The air in the room was breathlessly quiet, filled with a murky tension that had Hikaru's heart beating like a steel drum.
"...Aya?"
Hikaru glanced to her side at Aya's head on her shoulders, feeling Aya's soft black hair tickling the side of her cheeks.
Aya was holding onto Hikaru, her arms wrapped around her back tightly, and their chests pushed against one another while they sat on the bed.
Ahh!! I couldn't do it after all! Aya had her eyes squeezed shut, her cheeks red as a tomato. I'm scared of what Hikaru would say... What if she doesn't accept my feelings...?
"Aya... are you okay...?" Hikaru whispered. Aya had been hugging her for a while now, not saying anything.
Slowly, Aya pulled away from Hikaru, her cheeks flushed, but with a smile on her lips.
"T-that was it..." Aya laughed meekly. "I just wanted to hug you..."
"Oh, is that all..." Hikaru said. She was unsure whether she would be relieved or not. For a second there, I thought Aya was going to... but she said she doesn't like me like that... I don't know why I keep having these thoughts...
"Let's go back to the others." Aya said, picking herself up from the bed. She walked over to the door, unlocking it, and left the bedroom, leaving Hikaru by herself.
Hikaru stayed sitting at the bed, staring at Aya's back as she left, her heart pounding inside her chest. She breathed a sigh when Aya left, almost as though she had been holding her breath, her eyes glancing downwards.
"I thought she was going to kiss me..." Hikaru murmured to herself.
----------------------------------------
"...so like I was saying, her father is really funny! He proposed to me while we were out on the sea, but he was so nervous he dropped the ring down the boat and it fell into a crack into the water!"
Haruka was laughing hard, her face red, a glass of whisky in her hand.
"R-really?! That's so funny!"
Fumiko was also laughing, rubbing tears from her eyes, and in her other hand was a glass of whisky too.
Aya stared at the scene, seeing various bottles of alcohol placed down onto the table. Sana was sitting on the couch, laughing weakly as she sipped away at her glass of water.
"But you got the ring back, right...?" Sana asked.
Haruka shook her head, gulping down the rest of her drink. "Nope. It went down into the sea and disappeared."
"Wh-what?!" Fumiko was still laughing. Her face was red, having clearly drunk too much. "I can't believe that!"
How the hell did they get drunk so quickly?! Aya thought to herself as she approached the group with a forced smile.
"Oh, Aya, you're back!" Haruka said. "We were just talking about Hikaru's father."
"I-I heard..." Aya laughed weakly.
"Do you want a drink?" Haruka asked, glancing down at her bottles. "I have way too many in the cupboard."
"It's okay..." Aya said.
"But seriously..." Haruka resumed what she was talking about. "At first, I had no idea that he even liked me. It wasn't until our 40th or so date, when he introduced me to his parents as his girlfriend, and they asked when we were going to get married, that I realised we were actually in a relationship."
"What?! No way!" Fumiko said. "How did you not notice before that?!"
"Ahh..." Haruka laughed, embarrassed. "He was really shy so he never tried to kiss me or do anything so I thought we were just going out as friends... When he asked me to be my boyfriend, I thought he just meant as a guy friend."
"T-that's..." Sana said, not knowing what to say.
"I didn't have any feelings like that for him... but when I realised that he actually liked me..." Haruka said. "Hmm..." She glanced over to Hikaru's bedroom door, seeing Hikaru come out. "Hikaru, where were you? You've been hiding for so long!"
Hikaru glanced over at what her mother was doing with her friends, her head deep in thoughts. Her eyes widenned when she saw what was happening, her face taking on a look of horror.
"M-mum?!" Hikaru yelped. "I-is that alcohol?!"
"Yeah, so what?" Haruka replied, then glanced at Hikaru's friends. Suddenly, her heart froze.
Wait a second!—These girls are still in high school!! Did I just give them alcohol?! Isn't that illegal?!
"Um, um..." Haruka opened and closed her mouth. Then in an instant, she grabbed all the bottles of alcohol and flew to the kitchen to stash them back in the cupboard.
S-shit... I can't believe I just did that... Haruka was thinking. That Fumiko girl asked me whether I had anything other than water and when I took her to the cupboard, she asked for the alcohol so casually, I forgot for a second that they were all 16! That's 4 years too early to be drinking alcohol!!
