Mareo: You better now?

Isamu: Hmm

Isamu: I felt like hurling my guts out a while ago, though.

Mareo: You need to go to the hospital!

Isamu: Nah. I’m fine.

Isamu: Where did you get hurt?

Mareo: I scraped my knee and elbow, you?

Isamu: I hit my head. It felt numb before, but now-

Isamu: Now, I just feel nauseous!

Mareo: Bumping into you saved my head, though…

Isamu: You call that a bump??!!!!

Mareo: Haha, okay, yeah, crashing… But you sure you’re okay?

Isamu: I should be fine. I don’t know about you, though.

Mareo: What?

Isamu: Remember that thing you wrote last week?

Isamu: That crappy canteen thing?

Mareo: Yeah?

Mareo: But I still have that notebook…

Mareo: You didn’t steal it or anything, right?

Mareo: I have a few sketches in it I really need…

Isamu: No, but I took a picture of a part when you weren’t looking…

Mareo: And?

Isamu: Ask Kawano.

Mareo: Isamu, you bastard, what did you do?

Mareo: Tell me now!

Mareo: Oe

Mareo: OEEEEEEE!

………………………………………………………………………………

Akira leafs through the pages of the notebook sitting on an armchair in a corner of a well-decorated living room. Expensive-looking paintings adorn the walls and the television mounted on the wall almost blends in with them.

Surprised by the sizzle from the open kitchen counter, she glances up from the notebook in her lap. Snapping out from her engrossed reading, she notices the aroma of multiple dishes.

“That should do it!” Hinata says as he wraps up Mareo’s treatment.

Mareo only nods and pulls his pants down from above his knees, his gaze stuck to the paintings.

“And? How and why did you end up like this?” Hinata says as he puts the box of first aid on the table in the middle of the room, careful not to scratch the glass.

Mareo, pulled back from his daydreams, mumbles something before turning his eyes to Hanae, who is helping Kaoru in the kitchen. He says after a moment, “I had to.”

Hinata stands up from the couch. Putting his hands on his waist, he says, deepening his voice, “I see.”

“HA?” Akira yells from behind him, “What was that ‘I see’ for?”

“I-” Hinata’s pose falls apart.

Akira takes the notebook and rests it on the table. “Trying to act cool…. Keh-”

“What? I’m not acting cool! I am cool! Right, Kaoru?”

Hearing Hinata’s cry, Kaoru takes her eyes off the frying pan for a second. “Ah- hmm?”

“You think I’m cool, right?”

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

She says after a moment of hesitation, “… Yeah…”

“You hesitated!” Hinata falls on his knees. He sniffles and says, overplaying the whole time, “What am I going to do now! Even my Kaoru thinks I’m uncool!”

Mareo smiles awkwardly at Hinata’s skit, trying to keep his laugh from coming out. He takes a glance at the wall clock as Hinata gets back up on his feet and says, “Um…. I should leave now… I’m fixed up and all”

“No!” Hinata says with his chin held high.

“E-eh?”

“You’re not going anywhere without having dinner here!”

“But-”

“No buts!”

Kaoru, taking her eyes off the phone screen playing a video of cooking the dish she's cooking, says from the kitchen, "Yeah! It's almost ready too." She then turns to Hanae and thanks her for helping out.

Hanae says softly, “Oh, no it’s… it’s nothing…”

“Hanae, you don’t seem well. Did something happen?” Kaoru says, turning off the stove.

“Ah… no. I’m fine.”

“You aren’t as talkative as other days-”

“I-”

Hinata, now sitting on the couch again, yells to them, “I see. Playing the good girl in front of your Boyfriend, huh?”

“Shut up!” Akira hits his head.

Mareo laughs seeing Hinata whimper. “You sure get along well, huh?”

“Hah? How do you get that idea from this?”

Mareo laughs again, but nervously. “I can’t leave anymore… Can’t let the conversation die… Time for a cliché conversation topic? Yep. Time for a cliché conversation topic! But I feel that it won’t end too well…”

“But really,” Mareo begins, “your mom sure-” “ looks young! But your dad looks young too! Wait a minute, don’t they look too young? Huh? What? Why didn’t I notice this before? What’s going on-”

Akira says, stretching her hands, “Oh, mom? She’s coming home late again. Dad as well. Why do they have to work on a weekend-” She stops, seeing Mareo’s confused face. “Wow, I can almost see ‘WHAT THE HECK?’ written on that face.”

“Uhm… If it’s okay to ask… Who are they, then?”

“Hmm? My elder brother and his-”

“Ahaha… I see. I see.” “What ‘I see’, Mareo? The heck? It’s a good thing I didn’t say all that out loud!”

