks to the conversation Chou and I had.

"It sucks... " Kou chuckled wearily, slouching a bit. My eyes softened in pity as Kou slowly turned towards me, a weak but cheerful smile on her face. "I've only ever talked about this with Nagase, but... I figured I can trust you with it too." I could feel the trust Kou had in me, making me feel as if our friendship was deepening.

"...Kou-chan" I began, my eyes becoming more firm as I looked at her dead in the eye. "This last game, I'll do everything I can to help you win it. We'll have to start training extra hard from now on." Kou blinked in surprise at my words, clearly not expecting me to say that. She stood up and clapped her hand stood together in excitement.

"Awesome! You're the best!" Kou laughed, a wide smile forming. "You know what, if we do win; I'm going to tell Nise-kun how I really feel about him!"

I froze at Kou's last sentence. As Nise's friend and also Ebihara's emotion supporter, I was becoming nervous.

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Friday, April 29th

3rd POV

It was a rainy day this afternoon in Inaba. Today was Showa Day, which meant there was no school today. But that didn't stop Yasogami girls basketball team. Well, at least, not all of them. There were a couple of no shows, casing Kou to go and call Chou to help out. Chou was also able to bring along a friend, giving the team enough players.

As Hitomi stretched out her legs, a familiar voice called out to her. Hitomi stood up straight and saw Yosuke walking towards her, a smile on his face as he wore his casual clothes today.

"Hanamura, what are you doing here?" Hitomi couldn't help but ask. Yosuke smiled as he stuffed his hands into his coat's pockets.

"To cheer you on, of course!" Yosuke chuckled. Hitomi blinked in slight surprise before nodding.

"Thank you, Hanamura" Hitomi said, causing Yosuke to smile and blush a little. To be perfectly honest with himself, he wanted to see Hitomi play. He was slightly curious to see how good she was over the past few days she practiced and well... Her chest. Suddenly, something hit Yosuke's head, causing him to yelp.

"Oops" Nise said as he looked at Yosuke as he held his head in pain. The cause of Yosuke's injury was from one of the tripod legs that Nise was holding over his shoulder. Aki walked right past the trio, a scowl on his face as he growled softly.

"Oh, hello Nise-kun" Hitomi greeted. Nise turned his attention towards Hitomi, quickly smiling at her.

"Hey. Good luck out there" Nise said as his smile grew. Hitomi nodded a thanks as Yosuke slowly rubbed his head.

"Hitomi-chan, come on! Help Nagase stretch!" Kou called out, catching the trio's attention. Hitomi nodded goodbye to Nise and Yosuke as she jogged over to Kou. Yosuke continued to rub his head in pain as Nise went over to the managers bench to put the tripod down. Turning on the camera and it setting up, Aki suddenly stood in front of the camera.

"I don't care if it's just for one game," Aki began. He growled as he bent over, his face being the main focus of the camera. "The likes of girly men are not welcomed here!" Nise's eyebrow twitched in anger as he looked up to lock eyes with Aki.

"Why do you care what happens? I hear that you barely even come to practice, let alone help the girls out" Nise growled, causing Aki's blood to boil. Soon the two began to argue. Yosuke stared at them with sweat rolling down his jaw, amazed that both of them were so into Hitomi. He himself couldn't help but feel a little jealous at this fact.

Before they knew it, the game had started. The Yasogami girls and the opposing team bowed in respect, shouting to play fair. The referee blew the whistle and the game commenced. Hitomi was able to grab the ball at the start, putting the team in the lead. She dribbled towards the opposing team's basket before getting cut off by a member. Hitomi turned her back towards her opponent and looked for someone to pass it too. She locked eyes with Kou, nodding slightly. In a swift movement, Hitomi pretended to pass the ball over to the right, causing half the court to scurry; giving her the opportunity to secretly pass the ball to Kou. Kou caught the ball with ease, thanks to the difficult training Hitomi forced her and Chou to do.

As the game played out, Aki glared at Nise as he wrote down notes for the team. Aki couldn't stand Nise's serious face. Who did he think he is, waltzing right on in here, suddenly becoming the team's manager? Aki growled as he turned his attention towards back the game. Throughout the game, Aki and Nise would seek secret glances at each other, getting angrier and angrier with each glance. Before they knew it, there was five minutes left of the game, the score being 10-14. Aki finally let out a scoff as he rested his elbow on his left knee.

