CH. 106 - New Names on the Post

 A different day in December, the group sits in class as Ms. Samuel hands back graded tests. She walks along the desks as she hands Chizuru her test. She takes it and tries to control herself but can’t help but let out a happy cheer.

 “Yay!” she cheers.

 “And that’s another test closer to our last one.” Lucy says, waving her test around a bit. “What grade did you get, Shiori?” She asks. Shiori smirks before lifting her test to reveal her grade.

 “An A, as usual.” She says smugly. Lucy chuckles before looking past her at Hikigaya.

 “What about you, Hikigaya?” She asks. Hikigaya doesn’t answer though as he slumps forward with his head on his desk. He just groans as Haru looks over his shoulder to see the grade.

 “He got a C.” Haru says, looking at his friends with an unimpressed look. Chizuru sweats as she smiles supportively at him.

 “Cheer up, Hiki. It’s our last test before winter break.” She says softly. Hikigaya sits up and lets his head fall back with a sigh.

 “You guys don’t understand… Every time Shiori gets a better grade than me, she mocks me for the entire day…” he says with an upset look. Ryuji sweats as he looks at Sugawara.

 “Isn’t that every test?..” he asks as Shiori smirks evilly at Hikigaya. He looks away, pouting when Samuel bops Shiori on the head with a roll of papers as she walks back to the front of the class.

 “Behave. It’s not polite to mock your classmates for their grades.” She says with a look as Shiori smiles and nods.

 “Ha ha! Yeah! You shouldn’t do that, Shiori. It’s not something a model student would do- gah!” Daiki teases before he’s suddenly struck on the forehead by a board eraser and falls back in his chair. Kuzan looks at him with a sweat drop.

 “Was he mocking..?” he asks as Samuel stands up and turns to face the board.

 “No. He just barely passed his own test and was annoying me.” She says. Airi smiles a big smile at her teacher.

 “And that’s why you’re my favorite, Ms. Samuel!” She says happily. Samuel smiles over her shoulder back at her. Lucy then perks up.

 “Oh, speaking of winter break. Are we doing anything for New Year's?” She asks her friends. Alice jumps up.

 “Ooh! Yeah! I want to start the new year with Shiori and Hikigaya!” Alice says excitedly. Daiki then comes back to life with an excited look.

 “Alright! Another rager with the mains!” Daiki says. The group then turns and looks at him with annoyed looks.

 “I don’t think so.” Sugawara says.

 “Yeah, you’re, like, banned.” Hisana says. Daiki is shocked.

 “What?? Why??” he asks.

 “Dude, you literally spiked our drinks last time and got us all drunk without our permission.” Shiori says.

 “I don’t know, I had fun.” Lucy says while leaning on her hand with a smirk. Chizuru turns to her and sharply shushes her. Daiki looks sad by their words.

 “But it was fun though…” he says in defense, but the group just rolls their eyes and turns away. Daiki sighs and looks down at his desk as Airi pats his shoulder.

 “There, there. You’ll earn their trust back one day.” Airi says supportively.

 “Yeah, I guess so. At least I still have you guys.” Daiki says as Airi crosses her arms and turns away.

 “Oh, no, you’re banned from my parties too.” Airi says coldly. Daiki groans as he deflates in his seat. Samuel then smacks the board with her pointer stick a couple times, gaining the class’s attention.

 “Come on, focus class. This is your last year of highschool which means you’ve got some major tests waiting for you when you get back from break. So we’re gonna get started with the lessons now.” Samuel says, causing the class to groan, but they understand and prepare for the lesson.

 Soon, the school day ends despite feeling much longer than it was. The friends gather together like they always do and begin walking down the road as they continue their discussion from earlier.

 “So you guys are down for a New Year’s party?” Haru asks with a big smile.

 “Yeah! We could have a sleepover at my house! Just like our first sleepover!” Chizuru says excitedly. Suddenly, Shiori stops with a surprised look. The group looks at her confused as she stares at them.

