CHAPTER 27

I was pushed from behind. Mind you, it wasn't very enjoyable almost being knocked onto the painful cement below, but I still managed to regain my balance in time to send the culprit a bone-chilling glare.

         I was met with an awkward smile from Yuji, whose chuckle was enough of an apology to him. "Where're you headed?"

         I reached for my arm he'd abused and carefully held it. My eyes roved ahead, past the fully bloomed cherry blossom trees and raucous student body to my respective corner space. I sighed as I turned back to a curious Yuji.

         "What does it matter?"

         "It does matter," he said, his grin growing on his face. "Want to spend lunch with us?"

         "I'm sure I refuse whenever one of you guys ask," I said.

          "Which depresses us every time, but you know we'll just keep asking until you take us up on the offer."

         The corner of my lips quirked up as I returned my focus back to the clear sky and trees ahead. The petals fluttered from their branches, coating the once lush grass to a beautiful pink. It was finally my favourite time of year again: spring.

          "So are we just gonna keep standing here and stare at the cherry blossoms, or...?"

          I instantly woke up from my daze and blankly turned to him. "Sorry, I'm so sure I already turned you down—"

         "Well I'm not taking no for an answer," Yuji pressed, guiding me by the shoulders.

        My mouth twisted into a frown. "You're oddly pushy today."

        Yuji met my words with a forced smile. "Am I? I just think we should spend more time together as a club."

         Yuji didn't need to say another word because I'd seen right through him. Ever since Saki left to join the Disciplinary Committee this guy had been the most affected. He wasn't outright about it, but it was obvious. Most likely because, unlike with Hinata, Saki had cut all ties with us.

No more clingy behaviour, bubbly optimism and silly smile slapped onto her face. I was still waiting for the moment she'd randomly proclaim that she was doing this for a reason—an 'I-wanted-to-destroy-this-committee-all-along' kind of reason—but that moment didn't arrive. The girl I'd instantly detested had become someone else entirely; almost as emotionless as her sister, whose beck and call she stood at all the time at school. She denied ever taking her sister's words to heart and insisted she simply wanted to dedicate her high school life beyond a menial Humanity Club.

        And to Hiro and Yuji especially, the reality was a hard one to stifle down.

        But they hadn't wanted to give up.

        None of them did.

        "Let's go over the plan one more time," Wannabe declared after we'd all arrived and settled down. Without a care for the rest of the cafeteria and their boisterous conversations, he stood tall and raised his voice. "Hinata and I will go talk to the second and third years while the rest of you try to get as many first years to agree."

"Kazuya," Hiro spoke up, solemnity in place. "I doubt this is going to work. The year's almost over; nobody in the right mind would join a club now, much less a third year who's about to graduate."

        "Hiro has a point," Hinata admitted. "Maybe we should go about this in a different way."

        "We need more members," Yuji commented. "Doesn't matter how, but if the Student Council and Disciplinary Committee will keep coming at us, we need to resolve this quickly."

         "And by doing so, what will that change?" I asked. "You think Saki will come back?"

         All eyes had shot to me, but I hadn't withheld the slightest regret. Hiro clicked his tongue and Yuji scowled. Even Hinata's lips downturned into a sour frown as he picked himself up from his seat.

"This is all my fault."

       "There's no need for you to think that," I said. "Saki chose to leave the club on her 'own terms,' remember?"

        Yuji scoffed. All of us knew what she told us was a lie. If it wasn't, she wouldn't have a reason to be avoiding us all like the plague.

        Hinata pushed out his lower lip. "But—"

        "You didn't make the wrong decision, Hinata," Wannabe interjected. "Besides, you're amazing at art. If you even try to give it up for us we won't forgive you."

Despite the negativity oozing from both Yuji and Hiro, their countenances still portrayed they saw the truth behind our words. Wannabe relented with a nod and sighed as he fell into his seat again, Hinata after him. A little cough shattered the silence.

       "But even if Yamamoto-san did quit, are you all going to give up?"

        Heads swivelled in Kouichi's direction, and he stiffened at once. Adjusting his frames on his face, he opened his mouth.

