CH. 70 - The Start of the Third Year!

Two years ago, Shiori Inabi entered highschool at the prestigious Iris High along with her newfound friends. Joined with Hikigaya, Lucy, Chizuru, Haru, Ryuji and Sugawara, Shiori navigated through her first year, overcoming all she faced, then did the same to her second year.

Starting the second year strong, Shiori made new friends almost instantly. Friends who waited all summer to see them again. As if that wasn't enough, she, along with her friends, came together and created a new club, The Helpers Club. Dedicated to helping students in need, the group of friends only grew as they helped their fellow students with their rather interesting problems.

As they took on new problems to solve, the group encountered an upperclassman with a rather fiery personality. Before they could even realize it, they were thrown into the most intense Sports Festival they would ever be in. With pride and a problem to solve on the line, the group gave it their all to overcome this powerful opponent and win the festival.

But that wasn't enough to distract Hikigaya from the pain that was so fresh. Despite doing everything he could to move on and be good for his friends, the feelings from losing his sister wouldn't subside until it came to a head. Stopping him from doing something drastic, Shiori confessed her own thoughts and emotions she too was holding back. Overcoming this, the two fought for blame only to realize that despite their feelings, there is no good to come from blaming themselves and she would want them to move on together. Time marched forward, and soon Valentine's came. This one was unlike any they had before, filled with kissing and confessions; the group could not have been ready for what came next.

Before any of them could act on what happened, Iris High decided to place the responsibility of the School Play on their class. The group worked hard to make a play that would be remembered and performed their hearts out in front of such a large audience. But that wouldn't be the last thing the school did for them.

At the end of the year, the school threw an End of the Year Dance, and the group decided to go. Excited for their first dance together, all the friends get ready and wait for the obvious couple, Shiori and Hikigaya, to show up together, but instead, they found them with different dates. Something was going on between the two and they all knew it. This, combined with things that were happening all year, only led the night to end in drama. And even after that, leading into the summer, the drama only continued until it finally burst. With that burst, the twist. Something Shiori and Hikigaya did that could jeopardise their friendship.

The second year was long and emotional, with major highs and some deep lows. Despite it all though, the summer still ends and a new school year comes. The group has to face what they've been through and prepare for what could come next. Shiori and Hikigaya will be faced with their feelings and their actions, but what else can you expect from those two? With summer over, Year Two ends, and so begins Year Three.

“Awww yeah! We’re finally third years!” Haru shouts, happily jumping up into the cool, early morning air of this late summer’s day.

Though not much time has passed at all, it felt like a much longer time for the group. Almost all in an instant, they collectively reminisce about the summer, the spring, the entire year they had before this and the year before that, together. Alice, Touma, Kitaro, Suiyoubi, Hisana, Chizuru, Lucy, Haru, Ryuji, and Sugawara. The group is back together, standing at the front entrance of their familiar school.

 Many students gather around, meeting up with old friends and even starting to make new ones. Planning their classes and social events, already daydreaming of the next year. These new third year students smile and laugh together as if they never parted ways even for a day, because in reality, they basically didn’t.

 “Who would’ve thought we’d make it this far?” Kitaro asks casually, allowing himself to feel the rising excitement without letting it really be seen.

“Oh, Kitaro, you think too little of yourself.” Hisana says with a smile as Kitaro sweats, not really what he meant. Mormo pops his head out of Suiyoubi’s bag, reminding everyone he still exists.

 “I definitely didn’t think you’d last. I for sure thought someone would’ve dropped out by now.” He says, checking out his stuffed paw. Alice turns and looks at him, visually annoyed.

 “That’s because you’re a little demon who only sees the worst in others.” She says with an irritated tone. Mormo turns and gives her an unamused look. 

 “Listen, I ain’t no demon, I’m a ghoul. Ghoul King, in fact, so put some respect on my name.” He crosses his arms in a matter of factly way. Alice sweats a bit as Chizuru looks around confused.

 “Where’s Shiori and Hikigaya?” Chizuru asks. Ryuji looks around too.

