Hayami Rinka.
Chiba had first met her in the end class. At first, he regarded her passively, taking note of her stoic face, not unlike his, and her orange hair which fit well with her emerald green eyes.
That had been before the moon exploded, leaving a gaping hole in its midst, causing its shape to form a permanent crescent. In the next week, Class 3-E was presented a new teacher: the supernatural being who claimed to have blown up the moon. The ministry of defense gave the class weapons, anti Sensei weapons. Knives, guns, grenades...
But Korosensei, the perverted octopus emoji teacher, was the best teacher any of the students could have ever asked for. Mr. Karasuma, the PE teacher, trained them on how to be assassins: how to fight, manipulate, shoot, parkour, you name it.
That was then when Chiba and Hayami started to spend more time together. They both because fast friends to the point where one could easily tell if the other was feeling down. It was to the point where they could literally read each other's thoughts, so it was nice when Karasuma deemed them both the best snipers in class, which meant they could spend more time together.
However, on more recent terms, Chiba'd began to notice the more subtle things about Hayami. Like the way she tugged at her hair when she was nervous, the way her face set when she was on a sniping attempt, the way her eyes looked whenever she smiled.
Hayami's smile...
Her eyes, as green as fresh blades of grass, would brighten, so unlike the calculating glances she usually would give. Her lips curled up softly, a welcome change from her usual stoic expression. It was like, for a moment, she was shining brighter than the sun.
Chiba knew he had to push those feelings away. They were sniping partners, and it would distract them from the assassination. But it was getting harder and harder to avoid his feelings each day...
"Chiba Ryuunosuke!" Hayami said loudly, waving her hands around his face. "Sorry, I was just thinking..." He said, rubbing the back of his neck apologetically. She just nodded. "I was asking you if you wanted to study at my place today."
He agreed, and together, they started walking towards Hayami's house.
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Hayami sat on her bed, having finished her last physics problem. Thanks to Chiba's help, she's gotten the hang of the lesson.
Chiba...
Calm and stoic, although not as much as she was. But there was a softer, more gentler side to him. Like the time he hugged her. It was on the classes' trip to Kyoto, right after they'd found out what had happened to Kayano and Kanzaki.
Chiba had pulled Hayami in for a hug, his warmth flush against hers. Because of the fact that Chiba was a head taller than Hayami, her face was pressed against his shoulder.
"What's this for?"
Hayami felt warm and safe in his arms, the safest she'd felt in a long time. She felt so cared for and protected... she felt loved.
Chiba put his arms on her shoulders, holding her at arms length. "I'm just glad you're safe." He said simply, looking her in the eyes.
"Is that what you were worried about?" Hayami joked weakly, attempting to cover the blazing heat on her cheeks. "I can take care of myself, you know."
Chiba chuckled. "Yeah, Yeah... But seriously,don't go leaving me anytime soon, okay? I don't know what I'd do without you..."
They were both blushing now as Chiba realized what he just said. "So, um, it's pretty late, so... see you tomorrow. Good night, Hayami." And with that, he walked off.
She watched him leave. "Good night, Chiba."
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Present Time
Chiba looked at the night sky above the rolling waves of the beach from where he was in the hotel of the island for Kunugigaoka's summer trip. So much had happened in the last three days.
The class had made an assassination plot so foolproof they were sure they could have killed their teacher. But Chiba and Hayami had both failed. The pressure had been too much for the both of them, and they'd let their classmates down. Even though Korosensei had praised their attempt, they still both felt the crushing sense of defeat.
That same night, half the class has gotten sick from an unidentified virus, and Chiba and Hayami were asked to use real guns, right after they'd failed using fake ones! If it weren't for Korosensei's encouragement, the two of them would never had had the nerve to shoot.
After a standoff between Nagisa and Takaoka with an anticlimactic ending, they kicked off the next day with a "horror tunnel" which just turned out to be their sleazebag teachers way of hooking people up. It ended up backfiring when the students started scaring Korosensei themselves.
It was a pretty hectic assassination vacation, all right...
"Hey, Hayami. Want to go for a walk?" Chiba tilted his head toward the beach.
