Get Over It

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/43033251.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of
Violence
Category: F/M, M/M
Fandom: Yandere Simulator (Video Game)
Relationship: Ayato Aishi | Yandere-kun/Rivals, Taeko Yamada | Senpai/Rivals,
Ayato Aishi | Yandere-kun & Everyone, Ayato Aishi | Yandere-kun &
Original Characters, Ayato Aishi | Yandere-kun & Taeko Yamada |
Senpai
Character: Ayato Aishi | Yandere-kun, Taeko Yamada | Senpai, Osano Najimi,
Amao Odayaka, Kizano Sunobu, Oko Ruto, Aso Rito, Mujo Kina, Mido
Rana, Osoro Shidesu, Hanako Yamada, Megamo Saikou, Ryoba Aishi,
Jokichi Yudasei, Student Council (Yandere Simulator), Original
Characters, Akademi High School Staff (Yandere Simulator)
Additional Tags: Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Pacifist Ayato Aishi | Yandere-kun, Bullying,
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Anxiety Attacks, Mental Health
Issues, Selectively Mute Ayato Aishi | Yandere-kun, Trauma, Childhood
Trauma, Jealous Osano Najimi, Cute Taeko Yamada | Senpai, Ayato
Aishi | Yandere-kun Needs a Hug, don't we all?, Ayato Aishi | Yandere-
kun Can Feel Feelings, Ayato Aishi | Yandere-kun is Bad at Feelings,
Oblivious Ayato Aishi | Yandere-kun, Taeko Yamada | Senpai & Ayato
Aishi | Yandere-kun Friendship, There Reletionship Is Overall Platonic
in this, Genderbending, Not All Charachters Are Genderbent, Sign
Language, Threats of Violence, Denial of Feelings, Developing
Friendships, Osorō Shindesu Is a Prick, The Nurse be Seing Ayato
More Than His Own Parents, Unlucky Aishi Ayato | Yandere-kun,
Developing Relationships, Protective Amao Odayaka, Amao Odayaka
Is a Good Friend, Amao Odayaka Is a Sweetheart, Sweet Ayato Aishi |
Yandere-kun, Sweet Taeko Yamada | Senpai, Hanako Yamada Is a
Ray of Sunshine, Everyone Is Gay But Realize It Later, Caring Ryoba
Aishi, Caring Jokichi Yudasei, Therapy, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Flirty
Mido Rana, Hanako Is Ayato's Personal Bodyguard, Smoking,
protective friends, Why Is Writting a Harem Fic So Hard?, The Rivals x
Taeko in this is so minimal it practicaly isin't there, All of them are so
gay and they don't even realize it, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional
Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-11-12 Updated: 2023-09-25 Words: 32,994 Chapters:
19/41

Get Over It
by Netticx

Summary

Ever since a certain incident, Ayato has been struggling with his mental health.
 For the last 7 years, Ayato has been homeschooled. His parents have tried enrolling him
into different schools but every outcome is the same. He either is belittled by his peers for
being "different" or expelled for being a bad influence.

What does Ayato do when he is enrolled into Akademi, one of the most prestigious schools
in the country?

Notes

Originally this fanfic had a much different plot, but after writing chapter two I realized I
wasn't satisfied with it.
I'll try to post two chapters every Saturday, depending on how school will be going.

During the process of writing this story, it will probably be rewritten every once in a while
until I think it's perfect.
Also, this is my first attempt at writing and actually publicly posting fanfiction. I assume
that I'm a pretty decent writer, but don't be shy about giving feedback, and correcting
mistakes. English isn't my first language so my grammar won't be perfect.

Writing these tags was hell, so I'll be adding more tags gradually as the story progresses.

Important Note on Dialogue:

Apostrophe (') in italic and bold - a character is speaking in their head (No One else hears).
Apostrophe (') - The character is using sign language.
Quotation marks (") - The character is speaking.
Quotation marks (") in italic - The text is written on paper
 A New Chapter in My Life
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

He hated school with a living passion.

To some school is just a normal part of their lives, something to "enjoy while it lasts as you meet
new people and make nice memories in your early life".

Well to Ayato school was anything but that. It’s something of a living nightmare that he has to live
through for almost half his life. And for what?

He didn’t hate school for the reason most people hated school. He enjoyed studying, he liked
learning new things and doing homework. He hated the environment though. People, especially
children and teenagers could be so ruthless. So...inconsiderate of others and their feelings.
Especially to those who were “different”. People filled him with loathing. He couldn’t stand them.
He doesn't know when it started, perhaps he has always lived like this, not liking people. But, he
could be wrong...he actually felt like he knew when it started.

Just like any child, he started with elementary school. The first big step into becoming a
functioning member of society. Kindergarten wasn’t bad, because he barely remembers anything
from so far back and even if he did, the worst thing a child at that age could have done to him is
take away his favourite toy and make him cry. First grade was something different...

People tended to avoid him, point a finger at him and snicker behind his back or call him “weird”.
At the time he didn’t really understand why. Now he did...

Because he was “different”. And people didn’t like that...

Around the second or third grade, it started becoming worse. Now people became more violent and
repulsed...

Maybe this is when his vendetta against people started to form.

That particular day...

It wasn’t something that notably bugged him much. But, it was one of the only days he
remembered of his very early school days.

A few children from his class had ganged up on him. Called him names for being so quiet, for his
eyes being dull, and for the fact that he didn’t have friends. They pulled at his hair and laughed at
how Ayato stood there and allowed them to do that like it didn’t bother him. But, they started to
get annoyed at the lack of response from his side, so they dumped him and his things in the school
fountain. Then they left. He had stood there for a bit. He picked up his things in his now
thoroughly soaked bag. A few of the stuff that used to swim in the fountain (like leaves) had stuck
into his hair. He had entered the classroom completely drenched. While the teacher worriedly
fretted over him and repeatedly asked what had happened, his classmates snickered and gave him
looks. His dad had come to pick him up and the principal had allowed him the rest of the day off.
After solving that whole fiasco his parents soon found him a new school.

The new school wasn’t much better and neither was the next one nor the one after that.
Somehow he had made it to middle school...

That’s when things actually started going downhill...

That day..it replayed in his head every night...

He didn’t really expect anything to change, but his first year of middle school for some reason had
given him hope of some sort. He should have seen the signs conspicuously staring at his face. His
first year of middle school in just a few days went from okay to fucking disastrous.

His now slightly more mature classmates had decided to specifically get on his nerves one day.
Finally having enough and using the small bit of courage he had in a pitifully quiet tone he had
whispered “fuck you" to the group. When they asked him to repeat what he said he did so in an
overly loud tone. Which had piqued the interest of most of the students in the very full hallway.
They had gotten so embarrassed and irritated that you could even call it somewhat hilarious. One
of them punched him straight in the face. His nose bleed and he fell to the floor. Then he kicked
him with his leg straight to his stomach. Soon the beating turned more intense and the bully's
friends joined.

The people there didn’t do anything. They stood there. Just watching...

He doesn't know when the teacher shows up or how he got to the hospital. He was well passed out
at that point. He remembers waking up with his mother and father by his side. They both looked
like they had been crying for hours. It wasn’t pleasant to see...

He probably looked horrible. The fact his skin bruised easily and he was already pale to begin
with, now with the blood loss becoming paler. He probably looked like a wrecked-up corpse on
that bed. They asked him how he felt, but he didn’t answer. The doctor came and asked him the
same question, but he didn’t answer him either.

He was in the hospital for a while, the white walls still being oddly familiar to him in his memory.
After he had been discharged his parents enrolled him to a different school. Soon he got expelled
for not participating in lessons, not answering when talked to and making other students
uncomfortable.

His parents had tried a few more times before they had gotten papers that allowed them to home-
school him. He liked that...

Ever since the incident, he had stooped talking. They had started sending him to a therapist. They
tried getting him to talk, still, try...

It’s been about seven years since that incident. Over those seven years, his parents had tried once,
maybe twice, to enrol him into school, but it was as unsuccessful as always. The talking issue
hasn’t been solved either. He can mutter a word or two to his parents or therapist, maybe a relative
or neighbour if he feels like it.

He does sometimes want to talk, but the words feel like they are like a huge lump in his throat and
when he did open his mouth they stuck right where they were and the only thing that left his mouth
was silence. But mostly? He was content with being quiet, the fewer people who spoke to him, the
better.

And now he would have to live in that nightmare once again.

To say he wasn’t happy when his parents announced he will be starting school next week was an
understatement. His body went rigid and he could feel a panic attack approaching. His parents had
tried to encourage him that it will be okay and that the staff in Akademi is very competent and that
the students are well mannered. When he heard the word Akademi he almost blacked out.

Akademi is one of the most prestigious schools in the country. Young talents from all over the
country enrol on the school just for the prestige of being a student in the school. Being owned by
non-other than the Saikou family.

Are his parents insane? This is worse than his last school! Compared to the people that went there
he was nothing. He was just some eighteen-year-old guy who has nothing special to offer. He isn't
famous, he doesn't have any intriguing talents, hell, he doesn't even have any hobbies! The only
remotely interesting thing about him is that he doesn't speak, that's all.

But looking at his parent's pleading faces he gave a shaky nod and tried to come to terms with his
faith.

He looked at the clock ticking on his wall as his eyes refused to close. He wished he could stop
time and never make this week end...

❁❁❁

The week flew faster than expected. Tomorrow he would start attending Akademi. He still didn’t
want to go. But, his parents seemed excited about his first day, and so was his therapist who
seemed to be smilier than usual. Something akin to hope and excitement shimmered in his eyes as
he looked at Ayato. Kishimoto Hitoshi has been his therapist for six years. He was a determined,
middle-aged man. No matter how hopeless this looked to Ayato, he has never given up on him, he
has been nothing but patient and kind to him. The older man pushed his round glasses upward and
gave him one of the most genuine smiles he has seen in a while from him.

“Ayato-kun, I’m so glad you're taking this step after such a long time. I know you’re probably
worried and you think that the people there will be worse than before because of their status. But, I
believe you will do great, just give it a shot.”

Did he mention that the man was amazing at reading him?

The rest of the session went in a blur, he usually spoke a few words during his sessions. Okay, that
was sort of a lie, he usually made at least some noise of acknowledgement and he rarely used
words, the other understood him perfectly without them.

But he had lost his voice completely because of his still staggering anxiety. He left Kishimoto-
sensei’s office not feeling much better. His brain was cloudy, his hands were sweating nonstop,
and he felt like crying or punching someone or something. He decided to kick some random rock
to let some of his pent-up emotions out. The rest of the walk was a fuzz up until he stumbled into
something...or rather someone.

Upon opening his eyes he saw a pair of angry cooper eyes looking towards him. The girl next to
him helped the ginger man get up.

“Watch where you are going, you moron! I almost broke my new phone because of you!”

“Osano-kun, please it was just an accident. Don’t be so harsh on him.”

“F-Fine..”

Ayato gave a respectful bow as an apology and headed back to his destination again. He has been a
bit deeper in his thoughts than he initially thought. He should be a bit more careful. Behind him
came an annoyed and angered scream:

“Hey! A verbal apology would be nice you know!”

Ayato didn’t spare a glance the man's way and just headed forward. He heard the man rather
loudly muttering angry remarks towards him.

“...what a weirdo.”

The man doesn’t even know him and already called him a weirdo. This just proves how judgmental
and unlikeable mankind truly is. His mood felt even more sour than before.

❁❁❁

With a swift motion, he opened the door, took off his shoes and put it at the 1 genkan and switched
them with slippers. After hanging his jacket he went into the kitchen.

He expected to see his mother cooking cheerfully dinner as she chatted with her father asking
about his day as he read over the newspaper. But instead, he found the kitchen empty. He went
through the other rooms only to find them empty as well. He went back into the kitchen, he looked
at the table to see a note laying there, written in his mother's neat and precise handwriting. He took
the note and started reading over it.

┌
 For Ayato

Hello dear, I and your father have headed overseas for urgent business. I have left some
money for you on your card (call me or write a message if you need more). I’m so proud of your
decision to finally go to school again! Your father even seems to be happier. I hope you’ll find
friends there! We are not very sure when we will return, but it might take a while. Take your
medication, don’t skip school or your appointments and call me if necessary. Remember, we love
you! Stay safe!

Love,

- Your mother ♡

P.S. Your uniform is in your bedroom, on your bed. I’m sure you’ll look stunning!

‘Great..’

He gave a huge sigh and folded the letter carefully and placed it back on the table. He took a glass
from the cabinet and filled it with water. He took the pill and swallowed it down with his water. He
put everything in its place and headed upstairs to his bedroom.

There on the bed stood the tidily folded uniform. It consisted of a white, short-sleeve dress shirt, a
black square-shouldered top with a stand-up collar and black straight-legged pants. He put it on his
desk where stood a pile of books and school supplies. After finishing packing up, he decided to
head to rest. He changed into his nightwear and slipped under the covers. He was so tired of today's
events that even his pondering anxiety couldn’t keep him awake another night.

He really hopes he’ll end up dying in his sleep tonight...

Chapter End Notes

Genkan (玄関) - The entryway to a Japanese house, where street shoes are removed
and house shoes put on before entering the house, and house shoes removed and street
shoes put on before leaving the house.
 First Day of School
Chapter Summary

More people got attracted by the sudden outburst and he could feel his mouth going
dry and his palms sweating. His throat felt tight and he couldn’t take proper breaths,
Najimi’s voice became more distant and he couldn’t hear the other more quiet voices,
he could only feel their eyes on him. They were looking at him from head to toe like
they did that day...

His heart was hammering in his chest and it made his chest hurt. His ears were ringing
and he couldn’t understand where he was, the people around him looked weird, instead
of their faces he just saw their eyes, eyes looking at him as if he is losing control over
himself.

He needed to get out of here, needed to get their eyes off of him.

Chapter Notes

Warning: Vivid description of an anxiety attack.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

He opened up his eyes and turned off the alarm. He let out a yawn and closed his eyes for a bit.

‘First day at school...Already hate it..’

He slid out of bed before he could fall asleep again and did his usual mourning stretch. Then he
took his uniform and started putting it on. After finishing he looked at himself in the mirror. He
didn’t really like the jacket. The high collar didn’t suit him and it was a bit uncomfortable, so he
decided to not wear it. He looked much better that way too. He quickly brushed his hair, put on a
gray tie to make up for the lack of a jacket, gave one last glance at the mirror, took his schoolbag
and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

He usually isn’t a big fan of breakfast and the only reason he does eat it is because of his mother's
especially loving “encouragement”. When his parents aren’t home he allows himself to indulge in
his desires and skips breakfast, but he was feeling unusually hungry today, perhaps it was because
of his nervousness. He took two slices of bread and put them in the toaster and warmed up the
teakettle. He sat down and started mindlessly scrolling on his phone.

It seems he has put his alarm on earlier than needed. Breakfast will take about five minutes maybe
a bit more as it’s still cooking, brushing his teeth the usual 2-3 minutes, Akademi on average is 15
minutes away but he can get there within 10. That leaves him with a good hour and a half before
classes actually start. Oh, right he does have to meet someone who will show him around so that
might kill some of that time.
 The toast popped up from the toaster and the water had boiled. He took a clean cup and smeared
some butter on his toast. He should also probably do some chores when he gets back, his mother
doesn't like it when the house is a mess.

He gave a sigh. He would rather stay home and do chores than go to school. The thought of so
many people being there and most of them being so much better than him made him anxious. He
hasn’t felt like this in a long time, it almost felt new...

He ate his breakfast quicker than he expected. He cleaned up after himself, brushed his teeth, got
his lunch, locked the house and finally headed out. Outside he saw their Neighbor, Tomita or Mika
as she preferred to be called by her first name. She’s a middle-aged woman with a youthful
appearance. She likes the outdoors so she’s often up early, working on her garden. She’s pretty
good friends with his mother.

“Ah, mourning Ayato-kun! First day of school, huh?”

He gave her a small nod.

“Well, I wish you luck! Come by for tea later!”

He gave another nod, bowed and left. Tea sounded nice and Mika-san was nice company, her
home-brewed tea is always amazing even his mother is impressed.

As he predicted, he got to Akademi in about 10 minutes. He went through the school gates as a
swarm of students entered with him. He felt a slight nervousness run through his legs and fingertips
in a form of stiffness, but he continued to walk ignoring the feeling of wanting to turn away and
run. On each side a row of cheery blossom trees stood tall and proud and small, light petals danced
gracefully in the air. The very faint scent of vanilla, lilac and rose ran around him. That managed to
calm him down a little.

By the entryway of the gates stood a woman that caught his eye as she wasn’t wearing the usual
traditional school uniform. She had a white uniform, red bow tie and a red armband around her arm
saying ‘Student Council’. Ah, so she is the one he needed to meet, they did say it will be one of the
council members. The woman had beautiful auburn hair, some of it sitting over her shoulder. A
gentle and kind smile made itself visible on her lips as Ayato approached her.

“Hello, Aishi-kun! I’m happy to introduce you to our school and I hope you feel welcome as well.
I am Akane Toriyasu, the secretary of the student council!”

Ayato gave her a small bow and she reciprocated by giving one back.

“Let us start by going inside, shall we? I’ll start showing you around from there.”

.
.
.
.
.
❁❁❁❁

After she showed him around the school, like where his class is, the bathrooms, cafeteria and other
rooms they went to his locker so he could put down his stuff and change shoes. She continued to
talk and Ayato listened carefully.
 “After classes feel free to check out our clubs. It isn't mandatory to join one per se, but it would be
good if you did. We have quite the variety to choose from, so I feel like you should find something
that piques your interests!”

That all sounds great and all if Ayato had any interests, to begin with. But, trying something new
wouldn’t hurt him. Maybe joining a club would help him to blend in and people would pay less
attention to him. That does sound ideal. Just like his therapist said, he should “give it a shot”.
He nod at her in acknowledgement and she clapped her hands together.

“Wonderful! Some clubs as of now need more members, so it would be helpful to join. But,
remember it’s your choice! Ah, right last things last the-”

“Hey, you’re the guy that bumped into me yesterday, I’m still waiting for my apology you know.”

Toriyasu had a stunned expression on her face and at last her smile had disappeared from her lips.
She furrowed her brows and her previous expression had yet returned. The girl standing next to the
auburn man, whom he now finally remembered to be the same one he bumped into on his way
home yesterday, seemed to be the only one of the pair to notice the council secretary standing
there. He now also remembers the girl being there that day. She had dark straight hair, the colour
being much like his own and the same with her eyes being as silvery as Ayato’s pair. She had
nudged the man in the shoulder, who if he remembers correctly was named Osano.

“Ow, what was that for? Ah..hello Akane-san..”

“Good morning, Najimi-kun, Yamada-san.”

The pair looked at Ayato with a confused look, well the ginger did at least, which made Ayato
more nervous than he liked and he turned his head away from him, which seemed to kinda irritate
the man more.

“This is Aishi Ayato-kun. He’s a new student at our school, he goes to the same class as you,
Najimi-kun. If I am correct, he even sits next to you!”

The other didn’t seem happy at all and to be frank, Ayato wasn’t exhilarated either.

“Well, before I leave Aishi-kun. The president did say he would like to see you this week on
Friday. Be sure to come to him after school. If you have any problems with anything, please come
to the council room, we will sort it out. I hope you enjoy your stay at school, goodbye!”

Toriyasu went away, which left the three standing there. Yamada seemed to not mind Ayato while
Najimi looked at him with something of a displeased look. Ayato turned around and started to sort
his locker again.

“What are you some millionaire dipshit that even the council president wants to see you?”

Ayato didn’t answer his question and continued doing what he was doing. Hopefully, they would
soon leave him alone. Najimi clicked his tongue in annoyance and Yamada spoke up.

“Please don’t be so rude to him, Osano. Maybe he’s just uncomfortable speaking.”
‘Yes I am, please leave’

The girl's voice seemed to calm Najimi down and a blush spread to his cheeks. He took a deep
breath and looked at him again. Ayato spared him a glance as Najimi spoke up.

“Sorry for being rude I guess..”

Yamada smiled at them and Ayato just nod and closed his locker. Lessons are about to start he
should be going.

“Ah, Aishi-kun! Would you like to join us for lunch?”

“What? Do we have to invite him!”
“Yes, stop being so mean to him!”

She smiled at him softly and Ayato didn’t know what to do. Making one or two friends could help
him too right? He would blend in better. He gave her a nod and her eyes lit up as her smile became
wider. And even though Najimi had a clear dislike for Ayato, his face softened from Taeko’s
reaction.

“We’ll see you on the rooftop at lunch then!”

He gave a nod and started leaving.

“Osano-kun, aren’t you gonna go with Aishi-kun? You go to the same class.”
“I’ll walk you to class and then head to my own.”
“Alright, if you insist.”

.
.
.
.
.
.
❁❁❁❁

Classes flew by quickly, he understood the teacher well and he was grateful not even one had asked
him a question. He guesses they have probably been informed of his “condition”. To be frank, it
was quite overwhelming to be in a classroom after such a long time, but the lesson helped him
distract himself.

When the bell rang to signal that the lunch break had begun he took out his bento box and thought
if he should have lunch here or find a nice spot outside. He heard two annoyed coughs to see
Najimi leaning against the door frame.

“Oi, Aishi did you forget that Taeko-chan invited you to have lunch with us?”

Right, she did he had almost forgotten. He got up and took his stuff. The two now headed up to the
rooftop. Najimi looked at him a few times and he felt uncomfortable from his irked stare. On the
rooftop, Yamada gave the two an excited wave, next to her sat another man. He had ginger blonde
hair and an accessory holding his small ponytail was the same that Osano had in his hair. So he
guesses he’s one of his friends. The guy had a gentle smile on his face and he was surrounded by a
safe and calming aura.

“Aishi-kun! I am glad you came, how were classes?”

They were good, but he didn’t know how to tell Taeko that. Like always the words stuck in his
throat and refused to come out. He was honestly getting kind of nervous, Najimi’s stare didn’t help.

“Hey, Taeko-chan asked you a question are you not gonna answer?”
 The three looked at him and Ayato could feel the sweat rolling down his forehead. Yamada and
whoever was next to him had a concerned maybe confused look on their face while Najimi looked
like he was about to kill him with his glare. And the only thing in his vision was specifically
Najimi's glare. Finally the other seemed to burst.

“What is your problem? Why did you even come here if you aren’t going to talk? Do you think
you're better than us?”

It seemed that Osano’s voice was loud enough and a few students looked their way making
everything worse.

