CH. 82 - Sick Day

Soon, Valentine’s Day comes as it always does. The group of friends now prepared for whatever activities they want to get into during the holiday. Shiori wakes up and rubs her eyes. She sighs before looking at the small bag of chocolates in a cute wrapping sitting on her bedside table. She looks conflicted while blushing a bit, but then gets a determined look, sitting up sharply.

 “I have to give them to him! I will!” She quickly gets up and gets dressed in her school uniform, grabbing the chocolates, and putting them in her bag. She leaves her room and goes downstairs only to be surprised when she doesn’t see Hikigaya waiting for her.

 “Has Hikigaya come down yet?” Shiori asks her mother and Asami, who are in the kitchen preparing something. Hamasaki looks surprised before answering. 

 “No, I haven’t seen him this morning yet.” Hamasaki says. Shiori looks confused before going back up and knocking on his door.

 “Hikigaya. You in there? We gotta get going or we’ll be late.” Shiori says through the door before it slowly opens. She is shocked when she sees a feverish, sickly looking Hikigaya wearing a mask.

 “I don’t think I’ll be making it to school today.” He says with a weak voice. Shiori stares at him for a moment before smirking smugly.

 “So much for being built different, huh?” She teases.

 “Shut up…” He groans before he turns around to head back to bed as Shiori’s smirk softens while she thinks. After a moment, she speaks.

 “You gonna be okay? Want me to… stay with you?” Shiori asks softly.

“No, no. You should go to school. Don’t let me keep you from your education.. I’ll be alright.” Hikigaya says while lying back in bed. Shiori looks conflicted for a moment before deciding.

 “Okay, but please call me if you need anything. Riku’s at school, my dad is working with his developers in the office today, and I think our moms have plans, so you’ll be alone.” Shiori says. Hikigaya gives her a weak thumbs up.

 “Right. Got it..” Hikigaya says. Shiori smiles a bit before closing his door and leaving. As she goes down the stairs, the mothers look at her. Asami looks concerned.

 “Is he okay?” Asami asks.

 “I think so. He just won’t be able to make it to school today.” She says. Asami looks at Hamasaki worried.

 “Should we cancel? I don’t want him to be alone if he isn’t feeling well..” Asami says. Shiori then speaks up.

 “No, he says he’s okay. I’ll… take care of him.” Shiori says as Asami smiles and nods, comforted by Shiori's commitment.

 On her way to school, Shiori looks at the bag of chocolates before sighing and putting them back in her bag.

 “Of course, that dummy had to get sick on Valentine’s Day… So much for giving him chocolates…” she mumbles.

 “Shiori~!” Chizuru shouts with a smile before hugging her as the others smile. Lucy then gets a confused look.

 “Where’s Hikigaya?” Lucy asks. Haru looks stunned.

 “No! Don’t tell me… You finally killed him!?” he asks with a shocked look.

 “I highly doubt that…” Sugawara says with a droop.

 “So, did you do it?” Chizuru asks excitedly. Shiori sweats a bit.

 “No, I couldn’t.” She says reluctantly. Chizuru gets an angry vein on her head at the response.

 “Why not?! Don’t you want your beautiful love story to come to life!?” She yells while shaking her.

 “I actually couldn’t! I swear!” Shiori says defensively.

 “Why not!?” Chizuru shouts in her face before Shiori responds.

 “Well, he’s sick. I felt it wasn’t a good time to give them to him.” Shiori says. Chizuru stops with a surprised look as Ryuji, Haru and Lucy also look intrigued.

 “Sick?” Ryuji asks.

 “I’ve known that boy for a long time, and not once have I seen him get sick.” Lucy says, almost not believing her.

 “Yeah, well, he is. It doesn’t seem like anything serious, but still.” Shiori says as Chizuru steps back. Sugawara puts his hand on his chin, thinking. He looks around and sees the others are distracted in conversation before looking back at the group.

 “Perhaps the recent encounter with the serum destroyed his immune system, making him vulnerable to sickness of any kind..” Sugawara whispers to them. The others look at him surprised but in agreement.

 “That makes sense. He said thanks to his body powers, he usually doesn’t get sick ever. I doubt he’s ever experienced anything like this before.” Shiori says softly.

 “Should we be worried?” Haru asks with a worried look.

 “He has natural regeneration, so I doubt it. He’ll probably be all better by tomorrow.” Sugawara says. The others agree when Haru leans in.

 “And if he’s not, I call his console.” Haru says as Shiori pushes his face away.

