Chapter Text
The alarm clock sounded repeatedly, the birds outside her house were chirping, and the sun was making it’s presence known through her windows.
The girl groaned and stirred in her bed, under the warm covers.
She sat up and quickly turned off her alarm. The sound was starting to irritate her.
Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were puffy. She could feel it when her hands rubbed her eyes, trying to awaken from the drowsiness of the morning.
With half-opened eyes, she scanned the clock. 6 a.m. the date? Monday.
What a shitty day.
When she realized she’d have to go to school, she immediately soured at the thought. Lately, school made her feel more pathetic.
Why is that? Well, just last Friday, the boy she had a crush on, rejected her. Quite brutally, if she’s being completely honest.
She scoffed at the memory. She knew the cherry-blossom tree legend was just a lie. And yet, her dumb past self believed in it whole-heartedly.
She really shouldn’t have.
With a grunt, she moved herself out of the covers, and sat at the edge of the bed. The cold floor made contact with her feet, and she winced.
She stood up with a yawn. This day will suck. Just like the others.
Come to think of it, she never introduced herself, did she?
Her name is Ayano Aishi. Called Yan-chan by her friends. Not that she had many, anyway.
She wasn’t a complete loner, of course, but she found more commodity in keeping to herself most of the time. It didn’t mean she was nervous to make friends or any of the sorts though.
In fact, social interactions became quite easy for her. She supposes it’s only natural, since she’s never really cared what people thought about her.
…Except for one person.
The only person she couldn’t bring herself to properly talk to. Her crush. Taro Yamada.
She sulked. A.k.a, the guy who rejected her under the cherry blossom tree. Ayano covered her face with her hands bashfully. What a horrible and humbling memory that was.
But yes, Taro, the only person she actually had difficulty talking to. Her crush… ex-crush?
No, she’d be lying if she said she was completely over him.
Before meeting him, Ayano was never big on emotions. Or being expressive… or anything that made her seem.. normal.
A lot of people actually saw her as weird, and a loner. She was pretty inexpressive, so of course people would steer clear from her.
It’s not like she didn’t feel at all. She just had more difficulty experiencing… strong emotions. For example, she cant remember one time in her life when she cried. Be it from joy or sadness.
Sure, maybe when she was just a newborn she did, but other than that… she hasn’t cried. Nor laughed really loudly, or screamed from anger… she hasn’t ever thrown a tantrum, either.
All of these qualities made her be ostracized by her classmates. Which is why, when she grew up enough, she just… learned how to mimic the others.
She started pretending to be interested in things. To have hobbies. She started crying when one person died in a movie. When someone told a joke and everyone laughed, she laughed as well.
Mundane things like that, made her slowly be accepted into society. Even though it was all fake.
That’s why, in her colorless world of lies and deceit… when she met Taro…. Oh, what a day indeed.
She felt this sudden jolt of strong feelings. Emotions she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Emotions that left her stunned.
It almost felt like her whole body reacted when she saw him. She just knew she had to have him. Her life had a purpose when she met him.
Ayano had felt all sorts of things with him. Jealousy, happiness, anger… even those… what do they call it? Butterflies in the stomach.
All those and more.
She just knew that by having him next to her forever, she’d always have a purpose. And the best way to achieve that? Becoming wife and husband...
Oh, not before girlfriend and boyfriend of course.
She thought her plan was foolproof. On the last day of the week, under the cherry blossoms, she confessed her love. After a week of leaving gifts and love notes on his desk…
…Her affections were not reciprocated.
“I’m… flattered.” He responded, averting his eyes away from her. “But… I don’t… really know you.”
Ayano blinked. Is he… rejecting her?
At her silence, he continued, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “And also… I kind of have a crush on another girl. Osana Najimi.”
Her world quite literally shattered that day. She already knew him and Osana were best friends since childhood… but don’t all childhood friends lose?? At least that happened in the games…
She sulked at the mention of Taro now. It’s still somehow wonderful and horrifying how, even after rejecting her, he still makes her feel.
She cant thank him enough, despite it all.
Speaking of which, it’s been a while since her monologue started. What hour is it..?
7 am?? Already???
Ayano was in her uniform, her hair neatly tidied up into a ponytail and presentable enough to attend school. (Although those bags under her eyes spoke volumes, she just didn’t care. Sleepless nights after being rejected suck.)
She still hadnt eaten, but… ah, whatever! She can eat in school.
Just like that, she put on her shoes and sprinted out the door, not at all excited to attend.
Eventually, she arrived at her destination. The cherry blossom trees decorated the front of the building, giving it a pretty pink hue… but it all seemed colorless in her eyes.
She walked to school, hearing the hustle and bustle of the other students walking at the same time as her.
IT was lively, and it wasn’t even time for class yet.
Although, in between all that noise, her ears unconsciously perked up when she heard the voice of her beloved.
“Sorry… if it bothers you so much, maybe we should stop walking to school together…”
She glanced to where the voice was coming from, and noticed both Osana and Taro speaking next to some trees. She instantly scowled when she noticed who Taro was with.
A fierce jealousy engulfed her whenever she saw her.
Did Osana say something stupid? Again?
