CHAPTER 29

        "I'm broke," I realized with a sigh.

        I stared wistfully at my wallet, primarily at the unforgiving moths flying out instead of the coins I needed when it counted most.

         "I need money," I finalized.

         No, my mind returned. I needed a job.

"Mi-yu-ki!"

The gentle pat on my head jolted me back from my wave of depressive thoughts. I turned to see the culprit only to find Yuji and Hiro standing to the right of him.

Ignoring the glare I sent his way, Yuji instead approached the board and crowd of students bustling in front of us. "Did you see what class you're in yet?"

I faced the sheet of names listing the new year's classes, scanning down to my last name initial. "2-2," I said after spotting my name.

"Same," Hiro responded. "Yuji, you're there too."

Yuji threw an arm around Hiro and I, a wide smile on his face. "Yay, we're together for another year!"

"Let go of me you peasant."

"I will destroy you in your sleep."

        Yuji unhanded us at once, chuckling even more as Hiro angrily tried to adjust his hat back to its original position. "You guys are scarily in sync. Lighten up a bit. It's just school."

"Just school?" Hiro echoed.

Yuji smiled and raised his hands. "Woo-hoo!"

Letting them continue with their conversation, my shoulders slumped as I shut my wallet closed. I headed off in the direction to find the classrooms, but before I could make it far the two of them caught up to me.

"Why do you look so out of it, Miyuki?" Yuji asked after another sigh left my mouth. "It's the start of a new year, you can't be suffering yet."

"I'm sure you rich boys can't relate but I'm in need of money," I replied.

"Money?" Hiro echoed. "Is that why you were staring so sadly at your wallet?"

So they saw me... "I need a job," I said.

"You're willing to work?" Yuji asked.

"I have no choice. My brother's a suffering college student already, and my parents are rarely home. Even I can feel guilty asking them for money all the time."

Yuji hummed. "But I can't imagine you diligently working," he admitted. "Anywhere."

"The girl can barely move herself from the couch to the fridge," Hiro pointed out.

I shot them both a dirty look. "My laziness aside, I have no choice. I've got to venture into the world of adulthood so I can support my needs."

         "So responsible," Yuji cooed. "So what do you have in mind?"

         "I'm desperate enough to work anywhere. I just have to search—"

         "Well search no further. Your saviour has arrived."

         We simultaneously stopped in our tracks, me more in an exhaustive manner than the two of them. "And a wild Hibiki appears," I sighed.

         To prove my thoughts, there the said guy was, sauntering down the hall, his typical smile pinned to his face. He arrived to a halt in front of me, leaning over to scoop my hand into his. Before he could do anything though, he was stopped by Hiro, who promptly ushered me behind him.

Regardless of the glare he sent his way, Hibiki stared down at him with indifference. Shrugging, he easily glanced over his shoulder and met my eyes with another shit-eating grin.

         "Your prince has come for you, Miyuki."

         "Where?" I asked.

         Hibiki chuckled, holding up his arms in defeat. "I'll take it," he said. "But more importantly, I overheard your little issue."

         "And?"

        "And," he said, "Here's my offer."

         I didn't wait for his offer.

        "Wait, wait!" I didn't get far before he yanked me back to face him. "It's simple: if you promise to be mine, I can pay you."

         "So that's what desperation sounds like?" Yuji said.

         Hibiki immediately sent him a scowl but Yuji only half-heartedly laughed in apology.

         "You want that kind of unhealthy relationship?" I asked in confusion. "Have you been receiving proper love from your parents?"

          Hibiki swatted my comments aside. "It won't be unhealthy for long," he assured me. "You'll eventually fall head over heels for me and our 'fake' relationship will blossom into a healthy one. Like all the clichéd romances turn out."

          Hiro once again blocked me from his side. "Don't you ever get tired of making shots at her?"

          "At least my shots have the chance of hitting the net," Hibiki responded.

          Hiro gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes.

         "Sorry," I said to break up this forming tension. "I'm getting a healthy job, away from all connections related to any of you. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to secure a main character seat at the far back of my homeroom class before it's too late."

         I slipped away from them and hastened into the 2-2 class before they could make any means of objection. To my fortunate luck, said main character seat was vacant just waiting to be occupied. At least, until the teacher arrived and would tell us our actual seating arrangement. Nonetheless, that didn't halt the two doofuses (who went by the names Hiro-dee and Hibiki-dum) from rushing into the classroom after me, fighting over the empty desk to the right of me.