 “Shut it.” She says with her eyes closed while stepping past him as the group heads to class.

 The day goes on a bit as Samuel lectures the class about a new topic still early in the day when a staff member brings in a note and hands it to Samuel. She nods as the others look up in surprise. 

 “Shiori. Principal Ai wants to see you.” Samuel says out loud.

 “Oooh.” The class chants playfully as she rolls her eyes.

 “Someone’s in trouble~.” Daiki teases.

 “Maybe she has a Valentine’s gift for you.” Hisana says softly with her head on her desk. Touma raises an eyebrow at her as Shiori leaves the class and goes to Principal Ai’s office.

 “Good to see you, Shiori.” Principal Ai says. Shiori pokes her head into the office.

 “Am I in trouble?” She asks.

 “Not yet.” Principal Ai says with a smirk. Shiori sweats as she sits down. “I see Hikigaya is not with you. Is there a reason for that?” She asks.

‘How does she know already?..’ Shiori thinks before answering. “He’s sick today, so he didn’t come to school.” Shiori says. Principal Ai is surprised.

 “Oh, that’s no good. Is he alright?” She asks.

 “I think so. I’m sure he will be.” Shiori says. Principal Ai thinks for a moment before smirking a bit.

 “Why don’t you go check on him?” She offers. Shiori is surprised.

 “What?”

“If he’s really sick, I’m sure he’s going to need some support. Besides, you’re supposed to stick together, remember?” Principal Ai says as she gives Shiori a look. Shiori blushes a bit and nods. “Take the day off and make sure he’s recovering well. I expect to see you tomorrow.” Principal Ai says with a smile.

 At home, Hikigaya sweats and pants in his bed, really feeling the effects of the sickness.

 ‘This is what being sick feels like?.. This sucks…’ he thinks. He looks at the clock softly. ‘It’s already noon… I should probably eat something, but my body aches so much… and I feel like I need to throw up…’ He thinks before lying on his back again. “this sucks…” he groans weakly while covering his eyes with his arms. Tears begin to fall down his cheeks.

 “Now I’m crying… My emotions feel like they’re going crazy… being sick alone is the worst…” He moans. He lays with his arms over his eyes before rolling over onto his side facing away from the door to his room.

 ‘Whatever… I’m just gonna try and sleep some more…’ He thinks softly when he hears his door open. He opens his eyes a bit. ‘What the-’

 “Hikigaya?..” Shiori whispers into the room. His eyes widen but he doesn’t turn over to face her.

 ‘Shiori?..’ he thinks.

 Shiori sighs as she comes into his room and puts her bag down. He closes his eyes, pretending to be asleep. She approaches him and taps his shoulder. He doesn’t react, so she gently pulls his shoulder, laying him on his back. He lays there, still pretending to be asleep as Shiori exhales softly.

 “Look at you.. You haven’t done a thing to take care of yourself, have you?” Shiori asks softly. She rolls up her sleeves and lifts a damp towel to his head, gently dabbing the sweat from his head and face before slowly making her way down his neck. Shiori hovers over his collarbone for a moment with a debating look. She blushes before unbuttoning the top buttons on his shirt. Hikigaya blushes as she gently does this, but his blush is hidden under his fevered red face.

 She continues to dab his sweat from his upper chest before pulling back and putting the towel down. She stares at his messy hair and his red face as she blushes, thinking he looks so cute. Shiori leans over him a bit, getting closer to his face. She gently brushes some hair from his face as she softly holds her hand against his cheek. She blushes and smiles as she stares at him.

 “You’re so cute, Hikigaya…” She whispers as she slowly lowers her face towards his. He sweats more than he already is while not moving until Shiori stops just above his lips. She gets a struggling face as she pulls away.

 “Still, your breath stinks…” she says. Hikigaya grits his teeth, a bit irritated at the comment but continues to play the part. Shiori smiles again, softly. “But I don’t blame you. You are just a sick boy after all. I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go make you some soup.” She says before leaving the room and after a moment, Hikigaya sits up quickly with a shocked look on his face.

 “What was that?? Was she gonna… actually kiss me?..” He says to himself while sweating. Hikigaya’s face looks confused and totally flustered as he thinks rapidly about what just happened. Despite obviously knowing what happened, Hikigaya quickly convinces himself otherwise. “No way… I think my sickness is making me delusional… yeah, that’s it.” He says with a cracky voice while laying back down with an awkward smile.