She frowned. That girl has always expressed the complete opposite of what she felt… she was so god damn lucky Taro had a crush on her. Otherwise, there’s no way she’d win him over.
“N…no… that’s not what I…”
Ayano felt some sort of satisfaction whenever she saw Osana blow her chance. But seeing Taro…
…Her chest hurt.
She probably needs to leave. Eavesdropping so obviously would surely get her into trouble. And also, she gets sort of sick when she sees the two of them together.
She huffed and continued walking. What should she do today?
Just last week, she was speaking to everyone, making friends here and there, bettering her reputation to make Taro notice her somehow.
She even helped the bullies, and he still didn’t consider her worthy enough…
Ayano left her bag on her desk with a sigh. Everything is so dull without him. Even the shrine she had of him at home was destroyed to shreds.
Needless to say, she isnt taking rejection very well.
“Hey, Yan-Chan!!” Ah, that Annoyingly loud voice must belong to Midori.
her suspicions were proved right when, once she turned around, she saw the green haired girl approach her rapidly. she was waving her phone in the air looking as if she had something to show her.
“Look, look! My game got a new upda—whoa, what happened to you?” Midori stopped in her tracks whem she was close enough, and examined Ayano’s face. “No offense, you look like you got hit by a truck.”
“None taken.” Ayano sighed out, rubbing the space between her brows.
Midori gulped. “Are you okay?”
Ayano looked at her. Should she tell her she got rejected?
….No. She might go down a manic spiral if she thinks avout her rejection any longer. For now, it’d be best to ignore what happened. “Yeah, I’m just… hungry.”
It was true. After all, she didn’t have breakfast that morning.
Midori clasped her hands. “Ah, I see! Then, let’s go to the cooking club! They give out the best free snacks there.”
Ayano nodded. “Sure. I could eat.”
They both went chatting—well, it was more Midori doing the talking—and quickly arrived at the cooking club.
It was empty… “Oh.” Midori said. “The members must be out giving handouts…”
Ayano sighed. She should have just stayed home and sulked alone. “It’s okay. I can just buy something from the vending machin—…” no. She cant.
Why? Because all the money she had gained from jobs was spent on gifts to Taro. Before he rejected her, of course.
“That’s a great idea! You said you started working, right?” Midori beamed.
“Yeah… no, forget it. I’m penniless now.” Ayano shrugged. “I wasted all my money already.”
“Seriously?!”
Just when she was about to give up, the doors to the club opened. The both girls were startled, and quickly turned around to see who entered, only to be greeted by a man with an apron and a cute chef’s hat.
“Oh! Hello.” He greeted with a gentle smile. “What brings you to the cooking club?”
Ayano noticed the band he was wearing around his arm. So he’s the club leader, huh…
“Hi!” Midori started. “We just came here wondering if we could eat something? My friend here is very hungry, and has no money for the vending machine.”
Ayano’s stomach growled just then, and she awkwardly crossed ger arms over her stomach.
The man laughed heartily. “Well of course! Studying on an empty stomach is bad for you!” He stepped into the cooking area, and started grabbing ingredients from the fridge.
He signaled to the dining table on the other side of the room. “Please, have a seat!”
“We will, thank you!” Midori replied, grabbing Ayano’s hand and seating down with her. They both got comfortable, and Midori spoke again. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I got your name.”
The guy moved his lips into an ‘o’ shape, and looked up to see both girls. “I completely forgot to introduce myself!” He said apologetically. “My name is Amao Odayaka. Amai is my sister and the president of the cooking club, I’m just filling in for her.”
Ayano had heard of the Odayakas. They had a bakery at town. She’d walked by there many times, but never felt the impulse to visit.
“So, what are your names?” He asked, while placing various ingredients on the table.
“I’m Midori, you can just call me that.” Midori said, pointing a finger to herself. “And she’s Ayano Aishi. Most people call her Yan-chan!”
The man smiled, not taking his focus off cutting the food. “Nice to meet you both.” He said. “For the food, do you have any specific tastes?”
Midori was about to respond when her phone buzzed. “Oh, please excuse me.” She said, glancing at the notification she just received.
Ayano sneakily peeked. It was a message from someone. It read: “I’m so gonna win pretty princess Miyukui lol stay a loser”
It must be one of her gamer friends, Ayano deduced. Midori quickly got up from her seat, and ran to the door. “I have to go, please don’t worry about my food!! Thank you!!! Bye!!!” and like that, she ran out of the club.
Both Ayano and Amao stared after her….
“…She’s quite energetic, isnt she?” Amao asked with a smile.
Ayano looked at him… and nodded. Midori did have a lot of energy, more so when it came to videogames.
“So do you have any specific tastes?” He asked once more, now to Ayano.
She simply shook her head. “I’m okay with anything.”
He nodded. “Okay then.”
They both fell into silence. Comfortable or uncomfortable, she didn’t know. But the faint sound of slicing vegetables, and the clatter of cooking utensils was slowly lulling her to sleep.
The light from outside was pretty covered by the pastel pink curtains, making the room have a soft pink hue surrounding it.
The sound of food being boiled… The knocking of the knife against the cutting board… Amao’s slight humming…
Ayano rested her head on her arms for a while. Last night was a bad night, and the night before that, too. She barely slept at all, too busy staring at the broken shrine she had in the corner of her room.
