PHASE 51 - HOW TO APOLOGIZE TO YOUR FRIEND PROPERLY

A week passed by so quickly.

It’s now my most favorite event in the school. The Anime and Comics Festival! Like any other conventions, our school made an open house event where every nerd, geeks, and weabos like the readers can enter this heaven!

There’s a lot of stalls here and there, selling anime merchandise. Plushies, figures, mangas, and even costumes are available for sale! There’s even a video game hub! What’s more is that this place is filled with sexy and awesome cosplayers!

Speaking of a sexy cosplayer, there’s one beside me. It’s Amy. She’s wearing the skin-tight catsuit we bought online which emphasizes her cleavage and beefy butt. Her petite and slim figure is well fitted on the suit as if that black leather was her own skin. Adding that metallic cat-ear headband and mask that covers her lower face, and two P90 SMGs to be held with her hands coated in fingerless gloves, it is guaranteed that people will flock to her due to the deadly mix of awesomeness and cuteness. As I thought, this costume suits her the most!

If I always see Tiara as an innocent and naive puppy, I’ll compare Amy to a clingy kitten that hisses and scratches you for no reason at all. That’s the reason I picked that spy-cat costume.

Now I just remembered how I fell in love with her. She’s a friendly angel but plays hard-to-get sometimes. Her mood swings and somewhat bipolar attitude makes it really hard for everyone around her to understand what she truly feels, except for me. All the secrets from her heart are like a giveaway whenever I spend a private time talking to her.

And her cuteness… Everyone would fall under her charm even without her transforming into the Norse Goddess of Beauty.

There are already a lot of people taking selfies with her, even her fellow cosplayers.

“S-S-Stop staring at me, you perv!” She was pertaining to me. Amy was surely flustered. “Y-You have to buy something, right? I-I’ll wait for you here. Go away! Shoo!”

“R-Right!” I looked away to hide my blushing face. Then I proceeded to walk to the stalls.

It took me a lot of time to decide what I’m going to buy. I originally wanted to get a tobi mask or some cute nendoroids, but something grabbed my attention. It is a ⅙ figure of All-Night! His eyes glow blue whenever you switch the button on its back! It was one of my dream toys when I was a child, and now it’s right in front of me! I bought it without a second thought!

I was so glad that I didn’t notice myself that I’m already playing the action figure while walking. I reenacted his flight as I went back to Amy.

“W-What are you, a six-year-old kid?” Amy cringed.

I was so embarrassed that I instinctively hid my bro All-Night inside my bag. “S-Shut up! I don’t complain about your shrieking noise whenever you watch your XO gay Kpop group either, bitch!”

“They’re not gay! You are, you childish creepy nerd! Grow up a bit, will you!?”

“Oh, you’re the one who needs to grow up, you little kitty runt! You haven’t gotten taller at all!”

We never noticed that we were already bumping our foreheads because of the tension of our insults. Only someone oblivious enough was there to interrupt us.

“Oh, here you are, Rikkun! Necchan! Would you guys visit our cafe?”

It was Tiara on her adorable pink maid dress. I almost forgot that the Idol Club will be running a cafe for the duration of the event.

Considering that it’s already lunchtime and we’re both hungry, it would be natural that our heads are boiling with anger. Amy and I turned away with the same “Hmph!” expression, ignoring each other until we reached the cafe.

Tiara couldn’t help but to sweat and make a fake smile.

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“Here you go~” Tiara served us the specialty of their cafe, a blueberry cheesecake. Then she hugged her tray as she watches us put the creamy cake on our mouth.

I had a taste of it, and it’s delicious! The texture is soft like a pudding, but the flavor is rich with sweet cheese and the sourness of blueberries. This could be viral if we posted it on Facebook!

One of the Idol Club members stepped in and caught our attention. “Tiara baked that cheesecake!” Then she immediately ran out of the scene. That made Tiara blush a little, maybe because her secret talent was busted.

“It’s flavorsome!” Amy exclaimed. “I didn’t know that you’re a great cook, Tiara!”  

“T-Thanks! I-I’ll bakes more when we get home…”

“It’s so great of you to have a talent in baking. At least you have a useful talent unlike someone I know; whose only talent is to look cute in front of handsome guys and cheat on her childhood friend in the process.” I said. Then I made a pause when turning to Amy. “...Oh, Amy… You’re here… How much did you hear?”

There are crossveins all over her forehead. She crossed her arms and angrily ticking her index finger on her elbow. “I heard the whole thing. I was with you the whole time, and you’re looking right at me.”

“Oh….” I made a smirk. This insulted face she makes… It’s so priceless. She’s all red hahaha!

