The Eternal Summer

[Paladinoras]

A fic I had been working on for the most part of the year... I hope whoever reads it will like it ^^

Prologue – The Winter Sorrow

January 1, 2010. 6:57 PM. Local Park, Shizuoka, Shizuoka.

A good friend of mine once said that the first day within a new year will determine how the rest of the year will go. His logic was that no one would be heartless enough to deliver bad news during January 1st unless if the situation really can’t be helped.

So…what is my girlfriend doing to me right now? Her words…those are words that she is never supposed to ever say, let alone during New Year’s.

“I think we should see other people.”

That single sentence reverberated loudly inside my head, blocking any semblance of a rational thought I might have had. The night was bitterly cold, yet a single sentence from the girl I lov—no, the girl I thought I loved, made me feel much colder inside than the falling snow around me ever could.

“Why?” I asked her simply, but regretted it as soon as the word slipped through my lips. It doesn’t matter, not really. My girlfriend is leaving me, and it really doesn’t matter why she’s doing it, the only thing that does matter is the fact that she is leaving.

Her eyes, that used to hold so much warmth and love, briefly met with mine, and it was clear that whatever spark we used to have was gone. She shuffled her feet a little before finally saying, “I…just think you deserve better.” Her tone was calm, indifferent.

“Bullshit!” I snapped. “If you had really believed that, then you would have broken up with me long before today… You’re not that heartless to do it on New Year’s Day!” I reasoned with her. It was pointless but…I needed to convince myself that what’s happening today is not my fault.

“But I am. And that’s why you should find another girlfriend. I’m not for you.” After saying that, she turned around and walked away, giving me what would be my first ever broken heart. “Natsumi!” I cried out to her, but I didn’t receive even one returning glance.

It’s over.

It’s all…over.

I can’t really remember what else happened after that, all I knew was that I ended up sitting in a park bench, staring at the dark, snowing winter sky of Shizuoka alone. The coldness of winter never really strikes you until you are truly alone, when you feel that you have no one to accompany you through your mundane daily routines. Snowflakes drizzled down from the sky, covering every single tree present in the park. Bright neon lights flashed from the city beyond, and I could hear the faint sound of the cheerful laughter of couples as they strolled down the shopping boulevard.

Heh… how unfair.

“Ken, is that you?” Suddenly a voice pulled me out of my trance. I turned around and saw my two good friends, Kazuhiko and Mayumi standing before me with a very worried look in their faces. “What happened bro?” Kazuhiko asked me as he and Mayumi took their seats on the park bench, sandwiching me. “I expected you to be on a date with Hinata-san right about now.”

Mayumi slapped him across the back of his head, giving Kazuhiko a very angry glare. “Obviously Natsumi-chan just broke up with him, be more sensitive will you?!” She told him matter-of-factly. I turned towards Mayumi and gave her, for lack of a better word, a WTF look. Awkward situations like these have never really been her forte, but still, really Mayumi? Really?

“Ehe..he, sorry about that Ken.” She gave a nervous laugh, only realizing her blunder now. I leaned back and heaved a large sigh, my foggy breath clouding my vision.

“Well, you’re right, no need to be sorry.” I started. “She didn’t give me a reason, she just…left. I don’t get it, I really don’t.”

“Mayumi, you’re her good friend right? Has she been cheating on me? Has she been seeing another guy all this time? Did I do something wrong? Did I piss her off? Did I…” I continued to ramble for the next 3 minutes or so, venting out all of my frustrations on no one in particular. “Kazu, you know her well too right? What did I do man, what did I do-“ My words were cut short as Kazuhiko rose from his seat and slapped me right across the face. Hard. Mayumi shrieked a little, and gave Kazuhiko an incredulous glance, as if saying “What the hell did you do that for?!”

Well, I can’t fault my childhood friend for not understanding the way men do things. I rubbed my burning cheek and gave a quiet chuckle. “Thanks for that…” I told Kazuhiko, his slap helping me to clear my thoughts and snap back to reality. “No problem dude.” Kazuhiko replied nonchalantly, plopping himself down on the park bench again. “Wha-what is this, I don’t even…” Mayumi commented, unable to finish her sentence.

“It’s how we men handle things, President-chan~” Kazuhiko patronizingly teased the girl beside me.

“Not today, Bakazu, NOT TODAY!” Mayumi warned him in a threatening tone.

“Ooo, I’m so scared~”

“WHY I OUGHTA—“

“Why are you two even here anyways?” I interrupted the both of them before they reach a new level of stupid. “If you guys tell me you’re dating, I swear to god I’m gonna commit suicide because nothing in this world is right anymore.” I told them half-jokingly.

“Aww, well, president here was just being so persistent, she was all like ‘Just one night with you is all I want, Kazuhiko-sama!’ and so being the awesome man that I am, I—“ Before Kazu could finish his sentence, Mayumi slapped Kazuhiko on the back of his head again, this time with increased intensity. “Don’t be an idiot, I’d rather die than call you ‘Kazuhiko-sama’!” Mayumi said to him angrily.

“GET TO THE POINT!” I snapped at the both of them.

“Oh right, well, er…we were on a date….so to speak.” Mayumi trailed off, her face turning a bright shade of red. “Yes, and we were on our way to a love hotel, but then we saw you looking all pathetic here and decided to stop by!” Kazuhiko interjected with another one of his brilliant comments. “We were not! Don’t be stupid! Don’t believe him Ken, we were totally NOT going to such a seedy place like that!” Mayumi vehemently denied Kazuhiko’s allegations.

If I could describe my expression right now…it would probably be a mix of surprise, shock, WTF-ness, and just a small tinge of insanity. My mouth was wide open and I was staring at Mayumi with a look of pure disbelief, as if I was her father and she had just made a really bad choice for a boyfriend. Well, the last part about bad choice is right actually.

“GAH, KAZU, THIS IS ALL YOU FAULT!” Mayumi roared, and rose from her seat, applying what most wrestling fans would know as a headlock to my not-so-brilliant friend. “Ow, Ow, OW, OWW, IT HURTS WHEN FLAT GIRLS LIKE YOU DO IT, LET GO OF ME!” Kazuhiko protested, but it only made my class president to squeeze at his head even harder. “WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT ME YOU LITTLE TWERP!” Mayumi has always been rather sensitive about her bust size.