She unconsciously closed her eyes, and before she knew it, sleep overtook her.
Soft, steady breathing filled the room.
“Okay, done.” Amao murmured to himself. He had made a perfectly balanced bento box, with just the necessary aliments for a breakfast.
Once he finished putting away every unused ingredient, he turned to look at the girl at the table. “Ayano, it’s done… oh.” She fell asleep.
He saw the way her back moved up and down with every breath she took. She did seem pretty tired before… he wondered what gave her those bags under her eyes.
So… what does he do? Does he wake her up? But he didn’t want to be mean…
Well, first things first. He wandered over to the table and placed the bento box close to her. Just then, he noticed something on her face.
Ah. She’s drooling.
Amao stared. She had such a serious expression on her face before, barely even talking. But now? She was a drooling mess.
He covered his chuckling mouth with his hand. If they were on friendlier terms, he’d love to take a picture of her this way. Just to see what kind of expression she’d make when he showed her the photo.
Speaking of phones… what hour is it?
He grabbed his phone from his pocket. It’s 8am… the bell will ring soon. His consciousness tells him the best thing to do is wake her up… but he’d feel bad doing it. Especially since she’s sleeping so soundly.
He debated it for a while. Maybe he should get someone else to do it for him?
A grunt interrupted him from his thoughts. The sound came from Ayano, who now had a frown on her face. Her free arm was absentmindedly rubbing her mouth. She probably felt it running down her face.
After a while, she opened her eyes, blinked a couple of times, and lazily centered her gaze on Amao’s face.
They were bot looking at each other now…
….Amao must look like a creep!
“Ah, you’re awake!” He said, and backed away from her clumsily. “I swear I wasn’t staring! I put your bento there.” Amao explained quickly, and pointed to the bento that was quite literally next to Ayano’s face.
She moved her arm from under her head, and sat up normally with a stretch. “…Thanks.” She murmured, now going to grab the bento box. She opened it, and sniffed it. Then, with a small, miniscule, barely even there smile, she spoke once more. “It smells good.”
Amao blinked and stared, seemingly in a daze…
After a beat, he regained his composure. “Oh! Uhm, no need to thank me, I love cooking! But, ah..” He rubbed his cheek bashfully. “I’m not sure you’ll have enough time to eat it…”
Ayano tensed. “What do you mean.”
He cleared his throat. “Well. Class starts in…” He checked his phone. “…13 minutes.”
The girl clutched her head. 13 minutes is nothing!
Alright, she needs to start thinking. She could eat it now, or she could wait until she was desperate enough to eat… or maybe at lunch?
If she ate it now, she’d be hungry at lunchtime. But if she didn’t eat it now, she’d be starving throughout the whole day. Both seemed absolutely miserable.
Amao stared at Ayano’s frown. But instead of looking mad, she just seemed pensive.
Hm.
“Since this is supposed to be your breakfast, I made a small portion.” Amao suddenly spoke, breaking Ayano from her thoughts. “If you want, you eat what you can now, and I make you some more for lunch.”
Ayano stared at Amao. He had a calm and kind smile on his lips. “…I don’t have any money.” She said flatly.
Amao shook his head. “I’m not doing it for money.”
“Then… why are you helping me?” She asked. Her tone came off as bored and uninterested, but she was more curious than anything else.
“I like cooking,” He answered. “it wouldn’t be a bother to cook for you. Especially since you’re hungry.”
Ayano thought it over for a moment… but deemed it a good enough answer. “Alright then.” She said, grabbing the utensils placed on the table, and opening her bento box.
Amao went and sat on the chair in front of her, crossing his arms on top of the table. At Ayano’s questioning gaze, he smiled. “Please, don’t mind me. I just want to hear your opinion.”
She shrugged, grabbed a portion of the eggs and rice, and bit down. Amao was watching her intently throughout the whole action.
She chewed, swallowed, and met Amao’s gaze.
A second of silence passed between them. And Amao was the first to speak. “…Did you like it?”
Ayano, unexpressive as ever, nodded. “Yeah. A lot.” And she grabbed another portion of food to eat.
Amao let out a relieved smile at her words, his eyes positively sparkling from happiness. “I’m so glad you did!” He said, clasping his hands in front of him.
Ayano kept eating, not minding him at all. Gosh, this was so good. What did he use to cook this? The meal consisted of eggs, rice and a few tomatoes with lettuce. Nothing too extraordinary, but..
She couldn’t stop eating. Amao looked ecstatic at that, though.
Once she finished, she sighed and closed her eyes. Her hunger is satiated. And she managed to eat it all!
Hunger is the best chef, after all. “Thank you for the food.” Ayano said. “I’ll wash the plates, as a thank you for helping me out.”
Amao gasped and shook his head. “No, no! You should get going!” He urged. “Class literally just started!”
Ayano shrugged. “I don’t mind arriving late.” Or even going at all for that matter. It’s just her luck having to sit next to Osana’s best friend, Raibaru.
Amao frowned sternly. “Nope!” And he stood up, taking the bento box and fork with him. “You go to class. I’ll stay here and wash.”
“But...—”
“If you really want to help me..” Amao said, cutting her off. “Then you’ll do so by eating whatever food I make for you at lunchtime.”