"Hikaru..." Fumiko called out from the couch in a slurred voice. "Your mum is so funny... You should hear the stories she tells..."
Haruka glanced over at the glass of whisky dangling in Fumiko's hand, and she quickly sprung to Fumiko, snatching the glass away, and pouring it out in the sink.
"Ah—hey! I was still drinking that!"
"N-no, you weren't." Haruka said. "You were just holding it for me."
Haruka was trying to pretend to her daughter that she didn't actually hand out an ample amount of alcohol to her 16-year-old friend.
"M-mum..." Hikaru walked over to her mother. "D-did you give alcohol to them...?"
"Wh-what?! No way... I was just telling her to hold it for me, that's all..."
Hikaru glanced over at Fumiko who was slouched over at the couch, her eyes closed, and her face red.
...
"Isn't she clearly drunk...?" Hikaru asked.
"No, no! She's just tired! The poor girl went to sleep!"
Haruka rushed over to move Fumiko's body to a more comfortable position on the couch. "Hibiya High must be really strict! Their poor students are falling asleep in the middle of the day!"
Sana kept her mouth quiet, not wanting to interfere with Hikaru's mother's act.
"Mum..." Hikaru said.
"Ahh, her face is really red too. She must have a cold from studying so hard." Haruka said, then she glanced over at Sana. "S-Sana?"
"Y-yes!" Sana said.
"You need to take this poor girl back home to rest." Haruka said. "Make sure that she keeps her studying to a reasonable level."
"O-okay." Sana nodded, then got up from the couch to check on Fumiko and pick her up.
Aya also didn't want to say anything because she had told Hikaru before that she didn't drink alcohol.
"I guess I'll get going as well then..." Aya said. "Thank you for having us over, Hikaru's mother."
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"Oh please. I should be thanking you girls for taking care of my daughter."
Haruka opened the door for the trio, as Aya and Sana held Fumiko between them, her hands wrapped around their necks. Aya had no trouble since she was strong from her Aikido training, but Sana was struggling.
"O-okay, see you, Hikaru's mother!" Sana said, trying to not fall over. "Thank you once again!" She glanced at Hikaru, her face tense because of Fumiko's weight. "Bye, Hikaru! Thank you for having us over!"
"I-it's okay..." Hikaru smiled weakly, then stared at Aya.
"B-bye, Hikaru..." Aya said. "I'll see you at school..."
Hikaru nodded. "Bye, Aya..."
Hikaru's mother waved at them, as she stood by the door to keep it open as they left. She closed the door when they left.
"Y-you!" Hikaru faced her mother. "You quite clearly gave Fumiko alcohol!"
"Wh-what?! What are you talking about? Why would I do that? That's a crime!"
"Argh..." Hikaru's face was red with embarrassment, then she stomped to her room, closing the door behind her.
Haruka breathed a sigh of relief with Hikaru gone. She stared at Hikaru's door wearily, but with a soft smile.
"I'm glad that Hikaru has such great friends..." Haruka sighed, then she walked over to her bedroom.
Now... Haruka slumped down on her bed, her head aching. I need to go to sleep and get rid of this hangover... Dammit... Why did I drink even more alcohol...
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"Aya..."
"Don't move, Hikaru..."
Hikaru blushed, seeing Aya move closer to her.
They were sitting at the bedroom of Hikaru's apartment.
"Y-you can't, Aya..." Hikaru said, averting her gaze. "W-we're both girls..."
"Why does that matter?"
"Eh!" Hikaru fidgeted with her hands nervously, afraid to look up into Aya's hazel eyes.
"You don't have to do anything, Hikaru..." Aya breathed, leaning in closer. "Just let me do everything..."
"B-but it's embarrassing..."
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Aya said. "You're so cute, Hikaru..."
"A-Aya..." Hikaru shifted nervously.
Hikaru glanced upward, her face bright red, and saw Aya leaning closer, her eyes closing, showing her long dark eyelashes. Aya's face was moving closer and closer, her lips parted, and Hikaru closed her eyes too, her hands held tightly into fists.
Aya...
Suddenly, there was the sound of knocking, and Aya disappeared from Hikaru's sights. Instead, she opened her eyes to find herself in her bed, clinging onto her bedsheets.
The knocking stopped, and Hikaru rose up from the bed slowly. She was half-asleep, still thinking about her dream.
Wh-what kind of dream is that...