 “They’re not here?” He asks. Lucy gets a frustrated look.

 “I swear, if Hikigaya hurt her feelings again, I’m gonna-” Lucy growls but before she can say anything else, they all hear a loud commotion coming their way.

 “Crap, we’re gonna be late!” Hikigaya shouts, running at full speed.

 “It’s not my fault you forgot today was the first day!” Shiori shouts back, also running.

 They bolt at full speed, much faster than they should if they want to keep their powers a secret, directly to the group. Suddenly, Hikigaya trips and begins to fall forward. In the process, he falls onto Shiori, taking her down too.

 At the fast speed they were running, they both roll in a ball, tumbling across the ground and crash onto the floor just before the group. Their eyes spin as the dust clears. Haru and Alice laugh loudly at them as the others sweat. 

 “Haha! You guys excited about the third year or what?” Haru asks, playfully mocking them.

“You guys look so silly!” Alice shouts. They laugh as Shiori and Hikigaya dust themselves off. As they do, Shiori slowly glares at Hikigaya then gets angry.

 “What the Hell was that, you jerk!?” she shouts.

 “Yeah, like I was intentionally trying to fall over!” Hikigaya shouts back.

 “Next time break your fall with your own face instead of mine, got it?!” Shiori shouts, getting closer up in his face.

 “Maybe next time I’ll just push you over!” Hikigaya shouts, also getting up in her face.

 “Oh, yeah?!” Shiori shouts back. They growl at each other, pressing their foreheads against each other aggressively, as Chizuru sweats. Lucy smiles a bit while shaking her head.

 “Looks like everything is back to normal.” Lucy says with a sigh of relief.

"Think they're gonna kiss?" Suiyoubi asks with a softly excited whisper, covering her mouth with her hand as Hisana giggles.

"Maybe~" Hisana says, covering her mouth with her sleeved hand. Shiori and Hikigaya hear them and blush before turning to look at them, flustered.

"We are not gonna kiss!" They shout together. As the group laughs at them, a girl politely but confidently steps towards them. 

 “Excuse me. Which one of you is Haru Tanaka?” She asks clearly. They all stop and look at her, surprised. Haru then steps forward, not giving her much thought.

 “That’s me. Who are you?” he asks with a raised eyebrow. The girl looks up at him then softly steps towards him. He looks confused as she gets very close. Once close enough, she looks up at him and bends her finger in a motion telling him to lean close to her. He leans forward as she gets next to his ear. She cups her hand around her mouth as she whispers.

 “I’m going to kill you.” She whispers. Haru’s eyes widen as he jumps back in shock.

 “W-what!? Why?!” he asks, sweating and kind of scared. She smiles softly, lowering her hand, as the others look at him confused. 

 “What’s wrong? What did she say?” Hikigaya asks. The girl then turns and looks at Sugawara, who has a concerned look on his face. She walks toward him with her hands together in front of her. He looks worried but doesn’t step back. She stops just before him and smiles a bit more.

 “Sugawara, it’s been a while. It’s so nice to see you.” She says with a soft voice. The others are surprised as Sugawara stares at her for a moment. The silent pause makes the entire group wait with anticipation before Sugawara speaks.

 “Do I know you?” he asks, confused. The others are shocked by his reaction.

 “So much for a quick answer…” Alice says, dropping a bit.

 “First she threatens to kill me, then is so nice to Suga?? Who is this girl?” Haru asks loudly, confused and concerned. Kitaro looks at him abruptly, concerned by his words.

 “Wait, what?” he asks.

“Is she friends with Sugawara?” Shiori asks casually. Kitaro still standing behind them, more concerned.

 “Wait, threaten to kill you?” he asks again.

 “Maybe they know each other from middle school.” Suiyoubi proposes as Kitaro shouts at them.

 “Can we not gloss over the threat to life?!” Kitaro says loudly. The girl then turns and looks at the group and bows.