Ayano thought about it. That’s just helping her again. For nothing to gain in return.
Seriously, she just doesn’t understand why he’d help her like this. Maybe he just wants her to do a favor for him somewhere in the future?
…Or maybe it’s her own habits of befriending people for benefits that make her think like this. She sighed internally. Of course there are nice people who do this stuff for free.
“Okay.” She nodded, and stood up from the chair. “Then, thank you once again.”
She went to the door and bid farewell. “See you at lunch.” She said, before closing the door and heading to her class.
As she walked up the stairs, she checked her phone. 8:17 am. Class started two minutes ago. Oh well, she shrugged. What’s two minutes?
She entered the class, and the teacher eyed her. “Ayano.” She said. “You arrived late. Next time make sure to arrive on time.”
Ayano nodded. “Yes, teacher. It wont happen again.” And she sat down on her chair.
Class started normally. Her desk was in the middle of the room at the last row, with Raibaru on one side, and Osana on the other… wait, what? That’s not right.
She glanced suspiciously at the person next to her. It was a boy, with very similar physical qualities to Osana.
Orange hair with a small ponytail, polka-dotted shirt… they even have similar fashion tastes.
Well, maybe the personality is different?
Little did she know, she had been glaring daggers at him unconsciously, which made him snap his head toward her.
“…Why do you keep looking at me?” He asked, clearly weirded out by her.
Right… staring. A bad habit of hers. She thought it had died when Taro rejected her, but apparently not.
Ayano struggled to find a reason as to why she was looking at him, which led her to opening and closing her mouth many times, without any words coming out.
Okay, why is she acting like this? She’s acting like she’s a lovestruck fool.
After about a whole minute, she finally got out a sentence. “I just thought you looked really similar to another student, Osana.” She said. About time.
The guy didn’t seem impressed. “Well, I’d hope so. We are siblings. My name is literally Osano? The similarities are obvious.”
“Oh yeah, that explains it.” She nodded, and looked back down at her notebook, pretending to go back to writing. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw the guy make a confused expression, before reluctantly going back to study himself.
………Siblings? Since when did Osana have siblings? And why are they so alike? Are they twins??
She thought she had investigated everything about Osana already. Who knew the knowledge of a sibling could slip by her hand? And… he wasn’t here last week, was he?
“Students.” The teacher suddenly spoke, breaking Ayano from her thoughts. “From tomorrow, I will be taking some vacation days.” She said, now grabbing everyone’s attention. “So, as a replacement, a new, temporary teacher will be in charge of this class.”
The teacher moved around the classroom as she spoke. “His name is Mido Rana. I hope you all show him how respectful and polite you can be.”
The class said ‘Yes, teacher.’ In unison shortly after her talk. “Good,” she nodded. “Now, get back to taking notes.”
Ayano, along with the rest of the class, went back to writing.
A new teacher. The first male teacher in this school, right? That’s nice. It was about time; they needed more diversity. She only hoped for this substitute to be laid back, just in case she ever got to class late or something.
The seconds turned into minutes, and then into hours. Before she knew it, the school bell had wrung, signaling it was time for lunch.
Last week, at around lunch time, she was spending her time stalking Taro. She even found a pencil with bite marks on it. It was the best thing that happened to her for a while. This week though…
…Hollow. She felt hollow.
“Okay Osana, it’s time… you can do this…” Osana’s mumbling voice caught her attention. She was in front of her desk, hyping herself up while looking at two bento boxes. One pink and one blue.
Ayano’s eye twitched. One of those is for Taro, she assumed.
The picture-perfect couple, aren’t they? Ayano sneered. How could a nice, simplistic person end up with a helicopter-haired bitch like her? A girl who holds a weird obsession over cats, with a guy who reads by the fountain.
No matter how you look at it, they’re simply terrible for each other.
Her eyes drifted from the girl to stare at the bento boxes…
…If one of those was filled with poison… perhaps, the pink one… how would Taro react?
What kind of face would he make, when he sees the love of his life choke to death in front of him?
Guilty? Scared? Sad, that’s for sure. Ayano, on the other hand, would pay to see Osana die. Die a horrible and miserable death. One so slow and agonizing it would make her cry of happiness when she finally dies.
She’d laugh manically while seeing Osana’s face twist into ugly crying. Pleading, begging to be freed from her suffering. Calling out Ayano’s name, like she knew her death would be Ayano’s doing.
“Um… Yan-chan?” No, not like that. More scared, maybe even yelling?
“Yan-chan… are you there?” Of course she’s here, what is…?
…oh.
She’s daydreaming.
Ayano quickly snapped out of it once she saw Osana’s concerned expression, with Raibaru eyeing her suspiciously. She held back the urge to groan. Of course, her guard dog is here. That’s why her daydreams stayed as daydreams.
“Yes… I…” Ayano struggled to find her words. Her imagination sometime gets the better of her. “…Sorry. I was daydreaming.” She said finally.
“Are you okay? You look kind of… tired.” Osana said, inching closer to her face. She was probably referring to the bags under her eyes…
“I’m fine.” Ayano shrugged her off.
Last week, Ayano had gained Osana’s favor in hopes of getting closer to Taro through her… but I think you already know how miserably that failed.