       "I mean, it's unlike you guys to throw in the towel so easily—my dear Hoshino-san aside. More so, if this is Yamamoto-san related."

       Ignoring the term of endearment, I tossed a forkful of lettuce into my mouth. "But she's made it really clear she wants nothing to do with us."

       "You sound like you don't care what happens to her at all," Hiro huffed.

       'I don't.' The words were so close to spilling out from my mouth but was stopped by the abrupt squeeze in my chest. I bit the inside of my cheek. "I'm just putting the facts out there," I said.

       "I think Kouichi's right," Wannabe said before anyone could reprimand me. He turned his head around, a smile painting his features. "The Humanity Club, even with the loss of a couple members, is still the Humanity Club. We have the responsibility to assist the good of humanity and live life to the fullest."

        "What are you trying to say?" Hinata asked.

        "We can try all we want to convince Saki, but if what she persists is true, at least right now, we can't change her mind," he responded.

        "Bull!" Yuji snapped, lurching to his feet. "She 'can't change her mind' because our club's that inadequate. A 'Humanity Club' my ass. She's at her damn sister's beck and call because we..."

        Conversations from the surrounding tables dropped into silence and Yuji's words trailed off. He clenched his teeth.

        "Yuji, they're family," Hiro muttered. "As much as we would like to, we can't change that. There's no way we can tell Saki not to go home or not listen to her siblings—parents—"

         "Forget it," he snapped, clasping his tray. "Even if we try to drag her back, I highly doubt Saki would agree to join again anyway. Not until we can get this damn club together."

         He picked up his tray and headed towards the garbage can before tossing his trash inside. He exited the cafeteria at that, leaving a solemn tension that wasn't so easy to dispel. My focus roamed towards a sheepish Hiro, their words replaying like a broken recorder in my head.

         "Family issues, huh?" I murmured, throwing the last of my lunch into my mouth. It was the only thing no character could escape.

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         "So as I've already put out there, I have confidence in my good looks, my musical and theatrical talents and heavenly singing voice. And among my many championship victories and awards in my many fields, I also have a 3.8 GPA ..."

"Hibiki, why are you always pitching yourself to me like I'm supposed to buy you or something?"

         Hibiki, who was hovering by the staircase I'd been passing by, sent me a wink. "I just like to remind you I'm a good offer on the table."

         I sucked in a breath and glided my feet forward. "Excuse me. Since clubs are over, I'm in a hurry to go home—"

         "Wait." Holding back my discomfort, I twisted around. The last few rays from the setting sun trickled through the window and tinted Hibiki in a good light—and by the broadness of his lopsided smile, I had a feeling he'd planned for it to be that way. "Follow me," he said, nudging his head towards the staircase beside him.

         My lips curved downwards, eyebrows knitted together. "Knowing you I'm not sure I want to."

         "Oh, c'mon," he said, putting on a pout. "Please? I promise I'm a lot sweeter than I look."

         "Uh... is that supposed to be a joke?"

         Chuckling, he gently lifted my wrist. "Just come with me."

         I craned my head as he bounded up the first flight of stairs. And with another pressuring gaze from above he went up the second, footfalls pattering until they finally silenced. Many thoughts swirled in my mind—mainly in which were telling me to escape before he could notice—but knowing Hibiki and his stubbornness made me reluctant. He'd probably come tracking me down tomorrow, in a lot more whiny state.

Exhaling loudly, I moved my feet up the dark staircase. When I arrived at Hibiki's side at the top, he was standing before the door leading to the rooftop. He fiddled with his pockets for a good while and to my surprise, slipped out a key.

         "How did you get the keys to the rooftop?"

         He grinned, sliding it into the lock and unlocking the door. "Suzuki-sensei was easy bait."

          "That hag was?" I briefly surveyed him over as he held the door open with one hand and beckoned me forward with his other. "If your charm even works on witches like her I'm kinda worried about myself."

"Oh please," he snorted. "I've known you for how long and it still doesn't work. I'm beginning to worry my good looks really aren't as good as I think they are."