 “Pardon the sudden intrusion. My name is Riley Tallflower. It’s a pleasure to meet Sugawara’s friends.” She says softly and politely before she looks at Haru and glares intensely. Haru sweats.

 ‘Then why do I feel so singled out?..’ He thinks. Sugawara gets a look of realization from her words.

 “Wait, Tallflower?.. Riley? It is you!” Sugawara says excitedly. Riley turns and smiles at him softly but is surprised when he suddenly hugs her. She blushes a bit as he pulls away. “It’s been so long! What are you doing here?” He asks.

 “I go here now. I’m a second year.” Riley says calmly. Suddenly, the bell rings, signaling the beginning of class. Everyone looks surprised as Lucy looks stressed.

 “Sorry, guys, the reunion will have to wait! But meet us in room 108 after school. You’ll have plenty of time to catch up then!” Lucy says with a hurried but happy tone. Riley smiles and nods.

 After school, in the clubroom, the group meets as usual except this time, a new face is there with them. Riley sits in the middle of the room in a chair as the others hang out around her.

 “So let me get this straight, you and Sugawara met when you were younger because your families would have arranged playdates for you?” Alice asks, a little taken aback by the explanation. Riley responds cordially.

 “Mhm. Our families are close business partners, so it was only natural they’d want that partnership to keep going through the next generation. Especially since Sugawara and I are so close in age.” Riley elaborates.

 “Got it, got it.” Alice says with a studying look and her hand on her chin as if figuring out a puzzle, obviously not entirely sure what’s going on. Shiori sighs as Sugawara speaks.

 “I’m sorry I forgot about you this whole time… and I know I wasn’t exactly very nice to you back then…” Sugawara says with a soft tone. He thinks back to when they were children and she first approached him.

 “Hi, I’m Riley Tallflower. Want to be friends?” Riley asked, offering her hand politely. Sugawara gives her a cold look before turning away, continuing what he was doing.

 “I don’t need any friends.” He said coldly. Her smile didn’t fade as she lowered her hand.

Back in real time, Sugawara thinks about that memory and gets a slightly disappointed look in himself before speaking to her softly.

 “I used to be really mean to everyone I met. But now, my friends have shown me why kindness is important.” He says with a smile. Riley smiles blankly at him as he glows in her eyes.

 “You always were so cute.” She says softly. Sugawara is surprised.

 “What?..” he says with a sweat. Riley stands up and looks at the group.

 “I have made a decision. I will be joining the Helpers Club so that I may be closer to Sugawara.” Riley states with authority in her voice. The group is a bit surprised but doesn’t outright reject her.

 “I mean, that’s great and all, but why the sudden decision? You don’t have to be a part of the club to be our friend.” Hikigaya points out.

 “I wish to be as close to Sugawara as possible because I am in love with him.” Riley states directly. Alice falls backwards out of her chair in shock as Lucy sweats.

 “Not this again…” Lucy mumbles.

 “This girl is really something.” Kitaro says with a smirk as Touma sighs. Sugawara looks shocked and upset.

 “I’m sorry, but I’m taken already.” Sugawara says.

 “I am aware of that.” Riley says as she turns and looks at Haru. “Haru Tanaka. You are my enemy. I refuse to relinquish my love for Sugawara to a commoner like yourself until you prove to me that you are worth his time.” She says with an intentful tone. Haru sweats a bit.

 “So I’m a commoner now, am I?..” he says with an upset tone, looking at Sugawara. Sugawara gives him a look as if asking for his forgiveness. Haru sighs and looks at Riley. “Listen, you can feel however you like, but Suga is mine. I won’t give him to you!” he says confidently. Riley smiles a bit smugly at him.

 “I’m glad we understand each other.” Riley says. She then sits back down with her eyes closed before looking at the rest of the group.

 “Sorry for her actions. She comes from a place very different from here. You’ll have to forgive her.” Sugawara says nervously.

 “Yes, this is my first time in a public school of sorts. I do look forward to seeing what activities you all produce for me.” Riley says with a smile. Sugawara sweats, embarrassed a bit. Alice then stomps her foot on the table with a big smile on her face and a hand out for Riley to shake.