Now I really should be depressed but the scene in front of me right now was so ridiculous and breathtakingly stupid that I can’t help but laugh. These two are such massive idiots; I can’t imagine them being any other way though. Without them, I wouldn’t have befriended my recently-departed girlfriend too. My mind wandered back to that faithful day in January when Kazuhiko first told me about his stupid bet…

 

[ShadowlockIV]

Hmm, you created this by yourself? It was very creative and interesting, I like it. I could definitely relate to it (even though I've never had a girlfriend myself), so overall I think it was pretty good ^^. Keep it up

 

[Paladinoras]

Ahaha, thanks for your compliment, and yeah, this is my own work. Never been a fan of plagiarism.

Anyways...here's the first chapter, sorry if anyone is actually waiting for it XD

Chapter 1 – Nobody Does Anything in January

Spoiler: Chapter 1

January 8th, 2009, 6:30 AM Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture

God, I hate January.

Everything is freakishly cold, I gotta go back to school… and nobody does anything worth noticing in January. These thoughts swirled in my head as I walked slowly in the direction of my high school. “Ahhh, I want more holidays, I haven’t even finished watching my collection of movies” I moaned loudly. “I presume by movies, you mean porn, right?” Suddenly, an all-too familiar voice spoke out from behind me. “I see you haven’t changed at all within the holidays” I commented, turning around to face the owner of the voice. And sure enough, standing in front of me was Kazuhiko Toyama, my friend since the fifth grade….stretching the definition of “friend” extensively, of course. Of all the years I have been friends with him, he had eyes for only one thing. Females. Being a guy, I can’t really say for sure if he is handsome, but one thing is for sure. The bastard is a prolific womanizer. Since the beginning of our high school life 1 and a half years ago, he has had 28 girlfriends…and counting, 28 last time I checked, anyways. And if the rumors circulating around the campus are true, there is a special fanclub in the school dedicated to worshipping him. Charming guy, I guess…

“Sooo, Yamazaki-kun, any plans to advance your non-existent lovelife this year?” he asked, a cocky grin dominating his face. “So far, our score is what, infinity in my favour?” I rolled my eyes at his statement. “Look, that contest we had was never a joint agreement; you just came to my house one day and started blabbering about how you would have a dozen girlfriends before I got one. I neither replied nor agreed to that statement, so you are on a one-horse race here buddy.” Kazuhiko merely gave an even cockier grin and took out a tape recorder, an ancient technology by our current standards. “And…let’s press play now shall we?” As soon as he said that, a shrilly voice came out from the speakers of the contraption, a voice that belongs to a pre-adolescent boy. “Oh shut up you annoying bastard, just wait and see, by the time we are in high school, you would be but a pebble in the foundation of my all-girl-conquering dynasty!” Another voice emanated from the speakers, the voice of a pre-adolescent boy as well, rebutting the statement. “Ahahahahaha, don’t make me laugh, boy, by the time we are in high school, I would have a dozen girlfriends before you even got ONE! You make me laugh so hard..” The voice never finished his statement however, as the target of the statement interrupted him promptly. “Oh, don’t be full of yourself you cocky bastard, I’ll get 24 for every dozen you get! You can believe that. Hell, I’ll even do it before I am a senior! I’ll be your servant for a month if I don’t make it!” Kazuhiko then pressed the stop button, and the voice stopped speaking immediately. Thankfully.

Awkward silence.

“I can get you sued for that, that’s invasion of privacy!” I tried to divert the subject. Fruitlessly. “Ahh, well, eitherway, Yamazaki-kun, if we go by simple math, I have 34 girlfriends, so you need…umm, let’s see…34 divided by 12…” Kazuhiko muttered incoherently for the next few moments, calculating.

“AHH, 52 girlfriends. Before the end of this school year. Which makes an average of…hmm, say, 9 girls a month counting from this day onward. So I suggest you start turning on your charm ”

“Wh-wh-WHAT??!!! THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE!”

“Well, I am not the one who made retarded statements, don’t blame me..”

“We were 10!! Who the hell thinks about what they are saying when they’re 10!”

“Quit evading my point, Yamazaki-kun, just accept it and be my servant already.”

“N-no WAY! I won’t give up till the last minute of the last day of this semester!”

Kazuhiko chuckled quietly. “Prolonging the inevitable, I’d say, but well…” He shrugged. “Prisoners on death row get a last meal, so well, why not, eh? This’ll be kinda interesting to see anyway.” Unfortunately, before I could reply with a scathing remark, the large building of Shizuoka High appeared, white, austere, old, intimidating, and abnormally large. “Back in hell…” I thought to myself as I walked past the opening gate of the school.

The rest of the morning passed by quickly, filled with the usual start-of-semester speech by the principal of the school. I barely stayed awake in the duration of the speech, but thanks to Kazuhiko’s incessant whispering of “servant, servant, servant” in my ear, sleeping is nigh impossible. And by a rather painful twist of fate, it turns out that Kazuhiko and I are in the same class, class 2-F. “My god, Ken, I think that this is a premonition ya know… Servants have to stay near his master to make it easy to serve him.” Kazuhiko annoyingly commented as soon as I took my seat. He took the seat next to mine, obviously.

“Oh, shaddup, I don’t have time for this.” I replied rather angrily, tossing my eraser at him. Easily evading it, Kazuhiko’s mouth opened yet again. “For once, you are right, Yamazaki, I mean, as Sun Tzu had said, know your enemy and know yourself, and you can win 100 battles without fail.” I gave him an are-you-retarded-look, but he didn’t seem to notice, as he continued on talking. “So, my soon-to-be servant, we need to survey our surroundings! We need to figure out who is worth dating, in this very classroom!! Based on that information, we shall then strike forward on our conquest of these sophomores’ hearts!” Kazuhiko finished his “inspirational” speech.

“…Did you forget to take your meds today or something?” I asked him. “SILENCE, FOOL! This is high-level strategy right here! If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail! And sides...” He paused and gave me a condescending look. “Don’t you think you need this more than me? Unless if you have finally accepted the fact that you are going to be my servant, that is.”

My head shot up at his last sentence. “NEVER!!” I exclaimed loudly, inviting a few stares from the people in the class. “Ehh…sorry about that…” I muttered meekly, and buried my head in my table yet again.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, well, I guess I’ll impart some of my wisdom to you, considering you need to date 52 girls in 6 months.” After saying that, Kazuhiko reached into his bag and pulled out a black notebook. “Is that the Death Note or something? Do you kill their boyfriends and force em to go on a date with you that way?” Kazuhiko ignored my comment and started flipping through the pages of the book, which looked to be meticulously organized, with sticky notes popping out from the upper part of the book, and he is never, and I do mean NEVER organized, so for what’s worth, the book has to mean something.