In the end, all she got was Osana’s friendship and a bodyguard that doesn’t trust her.
She wanted to roll her eyes at Raibaru. It’s not like she’ll actually hurt Osana… she’s just… making a what-if scenario.
“You sure? We could go to the nurse’s office…” Osana said, but Raibaru cut in.
“But Osana, shouldn’t you get this to Taro?”
Ayano took a deep breath in, holding back the urge to grimace. Taro. Always him. Why couldn’t Osana just like someone else?
“Besides,” Raibaru continued. “I’m sure Ayano can get herself to the infirmary to rest, right?”
Ayano pictured throwing Raibaru off the roof. “Yeah, don’t worry Osana. I’m perfectly fine.”
Osana sighed, but her expression seemed relieved. “If you say so.. then, let’s go, Raibaru. I don’t want to keep Taro waiting.” She walked ahead, leaving the classroom. “Get some rest, Yan-chan!” And she left for the stairs.
Once she was out of her view, Ayano rested her face flat against the desk, and she let out a groan. Dealing with her is tiring… and irritating. All she wanted, was for her to disappear from Taro’s life. Maybe then, he’d have some space in his heart that Ayano could fill.
But after he rejected her… well, it just seems hopeless.
She sighed, and closed her eyes. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep and never wake up. Sleep and dream about Taro.
…And yet, she couldn’t. As of now, she had to meet with Amao. That was the deal.
It’s for the best, anyway. She needs some distraction from her horrible rejection, haunting her thoughts. Meeting new people is great for distractions, and if they want to approach her, all the better.
With a quiet huff, she got up from her chair. Time to go meet Amao.
…
The man paced around the room, muttering and mumbling here and there. “That’s strange. She shouldn’t be acting like this.”
Nothing was right. Something went horribly wrong.
He bit his nails in worry. “Why’d she do it so early?”
It’s all doomed. The things he worked so hard to do.. all burned to the ground because of one miscalculation.
He stopped in his tracks, no longer pacing in circles, and turned to look at the only light source coming from the room.
He stared… and smiled. An idea popped into his head.
That’s right, he thought. Not all hope is lost yet. He can still turn things in his favor.
…
Ayano was planning on meeting Amao…
“W-What are you doing here?!”
…But Osano stood in front of her, glaring accusingly at her.
So it seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree after all.
Osano was talking with an incredibly high pitched tone, his face was tomato red, and he was pointing at Ayano with an accusatory finger.
She only blinked slowly. This really reminded her of another orange-haired girl…
“…I had plans to meet someone here.” She responded casually, and glanced around her.
It seems Amao is not here yet.
“You’re lying.” Osano harrumphed suddenly, causing Ayano to raise her eyebrow. Why does he think she’s lying? “There’s no one else here! I bet you’re just here to join the cooking club.”
She held back a grumble. Their attitudes are so similar it pisses her off.
“I’m not.” She said. And after a beat, she added. “Are you?”
That was clearly the wrong question to ask, seeing as his face turned redder than humanly possible.
Ayano would have been surprised at the sheer amount of blood working on his face, but she just didn’t care enough. “O-of course not!” He said, crossing his arms defensively. “I’m just here because… my sister likes this club! Yes, exactly.”
But if she likes this club, that doesn’t explain why you’re here. Is what she wanted to say, but chose to remain quiet and save herself the trouble.
“Hm.” Se hummed in acknowledgment. “…I see.”
“R...Right.” Osano nodded.
An awkward silence engulfed the room.
Where’s Amao????
Osano cleared her throat, grabbing Ayano’s attention.
“So…” He fiddled with his fingers. “You like cooking?”
Ayano frowned. Why is he talking to her? “…I prefer eating.” She answered truthfully.
Osano deadpanned. “Then why are you here?”
“I told you. I came here to meet someone.”
“Right… sure, whatever you say.”
“It’s true.” She insisted.
“Well, no one else is here, right?” Osano shook his head with an ‘obviously’ expression on his face.
Ayano bit her tongue. That’s true. Amao should already be here by now.
She grabbed her phone and checked the hour. 1:07 pm. Did he forget perhaps?
“Hey, are you seriously ignoring me?” Osano spoke up.
Ayano sighed. “What do you want?”
He had a frown on his face. Osano opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, the club room’s door opening interrupted them.
Ayano craned her neck to look behind her, and Osano stared ahead.
In the door stood a panting Amao, looking like he just ran the marathon. His hair was slightly disheveled, and his cheeks were a bit red.
He took a deep breath in before talking.
“Sorry, Ayano!” He said, apologetically. “Something held me up…” When his eyes drifted deeper into the room, he caught sight of another man.
“Oh!” He said. “Osano! Good to see you here.” Amao walked further into the room. “I assume you still want to join?”
Osano stiffened.
…Didn’t he just tell Ayano he wasn’t here to join?
When Osano stayed quiet, Amao tilted his head to the side. “I.. assume that’s a yes?” He clasped his hands together. “Well then, you are officially part of the cooking club!”
Amao grabbed a small hat from who-knows-where, and put it on Osano’s head. “Glad to have you here.” Amao smiled pleasantly.