        "Hibiki, you're not even in this class! Get out!"

         "I can stick around until the bell rings can't I? I want to be by Miyuki's side!"

         "She turns you down on a daily basis! Get a hint already!"

         "At least I'm not afraid of professing my love for her daily— ow! Hey! Don't pull my hair!"

         "You two are arguing like kids." Sighing, Yuji flopped into the desk ahead of me—an option the two idiots didn't seem to process. Then being the only calm one in this entire madness, Yuji craned his neck towards me. "You don't mind if I sit here, right?"

         "Knock yourself out," I told him, attempting to block out the boisterous energy beside me. But as said cliche's unfolded, after dropping my chin on my palm, I turned my attention out the window, and up at the gorgeous sky above.

         What was a main character thing to think right now?

         Probably... 'Eek, there's two hot bishounens fighting over a desk that's somehow correlated to me. Oh em gee, I'm so lucky!'

——————————————————

        Getting a job turned out to be easier than I thought. Working at the local convenience store wasn't exactly a job of amazing opportunities for an otaku like me, but I mean, hey, it could've been worse. The place was rarely ever busy, and my coworkers were pretty easygoing. Sitting back and relaxing was definitely one of the positives.

         At least, until that night.

         "A guy?" Hiro echoed while we were in the clubroom.

           "It isn't anything serious," I said, leaning back into the sofa. "I was casually lounging around until closing time with another coworker of mine—Hikari—but everyday this past week there's been this one dude who comes in at closing time and won't leave unless I personally give him the boot. Then when I try to go home I can swear somebody's trying to follow me..."

           "Hoshino, hold on. You have a job?" Wannabe pressed.

           "Where have you been, Kazu?" Yuji said. "She got one at the start of April."

           "The otaku is a part-timer now," Hiro said. I inwardly applauded his reference.

           "No way!" Wannabe cried. "And you didn't tell me?"

           "It's not that big of a deal," I responded, pursing my lips. They were making a big deal out of nothing. Exhaling heavily, I lifted myself to my feet. "Anyway, I have a shift soon so I gotta get going. But I might have to cut back a bit on showing up here—just so you know, Wannabe."

            "Wait, Hoshino-san," Kouichi interjected, cutting off my path to the doorway. "I-I'm the only one allowed to be your stalker!"

           "...Should I feel honoured?"

          Kouichi shook his head, vast concern now reflecting itself on his features. "I-I mean, if there is some old creep at your job, you should quit now! I don't want you to be hurt!"

          "I doubt I'd be hurt," I murmured, oddly touched. "Besides, my lazy ass actually got hired somewhere. And it's not even a bad job, give or take. My resolve's not so weak that I'd quit a couple weeks into something."

        "This Miyuki really is different," Yuji murmured.

        "I guess that's what having a job does to a person," Hiro said.

         "Adulthood," finished Wannabe, despite ironically being the oldest of us all—a third year now. "But are you sure you'll be fine?" he asked. "I can—"

          "That'll be fine," I cut him off before he could try. "I don't want to get fired as much as I don't want to quit thank you very much."

          "Fired?" Wannabe shook his head. "If I can just talk to your manager—"

          "That! I don't want no 'talk' or 'protection' or... a personal 'stalker.'" I gave Kouichi a pointed look as I said this. "I'm working hard because I want to be able to buy my anime merchandise with my own efforts. I don't need no Tamaki or host club wannabes hindering that."

          I turned towards the doorway.

          "Look, I'm overreacting over nothing. Forget I said anything okay?"

            Though I said that.

            Though I told them that as clearly as possible...

          "Are they pretending to be detectives?"

          "A fake monocle and moustache?"

          "Some kind of skit?"

          "Ignore them! You don't want to catch their idiocy!"

         That last shout was mine. Granted, the pointed yell wasn't close enough to sneak past Nagamasa Hikari to the left of me.

           "Miyuki-chan, do you know those people?"

The girl had a sly smirk curving up the corners of her lips, locks of her golden blond hair bringing out the green in her irises. She beckoned towards the magazine rack where the five stooges were dressed head to toe in dark raincoats and bushy disguises. The reason she could pin they knew me though was mainly due to the fact that the last stooge they decided to invite had to be Hibiki—who was currently peeking through his disguise and firing winks and waves in my direction.