 After a bit, Shiori comes back with a bowl of chicken noodle soup as Hikigaya actually drifts in and out of sleep, trying to fight it off but simply can’t. Shiori sets the bowl down before poking Hikigaya a bit.

 “Hikigaya~ you gotta wake up to eat the soup.” She says softly. He groans a bit as he slightly opens his eyes.

 “Shiori… What’re you doing here?..” Hikigaya asks, more confused than surprised since he knew she’s been here. Shiori smiles at him warmly.

 “Who else is gonna take care of you? You definitely weren’t gonna do it, you big dummy.” Shiori says playfully, teasing as he sits up a bit. His eyes are mostly closed as he sluggishly positions himself.

 “Ahh…” Shiori voices softly while taking a spoonful of soup and lifting it towards his mouth. Hikigaya blushes as he opens his mouth to eat the soup. Shiori carefully feeds him as she speaks.

 “You better eat it all. I made this special just for you.” She says softly while focusing on carefully feeding him. He blushes more while being spoon fed by Shiori. 

 ‘I know she’s cooked for us before, but it was always for the family. She’s never cooked for just me before… Not to mention she’s spoon feeding me right now… I’ve never seen her be so caring…’ He thinks to himself. Eventually, the soup is finished as Hikigaya sits back with his eyes closed and a satisfied smile.

 “Oh, there’s still one more spoonful.” Shiori says, surprised as Hikigaya opens his mouth, waiting for the soup with his eyes closed. Shiori then sticks a spoonful of dark liquid into his mouth. His eyes burst open wide as he swallows the liquid before coughing.

 “What was that??” he asks. Shiori smirks at him, holding the spoon and a bottle of medicine in her hands.

 “It’s called medicine. I don’t expect you to know much about it since you’ve apparently never gotten sick, but I have. It’ll help you get better faster.” Shiori says.

 “I know what medicine is! You could’ve just told me instead of tricking me into drinking it.” He says, offended that she tricked him, as she raises an eyebrow.

 “Would you have drank it?” She asks. Hikigaya crosses his arms and looks away, pausing for a moment.

 “...Knowing it tasted that gross, probably not.” He mumbles. Shiori grins.

 “My point exactly.” She says while getting up and putting the medicine and spoon down. 

 “Whatever.” He groans, pouting.

 “Now, get changed. You shouldn’t stay in the same set of clothes for too long when you’re sick.” Shiori says, looking back at him.

 “Maybe I don’t wanna.” Hikigaya says defiantly, still moping about the medicine. Shiori looks at him with an angry look and puts her hands on her hips.

 “You better get changed or I’ll dress you myself.” She says firmly, staring at him for a moment before he looks at her blushing, causing her to blush back, realizing what that would imply. She clears her throat and looks away. “Now get changed.”

 “R-right..” He says while getting up. He heads towards his closet, taking his shirt off, and when his back is towards her, Shiori blushes a bit and reaches into her bag set down by the door. She pulls out the cute bag of chocolates she made for him and looks at them.

 ‘I made them the same way I did the first time. Bitter chocolate with a smooth sweet center. He seemed to like them that way. I just hope he likes them this time…’ She thinks to herself before putting the bag down on the desk by the door and leaving with her stuff. Hikigaya finishes changing and turns, surprised she isn’t there. He notices the bag on his desk with a small note attached to it.

 “I’m sorry you were sick on Valentine’s Day, so I got you these to cheer you up. Maybe next year you’ll actually get Valentine's sweets from someone other than me, dummy!”

 He chuckles a bit before opening up the bag. He eats a chocolate and chews it for a moment before getting a surprised look.

 “Just the way I like it… again…” he says with chocolate in his mouth. He looks at the note, examining it before setting it down and lying on his bed with a sigh.

 “What do you mean you couldn’t do it??” Chizuru asks while on the phone outside of her house. Shiori sits in her room with her head in her hands and an intense blush on her face.

 “I’m sorry! I just got nervous, so I wrote him a note saying I just bought them and they were for his sickness!” Shiori explains.

 “Shiori! This would’ve been the perfect chance to tell him how you feel!” Chizuru says with a huff.

 “I know, I’m sorry…” Shiori says softly as Chizuru sighs. 

 “It’s okay. You’ll have your moment, eventually.” Chizuru says softly, smiling a bit. Shiori leans up from her hand and perks up a bit.

 “I guess.. Anyway, speaking of your moment, how’s yours going?” Shiori asks, shifting the conversation. Chizuru looks confused.

 “What do you mean?” She asks.