He turned around and faced Ayano, ignoring the way Osano’s face sizzled from how warm it was.
…Ayano chose to ignore it as well.
“Ayano, I’m so sorry for arriving late.” He said, bowing slightly. “I’ll get to work right away!”
“I’m not forcing you.” Ayano shook her head. “If you’re busy, I’ll leave.”
Amao looked startled. “Oh, please don’t! It’ll be my pleasure to cook for you.”
He went up to her, turned her around by her shoulders, and pushed her to the dining table. “Make yourself comfortable.” He pat her shoulder with a smile, and turned for the kitchen once more.
…Osano almost considered the interaction funny. Seeing as Ayano went through that with a flat expression.
Quickly though, Osano regained his composure. “W-Wait, Amao!” He said, startling Amao.
He looked toward him. “What’s the matter?”
Osano stuttered. “I… uhm. Don’t want to join just yet. I still wanna check out other clubs…” He said, fiddling with his fingers. He tried so hard to not look at Ayano, but failed miserably.
When he saw her uninterested expression staring back at him, he got flustered. He totally came here to join… but he just told her he wasn’t here to join!!! Ugh, him and his big mouth!! Why’d he go and lie?!
Amao blinked, and he had the face of a sad puppy. “Oh, I see.” He sulked. “Well, it’s too bad… but, if you do end up choosing this club, just know we’ll accept you with open arms!”
Osano nodded. “Yeah… thank you for understanding.” He grabbed his hat, and put it on the table. “So, I’ll see you later then.”
Amao extended his arm out. “Wait a minute.” He said, stopping Osano in his tracks. “If you’d like, maybe you can stay and eat as well?”
The orange-haired guy looked at Amao with stars in his eyes. “Really?”
Amao nodded. “Absolutely! Please sit down and wait until I finish. Or get started, for that matter…”
Osano smiled. Lucky him! He had forgotten to bring lunch that day! “Okay, sure! Thanks!” and he sat down at the table, in front of Ayano.
She barely paid attention to him, too busy staring at a photo of Taro…
Her sweet Taro… Taro Yamada…
….sigghh…. Why’d he reject her…?
“Hey, isnt that Taro?” Osano asked, snapping Ayano out of her trance.
She quickly put away her phone. “You know him?”
Osano nodded. “Uh, yeah.” He said. “My sister is childhood friends with him.”
Ayano grimaced. “…Right.” She huffed.
“Come to think of it, there was a girl who was staring at him the other day…” Osano hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.
The girl fixed him with an intense stare. “What girl?”
He shrugged. “I dunno. But she had… dark blue hair? Maybe it was purple.” Osono narrowed his eyes in thought, trying to recall. “Also fishnets? I think. And this weird, creepy aura…”
Ayano desperately tried to think of who that was. A girl with dark hair and fishnets, with a creepy aura??
She’s never met someone like that.
As she kept thinking about it, Osano interrupted her with a stare. “What’s with the photo anyway?” He asked. “You got a crush on him?”
Ayano swore she heard a pin drop when he asked that question.
…Does he know something?
“……….No.” She said.
“Judging by your face, it looks like you’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“Your face is so red, though?” Osano tried to stifle a chuckle, but failed. “What makes him so special? Two girls with a crush on him already…”
Ayano frowned. “Don’t talk bad about him.”
Osano held his hands up in the air in a surrender motion. “I’m not! I was just pointing it out.”
Ayano sighed. Osana, a dark-haired girl and herself. Two pests buzzing like flies around him… it makes her angry just thinking about it.
She caught herself. It shouldn’t make her angry. He already rejected her.
“What’s with that face..?” Osano grimaced, snapping Ayano out of her trance once more.
“Oh.” She blinked. “Ehem. Sorry.”
“Next time don’t stare at me like you wanna kill me.” He huffed.
The two continued bickering. Surprisingly, they got along better than expected.
…Or, at least, that’s how it looked in Amao’s eyes.
Without anyone else’s knowledge, he was subtly stealing glances at the two from time to time. More specifically, stealing glances at Ayano.
He saw her make many expressions. And in such a short span of time, too.
He saw Ayano twist her face in annoyance, saw her get flustered, turn irritated… okay, maybe they were mostly negative emotions, but it’s emotions nonetheless.
He peeked at Osano. What did he say to make her express herself? Amao couldn’t get to that point.
Were they perhaps friends? That might be it.
Amao wished be could hear what they were saying. Just to know what made Ayano express herself. She was so rigid with him…
…Does he make her uncomfortable? He sure hopes not. It’d be the last thing he would want.
He only wishes Ayano were more expressive with him. Maybe less stoic. He’s been trying to make her feel at home but…
He looked at Osano. He was arguing with Ayano about something. Well, maybe not arguing, but they were bickering.
At the sound of Ayano’s voice, his ears perked up.
“You know, you’re actually very alike.” Ayano said, fiddling with a fork absentmindedly.
Osano tilted his head to the side. “Me and who?”
“Osana.”
He harrumphed, almost indignantly. “Me and her? No way.”
Ayano blinked. “You’re just proving my point.” That’s a very Osana-like response.
“We’re nothing alike.” He repeated. “She spends all her time acting like a loser over that guy, what was his name?”
“Taro.” Ayano responded.