“Let’s see now…” he muttered to himself, stroking an imaginary beard. “AHH, here it is, data of the girls in class 2-F, take a look.” He passed the black notebook to me. I read the page he was talking about, not knowing what to expect. Well…frankly, I was blown away. The book contained detailed analysis of each and every girl in my class. What is their favourite food, their last recorded height and weight, hobbies, hell, even their last recorded measurements are there! “Kazuhiko….I don’t even know what to say here… Do you stalk these girls…?” I stuttered, still shocked from the discovery I just made. “Nope, not really, I am just incredibly close with the school nurse and counselor, that’s all, so obviously I can gain easy access to their personal data.” He replied calmly. I honestly didn’t know whether to be pleased or freaked out, so I resorted to just opening and closing my mouth repeatedly, like a fish out of water.

“Annnyywayyysss, from psychoanalysis of your personality and the girls of our class…I have deduced that there are three possible candidates for you…” He stood up and looked around. “Ahh, her.” He pointed at a random girl who sat three rows in front of me. “Chihiro Fushioka, class treasurer, 164 cm, 54 kg, an average GPA of 9.4, so she is brilliant, obviously. Always uses red rimmed glasses, kinda cute, if I do say so myself, and her physical test scores ain’t so bad either. Her only drawback….she is…well, a control freak. But well, you are an obedient kinda guy anyways, right, Ken?” Before I could reply to him, he turned around and pointed his finger at yet another girl. “ And next up, we have, Kyouko Matsushiro, 167 cm, 52 kg, killer body, toned as hell, star of the school track team and rumors say she is an excellent cook. GPA of 7.9, so an above average student, butt…well, she is colder than the Siberian winter, but I am sure with attentive care and love from you, you can melt her heart.” And again, before I could even open my mouth to come up with a reply, he pointed his finger at a girl who sat right next to me. Thankfully, he still had the common sense to crouch down and lower his voice. “Lastly, we have… Yui Matsuda. 162 cm, 48 kg, face of an angel, caring, devoted, loving, attentive, basically your perfect housewife. Sadly, she is quite weak physically, and mentally…and honestly, too conservative and boring for me. But then again, you aren’t exactly famous for throwing wild parties, so I think she’ll fit in just nice with you.” Kazuhiko finally finished his lecture.

I thought about what he said, albeit with a grain of salt. “Well, Kazu…you make a fair point there, but I think I’ll look for my own targets, been here six months after all, I think I can make a good choice…for exampleeee…HER!” I randomly pointed my finger dramatically at a random girl in the crowd. Kazuhiko glanced at the direction of my finger and grinned. “My boy, you have much to learn… look at page 162 of my book….the one with a blood red sticky post on top.”

Wait, what?

“I was only joking dude, I was only randomly pointing my finger, I wasn’t actually serious.” I said. Kazuhiko merely smiled. “Tell you what dude, I’ll make a deal… if you can get the girl you just pointed at, before the end of this semester, I’ll be your servant till the end of the whole freakin YEAR.”

Huh? Who is this girl anyway?

“Of course, you are not allowed to look at her info beforehand if you plan to make this deal.” Kazuhiko then extended his hand, his other hand keeping his black book shut. “So? Deal? No deal?” I felt like I was being swindled…but hey, at least I don’t have to date 52 girls, right? “Deal” I confidently said, shaking his hand.

In retrospect, I should’ve just chased after those 52 girls.

“Very well, then, go ahead and look at her data.” Kazuhiko moved his hands away and passed the book on to me. “Great, so why does it have a blood red sticky on it anyways? Can’t you pick a happier colour?” I asked him nonchalantly, flipping the pages of his book. “You should know, Yamazaki, that my book is colour-coded, blue is for my past girlfriends,..”

Well, there were a lot of those, apparently.

“Yellow is for girls who I plan to date soon..”

Abundant as well

“And blood red..” He turned and faced me. “Are for girls who I deem to be unreachable…as in, undateable, for one reason or another, and…” He brought his face closer to mine, his voice barely a whisper. “…so far, there are only three girls who have received that honour, your sister, my sister, and..” He pressed his finger hard on the page I had just reached, leaving a mark. “her, Natsumi Hinata .”

“Un-unreachable?” I muttered unintelligibly and decided to read her info before jumping to conclusions. Natsumi Hinata, height 165 cmn, weight 47 kg, a balanced beauty, being breathtakingly beautiful yet having an hourglass figure at the same time, her measurements being almost directly proportional to each other. Loves the colour sky blue, looks great in a yukata, prolific athlete, although she has never joined a club since middle school, an average GPA of 9.1, and can speak 6 different languages fluently.

Basically, perfect, so why did Kazuhiko deem her unreachable?

I flipped the page, and there, written in red ink, was the reason why.

“MENTALLY UNSTABLE DUE TO TRAUMATIZING PAST EXPERIENCES, PRONE TO PSYCHOTIC BURSTS OF RAGE” And underneath that, was yet another side note, added by Kazuhiko recently, judging from the still deep colour of the ink. “POSSIBLE RELATIONS TO THE UNDERWORLD, ALTHOUGH NOT DIRECTLY”

Goddamn, what have I gotten myself into?

 

[xyzapy]

Now the story really starts and it looks interesting for me. I enjoyed the story so far and I look forward to the next chapter!

 

[alexsdu]

Hmm...this story looks familiar...I wonder where did I read something like this before....


Paladinoras, have you ever post similar story at other site as well?

 

[The Cursed]

Hmm...this story looks familiar...I wonder where did I read something like this before....


Paladinoras, have you ever post similar story at other site as well?

don't worry pally is not coping any other's work

btw pally I printed a copy of this so I will read it later D:

 

[alexsdu]

@Cursey
I'm sure that he DIDN'T copy it, I was just wondering if he had post this story in other site/forum beside A-S, that's all.

 

[The Cursed]

lol
hehe we are all members of SH too so maybe you have seen it there?

 

[alexsdu]

lol
hehe we are all members of SH too so maybe you have seen it there?

SH ?

 

[Paladinoras]

Hmm...this story looks familiar...I wonder where did I read something like this before....


Paladinoras, have you ever post similar story at other site as well?

Oh yeah, I posted it in AnimeSuki and Sakurahana as well. The one in AnimeSuki is under the Fan Creations section, so perhaps you saw it there. Not as many views though, there are a lot of threads in AS for fan-made stuff so mine is kind of pushed back xD

don't worry pally is not coping any other's work

btw pally I printed a copy of this so I will read it later D:

Err, thanks for the compliment? XD

SH ?

Oh, Sakurahana.com, it's a forum quite like AS. A lot of their members are here, and vice versa.

Hmm...this story looks familiar...I wonder where did I read something like this before....