           A sigh left my mouth as I turned my gaze away. "Never seen them in my life."

           She chuckled. "No matter how embarrassing they are, you shouldn't say that, sweetie."

Sweetie? For somebody who was only two years older than I was, Hikari sure talked and acted like an auntie—the one that was always sure to have candy in their purses and just about loved to tease and pinch your cheeks. Her old lady-like behaviour was a bit smothering at times, but she was a good person. One who literally wouldn't hesitate to strangle you with her vice grip if you did get on her bad side.

          Hikari laughed as she waved in return to Hibiki. "Who's the one that keeps fluttering his left eyelid this way?"

          "Hibiki," I replied, simply. "He has this twitching problem. Ignore him."

          Hikari appeared pleasantly surprised. "Oh, he does? Poor guy... Well, he is good-looking."

          "His appearance is the only thing he has going for him, really."

          A look of amusement enveloped her features as she hovered even closer to me. "Really?" she pressed. "Something tells me you like him."

         I met Hikari's eyes in silence. "Of course I do. He's an acquaintance of mine."

          "Just an acquaintance?"

          "One who likes to joke around a lot," I said. Well, they all really did.

"Then, is it that one who keeps standing and looking at other citizens like some bodyguard?"

          I shifted my attention towards the one she was talking about—Wannabe. Granted, 'bodyguard' was a little too kind considering how puppy-like and polite the guy was as he greeted the people who passed him. They were freaked out by his disguise and made a beeline for the doorway, leaving him baffled, but his attempt of being a fierce watch dog by his outfit was short-lived.

         My countenance portrayed my disbelief. "Oh, c'mon," I said to Hikari. There was no way she could believe that. "You're kidding me, right?"

          "Hmm." Hikari didn't look convinced one bit, making me frown. "So you're telling me none of those guys have a chance?"

          I straightened myself out a bit and pushed myself around the counter. "Look, let's stop slacking. If the manager were to come back to see us—"

          I was interrupted by the loud jolt of the door. It swung back so fast and loudly that it nearly collided with the back wall and shatter the glass. All those loafing around in the store were given near heart attacks, more so me when a girl with frayed auburn hair and dishevelled appearance came huffing and puffing in through the doors.

"Hikari!" she basically shrieked once she saw the girl, racing up to the counter.

She shoved the customer she was checking out aside.

"H-hey!" the lady yelled at her.

"Hikari!" she yelled again, swatting the lady away and pressing her palms onto the counter. "Help a friend out!"

Hikari's jaw was almost touching the ground. She peered around in panic before focusing on the girl. "Kasumi-chan, I'm working right now."

The girl named 'Kasumi' didn't even hesitate to blare her inner problems to the world: "Junto leaned in to kiss me!"

This time Hikari gasped. "Again?"

"I know!" she hissed. "But I panicked and I ran—and accidentally bodychecked some pedestrian into a pole too. Ugh! I need some girl-to-girl advice—now, please!"

"What! Is he okay?" Hikari demanded.

"Of course Junto's okay!" she fired. "But I left him with his lips puckered up outside of the central park—"

"I'm asking about the pedestrian, idiot!"

No inch of recognition flashed upon Kasumi's features. "Who?"

"You just said you bodychecked a pedestrian!"

Reaching for some candy off the counter, she tossed down a couple coins and rapidly pried open the treat as if there really wasn't any time in the world. "Forget it. The guy can just ice that shit if he wants," Kasumi said. "So? You helping me get through this or not?"

Hikari produced a strangled groan, attempting to seal her anger. "Jeez, Kasumi-chan...!" She momentarily casted a glance my way, pleadingly. "Can you please—"

I ushered her away from the counter at once. "Go right ahead. I'll take care of things here."

"Thanks, man. You're such a kind human being," this 'Kasumi' told me as she munched on her Twizzler. "Blessings on your cow, really."

Automatically, Hikari smacked her on the shoulder, shooting her a chastising look. Kasumi reeled away in defence, her striking features and contrasting resting bitch face a perfect representation of who she seemed to be. After another intake of air, Hikari manoeuvred her way around the counter and flashed me a grateful smile.

"Thank you so much. I'll only be five minutes," she assured me, and prodded Kasumi's head. "Or maybe more because she's a little dim-witted."