 “Wait a minute. Guys, we haven’t taken the others to the forest stage!” Shiori says. Chizuru and Sugawara are shocked as Lucy shrugs.

 “Eh, they’re not missing much.” She says as Chizuru looks at her with her big eyes.

 “Yes, they are! Remember how we carved our names into that post? Well, the rest of them haven’t yet!” Chizuru shouts.

 “Yeah! How did we not remember that?” Sugawara asks. The others look confused as they speak.

 “What post?” Hisana asks.

 “There was this place we visited a few years ago and we carved our names into a wooden post in the area.” Hikigaya explains to her.

 “Come to think of it, Hikigaya kinda just brought us out to the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. Maybe he was planning something else to happen.” Lucy teases with a smirk. Hikigaya blushes and looks annoyed.

 “What’re you even talking about? That doesn’t even make sense!” he shouts at her as she smirks.

 “Was the place that special?” Suiyoubi asks.

 “Well, it was a place we visited the first time we had a sleepover as a group.” Ryuji says.

 “And Watchdog and I used to go there sometimes after a mission. Just to calm down after stressful events.” Shiori says. Alice suddenly jumps up.

 “I wanna go to a place the greatest heroes visited!” She says excitedly. Shiori giggles as she looks at her friends.

 “Sounds like a plan then. During the party, we’ll head over to our spot and carve your names into the post too.” She says specifically to the newer friends. Hisana and Alice jump up excitedly, cheering as Touma and Suiyoubi nod happily. Kitaro shrugs as he turns around.

 “I don’t really care either way.” He says plainly.

 “In that case, we won’t let you carve your name in it.” Haru says to him. Kitaro sweats a little as he slowly turns to look at him.

 “Well, let’s not get hasty now…” Kitaro says softly as Hisana and Haru hug him tightly.

 “Aw! You do care!” They say together as Kitaro blushes and looks upset.

 “That settles it! Now let’s get to planning our New Year’s sleepover!” Chizuru says excitedly as they all cheer.

 Days later, winter break has begun, and New Year’s Eve has come. At Shiori and Hikigaya’s home, the sun sits overhead as the day continues. Hikigaya packs a small bag with a smile on his face when Shiori walks into his room. She silently walks up behind him before jumping onto his back and pushing him onto the bed a little. Hikigaya is startled for a moment before he smiles when he feels Shiori holding him tightly and nuzzling her face into his neck.

 “What’re you doing? You finished packing what you’ll need?” He asks softly. Shiori shakes her head gently. Hikigaya sighs as he stands up.

 “Don’t worry. It’s only a night, so it won’t take you long.” He says as Shiori holds tightly onto him. He then turns around and gently sits her on the bed. She lets go as Hikigaya turns to face her, only for her to pull him in for a big kiss. They kiss for a moment before Shiori slightly opens her mouth and pushes her tongue forward. Hikigaya hums in pleasure as he closes his eyes. Shiori falls back onto the bed, only separating for another deeper kiss as Hikigaya lays over her. As they make out, Shiori slowly slides her hand along his before taking his hand and guiding it down a bit. Hikigaya opens his eyes wide as he stops and pulls back a bit. Shiori looks at him, surprised and slightly disappointed.

“Wha..? Why’d you stop?” She asks, breathing heavily. Hikigaya blushes intensely as he looks away nervously.

 “I.. we shouldn’t do that yet.. not now, at least.” He says softly. Shiori looks a little sad at his words and almost insecure.

 “Why not?.. I want it and I know you do too.. is it.. me?..” she asks softly, a worried look on her face. Hikigaya looks concerned and quickly continues.