Paladinoras, have you ever post similar story at other site as well?

Oh yeah, I posted it in AnimeSuki and Sakurahana as well. The one in AnimeSuki is under the Fan Creations section, so perhaps you saw it there. Not as many views though, there are a lot of threads in AS for fan-made stuff so mine is kind of pushed back xD

don't worry pally is not coping any other's work

btw pally I printed a copy of this so I will read it later D:

Err, thanks for the compliment? XD

SH ?

Oh, Sakurahana.com, it's a forum quite like AS. A lot of their members are here, and vice versa.

Chapter 2 – Chocolates? No way!

Spoiler: Chapter 2 part 1

February 8th, 10:45 AM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka, Shizuoka District

A month has passed since that faithful day in January where Kazuhiko had assigned me to a task he deemed impossible. To make Natsumi Hinata, potentially the most beautiful girl in my class, my girlfriend, and before the end of the June no less as if the task is not incredibly arduous already.

Either that or I would have to serve his sad ass for one whole month.

Well, hell would freeze over before I’d even think about becoming his personal bitch, so I am chasing after her, for better or for worse.

And so far, the task does look impossible.

It’s not that she’s cold, or unfriendly, or evil, or cold. Wait, did I say cold already? Well, either way, she’s not, so don’t get the wrong impression. It’s just that she has this….unexplainable, untouchable aura around her. Everytime I tried to approach her and strike up a conversation, it feels like there are daggers pointed at me, ready to kill me the moment I say my first word. Maybe this is why that even Kazuhiko would be intimidated by her?

One thing’s for sure though…at this rate, I am so screwed.

But heyy, six days and it’s Valentine, the holy lovers day or something, right??? Maybe something good will come out of that day! Yes, yes, must be optimistic now!

I was meditating deeply concerning this matter during lunch today, and as usual, Kazuhiko was there to give me a second opinion.

“Holy lovers day? Boy, are you high on crack or something?” Kazuhiko responded when I told him about my plans for Valentines.

….Okay, not exactly the answer I was expecting.

“I’ll tell you what Valentine’s all about, dude, it’s about…THE CHOCOLATES!” Kazuhiko explained dramatically, waving his hands in the air. “I mean, let’s just face the facts right here and now man, chocolates are a rare commodity around these part, and Valentines is the only day when I can use my god-given talent to full use!”

I suppose by talent he meant a defective brain.

“Girls on Valentines will do their very best to buy, and or, even better, MAKE chocolates for guys all around the world, and it is only fair for us to APPRECIATE their effort and accept those chocolates….and sell them on the internet soon after!” Kazuhiko continued, sounding more and more like a deranged Adolf Hitler.

“…I am pretty sure that’s called exploitation.” I replied, bursting his bubble.

But he was not to be denied.

“NONSENSE!” He exclaimed loudly. “I mean, if someone gives you a present, and then you give it back, no matter for what reason, it’s impolite, right?! Chocolates are basically the same, I mean, there is this girl, who’s feelings are so strong for you that she would spend hours to get you that perfect chocolate, and you are gonna say NO? Who does that, really??!!”

“I am not so sure that selling those “perfect” chocolates is their idea of getting appreciated.” I rebutted his statement.

“Oh comeeee on, you have to look at the bigger picture here man!!” Kazuhiko argued. “I mean, okay, I sell their chocolates now, but I am gonna spend it on them again when I take them out on dates, right?? I am just circulating the money around to benefit the economy here!”

“Oh, whatever, it’s no use arguing with you and your crazy theories” I replied, exasperated. “I’m leaving now, see ya around.”

As I stood up and walked towards the canteen door, I can still hear his voice reaching out to me.

“YOU ARE ONLY DENYING IT CAUSE YOU KNOW IT’S THE TRUTH!!”

February 14th 2009, 6:30 AM, Shizuoka High, Shizuoka, Shizuoka District

And so the fateful day arrives. The weather has improved significantly since last January, the winter sky starting to disperse in favor of the spring sun. A sign of things to come, perhaps?

I certainly hope so; I need a bloody miracle if I wanna pull this off.

So what are my plans for this day you ask?

Absolutely NOTHING! I am just gonna let the winds of fate do their jobs. Not like there is much else I can do anyways, hell, I can’t even TALK to her, let alone give her a box of chocolates… And I am dead broke anyways, Kazuhiko had a point when he said that chocolates are a rare commodity, they are freakishly expensive! I didn’t even have enough money left in my wallet to buy a Snicker bar…

And as I walked into my classroom, looks like fate doesn’t like me much. In fact, I’d say it is giving me the proverbial middle finger. As you’d all know by now, my seat is placed directly beside Kazuhiko’s…who is a serial dater. In fact, serial dater would be an understatement, more like a chaining machine-gun dater.

Valentine’s Day Translation: Chocolate Rain

That was not an exaggeration, merely an expression of truth. His desk was filled with so many chocolates that you can’t even see the bloody desk. Heart-shaped, normal shaped, dog-shaped (yes, those exist, apparently), about every single possible variety of chocolate seemed to be present there. None of my classmates seemed to be surprised in any shape or form; Kazuhiko’s reputation precedes him abundantly.

Kazuhiko, however, did not look happy at all. He stared pensively at the enormous pile of cocoa in front of him. “What’s the matter, bro, thinking about how the hell are you gonna bring all these chocolates home?” I asked him jokingly. “This…this is terrible.” He muttered, almost inaudibly. “Wow, too much even for you, huh? Well, no worries, I’ll help to take some of this home with me!” I replied, not sure if I am supposed to be comforting a man who got more chocolates than a freakin factory. He suddenly turned around and looked at me in the eyes, his face painted with a severely pained and depressed expression. Suddenly, he grabbed my shirt and started yelling at me.

“DON’T YOU GET IT?? THIS IS NOT ENOUGH!!!”

“YOU CRAZY BASTARD, HOW THE HELL IS THAT NOT ENOUGH?” I yelled back at him, in an equally, if not louder voice.

“I-I-I…got 54 chocolates last year, Ken…this is…this is”

“THAT’S A CRAPLOAD MORE THAN 54, YOU OVERZEALOUS PRICK!”

“IT’S ONLY 68!!! 60 FRIGGING 8!! I EXPECTED 80, AT THE BARE MINIMUM!!!”

“YOU PSYCHOTIC MORON, HOW THE HELL CAN YOU GET 80 CHOCOLATES?? YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW 80 GIRLS!”

“SO WHAT??? MOST OF THESE CAME FROM PEOPLE I DON’T KNOW ANYWAYS!!!”