Hinata turns to Akira. “Akira, what’s that bandage for? You haven’t said anything about it since you came back.”

“It’s nothi-”

“Say it! What happened?” Hinata glares at Akira.

Mareo gulps. “Where did that come from? That glare…It looks kind of scary…”

“It’s nothing! Just a small scrat-”

“Did someone do it to you?”

Mareo scoots to the edge of the couch. “I- I sense killer intent… What if he turns at me? I didn’t do anything! I’ll just say that! Yeah. He’ll see! I don’t even know what it’s for! Calm down, Mareo, calm down. It’s fi-”

“Was it that kid? Did he do something?”

“No, Matsumoto-kun did nothing… Someone just tried to snatch the bracelet and I just got scratched. That’s all!”

“That’s all?”

Kaoru calls from the kitchen, “Hinata-san, dinner’s ready. Come help. And stop scaring the guest!”

“Oh!” Hinata turns around. He puts a hand on Mareo’s shoulder. “Didn’t mean to scare you, uh- What was your name again?”

“AH! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Fujii Mareo-” Mareo tries to stand up and bow, but Hinata stops him.

“Come on, have dinner with us…” Hinata says with a smile.

………………………………………………………….

Hinata, almost done with his meal, says, “And your friend? The one you ran into- Is he okay?”

Mareo puts his chopsticks down. “ He did send a message saying he’s feeling nauseous.”

“Nauseous?”

“Yeah… I’ll ask him again. It’s been a while, so he’s probably feeling a bit better.” He takes out his phone. “That bastard didn’t reply in the past hour!”

Mareo: OEEEEEEE!-----------

Mareo: Yo, you okay?

Isamu: How many are you gonna send?

Isamu: Let me go to sleep, man!

“Bastard, you reply now?”

Mareo: Feeling better?

Isamu: No. I can’t sleep.

Mareo: Weren’t you sleepy 2 messages ago?

Isamu: Figure of speech…

Mareo: And? What did you send to Hanae?

He sees no response for a while. “Doesn’t reply again! He’s in for a beating next time I see him!”

Mareo: Try counting Mareo-s. You’ll fall asleep soon enough.

Isamu: Pfft. Fine. And as for the thing-

Mareo: Hmm?

Isamu: Ask her yourself. Bye.

Mareo: You

Mareo: Bastard!

Mareo: Isamu!

Mareo: Isamu! Oe!

“Damn Isamu and his elaborate pranks!” He closes the messaging app and takes a look at the time. “Oh crap! The time… I’m gonna miss the train…”

“Um…I should be leaving now- ”

Hinata says, almost singing, “Already?”

“I mean… I’ve caused enough problems… I even had dinner…here…”

Hanae gets up and pushes her chair back. She says with a certain eagerness to her voice, “I’ll see him out…”

…………………………………………………….

Mareo turns to Hanae to his left as they walk out to the main road, “Are you sure you should be coming along? It’s night now, so-”

“I’ll be fine,” Hanae takes his hand and entwines their fingers. “And thank you for before.”

“What’s the ‘thank you' for? Of course, I’d help out…. But that was more of me getting pissed off ‘cuz you were being hit on…”

“But why did you just grab my hand and run?”

“I- Well, actually….When I saw it, I pictured me lifting and carrying you away from those guys, or at the very least, do a cool movie-style entry and show them who’s boss…”

“But, then-”

“Yeah, I didn’t have time to think how that’ll pan out! So, I trusted my legs and-”

“And hurt yourself?”

“Ahahaha…..I-got a little carried away…”

“A little?”

With an awkward laugh, he says, “Better thank Isamu for not letting us die, huh?”

“Be careful, please!” She says nonchalantly.

“Mhm. Yes, ma’am! You should be a little bit more careful too, though.”

“It’s not my fault, you know! I was just waiting for you after practice!”

“Why’d you have such a pretty dress on, then?”

“I-well…” She averts her eyes.

“I’d kill half the creatures of the universe for that blush! Thank you, god!”

“Anyway…” She brings her phone out. “Fuuji-kun?”

“Ah-hmm?”

“I got this a few minutes ago… what’s this about?”

“Got what? From whom?”

“Matsumoto.”

“What is it?”

“Something about me saying, this:

‘Don't get the wrong idea. I surely wasn't going to say 'fate' in a place as crowded as this.’

The handwriting looks like it’s yours, too…” She puts her phone back in the pocket and shoots a glare at Mareo. Tightening her grip on his left hand, she says, “So, why am I saying all that, Fujii-kun?”

“I-no-wait- Hanae-sama! Wait! I CAN EXPLAIN! I CAN-”