Osano snapped his fingers. “Him! And, well, I got more important things to worry about than silly crushes.”
She tried to ignore the way her stomach churned at the mention of Osana having a crush on Taro. “Well, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that you have very similar personalities.”
“How so?”
Ayano shrugged. “You’re both very irritable.”
Osano jumped. “No I’m—!” He started, but caught himself. “…no I’m not.”
“Right.” Ayano hummed.
“I’m serious!!”
“I finished cooking!” Amao brought three bentos, and multiple pastries beside those were now filling the table. One bento was for Osano, another for Ayano, and the last one for himself. “I hope you enjoy! I took the liberty to make some desserts as well.”
His happy smile remained in place as he sat next to Osano. “Whoa… this looks amazing!” Osano gushed, looking at the bento.
Ayano looked at hers. It was a cute, decorative bento. It had rice in the shape of cats, with veggies and meat. “It’s cute.” She agreed.
Amao smiled delightedly. “I’m so glad you like it! I hope the taste doesn’t disappoint!”
Ayano shook her head. She had already taken the first bite. “It definitely doesn’t.” She said, mouth half-full.
Osano agreed, grabbing some food in his utensils. “You arent the club leader for nothing.”
Said club leader only smiled pleasantly. “You’re embarrassing me.”
Soon enough, the table fell into comfortable silence, with the clatter of chewing and eating filling the air.
Small chatter flew between them here and there, like they were three friends meeting together for the first time in years.
Despite being rejected literally two days ago…
…it was still a pleasant evening.
……….
She was leaving school later than expected. She had planned to get out as soon as cleaning time was done, but somehow, speaking with Osano took all her attention.
Time went fast with him.
“I honestly think games are for middle-school kids. Like, grow up already!”
…Déjà vu.
“What do you think?” Osano interrupted her of her inner monologue, now asking for her opinion.
They were both walking together through the school hallways, checking out each clubs like a pair of friends. Seriously, just yesterday, she would find doing this pointless.
…She still finds this to be pointless, but whatever.
Ayano hummed. “I don’t really care.”
“Seriously?!” Osano huffed. “You’ve given the same answer for every club!”
He pointed at her determinately. “I will find something that you like, even if it’s the last thing I do!”
“Why is this a competition suddenly?”
“I just hope you don’t end up liking the occult or something weird…” Osano admitted. “Why do they even allow those clubs here?”
Ayano shrugged. “Probably for more diversity. The school needs it.”
“I doubt an occult club qualifies for that…”
“I don’t actually care for the occult…” She sighed. “I don’t really care about any clubs.” Unless Taro liked them.
Come to think of it, she never learned his tastes for clubs, right? Hm..
“Well what about sports?” Osano questioned. “It sounds like fun to me.”
“If it’s fun for you, then okay.”
“You’re not giving me much to work with…” Osano grumbled.
“I’d like to go home.”
“not yet!!”
Ayano huffed. “Fine. What if I said I liked the drama club?”
She just threw a random club name there, but hopefully that’d do the trick and he leaves her alone.
To her dismay, he only brightened up in response. “I knew I’d get something out of you!” He exclaimed proudly. “I personally like the club. It’s just, the members are a bit…”
He winced. “…Outstanding. And frankly weird.”
Ayano rolled her eyes. “Then let’s leave it and go home.”
“No, let—” Osano blinked. “Wait. What did you say?”
“…Let’s leave it?”
“After that.”
“Go home.”
Osano groaned. “The whole sentence!”
“…Let’s leave it and go home.” She deadpanned. “…What, did I say something weird?
“No, no. It’s just…” Osano paused. “Nevermind.”
“Really?” Ayano asked skeptically. “Because your red face says the opposite.”
He hastily coveres his face. “S-Shut up!”
In his mind, that sentence sounded as.. her proposing to go home together.
Ayano blinked slowly, evidently uninterested in whatever turmoil was going on inside his head. “….Okay. well, I’m going home.”
“No!” Osano stopped her. “Let’s check out the club.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the drama club.
Ayano was tempted to say she was lying…
…But he’d only nag her longer if she said that. So, once more, she stayed quiet.
They arrived not long after.
“Here it is!” Osano said. “Let’s go in. Give it a good look before you decide to join.”
The both were still wrist-in-hand, standing in front of the drama club on the first floor. From inside the room, cheering noises could be heard.
“It sounds like they’re in the middle of a show.” Ayano mentioned.
“It’s okay. They wont mind.” Osano shrugged off, going to open the door.
Ayano cleared her throat. “Uhm.” She signaled to her arm. “You need to let go.”
The man blushed. “A…Ah!” And he stopped holding her, as if her touch burned him. “I-I…! Forgot!! Don’t misinterpret that!!”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Let’s just go in!!” He yelled, ignoring whatever she said.
He opened the door quickly and went inside. Ayano huffed and followed suit, closing the door behind her.
She was immediately greeted by the sight of all drama club members applauding at a man. The club leader, she assumed, since he had a band on his arm.
He was in the middle of the stage, accepting all the praises with a smug look on his face. “Thank you, thank you!!”
…why is he twirling?
Osano nudged Ayano with his arm. “See? I told you the club members were a bit…” His voice dropped to a little less than a whisper. “…odd.”