 “No! It’s not that. We just shouldn’t rush it.. We have plans right now and I’d want your first time to be.. special.” He says softly as he smiles at her. She smiles back and nods before putting her arm over her eyes as she lays back. Hikigaya looks at her for a moment with slight concern. “Shiori.. you okay?” he asks. Shiori nods slightly before she slowly shakes her head and presses her lips together. Hikigaya lets out a soft exhale as he slides down to his knees by the bed and places his chin on her tummy. “What’s wrong, hun?” he asks. Shiori sighs as she sits up.

 “I don’t know..” she groans. “I’m just.. feeling kind of anxious.” She says as Hikigaya looks up at her on his knees. She places her hand on his head and rubs his head a bit as she speaks. “I don’t even know why. I’m thinking about the sleepover, which makes me think of New Year's which makes me think of the fact we’ve spent every New Year's together, which I’m so grateful for, but then I feel bad…” she says softly. Hikigaya looks at her softly as he listens.

 “You’re having a Shiori moment.” He says. Shiori looks surprised as Hikigaya stands up. “You’re worrying about something that doesn’t need to be worried about. Our friends love you and I love you. Every single moment I’ve ever spent with you is a moment I wish I could live again and again. You’ve done nothing but make my life better, and tonight, you’re gonna do it all over again not just for me but for all our friends.” He says supportively as he holds her face in his hands. Shiori smiles gently as her eyes shine warmly at his words. Hikigaya lifts her head carefully before kissing her softly. “I promise, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to the way we feel about you. Now shake off that anxiety and get packed! We got friends and snacks to pick up!” Hikigaya says as he encourages Shiori to stand before he slaps her butt. She yelps a little as she blushes and looks at him.

 “I’m not a horse! You don’t need to spank me to get me going!” She says as Hikigaya smirks.

 “That statement isn’t entirely true.” He says. Shiori looks at him for a moment before blushing even harder and turning away sharply.

 “You’re such a dummy! I’m gonna get packed and you better be ready when I am!” she shouts as she marches into her room. Hikigaya smiles as he watches her go before continuing what he was doing.

 Soon, the two are ready to go and load into Asami’s van with Hikigaya in the driver’s seat. Shiori buckles up in the passenger side as Asami leans against the door with a smile.

 “You remember how to work this thing, right?” She asks as Hikigaya rolls his eyes.

 “Yes, mom. I aced the written test and the driving test. Remember how very proud you were?” he asks as Asami smirks at him before smiling happily at Shiori.

 “Okay, you two be so safe, my babies, and we’ll see you next year!” Asami jokes as the two cringe a little at her joke.

 “Yeah.. see you.. next year.” Shiori says back, trying to be polite. Asami giggles as the heads back inside and Hikigaya starts the car.

 “Ready?” he asks.

 “Let’s go!” Shiori says happily as they drive off. Not long later, and after picking up a few other friends, they get to Chizuru’s house without a problem. Touma’s van can be seen parked outside as well. Shiori, Hikigaya, Lucy, Ryuji, Sugawara and Haru get out of the van and grab their bags before they head inside.

 “Hey guys! Now that you’re here, we can get this party started!” Chizuru says excitedly as she welcomes them in. The others sit around in the living room as they wave. They get set up as Henry and Pastel step into the room. Pastel smiles happily as she greets the group.

 “Hello friends! It’s nice to finally see you all together like this. I worry about Chizuru’s social skills.” Pastel says as Chizuru looks at her confused.

 “Why would you worry about that?” She asks.

 “You know the key to a successful life is the connections you have. I just wanted to make sure you had some good ones.” Pastel says as Chizuru sweats a little at her words.

 “Speaking of good ones…” Henry mumbles as he approaches Shiori. She looks concerned as he examines her face for a moment. He then looks back at his wife.

 “Honey, this one has a scar on her face.” He says as Shiori looks confused by his words. Pastel looks at him, confused too.

 “Okay… so what?” She asks.

 “So what?? Only troublemakers have scars on their faces. And look at her boyfriend! He’s huge! He’s gotta be trouble!” Henry says with a concerned look.

 “Dad!” Chizuru shouts.