…..Our stupid banter continued for another 2 minutes or so, until I realized that our conversation was about as productive as trying to revive a dead horse. I kicked some of the chocolates that had rolled from Kazuhiko’s table to mine away and sat down. As usual, there were 3 boxes of chocolate in my desk. One from my sister, one from the lead vocalist of my band, and one from someone who has given me chocolates repeatedly for the past three years, but has never talked to me in person. Feels kinda weird to have an admirer, but whatever.

Speaking of my band, I haven’t jammed with them in a while… maybe I’ll do that in the weekend.

I leaned back in my seat and scanned the classroom for Natsumi. And as usual, she was sitting in her seat, directly in front of the whiteboard. Come to think of it, does she study a lot? Kazuhiko said her GPA is 9.1, does that make her some kind of study freak or something? From what I can see, all she does during class is space out and stare blankly at the windows... strange. Oh, and of course, she looks gorgeous today, her face basking in the morning sun. How can a girl that cute and pretty have a traumatizing past..?

Actually now that I think about it, I accepted Kazuhiko’s challenge…, but if I actually, by some heavenly miracle, manage to make her my girlfriend…

Then what?

Honestly, while I find her to be irresistibly attractive and cute, I know next to nothing about her. Don’t relationships require more than just physical attraction to work? For better or for worse, I am going to get to know her better, and not for some stupid bet I made with my friend 7 years ago, but simply cause I find her… interesting.

With that thought, in mind, I inhaled deeply and prepared myself for what was surely going to be a great school day!

7 hours later…

“I HATE SCHOOL!” I yelled out loudly, slamming my bag down on my desk. “I mean, COME ON, a surprise test on SATURDAY? And at VALENTINE’S? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?” Kazuhiko didn’t give a retarded reply as usual, his face incredibly grim and forlorn. Ever since this morning, he has been muttering “more more more” repeatedly, like a broken tape recorder. “Gee, you sure have a great timing for knowing when to shut up.” I commented sarcastically. I think he muttered something along the lines of “shut up, peasant” as a response. Seeing that he is not gonna be the best conversational partner right now, I decided to leave him alone and headed towards my favourite spot in the whole school.

I climbed what seemed to be a million steps before I managed to reach the exit door leading to the roof. I am not really sure why I like the roof, maybe cause it’s so deserted and barren, plus I get a real good view of the city from there. And it seems like I was not the only one who thought so, since someone was already there ahead of me.

And that person was none other than Natsumi Hinata.

Holy crap, has lady luck finally developed a thing for me?

 

[KiraWing]

Its been a while since I've spent some time reading your stories pala. A nice change from all the textbooks and notes.

This story is more or less like the typical VN. So far the story is interesting. I'm anticipating the next chapter. I wanna see how things develop. From the looks of things, this story had been left alone for quite some time. >.< Well, I'm not the one who should be saying this, seeing that I've dropped mine. Hope u can continue this when u have the time.

 

[FornaX2009]

as kazuhiko was saying "more, more, more"
i want to read more of your story!
^^,

 

[Paladinoras]

Wow I'm impressed...even with no new chapters this thing still managed to accumulate 1.5k views xD

Well, I'll be honest and say that I don't visit AS a lot, but I'll try to update this thread as much as I possibly can.

Chapter 2 part 2: Chocolates? No way!

Spoiler: Chapter 2 part 2

February 14th, 2009, Shizuka High Rooftop, Shizuoka Prefecture

Ever since I joined this school, slightly more than a year ago, I have always taken a liking to the roof. Can’t really explain why, maybe I am just weird that way… Eitherway, for the past year or so, everytime I feel depressed or need a change of pace, my escape will always be the roof. It’s just…so peaceful up here, if you are lucky, you may just be able to hear the distant sound of birds chirping in the morning. The view is amazing too. The school is located at the center of Shizuoka City, and the building itself is pretty damned tall, so you can pretty much see everything Shizuoka has to offer from here. And don’t even get me started on the sunset; it’s practically one of the most romantic places a high school guy can take a girl too. Of course, I do plan to take a girl up here too, someday in the future.

But looks like fate pressed the fast forward button, cause the girl I admire, Natsumi Hinata, is already standing there, in the roof, alone. I am not sure why, but the peaceful, serene atmosphere up here seems to suit her completely. A gentle breeze passes and she closes her eyes, enjoying the chilled winter wind, her hair fluttering in the wind. Such a simple gesture…and yet, I find it bloody attractive.

So now, I am in a moral dilemma. Do I talk to her? Do I not? What if I talk to her and she ends up hating me? But then again…what if this is a god-given chance for me to talk to her and get closer?!! But then again, Kazuhiko did deem her mentally unstable…probably I am gonna say the wrong thing anyways, no matter what I say… and she isn’t Miss Congeniality 2009 either… Oh god, what do I doo???

Then, my cellphone rang. I put it on silent mode, so it just vibrated annoyingly in my pocket. “Urrghh, who could it be, I am in a moral dilemma here…” I muttered quietly, flipping the lid of the DoCoMo phone over and quickly looked at the new text message.

<From: Kazuhiko>
<Don’t be such a ****** go and talk to her NOW! Or have you finally resigned to your fate as my servant?>
<Message end>

What the…how did he know?? I scanned my surroundings, searching for a sign of his presence…. But there was nothing. What, is Kazuhiko secretly a psychic ninja guy or something?? Nevertheless…his message snapped me back to reality, this is indeed a great chance, and I certainly shouldn’t waste it. I drew in a deep breath and walked towards the guardrail Natsumi is leaning against.

“Uhh, hello there” I said casually.

Natsumi nearly jumped up at that simple statement, she quickly turned around and faced me, visibly shocked.

“Wh-who are you?” she asked frantically.

Okay, this is a great start…

“Oh, my name is Kenichi Yamazaki…your classmate.” I replied, trying not to sound stressed, which I am. Excessively.

“Oh, right” she muttered quietly, and thought about my statement for a while. “Ahh!! The guy sitting three rows behind me, right?”

“Uhh, no, that’s Kazuhiko Toyama, he sits next to me”

“Ahh, really? Oh well, close enough” she said nonchalantly, and turned around again, staring into space blankly.

…Well, okay, that was not very productive.

“So…uhh, what are you doing up here?” I asked her, attempting to start up a conversation.

“Hmm, well…I was bored down there, plus, I am tired of boys running up to me and giving me chocolates and stuff, so I decided to go the most secluded place in this whole school…the roof” she explained calmly, her voice level.

“Ahh, I see..”

“How about you?” She turned around and faced me. “Running from the mobs of girls chasing after you?”