“Osano-kun, please calm down!”

“No, Taeko he is ridiculing us! We invite him to lunch and this dipshit can’t even answer a simple
question!”

More people got attracted by the sudden outburst and he could feel his mouth going dry and his
palms sweating. His throat felt tight and he couldn’t take proper breaths, Najimi’s voice became
more distant and he couldn’t hear the other more quiet voices, he could only feel their eyes on him.
They were looking at him from head to toe like they did that day...
His heart was hammering in his chest and it made his chest hurt. His ears were ringing and he
couldn’t understand where he was, the people around him looked weird, instead of their faces he
just saw their eyes, eyes looking at him as if he is losing control over himself.

He needed to get out of here, needed to get their eyes off of him.

He got up and started to run, he heard voices, voices yelling something at him, but he didn’t listen.
He needed to be alone, somewhere, anywhere.

He ran into the nearest storage closet and closed the door. He was alone, finally, he was alone. But,
he didn’t feel alone. He still felt their eyes all over him. He still couldn’t breathe, he still felt sick,
his heart was pounding, his head was pounding, and his chest hurt.

The ringing in his ears became louder. He could hear their laughter, he could feel their kicks, he
could feel the bruises, and he could remember how scared he was. He wanted to go home, he hated
this, he felt like he was dying. The breath he desperately tried to stuff in his lungs was getting
pushed out by his swollen throat. From when was his throat swollen? He tried to cough it out, but
nothing came out, he still couldn’t breathe and his hands and knees were starting to give up from
his constant trembling. He coughed and wheezed for what felt like hours until black spots danced
in his vision. His body finally gave out and he fell to the floor. That’s gonna leave a bruise.

He felt sleepy, he still couldn’t breathe properly and everything hurt, but the eyes had left and the
ringing was distant.

He closed his eyes and hoped when he was awake he would be home and this was all just a stupid
and awful nightmare.

Chapter End Notes

Honestly, Ayato is kind of a mood.

 Choosing a Club
Chapter Summary

Odayaka’s words encouraged him further to join. It seemed like the most logical
choice of all.

‘When could I come by?’

“Club activities happen from 5:00 to 6:00 PM every day. Feel free to come by
whenever your time allows it. If you end up not liking it, I don’t mind helping you
choose a new club.”
‘Thank you, Odayaka-kun. You’re too kind..”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Should we head off?”

Chapter Notes

I was hoping to get chapter 4 done by this date as well, but I had to do a lot of catching
up to do with school this week as I was sick before and it had left me insanely tired. I
was also stuck on a particular part and couldn't figure out what to write next. I did have
Friday off as it is my country's national independence day, but I have been spending
time with my family.

Also, I can't delay schoolwork as I do have exams this year, so that is my main focus.
Hope you understand and enjoy this short chapter!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

When he woke up above him was a white ceiling staring back at him. He felt slightly better than
the last time he was awake. He was still pretty lightheaded and his head was still pounding from a
nasty headache albeit not as much as it did before. His eyes hurt both from the bright light of what
he assumes is the infirmary and from probably crying which he most likely did without realizing.

Wait, how did he get here? He remembers blacking out and now he is here...

So he didn’t get here himself. He turned his head to his left and saw a man sitting there, he seemed
to be asleep. He was unfamiliar to Ayato. He had a light turquoise apron on him that reached a bit
above his knees and a similar coloured kerchief. Under the apron was a white long-sleeved dress
shirt whose sleeves were pulled up to his elbows. He had fluffy-looking light brown hair and a pale
complexion. He was swarmed by the aroma of freshly baked cupcakes and ripe fruit.

He slowly pushed himself up, being careful to not trigger the dizziness even more. The man
seemed to wake up from the creek of the bed, opening eyes whose colour matched the man’s
apron. He smiled at Ayato with a relieved smile despite not knowing who he is.

“Ah, you are awake! How are you feeling?”

Ayato looked a bit nervously at the other who patiently waited for his answer. The nurse came in
answering for him and saving him the trouble.

“I’m afraid he won’t be able to answer you Odayaka-kun”

“Why is that, Kankoshi-sensei?”

“He, unfortunately, doesn't speak, he has selective mutism.”

“Ah..”

The nurse had the same relief-filled look on her face. She put her hand on his head as in a way to
check his temperature

“Aishi-kun, can you sign me how you are feeling?”

Ah, as expected from the staff.

‘Better, but I have a headache and I’m pretty lightheaded.’

“I’ll get you some painkillers, but I would like to know what happened?”

‘Had an anxiety attack..”

He stopped for a second to think if he should mention the reason. He honestly didn’t want to get on
Najimi’s bad side even more. He might actually kill him the next time they meet.

‘..After something happened.’

“I have heard that Najimi-kun yelled at Aishi-kun and he had run off somewhere. You shouldn't be
afraid to mention that, Aishi-kun.”

He flinched a bit as the other man answered. He didn’t expect him to understand sign language.

“I’ll handle Najimi-kun tomorrow. Right, I’ll get your painkillers, Aishi-kun.”

The nurse left and the brunette stayed by his side smiling softly.

“I’m sorry that happened to you Aishi-kun, but I’m glad you’re a bit better.”

Ayato nod in gratitude.

“I haven’t fully introduced myself. My name is Odayaka Amao, nice to meet you Aishi-kun.”
‘It’s nice to meet you too, Odayaka-kun. My name is Ayato.”

The nurse came back with a glass of water and a pill. He gave her a small head bow and took the
glass and the pill, quickly swallowing down both the pill and water.

“Well, it should go into effect in a few minutes. You two can head home, good evening.”

The nurse left yet again and Odayaka helped Ayato up. His legs were a bit shaky and unsteady, but
he managed to stand up straight. Odayaka held his hand to help him keep his balance.

“Will you be able to walk, Aishi-kun”

‘Yes, I should be fine’

“How about I walk you home? I want to make sure you get there safe”

Is he that worried for him? How unusual. Well, Odayaka seems like he has no ill intentions, he did
bring him here...

‘If it’s not a bother for you...I don’t really mind.”

“It’s not, you shouldn’t worry about that.”

❁❁❁

The two slowly headed out to take their stuff. Mostly the school was empty, with some students
fuming here and there as some clubs hadn’t finished their activities yet. Noticing that, he had the
nagging feeling he hasn’t finished something he wanted to. But, he shrugged it off until they had
already gotten to the exit.
 He noticed the different posters plastered on the wall. Right, he wanted to check out what clubs
the school offered. He did say to Toriyasu he will do that. And again, his main task right now is to
try to blend in as much with the other students as possible, he didn’t want middle school to repeat
all over again. He would rather die than experience that all over again. Although, that event in
itself felt like a whole death experience of its own.

“Oh, are you interested in joining a club, Aishi-kun?”

‘Yes, I thought it might be a good idea.”

The school seemed to have quite a variety of clubs. Drama, Light Music club...Oh, he barely
noticed the small poster at the bottom saying ‘Please join the Gaming Club’. It had little drawings
of a schoolboy with neon green hair who oddly seemed familiar. He thinks he saw him on the
rooftop that day, but he believed he knew him before entering Akademi. That didn’t really matter
now, so he brushed it aside for now.

“Having trouble choosing?”

Ayato nod.

“Do you have any particular interests? Maybe something new you would like to try. Or maybe
something you are good at?”

He didn’t have particular interests, I guess he would say reading, but there is no library or book
club. He wasn’t particularly intrigued into trying anything new either. And as to things he was
good at...He was pretty good at cooking, he definitely saw a cooking club poster when he was
running his eyes over the posters. On the poster was Odayaka’s smiling face holding a tray of
cupcakes whose fragrance seemed to surround him like a mist. In the background, it was raining
scarlet red strawberries. He hadn’t even noticed the red armband around the other man's arm,
perhaps his head was cloudier than he had judged at first.

Odayaka’s face seemed to lighten more as Ayato eyed the poster of his club.

“Are you thinking of joining the Cooking Club? I would be more than delighted to see you there!
Our members are very great people, I’m assured they’ll be just as excited about you joining as I
am!”

Odayaka’s words encouraged him further to join. It seemed like the most logical choice of all.
 ‘When could I come by?’

“Club activities happen from 5:00 to 6:00 PM every day. Feel free to come by whenever your time
allows it. If you end up not liking it, I don’t mind helping you choose a new club.”

‘Thank you, Odayaka-kun. You’re too kind..”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Should we head off?”

As they walked to his home Odayaka started telling him stories involving the Cooking Club. He
didn’t await an answer from the raven, not even a slight giggle or laughter, he just kept talking to
keep away the silence and to not make Ayato or himself feel awkward. Ayato’s eyes on him and
maybe the slight, occasional curve in his lips were enough for him, he knew the other was
listening.

And for the first time in a while, Ayato felt a slight, fuzzy feeling of happiness in his chest.

And maybe, just maybe, he felt slightly excited to go to school the next day.

Chapter End Notes

I do have planned out ideas before writing chapters. And it seems chapter 4 will come
out quite long so keep your heads up! If I have time there's a chance it might come out
before Saturday.

Also, I love Amao so much! He's probably one of my TOP 3 favourite rivals.
 Summoning Demons
Chapter Summary

He looked at Megamo, eyes wide. It was..nice to see that the student council president
took his responsibilities so seriously He was about to sign something but stooped, the
other gave him a nod as a sign to continue. Of course the other will understand, he
shouldn’t be surprised.

‘Thank you, Saikou-kun. I appreciate your efforts.’

The other nodded and after a few minutes of talking and questioning the other, Ayato
left and proceeded to go to the cooking club. They ended up having fun making the
recipe Ayato brought, which turned out absolutely appetizing.

With that, his first week of Akademi had ended.

Chapter Notes

Please check out the notes at the beginning of chapter 1 as they have an explanation of
how dialogue works in this story. Also, I will be only uploading one chapter every
Saturday as it's hard to write two chapters in a week with personal stuff and school in
the way. Talking about that, sorry for the delay and thank you for understanding!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The morning of his second day felt better. He was quite thrilled to see Odayaka again and to try his
club's activities. Odayaka had such a light and happy aura it felt safe to be around him. He hoped
they could become friends.

The walk to school was pleasant as well. The air had a warm breeze, and the anxiety was still
there, but it had lessened knowing if something happened Odayaka was there for him. That thought
made him want to befriend the other more. How should he approach him? Maybe he should gift
him something nice? He did help him after all and friends give friends gifts, right?

He was a bit confused or maybe the more fitting word would be lost. The concept of friendship
was quite foreign to him. He never really had any friends, hell he barely had people he talked to.

He decided to stick with the gift. Now the main question would be what should he gift Odayaka?
Possibly he could find out something new about the other soon.
As he neared towards the school gates he saw the familiar looking kerchief and apron. Odayaka
waved a hand towards him, looking as bright as he was yesterday. As he went towards the other he
cached some people taking a glance at him and then whispering something too far for his ears to
catch. That did make a shiver rack his body, but he focused on Odayaka and the feeling lessened. It
wasn’t surprising, now that memories of yesterday cleared out, there were quite a few people when
that whole ordeal happened. And gossip tends to spread faster than a wildfire. Hopefully, people
will soon forget and he can focus on the whole ‘trying to blend in’ plan.

“Good morning, Aishi-kun! You look much more well-rested!”

‘Thank you, Odayaka-kun. I do seem to feel better than yesterday. It’s probably all thanks to you.’

“Me? Well, I’m glad I was able to help!”

The compliment seemed to make Odayaka more radiant. That’s a good sign. Friends make each
other feel better, so he is making progress in becoming friends with Odayaka! That made Ayato
feel better himself.

“Are you free to come to the Cooking Club, Aishi-kun?”

‘Yes. I have been quite excited to try.’

“That’s the spirit! I’m sure you’ll fit in just like everyone else! It’s so heartwarming to see new
members entering, it just makes the club more diverse and fun!”

Odayaka and he walked to one of the school's Japanese Gardens and sat at the bench to continue
talking (well, it’s more like Odayaka talking) as there was still quite a bit before classes start. At
first, the conversation wasn’t anything important, just talking about how they spent yesterday
evening and maybe learning a thing or two about each other. Turns out Odayaka’s parents own a
bakery and that he has a cat at home named Suitopi.

“It's quite sad that your parents travel so much for work, Aishi-kun. You should come by my
parent's bakery on Saturday! We could hang out together and you wouldn’t be so lonely over the
weekend.”

‘That sounds nice, thank you Odayaka-kun.’

The other just smiled and then he seemed to remember something. He looked at Ayato cautiously
and slowly brought the topic up.

“Najimi-kun has been suspended for a week. The council president was so enraged, that he wanted
to make the guidance councillor give him two weeks, but they settled on one.”

Ayato didn’t know if he should be glad about it or feel bad that he has given Najimi so much
trouble in just a few days. He was also kinda worried about what would he do when he came back.

“As much as I hate saying bad things about my schoolmates...Najimi-kun got what he deserved.”

Deciding that he didn’t want to hear of Najimi anymore, Ayato tried to switch the topic quickly
before it didn’t escalate further.

‘Odayaka-kun, do you know where the school's library is located? Toriyasu-san had shown me
around and I’m quite sure I remember there was one.’
“Yes, it's on the second floor in the western wing.”

‘Thank you..’

“It’s nothing, we should head to class. I’ll walk you there.”

❁❁❁

Just as yesterday, classes passed by quickly. He and Odayaka quickly had lunch and talked about
classes. After that, Odayaka left to help a teacher and Ayato decided to visit the library before
classes start.

It wasn’t anything big, but it was enough. When he entered the room it was empty. He picked one
of the books on the shelf and sat down. After a few minutes, someone entered the library. He heard
them go by to one of the shelves and sat next to him. After flipping a few pages the other seemed
to stop and he felt eyes on him. He looked at the other student who seemed to be looking at the
book he was holding. He had dark blue, messy, shoulder-length hair. His eyes were a violet shade
and he had a black choker around his neck. He also noticed the red armband around his left arm.

The man seeing Ayato looking at him turned away and his cheeks were dusted pink from most
likely embarrassment.

“Excuse me for staring, I just have read the book you're holding, it's very good.”

Ayato took out a notebook and pen from his pocket and started writing his answer.

Odayaka had suggested that he carries one so he could more easily communicate with others as it’s
unlikely that everyone he meets knows sign language. Another fun fact he learned about Odayaka
is that he learned sign language because he had a deaf friend in middle school and it’s useful if a
customer uses sign language.
“It’s fine, you're right so far this book is very good.”

His eyes seemed to have a glow in them as he raised them from the paper. But his brows were
curved.

“Do you not speak?”

Ayato nods his head. The other looked down, then at the book.

“My name is Oko Ruto, I haven’t seen you around, so I guess you’re the new student?”

“Yes, my name is Ayato Aishi.”

Until lunch break was over the two talked about the book, its plot and characters and what they
liked and disliked. The other suggested he comes by after school if he has time to see their club's
activities and to continue their discussion, he decides to come by tomorrow as he has to go check
out the cooking club today. In the hallway, he meets Odayaka and the two walk to class

❁❁❁

After classes and cleaning time it finally came time to go to the cooking club. He and Odayaka
went there together.

The room's interior had a pink and white colour scheme, the right side was the kitchen area while
the left side seemed to be more of a place for resting or dining. In the room were already were five
people and the atmosphere was quite calm and happy. All of the heads turned towards the door and
greeted him and Odayaka.

“Odayaka-kun, who is this?”

“This is Aishi-kun, he wants to try out the cooking club and if he ends up liking it here, he will be
joining!”

The girl with long, cyan pigtails and a purple apron with magenta-coloured hearts squealed in a
high-pitched tone.
“How exciting! I hope you end up liking here Aishi-kun! My name is Saki Mayuzumi! But, I prefer
to go by Saki Miyu”

“Good evening, Aishi-kun. My name is Shoku Tsuburaya, I too hope you feel welcome here.”

As the others started to slowly introduce themselves, Ayato felt slightly overwhelmed, but in a
good way. He felt happy and welcomed, but he couldn’t help from blushing. It was new to have so
many people swarming him, the attention was pleasantly suffocating him. Odayaka stood at the
side and he had a warm smile on his face as he looked at the others happily introducing themselves
and excitingly offering to help him. They gave him a light purple kerchief and apron and as they
started they still excitedly chattered with one another. If they asked Ayato something, Odayaka
gladly translated for them.

When it hit 6 PM he was actually quite sad it was over, time had passed by so quickly. But at least
he knew that he has made the right decision in picking this club. When he nodded as Odayaka
asked if he has deciding to officially join, everyone by the table did a collective cheer.

“Oh, how about since Aishi-kun is new, he can pick a recipe for Friday?”

Ayato looked at Odayaka with a confused look and the other just smiles apologetically at him.

“Ah, you probably don’t know what we are talking about. Every Friday one of the members brings
a recipe that hasn’t been tried before or something that is difficult to make and we recreate it to the
best of our ability, after that we all try it and chat.”

What a unique activity. He probably has something interesting at home, he’ll have to check
mothers recipe drawer.

❁❁❁

On Wednesday, when he was heading to read his book in the library he saw Yamada sitting there.
She was reading the same book she read by the fountain as always. When she called out for him, he
turned around and was about to leave.
“Aishi-kun! Please don’t run away, can we talk?”

Ayato sighed and turned his face towards Yamada. She slowly walked up to him and bowed
slightly.

“Thank you, for agreeing to talk. I apologize for Osano’s behaviour and for not doing much, I was
just in a state of shock from his outburst, and I was at a loss for what to do. I hope you can forgive
me.”

He nods at her. It wasn’t Yamada’s fault, she didn’t yell at him and Najimi didn’t listen to her
when she asked him to stop. She smiled at him sweetly as a sign of gratitude.

“Oh, did you come here to read that book, I’ve heard it's pretty good!”

He ended up spending the rest of his lunch break talking with Yamada. Eventually, Odayaka came
by and offered the two of them some cupcakes. The three talked before the two walked him to
class and headed to their own class together. He couldn’t help but notice the way Odayaka’s cheeks
were brighter and his eyes were even softer the usual as he looked at the woman.

❁❁❁

After classes, he and Yamada met up again. They sat in the library and talked as they did their
homework. Then he remembered Ruto. He asked Taeko if she was willing to join and even if she
wasn’t much into occult types of stuff, she agreed and said it might be interesting to try.

The two approached the occult club and when they entered the members seemed to be getting
ready to start. They were lighting candles and putting on black cloaks. Ruto was near the door, he
was already dressed in the cloak and he was holding a thick book with a leather cover that had a
pentagram on it. He turned around and looked at the pair standing. Upon noticing Yamada standing
next to him his face immediately reddened.
“I brought my friend with me, I hope it’s not a bother..”

“N-No...It’s fine..”

The two were also given one of the dark cloaks and all of them sat in a circle, they had to hold
hands. Yamada sat on Ruto’s left while Ayato sat on his right, the club members chanted a spell
while Yamada and Ayato listened attentively. He didn’t exactly understand what they were saying,
but it seemed to be from Ruto's book that stood by his knees. He wasn’t using it though, all of their
eyes were closed, and they most likely have learned it by heart.

At one moment, the candles did flicker quite a bit which did shock the pair. After a bit and being
unsuccessful, all of them talked and showed the evidence that they had gathered over the week that
suggested that Akademi might have some kind of paranormal activities inside its walls.

Both he and Taeko had fun and her presence seemed to make Ruto’s mood lighter.

❁❁❁

Thursday wasn’t anything special, he spend his time like usual. He went to classes, spend his
lunchtime with Odayaka and then in the library with Ruto and Yamada. Although he did see a
purple-haired man look at him a few times, he has seen him pass by the library both Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday. He also was there after school, seemingly writing something.

But, today was already Friday. He has been attending Akademi already for a whole week. He was
happy and a bit proud of himself, he was near making a new friend, maybe even friends. He has
met so many people and all of them are the complete opposite of what he expected, well almost all.

Today he will be meeting the student council president. He is quite nervous, he is meeting the heir
of the Saikou corporation after all.

Megamo Saikou has been described as the “Perfect Human”. He has perfect scores in every subject
he has pursued, he masters any skill in mere days, he is confident and mysterious and his face and
body proportions are described as ideal and symmetrical.

Maybe slightly anxious was a bit of an understatement. He was as nervous as he was on his first
day. And the fact he had no idea what the other wanted to see him for made him tenser than he’d
like to admit.

Straight after finishing his cleaning duties, he headed towards the student council room. The room
is located on the west wing of the second floor. He gave a quiet knock before he was permitted to
enter.

He entered and saw a silver-haired man sitting by a big wooden desk. On it stood an elegant rotary
dial telephone and a globe. Behind him were two windows covered by silky red curtains and
parallel to his desk stood a long, slightly lighter wooden table with two red, plush chairs on each
side. On it stood a beautiful porcelain tea set. In the room was also a dazzling chandelier, three
bookshelves and an old grandfather clock. The other took his eyes off the computer and looked at
Ayato. Ayato have him a small, polite greeting bow and the other reciprocated by giving a small
head bow.

“Welcome, Aishi-kun. Please just take one of the chairs over there and sit down.”

He did as he was told and pushed a chair forward, closer to Megamo’s desk. The other closed his
laptop and thoroughly looked at the other.

“Thank you for coming, Aishi-kun. I’ll try to keep this as brief as possible. First of all, I would like
to apologize for the inconvenience brought to you by one of our school's students on Monday. I’ll
do everything in my power to make sure that this doesn't happen again.”

“I am responsible for ensuring every student in this school feels safe and welcome. You are also
one of the only students in our school with some form of a disability, it’s already harder for you
and this could discourage students with similar problems from enrolling into Akademi in the future
out of fear.”

“I have also made a promise to your parents, Aishi-kun to try and make this school experience as
comfortable as possible so you could start freely expressing yourself when you feel like it.”

He looked at Megamo, eyes wide. It was..nice to see that the student council president took his
responsibilities so seriously He was about to sign something but stooped, the other gave him a nod
as a sign to continue. Of course the other will understand, he shouldn’t be surprised.

‘Thank you, Saikou-kun. I appreciate your efforts.’

 The other nodded and after a few minutes of talking and questioning the other, Ayato left and
proceeded to go to the cooking club. They ended up having fun making the recipe Ayato brought,
which turned out absolutely appetizing

With that, his first week of Akademi had ended.

Chapter End Notes

Fun fact: Suitopi means sweet pea flower.