 “Well then, welcome to the club! I’m the leader of this group, so if you have any questions or concerns, just ask me!” Alice says proudly before Hikigaya slaps the back of her head down.

 “No, you’re not! There is no leader!” Hikigaya shouts. Mormo then climbs out of Suiyoubi’s bag and walks across the table to Riley. She looks at him with a shocked but composed expression, only really expressing through her eyes.

 “Hey there. My name’s Mormo, but you can call me Mormo. You’re rather pretty, think I could grab your-” As Mormo speaks, Riley reaches forward and grabs him tightly by the throat. He chokes as she glares at him intensely.

 “What are you? Some kind of demon spawn?” She asks intensely.

“Blach… Actually a… ghoul… Ghoul King in fact… ughf..!” Mormo chokes out.

 “It’s okay, Ri, he’s our mascot.. kinda.” Sugawara explains. She lets him go as he struggles to catch his breath.

 “I see.” Riley says.

 “Man, you sure do got a grip on ya. I’ll keep that in mind…” Mormo says while rubbing his neck before turning around and angrily pointing at Sugawara. “And who are you calling a mascot?!” Mormo shouts. Haru gets an upset look hearing what Sugawara called Riley.

 “Wait, Ri?..” he asks.

 “Yeah..?” Sugawara says back, smiling awkwardly.

 “Aw man, why does she get a nickname and I don’t?” Haru asks. Sugawara sweats.

 “I can’t really cut your name short… Want me to call you Ha..?” Sugawara asks.

 “Yes, if she gets a nickname like that!” Haru says desperately.

 “You should ignore his rambling and address me like that again.” Riley says with soft blushies on her cheeks. The two argue over Sugawara, who sweats between them. Hisana giggles as Touma smiles. Kitaro smiles a bit too as he pulls out his phone.

 “At least something is actually happening now.” Kitaro says. Shiori and Chizuru look at Sugawara, who is flustered between the two people arguing over him.

“I bet he never thought something like this would happen to him.” Chizuru says with a warm smile. Shiori smiles as well.

 “I’m glad Sugawara came into our lives.” Shiori says warmly. Chizuru nods. Hikigaya watches with a smile when he feels his heart pulse intensely. He gets a look of discomfort as he gets up. He begins to walk out of the classroom when Shiori notices.

“Where are you going, Hikigaya?” She asks. He looks at her and smiles softly.

 “I’m just going to the restroom.” Hikigaya says casually.

 “Oh, then let me come with you. I don't want to get in trouble for being separated on the first day.” Shiori says while getting up, but Hikigaya quickly stops her.

 “No, I’ll be super quick, don’t sweat it.” He says as he closes the door behind him. Shiori gets a concerned look.

 Hikigaya stumbles down the hall, leaning against the wall for support as he coughs into his hand. He stops and looks at his palm and sees blood. He stares at it for a moment with wide eyes as he struggles to stand and his vision blurs.

 “What is… happening to me?..” His eyes glow a slight green hue as his heart pulses again and he struggles to breathe until he hears a voice.

 “Hikigaya?” The girl’s voice calls out. He turns and sees Milo watching him with a confused and concerned look. 

 “Milo..?” he says before he begins to fall but is caught by someone else.

 “Woah, are you okay? What’s happening to you?” Tsuki asks, helping him up.

 “It’s nothing… I just need a minute… What are you guys doing here?” Hikigaya asks.

 “We were going to the Helpers Club meeting.” Milo says, more concerned about him.

 “We were late because Milo needed to return a book, but then we ran into you. … Is that blood?” Tsuki asks while looking at Hikigaya’s hand. Hikigaya closes his eyes for a moment before looking at them.

 “Don’t tell anyone about this. I’ll be okay, I promise.” Hikigaya says. They look at him concerned but reluctantly agree. Hikigaya stands on his own as he wipes the little blood from the corner of his mouth. “You guys head on to the room. I’ll be back soon.”