 “Henry, that’s enough.” Pastel says, shushing him. Chizuru stands up with an offended look.

 “Yeah, and I’ve been friends with them for years now! Why would you say that now when they’re right here?” Chizuru asks, obviously upset. Henry looks at her with a slightly regretful look as Pastel steps up.

 “Your father didn’t mean any rudeness. I apologize for his overprotective behavior. You kids are wonderful, Chizuru’s told me lots about you all.” Pastel says with a smile as they blush bashfully, and Chizuru looks embarrassed.

 “Moooom.” she whines with a smile. Henry sighs as he adjusts his glasses.

 “Yes, I’d like to apologize… but we’re gonna lay down some ground rules. Try keeping your party activities to a minimum, don’t get too riled up. And do not leave the house, got it?” He says firmly as they nod. Pastel smiles awkwardly as she starts pushing Henry towards the front door.

 “Why don’t we head off to our nightly plans and leave the kids alone to enjoy themselves?” She says as Henry looks confused.

 “We had plans?.. Wait, we’re gonna leave them alone??” he asks as Pastel grabs their coats and keys before opening the door and pushing him through.

 “Bye, Chizuru! I love you, be safe!” Pastel says before closing the door. The friends watch with a sweat drop before looking at each other.

 “So, when are we leaving the house to go to the woods?” Alice asks openly as they shush her rapidly. They turn to see Henry staring at them through the window with a glare, only to get grabbed by Pastel and yanked away. The friends all sigh in relief before looking at each other.

 “Sorry about that, guys. My dad’s a bit… overprotective, I guess.” Chizuru says with a slightly sad and embarrassed look.

 “Now I see why you get so anxious when he calls at our hangouts. I’d be a wreck if my mom was like that.” Kitaro says while looking away.

 “Yeah, don’t sweat it! We totally get it! Now let’s play!” Alice says excitedly. Chizuru smiles warmly at her friends before her smile grows bigger.

 “Okay! Then what should we do first?” She asks as the friends start speaking up. They talk and hangout, doing different things from playing games Kitaro brought to eating pizza together. They play a board game or two, then talk gossip, laughing and smiling all the same. Eventually, the night draws close as the moon sits high above the sky. The group has begun to settle down as they watch something on the large TV, sitting together, some cuddling as they do. Hikigaya checks the time as he holds Alice and Shiori in his arms. Shiori notices him checking and looks at him.

 “Everything alright?” She asks. Hikigaya smiles and nods.

 “Yeah. It’s almost time.” He says as Alice sits up and looks at him excitedly.

 “Really?? We can finally go to that place??” she asks openly, catching the attention of the friends. Hikigaya smirks with a sweat before speaking up.

 “Sure. Why not?” He says as the others light up. They quickly get up and grab jackets and flashlights, preparing for the walk.

 “You guys go ahead. I’ve already seen it.” Lucy says with a smirk as Chizuru grabs her hand and pulls her up.

 “Come on! You have to come too!” Chizuru says as Lucy chuckles and goes along.

 The group begins their hike through the hills and trees along the thin path to this hidden location. They chat happily and excitedly as they get closer to the spot.

 “This is so exciting, isn’t it?” Suiyoubi asks.

 “I know, right? Finally get to check this place out!” Alice says as Shiori looks at her.

 “Alice, you’ve seen it before, haven’t you? That’s where you caught Hikigaya and I.” Shiori says.

 “I mean, technically, but I didn’t really get to explore. I was too shocked. I wanted to check it out after Chizuru told me about it but then…” Alice says we she wiggles her way next to Shiori and smirks at her. Soon, they step up the steps towards the stage and seating area. The friends who’ve been here before smile at the sight but don’t look as excited as the others are.

 “Here we are. The place where it all began.” Hikigaya says.

 “Woah… this is where you all became friends?” Hisana asks softly while looking around.

 “No, but if I remember right, this was the first time we all hung out outside of school with Shiori and Sugawara.” Hikigaya says.