 “Wasn’t Touma gonna.. He told me… you know what? Nevermind. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Shiori says, a little confused. Chizuru giggles a bit.

 “Goodnight Shiori. Love you!” She says happily before the call ends. 

 “S-so, how did it go?” Touma asks softly. Touma sits on a wall next to Chizuru by her house under the night sky. Chizuru sighs.

 “Not well. She bailed out last second again.” Chizuru explains. Touma chuckles a little.

 “Well, if they really like each other like you say, I’m sure it’ll work out eventually.” Touma says softly. Chizuru smiles warmly at him.

 “Right.” She then puts her hand into a small, cute bag and pulls out a heart shaped chocolate before popping it into her mouth. She chews it happily. “You always make the best snacks, Touma!” She says, gushing over them. He blushes as he nods. “I hope you make them for me forever.” Chizuru says with bright eyes to him. He blushes even more as she smiles happily at him.

 “M-me too..” He says softly as they sit together, Chizuru swaying from side to side in joy.

 In Hikigaya’s room, he lays in his bed with a fuzzy look, still a little feverish. He breathes heavily as he sweats, looking almost confused as he stares at the ceiling.

 ‘What is this feeling?.. I’m all… woozy and lightheaded…’ He thinks before looking at his hands for a moment. “Shiori… I want to see her…” Hikigaya says softly before he slowly gets up from his bed.

 Shiori sits on her bed with her head in her hands, feeling slightly regretful of her actions after her call with Chizuru when there is a knock at her door. She is surprised and goes to open the door only to find Hikigaya standing in her doorway weakly. 

 “Hikigaya? What are you doing out of bed?” She asks.

 “I feel… funny…” he says as he leans forward only to fall into her arms. She is surprised but catches him before slowly lowering them to their knees. 

 “Oof! Well, the medicine I gave you was pretty strong. It said you could become drowsy or in some cases…” she says as Hikigaya looks at her with soft eyes.

 “You’re so pretty…” he says softly as she blushes.

 “Delirious…” Shiori says before sighing. “Come on, it’s just the medicine talking.” She goes to pick him up, but he holds her tightly and stays on his knees with her. She is surprised, so she stays on the floor with him.

 “Shiori…” he says softly with his head lowered. She stares at him intently as he lifts his head, his eyes glazed over with fatigue and intense blush across his face. “I love you…” he says while leaning forward. Shiori’s eyes widen as their lips connect. They kiss for a moment before Hikigaya pulls back ever so slightly and falls over, passing out instantly. He snores softly as Shiori doesn’t move, her eyes wide and face red.

 “What?.. just happened?..” she asks as she looks at Hikigaya. She freaks out and grabs him, lifting him over her head before running out of her room and into his. She slams him onto the ground with a thud before she runs back into her room and slams the door shut. She presses her back against the door as she breathes heavily. She slowly lifts her hand and covers her lips with her fingers softly, an intense blush across her face as she sweats.

 “We’ve kissed before… This isn’t a big deal but… what he said...” She thinks about him saying it again.

 “Shiori… I love you…”

 She shakes her head and slides down into a fetal position, covering her face with her hands.

 “He didn’t mean it!.. He’s just… delirious, that’s all!..” she says softly as the thought runs across her mind again and again. Despite that, the night continues on.

 Earlier in the day after school, Kitaro gets home from school. He steps inside when his mother notices him.

 “Oh, glad you’re home, sweetie. Hisana is up in your room.” She says. He looks at her confused.

 “She got here before I did?” he asks. She nods.

 “Yep. Quite a bit ago. She was pretty excited. She probably has something to tell you~” Kitaro’s mom says with a smirk as Kitaro sweats.

 “I bet she does…” he mumbles.

 He goes upstairs and comes to his door, where he hesitates to open it. He exhales before opening it only to be met with pink lights and sweet smells. 

 “Welcome home, Kitaro!” Hisana shouts. He blushes intensely while slamming the door shut to his room behind him.

 “What are you doing??” he asks frantically. He looks at her to see her sitting in a pile of rose petals with a few candles surrounding her. She is naked with whipped cream covering her chest and crotch area and a small cake with a heart on it in her lap.

 “Happy Valentine’s Day! Want to be my boyfriend now?” She asks happily as Kitaro answers.

 “No.” he says. She is shocked with a stunned smile on her face. “You’ve probably asked out at least four other people today, right?” Kitaro asks.

“Nooo…” Hisana answers with a sweat, looking away.

 “Right. You probably also have big things like this planned for a few others, don’t you?” Kitaro asks, crossing his arms. Hisana looks shocked.