I laughed meekly at her statement. “No chance in hell, nobody is chasing me…except maybe if I owe some girls money and I forgot to pay…”

Natsumi chuckled at my response. “Well, you have a good life then. No annoyances. So, what are you doing in the roof then?” she inquired calmly.

“I…just like the place.” I answered, leaning against the same guardrail as her. “It’s peaceful up here…relaxing.”
Oh my god, did I really just say that???!!! I must’ve sounded like a complete airheaded retard!!!!

But apparently Natsumi didn’t think the same way, because she just smiled. First time I have ever seen her smile, I think…and I can assure you that the scene is forever etched into my mind. It was…majestic, like seeing a rare flower bloom for the first time.

“You’re interesting, Yamazaki-kun, most boys will never say that… I like you” she coolly stated, sincerely smiling at me.
I remembered seeing a documentary about how to tell whether a tomato is adequately ripe or not by the shade of red it possesses. The colour of my face right about now should be similar to that of an over-ripe tomato covered in blood.
I quickly looked away, trying to regain my composure. What’s left of it, at any rate.

Natsumi laughed heartily at my reaction. “Ahahaha, you are such an innocent boy, you know that? Your face looks like it’s been put in a microwave oven for too long!”

“Sh-shut up, it’s not my fault.” I retorted, embarrassed. Extremely so.
“Ohh, acting all defensive, now are we? How nice~~~”

“Gahhhh, quit toying with me!!”

“But it’s so much funnnn!!” she said in a rather mean voice, and suddenly placed her face in front of mine, so I am forced to look at her face.

Well, okay, not exactly a bad thing, in fact, it was a great thing. But still…

“I can’t believe that such a good-looking guy like you is dateless on Valentine’s though” she uttered jokingly, looking into my eyes, a mischievous grin plastered across her face.

If it is humanly possible for a human head to explode, I am pretty sure mine would have, right there and then. As it stands, it just became really, really, really, really, red. It’s like the blood vessels in my cheeks are burning.

“Q-q-quit it!! Don’t say crazy things like that, Hinata-san!” I frantically exclaimed, not sure if I am supposed to be happy or disturbed. One thing is for sure though….this is extremely humiliating.

“Ahahahaha” Natsumi laughed with gusto, doubling over, tears beginning to form on the edge of her eyes. “Okay, sorry, sorry, Yamazaki-kun, it was just too much fun, but you really are innocent, you know?”

I ignored her statement and shifted my gaze at the spectacular Shizuoka skyline.

“Beautiful” I muttered. Even after a year and a half, I am still amazed by the view everytime I come up here.

“Hmm, yeah, it is, isn’t it? Especially Mount Fuji over there” Natsumi pointed at perhaps Japan’s most iconic mountain ever, which can be easily viewed from our current place.

“Not as much as you though.” I commented without thinking, saying the first thing that came to mind.

Wait, what did I just say?

Hmm.

AHHHH, DAMNNN, DID I JUST SAY WHAT I THINK I SAID???? CRAP, NATSUMI IS SO GONNA GET PISSED NOW!!! SHIT!

However…if Natsumi was bothered by that offhand comment I just made, she didn’t show it. She just looked at me, a bemused expression on her face. “Thanks, I guess…” she murmured softly, turning to face the Shizuoka skyline.
Damn, I think she was really offended… Should I say sorry or something..? But wasn’t that a compliment…? Should I really be saying sorry for that? Won’t that make her even feel more offended… OH MY GODDDD, WHY DID I SAY THAT JUST NOWWWWWW, NOW MY CHANCES ARE BLOWN TO BITS!!! I buried my head in my hands, and probably would have stayed there for the next hour or so, berating myself, had Natsumi not patted me in the back.

“Helloooo, Yamazaki-kun, you still alive?” she called out to me.

Oh god, here comes the overspill. She is so gonna kill me… at least make it painless!

I slowly detached my head from the palm of my hands and slowly looked up, turning my head to face her, preparing to get a slap or some other kind of brutal physical punishment, my eyes half-closed.

But Natsumi surprised me yet again, for all she did was stuff a chocolate bar into my mouth. Well, half of a chocolate bar, to be exact. The other half was in her mouth, and she looked like she was savoring the flavor of it thoroughly

“I can’t possibly finish this whole bar on my own, so take that half as a get-to-know-me kinda present.” She said casually, grinning sheepishly.

So there I was, standing like an idiot, half a chocolate bar dangling from my mouth, which really helps the idiot image, by the way, but you know what?

Today was the best Valentine’s Day…ever.

 

[Pinkylicious]

hello, paladinoras! if you have sometime, why don't you hang out in the lpw thread at the spam section? There you'll meet more of the ASF staff and active members. I'm sure you'll enjoy some chitchat there. :) hope we'll hear more from you!^^

 

[Paladinoras]

Ahh, the LPW. I have fond memories of those xD

I'll try my best to go there, but well, I just have bad forum management skills xD

 

[FornaX2009]

:4e5dd44a:Super interesting!
More Please!:074:
^^,

 

[Paladinoras]

Chapter 2.75 – When In Doubt, Jam

Spoiler: Chapter 2.75

February 27th 2009 14:35 PM Somewhere in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka

“Is there still a long way to goo?? I am tireed!!!” The shrill voice of a girl broke the silence that has accompanied me ever since I walked off the subway station. “Yeah, yeah, you can see it from here…sides, you aren’t even carrying ANYTHING, why the hell should you be tired?!” I replied indignantly, glaring at her. “Oh come on, now, you can’t seriously expect the lead vocalist to carry any equipment now, can you? What if I suddenly lose my voice?” She answered back, her voice devoid of guilt. “How the hell can carrying your own guitar make you lose your voice???!!” I argued.

“Oh, cut it out, you two, you sound like my mom and dad when it’s his payday” A voice spoke out from behind me. “But she’s being lazy! And unappreciative too! You understand, right, Hitomi?!” The girl in question, Hitomi Yamazaki, my little sister, just smiled calmly, not saying anything. “Don’t bring your sister into this, Ken, that’s not fair.” The voice spoke out again. “Gee, for a drummer, you sure ain’t hot-blooded enough” I muttered. The owner of the voice was a ridiculously fit 16 year old man named Yukimura Tanaka. My drummer. “Pschh, and for our lead guitarist, you sure ain’t talented enough.” He retorted, not missing a beat.