 A Sweet Week-End!
Chapter Summary

After his first week at Akademi, he feels like he has finally taken some of that burden
off his parents shoulders and it makes him feel less guilty of everything.
The ring of the doorbell rang through the house and he was a bit confused. He walked
to the door wondering ho could it be and was greeted with Odayaka’s face upon
opening the door.

“Good morning, Aishi-kun? Are you ready to hang out today?”

Ayato just looked at the other with a dumbfounded expression.

‘Hanging..out?’

Chapter Notes

Wrote this while listening to traditional Japanese music. Anyways, thank you for your
patience! I passed the first semester with flying colours! I was planning to post this
earlier, but I was enjoying my brake. Also, sorry this chapter isn't very long, it’s not a
very important chapter to the story itself, it is more of a chapter that focuses on
Amao’s and Ayato’s relationship development.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The warm water ran over his hands as he finished washing the last dish. The birds were chirping
behind the window and the radio was soothingly talking in the background. He sat down by the
table and enjoyed the sweet aroma of his tea.

He still couldn’t believe the week was over. It did beginning with a rough start, but the rest of it
was actually quite nice. Probably the most enjoyable school experience he remembers. He looked
at the window as the sun shone brightly through it and sipped the sweet tea.

He wondered when his parents would be back. He wanted to tell or show them in person how
much he enjoyed his first week of school. But thees trips usually lasted for a while, so he’ll
probably end up telling them when they’ll call. His parents will probably be very happy for him
and he’ll finally feel some of his guilt climbing off his chest.

Ever since he stopped talking his parents had to go through so much for his sake. Constantly
enrolling him into new schools and failing, paying for therapy even though it’s barely effective,
trying to make him happy and to experience a normal childhood but it never ended up working
because he was just a selfish little kid who didn’t notice all of his parents efforts and sacrifices that
they made for him.

After his first week at Akademi, he feels like he has finally taken some of that burden off his
parents shoulders and it makes him feel less guilty of everything.

The ring of the doorbell rang through the house and he was a bit confused. He walked to the door
wondering ho could it be and was greeted with Odayaka’s face upon opening the door.

“Good morning, Aishi-kun? Are you ready to hang out today?”

Ayato just looked at the other with a dumbfounded expression.

‘Hanging..out?’

“Have you already forgotten? I promised to keep you company so you wouldn’t be lonely this
weekend!”

‘Ah, right come in. I’ll serve you some tea.’

To be honest, he didn’t Odayaka’s words too seriously that day. Hanging out was what actual
friends did and him and Odayaka weren’t friends just yet.

“Wow, you have a nice house Ayato-kun!”

‘Thank you, Odayaka-kun. What kind of tea do you prefer?’

.
 ❁❁❁

They entered the bakery and all kinds of sweet smells surrounded him. Cakes, cupcakes, fruits...

He could feel drool filling his mouth. An woman stepped from behind the counter and gave
Odayaka a loving hug. The woman looked at him and turned towards Odayaka.

“Is this the boy you talked about?”

“Yes! This is Aishi-kun!”

Ayato bowed at the woman and as he straightened back up she gave him a loving motherly hug. It
surprised him slightly, but it was nice.

“Hello dear would you like something? Its a treat from us since you and my dear Amao seem to be
getting along so well!”

‘Do you serve manju 1 here?’

“We do! Just sit down. Amao, dear, you could make some two for the two of you.”

Odayaka led him to a neat table by a window and left to get there tea. The view by the bakery was
quite fascinating. The area wasn’t very populated, the day was quite sunny with a light breeze of
wind moving the tree branches in a supple motion. He heard a few birds chirp here and there. The
scenery reminded him of the beautiful orchestral music he had heard this mourning on the radio.
He hummed if he could, but his voice was stuck in his throat. It painfully scratched in there as he
tried to force his voice out. Instead of torturing himself he moved his fingers according to the
melody in his mind.

Music was calming, it made him feel safe. He could sit by a window with classical music playing
soothingly by his ears all day. He snapped out of his trans when a steaming 2 yunomi with aromatic
scent was placed by his nose. He looked at Odayaka smiling at him as the other sat down, placed
his own tea in front of him and looked towards the window that Ayato was staring so captivatingly
at just a minute ago.

“The weather is quite nice today, isn't it?”

Ayato nod and continued looking through the window. His eyes then looked around the bakery. It
has been a good few minutes since they came here and if he remembers the bakery opens early in
the mourning.

‘Is it usually this empty here?’

“No, it’s actually usually quite lively here. But today is the only day it’s closed, my parents have a
pretty big order they need to get done by tomorrow and I wanted to hang out with you here when
its less occupied.”

‘That’s nice of you Odayaka-kun. I enjoy more peaceful settings so this is perfect.’

Odayaka’s mother came from the kitchen with a sweet aroma flowing from the platter she was
holding. Looking at her he noticed how similar Odayaka was to his mother. They had similar facial
features, although his mothers were softer. They smiled the same exact way. There lips curved in
the exact spots and and the same warm energy emitted from the two. She placed the platter in
front of the two.

“Enjoy you two! I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

The two sat in silence again for a bit, only the occasional sip of a tea could be heard. Ayato took
his first piece of the manju and his mouth was met with the heavenly taste of the treat. He couldn’t
help but smile a bit. It reminded him of how his mother had once made it for some occasion he no
longer remembers and after eating one, it became his favorite treat. After that his mother made it
every so often on special occasions, just because she knew he liked them.

“You seem to be to your liking.”

‘It’s my favourite treat..”

“Really? We are actually having a bake sell soon, we could sell some manju there too.”

Ayato nod at him.

‘What is your favorite treat, Odayaka-kun?’

“It is quite hard to decide when you make them all the time. But, I would have to say 3 higashi. It’s
a childhood favorite after all.”

Ayato hummed to himself.

 “Maybe I should try to make some soon...”

Chapter End Notes

1) Manju (饅頭) are small buns that are steamed or baked and filled with sweet bean
paste or some other sweet filling. They are traditionally round with a smooth outer
layer, but baked versions in various shapes are also popular.

2) A yunomi (Japanese: 湯のみ) is a tall form of a Japanese teacup, typically made

from a ceramic material and having no handle. Unlike the more formal chawan tea
bowl which is used during the Japanese tea ceremony, the yunomi is made for daily
(or informal) tea drinking.

3) Higashi (干菓子・乾菓子, lit. 'dry confectionery') are traditional, pressed, dry

Japanese sweets usually consisting of sugar and rice flour and often containing 10%
or less moisture, meaning they have a very long shelf life. They belong to the group of
wagashi - traditional, small Japanese sugary treats.
 Running From Confrontation
Chapter Summary

“CAN YOU STAY IN PLACE!”

Ayato was a bit caught off guard by his voice, so he stopped trying to break free. The
ginger himself seemed a bit surprised by his slight outburst. His eyes turned to the side
and he seemed guilty. He sighed and closed his eyes.

“Just, please stop avoiding me and running away dammit...I just want to talk, I have no
intention of hurting you. Please...”

Chapter Notes

Finally posting on an actual Saturday.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The new school week felt different...Better

He went through the school gates with a bounce in his step and maybe if he emoted more, a smile
would be visible too. Maybe it's better that he wasn’t smiling, he would probably look goofy,
smiling ear to ear like an idiot. Oh, and the week-end was fun too! He and Odayaka had a bunch of
fun. His week-ends have never passed so quickly. He was glad they spent time together with each
other. Speaking of Odayaka, he was waiting for him in the same spot as usual.

“Mourning, Aishi-kun! You seem to be in a good mood. ”

‘I’m starting to like it here, so I’m happy about that.’

“I’m glad to hear that you like it here! Your words have made my mood better.”

‘Did something happen? ”

“No, you just made my already good mood even better.”

As flattered as he was by the kind words, Odayaka’s words seemed to only hold half-truth in
them. For some reason, he looked like he was bothered by something. He felt like he should know
what, but his brain just couldn’t understand what.

As per usual, they talked until classes started and Odayaka walked him to his classroom where
they split their ways. When he walked into the classroom, he started to understand the plausible
reason for Odayaka’s ruined mood.

Najimi sat in his seat, upon noticing Ayato his mouth opened to speak, but before he could say
anything he was cut off by the teacher entering the classroom. Ayato felt like that whole incident in
the storage closet was about to repeat with the way his palms sweated more than usual and the fact
his heart was thumping in his chest. Thankfully, the teacher was kind enough to allow him to
switch places with one of his classmates who didn’t seem to mind. After that class continued as
normal.

When it ended Najimi got up from his seat and seemed to head Ayato’s direction, so Ayato got up
as well and as quickly and unsuspectingly as he could, he went to the bathroom and went to class
only about a minute before the bell rang, which left Najimi no time to approach him. He did that
every break and when lunch rolled around he was saved by Odayaka who came earlier than usual
and they went to the Cooking Club to have their lunch as it was quieter and they could chat in
peace.

After they ate he went to the library to read his book. He sat down in his usual spot and across
him on the other side of the room sat the purple-haired man he occasionally saw here. All the
times he has seen him here he seemed to be concentrating on something he was writing. Today was
no different, but when he looked at him he seemed to be looking at him for some reason. Usually,
when he was here he paid no mind to him.

The man suddenly stood up and started striding in his direction. Then the other sat in the chair
next to him.

“Hello, you’re the new student, right?”

Ayato nod.

“Well, you should know me already, but in case you don’t, I’m Kizano Sunobu, the wonderful
and

talented club president of the Drama Club!”

 Ayato didn’t know what he expected the man's personality to be like, but he was kind of thinking
he would be more serious like he was when he was concentrating on his work.

“I don’t talk with others if they seem unworthy of my time, so you can consider yourself lucky
darling!”

“What is your name?”

Ayato took out his notebook and opened the first page with his name already written there.
Sunobu looked at the page and smiled at him.

“Ah, right. I’ve heard that you couldn’t speak. Well, that makes you more unique, doesn't it? I
like that quality in people. You truly are special if you piqued my interest so much, Aishi-kun!”

“Since I’m feeling generous, you should come to my club's repetition on Friday! See you then
darling~”

Sunobu got up before Ayato could do anything and left the library. Probably to his classroom.

‘Oh! Right, classes..'

He didn’t even realize they talked for so long, he didn’t even get to continue his book. He sighed
and headed to his own classroom.

❁❁❁

After his interaction with Sunobu the rest of his day didn’t have any remarkable events. The next
two days went by similarly. He avoided Najimi at any cost, even if it was getting annoying running
back and forth between the male bathrooms or storage closets every brake. He hadn’t spoken to
Taeko either, she has been glued to Osano’s side since his return. He has also been trying to stay by
Odayaka or Sunobu if he was in the library at lunchtime since Najimi didn’t for some reason
approach him when he was with someone. Which made him uneasy. Was he planning to get
revenge on him for getting him suspended? He honestly didn’t even wanna know...

The Cooking Club was as cheerful as every day. Everyone was chatting with each other and
cracking jokes with one another. He and Odayaka were cutting some ingredients while standing
next to each other. Odayaka was humming some kind of calm tune, and Ayato hummed along with
him..mentally. For some reason, Odayaka stopped and he felt the other's eyes on him.

“Ne, Aishi-kun. Why are you ignoring Taeko-senpai? She says you have been avoiding her for
two days now.”

‘I have nothing against Yamada-senpai, it’s just...She has been around Najimi-kun every time we
have encountered each other this week.’

“Ah, so that’s the reason. Maybe you should try speaking with him?”

‘I’m not really comfortable with his presence for now. I’ll try when I’m ready...”

“Oh, it’s fine Aishi-kun, I understand. If you wish, when you're ready I can stand by your side. Just
to make sure nothing happens.”

‘Thank you, Odayaka-kun..’

Odayaka just smiled at him and resumed humming the soft tune. They just continued as normal
after that.

❁❁❁

After they finished up at the Cooking Club, he went to his classroom to grab his bag and go home.
He wanted a warm cup of tea right now more than anything. He pushed the book and notebook that
stood on his desk from their last class carelessly into his bag and headed out.
 As he was about to step out of the room, his way was blocked by Najimi. Crap, he looked
annoyed, angry? Was he right about his prediction? He looked at the door on the other side, but
Najimi grabbed his hand. He tried to brake his grip off his hand, but the other just held him tighter.
Oh, how badly he wished to scream at the other, but his throat was still holding on to that anxiety-
filled knot.

“CAN YOU STAY IN PLACE!”

Ayato was a bit caught off guard by his voice, so he stopped trying to break free. The ginger
himself seemed a bit surprised by his slight outburst. His eyes turned to the side and he seemed
guilty. He sighed and closed his eyes.

“Just, please stop avoiding me and running away dammit...I just want to talk, I have no intention
of hurting you. Please...”

That seemed.. sincere enough. Ayato nodded and Najimi let go of his hand. But just in case, he
took two steps away from the other. He wasn’t still trustful enough. Najimi took a deep breath, his
eyes looking at him before he turned his head and looked at the ground.

“I’m sorry...for last week. I shouldn’t have been so rude nor should I have yelled at you. I know
I’m an asshole and if you don’t forgive me, it’s fine. I heard what happened to you after and
I’m..just..”

“Argh, everything I did last week was stupid...just I want you to know I’m sorry..truthfully”

He took out a small box from his pocket and put it into Ayato’s hand. Ayato looked at it with a
confused look, he looked at Najimi and pointed at the box.

“It’s um...like an apology gift. But, as I said...It's fine if you don’t forgive me...I was a jerk and
you had a panic attack...God, I was just...I’m just sorry..really sorry.”

There was a moment of silence before Najimi spoke again

“That was all I needed to say, I won’t bother you further..”

 Before the other could leave, he put his hand on his shoulder. Najimi stopped and looked at him.
He pointed at himself then the box in his hand and then at Najimi. The red-head turned around.

“Um...Is that superposed to mean that you forgave me or that you don’t and are trying to tell me to
screw off by giving my gift back?”

Ayato put one finger up to indicate that he was talking about the first option. Gosh, he wished he
could just say ‘I forgive you” instead of this.

“I’m grateful. Also don’t you have a notebook you use? I saw you and that arrogant prick talking
that way in the library.”

Ayato pointed at the bag on his shoulder. Usually, he kept it in his pocket, but he drooped it in his
bag before going to the Cooking club. And it would be kind of awkward if he suddenly would start
digging in his bag. But, now he could. He quickly fished it out of the bag together with a pencil and
scribbled the words on the paper.

“I Invite you for some tea at my house”

Najimi looks up at Ayato with a questioning look.

“Uh, like right now or...?”

Ayato nod

“Thanks...Lets go then?”

Chapter End Notes

In this work, the word senpai isn't used as a synonym for 'a crush' but rather as a word
for 'upperclassman'.
 Low On Stamina
Chapter Summary

“You’re also the new student, right? My name is Aso Rito it is nice to meet you!
What’s your name?”

Rito gave him a very firm handshake and one of his bright smiles.

“This is Aishi Ayato. You haven’t been to school in a while, so you most likely
haven’t heard that Aishi-kun is selectively mute.”
“Ah, I’ll keep that in mind. Oh, Tachikawa-sensei mentioned you Aishi-kun. I guess
will be meeting after school today for some exercise!”

Rito looked quite excited at the thought, yet it made Ayato lose his colour again. The
three others seemed to notice the difference in the reactions and everyone giggled a
bit.

“Oh, hey Yamada-senpai, Najimi-kun, didn’t see you two there!”

“You know him, Taeko-chan?”
“Ah, yes. Rito-kun has helped me a few times around school.”
“Anything for you, Yamada-senpai.”

Chapter Notes

Sorry for the very, very late update. But, I think you already know the reason behind
it. Well, I was also stuck on one part and was just feeling unmotivated at one point.
Anyways, enjoy the update!

“Alright everyone, good work!”

Ayato took a sharp inhale. He was completely out of breath from just a few laps and some exercise.
His sides and lungs hurt as he desperately tried to get more air inside. Najimi stood by him with a
bit of a worried look on his face. Najimi put a hand on Ayato’s shoulder as if to comfort him.

“Are you alright, Aishi-kun? You look like you are about to pass out.”

When Ayato felt he could somewhat breathe properly and the pain on his side lessened, he took his
notebook and wrote on it.
 “I’m fine, I just have very low stamina.”

Najimi looked at him with a sympathetic look.

“That sucks. Maybe we should get some water? You look like you need it.”

Ayato nodded, he could use some water actually. He was hellishly thirsty. Before they could leave
he was stopped by their teacher who seemed slightly concerned while looking at Ayato.

“Sorry for interrupting your break kids, but Aishi-kun, I couldn’t help but notice your lack of
stamina. You looked like you were about to pass out there.”

“I think it would be good to try and increase your stamina. I will be asking one of my best students
to help you with this. Come here after school today!”

Ayato agreed and he and Najimi left.

❁❁❁
Najimi and Yamada sat across them looking as Odayaka fretted over Ayato and constantly asked if
he is okay, offering him water and food and asking if he is sure that he doesn't need a nurse. Ayato
kept reassuring him that he was fine. Did he really look that sick?

‘I’m fine Odayaka-kun, really..’

“If you say so...But, eat up! You’re way paler than usual!”

Odayaka took his chopsticks and shoved some rice in his mouth. He fed him a few more bites
before he gave him his chopsticks back and focused on his own meal. It was silence for a bit and
they all just continued to eat lunch.

“Oi, Odayaka-kun!”

A guy with bright blonde hair approached them. He had a charming pearly white smile, and the
uniform matched his own, a jacket was tied around his waist and he had swimming goggles on his
head as well as a red armband around his arm and yellow and brown striped bracelets on his wrists.
Ah, so he was the leader of the Sports Club. He squeezed beside Odayaka and gave him a hard yet
friendly pat on the shoulder. Hard because Odayaka started massaging the shoulder after the guy
took his hand off.

“Hey, Odayaka! How’s your club doing?”

“Everything is fine, thank you for asking, Rito-kun.”

“I’ve heard you have a new member, is that him?”

He pointed at Ayato and Odayaka gave him a nod.

“You’re also the new student, right? My name is Aso Rito it is nice to meet you! What’s your
name?”

Rito gave him a very firm handshake and one of his bright smiles.

“This is Aishi Ayato. You haven’t been to school in a while, so you most likely haven’t heard that
Aishi-kun is selectively mute.”

“Ah, I’ll keep that in mind. Oh, Tachikawa-sensei mentioned you Aishi-kun. I guess will be
meeting after school today for some exercise!”
Rito looked quite excited at the thought, yet it made Ayato lose his colour again. The three others
seemed to notice the difference in the reactions and everyone giggled a bit.

“Oh, hey Yamada-senpai, Najimi-kun, didn’t see you two there!”

“You know him, Taeko-chan?”

“Ah, yes. Rito-kun has helped me a few times around school.”

“Anything for you, Yamada-senpai.”

Yamada giggled at the statement and her cheeks reddened a bit. Ayato just gave a practically
unnoticeable smile, but Odayaka and Najimi didn’t seem to like the interaction between the two.
He understood why Najimi is mad, he always seemed protective of Yamada as their childhood
friends. But, Odayaka? He is rarely like this and he doesn't know Yamada that well.

Relationships between people work so mysteriously, it confuses him to his core. Before his brain
dug deeper into it, he shrugged it off and continued his meal.

❁❁❁
Ayato inhaled sharply and swept away the sweat on his forehead. He probably looked like a tomato
right now. Rito passed him the water bottle and gave a rather soft pat on the back.

“Good job, Aishi-kun! Few things before we end. You should exercise a few times a day, go on a
run when you can, but start slow, include foods like oatmeal, chicken, and eggs in your diet, drink
plenty of water and of course, have a good night's rest. As for our training together, we’ll meet here
every Monday, after school! Does that sound good?”

Ayato gave a nod as his brain still processed the information he was given.

“Well then, see you around, Aishi-kun!”

The two separated their ways. Ayato quickly got to class and took his bag and some of the stuff he
had left. By the school entrance, he was awaited by Odayaka, Najimi and Yamada.

“Well, you don’t look too bad. You looked worse at PE.”

“Osano-kun!”

Odayaka gave Najimi a warning slap on the back with a smile that only had ill intent hidden within
it. Najimi murmured an apology.

“Aishi-kun, me and Yamada-senpai were thinking-”

“And me!”

“...and Najimi-kun were thinking to have lunch all together in the outdoor cafeteria tomorrow.
Does that sound good?”

‘Yes, that does sound nice.’

“Splendid! I’m already excited about tomorrow! I have some new pastries that I recently tried
baking. Should I take some for lunch?”

“Ah, that would be very nice, Odayaka-kun!”

“Aishi-kun are you seeing this? He is stealing all of Taeko-chan’s attention from us with his talk
about food!”

“I think you're slightly exaggerating, Najimi-kun.”

“I am not!”
 .

❁❁❁

Before their shared lunch, Ayato helped out the Gardening Club with stocking some new supplies
that the school had gotten them.

He was reading a book while waiting for the others as he and Najimi got let go early and Najimi
decided to wait while Yamada’s class ended. He saw that one of the members was struggling with
getting some supplies to the Gardening Club area. Thankfully, even though his stamina sucks, he at
least is pretty physically strong.

Probably something he inherited from his mother's side. His mother, grandmother, aunt and even
her daughter are all incredibly strong even though they don’t look like they are.

They were very thankful for his help and gave him some water and a few fresh fruits from the
garden.

Before he left they asked him to throw out some trash in the trashcan by the incinerator. When he
was turning around he suddenly bumped into someone. When he looked up he saw a tall, blonde
man. He was maybe a head taller than him and didn’t look too friendly, which made his aura a bit
intimidating.

“Watch where you are going, punk.”

Ayato gave a small bow with his head and when he continued to go the other pulled him back.

“It would be nice to apologize, ya know? I don’t like being disrespected.”

Ayato pated on his pants pocket, but to his surprise it was empty. Did he leave his notebook in
class?

‘Great...’

Ayato gave a slight bow with his head, again. And tried to push the hand off of his shirt as softly as
he could, he tried a bit harder when that didn’t work and in the end, he started getting annoyed.
First of all, who does this man think he is, second of all, he was going to be late for his lunch with
the other. So he stepped on the others foot as hard as he could and pushed him away. The other
stumbled back and he looked as if he was staring daggers into him.

“WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOU LITTLE PUNK?”

Ayato just rolled his eyes at the man, which turned out to be a grave mistake as the last thing he
saw was a white light and then the sky above him as he fell on the ground from the punch that was
delivered by the man. His head was slightly dizzy from the impact and his jaw and nose were
slightly sore, also his nose was bleeding pretty badly.