Kasumi gasped. "Excuse you?"

"Smart." Hikari shook her head as she said this. "I meant she's very, very smart."

As Hikari dragged Kasumi away and out the doors for some privacy, leaving me alone with the five idiots by the magazine rack and the still jaw-dropped lady who flipped me the bird before making her departure also, I could only shrug in response. The store returned to its natural quiet, and I briefly glanced outside to find that the two girls were still squabbling outdoors. Seeing that made it clear how close the two of them were. They weren't exactly on the same wavelength and yet they were friends. Was it really okay for two people so opposite to be close like that?

After watching Hibiki get smacked by who I guessed was Hiro—considering he was the shortest—for getting so distracted, the five of them went back to reading the magazines in the rack. I took a peek at the time. Fifteen minutes until closing. Were they going to stay that long? For high school students they sure had a lot of free time.

The door once again rattled with a jingle. I turned my eyes towards the one who'd decided to walk in—only to have my heart drop the slightest in my chest. The middle-aged man fumbled his way inside, the scruffy black hoodie shielding the top of his head. Like always, he went towards the cleaning supplies and toiletries aisles and took a good while contemplating what he wanted. Pick up napkins then drop them; pick them up again. Not as if he couldn't pick between them—it was almost like he was trying to stall time.

After hauling a pile of junk food, he would wobble his way towards me. His shaky hands would drop each one, onto the counter. But then he would accidentally drop one or it'd naturally tumble to the ground. As as soon as he shakily bent down to grab it—

"Ouch, ouch, ouch," he would whine.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yes. I-I am fine," he slurred.

          Ignoring the pungent smell of alcohol, I placed one arm at his side and the other holding his arm wrung around neck. I did my best to help the old man to his feet. He still stood at a height taller than me, but once we were secure, his weary features craned towards mine. I quickly withdrew and finished with his transactions. After handing him his change and his plastic bags, he still struggled getting to the doorway.

  My gut wrung with guilt as I hurried and helped to open the door for him.

"Be careful on your way home," I told him.

"H-home? Y-yes," he stammered. "What's your name?"

"My name?" I asked in surprise, flattening my mouth. "It's Miyuki."

"Miyuki? What a beautiful name." He bared a wide, yellow smile as he extended his hand towards me. I recoiled back as his hands slipped to his side. "You remind me so much of my daughter."

It always unfolded like this. He'd be drunk and be rambling on and on about his daughter. "Is... that so?"

He turned his head, chuckling under his breath in an unstable manner. "Momoka is just like her mother. She's a cute thing; around your age."

"Sir," I said. "We're planning on closing soon—"

"It's very dangerous for girls your age to be out at th-this time," he murmured, reaching out and grabbing my shoulder once again. "L-let me walk you home just in case."

My eyelids picked up high as I drew my arms back. Though, his hands shot out and tightened around my shoulders yet again. My heartbeat had picked up with a start. This never happened. Usually he left. "Hey—"

"C-come with me," his voice had hardened, and with a newfound vice grip, regardless of my struggle for liberation, he dragged me with him to the doorway.

I skid my heels into the floor, blood rushing to my head. I wormed around but holy crap this guy wasn't letting go.

"I'm trying to look at what's best for you!" he snapped. "Just come—"

"I think you need to reconsider your values, mister."

The collar of the man was seized by a taller giant. We were forced to a halt at once, but the man still didn't let go. All at once, the dude swung his arm at Hibiki's face and just barley, Hibiki lurched back. Seeing as he was occupied, the man's hold on my sleeves loosened and preserving all self-defence moves I'd accumulated in my lifetime, I shifted my weight on my foot and threw the man's arms off of me.

I would've just went and tossed him over my shoulder (granted, I probably didn't have the strength to do it) but Hiro and Yuji emerged by my side and took the initiative to drag him away from me instead.

A relaxing intake of the clean air made me loosen up a bit, and I straightened up my posture. The man went slinking off into the dark after Yuji and Hiro said who knows what to him, while the rest of them stood before me, the tops of their disguises now held in their hands.

"Hoshino-san, are you alright?" Kouichi demanded, practically leaping at me. His forehead had a sheen of sweat, wide eyes meeting mine. "You're alright, right—"

He didn't even receive the opportunity to finish. And surprisingly, the one who'd pushed him aside and took the position to loom over me with a disgruntled frown was the group leader—Wannabe.

