It’s already dark as Eizan is walking to the store a few minutes away lost in thought. "Am I really going to have Sakurai stay at my house for a month? Is this even ok? Why did they kick her out for a month? It seems like a weird amount of time. Did she even bring enough clothes with her to stay a whole month? Exams are in two weeks and then it’s summer vacation. I just can’t make sense of this whole situation." He sighed. "This is going to be an awkward month. I wonder if she ever realized the whole not talking to each other at school for a month would end right as summer break started?" He giggled a little I bet she has no clue.
He walked into the store and was browsing the shelves holding a basket when someone called out to him from behind. “Hashimoto?” He turned to see the bright smile of a brown-haired muscular boy standing before him. “What’s up Sakamoto, long time no see.” His name is Sakamoto Yuuto, he’s captain of the soccer team and relatively close acquaintance of his.
“Your right it’s been a few weeks since you took leave from the soccer team.” He looked Eizan up and down. “How are your injuries? You sure look a lot better than the last time that I saw you.”
Eizan smiled “Yeah, I’m healing up nicely. I should be back to practice by the end of summer.”
Sakamoto looked him up and down again with a frown on his face. “Fell down the stairs huh? Never seen someone crack a few ribs and get a concussion from falling down a short flight of stairs.”
Eizan frowned. “We both know I didn’t fall down the stairs.”
“Yeah, I overheard one of the basketball players bragging to his friend how they taught you a lesson. I wanted to kick the crap out of him. Did you even fight back?”
Eizan’s look went cold. “You know what happened the last time I fought back. I told you about it a few months after I joined the soccer team.”
Sakamoto sighed “You know it’s ok to defend yourself. So, you went a little overboard last time. Just take it easy on them. Besides I know your reason for being so angry last time. It was a legitimate reason to beat the crap out of them. Hell, I was angry at them when you told me what they were going to do.” He walked up to Eizan, he’s significantly taller than him, and rubbed his head. Eizan is 174cm tall, while Yuuto is 193cm. “I can’t have you missing practice all the time. You’re my star second year, I was even thinking about nominating you for captain when I leave.”
Eizan smiled “You know damned well I don’t want the captains position.”
Yuuto laughed “I know, I know. So, what are you doing here so late. Buying a bunch of snacks, no less. You’re going to have to work extra hard to burn off the calories when you come back.”
“Haha not everyone is as muscle brained as you are Yuuto.”
Yuuto flexed his arms and struck a pose. “These babies took a lot of work you know.” Yuuto looked down into the basket again noticing something interesting. “Oh, what do we have here? I didn’t know you had a girlfriend why didn’t you tell me.”
Eizan’s expression immediately went stern. “I don’t have a girlfriend. These are just in case something was to happen.”
Yuuto rubbed his chin. “Hmm, that’s suspicious as hell man. So, who have you gotten so close to that an opportunity like that might happen?”
“Eh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Yuuto burst into laughter. “You’re a bad liar man. You’re really not going to tell me?”
“Nope.”
“Stubborn bastard, alright I’ll let it go for now.”
The two chatted while shopping for various things. “Later Yuuto” he said as he waved goodbye.
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“Have fun with your lady friend.” Yuuto yelled while waving as he walked away.
Eizan was walking home lost in thought looking down at the bag of stuff he had just bought. "How the hell am I going to sneak this in the apartment?" He put the box in its own bag and wrapped it around it several times so it could not be easily discerned what it was. Walking up to his apartment he started to get nervous. "Damn Yuuto and my mother, I don’t even know if I like Sakurai like that yet."
He walked into his apartment to the smiling face of Mio. “Welcome back Hashimoto.” She strolled up to him. “Do you want some help.”
“U-um no I got it.” He held the bags firmly in his hands.
She puffed out her cheeks. “Oh, come on I’m starving.”
He held out a bag in front of him. “Here this is full of snacks.” He handed her the bag.
“Yay.” She was about to turn around when she noticed the other bag. She tilted her head to the side. “What else did you get?”
He immediately stiffened up. “I-it’s private, ok.”
She looked at him suspiciously “Private huh.”
Eizan nodded and walked toward the bathroom. Standing in the bathroom with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead Eizan was trying to calm his mind down. "Crap she almost caught me." He quickly hid the box he had got at the back of the bathroom closet. He left it wrapped in the bag to make it harder to determine what it was. He stayed in there a few minutes.
Sitting at the small table, Mio was looking at all the snacks laid out on the table with hungry eyes. She grabbed a box of chocolate covered biscuits off the table. She popped the biscuit into her mouth. “MMM so good. It’s been forever since I had these.” She wondered "What’s taking so long. He is acting a little suspiciously. What did he buy that is so embarrassing that he wont even show me."
Eizan walked into the room still slightly nervous. He sat down on the other side of the table. “Is everything to your satisfaction.” Mio was currently doing an impression of a squirrel with a mouth full of biscuit.
“Mhm.” She gave him a thumbs up. She swallowed what was in her mouth. “So, what do we do now?”
“Hell, if I know. You just showed up here out of nowhere. I honestly haven’t come to grasp the fact that you’re going to be staying here for a month." He sighed.
She gave him a slightly pouty look. “I’m sorry I troubled you so much. If you really hate it, I can try to find somewhere else to go.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I was implying. I’m happy to have you stay. I’m sure we will have fun.” He smiled at her and thought. "She’s worried about that now? Come on we already got permission from her parent’s and mine, it’s basically a done deal now."
She smiled brightly. “Yeah, we can just hang out like we normally do. B-but I do have to study some. We do have exams next week.”
“Oh, studying. I never do that for exams. I guess I just never thought it was necessary.”
Sakurai gave him a weird look. “Don’t you study all the time though. You have so many advanced books in here.”
He glanced over at the book shelf. “Oh, that’s just a few things that caught my interest.” He scratched his cheek in embarrassment. “I know it’s weird but I like to read text books. It’s kind of a hobby of mine. I don’t really do it to improve my school work or anything like that.”
“Would you help me study?” She shyly asked.
“Sure, I’m not sure I’ll be of any help though.”
They sat there chatting and eating snacks for a while before deciding to go to sleep for the night.
Hashimoto was laying on his futon staring at the ceiling trying to fall asleep. Sakurai was laying in his bed doing the same thing. "I wonder if she’s as nervous as I am?" "I wonder if he’s as nervous as I am?" She finally spoke. “Hashimoto are you still awake?”
“Yeah, I’m awake. Is everything alright?”
“I’m fine, its weird right? The last time we did this was when you rescued me from that bad rainstorm.”
“Yeah, I still can’t believe you actually came over here that night.”
“I was really nervous actually. I didn’t know what to think. I wasn’t really in a position to refuse though.”
“Hmm, I guess you’re right.”
“Hashimoto, can I call you by your first name?” She was blushing but it was too dark for him to tell.
“Ah… sure I guess we’ve known each other for a while. I don’t see why not.” His face was hot.
“Great, you can call me Mio from now on if you like.”
“S-sure that sounds good to me. But let’s only call each other by are first names when were alone for now, ok.”
“S-sure it might be embarrassing at school.”
“We better get some sleep. Goodnight, M-Mio.”
“G-goodnight, Eizan.”
Both of their hearts were racing. "Crap no way I’m going to be able to sleep now" both of them thought at the same time.