“... You really hate me that much?” Amy asked in a serious tone.

“Obviously…” I made a single laugh. “If I can go back to the day I first met you, I’d just stay home.”

Her chair made an irritating noise as the blonde runt stood up.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Amy said as she walked out with watery eyes. It seems that she’s going to cry in front of a lavatory.

“Look who’s rooooooasted-pwah!”

I was about to burst out laughing but then a metal tray was smashed on my face! The impact was so powerful that the tray molded my face’s shape in it!

“You’re arrogant and rude as ever!” Now it’s Tiara’s turn to get angry. “You have to apologize!”

“I don’t want to.” I coldly said as I take a sip of my chamomile tea.

“Get over here!” Tiara grabbed my wrist and dragged the helpless me all the way to the women’s bathroom.

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Tiara slammed the door open, and we witnessed Amy washing her face. Maybe she did it to hide her tears. Her eyes are a little bit red, so I’m pretty sure she cried hard.

“Now say sorry!” Tiara angrily pushed me forward, and I accidentally bumped Amy’s flat racks. We’re so close together, and her rosy cheeks seem like she’s waiting for a kiss.

I scratched my head. I wanted to end this farce as soon as possible.

“I-I’m sorry. The end.”

That’s all I said. Then I turned away.

“Why you!”

Tiara was furious! She’s no longer that shy shrine maiden or even the elegant idol! She’s waaaaay scarier than her genocidal brother!

Tiara grabbed me again, forced me to sit on a toilet, and closed the cubicle door.

There, she sermoned me with her maximum volume for ten minutes that seemed forever to me. She’s worse than my mom. Our topic is ‘How to Apologize to your Friend Properly’. Every time I talk back to her or made a sarcastic answer, she would drill her fist on top of my head! I can’t escape nor fight back because her strength is leagues away from mine. All I can do is to listen, nod and obey her sermons.

Finally, it was over. Tiara opened the cubicle and let me loose. I’m holding my head, mourning for thousands of brain cells she just killed.

“Now apologize!” Tiara’s eyes glared. Her eyes are no longer like the puppy. She got the eye of a werewolf, filled with death threats.

“I-I’m sorry!” I groveled like a cheating Japanese husband. “I’m sorry if I overdid my insults! I will never hurt your feelings again!”

“I-I-It’s fine,” Amy responded. All she did was to force a smile. Maybe she’s scared of Tiara too.

“Oh!” Tiara exclaimed as she saw her wristwatch. “We still have rehearsal for our concert this night! I’ll leave Rikkun to you, Necchan~”

Then the scary idol waved her hand adorably and left.

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Now we’re the only ones left in this room. Bathroom. I’m quite lucky that no one has been entering this place for a while. But the silence we had… It’s awkward.

“I-I’m sorry… I went overboard with that.” I scratched my head.

“It’s okay. I completely understand you.” Amy smiled.

I have known Amy for more than half of my lifetime, but her attitude right now… it’s unreadable. It’s like she’s extremely kind to everyone and always avoid having a conflict with me...

I have to continue talking.

“Why…” I muttered. “Why are you pulling your punches? I can’t stop thinking that you’re avoiding to have any heavy altercation with me... Back when I was doubted by the whole group, you’re the only one who stood on my side. When I was held in contempt by everyone, you’re always there to talk to me. You always forgive my sins long before I apologize… Why...”

Amy bowed and started to cry. “I… I don’t want to hurt you with my careless words anymore. I don’t want to lose you again, like what happened two years ago. It’s my evil words that drove you away, and I pledged upon myself to never say those words again. Back when you left Mirose Grande, I was terrified that I will lose you forever.”

I don’t like drama. It makes my heart soft, no matter how misplaced it is in the conversation.

“Amy…” I slowly went to her and purposely bumped my chest to her forehead. Her hands crawled to my back and squeezed me tight. “You’ll never lose me. I’ll stay by your side.”

“Ric… I wish… That we could turn back time… The time where you liked me the most.”

I was deeply moved by her words. I slowly raised my hands her returned her tight hug. There, Amy started to holler like she missed her long lost lover. I can now understand why she’s doing all these weird things. She accepted my proposal to wear a lewd cosplay and even became kind to Tiara.

She just wanted to fill her memories with happy ones, with me, and her friends. She realized that she’s running out of time. Because within two more weeks, she will die.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I was hugged so dearly by the woman I first loved. I…

I have to repay this warmth somehow!

I want to challenge fate once again!

“Amy… I swear, I’ll save you!”

“...Ric…”

Our faces drifted closer as we are about to kiss...