"Seeing you up close just pisses me off even more! I cant believe I lost to a girly looking dog like you" Aki growled, causing Nise to straighten up in annoyance.

"What are you talkin' about?" Nise asked with a strain voice, trying hard not to blow up in anger. Aki snarled as he began to tap his foot in annoyance.

"Don't act like you don't know!" Aki snapped. "I'm going through hell because of you!" Nise gritted his teeth as he glanced over to Aki, his eyebrow twitching.

"Well, as long as we're sharing, I've got something to tell you" Nise began, his voice practically seething in anger. "I've seen the way you push Narukami-chan around. It's horrible!" Aki froze in surprise and shock, a small smirk shaping on his lips.

"No way, you have the hot's for Hitomi?" Aki asked, slightly amused. Nise blushed as he looked back at his clip bored, not making eye contact.

"She's my friend!" Nise snapped, his blush growing. Aki scoffed as he glared at the embarrassed Nise, new anger growing within him.

"You're loved and you've got a bunch of friends to boot..." Aki muttered. Unable to control himself anymore, Aki stood up and punched Nise right in the face, causing him to fall off the bench with a red cheek.

"You've got everything, you bastard!" Aki snapped, ready to stomp Nise in the stomach. Nise rolled away from Aki's foot, jumping to his feet.

"What the hell?! All I was sayin' is that if your going to be Narukami-chan's boyfriend, then treat her better!" Nise snapped, punching Aki in the face. Aki growled at his stinging cheek, aiming a sloppy punch towards Nise. Nise dodged it with ease and landed another jab to Aki's face. The two boys started to go all out, using whatever they could to bring as much pain as they could to the other. Yosuke was intently watching the game, not noticing the heated fight next to him.

All the while, the basketball game was becoming more intense. Time was running out and Hitomi and Kou were working as hard as they could to win. The girls were sweating, giving it a lot of effort. But compared to Hitomi and Kou, they were nothing more than raindrops. Hitomi was dripping with sweat, her hand and face acting almost like waterfalls while her hair stuck onto her like a magnet. Kou was producing sweat for others, her hair starting to turn moist.

"Less than a minute left!" Kou called out to Hitomi. Hitomi nodded, stealing the ball from the opposite member. Kou ran over to Hitomi, causing Hitomi to pass the ball to her. Hitomi staggered a bit as the opposite team began to turn it's attention to Kou. Hitomi noticed the all out war between Nise and Aki, nearly slipping in surprise.

"Hey, knock it off you guys!" Hitomi scolded. "This might be Kou-chan's last game! Sit down and watch her!" The mention of Kou's name was able to bring Aki back to his scenes. Aki looked over to the court, instantly spotting Kou as Nise was dragged away by Yosuke- who noticed the fight once Hitomi pointed it out. Kou was surrounded by the opponents, clinging onto the basketball with her soaking wet hands. Kou gritted her teeth as she twirled around, taking a shot. The ball hit the rims of the hop, slowly tilting in, earning the team a point. The buzzer rang, signaling the end of the game. Kou panted heavily in exhaustion and defeat, wiping her forehead with her arm. Yasogami had lost by two points, the shot Kou made barely making a difference. The opposite team cheered and high-fived in victory.

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"We did our best!" Hitomi, Kou, Chou, and Aki cheered as they raised their drinks up in the air. Yosuke and Nise fallowed their actions and raised their glasses as well, not saying a word. Kou, Chou, Aki, Yosuke, and Nise took large gulps of their beverage while Hitomi took a small sip. All at once, everyone let out a sigh of relief, taking in the delicious aroma of the Aiya Chinese Diner.

"One beef over rice" a momentum, female voice said; catching the crew's attention. A short girl with pale skin, brown eyes and navy blue hair holding a tray with one hand; three bowls in hand. Part of her hair is braided and adorned with a hairclip with a Chinese design. Kou happily shot up her hand into the air, catching the girl's attention.

"That'd be me!" Kou sang, happy to receive some food. The girl nodded and made her way over to us. Yosuke and Nise stared at the girl for a moment before aweing in realization, nodding simultaneously. They had discussed that Hitomi reminded them of someone. It was this girl.