“Overfitnessed dude. All brawn no brains”

“Asian Hendrix wannabe”

“Asian Schwarzenegger fail”

“Oh, I think that’s the place!” My vocalist suddenly interrupted us before Yukimura could come up with a response. “Oh, yeah, good point, it is indeed, come on then.” I led my band forward as I walked in to a medium sized, two storey building, which looked quite ordinary, except for an oversized, neon-lighted sign in front which said “ROCK HOUSE SHIZUOKA”. The interior of the place is honestly, quite weird. The walls are padded with some kind of purple sound-insulating material, and there are dozens of rooms inside with various different bands jamming inside. “The theme is weird, but I guess this place is not so bad.” My vocalist gave her sign of approval. I turned around and faced her. “I believe that’s the first time you ever said that about the places I have chosen, Natsumi” She ignored my statement and walked towards the nearest empty room, placing an order to rent the room for two hours. The rest of us followed soon after.

Within 10 minutes, all of our equipments have been adequately set up, with Yukimura slightly displeased with the drum set provided by the studio. Hitomi and her two colored Sunburst Fender Jazz Bass stood silently, awaiting my mark. Natsumi, my vocalist/second guitarist with her custom pink coloured Fender Stratocaster impatiently waited for me as well. But of course, perfection takes time… I slowly took out my most prized possession, my three-coloured Gibson Les Paul Florentine electric guitar. Oh god, I love it so much, I don’t think that I can love a human baby more than I love my guitar.

“Hurry up already, we are not paying for this session with leaves ya know.” Yukimura spoke out from behind me. “Patience, young padawan.” I muttered, carefully holding the guitar and wrapped the strap around my shoulder, holding it in place. “Ok…ready. What song do you wanna play first?” I asked around. “Uhh, my vote goes to Rolling Star. YUI’s songs are never wrong.” Yukimura gave his opinion. “No wayyyy, that song is way too hardcore to start a session with, I suggest Fragile by Every Little Thing first!” Natsumi argued. “I….I’d like to play Muffler instead…that song is touching.” Hitomi quietly commented.

“Well, it is a nice song, but way too slow!!!”

“Mehh, Rolling Star is too heavy and Muffler is too slow, what the hell is right then? Fragile is not exactly slow either ya know.”

“Yeahh, but..”

“SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!” I suddenly yelled out, my headache gradually being amplified at the sound of those two bickering. “If you guys can’t decide, then I very well will, we are gonna play Mou Hitotsu no Yoake.” I stated plainly. Natsumi and Yukimura muttered a few words, pretty sure I can hear Hitler and Stalin…, but grudgingly accepted nonetheless.

“Okay, ready… GO!” I turned on the amplifier and placed my hand in a modified F chord position.

And Natsumi sang.

Kaban no naka ni wa itsudemo
Daisuki na shiro no KYANDI
Masshiro ni suki tootte
Amai amai jikan sugiru
Mabushikute utsukushii no ni
Dokoka kanashii iro de tokete
Aa natsukashii itsuka no toki no you ni

Sagashitemo mitsu kara nai
Hoshi katta jibun wa doko he itta no

Kurayami ga kowakute me wo tsubutte hashitta
Nigeteru dake no hibi ga kokoro wo kakushite itta
Sakebi tsuduketa yo “Nee ima doko ni iru no?”
Ushiro wo furimukeba “Koko ni iru yo” to waratteta
Kakushite ita no wa hoka no dare demo nai watashi

You know, I’ll never tell her, but everytime I see Natsumi sing, a little part of me dies inside, out of pure admiration for her voice and energy. She is quite the beauty as well…so staring at her might not be so good for my guitarplay…

Kyou mo umaku waraeta no ni
Naze umaku nake nai no
Namida wa ikiba wo nakushi fukaku fukaku shizundeku
Kotoba nado imi ga naito
Kuchibiru tsuyoku kami shimetemo
Kitto kotoba shika tsutaeru sube wa nakute

I stole a glance at Hitomi. My little sister has always been a bit on the shy, weak side, so I was kinda surprised she decided to pick up bass as her instrument. Looks like I worried for nothing however, she seems to be totally absorbed.

Dare yori mo saki ni ima
Mitsuketa hoshi hitotsu nagarete kieta

Yukimura…was well, Yukimura. Not much else to say about that.

Nakusu no wo osorete
Muchuu de nigirishimeta
Te no hira hiraita toki
Nanimo nokotte inakute
Douka oshiete yo “Naze nakushite shimau no?”
Kokoro ga ima kotaeta “Mou ichido sagasu tame nanda”

Natsumi paused, which only means one thing. Solo time.

Oh hell yeah, my fingers started flailing wildly on the 6 strings of my guitar, making wonderful sounds… It was pretty addictive.

Natsumi strummed on her guitar once, a sign for me to stop, and her voice rang out again.

Kurayami ga kowakute me wo tsubutte hashitta
Nigeteru dake no hibi ga kokoro wo kakushite itta
Sakebi tsuduketa yo “Nee ima doko ni iru no?”
Ushiro wo furimukeba “Koko ni iru yo” to waratteta

Mou sugu yoake ga kuru yo
Kakushite ita no wa hoka no dare demo nai atashi

“Now that’s what I’m talking about guys, awesome!” I complimented all of them. “Nacchan, great vocals, as usual, Hitomi, you are getting better and better with that bass, and Yukimura…well, you are your usual self, not much else I can comment on that” The rest of the band nodded, and we continued jamming into the day, having the most fun I’ve had in a while.

Right now, nothing matters. School, Natsumi Hinata, Kazuhiko’s stupid bet, grades, screw all of them, it’s just the music and me now.

February 27th, 18:25 PM, Togakushi Soba Ramen Shop, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka

“Heyyy, I wanted that!” Natsumi yelled out as I grabbed the last gyoza left on the plate. “You snooze, you lose, darling.” I calmly replied, inserting the gyoza into my mouth. Natsumi’s arm suddenly shot out, clamping the gyoza between her chopsticks right as I was about to swallow it, pulling it towards her. I held on, pulling on the gyoza with my chopsticks as well. It was a tug-of-war now, neither of us backing down. Then she suddenly glomped the gyoza whole, swallowing it while still attached to my chopsticks. “Urrghh, that’s not fair!” I complained. “You snooze, you lose, darling.” Natsumi returned my words, relishing the gyoza.

“….That has to be the weirdest form of spoonfeeding I have ever seen in my life.” Yukimura commented, his eye twitching slightly. “You guys…look kinda cute together.” Hitomi smiled serenely, giving her completely embarrassing opinion while looking incredibly innocent. “WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT!!” The both of us screamed in unison. Both of Yukimura’s eyes are twitching now. “Get married already” He muttered. The rest of our night was pretty much destroyed after that.