She gazed around her with a sleepy look, then the knock sounded again, and Hikaru jumped.
Ah, someone's knocking at the door!
Hikaru scrambled out of her bed quickly, leaving her bedroom to go to the door. She had no idea who could be knocking.
"I'm coming..." Hikaru called out.
Reaching the door, she unlocked it and pulled it open.
Outside stood a boy with chocolate-brown hair, and a pair of striking emerald eyes glancing down at her. He was tall, and that was made more apparent by Hikaru's short figure. He was also dressed in the Hibiya High school uniform; a white collared shirt, maroon tie, and grey pants.
"Ah, is this the Miyata household...?" The boy asked. He had a handsome face, the kind with boyish good looks.
"Erm..." Hikaru stared up at the boy, having no idea who he was. Why is there a boy from my school standing outside my door?! "...Yes...?"
"My name's Itsuo." The boy said with an anxious smile. "I live in the same apartment building. My mother told me to come here to meet her friend, Haruka..."
Haruka? That's my mother's name! Hikaru thought to herself.
"Ah, yes... that's my mum..." Hikaru said nervously.
"Itsuo!" Haruka's head popped out from behind Hikaru. "Oh, you're Gina's son! Wow, you're tall!"
"Haha... Hello Haruka..." Itsuo laughed weakly. "My mother said..."
"Itsuo, this is my daughter, Hikaru!" Haruka said. "Hikaru, this is Itsuo. He goes to the same school as you."
"H-hello... It's nice to meet you..." Hikaru bowed her head, then glanced down at herself to see that she was still in pajamas. Ahh!! I look so embarrassing!!
"It's nice to meet you too, Hikaru..." Itsuo replied, rubbing the back of his head.
"Just wait a moment outside, Itsuo." Haruka said. "Hikaru will change first, and then you guys can walk to school together."
"Eh!" Hikaru mouthed, but Haruka closed the door, dragging Hikaru away.
"Mum, who is that?!" Hikaru said. "Why do I have to go to school with him?"
"Oh, she's the son of my friend, Gina. You remember Gina, right?" Haruka said. "Anyways, just go to school with him. He just arrived in Tokyo from Takayama too. You can help him get settled at Hibiya High."
"..."
Hikaru walked into the bathroom, sighing as she pondered over the newly assigned task.
She froze as she reached the mirror.
There was a drool stain on my chin the whole time!!
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The sounds of birds chirping and people walking by filled the air, but between Itsuo and Hikaru, the two were nervously quiet, both disconcerted by the predicament that their mothers had placed them in. Despite Itsuo's charming good looks, he was shy around girls, having never really spoken to many girls back at Takayama.
Still, this was too awkward...
"Um..." Itsuo decided to break the silence, glancing down at the black-haired girl next to her. "Hikaru...?"
"Y-yes...?"
"How are you finding Hibiya High...?" Itsuo asked, smiling weakly. He hoped that it would make Hikaru more comfortable. "I heard it's a very prestigious school for very wealthy and renowned families..."
"Ah, yes..." Hikaru said. "The people there are very nice... it's very different to Takayama..."
"Really?"
Hikaru nodded. "The schoolwork is also very challenging... they have exams at the end of every week..."
"Ugh, that doesn't sound too good..."
"But, you should be okay." Hikaru laughed. "If you managed to get into Hibiya High, then I think you'll do fine..."
"How are you doing, Hikaru?"
"...!"
Hikaru thought about the 41% she had received for the exam last week.
"Um..." She couldn't lie. "I got 41% for the exam last week... but I'm going to be getting help from my friend to get better..."
"41%? Is that bad?"
It was the lowest mark in the class by quite a margin.
Itsuo saw the look on Hikaru's face and quickly tried to change the topic. "A-anyways, Hikaru. Thank you so much for walking with me to school! I was worried about coming to Tokyo alone, but I feel much better having you with me."
"I-it's okay..." Hikaru smiled.
Itsuo stared at Hikaru's smile, surprised by how cute she looked when she smiled. Ah, this girl is actually really cute... I thought she looked a bit funny at first in the morning, but she seems to be a really nice person as well...
He kept walking by Hikaru's side as they entered the school gates where many other students were arriving.
"Woah..."
Itsuo stared at the luxurious limousines parking at the front of the school, rich-looking students getting out of the cars. He had never seen something like this back at Takayama.