“Ayano?!” A female voice called out.
Both Osano and Ayano turned to look at who spoke, and saw Kokona there, with a pleasant smile on her face. “It’s so good to see you here!”
She stood up from the chair she was in, and clasped Ayano’s hands. “What brings you here?”
“We were just checking out..”
“Oh! And who might you be?” Kokona directed her attention to the man beside her, finally realizing she brought someone along.
“I’m Osano. Maybe you’ve heard of Osana? She’s my sister.”
Kokona smiled. “I see! It’s nice of you two to check this place out!”
“Oh? Are those new members?” A voice rang out, now making the whole room go silent.
The voice belonged to the man who was previously twirling, the leader of the club.
He slowly approached the two. Kokona had gotten out of the way. (When???)
His steps radiated confidence. And maybe even a bit of smugness, in itself. “A man and a woman..” He drawled out. “How convenient.”
“Who might you be?” Osano asked, looking incredibly awkward.
The purple haired man bowed extravagantly. “My name is Kizano, club leader.” He grabbed Ayano’s hand, and kissed the back of it. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Osano gasped indignantly. “What are you—?!”
“It just so happens that a rehearsal is about to start.” He continued, letting Ayano’s hand go. “You should sit and watch, maybe learn how the club operates. And give me lots of praise in the end!”
Ayano blinked. “...Okay.”
“What?!!”
“Excellent!” Kizano cut Osano off. “Now, sit down, and enjoy!!”
Ayano did as told, and went to sit in one of the chairs that were placed in front of the mini acting set they had. In front of the chairs was a big screen, depicting a medieval background. Probably for the play.
Osano sat next to Ayano. The chairs were so close together, that their shoulders were touching.
He nudged Ayano and whispered in her ear. “There’s no way we’re actually staying, right?”
Ayano shrugged. “We cant leave now.”
“We can just say you feel sick or something.”
“Do you want to leave?” Ayano asked.
He nodded frantically. “Yes!!!”
“Then leave.”
Osano stiffened. “……..No.”
“Why not?”
He frowned. “Cuz he might…” His whisper dissolved into quiet mumbles and grumbles, making what he said unhearable.
“Who might what?” Ayano titled her head to the side.
“Kizano.” He repeated. “He might……kiss your hand…..”
She still didn’t hear him. “…..Might what?”
“Nothing!!” He yelled suddenly. “Just forget it!”
His face seemed red… “…Okay..” Ayano huffed, and turned to look at the mini stage before them.
“Attention!!” Kizano’s voice cut through the air, like two curtains opening up for a show. “The play is about to start!”
….The play went as expected.
It was shitty.
The acting was way too dramatic, like over-exaggerated. Kizano turned to ‘fix’ his club member’s acting in the middle of the play, interrupting whatever they were doing, and ended up playing basically every role.
She couldn’t help but whisper in Osano’s ear. “You were right.” She said. “This sucks.”
OSano nodded. “What did I tell you?”
But despite his very normal answer… his ears were tinted a bright red. A bright red Ayano chose to ignore.
The play ended.
“Well?” Kizano huffed and puffed, seeking approval. “What did you think?”
Ayano blinked. Glanced away for a moment, before looking back at him. A beat passed, and eventually, she spoke.
“…It was incredible.” Ayano nodded, clapping her hands.
The rest of the club members joined in, singing praises to the man standing on the small stage.
His face was bashful. “W-Well of course! I only do the best!”
This was probably the first time Kizano ever felt… shy.
He clutched a hand to his chest. Why is his heart beating so erratically?
Osano looked flabbergasted. “….Traitor.” he muttered.
After the applause ended, Kizano walked up to the two. “I really hope you’ll consider joining.” He said, speaking more to Ayano than Osano.
“I only work with the best, you see.” He smiled. “And you certainly look the part.”
Osano huffed. “I’m still here.”
“Oh yes. You could help with the props.” Kizano dismissed.
“Thank you for the offer.” Ayano nodded. “I’ll think about it.”
Fat chance.
“Magnificent!” Kizano clasped his hands. “I hope next time you come, your stay gets permanent.”
Osano grumbled, and grabbed Ayano’s wrist once more. “We gotta leave.” He said, glaring at Kizano.
Kizano, finally looked at him. His gaze narrowed. “is that so? …Don’t let me keep you.”
Osano stood up and dragged Ayano behind him, leaving the drama club in a quiet fit of rage. “We are never going there again.” He said.
“Did you hate it that much?”
“Yes. I think that’s my least favourite club right now.” Hr harrumphed, letting Ayano go and crossing his arms.
She stared at him. “…I wasn’t really thinking of joining, anyway.”
He tried to hide his triumphant smile. “Wait… really?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I’m not very good at acting.”
“whatever the reason, I’m glad.” He murmured so silently, Ayano didn’t hear.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “Anyway, what hour is it?”
They both checked a clock on the wall. It read 5:37 pm.
It was much later than Ayano expected.
“Well, I have to go now.” Ayano said. “It’s getting late.”
Osano nodded. “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow?” he said hopefully.
She nodded, and walked away. Unaware of Osano’s lingering gaze on her back…
…Or a mysterious red head’s hard stare.