"What do you think you were doing?"

         I pressed down my dishevelled hairs, despite the arise of goosebumps on my skin. Wannabe never glared. "I believe I was just about to give that old wuss what he had coming."

"What he had coming?" Wannabe's decibel had surpassed the volume I anticipated, almost enough to make me to leap from my skin. "You could barley do anything! If we hadn't been here—"

"Nothing would've happened," I finished, sourly. This time it was my turn to furrow my eyebrows. "You're over exaggerating. Look, I didn't need any help. I'm fine."

"He tried kidnapping you!"

"I wasn't going to be kidnapped," I replied as calmly as possible.

"And how do you know that?" he demanded. "Were you planning on waiting until he dragged you off to who knows where so you couldn't call for help, is that it?"

Wannabe's yell lodged my next few words entirely in my throat. I'd never seen the guy explode like this—not even with the ordeal with Saki.

"Miyuki, even I have to disagree with this entire job thing," Hibiki chimed in, gently caressing his chin that was grazed by the man's fist. "We get you're trying to be responsible for once with this whole job and all, but you still shouldn't be exposing yourself to this kind of danger."

        "You should just go back to how things were," Hiro said. "This whole working thing doesn't even suit you."

"And if you're barely around after school, who else can I team up with to tease Hiro?" Yuji added.

"Hey."

Yuji barley considered Hiro's scowl. "Hey," he responded, opposite to his anger-filled word. "See, it doesn't work as well without you," he told me.

"I require some time out of your busy schedule also, Hoshino-san," Kouichi said pleadingly.

           Holding my chin up high, despite how tightly I clenched my fist, I couldn't help but scowl at them. "Why are you all so selfish all the time? Always telling me to put myself out there and socialize because I'm not up to par with other 'normal teenagers,' then telling me to quit something I put my mind to because you guys don't like it—I'm sorry, but that's a decision I'm making for myself."

I'd left them all shocked. I couldn't care the least if my words made sense—I hoped they came across—but they were tumbling past my tongue before I could get a good idea of them myself.

          "You're always throwing me into things, and even today! I told you guys you didn't have to show up and yet you still did. I get you're worried, and this is a risk, but as much as I don't want to admit it, you all seem to forget I'm human, too. I have things I have no choice but to do."

"...We get that," Hiro said. "But still."

"We're worried about you, Hoshino," Wannabe took the words for himself, and my heart not-so-subtly missed its beat. Wannabe stepped even closer to me, causing me to falter, until I was stuck staring up at his face. "Meaning, we care about your wellbeing as if it's our own," he repeated. "As your comrades we want what's best for you, and as happy as we are that you're taking the initiative to do something like this, more than that we don't want you to end up hurt."

I bit on my lower lip. That again. Why couldn't I escape it.

"What I'm trying to say is... yeah." Wannabe secured his final thoughts with a content nod. "No matter how you try to deny it, there's no changing us thinking of you as a friend."

"Well," Hibiki and Kouichi started simultaneously.

"Don't ruin the mood," Yuji interjected.

Nudging their words aside, I shut my eyes with a loud breath. "I've told you—"

Wannabe cut me off with a bright smile.

"I know it's a selfish thought, but even still—no matter what you think about me, or how wrong you think I am, I want to keep thinking that we're friends. Don't you?"

I glared at him, hard. "Like. I've. Said—"

"No matter what you think about me, or how wrong you think I am, I want to keep thinking that we're friends."

He was still grinning as fully as the sun and brighter than the streetlights around us. My face fell into the state of a deadpan.

"You're going to keep saying that until I agree with you aren't you?"

He bobbed his head eagerly, like the idiot he was.

Even still, I couldn't help the tiny, though exasperated smile, that quirked up the corners of my lips. "Fine," I said. "I guess after today you've all proven yourself worthy. I guess we can be more than acquaintances."

Wannabe dramatically threw his hands into the air. "Yes!"

"Is that a downgrade?" Hibiki murmured to himself.

"I will always be your stalker, Hoshino-san!" Kouichi shouted out to me.

"But friends are..." Hiro started going back and forth. "But then again..."

"Wait, so you're quitting your job?" Yuji asked in confusion.

"The otaku being a part-timer was fun while it lasted," I responded, giving a short glance behind me. "Let's just leave this working stuff to the actual devil."