 “Alright, but don’t be gone long or we’re spilling.” Tsuki says. Milo nods, agreeing. Hikigaya smiles a bit.

 “I won’t.” He says as they part ways. Not long passes as Hikigaya cleans up in the bathroom and returns to the club room as if nothing is wrong.

 A different day, Amy walks into the school library with an irritated look on her face.

 ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this…’ She thinks back to the beginning of the year.

Principal Ai calls her to her office.

 “Starting next week, you will be taking tutoring lessons in the library after school. The lessons will go for a week to help get you caught up with the overdue schoolwork.” Principal Ai says. Amy is shocked and upset.

 “No way! Tutoring is for nerds and idiots!”

 “Your point is?” Principal Ai asks with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Amy pouts. “This is your last year at Iris High, and you are many points behind. You will do what you can in that week, and if you show real improvement, you won’t have to go anymore. But if you begin to slip again, I won’t hesitate to send you back. Am I clear?” Principal Ai asks. Amy glares at her for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.

In the library, Amy sighs.

 “What a pain in my ass…”

 “Go to the tutor section of the library, you’ll know your tutor when you see them.” Principal Ai says in her memories.

 “I guess that’s over he-”

 She walks around the corner to the section with a few tables and other tutors helping students. She stops suddenly when she sees Shiori preparing some papers at her table. Shiori stops too as they stare at each other with blank stares for a moment before both getting upset looks.

 ‘You’ve got to be kidding me…’ They think at the same time.

 A few moments later, Shiori is writing on a piece of paper while Amy sits across from her, looking a different direction with a frustrated look on her face. She peeks over at Shiori as she writes.

 “What are you doing?” Amy asks calmly. Shiori answers without looking at her.

 “I’m writing.” Shiori answers plainly.

 “Shouldn’t you be, like, tutoring me or something?” Amy asks with a bit of attitude.

 “Am I?” Shiori says, still without looking at her. Amy pouts a bit before getting an angry look.

 “I don’t know. That’s what the principal said. What are you doing here then?” Amy asks with more attitude. Shiori pauses for a moment before answering.

 “Principal Ai said I could get some time reduced off my sentence with Hikigaya if I do this, so here I am.” Shiori admits with a sigh. Amy smirks at her.

 “Heh, 'time reduced off your sentence'? You really are a freak.” Amy says. Shiori stops writing and looks at her before standing up out of her chair.

 “Why don’t I just say you didn’t show up today and go home?” Shiori offers. Amy’s look instantly drops as he reaches out a bit.

 “No!” she says desperately. Shiori is surprised as Amy sweats and looks down. “No, don’t do that… I can’t mess this up. I’m out of chances… If I don’t do this, I might not even graduate…” Amy admits softly. Shiori stares at her for a moment before sitting back down.

 “Fine. Unlike you, I don’t hate you for no reason.” Shiori says. Amy looks at her angrily.

 “I had a reason!.. But, it kinda seems that doesn’t matter anymore…” Amy says quietly. Shiori stares at her, kind of surprised at her honesty. Amy blushes in embarrassment before getting upset. “Can we just hurry up and start the tutoring already?” Amy asks with a bit of attitude. Shiori nods gently.

 “Sure. Show me what you need to catch up on.” Shiori says. Amy goes into her bag and pulls out a large, heavy stack of papers, slamming it onto the desk casually. Shiori is shocked.

 “Principal Ai helped to get all my missing assignments together. This should be all of it.” Amy says casually. Shiori sweats for a moment before sighing.

 “Okay, let’s take it from the top.”

 Shiori and Amy begin going through the assignments and completing each one. Amy would ask her dumb questions, and Shiori would get frustrated, but they continued to work together, progressively making their way through this pile of work over the course of their tutoring sessions.

 On the third day, Shiori and Amy sit in silence as Amy sticks her tongue out, straining to figure out the problem on this assignment. The stack of papers and work is much smaller than when Amy first brought it in. Shiori writes something in her notebook but slowly stops and looks up at Amy working hard. She examines her for a moment with a soft look as she thinks back to when Chizuru and her first met.