         "I mean, as long as you're finally starting to understand..."

         Hibiki feigned pain, hand curling at his chest. "You really like to hit me where it hurts don't you?"

         "Says the dude who insulted my anime crushes."

         "I said I was sorry!" he returned. "Really, I am. I wasn't using my head before I spoke."

         "And that's somehow new, because?"

        His mouth flapped wordlessly for a moment before he went mute, clearly offended. Ignoring the tiny smile that had taken the form of my lips, my eyes instead flitted onto the sun in the distance. Since most students were rarely allowed to come up here at all, recalling the last time I'd come here was somehow different. Maybe because my trip back then was done solo. But now that I was with a guy... And of all people I could've came here with, Hibiki...

         "Something tells me you come here often," I said, nudging aside my thoughts as I rotated to face him.

       He shrugged. "Whenever Suzuki-sensei gives me permission."

         "This late?" I asked.

         "Usually 'till she personally comes to kick me out," he confessed, in a tiny voice as he slipped his fingers through the fence. "I try to prolong going home for as long as I can."

         It didn't take a genius to figure out his implication. More so, because I'd known him for as long as I had. Was that why he was always lurking around the campus after school without a purpose? I gnawed at the inside of my cheek, a weight on my shoulders sinking them down a bit.

         "They still argue?"

         "More and more every day," he said. "I know I should be going home to look after my siblings but it's still tough."

         The stillness in the air made it difficult to formulate words. When I finally opened my mouth to respond, he beat me to the punch.

          "How about you?" he asked. "Are your parents still working overseas?"

          "Oh, yeah," I responded, carefully. I wasn't expecting the question. "But they said they'll be back in time for winter break."

          "That's great news!" Hibiki sudden burst of enthusiasm jolted me. "Then if you make me your boyfriend I can formally reintroduce myself—"

            "Hibiki."

          He paused at the flatness of my tone, thinning his lips. "Okay, I get it," he said. "I'm moving things too fast. You're way out of my league so I have to take the proper approach."

          I couldn't help the snort that left my nose. "Wow you're a riot aren't you? You're the one that constantly used to tell me how much of a freak I was."

           "I didn't mean that," he refuted. "Not a single word. In fact, ever since we were kids I've always respected you."

            "Me?" I echoed, startled.

          Hibiki fell into a crouch, leaning against the fence encasing the rooftop. "You're admirable, Miyuki. You say and do whatever the heck you want without a shred of care about what other people might think. Not a lot of people can do that. All that worry about screwing up and disappointing others; being baggage... You don't seem to mind things like that—stuff other people would normally drive themselves crazy over."

          Hibiki's compliments rubbed me the wrong way.

          "What you're saying doesn't exactly sound like good attributes," I mumbled.

          "They are. Trust me." Mirth reached his countenance as he said this. "I know I say you don't care, but I know deep down you do. But you just push all that creeping negativity away. I aspire that, y'know?"

          Warmth flooded my cheeks, and I grabbed my arms which somehow had been graced with the appearance of goosebumps. He angled his head in my direction, squinting his eyes the slightest.

           "Take a seat."

           "I'm fine standing," I said.

           He pouted. Regardless, an airy laugh left his system.

           "What?" I demanded, antsy at his unusual response.

            "Nothing," he said with a toothy grin. "Just, I can't believe I forgot how cute you can be."

           That was the last straw. A cherry red blush consumed my cheeks. "W-why are you being so damn flirtatious all the time? I get enough of this kind of tease from characters in my otome games."

          He laughed harder but his intentions eventually made me succumb. With a strangled sigh I flopped down beside him. I regretted it immediately because he beamed like an idiot. Though, with a glare from me, he quickly wiped it away. He leaned against the fence, arms folded behind his head.

         "Hey, do you remember in second grade when we had that class pet?"

         "Nana," I said, nodding. "The bunny."

         "That darn bunny." Hibiki clicked his tongue. "I still remember that day we snuck into the classroom during recess and tried carrying it—"

         "—and it bit your finger," I finished, chuckling as I did. "You started bawling like a baby."