"Sure, why not." She replied easily. It was just easy for them to communicate with each other. They could understand each other better than their friends or families ever could
They walked in silence along the beach for a while, taking in the view of the moonlight over the water as the waves rippled calmly across their feet.
"Some vacation, huh?" Chiba said, grinning.
"Yeah...Korosensei is pretty great, helping us use real guns after missing our shot."
They both sat down by the water, letting the water graze their toes before retreating back into the ocean.
"We need to work on dealing with pressure in our training so we don't mess up next time."
"Exactly. And Chiba?"
"Yeah?"
Hayami gave him a small smile, short and sweet. The wind caused her orange hair to ripple as she said, "I'm glad you're my sniping partner."
"Hayami..." He needed to tell her. How he really felt about her. Conveying their feelings was hard for the both of them, but he knew that she of all people would understand what he was saying. The truth is, he really liked her. Maybe even loved her.
"Chiba?"
"Hm?"
"Can I see your eyes?" Hayami blushed prettily. He just stared at her, finally snapping out of his thoughts. "I-I mean, you don't have to, I was just-"
He reached for her wrist and pulled it to his bangs. "Promise not to hate me?" Chiba whispered, worry and fear laced in his voice.
"Why would I hate my best friend?" Hayami said softly. Chiba gulped.
"I hide my eyes for a reason, you know. They weren't always hidden. When I was younger, people would flinch or look away from my eyes. I had no friends because everyone was afraid of my demonic eyes. I started growing out my hair, and by junior high, my eyes were hidden under my bangs."
He said all of this in a timeless voice, but Hayami knew how pained he was to talk about his childhood from the way his hand trembled against her wrist.
"Chiba... I'll always be by your side. You've been a great friend and partner, and no one can read me like you do. Seeing your eyes won't change a thing in my book. So please..."
He sat very still as Hayami's hand touched his face, shivering slightly as her fingers grazed over his cheeks and to his forehead, pulling his bangs up to reveal his eyes.
Hayami had always wondered what Chiba's eyes would look like, whether they'd be a brilliant blue or chocolate brown, maybe even green like hers.
What she wasn't expecting to see were a pair of red eyes, so soft and mellow looking they were almost pink. And they were gazing at her so gently, Hayami thought she was going to melt.
"Oh, Chiba... they're beautiful." She breathed, giving his hand a small squeeze. He looked at her, surprise showing in his eyes
"You don't hate them?" She laughed softly at that.
"No, silly. I love them. Just like how I love-" Hayami's face went to a deep red and she stared at her hands, suddenly realizing how close they were. Their knees were touching, and Chiba had her hand in his. His other hand tilted her head up to look at him. Her breath caught in her throat.
He was smiling at her, his bangs still slightly brushed to the side, eyes still in view.
"Hayami." His voice brought her back down to Earth. "Thank you."
"What for?"
For supporting me, even in my darkest moments. For always listening to me and being by my side. For helping me grow into a better person. For..." Chiba took a deep breath. "Everything."
"I love you..."
His lips met hers, his hand leaving her chin to caress her hair. Hayami's eyes first widened in shock before melting into the kiss, both her hands now clasped in Chiba's.
It felt new and intoxicating. This was both of their first kisses, and they never wanted it to end. Unfortunately, he need for break outweighed their will to continue.
"I love you too, Chiba..." Hayami's said warmly, blushing a little. "That was my first..."
He nodded. "Same."
They stayed like that for a minute, hands intertwined in a comfortable silence, letting the sound of the waves occupy the peaceful atmosphere. Chiba was the first to break the silence.
"I think we should keep our relationship a secret."
"You're right." Hayami agreed. "Wouldn't want the class overreacting."
Just as Chiba was about to say something, a loud noise came from a nearby rock. They both exchanged glances before looking behind the rock, where Korosensei stared guiltily at them.
"Chiba! Hayami! What a surprise!" He blabbed, trying to hide the fact that he was spying on them for his romance novel.
"Were you just..." Hayami said menacingly.
"Spying in our..." Chiba continued, glaring st him.
"Private conversation?!?" The two finished.
"Get him!!" Chiba yelled as the two pulled out their guns and started firing at Korosensei.
First one done! Next up is Isomegu. This had exactly 1700 words. Please comment what you think and send requests!