From behind the corner, he heard a gasp and three pairs of footsteps running towards him. He saw
Odayaka and Najimi yelling at the blonde and Taeko was making sure he was fine. But he had
started dissociating so much that he only was fully realizing what was happening around him when
the nurse was treating his face in the infirmary.

“Aishi-kun, are you with us now?”

He hissed as he fully registered the pain, which was much worse than he thought. He looked at the
nurse, Odayaka by one side and Najimi and Yamada by the other as he finally was pulled out of his
haze by Kankoshi-sensei’s voice.

Everyone around him gave a sigh of relief.

They talked a bit and made sure Ayato was 100% fine. After a few minutes, he and the others were
pulled into the guidance counsellor's office.

Inside was the guidance counsellor herself, the blonde that punched him earlier that looked
beyond pissed and the Student Council president, who was staring daggers (or maybe the more
correct term would be very large knives) into the blonde's direction while standing opposite of him.
The others pulled another chair for Ayato as his head was still a bit dizzy and fuzzy while the other
chair was occupied by the blonde who sat on it sluggishly.

The guidance counsellor asked about what had happened and Odayaka had started explaining
what Ayato told them and what they saw. The blonde told his side as well and slowly it started to
turn into a heated argument between the angry man and the Council president.

His head felt like it had static inside of it, the yelling was more distant now and he held on to the
chair tighter as he started slipping back to his head again. His head had hurt a bit from before as the
fall was quite bad, but now it was a full-blown headache. He hates yelling. More than he hates PE
or big social gatherings.

This situation reminded him of something...

Something unpleasant...

A flash ran before his eyes and he saw himself but smaller sitting in a chair in the principal's office.
If he remembers correctly, this is one of the last schools his parents had tried to enrol him on
before they started homeschooling him. His face didn’t hurt like it did moments before, now it was
just his cheek slightly stinging. On his left were his mother and father yelling at the person on the
right. He turned his eyes towards the person.

Ah, he remembers her. She was his old teacher. She was a woman in her early 40s although, with
her grumpy face and personality, you could say she is at least in her 50s. She always hated Ayato’s
guts, she ridiculed him in front of his peers every chance she’d get and if she saw his classmates
doing something to him, she just turned a blind eye towards it. She was very aware of his
circumstances and what lead to them, but in her mind, he should have gotten over his “stupid, little
trauma already” and he was just faking it for attention.

That’s actually what had led them to the principal's office in the first place. Another teacher had
seen how she slapped him in the classroom and reported it to the principal. The principal had an
obligation to call his parents and now they were here.

“Kurihara-sensei, you're hereby fired from this position. You have three days to get your stuff out
of school grounds.”

The old woman looked enraged. Her face turned towards Ayato. As her final goodbye, she gave a
harsh slap to his face which stunned everyone.
“You are one of the most entitled and spoiled children I have ever met in my career. I know that
you're just fooling everyone around you and even if you aren’t you should just get over it
already...!”

After those words, he didn’t hear much of what she said as she got dragged out.

Get over it? How was he supposed to get over it? The words continued to repeat until he felt like he
was going crazy...

Get over it.

Get over it.

Get over it...

̂̓
̑ ̓ ͗ ̌͂̂
Get ̈͊ ̏̔̈ ̏over it....
̈̏ ̓̎ ́ ͂̄ ́ ͋ ̏͐̈́ ́ ͂ ͒ ̉ ̈ ̈́͂̎̌ ̈ ̋
͋̓ ̏̐ ́ ̇͆ ̉̀ ̑͌̅̐ ̔ ͑̋͊̽ ́ ̍͛̈̅̏ ̽̈̏͒̽͛ ̈́̓͂ ̑͒ ̈̒
G̷̃ ̢ ̅͂̑ḙ̸̘̭̂̈́̿̆̍ ̃ ̊͑t̸͉͖͎̅̎̆̌͑̎̍ ̢ ̨͎̙̭͈͊̋̾̔̊ ̫̒O ̵̜̄̍ ̋͋v̵̶̖͚ ̃ ͒͑̅͗̊E ̠̬̾ ̂̊̿r̴̸̪̋ ̉ ̧͔̟̤̹̑̋̆̊ ͒i̷̸͕̿̈́͛̚ ͝ ̀ ̞̓t̍ ̸͚͑̔̆̌
͂̐̓͊̋̽̊ ͈̾̐̈́͑͗̆͆ ̠̬̓ ̛̂̓̈́̾̅ ̮̪̟̯̫̔̇̈́̏̔͛̓ ́ ̃ ͝ ̇̓̐͂̾ ́̀ ́ ̫͚͙̜̅̽̿̆̊͊̒̔ ́ ͝ ͘ ̻̟͊̑̈́̐̓ ́ ̀ ̭̻̹̄̆̓̅̂̒̈́ ̀ ̀ ̮͎̜̗̖̊̄̊ ̀
͆̑͗̅̽͑̈̆̎̓̅̾ ̉̀ ̃ ́ ̊̔̏͂̎͑̑̓ ͌̽͌ ̃ ̎͒̌͆͊ ̃ ͍͓̋̐͊͗ ̃ ́ ̄͋͊̄̒̑̇ ́ ̃ ́ ̠̗͂͒̽̑̂̎͗̓̏ ̀ ̿̎͂ ́ ̈͌̈́͋͌̐͆͌̔̋̾ ̉ ̋ ́ ̾̓̐
G̵͝ ͘ ̲̟̒̐̇̅̔͌̊ě̴̛̺̯̬̓͗̎̂̈́͊̈́̊̽̿̚ͅ ̡ ̀́ ̢̢͝͠ ͘ ̬͔͈̟̈̄̓͗̐t̵̛̛̤̺̩̏̇͑̔͆͂̄̐̂̑͝ ̱̖͔̜͓̫̝̣̈͂̋̿ ̡ ̢́̉̀͜͝ ̨̧̨̭̘̪̖̮̫̹̝͕͔̺̱͖̩̳̜̘͇̦̼̯̭̱̺͈̜̝̰̙͚̓͒̋ͅ ̡ ̃ ̉ ̀ ͘ ͊O̷ ̸͇ ͜͠͝ ̃ ͋͑v̶̨͇̫̗̱͓̈́͂ ̔̕ ̧̨̙̜̞͍̯̌̑̈́̋̊̂E̵ ̖͖̝̽̾͌̅ͅ ́ ͜ ̨̧̟͚̖̜̙͎̄̋̈́ṟ̸̺̹͔̜͙͐̎̅̂̐ͅ ̡ ̀ ͜͝ ̓͝ ̨͇͓̟̋ ̢͜ ͘ ̨͓̬̪̣͈͌̈́͗i̵̴̙͓̺̝̐̿̽̚ ̢́ ̦͇̾ț̸̰ ͜ ̨̝͎̰̞͊ͅ ̕
̞̝ ͉͚̘͔͕̹ ͕̰͔̹̮͙̬͍̤ ͇̲̠̼̫ ̡ ͕̜̭̪̰͍͚͓̖͚̗̘̠̮̅ ̡ ͝͠ ͉̪͉̦̤̙͔̰̩̞̬̯̬͚̈́͋̇͛ ͘ ̛̚ ̕ ͠͝ ͘ ̘̂̈́͝ ̲͉̮̰͖̖̺̱̩̰̣͇̼̻̞̞̔̇̈́̅̚ ̕ ̀ ̀ ̤̼̰̳ ̃ ͠͝ ͘ ̛͓̰͈̳̱͚͇̼̪͍̹͉̜͙̖͕̣̰̒̋̈͆ ̕ ̱̫̼͇̌ ̨̺͔̦̩̬̱̞ ̡
̬̪͍ ̟̰̯ ̩̟͎͕ ̜̯͙̼̻̣̤̠̖ ̠̱̞͔͓̤͖ ̠
̖̥͉ ͔ ͇̰̗̪̹ ̪̺̥̼͔̯̘ ͔̪̲̝̮̜
̟̣̘ ̺̖̲ ͔͚̪̹ ̥̙̱
͔̹̗ ̩ ̲
̮̗
͉̖

Suddenly he was back in the present, he felt like his throat was closed up, the yelling was still
there, and everything was still blurry, maybe even blurrier than before. He was seeing spots and his
head spun and before he knew it he was falling backwards. Before he hit the ground he already
blacked out.

“AISHI-KUN!”

Was the last thing he heard before he lost conciseness.

 Unlucky Aishi-kun!
Chapter Summary

When he stopped being squeezed from all sides, Saikou and the blonde approached,
and both bowed in front of him. Saikou had a very serious face, but his eyes were full
of anger. Not only on the other, but they also seemed to hold some anger that was
targeted towards himself.

“Aishi-kun...I’m very sorry for this. I promised to keep you in a safe environment, but
I have failed yet again. I hope you can forgive me.”
“I’m sorry for being..uh..too impulsive...I guess?”

Everyone except Ayato glared at the man with an angry and unimpressed look. Ayato
was confused as to why though.

“Is that the best you could do?” Odayaka sharply hissed.
“I have to agree that’s too pathetic, even coming from you.” backed up Saikou.

Chapter Notes

Might miss an update or post earlier next week as my birthday is on Saturday and I'll
be celebrating it with some friends and family!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

His eyes cracked open yet again to see the white yet blurry sealing of the infirmary. He was
wondering how many more times he will end up looking at it. Because it feels like it isn't the last
time he’ll be seeing it. God, was he always this unlucky?

His hands and body felt heavy and the sleepiness was lingering inside him, inviting him into the
sweet slumber just for a bit more. He heard multiple distressed voices around him, were they all
worrying over him? Well, he did pass out in a room full to the brim with people, so probably...

So mustering all the willpower he had in him, he managed to push his arm up to his face and put it
on his head to calm his pounding headache and to signal that he is somewhat conscious. The voices
around him stopped for a moment as one voice said something that he couldn’t process, but it is
probably around the lines of “he’s awake!”. The more distant voices stopped and at a quick pace
approached closer. He is guessing the ones in the back were the blonde that punched him and
Saikou as the voices didn’t feel very familiar to him.
 When everyone had gathered around he finally felt like he could fully open his eyes and all the
noise around him didn’t sound like an old 1930s radio whose sound is extra unintelligible. His eyes
first registered Yamada who looked like she had cried before and was about to start bawling her
eyes out yet again. She threw herself on him and just as he predicted started crying uncontrollably.
He tried pushing himself up, but with Yamada holding him in a very tight embrace and with his
strength still not returning he wasn’t able to do as he pleased.

But that wasn’t a problem for long as Odayaka quickly pulled him up together with Yamada and
he looks deeply into his eyes.

He has never seen him this serious. His eyes however looked relieved. Odayaka pulled him into a
hug, tight and steady. Now he was in the tight embrace of Odayaka and Yamada, who still was
crying on his shoulder. Najimi joined the hug as he quietly cussed him out for making him “so
damn worried”. But, the words didn’t have any ill intent and he looked like he was about to melt
from the amount of relief that had washed over him.

He looked at Saikou and the other man standing in the corner. Saikou was angrily glaring at the
other while the other looked like he was regretting his actions.

When he stopped being squeezed from all sides, Saikou and the blonde approached, and both
bowed in front of him. Saikou had a very serious face, but his eyes were full of anger. Not only on
the other, but they also seemed to hold some anger that was targeted towards himself.

“Aishi-kun...I’m very sorry for this. I promised to keep you in a safe environment, but I have failed
yet again. I hope you can forgive me.”

“I’m sorry for being..uh..too impulsive...I guess?”

Everyone except Ayato glared at the man with an angry and unimpressed look. Ayato was
confused as to why though.

“Is that the best you could do?” Odayaka sharply hissed.

“I have to agree that’s too pathetic, even coming from you.” backed up Saikou.

Ayato was still a bit confused, he thought that the others apology was pretty decent. But, judging
by the other's unamused faces, he was the only one who thought that way. The silence ended when
Ayato gave a light *cough. After that everyone turned to him and all the attention was taken off the
blonde guy.
“Aishi-kun, I could get you a ride home. There are only a few classes left and I think you should
rest at home.”

Ayato shacked his head as a no. He kind of didn’t want to be alone right now and he had promised
Sunobu that he would see him and his club practising today. Najimi looked at him with worry.

“Are you sure Aishi-kun? If your worried about missing, I can just give you my notes tomorrow.”

Ayato nod his head and everyone, except the blonde who was leaving the infirmary, gave a
defeated sigh. He excused himself to the bathroom and even though Odayaka was about to try and
convince him that he will go with him, he quickly and politely refused.

When he left the infirmary he cached up to the blonde and the other stopped in his tracks.

“Uh, do you need something..?”

Ayato fished out his notebook and wrote as quickly as he could.

“I just wanted to know your name.”

The other just turned away and when he expected to be ignored the other started speaking.

“It’s Osoro..Osoro Shindesu.”

“And...I’m sorry about punching you.”

“See you around..”

Shindesu left Ayato standing in the corridor all alone. Ayato slightly smiled at the fact that the
other actually responded. He turned around and slipped back inside the infirmary.

.
 .

❁❁❁

Everyone clapped as the performers on the stage bowed. He couldn’t stop a small smile from
forming on his lips, he has been smiling more often than usual.

He likes plays and theatre in general. His parents took him to them often when he was younger, so
he has grown fond of this type of entertaiment.

Down from the stage came Sunobu who was gracefully approaching them. He smiled at Ayato,
and Taeko who was sitting next to him, softly.

“Ah, I’m so happy you two darlings enjoyed this! It’s probably because of my amazing skills and
charm.”

Najimi groaned at the comment in annoyance, but Sunobu ignored him and passed his attention to
Odayaka.

“Odayaka-kun, it’s a surprise seeing you here. Shouldn’t you be having your own club activities at
this time?”

“I have decided to cancel my club's activities just for today..”

Sunobu just smiled smugly at the other and turned to Saikou.

 “But, it’s even more surprising to see you here, president! You didn't strike me as the theatre
type.”

“I’m here just because I’m giving Aishi-kun a ride home. He should rest after what has happened
today at lunch break.”

“Ah, yes I heard what happened.”

Sunobu approached Ayato and stroked his face carefully right where he was hit and the bruise was
covered by a bandage.

“That brute really did a number on your pretty, little face, Aishi-kun. Hope it heals soon!”

Sunobu gave him a light wink and a smug smile and Ayato couldn’t help but get flustered at the
comment. Saikou stepped between the two of them.

“That’s enough, Sunobu-kun. Aishi-kun the car is here, should I get you and your friends home?”

❁❁❁

Ayato had ended up staying at his neighbour's house for the night as he still didn’t want to stay
entirely alone in his home. He was less likely to have nightmares after such a bad episode if he at
least knew that someone is in the house with him. And Mika-san wasn’t against it at all as she lived
 alone and liked having company and she treated Ayato like her own son.

The woman poured him another cup of tea as Ayato signed to her everything that had happened to
him today. Mika-san looked at Ayato and ruffled his hair.

“Haiya, Aishi-kun. You're such an unlucky boy! I should get you an omamori1 as a gift to keep
you from getting into these situations!”

Ayato looked slightly taken aback at first, but then he just smiled.

‘I guess I am a bit unlucky..’

Chapter End Notes

* - Muteness has nothing to do with inability to make any sound, and sneezes and
coughs don't usually use the same mechanics as voices. If a person is mute for
psychological reasons, they wouldn't have any reason not to be able to make noise
when sneezing/coughing.

1 Omamori is a small good luck charm that is typically sold at temples and shrines in
Japan. “Mamori” means “to protect something”, and Omamori is believed to bring
good luck and protect the owner from troubles and misfortune in life. There are
several types of Omamori for different purposes, and you can buy one which suits your
wish best.
 What a Week
Chapter Summary

‘I have started talking with a boy from school. He has been very kind and helpful
towards me and I wish to befriend him. But, I’m unsure how to do so..’
“I’m sure if you have spent enough time together, he considers you to be friends,
Aishi-kun. But, if you still are unsure, you could gift him a small gift and approach
him with the question.”
‘Thank you, sensei. I’ll be sure to do so.’
“It’s nothing, Aishi-kun. I’ll be seeing you in two weeks!”

Chapter Notes

Sorry for the very, very delayed upload. Spring break is next week, so I might do a
double upload. I was hit with writer's block, so I was stuck on this chapter for a while.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

His second week in Akademi was already done. He felt happy, proud of himself even. Everything
had been going better than he imagined and if he told himself two weeks ago that everything would
be fine, he would think he is lying.

He opened his laptop and booted it up. While it was doing that he went into the bathroom to check
how he looks. He determined he looks fine and sat back by the laptop.

He and his parents had decided to have a video call today and even if they didn’t care how he
would look, hell he could be in pyjamas and a bird's nest in his hair, he himself wanted to look
presentable in front of his parents. Ayato was excited about telling how school has been going, he
hopes his parents will be proud of him.

His parents were the ones to call and he answered in a heartbeat. When the call connected he saw
his mother's cheerful face and his father sitting by her smiling calmly. His father smiling so
genuinely was a rare sight.

They seemed to be in an expensive-looking hotel room. He wonders where are they calling from.
Maybe America or France? His parents had taken him to both once. The culture was very different,
it was hard to get used to.
 “Hello, my dear! How have you been? I and your father have been so excited to hear how school
has been for you-”

“Oh my, what has happened to your face?”

He touched his cheek where the bandage still stood. He had completely forgotten of its existence
from the excitement. His parents started bombing him with questions about the bruises origin.
Once he got them to calm down he started telling of all that had happened during their absence.
About what happened with Osano and how they later made up, about how he joined the Cooking
Club and about how Osoro had punched him in the face yesterday and he fainted in the guidance
counselors office.

“My poor baby! Is there anything we could do?”

His mother continued babbling in worry and his father joined her.

“Should we contact your school?”

Ayato sighed, this call will last for a while...But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad at least he could see
his parents longer.

.
 ❁❁❁

On Sunday he had to go to his therapy session (which happened every two weeks). He had been
excited and waiting for this too. Kishimoto-sensei was basically like family to him. Their progress
over the year may seem small to some, but it is big to Ayato. Well, sometimes he underestimates it
himself in his loathing, but he does believe the progress is meaningful.

He doesn’t think he would have made so much progress if his therapist was someone else instead
of Kishimoto-sensei. The man just seemed to know how to say the right words and connect with
him. He also liked the fact that he didn’t push on his boundaries like his previous therapist did.
Let’s just say his parents were angry enough to make someone lose their job because he started
crying during a session.

Another thing he likes is listening to Kishimoto-sensei telling stories about his life. For someone
who claims to be a plain and average man, Kishimoto-sensei has had quite an eventful life. He told
Ayato a lot about his wife and two daughters. His wife is a nurse in a hospital nearby, he had met
her when he had sprained his ankle pretty badly. His older daughter is a teacher and the younger
one is studying programming. Also, they have two dogs by the names of 1 Pochi and 2 Adzuki,
which are adorable names.

He also travels a lot with his family when their time allows it. He has shown pictures, he has been
all over Asia and Europe and he had spent a little while in America and he has even gone to a few
countries in Africa. Their dogs often travelled with them, so a lot of pictures featured Kishimoto-
sensei being squished by two fluffy and very happy dogs.

If this man was average and plain then Ayato could be compared to a rock. Even the man's dogs
had a more eventful life than him.

He finally entered the clean and tidy office and greeted the older man politely and sat in his usual
seat. Kishimoto-sensei faced him and gave him a warm smile.

“Hello, Aishi-kun! How have you been-”

“Ah, what has happened to your face, dear child?”

“3 Sumimasen, Otake-san! Could you bring me and Aishi-kun some tea, please?”

The nurse nodded and quietly stepped out of the room. Otake-san is a kind and hardworking
woman. She has been working as Kishimoto-sensei’s assistant for as long as he remembers. He
doesn’t see or talk with her often as she usually works in another room inside the office.

“It seems school hasn’t been treating you as great as I hoped, Aishi-kun.”

‘The school is actually very good, sensei. This bruise was formed because of a slight
misunderstanding.’

“It seems you have taken a liking to Akademi if you're defending it. I’d be happy if you told me
more about what has happened during these two weeks, Aishi-kun.”

Right in time, Otake-san brought a tray of aromatic tea and poured each of them a cup, the two
thanked her and she returned to her own duties as they talked. Kishimoto-sensei listened attentively
as he signed to him. That’s another thing he liked about him, he listened carefully.

“I’m happy that everything has been going on so smoothly and that both conflicts were solved in
the end.”

Kishimoto-sensei looked at the clock on the wall.

“Looks like our session has already flown by. Well, I am happy with how it turned out
nonetheless. Do you need a refill for your medication, Aishi-kun?”

‘No, but I would like to ask for advice..’

“Advice? I’m not sure how helpful it will be, but I’ll be glad to help!”

‘I have started talking with a boy from school. He has been very kind and helpful towards me and I
wish to befriend him. But, I’m unsure how to do so..’

“I’m sure if you have spent enough time together, he considers you to be friends, Aishi-kun. But, if
you still are unsure, you could gift him a small gift and approach him with the question.”

‘Thank you, sensei. I’ll be sure to do so.’

“It’s nothing, Aishi-kun. I’ll be seeing you in two weeks!”

.
 .

❁❁❁

Ayato left the building feeling radiant. He already had a gift in mind, he hopes Odayaka would like
it! He looked at the convenience store parallel to the clinic and decided to get some necessities, so
he wouldn’t have to go shopping tomorrow after school.

He grabbed everything he needed quickly and saw a familiar face while going towards the cash
register. The other saw him too.

“Aishi?”

Shindesu looked at him and approached slowly.

“Hey...Uh, how’s the bruise healing?”

“It’s probably healed, I have forgotten to take the bandage off, that’s all.”

“That’s good, sorry about that again.”

“It’s fine. What are you doing here?”

“Stopped by for a pack of smokes and some fuel. My bike is running low.”

“Ah, so that was your bike by the store.”

“What about you, do ya live around these parts?”

“ No, I go to therapy. The clinic is parallel to the store, so I decided to buy some things for home.”

“I used to go to therapy too. But, I ditched it as soon as I started it...The doctors sucked.”

“I used to think so too, but Kishimoto-sensei has been great.”

 The other just smiled slightly.

“Hey, do you want a ride home?”

“It would be nice...I Iive quite far from here.”

“Then I’ll give you one, take it as an apology.”