         "I was bitten!" Hibiki reasoned, then with slanted eyes, he wagged his finger at me. "And you didn't even try to calm me down. No, instead you went to grab the teacher."

         "I was worried about you," I said.

         "Doesn't change that we both got yelled at that day," he sighed.

         "We got yelled at all the time back then," I corrected. "For arguing over who got to use the last box of crayons or our races to decide who could get to the classroom first."

          "We even had those pathetic snowball fights in the winter too," Hibiki chuckled at the memory. "And in the summer, the largest sand castles and even bigger and cooler guards to protect them."

         "My sand castles were always cooler than yours," I said.

         Hibiki shook his head. "Mine were larger. Besides, I had the coolest guards with the fanciest moustaches protecting them."

         "Yeah right. Mine had cooler helmets and armour. I even moulded them awesome weapons."

         "Wasn't there that one time you accidentally put on what you thought was a flag that ended up being a torn piece of someone's bikini—"

         "Oh gosh don't remind me!" I cried, throwing my hands over the top of my head. "I don't even want to consider why that old lady had her garments lying on the sand."

          Hibiki doubled over in guffaws, one I followed in soon enough. We continued to ramble  on about the strange mishaps we'd gotten into during our lifetime, and the various anime marathons I'd forced him to sit through. No heavy tension holding us down—just simple nonchalance like the old friends we used to be.

         "We were bound by the hip back then," Hibiki breathed after we both stifled back any further laughter. "What the hell happened?"

         "'Life' would be the cliché response, but in actuality, I think the answer was, in fact, you."

          "I'm sorry for that," Hibiki said. "It was stupid boy pride. I was getting older, and all the other guys teased me forever being friends with a girl."

         "I don't get that," I confessed. "I mean, I knew you for nearly ten years. I was so sure you weren't the type to throw your 'friend' under the bus and humiliate her in front of the entire school just to prove yourself to some stupid guys."

          "I know," Hibiki's words were surprisingly shaky, taking me off guard. My eyelids shot up, more so when he took my hand in his. "I am a jerk, and I get that. I also understand why you'd ever treasure those other guys in the Humanity Club more than me. But I... I screwed up."

           "Alright," I said.

           "No, let me finish," Hibiki continued, struggling to find words. "I know it's impossible for you to ever try to forgive me, but—huh?" He did quite a cute double-take, eyebrows shooting up high on his face. "What did you say?"

           "I've decided hating your guts is quite exhausting," I said. "I mean, the great, exiled gangster with the cutest accent has been apologizing to me for more than a month already. I think I'm ready to focus my life on more important things."

          Needless to stay, but Hibiki had brightened like a child. "Miyuki! You're the best!"

           "Well, truth be told I was more angry about you insulting my love for anime than that whole betrayal, but..." I cracked a smile. "You know," I said, "I think you're right."

          Hibiki blinked. But I simply shook my head to dismiss it.

          Deep down, some things besides anime and manga managed to hit me. Whenever I wasn't waist-deep in a new series I was watching, I spent the majority of my life observing others. And seeing countless pointless arguments or bullying in some relentless cycle turned me off a bit. It made me realize how much I didn't want to be apart of a world like that.

         It was why I kept people away from me. But the people who still respected me despite my likes and dislikes—Saki in particular—didn't deserve the words I said to her.

          I should've been an expert based on the many animes and mangas I've binged that there's more to people than what they put out there. They could be on a tip of an iceberg, on the verge of falling off and drowning, and yet still put on a fake, cheerful facade every day.

          What made me think real people were any less fragile than the characters I loved?

           "I think that settles things then." I shifted my focus back to Hibiki. "And don't worry," he went on, "Like I said in the past—similar to Kuramochi and Ryosuke on the baseball diamond, from this moment forward I have your back and you have mine. Sound good?"

          Despite the pulsated mess my heartbeat had become, his reference and innocent smile at the end eased it out. I couldn't help but break out into a laugh of my own. Maybe I'd rubbed off on him a bit after all.

            "Jeez," I said. "That reference just went and sealed your forgiveness, Hibiki. Congrats."