“No way! Only you get a special gift like this.” She says with a smile while sticking her tongue out. Kitaro sighs.

 “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” Kitaro says with a sigh. Hisana blushes and turns away a bit, covering her mouth with her hand, giving a timid look.

 “You mean you’re gonna lick the cream off me? But you just turned me down. I don’t want that kind of relationship, you know.” Hisana says softly. Kitaro stiffens up, blushing a little.

 “Not like that, you idiot!” he shouts while smacking her on the head, the loud bonk and yelp from Hisana being heard outside.

 After that, Hisana walks home from Kitaro’s house with a pouty look.

 “What a dumdum! He didn’t even try the cake! Sure, I had Touma do most of the baking, but still! It’s the thought that counts!” She pouts as her expression changes to a more softly sad look as she walks. “I just wanted to tell him how I feel…”

 In his room a few minutes ago, Kitaro sets the cake down on his desk before picking up a candle and blowing it out. 

 “Why don’t you just let me love you??” Hisana asks while playfully pouting. Kitaro doesn’t look at her as he answers and only continues to clean up.

 “Because you don’t know how to love. You flirt with every person you meet, most of them thinking they have a chance with you, and I don’t want to be a part of the bit.” Kitaro says plainly. Hisana giggles a bit.

 “I can’t help it if I’m just so cute!” Hisana says, poking her cheek.

 “Right, well that doesn’t change anything. Now come on, we gotta clean up this mess.” Kitaro says, looking over his shoulder at her before turning away. Hisana’s smile fades as she softly nods.

 “Right..”

 Back outside on the way home, Hisana’s face gets even more sad.

 “It’s not my fault… You’re the one who told me to be like this…”

 In the fifth grade, a young Hisana with much longer hair meets a young Kitaro in class. 

 “Hey! You’re cute, will you go out with me?” The young Hisana asks. Kitaro blushes and looks confused.

 “What do you mean ‘go out’?” He asks, shocked.

 “Like get married and stuff!” Hisana says. Kitaro blushes even more.

 “N-no way! You can’t just say that kind of stuff! You only do that with someone you really love!” he says embarrassedly. Hisana is surprised for a moment before thinking and smiling at him.

 “Okay, then I love you!” Hisana says. Kitaro grits his teeth before standing up and yelling at her with an intense blush on his face.

 “Yeah, right, you flirty girl!” he shouts before running off. Hisana stares at him as he runs away before smiling. 

Some days later, she follows behind him after school.

 “So how about now? Wanna get married?” She asks.

“No way, you flirt!” he shouts before rushing off.

Some more days pass…

 “Kitaro, cutie! Look, I made you some Valentine’s chocolates!” Hisana runs towards him and shows him the chocolates she made only for him to get disgusted at the sight.

 “You made these for me?..” he asks with a sweatdrop. She nods happily.

 “Mhm!” she hums happily. He looks at her for a moment as his look softens.

 “Well, that’s very nice bu-’

 “So we can get married now?!” she asks excitedly as a vein pops on Kitaro’s head.

 “That’s not how it works, you flirty girl! Now go away!” Kitaro turns sharply and walks away as Hisana smiles at him. 

 “Kitaro!”

“No way!”

 “My love!”

“Not a chance!”

 “Cute boy!”

“Go away!”

Time after time she would ask him to go out with her, but every time he turned her down in embarrassment while being flustered as the months go by. Kitaro ties his shoes one day after school as Hisana comes up to him with a smile.

 “Hi Kitaro!” Hisana says with a smile. He looks at her with a slight blush on his cheeks but goes back to tying his shoe.

 “You here to flirt with me some more?” He asks.

 “Yep! Until you fall in love with me!” She says happily. Kitaro pauses for a moment before speaking some more.

 “Why don’t you go flirt with someone else?” Kitaro offers casually without looking at her. Hisana is surprised by his words as she pauses.

 “You want me to… flirt with someone else? Would you like me more if I did?” She asks softly.

“Yep. Loads more.” Kitaro says without a second thought or even bothering to look at her. She stares at him for a moment before speaking.

 “Okay.” she says softly before turning around sharply and walking away. He is surprised as he watches her go away. He then smiles.

 “Yes! Finally, she’s going to leave me alone!” He does a little cheer before looking ahead. “No more of this flirting stuff. I can finally get back to being alone. Just me… and myself…” His smile fades a bit as he stands alone in this hallway.