Chapter End Notes

1)Pochi - the Japanese equivalent of ‘Spot’

2) Adzuki - Red bean
3) Sumimasen (すみません) - The word has multiple meanings, but in this context is
used as “Excuse Me”/ polite way to get someone's attention.
 Officaly Friends
Chapter Summary

And he couldn’t help giving a big smile in Najimi’s direction. The other seemed taken
aback and his cheeks reddened slightly.

Why? Did he not like the way Ayato smiled? Was he smiling weirdly?

“Woah...I didn’t think you were capable to smile. It’s..uh...pretty. Don’t take it the
wrong way tho!”
“I’ve never been much of a smiler, but I’ve been smiling more often as of recently.”
“I haven’t cached you smiling once. But..uh..yeah..you should do it more often, it
looks good on you.”

Maybe his smiles haven’t been as visible as he initially thought. He looked at Najimi.
He was facing the window and didn’t seem willing to continue talking. So he turned
his head back and decided to wait until the teacher comes. He closed his eyes and
thought back on what Najimi said earlier.

Maybe he will try smiling more.

Chapter Notes

Another chapter will be posted tomorrow as I accidentally mixed it up with this one
and only realized it when it was almost finished.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Ayato entered his classroom and sat in his chair. Najimi looked at him with a weird look on his
face. He didn’t understand why though.

“You okay, Aishi-kun? You look...nervous or..uh...fidgety”

“Really? I haven’t noticed..”

Truthfully speaking, he was a bit nervous about speaking with Odayaka. He prepared small gifts
for Najimi and Yamada too. They have been the first people that seemed to want to befriend him
and not mind his muteness or lack of emotion. He was afraid of saying the wrong things to them or
seeming too blunt or insincere. He hopes he doesn't screw up because he really does want to
befriend them. So that’s the reason he was like that.
 “Are you coming to eat lunch with me, Yamada-senpai and Odayaka-kun?”

“Of course I am! Who knows what Odayaka will do to Taeko-chan if I’m there! Oh, and to keep
company to you, Aishi-kun.”

Ayato’s eyes widened. Did Najimi really like spending time with him? He didn’t understand why,
he wasn’t sure what he saw interesting in him or his presence, but the comment made him happy.
His chest swelled with happiness. And he couldn’t help giving a big smile in Najimi’s direction.
The other seemed taken aback and his cheeks reddened slightly.

Why? Did he not like the way Ayato smiled? Was he smiling weirdly?

“Woah...I didn’t think you were capable to smile. It’s..uh...pretty. Don’t take it the wrong way
tho!”

“I’ve never been much of a smiler, but I’ve been smiling more often as of recently.”

“I haven’t cached you smiling once. But..uh..yeah..you should do it more often, it looks good on
you.”

Maybe his smiles haven’t been as visible as he initially thought. He looked at Najimi. He was
facing the window and didn’t seem willing to continue talking. So he turned his head back and
decided to wait until the teacher comes. He closed his eyes and thought back on what Najimi said
earlier.

Maybe he will try smiling more.

.
 .

❁❁❁

He and Najimi exited their classroom and were greeted by Yamada and Odayaka. Yamada hugged
him tightly and checked on his previously injured cheek.

“The bruise has healed well, Aishi-kun. I am happy that you're alright, but please be more
careful!”

Yamada was hugging him tightly, so he decided to return the hug. It was slightly awkward, but he
enjoyed the embrace. He wasn’t really used to this. Najimi was looking at them with the same glint
that he looks with when Taeko is hanging around with Odayaka. But, it was only there for a
moment and then as he turned his eyes away, he swore he saw a small smile. Odayaka chuckled
and also hugged Ayato.

“Hopefully I won’t be witnessing you laying in the infirmary bed anymore, Aishi-kun.”

‘With my luck, I doubt that this is the last time..’

Najimi also joined and after a short bit, they all went to the outdoor cafeteria. They all sat down
and started eating their food and talking.

“Aishi-kun gave me the biggest smile today, you should have seen it!”

“Really? I’ve never seen you smile, Aishi-kun. Could we also see?”

Odayaka’s question made him blush. The other just chuckled and patted his shoulder.
 .

❁❁❁

He looked at Odayaka next to him as he hummed his usual tune while chopping up some
ingredients. He looked at his own hands, they were a bit shaky, so he tried to steady himself to the
best of his abilities.

It was now or never. But the nagging fear that Odayaka might not consider him a friend and just
stays in his presence because he is too nice and decides to spare Ayato’s poor, precious feelings is
still there. He was unsure what to do. He stopped and let the knife rest on the cutting board, closed
his eyes and let himself relax. In a bit, Odayaka noticed that he had stopped and turned his head to
look at Ayato. He also stopped and looked slightly worried.

“Is something wrong, Aishi-kun?”

‘It’s nothing...it’s just..”

Ayato took a deep breath and turned to take a small box from the fridge. He also took a small gift
box out of the pocket on his apron. Then he turned back to Odayaka and the other took the gifts
that the other gave to him, although he was slightly surprised. Then Ayato bowed.

‘This may seem stupid and excessive...But, Odayaka-kun I want to become your friend. I
just..need to hear from you that you actually consider us to be friends. Despite my differences, you,
Yamada-senpai and Najimi-kun are the first people that have stayed near me. The first people I’ve
actually wished to befriend. And-’

He stopped when Odayaka embraced him. The hug was warm yet firm.

“I already see you as a friend, Aishi-kun. And I’m thankful you see me as one too. I’ll be sure to
cherish your gifts.”

They separated from their hug and Ayato averted his eyes slightly from the other.

‘Thank you...And you can call me by my name, Odayaka-kun.’

“Okay...You can call me by my name too, Ayato-kun.”

Suddenly a bunch of awws were made and then he realized that they weren’t the only ones present
inside the room and he slightly reddened at the realization.

❁❁❁

He had to leave the club a bit earlier as he had to meet Rito for his stamina training. Yamada
 decided to join them too as she saw Ayato heading towards the running track and decided to give
him some company as Najimi had left to check out a club he could join with his friend 1Raijin.
Although, it more felt like he was third-wheeling the two as Aso kept talking and trying to impress
Yamada.

He and Yamada were awaited by the school gate by Najimi and Odayaka and that's where he
decided to give the gift to the two. The gift was the same as Odayaka’s. A homemade bento box
and a bracelet with a locket attached to it.

“Ah, thank you Aishi-kun! This is an amazing gift.”

“Wait, so Odayaka can call you by your name? What about us?”

“You and Yamada-senpai are my friends too, so you can call me by my name if you wish.”

The three of them walked home together and Ayato couldn’t feel happier.

Finally, he had made his first friends.

He was sure to cherish them forever.

Chapter End Notes

1) In this fanfic, Raijin is the name of the genderbend version of Raibaru Fumetsu.
 New Staff
Chapter Summary

“I can’t stand this new English teacher.”

“He doesn’t seem too bad..”
“Ayato-kun are you serious? First of all, he was unprofessional, like did you see what
he
was wearing? Secondly, he was low-key flirting with everybody. Also, the girls kept
giggling through the whole lesson, I couldn’t concentrate.”
“Well, the last one isn’t really his fault..”

They entered the infirmary while Najimi kept complaining about the new teacher.
Instead of the nurse, they were met by a different face. And Ayato was met with this
new face quite directly.

Chapter Notes

One more rival until Ayato has met them all!

Also, yes these chapters aren't long, as the first 12 chapters are just Ayato meeting
them and making some sort of connection. After chapter 12 I'm planning to make them
longer as Ayato will be starting to build up their relationship with each of them.

Their new upcoming English substitute has been the talk of the school for the entirety of last week.
Yet the news only hit Ayato today. Their actual English teacher left for maternity leave and was
being replaced by someone else. He was a bit nervous, English wasn’t his strong suit, so he hoped
he would be able to adjust to the new teacher and he wouldn’t have problems with keeping his
grades good.

The door opened and inside stepped a man. He had a lean and tall body figure. On him was a white
dress shirt and a black blazer. Both were buttoned up until his chest. His legs were covered by dark
scarlet trousers. He has brown hair and reddish-brown eyes. He looked similar to their age. Most
likely very early twenties.

People around the classroom started to whisper to each other. The ladies in his class had a weird
look in their eyes and some of them looked redder than they were before. He was very confused.

What the hell was happening?

“Hello students, I’ll be your English teacher for the rest of the semester.”

The man's voice was warm and inviting. It had depth yet it was feathery with the way how it
sweetly delivered itself to your ears. He went up to the chalkboard and wrote his name on to it

Mido Rana

“You can call me Rana-sensei. I hope to see all of your adorable faces in my classes.”

He ended the sentence with a wink and all of the girls seemed to go wild. Giggling and blushing
like crazy. The guys didn’t seem as enthusiastic.

“Before we start, any questions?”

One of the students got their hand up and Rana-sensei permitted them to answer.

“How old are you sensei? You don’t look old enough to be a teacher.”

The man chuckled at the question and answered calmly.

“I am flattered by the compliment. I am not much older than you, I’m 21 and I’m not exactly a
teacher yet, I’m still studying. If that’s all, then let's continue our lesson.”

After that, the lesson continued as normal. Occasionally girls would giggle at some of Rana-
sensei’s comments. But, the man seemed like a good teacher. He was good at explaining and
Ayato could clearly understand his speech. Although, he seemed to be the only one to be actually
paying attention to the lesson itself. Some were just admiring the teacher's looks or whispering
about his looks and the rest were annoyed. One of them was Najimi. He looked beyond pissed.

When class ended, Ayato suggested that they go outside so they can breathe some fresh air. He
also needed to go inside the nurse's office real quick, because he was quite low on his medicine
and he had requested that an extra bottle would be left inside the infirmary.
 “I can’t stand this new English teacher.”

“He doesn’t seem too bad..”

“Ayato-kun are you serious? First of all, he was unprofessional, like did you see what he

was wearing? Secondly, he was low-key flirting with everybody. Also, the girls kept giggling
through the whole lesson, I couldn’t concentrate.”

“Well, the last one isn’t really his fault..”

They entered the infirmary while Najimi kept complaining about the new teacher. Instead of the
nurse, they were met by a different face. And Ayato was met with this new face quite directly.

The other seemed like was about to leave the room and unfortunately, Ayato was entering it at the
same time and they ran into each other.

The other had sakura pink coloured hair that was drill-like in the front. His eyes were a purple-
amethyst colour and his pale skin turned into twenty different shades of red all at once as the
situation finally hit him.

“Ah, I’m so sorry! I’m very sorry for being so clumsy...”

“Ayato-kun are you okay? Watch where you are going, idiot!”

Ayato disapprovingly shook his head at Najimi’s comment and nudged his head towards the
ashamed man, signalling him to apologize. His stern look left no room for arguing.

“Sorry, I was worried for my friend.”

“It’s quite alright.”

All of them got up simultaneously and dusted off their clothes. Najimi and he scanned the office,
but the nurse was nowhere to be seen. Najimi was eyeing the other man with a weird look.

“Who are you? And where is Kankoshi-san?”

“Ah, my name is Mujo Kina. Kankoshi-sensei has temporarily gone on leave and as her student,
I’ll be replacing her for a bit.”
“Is there anything the two of you need?”

‘I’m here to refill my medication. I have requested the school to keep extra, just in case.’

“Ah, Kankoshi-sensei mentioned you, Aishi-kun. If I remember correctly, the medication you need
to refill is fluoxetine?”

He nods. After that, they headed to the outdoor area for a bit and headed back to class for their
second English lesson. Which made Najimi sour once again.

❁❁❁

Their second class had ended and they were now getting ready for math. He looked at Rana-sensei
as he was about to leave. He was thinking of asking for extra lessons after school. It could be
beneficial for him, he really wanted to improve his English. So he got up but was stopped by
Najimi.
 “Where are you going?”

“I was about to ask if I could see Rana-sensei after classes for an extra lesson.”

“I can help you, I’m pretty good in English.”

“I know, but I think it’s better if I consult a teacher.”

“Fine..”

Najimi got up and the both of them walked to the teacher.

“Rana-sensei.”

“Ah, Najimi-kun, right? What could I help with?”

“My friend here wishes to have extra lessons after classes.”

Rana-sensei looked him up and down. Then he smiled sweetly in his direction.

“Very well then, I’m happy that a student is taking my classes seriously. What would your
preferred time be?”

‘I’m free from 4 PM till 5 PM on these days.’

“So you're the special needs student that Kocho-sama talked about. Well then, we have a deal!
Before I go, what is your name dear?”

‘Aishi Ayato.’

“Great, I’ll be seeing you at 4 PM then, Aishi-kun.”

 Eager To Befriend
Chapter Summary

‘Hanakō-kun, please don’t be so harsh. I and Shindesu-kun have made up.’

“Ah, really? I’m very sorry about assuming Aishi-senpai. And I’m very sorry for
staring Shindesu-kun, that was very rude of me!”

Hanakō sweetly smiled at the both of them and it seemed to work like magic on
Shindesu because a smile unwillingly slipped from his lips.

“It’s fine, kid.”

Upon noticing the burning cigarette between Shindesu’s fingers, Hanakō started
worriedly ranting to the other about how it’s bad for his health and that he shouldn’t be
doing it, especially on school grounds. Shindesu looked like he wasn’t paying much
attention to what the other was saying, but rather his eyes were filled with nostalgia.
Maybe Hanakō reminded him of someone?

Chapter Notes

Sorry for the late update. I've been sick, so the motivation to write had disappeared.
I'm still sick, but I'm feeling better.

Quick A/N (24/4) - Haven't abounded this work, just have been sick and lots of things
to focus on at school + personal matters, so I haven't really gotten anything done. I'll
be trying to update this Saturday or Sunday. Thank you for the patience!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

From today Ayato was no longer the new student of Akademi.

This title now belonged to Hanakō Yamada, Taeko’s younger brother. To say he was relieved was
an understatement. Now, most of the attention was off him, and he could breathe in peace. From
what Taeko told them, her brother decided to join Akademi to be closer to her. Which is sweet, he
doesn't have siblings, but it must be nice, you always have company and someone that can lend
you an ear.

When he was younger, he always wished for a younger sibling. It was always lonely playing alone
and having no one to talk to. If he had one, that wouldn’t be a problem. But alas, he never got what
he wished, but it wasn’t too bad. He always had his parents by his side and they always did things
to make his life more interesting. Taking him to theatres, zoos, museums and all kinds of other
things. So he couldn’t really complain.

Ayato walked to his, Osano’s and Taeko’s usual meet-up place. From the distance, he saw her
brother standing by her side and telling something in a very enthusiastic manner. He was slightly
shorter than his sister, he had the same coloured eyes and hair as her as well. A heart pin was in his
hair, and his uniform was neat, tidy, and thoroughly ironed, judging by the absence of wrinkles.
Osano spotted him first and he smiled in his direction.

“Mourning, Ayato-kun!”

The younger man's eyes sparkled at the mention of his name as if he has been anticipating meeting
him. Which he is flattered about, but he isn't that special. He isn’t a pop singer or anything of that
sort. The younger man took Ayato’s hand into his and gave him a 1 genial smile. Ayato couldn’t lie
that he wasn’t at least a bit shocked about Hanakō’s eagerness.

“Hello, 2 ane-san has told me a lot about you! My name is Hanakō!”

Ah, so the other probably knows of his muteness. That’s good. He just nod at the other and smiled
slightly.

“You know, Ayato-kun..My3 Otouto has been so keen on meeting you that he has even started
learning a bit of sign language.”

Ayato looked at Hanakō with a stunned expression and the other just smiled and signed to him.

‘It’s true!’

Ayato felt like he could cry from happiness on the spot. No one has ever done something like this
to him.

When they continued walking, Hanakō continued to excitedly cling to his side and tell whatever
his mind could think of. Ayato didn’t mind, he enjoyed listening.
 .

❁❁❁

The group dined in the outdoor cafeteria as usual. Amao brought some of his tasty pastries.
Hanakō couldn’t stop the compliments from flowing out and Amao just sat by the table all red.
Taeko and Osano giggled about something only the two of them knew. Ayato had gone away for a
bit to sit in the shade.

Even though it was the middle of April, the sun was scorching hot. He tends to get light-headed at
these temperatures if he sits around in the sun too long. So lounging in the shade for a few minutes
helps tremendously.

Another figure approached the other wall beside him. He heard a lighter flare and looked at the
person. It was Shindesu and just as he looked at the blond the other looked at him as well. They
turned their heads in the other direction as soon as that happened and it stayed that way for a
moment.

His and Shindesu’s relationship was still quite rocky and the two were still awkward with each
other when they saw one another. But it wasn’t horrible. The other said that he would give Ayato a
ride home from the clinic if he wanted and they exchanged numbers, but neither of them had really
talked or anything.

So he decided to be the braver one. He took a deep breath and approached the other as confidently
as he could. The other had a glint of surprise in his eyes, but he scooted away a bit so Ayato could
rest against the wall as well.
 “Hey...”

“Hi...”

Then they sat in silence. He looked at the smoke as it twisted around the air.

“Thank you again for giving me a ride home that day.”

“It’s nothing. It’s the least I could have done. If you ever need a ride again you can text me.”

“Aishi-senpai, there you are!”

Hanakō ran by his side, but his face had odd grimacing. He was looking at Shindesu and he looked
distrustful and angry. Taeko probably told him of the little mishap they had. Shindesu looked a bit
uncomfortable, honestly, it was a humorous sight to see. A feared delinquent leader was stared
down by a junior whose height barely reached the others shoulder.

“You're the one that hurt Aishi-senpai, ane-san told me about you..”

His face was downcast and he looked guilty. But in an attempt to hide it, he made himself look
angry or annoyed. Years of being an outcast and trying to fit in with others by looking at their
behaviours have taught Ayato to be a bit more observant than the average person. So that didn't
slide by him.

‘Hanakō-kun, please don’t be so harsh. I and Shindesu-kun have made up.’

“Ah, really? I’m very sorry about assuming Aishi-senpai. And I’m very sorry for staring
Shindesu-kun, that was very rude of me!”

Hanakō sweetly smiled at the both of them and it seemed to work like magic on Shindesu because
a smile unwillingly slipped from his lips.

“It’s fine, kid.”

Upon noticing the burning cigarette between Shindesu’s fingers, Hanakō started worriedly ranting
to the other about how it’s bad for his health and that he shouldn’t be doing it, especially on school
grounds. Shindesu looked like he wasn’t paying much attention to what the other was saying, but
rather his eyes were filled with nostalgia. Maybe Hanakō reminded him of someone?
 Thankfully, the bell saved Shindesu from further lecturing and they bid each other an awkward
wave.

As they headed back to meet the others, Ayato wrote down in his notebook.

“Let’s not tell about this to the others...”

“Is there a reason for that, Aishi-senpai?”

“The others aren’t very fond of Shindesu-kun and they had asked me not to approach him. So let us
keep this between us, alright?”

“Okay, Aishi-senpai..”

They smiled at each other as they approached the rest.

Chapter End Notes

1. Genial - Friendly and Cheerful.

2. Ane (姉 / あね) - Older Sister
3. Otouto (弟) - Younger Brother
 Mending Problems
Chapter Summary

Hanakō was discontented with how Ayato and Shindesu interacted with each other.
Since that encounter they had, he couldn’t stop noticing how awkward they were with
each other at every given glance.

Even if Hanakō wasn’t very fond of Shindesu, especially of the fact that he is a
delinquent. He did seem truly regretful of what he did to Ayato and he doesn't seem to
be a bad person in general.

So Hanakō decided to take matters into his own hands and mend their relationship
himself. If he ever has such a difficult task at hand, he usually asks for help from his
beloved ane-san, but he promised Ayato he wouldn’t tell about what happened and
ane-san and all other of Ayato’s friends didn’t seem very friendly with Shindesu
either. So he was left alone to deal with this situation.

Chapter Notes

I just realised that in the actual map, the incinerator/dumpster area and the outdoor
cafeteria mirror each other and are located on opposite sides of the school. But, for
plot convenience, we’ll make them be near each other.

Sorry for not posting for so long, the school semester is nearing an end, so exams are
coming up. Also, was lazy to write after a tough week, but I'm happy with how it
turned out and enjoyed writing this.

Hanakō was discontented with how Ayato and Shindesu interacted with each other. Since that
encounter they had, he couldn’t stop noticing how awkward they were with each other at every
given glance.

Even if Hanakō wasn’t very fond of Shindesu, especially of the fact that he is a delinquent. He did
seem truly regretful of what he did to Ayato and he doesn't seem to be a bad person in general.

So Hanakō decided to take matters into his own hands and mend their relationship himself. If he
ever has such a difficult task at hand, he usually asks for help from his beloved ane-san, but he
promised Ayato he wouldn’t tell about what happened and ane-san and all other of Ayato’s friends
didn’t seem very friendly with Shindesu either. So he was left alone to deal with this situation.

Their lunch break starts at 1:00 PM and he has observed that usually at 1:10 PM Ayato goes to rest
against the wall by the dumpster/incinerator area to cool down from the sun and sits there for about
five minutes. Shindesu usually smokes there while the rest of the delinquents eat their lunch near
the incinerator. With this simple information in hand, he had the perfect plan! He just had to make
sure it goes as he plans.
The sun was sweltering hot as it has been since the beginning of the school semester. He had
successfully managed to distract Ayato for a few minutes. He noticed the man was sweating more
excessively than usual and he felt horrible for torturing the other boy, but his awkward encounters
with Shindesu were torturing him even more.

‘Very sorry to interrupt you, Hanakō-kun, but I’ll be going to cool off now.”

The other man got up and now was time to add the last piece of his plan.

“Alright, Aishi-senpai! But before you go, take this!”

He handed Ayato a small bento box. He purposely made another one, but nobody had to know
about that.

“I accidentally made an extra box, so you can have it!”

‘I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish it on my own, I’m quite full from my own lunch.’

“Ah, well maybe you could share it with someone or give it to someone else. Okay, I won’t keep
distracting you any longer! You should go, you look like you’re about to melt on the spot!”

He pushed Ayato forward and hoped that everything would go to plan. If it did, the rest should
happen by itself.

❁❁❁
When his head hit the wall and the shade covered him he felt so relieved it was ridiculous. He
looked at the bento box that Hanakō gifted to him. It was wrapped in a pretty flower-patterned
furoshiki and the fabric felt nice to the touch. A bigger shadow stood over him and he looked up to
see Shindesu observing him. He scooted over to let the other sit next to him. The other slid next to
him.

