The trip was coming to a close, and you were honestly relieved. After seeing Yaoyorozu about to kiss Shinso, and then seeing her leave his bedroom the next morning, you were sure you were done trying to get close to him again. With a sigh, you closed your suitcase.
"Ready to go?" asked Jiro from the doorframe of your room.
"Yup!"
"This trip was fun but we have more fun things to do when we get back. Me and Monoma were already talking about it."
"What did you guys have in mind?" you asked curiously.
"We're thinking of going to a concert festival in the next fews days. I heard a bunch of new artists are supposed to be perform and some of them look so cute," Jiro gushed. "So you have to come with me."
"Um I don't know if I can. This trip was kinda expensive for me so I don't know if I'll have enough money for a concert festival...."
It was awkward to admit but true. As much as you wanted to go all out with your friends, you needed to reconsider the feelings of your mother. She was working very hard this summer to be able to provide for you and you didn't want to have to take advantage. Even though you used some of your own saved up money to partake in this trip, that money was strictly for emergency purposes.
"(Name), don't worry about it. I managed to snag a few tickets while participating in a radio contest. So of course one ticket is reserved for you," she smiled.
"You are way too kind to me."
You enveloped Jiro in a tight, almost back breaking hug to thank her for inviting you to this concert. She hugged you back just as hard, the two of you almost losing your balance and falling onto the floor.
"Okay, let's head out of here already," she giggled. "We have a train to catch!"
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Unpacking was a bit stressful as you were too lazy to finish it. Your mother barking at you to clean your room didn't help as well. As soon as you came back, she wanted you to help around the house since she would be too busy working. You didn't mind helping out since she would be working all night to make ends meet, but you wished you just had a little bit more time to settle in. Nonetheless, you put yourself to work so that your mom would come back to a neat and tidy house to relax in. Cleaning also helped clear your mind.
Slowly, you were beginning to not care about the Shinso and Yaoyorozu situation. There was no point in trying to figure out what was going on between them. At the end of the day, it would only cause confusion and heartbreak.
Eventually the days passed quickly and the day of the musical festival had arrived. You informed your mom you would be out late even though she'd be at work by the time you returned, and made your way to the park where it would be held. You wore a sparkly (color), low cut top paired with your favorite jeans and boots. You were ready to have the best night ever with your friends.
"(Name)!"
You turned around to see Jiro shouting your name in between the mass of people. She jumped and waved her arm to catch your attention, but you couldn't miss her with the way she screamed your name. Next to her was Denki and Monoma. You made your way over to your friends, squeezing past bodies and beer breath. As soon as you got to them, Jiro pulled you in for a massive hug. She nearly squeezed you out of your top.
"Whoa, sorry!" she giggled, pulling your top to cover yourself.
"Damn Jiro, I'm not trying to give these people a show here," you laughed. "Hey guys," you addressed the boys.
"Man, I'm so pumped to be here!" Denki said with a beaming smile. "It's a good thing we got here early enough to save this spot."
"Yeah I can't believe how crowded it is right now," you observed. "Any idea when the first act is gonna start?"
"They should be starting in about 15 minutes but these things almost never start on time," Monoma said. He looked you over. "You look really nice by the way."
"Thanks," you smiled.
"Ugh! Can this just start already?" Jiro grumbled. "I just wanna dance!"
"Whoa chill, babe," Denki chuckled. "It'll start soon."
Your eyebrows definitely raised when you heard Denki call Jiro "babe." You wondered how close those two had gotten on that beach trip. You were going to ask Jiro about it later for sure to confirm what you were thinking. In the meantime, you were also jumping from excitement waiting for the concert to start. Behind you, you felt someone tap your shoulder.
"Shinso?" you said confused. "Why are you here?"
"Cause I knew you'd be here," he said earnestly. "I know things didn't end well with us on that trip. You didn't respond to my texts or calls..."
"I felt like I had nothing to say," you shrugged.
You could sense Monoma eavesdropping in on your conversation. With a sigh, you dragged Shinso away from them. Instead of facing the center of the stage, you were both now on the left hand side. You didn't plan on staying with Shinso for too long, but you wanted to have quick conversation with him without any drama starting because of Monoma. You wanted to have fun at this concert with your friends and that was it.
"So what's up?"
Now it was your turn to sound like you didn't care.
"What's up is that I need to talk to you," he said seriously.
"Well frankly Shinso, I don't feel like talking to you. Not at a concert where I'm trying to have fun with my friends. Not even tonight on the phone. I'm done hearing your dumb excuses."
"(Name), please-"
There was a large bang as sparklers went off on the stage. The crowd erupted into a loud roar of cheers and claps. The concert was finally starting with its first act. Now you needed to get back to your friends because you weren't going to miss out dancing with Jiro to your favorite new artist.
"Look," you managed to talk over the crowd. "Doja Kat is on and I just wanna dance with my friends. I think it's best we stop trying to do whatever it was we were doing before. Goodbye, Shinso."
As you were turning to leave, he grabbed your arm and pulled you back to face him. You were ready to yell at him but the look in his eyes made you stop. Something was definitely off about Shinso. Every fiber in your body was on alert. He pulled you closer towards him to talk near your ear.
"I know you don't want to talk to me but please, just one last time I need to explain everything. I kept somethings from you and I shouldn't have. All I can say is, stay away from Yaoyorozu. I mean it," he stated in all seriousness.
You looked at him confused. "Why are you telling me this when she always sticks around you? If you really want me to be away from her, then you need to get away from me."
He rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for this. I'm not even supposed to be here right now." He quickly composed himself. "Look you're right, she does follow me but this time I managed to shake her off. I gotta go now, (Name)." He reluctantly let you, his eyes shifting around the two of you as he scanned the crowd. "When you have the chance to talk, please call me. After we talk, I promise it'll be the last time."
"I'll think about it..."
He sighed. "Don't take too long thinking about it." Before he left, he managed to put on a small smile. "But, have fun, okay? See you later."
"Later, Shinso."
You watched as he turned around and shuffled his way through the crowd before disappearing from your vision. The conversation you had with him left your thoughts swirling with questions. What could it be that he needed to talk to you about? As much as you wanted to push him away again without any second thoughts, the truth was, you were having second thoughts. Shinso actually looked worried and it was rare to see him like that. Even though you had plenty of questions in your mind, you'd think about having that conversation with Shinso later. For now, you needed to get back to your friends.
The concert was in full swing at this point and it was difficult to see which way you came from. You knew you friends were up front center stage however, it would be incredibly difficult to get there. No matter how nice you tried to be, people kept shoving you to the side; not wanting to potentially give up their spots. It was becoming extremely frustrating as you felt yourself being pushed further and further way from the stage. You reached into your pocket to pull out your phone, ready to call Jiro to come to your rescue.
"Aw, (Name), did you get lost?" Yaoyorozu giggled.
You blinked several times, surprised to see her standing before you. She had effortlessly slinked her way through the crowd and appeared in front of you. She smiled sweetly at you as you stared at her dumbfounded. She wore a tight, red dress with a sweetheart neckline with matching heart shaped earrings. She looked stunning like she always did. When she spoke, she had this cheerfulness in her voice that carried over the loud crowd. Yaoyorozu took several steps to close the gap between the two of you.
Stay away from Yaoyorozu.
Shinso's words echoed in your head. She didn't seem dangerous at all so why would he say such a thing? Even you had to admit you had let petty jealously get the best of you; making you judge her poorly.
"Oh h-hey," you finally said. "I didn't know you'd be here."
"I wouldn't miss out this concert!" she beamed. "The music here is awesome."
"Y-Yeah..." You managed to laugh just a little. It was hard to talk to her after your conversation with Shinso and you hoped she didn't sense the awkwardness. "Hey by the way, I never got to ask, how are you after the incident in the alleyway?"
She cocked her head to the side, looking confused for a second before exclaiming an oh. "Right, when I was attacked," she chuckled. "It feels like it was so long ago. I'm fine now really. My wounds and everything managed to heal well."
It felt surreal talking to Yaoyorozu. The way she managed to shrug off a terrifying event was baffling to you. Yet there she was, talking about it like it was nothing.
"I'm glad to hear that," you smiled. "I know a lot of people were worried for you. Especially Shinso."
Her eyes squinted when you said his name, a smirk soon appearing on her lips like some coy fox. "Yeah, Shinso stayed by my side during that time. I was so grateful. Speaking of him, have you seen him, (Name)?"
The atmosphere seemed to shift. Despite all the cheering and shouting going around you, you felt like you were stuck in a room all by yourself with Yaoyorozu. All the sweaty bodies jumping around you seemed to fade into the background. She stared deep in your eyes, searching for the answer herself. As if she was saying, don't lie to me now.
"No, I actually got separated from my friends trying to find the drinks stand," you lied. "I would assume he'd be with you or maybe he went to the bathroom."
She narrowed her eyes down at you and somehow, you felt like she knew. She knew you were lying and that you had spoken to him earlier. Now all you wanted was to get away from her. The conversation with Yaoyorozu started out weird enough and you didn't want to see where it was heading.
"Well, I'm gonna head back now. It was nice seeing you."
"Likewise," she smiled. "Have fun at the concert."
"You too."
As you began to shimmy past her, she grabbed onto your upper arm. Her lips curled into a smile as she whispered in your ear, "When you see Shinso, please let him know I'm waiting for him."
A chill ran down your spine. Just as quickly as she grabbed you, she let you go. Yaoyorozu smiled at you one last time before disappearing into the crowd. You felt a headache coming on as your mind began to feel hazy. You needed to catch your breath and calm down.
It seemed like whatever happened with Shinso before on the beach trip, happened again with Yaoyorozu. You felt this jolt of electricity run throughout your body, your heart beating loudly against your chest. Somehow, you slowly made your way through the crowd. Your hands stuck out in front of you as you navigated your way back to your friends, not caring who you pushed. The music was blasting causing your headache to grow. The colorful lights on stage made your vision blurry with red, yellow and blue. You began to feel jittery as a strange sensation could be felt in the pit of your stomach. It could only be described as feeling butterflies in your stomach. The same feeling one gets when they're infatuated. You weren't surprised you were feeling this way since Yaoyorozu had subconsciously projected her feelings onto you, but you didn't think it'd be this strong.
Finally, you found Jiro. She swayed her hips to the music, blissfully entrapped with the singers catchy tune. You felt so happy to have found her. You threw her arms around her from behind, causing her to jump in surprise.
"(Name)!" she gasped. "You okay? I was worried things weren't going well with Shinso."
"Y-Yeah..!" You had to suppress a giggle that almost escaped your lips. "I-Im fine. I'm fine," you stated more to yourself than to her. You cleared your throat to stop yourself from going into a fit of laughter.
She looked at you unconvinced. "If you want to leave we can. You don't look so good."
"I'm okay," you smiled. "I'll explain everything later. Right now, let's dance!"
You grabbed her wrist and started to twirl her around, Denki clearly jealous you had stolen her away from him.
"Okay, okay," she laughed. "If you say so."