She looks up surprised to see Chizuru coming back, pulling her friend by the wrist. Her friend does not seem to want to come along.

 "Chizuru, would you stop! I don't want to!"

 "But you have to! She needs us!"

 "Hey." Shiori says. They stop abruptly now that they are next to her. Chizuru jumps behind Lucy using her as a shield to hide behind.

 "What are you doing back here? I thought I told you-"

 "If I had known you were this lonely, I would have come with Lucy the first time."

 Chizuru’s kind words echo in her mind as Shiori’s look softens, looking at Amy.

 ‘Maybe this time… I could…’ she thinks before speaking. “Hey, Amy?”

 “What?” Amy responds with only a tiny bit of attitude but not rudely as she focuses on the paper in front of her. Shiori sweats a bit and hesitates.

 “I was wondering, why are you so worried about your grades? You don’t strike me as the academically conscious type, so why do you care now?” Shiori asks. Amy is surprised by her question and gets a bit embarrassed.

 “I’ve never really been all that smart, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any goals or dreams. I’ve kinda always wanted to… get into movie writing…” Amy admits. Shiori is surprised but doesn’t respond. “I know that sounds, like, mega lame, but there’s something about seeing a story transferred to a big screen that makes my soul jump. I want to see something I made be played on a big screen for everyone to love.” Amy says softly.

 Shiori smiles at her, finally understanding a bit more about this girl before Amy looks at her. She stares for a moment before getting a slightly annoyed look.

 “Wait, are you trying to be my friend or something? That’s, like, super weird.” Amy says. A vein pops out of Shiori’s head as she gets irritated by her response, but before she can say anything, Amy continues. “But since I’ve kinda lost all of my friends, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to make some more.” She says while crossing her arms and looking away. Shiori sighs and smiles again.

 “Well, if you do want to be my friend, I am a writer, so I could show you how to write a story if you wanted.” Shiori offers. Amy instantly lights up.

 “Wait, you’d, like, actually do that, for real??” she asks enthusiastically but stops and calms down when she looks around at the others staring at her. She clears her throat and sits back in her chair with her arms crossed. “Yeah, that’d be pretty cool, I guess.” Amy says casually. Shiori just chuckles at her before looking back at the papers.

 “Then let’s hurry up and finish your assignments.” Shiori says. Amy smiles a bit as she gets back to work.

 Eventually, the last two days come and go as Amy gets completely caught up with her assignments. The day comes when Amy must report back to the principal, so she does with a nervous look. Principal Ai looks at a sheet briefly as Amy waits with anticipation.

 “Yep, everything looks good. Looks like you actually caught up on your assignments, according to your teachers' reports. As agreed, you no longer have to go to tutoring, but I expect you to keep up with your schoolwork.” She says to Amy in her office. Amy looks a bit nervous as Principal Ai puts down her sheet. “Is something wrong, Amy?” Principal Ai asks. Amy is surprised and gets embarrassed.

 “No, nothing’s wrong.. I just… Principal Ai? Would it be possible to continue getting tutored by Shiori? She helped me a lot even though she really shouldn’t have…” Amy asks softly. Principal Ai looks surprised for a moment but smiles.

 “I’m surprised. I didn’t expect her to have this much of an impact on you.” Principal Ai says. Amy gets embarrassed. “I’ll allow it, but you’ll only be having two sessions a week, for Shiori’s sake.” Principal Ai says. Amy looks excited and happy.

 “Thanks a lot!” she says before waving goodbye and leaving her office. Principal Ai smiles as she watches her leave.

 ‘Shiori showed her a kindness that only she could have shown. Care and understanding. Shiori had every right to hold a grudge or resentment towards her, but she chose not to. Shiori really has come a long way since she fell into my care. Maybe… I could end their sentences now?..’ She thinks for a moment before smiling. “Nah.” She says before going back to work in her office.