The weird tension between them was still there and it was making him feel awkward for some
reason and Shindesu looked as if he was feeling the same. The other looked at him again and
exhaled the smoke of his cigarette. The smoke smelled like burnt coffee and ash. It reminded him
of his father, he smokes too, especially when he is stressed. Shindesu pressed the end of his
cigarette and put it out.

“What are you doing here again?”

‘I always come here to cool off before class. I get dizzy if I sit in the sun for too long.’

“Wouldn’t it be easier to go inside or any other place?”

‘It’s calm here, not many people walk past here and I can breathe some fresh air’

They sat there in silence for a while. Ayato watched the clouds and as the branches of the trees
slowly swayed from the light breeze.

‘What about you? Why do you hang around here.’

“I can smoke here in peace with no nosey bastards snitching on me. The only ones that hang around
here at lunch brake are the rest of the delinquents and, well you.”

Shindesu looked at the small box in his hands one of his eyebrows rose.

“What’s with the box?”

"Ah, Hanakō-kun accidentally made an extra box and gave it to me. But I’ve already finished my
lunch, so I’m not very hungry."

"Have you eaten your lunch yet, Shindesu-kun?"

“I don’t eat lunch at school. I cook like shit and I don’t have time to ride to the store to get
anything before the school gates close.”

Shindesu looked at Ayato who had a bewildered expression on his face. Which made him
confused. He looked as the other unwrapped the furoshiki and placed it on his crotch area and put
the opened bento box on top of the furoshiki. Then he practically places the chopsticks in his
hands. Now it was Shindesu’s turn to be bewildered.

"You should be eating lunch every day! If you won’t, I’ll make you some myself. Now eat!"

Against all odds, he listened and ate the bento while Ayato sat by his side and watched the clouds.
When he finished he thanked the other and Ayato just nodded and smiled lightly. Then he left for
class.

❁❁❁

The next day they saw each other again. This time Ayato sat by his side and he yet again had a
bento box with him. The furoshiki was a simple white colour. He put it on his own crotch and
placed the bento on the furoshiki. When he opened the box he took out two sets of chopsticks. One
of the pairs he kept for himself the other pair he handed to him.

"Since you don’t have time to make lunch of your own and I never finish my own anyways, we
might as well share."

That’s all he said. They ended up finishing the meal together. Ayato left to spend the rest of the
brake with his friends and Shindesu smoked his cigarette, talked with the rest of the delinquents
and maybe if he felt like it he went to class later.

This continued for the rest of the week and on Friday as they were eating their lunch Shindesu
finally asked the question that had been nagging him all week.

“Why are you so concerned about me not eating?”

"Well you help me get back from the clinic, so this is a way of returning the favour. Besides, we
are friends. Friends help one another and are concerned for each other"

Ayato continued eating and Shindesu sat next to him stunned. After a minute Ayato noticed.

"What?"

“You see me as a friend?”

"Yes, you're kind and helpful towards me and I think you are a great person."

“How do you know I’m not just pretending and using you for something?”

"What would you be using me for?"

“Free food?”

Ayato was quiet for a minute and then he laughed a bit. Shindesu was surprised. He’s never heard
the other man make a single noise.

"Maybe, but I have a pretty good hunch on which people are my fake friends and which ones are
real."

“Really, how?”

"Let’s just say, that after years of observing people's behaviours to try and fit in, I can tell if a
person actually wants to be my friend or not."

“You were bullied?”

"Yeah, it’s kind of the reason why I don’t speak in the first place."

“Shit, man...Sorry for asking, it’s probably pretty personal.”

"It’s fine, you didn’t do anything wrong."

They sat in silence for a bit and ever since Ayato had started having lunch with him he had gotten
the habit of cloud watching. Sometimes he thinks about what the shapes of the clouds remind him
of. He brushed his hand over his jacket and remembered how he got it. The next words he spoke
came out of his mouth unexpectedly.

“I used to be bullied too...”

Ayato turned his head towards him. He looked a bit shocked.

“I got this jacket after beating some assholes from a high school in Shisuta Town. After that, no
one dared to do or say anything bad in my presence.”

"That’s actually pretty awesome. I wish I could be as strong."

“You are strong, maybe not stamina-wise, but I’ve seen you help around the school carrying stuff
two times your weight without much effort.”

Ayato smiled yet again. And just this once Shindesu allowed himself to smile back.

“If I ever see anyone bullying you I promise to protect you.”

"Thank you, Shindesu-kun. You’re very kind."

“You shouldn’t thank me, that’s what friends are for, right?”

❁❁❁

Sunday came by quickly. He spend his therapy session expressing how happy he was to make
another friend and that he and Shindesu were finally getting along. He was so blissful in fact that
he managed to tell the beginning without using sign language, which made Kishimoto-sensei
incredibly happy. But at one point he kind of froze up and wasn’t able to continue. Which was fine
with the doctor, he was just happy that he spoke. After Ayato finished they did a bit of reading
aloud and Kishimoto-sensei spoke about some recent events in his life and Ayato just had to try
and respond.

When he came out of the clinic he felt refreshed. The sun was slowly setting as he always
purposely booked his appointments later in the day to avoid people.

The evening was chilly despite the fact that the whole day the sun was burning hot. He pulled his
cardigan closer to himself. Ayato now was wishing that he didn’t wear ripped jeans. As he was
about to head home the smell of ash and burned coffee stopped him. Does this person not know
that it’s prohibited to smoke within 10 meters of this area? He turned around and was surprised to
see Shindesu’s familiar face. He walked towards the man.

"Shindesu-kun, what are you doing here?"

“You mentioned that you have therapy today, so I decided to help you get home.”

"That’s kind of you Shindesu-kun."

"But, could you not smoke here, the sign on the door clearly says it’s not allowed to do so here."

For some reason, Shindesu laughed at him, but he did as Ayato requested and put the cigarette out,
and threw it out in the bin near the entrance.

“Sure thing Mr.Goody two shoes.”

Ayato looked at him with a slightly offended look, but unfortunately, it didn’t seem to do anything
else, but cause amusement to the other. He turned the motorcycle on and took his helmet. He
walked towards Ayato and put the helmet on him. The two sat in their respective seats, Ayato put
his hands on the other's hips and they started their way to his home.

The view as they rode home was beautiful. Although he much preferred cars over motorbikes, the
feeling was something to never forget. The wind hugging you from all sides, the speed, the
adrenaline. It was nice.

.
 ❁❁❁

When they arrived at his place, Ayato invited him over for a bit of tea. Which at first the other was
hesitant about, but he ended up agreeing. He unlocked his door and let Shindesu step in first. They
took off their shoes and headed to the kitchen.

As Ayato got the tea ready the other sat down.

“You said you live with your parents, right?”

"Yes, there overseas at the moment. I’m not sure when they’ll be back. Possibly only by the start
of the second semester."

“That’s rough, do they work overseas?”

"You could say that..;"

He placed down the cups of tea on the table and sat in his own seat. As they drank their tea they
continued conversing. Somehow they had ended up on the topic of love.

"I’m not currently really interested in anyone. What about you, Shindesu-kun?"

They sat in silence for a bit as the other thought of his answer.

“It may sound absurd, but I like Yamada-san. We had talked a few times. But after what has
happened between us and the fact she isn't all that into delinquents, I’d say my chances of going out
with her are close to zero.”

"Don’t be so negative, Shindesu-kun! Taeko-san is a very kind person. I’m sure your relationship
could improve if you just talked your problems out."

Shindesu smiled at him and took a sip of his tea.

“Thanks, I’ll try to do that. And you can call me Osorō if you wish.”

"It’s nothing, you can call me Ayato, Osorō-kun."

 Confrontation
Chapter Summary

Nothing exciting happened as he sat. People continued to talk and enjoy their meals,
the waitresses took orders and served clients. That is until he heard the bell by the
door ring and made the stupid mistake of looking in that direction.

There in all his glory stood one of his middle school bullies. Specifically, the one that
had punched him in the face and made him go mute. The other had grown taller, his
hair was different too. But he’ll never forget his eyes. They had this specific shade of
dark blue and the sharpness in them hadn't disappeared.

He could feel his heart slowly but steadily increase its beats, his breath hitching in his
throat one too many times and his palms sweating. But he bit his lip and tried to calm
himself down. He wasn’t about to go into a panic attack in a cafe, besides, there is no
way he’ll approach him, right?

Chapter Notes

Hello, my lovelies! Thank you so much for your patience and support! I'm glad to say
I'm back to posting and finished with exams! Really hoping that the results will come
back good! Anyways, enjoy this chapter about Ayato and Aso!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

His training with Rito has been paying off.

His stamina has improved a lot. He wasn’t a sweating mess after every PE lesson, he could keep up
with his classmates and he was feeling physically better. He remembers his first time training with
the other. If he knew that this would be the outcome, he wouldn’t be so hesitant back then.

The day he started training with Rito he couldn’t force himself to step a foot through the door. Not
until Tachikawa-sensei encouragingly pushed him out the door. Rito on the other hand seemed
gleeful and was smiling like a kid who got the Christmas present he actually asked for.

He did seem to take mercy on Ayato after seeing his terrified expression. They ran slow laps and
Ayato was allowed to stop every once in a while to breathe and to drink some water. They also
ended up doing some exercise and so on.

After that, Ayato wasn’t so scared to train with him. Rito was nice and the exercises weren’t as bad
as he thought. They started to bond and learn more about each other.

Rito was like his opposite. Rito was energetic and outgoing while Ayato was shy and languid. Rito
preferred physical activities like sports; Ayato liked things that didn’t need much physical effort
like reading. But one shared interest they had in common was actually something he never
expected the other to like.
The two turned out to like the same manga series. Ayato has been a fan of Life Note for as long as
he can remember. It helped distract him from the different misfortunes that had occurred in his life,
specifically school life. And he had learned that it served as a distraction for Rito too.

The other shared that he had started reading the manga as a way to manage stress. And ever since
then, he has kept the series close to his heart.

Ayato remembers when the anime for it had come out. It was like a whole new experience. Seeing
his favourite characters move on a screen instead of visualizing the movements in his head was just
amazing.

This shared love for the series helped them become a lot closer. It helped Ayato relate with the
other more. It seemed that the other felt the same way.

About a week ago, Rito had expressed how nervous and anxious he was about an upcoming
swimming contest. He felt bad for the other and desperately wanted to cheer him up. He
immediately thought about the anime. So with all the courage he had in him, he had invited the
other to his house to watch Life Note so he could be relaxed before the contest.

He was a bit nervous about doing so. Honestly, when they first started training together Ayato
believed that Rito hated him. Not because he was mean or rude to him, he just thought that he
hated training him and was only doing it out of respect for Tachikawa-sensei. Even though he knew
it was not true, it still nagged him, like most of his irrational fears.

Well, whatever Ayato had been thinking before was blown away as Rito hugged him tightly, so
tightly, in fact, he thought that the last bits of air molecules had left his body. After letting Ayato
out of his death squeeze of a hug, he thanked him for being so thoughtful and said he would love to
come.

If he was nervous about inviting the other to his home, then he didn’t even have a proper word to
describe the feeling of awaiting the other and getting everything ready for the other's visit.

He never in his life had anyone stay over. And if they had people staying over, it was mainly
relatives or his mother's friends and it was always handled by his mother. And during these times
he usually never bothered communicating with the guests, maybe only if they were relatives. In
other situations, he just locked himself in his room.

The nervousness had made him at a loss on what to do, but after painstakingly pulling himself
together he had started thoroughly cleaning the house, getting a futon ready, buying and cooking
some snacks and obviously putting on the anime.

Rito staying over at his home was nice. Not only it helped Rito cope with his stress it actually
helped out Ayato. Even though it wouldn't seem like it, Ayato didn’t like staying home alone or
being alone in general. Yes, occasionally having a moment for yourself is nice and having a
personal space where he can be alone is necessary. But that didn’t mean he preferred being alone.
The presence of another human being kept him....steady. Whenever he has someone he trusts by
his side he feels safer and it helps from nightmares plaguing him. They have become rarer over the
years, but they are still there.

As he stated before, the other boy staying over was nice. The other had explored his house from
head to toe, complimented every possible decor that they had in their house and thanked Ayato a
million times for inviting him.
They ate the snacks, they watched the show, they talked about the protagonist, Yamiko, they
discussed how much they agreed on her ideals, about the show's animation and the nostalgia it
brought. The evening was fun, Ayato doesn't even remember the last time he has felt so good, so
free and fulfilled.

Anyways, talking about the present day and why he was thinking about Rito so much in the first
place was because this would be the last time they train together. The other had deducted that
Ayato doesn't need his help anymore, so as a way to celebrate, they had decided to go to a small
cafe in Buraza Town.

The evening was nice, sunny and bright. Ayato was dressed in a turquoise jumper with some black
trousers and matching loafers. Rito had a white t-shirt, wide, brown trousers and a pair of white
sneakers. The blonde had a wide smile on his face as he walked next to him..

“So~ How’s the feeling of finally being finished with our training together?”

‘It’s nice, but at the same time I’m a bit sad I won’t be able to see you after school on Mondays.’

“You shouldn’t be sad though, we’ll see each other around school and weekends and stuff!”

‘I guess you are right, Rito-kun..’

Rito opened the door of the cafeteria and let Ayato go through first. He heard the small bell ring
above him. They sat by one of the tables with two seats and the waitress handed both of them the
menu. The cafe had a comfortable atmosphere. It was actually much fuller than he expected and
the flood of people's chatter surrounded him. He liked the interior, it was quite cute with the pink
and white striped walls and checkered floor. Even the window frame was in a heart shape.

His mother took him here a few times when he was younger, he remembers how she told him that
she used to work here when she was still attending Akademi.

He looked through the menu in his hands. All of the options looked very appetizing. He decided to
stick with some kitsune udon 1 . He wrote down what he wanted and Rito ordered for them. Then
the other male looked around and said:

“I didn’t expect so many people to be here. But I guess it was to be expected, people tend to come
here to relax after work or school often.”

Ayato just nod. Today had been weirdly nice, he was so used to some inconvenience happening
that he was suspicious whenever nothing bad happened. But he tried not to think about it. He didn’t
want to jinx it.

The food arrived quickly. The lady smiled sweetly and placed down their bowls of food. It smelled
amazing and looked just as great. His mouth was already watering.
“Enjoy!”

Rito thanked her, Ayato just bowed his head and they started eating.

A few things he had noticed about the other from his stay is that he eats fast and he likes to
occasionally comment on the taste of the food.

“Wow, how tasty! Very good!”

He reminded him of a character from and popular anime he watched once...

After their meal, they ordered some milkshakes and Rito excused himself to the bathroom. So
Ayato was left to sit and wait.

Nothing exciting happened as he sat. People continued to talk and enjoy their meals, the waitresses
took orders and served clients. That is until he heard the bell by the door ring and made the stupid
mistake of looking in that direction.

There in all his glory stood one of his middle school bullies. Specifically, the one that had punched
him in the face and made him go mute. The other had grown taller, his hair was different too. But
he’ll never forget his eyes. They had this specific shade of dark blue and the sharpness in them
hadn't disappeared.

He could feel his heart slowly but steadily increase its beats, his breath hitching in his throat one
too many times and his palms sweating. But he bit his lip and tried to calm himself down. He
wasn’t about to go into a panic attack in a cafe, besides, there is no way he’ll approach him, right?

Well, it seems that life loved fucking with him because the guy not only walked right passed him,
he also stopped upon seeing his face. The others pupils dilated and it seems he was at a loss for
words.

Ayato pinched his skin and bit his lip harder. His chest tightened more and his heartbeat becoming
more intense didn’t help with the discomfort. He won’t be able to put up the facade for long, if the
other doesn't leave he will brake down and he doesn't want that to happen. He won’t be able to live
over the embarrassment of breaking down in front of so many people.

“Aishi? Is that you?”

He didn’t answer, obviously. Just nod and now bit his cheek. Hopefully the other would leave
soon, he doesn't know how long he’ll be able to hold back. Breathing was getting harder and he
could already feel tears building up and his vision doubling.
 “Oh, hey do you mind if I sit here? I just want to talk”

He stood still, if he moved he would most definitely burst into tears. The other sat down.

“I just wanted to- Hey, are you okay?”

When the other sat down it was like a thread snapped. He was barely able to breathe. He needed
someone, anyone to get him out.

He heard footsteps and thankfully his head wasn’t too clouded to recognize Rito’s voice.

“Aishi-kun! Are you alright?”

His voice was laced with concern. Rito placed his hand on his shoulder and leaned in closer. Then
his eyes sternly landed on the male sitting opposite of him.

“Who are you and what the hell did you do to him?”

“I swear I didn’t do anything! I just wanted to talk...”

He didn’t hear the rest of it, he was already a bit too deep in his head. Everything hurt, his head,
chest. The memories from that day started flooding him.

He felt someone leading him somewhere, he felt someone's embrace and he heard faint whispers,
although, he couldn’t decipher them.

He doesn't know how long it takes until he snaps out. He felt exhausted, he felt tear stains on his
cheeks and a hand gently rubbing his back. When his mind had properly cleared out he realized
that Rito was hugging him and he was clinging to him like a sloth. He started to move and their
embrace ended.

“Are you okay now Aishi-kun?”

He nods at the other. He looked around, they were sitting on one of the benches by a shop nearby.
They re-positioned themselves, and Ayato laid his head on the other boy's shoulder. Under normal
circumstances, he would never do so, but he was so exhausted he couldn’t help it. Besides, Rito
didn’t seem to mind.
 After a few minutes of silence, Rito handed him his notebook and pen.

“Could you explain who he was?”

For a moment he contemplated whether he should tell the other or not, but since the other helped
him, it would be quite unfair not to tell him.

‘It’s a classmate of mine from middle school. He used to bully me. He’s one of the people
involved in the incident that made me not speak..’

The other's eyes looked angry as he looked at the paper. But after a minute he spoke.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Aishi-kun..”

He nods lightly. It’s not like Rito was at fault or he could do anything. Rito placed a small piece of
paper in his palm. He gave the other a confused glance.

“The guy left his number, he said he wished to talk with you whenever you can.”

He placed the small paper inside his pants pocket. Then they sat in silence for a few minutes
again.

“How about I call a taxi, you must be exhausted. I’ll pay for it!”

Chapter End Notes

1. Udon - Udon noodles are thick, chewy, and traditionally made from wheat flour and
brine water. Kitsune udon (‘fox udon’, topped with aburaage fried tofu)
 Partners
Chapter Notes

Sorry for the late update! I had prom just yesterday and had many practices to go to
before that. So to say the least, I have been exhausted. Yesterday was great however, I
got tons of flowers (which I absolutely love!), and a new computer which has made
writing much more comfortable and feasible. I also got to see relatives that I haven't
seen in a while. So even if it was hard, the day was very rewarding. Anyways, enjoy
the new chapter!

When Ayato had gone through the school entrance he was met by silence and practically no
people. Which was odd, usually tons of people were outside before classes started. It felt strange
and eerie, it was as if the school had turned into a ghost town.

Well, that wasn’t for long, when he entered the school to place his necessities into his locker and
to change his shoes, he saw a pool of people by the bulletin board discussing something. He
wondered what was that all about.

He went closer to take a look and quickly spotted the orange mop that was Osano’s hair. He
miraculously managed to squeeze through and get to the other without much trouble.

“Oh, morning, Ayato-kun!”

“Morning, Osano-kun! What is this all about?”

Osano pointed towards the big poster and proceeded to explain as Ayato read through it.

“The Student Council have set a small week-long programme where five students of each class,
excluding class 6 because they’re graduating this year, will be paired with one of the Council
members. They will be learning and helping with duties of their assigned member as well as
making a presentation that they’ll have to present at the end of the week, to show the results of the
programme.”

That...is quite complex. But, quite interesting at the same time. Although he couldn’t exactly
understand the aim of this programme.

Students started clearing out and heading outside, Osano grabbed his hand and pulled him forward.
He was confused and thought to himself:
 ‘What is going on?’

As if reading his mind, the other answered.

“It’s the announcement, they’ll be sorting the students from each class, then placing them with a
council member.”

They now headed to the gymnasium. Ayato squeezed closer to Osano, he wasn’t very fond of the
idea of getting lost in a huge crowd of people.

When they got there, he noticed that a podium had been placed on the big stage. On it stood the
headmaster who was sorting through some papers in his hands. On his right were the Student
Council standing in a neat line. Now that he thought to himself, he had only seen and met Saikou
and Toriyasu. The woman who stood next to Saikou had straight, black hair and some glasses with
a chain. She had a serious expression on her face as she talked to the president. The girl next to
Toriyasu had short, silver-grey hair. She had a black and white striped scarf that matched her
stockings. She was enthusiastically chatting with Toriyasu. The woman at the very end of the line
had dark blue hair, it had unevenly cut ends, but he would say the most noticeable thing was her
eyepatch. He got a slightly ominous feeling from her.

Near the headmaster's side stood the school's councillor. He had met her when Osorō had punched
him and she had met him a bit later after the situation asking if he was alright. Honestly, he was
still embarrassed that he fainted in her office, but she said he shouldn’t be worrying about it.

The hall was filled with different mutters. He heard a few girls whispering behind him and couldn’t
help but eavesdrop.

“I really hope I’ll be getting picked. And I hope I’ll be sorted with Saikou-kun!”

“Me too! Spending a whole week in Saikou-kun’s presence is like a dream come true!”

The chattering was quickly stooped when the headmaster cleared his throat and grabbed everyone's
attention.

“Good morning, dear students! As you all have read, our school has introduced a new programme
where each student of the none graduating classes will be sorted together with one of our Student
Council’s members.”

“ I’m very happy that we have been able to make this dream a reality after a whole year of hard and
dedicated work.”

“Let us give a round of applause to our hard-working Student Council and our wonderful Student
Councilor for creating and making this project possible!”
All of the students eagerly clapped. And after about a minute the clapping died down.

“Now, Saikou-kun will be explaining the sorting process and more details about the project.”

The students clapped again as the headmaster switched places with Saikou. The other cleared his
throat and spoke.

“As Kocho-sensei had said before, this programme will allow five of our school's students to be
paired with one of the Student Council members. The way we have chosen these students is very
simple. We picked a student from each class with the highest grades as we, the Student Council,
must also have high marks in order to be able to join and stay in the Council.”

Ayato heard a few sighs from the audience. One of the girls sighed too.

“Oh man, I hoped I would have a chance!”

“Well, I on the other hand might have a chance! I’m an academic genius after all!”