 “Way cool.” Kitaro says as he smiles at the sight. Lucy and Haru look over to the post, and their eyes widen.

 “Woah, check it out!” Haru points at the stage as Lucy steps closer.

 “Someone planted flowers around the post in the dirt.” Lucy says. They look back as Chizuru tries not to act suspicious but fails. They smile warmly at her. “Did you do this?” She asks. Chizuru smiles and giggles.

 “Maybe~. I just wanted to make it look nicer. Maybe one day we could clean this place up as a whole and make it our own!” Chizuru says excitedly. Alice and Haru cheer at the idea as Lucy smiles and crouches down looking at the post. She runs her fingers along their carved names.

 “Still there…” she says softly to herself. She then stands up and turns to face the group. “Alright. Line up.” She says. The friends do just that as Shiori opens her palm. A liquid metal begins to pool from her hand into a small ball above her palm before snapping into the form of a knife. She turns to hand it to Alice, who is almost jumping with joy and excitement.

 “That’s so cool! If I got powers, do you think I’d be able to do that??” she asks enthusiastically. Hikigaya smirks and shrugs a little.

 “If you did have powers, it’d really be a maybe. I’ve tried, but there’s just some things I can’t do that she can. She’s special that way.” Hikigaya says while smiling warmly at Shiori. Shiori sticks her tongue out at him playfully before handing the knife to Alice.

 She takes it and crouches down, focusing intently on carving her name into the post. Her name is jaggedy and rough, but hers all the same. Suiyoubi then steps up and does it with much more delicacy. Touma follows, then Kitaro, and finally Hisana. Once they’re all done, their names run along the post going up and down. The group steps back and admires their work, their names permanently engraved into the post together. Alice’s eyes begin to shine the more she stares at it before she throws her fists into the air.

 “I’m so glad I’m alive!” She shouts happily. The others look at her smiling warmly as Hisana also shouts.

 “I love my life! I love you, guys!” She shouts too.

 “Thank you, all of you. For making my life so amazing!” Chizuru says as she hugs Sugawara and Kitaro tightly.

 “Yeah! I couldn’t have said it better myself! You guys are the best!” Haru shouts, wrapping his arms around Lucy and Touma as they smile too.

 “I wouldn’t want anything to be different.” Suiyoubi says softly, as you can almost see her eyes shining brightly through her thick bangs.

 “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you guys!” Sugawara cheers.

 “Just promise you’ll never leave!” Hisana says emotionally as she hugs Ryuji and Shiori.

 The group continues to express their care for each other, hugging tightly and declaring their promise to stay together, as the moon sits overhead. Illuminating the wooden post that holds their names all together. The group begins to head back, leaving their special place alone until the next time, but as they go, Shiori stops and looks back. She stares at the post and the growing plants around it for a moment with a sharp but caring gaze before stepping towards it. Hikigaya notices and looks at her confused.

 “Shiori?” he calls out. The others stop too as they see her crouch down and gently place her hand on the ground. They watch as her hand glows a soft silver color before an energy rushes through the ground and towards the post. There, the plants begin to grow rapidly, their flowers blooming and their stems thickening. The friends gasp with wide eyes as Shiori makes the plants stronger and more beautiful than ever before. She then stops with a satisfied smile and stands, looking at the plants growing around the post and railing around it, as well as bringing fuller plant life all around. Shiori goes to rejoin the group when she’s suddenly spun around and met by a big kiss from Hikigaya. She’s surprised with wide eyes before he pulls back with a loving smile.

 “You’re truly amazing.” he says as Chizuru and Alice tackle them to the ground with laughter.

 “That was so cool, Shiori!” Chizuru shouts.

 “You’re literally so awesome!” Alice shouts too. The girls laugh and giggle as the other friends watch with proud smiles for their superpowered friend. With that, the friends gather themselves and return to Chizuru’s home as the new year begins, and they begin it together.