"Must be nice to be rich, right?" Itsuo laughed, speaking to Hikaru. "I wish I could sit in one of those limousines."
"Yes..."
At that moment, a blond-haired boy with a sharp face glanced over at the two students entering the school, recognising the petite girl with black hair. Kenzou grinned, walking up to the two of them. There were three other boys with similarly threatening appearance walking behind Kenzou.
"Yo, Hikaru!" Kenzou said.
Hikaru jumped, seeing Kenzou. Ek! This is the guy that punched me in the stomach! What does he want with me?
"H-hello..." Hikaru replied, giving a nervous wave.
"I didn't get to apologise to you about last time." Kenzou said. "My name's Kenzou. I'm not sure if you remember me."
Of course, I remember getting hit by you! That was the first time I had ever gotten punched in my whole life!
"Y-yes..."
"Anyways, I'm really sorry about that." Kenzou glanced over to the tall, chocolate-brown haired boy standing next to Hikaru. "Is this your friend?"
"Yes..." Hikaru said. "This is Itsuo, he's new to the school."
"Ah, really?" Kenzou said. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kenzou."
Itsuo nodded with a smile. "Itsuo. Good to meet you, Kenzou."
"Anyways, can you give a good word about me to Aya?" Kenzou turned his eyes back to Hikaru. "I would really appreciate it."
"Um..."
Kenzou reached out, grabbing onto Hikaru's shoulder with a fake smile. "It shouldn't be too hard, right? You just have to say something good about me."
"Hey!" Itsuo stepped forward with a serious look, seeing how uncomfortable Hikaru was getting. "I don't think she wants you to grab her like that."
The three boys behind Kenzou took a step forward, watching Itsuo carefully.
Kenzou scowled at Itsuo. "Was I talking to you? Go for a walk. I'm trying to talk to Hikaru."
"No, but if you think I'm going to stand here and ignore what's going on, then you have another thing coming."
What's with this idiot? Kenzou glared at Itsuo. Does he think he can take on all four of us?
He released his grip of Hikaru, sending her backwards with a surprised cry, then turned his attention to Itsuo.
"You might be new to the school and not know this, but I'm sort of a thing around here." Kenzou said. "I suggest you cram those words back in your mouth."
"Heh." Itsuo let out a dark grin, realising what was going on. He glanced over at Hikaru, relieved that Kenzou had let her go. "Just try it. Do you think I'm scared of you, you blond-haired freak?"
Kenzou growled, his patience thinning. "I was going to let you off easy since you're new to the school, but I guess I have to teach you your first lesson about this place."
"I-Itsuo..." Hikaru was standing at the edge, watching anxiously.
"Your group of monkeys look like they would have trouble tying their own shoelaces." Itsuo braced himself, his face grimacing. "Probably why you would choose to pick on a girl."
"Y-you!"
The three lackeys behind Kenzou made a move for Itsuo, grabbing him by his arms. Itsuo punched one of them in the face, sending blood and teeth flying in the air, then fell over as they manhandled him, pushing him onto the ground. Kenzou jumped into the fight, stomping onto the fallen Itsuo.
"You punk!" Kenzou snarled, continuing to stomp on Itsuo. There were some students watching, but most quickly left, seeing the scene.
"S-stop!" Hikaru cried. "Just leave him alone!" She tried to move into the group, pushing them away from Itsuo, but they just shoved her away, their elbows knocking her backwards and off her feet.
"H-Hikaru!" Itsuo yelled, his arms covering his head, trying to block the kicks. "Run! Just go!"
A kick flew into the side of his head, pushing past his arms, and he felt pain searing across the side of his face, his ear ringing. Fuck, how did I get myself into this mess on my first day of school...
Hikaru fell down onto the ground, wincing as her hands scrapped onto the hard concrete floor.
At that moment, a figure entered the fight, throwing the bodies of Kenzou's group into a whirlwind as they hurled into the air, landing harshly onto the ground and ceasing to move.
"Wh-what the fuck?!" Kenzou stopped his stomping, glancing up to see a fist hurling into his face, cracking bone and cartilage. He fell down on his back, blood erupting from his nose, and glanced up at his attacker.
Long raven-black hair, and a flawless face that sparkled like diamonds.
"A-Aya?!" Kenzou stuttered.
"How dare you hurt Hikaru like that!"
Those were the last words Kenzou heard, before a girl's school shoe expanded in his vision, sending him to sleep.