He could feel the girl's confidence and arrogance radiating from here.

“Before we call the names of these students, we would like to explain how this programme
works.”

“Once the five pairs are sorted, the participants will become temporary members of the Student
Council. The students will be given their new uniforms for the week, the pair will be working
together on making sure that their duties are completed. They’ll be obligated to come to the council
after classes where they will be learning of the council's overall duties, attending meetings and
working on a presentation that will be needed to be submitted after the end of the project.”

“Now that we have gotten over that, we would like to reveal our five participants.”

It felt like everyone was holding their breath when Saikou was given the paper with the five
names.

“Mantaro Sashimasu of class 1-1”

 “Sumire Suzuki of class 1-2”

“Ayato Aishi of class 2-1”

“Amao Odayaka of class 2-2”

“And Shozo Kurosawa of class 3-1”

The students clapped, and he heard the girl from before groaning behind him. They were let
through as all of them stepped on the stage. He stood beside Amao. The clapping died down. The
headmaster was now back by the podium.

“Thank you, Saikou-kun for the explanation and congratulations to our five lucky students!
Now we will proceed on to sorting the pairs.”

The members each headed towards the headmaster, with Saikou at the front. He picked one of the
five pieces of paper. Then he headed it to the headmaster.

“Our first pair will consist of Ayato Aishi and Megamo Saikou!”

Saikou started heading towards him as the crowd clapped. Amao elbowed his shoulder lightly.

“Lucky, aren’t we, Ayato-kun? Be careful though, the fan girls might try to eat you alive this
week.”

Ayato just smiled at the other's joke. They waited till everyone was sorted. Then the rest of the
students were let go to attend classes while they had to go to the council room to get handed their
temporary uniforms and change.

As he and Saikou were walking side by side the other started to speak.

“You know, Aishi-kun. I’m quite glad we have been assigned as partners.”

‘Really, how so?’

“You seem like a reasonable person to work with and you would actually take the project
seriously.”

He assumed he was taking a jab at the number of students who wanted to join the programme
purely only to be in his presence. Also, did he just get complimented by the other? He was quite
flattered..

❁❁❁

He looked at himself in the mirror after putting on the uniform. It looked quite nice on him
actually, maybe white was his colour after all.

He came out of the dressing room at the same time as Amao. The uniform looked nice on him as
well, although it was quite weird seeing him without his usual accessories. The other smiled at him
sweetly as usual.

“You look nice in this uniform, Aishi-kun!”

‘You look nice to, Amao-kun!”

They started heading towards the school. They had been asked to join the council so they could be
sorted their duties. He was quite nervous actually, he wasn’t expecting to hear his name on the list.
It seemed the shock hadn’t worn off yet.

His nervousness could also be from the fact that he was the one to be sorted with the president of
all people. But, Megamo didn’t seem like a generally bad person from all their interactions nor did
the other seem reluctant on working with him,

He was probably overreacting for no reason now...

When they approached the room, Amao opened the door for him. The rest of the pairs seemed to
be talking only between themselves, so Amao patted his shoulder and headed towards Toriyasu. It
seems that for Amao this would go like a breeze, the two had seemingly similar personalities so
they would get along. He headed towards Saikou who was sitting by the desk on the opposite side
of the room. Another chair was already by the desk, so he sat down. Saikou looked at him.
 “I’ll try to keep this brief, as we both have classes to attend soon.”

“At the end of the month, the school is planning to have a bake sale that will act as a fundraiser
for a charity. On the same day, we will also be celebrating the anniversary of the day that Akademi
was founded.”

“While I have thought of most of the more serious duties, I would like to hand you the task of
how we could combine these two events. Creative thinking isn’t my strong suit..”

“We will be having a meeting after classes, but you can add more ideas and details to the project
till the end of the week. We will be also having a meeting on Friday to add the final duties to the
list and over the next two weeks we will be working on everything”

“Could you do that, Aishi-kun?”

Ayato nod. That didn’t sound too hard, he should be able to handle that.

“Well then,”

The other stood up from his chair,

“I guess we should be heading to class.”

❁❁❁

As he sat in class he couldn’t help but not concentrate. All he could think of was his newly
assigned duty. It didn’t seem like anyone had noticed, so that’s good. He had the urge to drum his
fingers against the desk or his pen, but the teacher had already warned him once to not do that. And
he wasn’t opting to get into trouble.

He wasn’t too worried about missing out on something, history was one of the subjects he was
good at. And he could always copy notes from Osano.

He looked towards the window. Petles from the cherry blossoms were swarming the air. He liked
watching them. They were like little, graceful dancers that swiftly and skilfully twisted in mid-air.

Suddenly he was hit by a wave of inspiration. Akademi’s logo was a cherry blossom flower, right?
So the theme could be based on cherry blossoms. That was a good idea actually. They could make
little cherry blossom-shaped cakes and decorations. And their school was already surrounded by
tons of cherry blossom trees, so it adds to the atmosphere a lot.

He smiled at himself...

❁❁❁

Saikou ended up liking the idea. He even praised him for it. Which ended up making him red. It’s
not every day you get praised by the man. At the meeting he just had to hand everybody lists with
their tasks and duties while Saikou did all the talking.

During the week he mostly helped others do their duties as planned, added more ideas for the
project, learned more about the council's duties and did the project with Saikou. He also did some
very minor paperwork, five pages max, since Saikou said he didn’t want to burden him with such
boring nonsense.

He became quite used to his routine. But Friday came by fast, at their meeting, they finished up
with the final details and it was complete, now the Student Council just had to make it real. The
council thanked them for their hard work and gave them a gift as a thank you for participating. He
hand ended up staying as one of the last people with Saikou as he volunteered to clean up.

As he finished up with cleaning he looked at the other who was focused on some paper. Beside
him was a stack of papers, about 5-7 cm in height. Still, he felt bad, he didn’t even know he had to
fill so many of them. He looked at him and sat up straight.

“Thank you, Aishi-kun for cleaning up. Have a good evening, I’ll see you next week.”

‘That’s quite a big stack of papers...’

“It’s nothing to worry about. These charities happen every year. And, well with the programme
being in the same week when we hosted these charities, we just decided to move it at the same
time as Akademi’s founding day. With it though comes extra paperwork.”

The other seemed tired, he should be going home like everyone else. So Ayato picked up a chair,
took half of the stack and a pen and sat down. If he won’t help him, who knows how long he’ll
stay here doing them. The other seemed flabbergasted.

“Aishi-kun?”

‘I wish to help you, I think it’s quite unfair that you have to stay here and work while everyone

else gets to go home, And we are partners, we should help each other. Right?’

The other seemed to be a bit red and shocked. But he composed himself quickly and even smiled
lightly.

“Yes, I guess you are right...”

❁❁❁
After about half an hour both of them finished. They sorted the papers on Saikou’s desk and
headed towards the exit. Some teachers were still inside the building so they luckily didn’t get
locked inside the building. But he wouldn’t be surprised if the other had a spare key. I mean his
parents did own the school.

“Thank you, Aishi-kun for helping me. I would have never expected you or anyone to take the
time out of their day to sit down and help me willingly without expecting me to give something in
return.”

‘It’s nothing, Saikou-kun, I’m glad I was able to help!”

“I would like to give you a ride home, as a thank you..”

‘Oh, there is no need!’

“I insist..”
 Shared Experience
Chapter Summary

When he started getting homeschooled, conflicts were only things he witnessed. But he
still was wary of them. They did ruin half of his life after all...

Also, any sort of conflict, big or small, made him feel sick to his stomach. His skin
would crawl, he would sweat and his mouth would be dry. His body would feel like it
was stuck in stone and he would get sickening nausea.

When it happened for the first time he was worried, he thought that there might be
something wrong with him but, Kishimoto-sensei said it was normal and that it’s just a
trauma response after the incident.

So when he saw Ruto getting picked on by the popular girls in the hallway he didn’t
know what came over him. He swallowed down all the unpleasant feelings bubbling
within him and bravely stepped in front of the other, shielding him with his right arm.

Chapter Notes

Ahh, I love this chapter so much

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Ayato doesn't like conflict and tries to avoid it at all costs.

His parents rarely argued, but he remembers the few instances he had to witness when he was
younger. He would usually press his palms against his ears and go to his room. Then he would shut
his door and keep it blocked with his body. If the arguing was really intense he used to cry. Then
his parents used to come and apologize to him and each other.

At school, it was harder to avoid since he usually was everyone's object of ridicule. But he could
manage. Supply rooms, lockers and bathroom stalls were great places to hide and wait till everyone
was in class. No one ever dared to say or do something in the classroom as most schools he had
attended usually had pretty strict teachers.

When he started getting homeschooled, conflicts were only things he witnessed. But he still was
wary of them. They did ruin half of his life after all...

Also, any sort of conflict, big or small, made him feel sick to his stomach. His skin would crawl, he
would sweat and his mouth would be dry. His body would feel like it was stuck in stone and he
would get sickening nausea.

When it happened for the first time he was worried, he thought that there might be something
wrong with him but, Kishimoto-sensei said it was normal and that it’s just a trauma response after
the incident.
So when he saw Ruto getting picked on by the popular girls in the hallway he didn’t know what
came over him. He swallowed down all the unpleasant feelings bubbling within him and bravely
stepped in front of the other, shielding him with his right arm.

The other looked shocked, and so did the girls. But the one with the blue jacket around her waist,
the girl that was standing at the front just smirked.

“Aren’t you that mute kid? I’ve seen you hang around with the freak, I’m guessing you two are
friends. You’re quite brave for a little nobody who couldn’t even defend himself a couple of years
ago.”

The end of her comment caught him off guard. He couldn't help but clench his fist. How did she
know that? Did she know him? But he quickly shacked it off and stood his ground. He couldn’t get
scared now. This seemed to irritate the woman. Her brow twitched slightly in annoyance and the
smirk turned into a scowl.

“Get out of our way you twerp, or else I’ll punch you and your voice won’t be the only thing
you lose...”

She lowered her voice at the end to sound more intimidating. And even though he didn’t like the
insinuation of her words, he continued to stand in front of the other, held his head up higher and
made his expression more serious and stern.

Two could play the game, if she wanted to intimidate him she should try harder.

At this point, she looked pissed and her friends looked confused. The girl clenched her fist and was
about to hit him, but another hand caught hers. He turned his head to see the face of the blue-haired
girl from the Student Council.

“What do you think you are doing?”

The blonde woman started stuttering over her words, but the blue-haired girl shut her up quickly.

“Counsellor’s office...Now.”

Surprisingly, the girl obeyed and her friends followed her. The blue-haired woman turned to them.

“Good job for standing up for your friend over there, Aishi. I’ll make sure they go where they
should be going.”

Then she left and followed the group of girls. He got out of his defensive position and relaxed.
Ruto hugged him all of a sudden.

“Thank you, Aishi-kun. I’m grateful you stood up for me...”

He patted the other's back and the hug ended. Ruto looked a bit embarrassed, but he didn’t
comment on it. He and the other walked towards...actually, where were they going?

“Would you like to join me at the Occult Club? We could talk...or uhm...read?”

Ayato nod. He noticed that the Occult Club is rarely visited and the members are timid and quiet.
It seems, in general, like a nice place to rest.

They entered the room. The club members that were there greeted Ruto and gave him a shy hello
as well. They sat down next to each other and it was silent for a bit, he just watched as the others
did their own things and looked around a bit more. He has only been here once, and last time he
didn’t pay much mind to how it looked around here.

It had bookcases of books about summoning rituals, urban legends, myths and so on. They had
high-backed purple armchairs with one of the softest covers he had ever touched. On the floor,
they had a purple rug with a golden, inverted pentagram illustrated on it. The windows were shut
by a large, thick curtain and the light mostly came from the large amount of candles in the room
and from the hallway. It’s probably a pain changing them often.

He looked at Ruto, he seemed nervous and at a loss on what to do, he also seemed like there was a
question nagging him. Like it was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t formulate his words
correctly. Ayato raised his eyebrows at the other and he seemed to understand. The other took a big
breath and spoke.

“Aishi-kun, as glad as I am that you helped me, I’m curious as to why you did it..”

“I just didn’t like you getting bullied.”

The other was quiet, but another question he wanted to ask was still lingering. He just didn’t know
if it would be appropriate to ask the other that. Before Ayato could encourage him to speak, Ruto
braved up and asked.

“Is there an..uh...reason you don’t like it?”

Now Ayato was the silent one. He rather prefers not to talk about his past experiences very vividly,
but he has already trusted a few people with this information. Telling Ruto wouldn’t change a
thing.

It seemed that Ayato’s silence persisted a little longer than he wanted and Ruto looked regretful of
asking.

“I’m very sorry, Aishi-kun! It’s probably rude of me to ask such personal questions!”

Ayato dropped his notebook and pen in surprise and desperately tried to gesture to the other that it
was fine. Thankfully the other understood. He gave Ayato a minute to formulate his thoughts.

“I’ve been bullied before as well, so seeing that happening to someone else made me feel
upset.”

“And since we know each other already, it made me feel even worse.”

“O-oh...I’m sorry you had to go through that as well, Aishi-kun.”

They sat in silence yet again and after a minute they ended up going to the indoor cafeteria for
some drinks, Ayato was the one who suggested it. He also wanted more privacy if they decided to
go deeper about this.

“How long were you bullied for?”

“Ever since I was little. People thought it was creepy that I rarely spoke and expressed
emotions.”

“You don’t get bullied anymore though, right?”

“No, people here are very nice and reasonable, the staff is great too.”

He saw how Ruto’s face visibly relaxed. Like a wave of relief had washed over it. He wouldn’t
expect the other to care that much, it’s very sweet that he does.

“You know, you’re the first person I’ve had the courage to help with bullies.”

“I’d always be too scared and ever since the incident I’ve had pretty bad reactions to stuff like that
happening..”
 “Incident?”

Oh, right. Ruto didn’t know about it, he didn’t mean to mention it. He bit his tongue, damn him
and his mouth, he always blurts out too much when he gets excited. Well, he could tell Ruto and
besides he wouldn’t need to dig into details.

“Ah, well the reason I can’t speak is because of an incident that happened to me in middle
school. There were a group of kids who bullied me persistently and...after something happened I
stopped speaking.”

Ruto looked shocked, to say the least.

“That’s... horrible Aishi-kun, I can’t believe someone would go that far. They must have done
something terrible if it made you go mute.”

Ayato didn’t answer further. It was horrible, his skin still crawled every time he remembered. It
also reminded him of the recent interaction inside the cafe and the small, crumpled piece of paper
with a number on it laying on a desk in his room.

The bell rang in the background, and the two of them got up from their seats. Ruto held his hand.

“Thank you, Aishi-kun. This talk has helped me, I’ll make sure to remember this” Ruto stuttered
out quietly.

The other's face was red, and he let go of his hand. Ayato just smiled and hugged the other, which
made the other boy even redder. Then they separated their ways and went to class.

.
 .

❁❁❁

The first thing he did when he entered his room was put down his bag and grabbed the small scrap
on his desk. It had been rumpled when it was in his shirt pocket, but the numbers were legible. He
saved the number on his phone.

*Takeda Takehiko

Me: Hello, Takeda-kun. It’s me, Aishi Ayato. I’d be ready to talk with you. When and where could
we meet?

The other responded quickly. In just about five minutes his phone made a sound.

Takeda Takehiko

Me: Hello, Takeda-kun. It’s me, Aishi Ayato. I’d be ready to talk with you. When and where could
we meet?

Takeda Takehiko: Hello, Aishi-kun! I’m very glad you actually texted! Could we meet at the same
cafe in Buraza Town? Today at 20:00/8 PM?

Me: Yes.

Takeda Takehiko: Sweet! I’ll see you then!

 He placed his phone down on the table and sighed. Then laid down on his bed. He tried to
mentally prepare himself. He seriously didn’t want to freak out like last time, albeit, the last time
the other appearing was unexpected so the breakdown was justifiable.

He shouldn’t be panicking about this too hard, he is probably just overthinking it again, like
always.

Everything would be fine...

❁❁❁

He entered the cafe and sat down by one of the tables. The other didn’t seem to be here yet. The
evening weather was slightly chilly. It formed goosebumps on his skin. He had put on a light
brown, fuzzy, soft jumper on top of a white shirt, some light blue jeans and sneakers.

The doorbell rang and a figure ran in. It was Takeda he sighed in relief when he saw him sitting by
one of the tables. He sat down.

“Hello, I hope you haven’t been waiting for too long!”

Ayato just smiled at the other.

They took the menus and looked through them. He hadn’t eaten dinner, so he was fairly hungry.
Rice curry seemed to fancy his taste the most right now. He took a glass of orange juice as a drink
and some mochi for dessert. He wrote down his order and Takeda said he would order for them.

When the waitress went away it was silent, only the soft cafe music from the radio playing in the
background. It was disturbed when he heard and looked as Takeda took a deep breath

“I know that it is far too late to say this and that it won’t change anything, but...”

“I’m very sorry, Aishi-kun. For everything I have ever done for you. I was...am an asshole for
bullying you. I’m especially an asshole for...”

He understood what the other meant and nod. So the boy continued.

“I know that a sorry won’t fix anything, but it’s better than staying quiet. So again, I’m truly
sorry Aishi-kun. I hope we can start over and maybe even become friends.”

The other went quiet, his head was hanging low. He could see in the other's eyes that he spoke the
truth, he could see the shame about his past actions that lingered in Takeda’s eyes and his words
truly touched Ayato’s heart.

He took the others palm, which made the other pick his head up. Ayato smiled at the other again as
he dragged the notebook closer to him with his other hand. The other looked at the page.

“I forgive you. Let’s be friends?”

The other looked up again, Ayato tried to make his smile softer and signed to the other.

‘Can we be friends?’

The other didn’t know sign language, but Ayato could see in the way the other's eyes watered
slightly and the way he smiled lightly that he understood.

They had a nice dinner afterwards, and the other paid for both of them.

After that, Ayato went home happy. The burden of his past became lighter on his shoulders.
Chapter End Notes

*I just wanted to clear up if anyone is confused, that I write the full names of
individuals in this order: 1. Surname/Last Name
2. First name

The reason for this is that in Japanese they also write names and introduce themselves
in this order.
 After School Leasons
Chapter Summary

Last week he had an English test and he had gotten a pretty bad score, because of that
his average grade this semester has been brought down too much and he has to fix it.

English has never been his forte, it's just so different from Japanese. He has grasped
simple grammar and even that has been a piece of work. English is the only subject he
has struggled with this much.

So for the last week, he has been studying, sometimes even into the late hours of the
night. That’s the reason he hasn’t been sleeping well and not just that, its been
interfering with his mood too. He has been more irritable and distant.

Chapter Notes

When I first attempted writing this chapter I wrote about Ayato getting a bad grade in
English and the test was based on speaking, I was halfway into finishing when I
realized that Ayato is mute (selectively mute) in this fic and I had to start over again.

Since finishing chapter 12 I have been aiming for every chapter to have minimum of a
2000 words, but since writing this was a real piece of work, I cut myself some slack
and stopped at 1500 words.

Also sorry that it's so late, I've been lacking motivation and writing interactions that
include Mido and Mujo is so hard!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

He sipped his tea. The warm fluid running down his throat and the buzzing feeling on his tongue
from its temperature.

He rubbed his eyes for the fifth time this mourning.

He hadn’t been sleeping well this past week and it has been leaving a noticeable toll on him. He
has never been a night owl and has had a pretty strict sleep schedule his whole life. If his parents
would see him doing this, they most definitely would scold him.

The reason for this is actually quite stupid and insignificant to most, but it was important to him.

Last week he had an English test and he had gotten a pretty bad score, because of that his average
grade this semester has been brought down too much and he has to fix it.

English has never been his forte, it's just so different from Japanese. He has grasped simple
grammar and even that has been a piece of work. English is the only subject he has struggled with
this much.

So for the last week, he has been studying, sometimes even into the late hours of the night. That’s
the reason he hasn’t been sleeping well and not just that, its been interfering with his mood too. He
has been more irritable and distant. He had almost chosen to skip therapy, but he didn’t want to
break his promise to his parents. Osorō had also mentioned he was acting ‘snappy’ today.

His friends have also been acting odd around him this week, most likely concerned about his
behaviour. He hopes he hasn’t worried them too much.

But he would finally get the test re-done tomorrow. Today he would be consulting with Rana-
sensei, After getting his test done and the results back everything should go back to normal.

Before heading out, he went inside the bathroom and washed his face with some cold water, to
force himself to feel a bit more awake. He grabbed his back, locked the door and headed his usual
route.

At their usual spot, his friends were waiting for him. They looked a bit, down. Once he walked up
to them they all looked towards him. Amao walked up to him and grabbed his shoulders and
looked at him with a serious look, which he still wasn’t used to, he is so used to seeing the other
happy and smiling that it threw him off guard when he wasn’t.

“Ayato-kun is everything alright?”

“You’ve been acting way off...” Osano murmured

“We are very worried!” The Yamada sibling shouted at the same time.

He was surprised at first and then he reddened at the realization. Has he really been worrying them
this badly? Ah, he should have probably explained the situation before this happened. How
embarrassing...

He bowed as low as he could and after a few seconds, he looked up at them and signed.

“I’m very sorry for worrying all of you! It’s just I’ve been studying for a test I have to redo this
week and I’ve been neglecting my sleep, so its been making me act a bit moody. Again, I’m
sorry!”

Amao and Hanakō made a sound of understanding in unison while Taeko and Osano looked at
each other, clearly confused. Amao translated for them and they started heading to school.

“I can’t believe you made us worry over that!” Osano said in an angry tone, yet if you looked at
his eyes you could clearly see relief seeping from them.

“You shouldn’t stress over it too much, Ayato-kun! My mother has always said that everything
is much easier if you think with a clear mind. You’ll do great on that test!” Amao patted his back
while saying that to him

“You know Aishi-kun, I’m pretty good at English, we could study a bit during lunch break! And
with Rana-sensei helping you today, you will ace that test!” Taeko encouraged.

“Ane-san is right, but you should also have a good night's rest today, Ayato-kun!” Hanakō added.

He smiled, he was glad he has such great friends.

❁❁❁

After studying with Taeko in a library for half of their brake, he felt a bit more confident in his
abilities. He also now knows with who he should study for his next English test. He was a bit too
in his head to notice Kina running in the same direction as him, hands full with a box, full of
supplies. When he did notice it was already too late and the two of them collided.

He fell on his back and a box landed on his face. His nose started to bleed from the impact.