 Days pass as Kitaro walks alone down a hallway when he sees Hisana giggling, jumping and turning around while talking to someone. He gets a scared look before diving behind a corner. He peeks his head out from behind the corner while sweating. He watches her as another boy steps towards Hisana. His eyes grow wide as she smiles at him and takes his hand before walking off together. Kitaro stares for a moment before getting a jealous look.

 Days turned into months as he watched her hangout and flirt with countless different people. Holding girls' hands and giving big hugs to boys, but each never sticking around for very long. Middle school soon comes as they continue this sequence. Every time Kitaro saw her with someone else, he would feel more and more distant from her. One day in eighth grade, Kitaro walks by himself down a hall as he usually does.

 ‘I’ve been watching her for years, and I don’t know why. She used to annoy me all day every day, so why would I care who she hangs out with, let alone flirts with?’

 He has a conflicted look as he thinks deeply about her before he bumps into someone. He steps back with a surprised look.

 “Oh, I’m sorry-” he says but stops when he sees the short girl in front of him. She turns and looks at him with a surprised look before smiling.

 “Kitaro!” Hisana says happily. Kitaro just stares at her for a moment, taking in the sight.

 ‘Her hair… she cut it short. I didn’t even notice before…’ He thinks to himself before stuttering out some words. “S-sorry, I should’ve been looking where I was going.” Kitaro says awkwardly. Hisana smiles at him lustfully.

 “You can bump into me whenever you want.” She says playfully as Kitaro rolls his eyes.

 “Right. Well, sorry, I’m gonna go now.” Kitaro says. He steps past her when he feels something tug his sleeve. He looks back, surprised to see Hisana holding onto his sleeve. She softly turns and looks at him.

 “Kitaro… Maybe, wanna.. hangout some time?” She asks shyly. He blushes and thinks for a moment.

 ‘This girl has done nothing but annoy me and irritate me from the moment I met her. She brings me nothing but pain and stress. No way.’ “Sure, that could be fun.” He says with a warm smile. Hisana smiles widely before jumping onto him. He blushes and looks away as she cheers.

 ‘What am I doing..?’ Kitaro thinks with a sweat. As they hug, a few others stand by and watch with jealous looks.

 “He’s so lucky to have her whenever he wants.” He says.

 “She’s so easy.” She whispers. Hisana pulls back and looks at him.

 “So does this mean we’re getting married?” Hisana asks. Kitaro’s vein pops.

 “No, it doesn’t!” He shouts.

Some months later, they eventually make it into high school, Iris High specifically. During their first month, Hisana walks down the hall happily before a student approaches her.

 “Hey, you’re Hisana, right?” He asks. She is surprised but answers.

 “Yeah.”

 “You’re not, like, dating that guy you’re always hanging out with, are you?” He asks. Hisana lowers her head a bit.

 “No, I guess not.” She says softly.

 “Oh good. I heard you do favors. I was wondering maybe we could…” The student trails off as they talk alone in the hall. Hisana lowers her head as the student speaks his request to her. Her expression going blank. “... but don’t worry. I can make you feel really good too.” He says with a crooked smile. She looks at him and smiles.

 “No, I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong idea.” She says before walking away past him. He gets an irritated look.

 “Tch, whatever slut.” He grunts before walking off too. Hisana stops as her expression stays neutral as rumors and words of students float around her head.

 “I heard she used to be with all kinds of people.” One student says.

 “We should head over to my place after school.” Another offers her.

 “She’s so easy to get with. She’s always flirting with someone new, looking for something.” A student whispers.

 “I could just lick yours if you want.” Another student offers. Many students’ words play in her head from over the school year.

 ‘Ever since last year, people have been asking me to do all kinds of vulgar things with them. I guess all my flirting has made rumors that I do those sorts of things.’ Hisana thinks to herself as her blank expression sits on her face. ‘It’s okay though…’ She thinks as someone calls her name.

 “Hisana.” She looks up as her expression softens. “Wanna come over and play this game I just got?” Kitaro asks her with a smile from down the hall as she smiles at him.

 ‘It’s for the one I love.’ “Yeah!” She says happily as she rushes up to him, following him as they walk down the hall together. 

Back in the present night on her way home from Kitaro’s house, her expression is sad as she holds herself tightly. 

 “I just want you to love me too…” She says softly as her eyes fill with hurt before she shakes her head and smacks her cheeks a couple times, putting a smile on her face. “It’s okay! There’s always next time!” She says with a big smile and a determined fist in front of her chest as she makes her way home.