"Huh? Wait, hold on a sec" Yosuke began, realizing something. "Does your family run this place, Aika? Could we have been classmates this whole time and I didn't know this?" Aika looked over to Yosuke after setting down the two beef bowls, nodding.

"Yeah, guess so" Aiko said bluntly. Kou happily took apart her chopsticks, a wide smile on her face.

"Man, I'm always starving after a game~! I'm digging in!" Kou giggled, happily eating. Hitomi nodded in agreement, eating her food as well. There was an intense silence over the table as the crew watched Kou scarf down her food. Guilt flowed through Chou's blood as she sighed softly.

"Ichijo... I'm sorry. I let you down" Chou muttered, catching everyone's attention. Kou swallowed her food and smiled at Chou.

"What are you talking about?! We did kick some serious ass, even though we lost!" Kou laughed. Hitomi swallowed her food and tilted her head slightly.

"Didn't you say that... This would be your last game?" Hitomi asked. Kou looked over to Hitomi with wide eyes, as if she was hearing by the idea for the first time. After a small pause, Kou smiled gently at her as she closed her eyes.

"Yeah, about that... I think I'm gonna keep playing after all" Kou announced, causing Hitomi, Chou, and Aki to exclaim.

"I've realized something after playing that game. I love playing basketball! I hate losing, and well... I just refuse to let it end like this!" Kou opened her eyes and smile at Hitomi.

"If it weren't for you deciding to join us, I probably wouldn't have been able to experience such a good game like this... So thanks, Hitomi-chan" Kou said with a nod. Hitomi blinked in surprise at Kou's words of gratitude, feeling an unbreakable bond forming. Hitomi's eyes softened as she nodded. Kou smiled brightly as she pointed her chopsticks to Hitomi.

"So what do you say? Are ya gonna stick around with the team?" Kou asked. Hitomi sighed with exhaustion, nodding.

"Sure..." Hitomi muttered, causing the crew to laugh. Kou smiled as she leaned over to Hitomi, covering the side of her mouth.

"Hey, someday when we do win; I'll tell him how feel" Kou whispered, causing Hitomi to freeze. Nise finished drinking his drink as he huffed, catching everyone's attention.

"I'd love to stay, but I can't. It seems that I don't mix well with a certain someone" Nise growled, glaring at Aki. Aki didn't react to Nise's glare as he looked over to Kou.

"So, um... Hey, Ichijo?" Aki began, a soft pink on his cheeks as Kou's attention turned toward him. "Could I, uh, you know... Stay with the team?" Kou's face light up as she smiled brightly.

"Of course! That'd be great!" Kou exclaimed with a nod. Aki blushed at Kou's happy smile, a small smile of his own forming.

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After Hitomi and Kou had finished their meals, it was time for everyone to head home. Kou laughed happily with Chou as they talked about Kou's final shot. Hitomi walked behind the girls as the boys paid for Hitomi and Kou's meal.

"Hey, Hitomi!" Aki called out as he jogged over to her. Hitomi looked over her shoulder towards the light brown haired boy as he smiled at Kou's back.

"You know, I think I'll be okay on my own now" Aki announced, causing Hitomi to blink in surprise. He closed his eyes as he tied his hands behind his head.

"You're really chill and super nice. And I wanted to spoil you. At least, until I finally got over being rejected" Aki began. He looked over to Hitomi and smiled sheepishly. "For a minute there, I thought I was gonna fall for you!" Hitomi's face paled as Aki laughed, pulling out something from his bag. He handed it over to Hitomi, winking.

"Here, take this as a memento form our time together" Aki said. Hitomi hesitantly took it, realizing that it was the pictures from that day they skipped out on school. On the picture, Hitomi's face was struck with horror as Aki smiles brightly, a sparkling border around them with the words "Thanks, my fake girlfriend" on the bottom.

"It's a major pain in the ass, but I'll try to become a better manager..." Aki sighed, catching Hitomi's attention once more. "You helped me make that decision... And you know what? It's about time I did. Thanks a lot for all that you've done!" Hitomi blinked in surprise at Aki's new attitude, nodding a your welcome. Aki smirked as he patted Hitomi's head.

"You should keep showing up to practice. It's fun watching those melons of yours bounce" Aki teased, causing Hitomi's face to explode in embarrassment. Aki laughed uncontrollably as he walked over to Kou and Chou. Hitomi sighed in both exhaustion and relief. It has been the longest days in her entire life.