“Oh my God, I’m so, so sorry!” Kina started to sputter apologies.

Ayato tried to gesture with his free hand it was fine, but it didn’t seem to be enough. The other
continued to apologize even while dragging him towards his office.

His face had a red bloom as he fixed up Ayato’s nose and checked for any other injuries. His head
was a bit dizzy so Kina said he should just stay here till lunch break ends.

He watched as the other unpacked the box and placed the supplies in their respective places.

He couldn’t help but notice a picture of him and their actual nurse on his desk. He looked a bit
younger, they both looked happy and smiling. The background seemed to be some kind of beach.
The other male sat inside his chair once finished and he saw how Ayato was looking at the picture.

“Kankoshi-san is actually my aunt. She once saved my mother’s life and ever since then I have
aspired to be just like her.” Kina spoke.

“She’s a great aunt and mentor. I started studying to become a nurse recently and it’s great that I
can work as an intern here because of her.”

“I only wish I would stop being such a klutz...”

“Ah, but your probably not interested in hearing my problems, I’m sorry Aishi-kun...”

He looked at the other and gave a small smile.

‘It is quite alright, Kina-san. All of us have problems, it’s good to talk about them to feel better!”

‘I think it’s pretty cool you became a nurse because of your aunt! It’s quite admirable actually.’

“Thank you, Aishi-kun...”

❁❁❁

Ayato rewrote the sentence for the second time already. He was growing frustrated, he has been
making way too many mistakes. With how things were going, he wasn’t sure he would do much
better on his test. But he took a deep breath and calmed himself. Amao was right, he wouldn’t do
much better if he was just stressing over it. Rana-sensei just smiled and waited patiently as he
watched.
That seems to be correct, he pushed the paper towards the teacher and his eyes scanned it carefully.

“Everything seems to be correct- Ah, wait, you made a little mistake here.”

The other pushed the paper back to him and pointed with his finger. Ayato sighed.

“Let me help you, Aishi-kun. It’s quite a tricky word.”

The other corrected the writing on his paper. Then gave it back to him. Rana pointed at the next
next exercise.

“You're quite adorable when you concentrate, Aishi-kun.”

Ayato blushed at the compliment and nod as he continued to concentrate on his worksheet. The
teacher continued to praise and give Ayato small compliments and even a few flirty comments
during their consultation. Then when it neared to the end he asked:

“Say, Aishi-kun, what class is Yamada-san from?”

‘Are you talking of Taeko-san?’

“Yes...”

‘She’s from class 3-2.’

He nod at his answer and there was silence for a moment, then he spoke again:

“I’ve noticed her reading a specific book all the time, does she like reading?”

‘Oh, yes! She enjoys reading, she just reads that book specifically since it’s her favourite and it’s
a gift from her brother.’

“What about you?”

‘Ah, I like reading too...And cooking.’

“Good to know...”
 He smiled again and they continued off as normal.

❁❁❁

He was tense when he got his test results back. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted to look at them.
But when he finally looked at the paper he was pleasantly surprised by a 72% written on his paper
in red ink. His chest spread with a pleasant warmth. At least his studying wasn’t all to waste. He
should probably thank Taeko-san and Rana-sensei. I mean, not many teachers in this school agree
to give free consultations. He smiled, exhaled the breath he had been holding, and pressed the
paper near his chest. Who would have expected him to be so relieved by some numbers..

When he told him they all cheered and congratulated him.

“Next time you’re having problems with something you better tell us!” Osano scolded.

“Yeah, I don’t like it when you are in a bad mood, Ayato-kun!” Hanakō squeezed him into a tight
hug as he said that.

“I think this deserves a celebration, anyone wants ice cream? My treat.” Amao said.

“Oh, yes! I actually know a nice spot near here. Their ice cream is spectacular.”

The warmth in his chest spread even more. He didn’t know what he has done to get such amazing
friends.

Chapter End Notes

Am I the only one who thinks that it’s hilarious that the Nasu’s (The nurse) last name
is literally nurse in Japanese?
 Personal Assistant
Chapter Summary

Well, the peaceful and quiet reading time was quickly disrupted by loud footsteps
from the hall and a head with purple hair peeking inside the library. Upon noticing
Ayato, Sunobu smiled in relief. He shakes off the fact he had been running just a
minute ago and calmly walked up to Ayato.

Without a warning he grabs Ayato’s hand and starts dragging him to God knows
where. Ayato tries to twist his hand out of the grip but it turns out that Sunobu is
stronger than he looks. Then he tried to signal to the other somehow to question where
they were going, but that was ignored as well.

Chapter Notes

I'm so sorry for postponing this chapter for so long! At first I just simply didn't have
the motivation to write, then I realised that the original idea for this chapter sucked
and I changed it up, then I was on my period and felt like shit, and then I lost
motivation for a few days again.

Anyways, apologies aside. I think this chapter turned out well and the next chapter
should be out earlier. It's with a character that is much easier to write.

Also, I have a little angsty two-chapter work on my computer so that should be out this
week, just need to finish the second chapter.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Classes had already ended when he was reading inside the library. Taeko had recommended
reading Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata. It’s a classic and he has read it before, but the book
is good so he didn’t mind re-reading it. It’s been a while since he has read it anyways.

The sun already dipped under the horizon and the evening sky was a beautiful orange with a
pinkish and blue mix. He decided not to join his club mates today and allow himself to indulge in a
bit of reading.

June was nearing, meaning that the end of the first of three semesters* was coming soon. So might
as well relax before the big tests and exams. Besides he hasn’t had time to read at all lately.

Reading was calming. The feeling of fingers brushing over the paper, holding the cover, the scent,
especially for old books. Following the journey of a character, meeting other characters and
wondering “What will happen next?” is so intriguing.

It’s even better if some instrumental music, preferably classical, is softly playing in the
background.
Well, the peaceful and quiet reading time was quickly disrupted by loud footsteps from the hall and
a head with purple hair peeking inside the library. Upon noticing Ayato, Sunobu smiled in relief.
He shakes off the fact he had been running just a minute ago and calmly walked up to Ayato.

Without a warning he grabs Ayato’s hand and starts dragging him to God knows where. Ayato
tries to twist his hand out of the grip but it turns out that Sunobu is stronger than he looks. Then he
tried to signal to the other somehow to question where they were going, but that was ignored as
well.

They finally stooped when they reached the gymnasium. Other people were already rehearsing
some on stage with a partner, some of them alone.

Sunobu turned around and smiled at him sweetly as if he didn’t just drag him across half the
school. Ayato was both mad and confused, mostly confused. But without his notebook at hand, he
could only show that with a frown and a raise of his eyebrows.

“Sorry to drag you around like that, darling! But it was an urgent matter, I couldn’t waste time
explaining.”

Ayato tilted his head slightly to the side in confusion. What was so urgent to justify him getting
dragged like a rag doll?

“You see, the end of the semester is nearing. And at the end of each semester, the Drama Club
performs a play, usually one of the classics. This semester we decided on Romeo and Juliet.
Overrated, yes. But almost everyone knows the way it goes so it works.”

“Well, we are having some disputes. So having a second opinion is useful. You’ve read the play
or at least seen it, right?"

He nods. He has both seen a play and read it. Romantic yet tragic. A tale of two lovers who never
got their happy endings because of fate's cruel and twisted ways. It’s his mother’s favourite, she
has a flair for the dramatic and everything that is romantic. Father saw it to be too dramatic for his
taste, but since mother loved it so much he didn’t complain. Ayato found it interesting, but the
romance genre isn't really his thing.

“Perfect! First things first, we have to sort out the roles. Obviously, Romeo has been taken, it
will be me of course! So that just leaves the rest...”

Sunobu leads him backstage and they sat down. The other lend him a pencil and a white sheet of
paper so they could communicate.
 “Let’s start from most to least important. We only have two female club members as of now.
Kokona and Tokuko. Both of them are decent actors, personally, I would prefer Kokona. She’s
much less annoying...”

Ayato allowed himself a moment of silence to think. He has met Haruka a few times, mostly
because of Saki. She often visits her best friend after both of their clubs end and Ayato has
happened to run into her that way many times. She’s a very nice girl, he has enjoyed the few
interactions they have shared.

Kitagawa and him have only met once. He was running a bit late to class and had bumped into her
and the other clicked her tongue and called him a freak. Which just told him what kind of a person
she is, arrogant, rude and snobby. Thinks she is better than everyone. He has also heard plenty of
rumours about petty arguments she has had with Sunobu and her immense distaste for the man.
Sunobu’s reaction just proved that the rumours were true and his judgment was correct.

“I think Haruka-san is a great pick! But if your looking for Juliet to be more accurate in
appearance, then Kitagawa-san would be the better pick. Juliet was 13 in the play and Kitagawa-
san has a more child-like appearance than Haruka-san.”

“We’ll stick with Kokona then. I won’t be able to withstand Tokuko for more than five
minutes.”

The rest of the roles were much easier to sort. Kitagawa got the role of the nurse that helped
Romeo and Juliet get married, Count Paris, the man Juliet was supposed to marry, would be
Yamazaki and so on. They would also be getting a few volunteers, but since they would be left
with mostly only background characters, Sunobu could sort them himself.

The rest of the members were content with the sortation of roles, well except for Kitagawa who
objected, saying she would be the better fit for Juliet. But everyone agreed that Haruka was a good
fit for the role and it was six against one so, Haruka stayed as Juliet.

They went over the costumes, and all of them spoke about adjustments they could ask Kashibuchi
to make so they could be more time-period accurate. They also decided to keep or add some of
their own personal adjustments, since it doesn't have to be completely accurate and it’s much more
important for the actors to feel comfortable in their costumes.

They managed to rehearse once and it turned out well. Kizano seemed very reviled. All of them
seemed reviled actually. Most of the members thanked him for the help and as an apology for
dragging him into helping him, Kizano said he would walk him home.

.
 .

❁❁❁

The evening air was warmly brushing his skin. The sky was becoming more of a blue colour, but it
was barely visible, it was still a mix of orange and pink hues. Sunobu was unusually quiet. Ever
since they went through the school gates he has been quiet.

Not that he minded, the silence was appreciated. He was quite tired. Even though he couldn’t read
much, helping the Drama Club members was fun. He could just do some reading on the weekend.
It’s not like he had any big plans for them anyways, just some light cleaning around the house and
shopping. Which wasn’t a tedious task, he lived alone for now and he wasn’t very messy.

The other walked closer to him. He looked a bit nervous and unsure. His composure was confident
and proud as always, but his back wasn’t as straight, his finger fidgeted behind his back and his
eyes darted to the side more than once.

“So, Aishi-kun, you live near these parts?”

“Yes, it’s a 15-20 minute walk from here. Usually, I can get to school in 10 minutes though...”

“Right...What about Taeko-senpai? Is she your neighbour?”

“No, but she lives relatively close. Me, Osano, Amao, Taeko and Hanakō walk to school each
morning.”

The other hummed in acknowledgement. He seemed a bit upset. Ayato would say something, but
the other didn’t seem willing to talk. So they walked in silence again.

“What about you, Sunobu-kun? Do you live in these parts?”

“No, I live pretty far from Akademi, I get driven to school and after school, I get driven back.”

They were silent yet again. It was a bit awkward, talking and switching to silence.

“You live with your parents, right?”

 “Yes, but they are overseas at the moment, they’ll be back at the end of the semester.”

“That’s tough...”

“It’s not too bad, we still call via video call often and text each other. At first, they didn’t call as
much, but after getting hurt once they started calling every week. They can be worrywarts, but I
know that is just them caring about me.”

“Your parents seem nice...”

Sunobu seemed to have a sad glint in his eyes.

“What about your parents?”

“I don’t see them often. Well, we live together, but they are out for business most of the time,
you could barely tell I live with them. Not that it matters, they’re like ghosts when they are at
home as well.”

That’s, actually quite sad. He couldn’t imagine a life without his parents. They are the greatest
parents he could ask for.

They didn’t talk much after that, these conversations seemed to only lead to outcomes that made
the other sadder.

As they neared to Ayato’s neighbourhood, they were stooped by a little stray cat. Its fur was fluffy
and soft. It was grey with white fur around his neck, paws and a few streaks on his chest. They
were also darker streaks of grey in some parts.

The kitten had pretty pistachio green coloured eyes and they sparkled with curiosity and
friendliness. The feline rubbed against his legs and circled around him to rub against Sunobu’s as
well.

The both of them knelt and allowed the little one to sniff their hands. It let out a little meow and
rubbed its fluffy head against their palms. They petted him and the kitten started to purr in
satisfaction.

Sunobu’s eyes seemed to light up and his face was in awe. He was smiling softly as he
affectionately stroked the kitten. The little ball of fluff jumped on Sunobu’s lap and decided to
snooze there as he continued getting strokes and pats.

“Do you think it has an owner?”

“It doesn't appear to have a collar. I think I’ve seen it wander around here a few times when
going to school. So I assume no. Which is a shame, it’s so adorable.”

Ayato continued stroking the kitten's fur. It was just so soft and the little purrs the other left were
 so adorable. He scratched behind the kitty’s ear, which earned a happier and louder purr from the
small animal. Sunobu seemed to be contemplating something. After a minute of sitting like that the
two of them slowly got up. Sunobu held the kitten close to his chest.

“Well, since they don’t have an owner, I can take care of them. Not like my parents care much as
long as I take proper care of it.”

Ayato smiled at the other.

“It seems to already like you, Sunobu-kun! Have any ideas for names yet?”

Sunobu looked at the little ball laying in his arms. Sleeping happily.

“Aya seems like a nice name, don’t you think?”

The other's charming and confident smile was back in place as he looked at Ayato.

“Yeah, it’s a cute name.”

The rest of the walk didn’t feel tense anymore. Both of their moods were lifted and Sunobu started
talking about some things and Ayato replied in return. The man walking next to him seemed so
much different from the one he sees at school.

Softer, calmer not as self-centred as most people say he is. He just seemed like...himself.

He continued tenderly stroking the kitten in his hands and they soon were by Ayato’s home. Ayato
invited him inside his home and brewed him some tea so he wouldn’t have to wait for the driver
outside all alone. They continued chatting and time passed so fast.

He bid his farewells to the other and Aya. And as he saw the black car become just a distant black
spot in the distance he couldn’t help but smile.

At least now the other would have a companion to keep him company.

Chapter End Notes

*Most schools in Japan adopt a three-semester system, with the first semester from
April to August, the second semester from September to December, and the third
semester from January to March.
 Volunteer
Chapter Summary

“I’ve said this before, I’m completely fine.”

‘You do know that everyone is worried for you. I hate to say this, but it feels as if you
don’t trust any of us. We are your friends. You have
helped me so many times, it’s only fair that I wish to return the favour.’

There was a silence for a moment between them and they had stopped walking. After
what felt like an eternity he heard Amao sigh.

“You are right. I’m being foolish, I’m sorry.”

Chapter Notes

Hi guys! So sorry for not posting for well, two months I believe? In August major
writer's block hit me and in September I started going to a new school. But now that I
am more adjusted, I should start writing more often. Sorry, it's a bit shorter than usual,
nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it!

Also, as I was writing this chapter I decided to re-read the last chapter I posted to
know at what point I left off and noticed these random spaces. Not sure why that
happened, but they are fixed now!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

It was already June. With exams steadily approaching, studying after school has become common
for almost everyone. By now it seemed there were more students after school than during the day.

Although he was very confident that he would pass, some subjects and more specific areas on
some subjects worried him. He has picked up the habit of studying a bit before his club starts and a
bit before heading home. They picked Wednesday as a day that the club members instead of
attending the club would be allowed to study. Which is nice.

His friends often study with him and it has helped him tons. All of them have areas they are
stronger at, meaning they can explain to the others if something is confusing. He even has studied
with Osorō a few times in secret. The other appreciated that a lot.

However, ever since last week, Amao has barely shown up to their study sessions. And he was
acting...well a bit uncharacteristic.

Every time he sees someone talking to him or if he communicates with him, Amao just starts
zoning out every now and then. He also isn't as talkative as usual. And another thing is that he just
seems horribly tired. By now dark patches have started to form under his eyes and it makes Ayato
super worried.
He hopes it isn't the stress from the exams catching up on him. Although, Amao had mentioned
that he isn't very worried for them and he had even said it’s not worth stressing over as it wouldn’t
help with bettering our results.

So what was it that was tiring him so much?

He had tried to get a direct answer from him, but he just changed the subject and stubbornly
avoided every time Ayato tried to pry further. And it just made Ayato worry further. Did he not
trust him? Or was it something super serious? Who knew...

Well, his worries have spiked a new peak this week. Amao looks more like a zombie and every
break possible he just finds the other napping in a quieter spot. This behaviour wasn’t healthy and
so unlike him. And it wasn’t good for his posture to be sleeping in those incredibly uncomfortable
wooden desks.

His friends and the Cooking Club members have also noticed Amao’s rather strange behaviour and
tried to talk to him, but he just doesn't budge.

Saki was excitedly telling Amao about a recipe she had thought about for Friday. From what Ayato
observed, the other man wasn’t listening to the excited girl's voice. He was staring at the wall and
floating in his own head. Which was rather silly, because the two of them were cutting some
ingredients.

Before Amao could make the mistake of cutting his finger off, Ayato grabbed his hand. Which
snapped the other from his haze.

‘You almost cut your finger.’

“Oh, how clumsy of me!”

Amao smiled sheepishly at Ayato, but that smile did nothing but fuel his worry.

“Are you okay, Amao-sama? We are very worried for you!”

“I said this before, I’m truly fine Saki. There is nothing to worry about!”

Amao smiled to further convince Saki that his statement was true. It may fool Saki, but Ayato
wasn’t buying that smile at all. It was missing too many of those small details that his usual gentle
smile held. Like how the curves of his lips were lower and how his lips trembled slightly from
trying not to exaggerate his smile.

Saki dropped the subject after that, but Ayato couldn’t. He would make sure that Amao would spill
what was happening to him.

And that was a promise.

 ❁❁❁

When the two of them were heading through the school gate, Ayato grabbed Amao’s hand and
pulled him to the side where there were fewer people and forced the two of them to walk slower.
Amao was a bit shocked by the action and he earned a few weird stares from a few other people,
but he didn’t really care.

“Is something wrong, Ayato?”

‘Yes, you are not acting like yourself and refuse to speak on what is bothering you.’

Amao bit his lip and Ayato could already hear Amao’s response in his head.

“I’ve said this before, I’m completely fine.”

‘You do know that everyone is worried for you. I hate to say this, but it feels as if you don’t trust
any of us. We are your friends. You have helped me so many times, it’s only fair that I wish to
return the favour.’

There was a silence for a moment between them and they had stopped walking. After what felt like
an eternity he heard Amao sigh.

“You are right. I’m being foolish, I’m sorry.”

‘It’s okay, I just wish to hear what is wrong and see how I can help’

“Well, the matter truly isn't as serious as it may seem. But to cut it short, my parent's bakery has
been packed full ever since the beginning of June. It has always been more crowded in the summer
months, but nothing we can’t handle. Well, then this summer our customer count has skyrocketed.
My parents have been barely keeping up with orders, so I decided to lend them a hand. But with
exams and the club, it hasn’t left me any time to properly rest.”

Amao sighed again, but this time it sounded more like a relieved sigh than anything else.

“Wow, it actually felt quite nice to get that off my chest.”

For the first time in a while, Amao lets out a light, genuine laugh and it makes Ayato smile.

‘I can come by and help after school and during the weekends if that’s possible?’

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t that be too much pressure for you?”

‘I’ll be fine, it’s not like I do much after school anyway. Besides you are my friend, I can’t just
not help you, that would make me a bad friend.’

Amao smiled and his usual lightness seemed to return to him.

“Okay, then I’ll tell my parents. They’ll be happy about the extra set of hands.”

❁❁❁
The next day Amao seemed freshened up. Right after school the two of them headed straight to the
bakery and both of Amao’s parents greeted him warmly. Amao’s parent's personality was the same
as his own. They even had the same exact smile.

He had met Amao’s mother before. She was quite short, about a head shorter than him. She had a
curvy, slightly chubby figure, but her stature was straight and confident. A bright smile braced her
features and her hair was made into a small bun. She and her son shared the same eye and hair
colour.

It was his first time meeting Amao’s father. He was quite tall, maybe about the same as Ayato’s
own father. He seemed a bit more timid and calm. He and Amao shared many facial features and a
birthmark on his face that Amao also had.

They taught him the basics and Ayato caught up quickly. He would be mostly helping with
cooking, but occasionally he would work at the register.

Baking turned out to be fun and therapeutic. Like for example kneading dough. It felt so nice to let
his fingers sink in the thick mixture and to shape it in different ways. Decorating sweats was also
fun, he found solace in arranging the toppings in different ways.

Another bonus was that he saw Amao even more! His help really seemed to help. Just in a few
days, Amao was back to his old self! Happy, cheerful and smiling. His parents also seemed
relieved.

It made Ayato happy that he was able to help so many people. And it was nice staying around
Amao’s family. They were truly kind and amazing people. It reminded him of his own folks a lot
and his weekends were so much brighter with them.

The customers were great too. They understood that Ayato had a disability and were very
respectful about it. Just in a week's time all of them knew his name and greeted him happily.

Truthfully speaking, he was kind of afraid to work at the register at first. But after the first week
had passed smoothly he had started anticipating to get a turn to work at the front.

By the end of June, things weren’t as crowded and Amao’s parents were able to manage on their
own. Ayato was a bit sad, he would miss heading there every day. He even was considering to
maybe start officially working at the bakery, but that was for future him to decide.

At the moment he and Amao were taking a walk. It was early Saturday morning and they decided
to meet up and chat.

“I’m still very grateful for your help, Ayato.”

‘It’s nothing really, I loved helping around there!’

“It’s a shame we won't be able to see each other at the bakery. But, we will be waiting for you to
visit! Just so you know, you are now officially allowed to eat there free of charge.”

‘I think that’s a bit too generous...’

“Maybe, but you worked hard so you have earned it! My parents adore you, they won’t dare to take
a single penny from your pocket anymore.”
 ‘I’m happy, but truly I think it’s a bit too-’

Before Ayato could finish the other grabbed his hand and led him towards the road he knew all too
well.

“No more butts! How about we go enjoy one of those free pastries now?”

Chapter End Notes

* Saki uses the honorific -sama when speaking to Amao for two reasons. First,
because he is her club's leader, therefore in a higher position then her and because she
holds deep admiration for him.

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