February 27th, 21:34 PM, Minami-cho, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka

And so now, I find myself walking Natsumi home for some unexplainable reason. (“Don’t be an idiot, I’ll take Hitomi home, you go walk Natsumi home, k? Bye”)

…Yukimura, you are so gonna pay for this.

But I guess this ain’t so bad, I mean, I’m only being a gentleman, right??? Nothing else to it. Yup, nothing, totally.

“You know, in a way, this is a kinda romantic.” Natsumi suddenly spoke out.

Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing……

“This is the first time you have ever walked me home ya know, usually you just run off with Hitomi.” She continued. Even in the dark moonless night sky, I can still feel her warm smile. “Well, I guess your sister does take a higher priority compared to me, so I can’t really complain.”

I remembered giving a very charming and witty response, something along the lines of “Uhh…”

“Still,” She suddenly jumped in front of me and looked at me straight in the eyes. “This makes me happy.” The radiance from her pure smile was enough to light up the whole block.

“Ahh…yeah, glad to hear that” I managed to say, and thankfully, before she managed to say anything else, we reached her house.

“Owwhh, too bad, I was hoping I get to spend more time with Ken-chan. Oh well, thanks for today!” After saying that, she ran into the house immediately. What a freakishly energetic girl, I thought to myself. And speak of the devil, she came running back out again. “Oh yeah, I forgot something!” She exclaimed suddenly.

Oh god, I saw this scene before one of those soppy doramas my mom loves, this is the part where the girl kisses the guy good night, right? Oh damn, I don’t think I can stand this enormous pressure, I mean, she is pretty and all, but…

“Well, hurry up and give it over then!” Her impatient voice suddenly interrupted my train of thought.

Oh my god, she’s asking for it, is this supposed to really happen? Isn’t the girl supposed to make the first move or something, I-I-I don’t have the experience, I mean, this pressure is too great for one man to handle, how the hell does Kazuhiko do this all the time?? The pressure, oh god, the pressure, what if I disappoint her and make the wrong move or something, then I am gonna have to find a new vocalist and ….

“HELLOO, anybody there?? My guitar please!” She suddenly yelled out, tapping my forehead with her fingers.

Oh.

“S-s-sorry, here ya go” I muttered, almost inaudible, and handed her guitar over.

“Thanks for carrying this around for me, must’ve been heavy.”

“Uhh..yeah, no problem.”

Then she did the unimaginable, she went ahead and kissed me.

Well, on the cheek, but a kiss is a kiss.

Winter has barely passed me by, but my face is already heating up like the summer sun.

She laughed loudly and ran back into her house, carrying her Fender Stratocaster like it’s weightless.

Gotta love my band.

 

[Paladinoras]

Chapter 3 – When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom

Spoiler: Chapter 3

March 7th 2009, 10:03 AM, Shizuoka Central Park, Shizuoka

The coldness of winter has come and gone, and now, the warmth and beauty of spring approaches. Season of love, eh… Will it hold any wonderful surprises for me?

Well, it certainly seemed that way by the start of March. After our rather”interesting” meeting in the roof on Valentine’s, I have somewhat gotten closer to Natsumi Hinata, got her number and e-mail after all, and it doesn’t seem like she holds any ill feelings towards me….so I am kinda optimistic heading towards spring. But of course, it’s incredibly hard to be optimistic when you have more homework to do in one week than about a million other Japanese high school students have to do in a month. As usual, most of it came from my mentally unstable, all-hating Mathematic teacher, Shikanosuke Majima.

Ever since I started my sophomore year 6 months ago, I instantly took a disliking to him. His mere presence is enough to send shivers down my spine. The way he dresses, the way he talks, the way he teaches….I hate everything about it. Him being perpetually dressed in a disgusting purple suit reminds me of Barney the Dinosaur, his over, and I do mean OVER-gelled hair probably has enough oil in it to support a small country for a month, and don’t even get me started on his face. It always had this mocking, annoying expression, and his teeth was too large to fit in his mouth, so it ended up jutting out, making him look like a possessed human-rabbit thing. Oh, and the best part, he hates teenagers. To the core.

“Gah, springtime is the time for love my foot! All of you kids disgust me with your “mini-skirts” and “harajuku style” crap! I think that you girls are showing so much skin that you might as well be naked!! And what’s with you men! Quit slouching around, sitting like you don’t have a backbone! Have you people no shame! Oh gods, the current generation of Japanese are such degenerates!” He once ranted to us when my friend asked him why he can’t cut us some slack during spring.

So basically, his way of “contributing” to society at present is to give us so much homework that we won’t have time to date each other.

Well, he can rot in hell, cause I am meeting Natsumi at the park today. For some unexplainable reason, she mailed me yesterday saying that she wants to meet up. I was so overjoyed that I forgot to ask why. Honestly, I didn’t care why, as long as I get to spend some time with her, but everything happens for a reason, right? Eitherway, I am already waiting at the park, sitting at a bench, waiting patiently for her. The sakura, or cherry blossoms have slowly began to bloom, although not completely just yet. Occasionally, a stray sakura petal will float by me, without a care in the world. It was a nice scene.

But it was missing one vital piece… Where the hell is Natsumi?!!! We promised to meet here at 9:45 am, but she still hasn’t materialized, and it’s past 10 already!! Am I getting stood up?!!

Thankfully, while I was angsting and beginning to feel rather insecure, she appeared, panting loudly. “Sorry for the lateness” she said quickly, out of breath. “Ohh…uhh,, it’s ok, I just arrived here anyways” I lied. “Oh, good then, I missed the train coming here…so I had to take the bus, but then I took the wrong bus, and I had to run all the way here.” She explained. “It’s all good, I barely noticed you were missing!” I gave a rather unconvincing grin to make my statement more believable. However, the statement didn’t have the desired effect, as instead of being happy, she pouted. “Meh, am I that unimportant?” She sulked. “No, no, not what I meant, you are very important to me!” I stuttered, only realizing what I had just said 5 seconds after I had said it. Natsumi laughed loudly, and it’s obvious that she was toying with me all the way.

“Anyways” I quickly said, trying to stop myself from getting even more humiliated. “What did you want to meet up here for?”

Now, I am not gonna lie here, I have about 40 different ideas revolving in my head about why she would want to meet up in a Sakura filled park in the early stages of spring. Most of the ideas point to one thing and one thing only… A ROMANTIC DATE!!!! The other plausible idea is that she is a psychopathic serial murderer and that she has summoned me here to be her umpteenth victim…but I think I can safely say that won’t happen.

Well, I hope not.

“Umm…well, how do I really say this…” She started, scratching her cheeks, slightly blushing. Cute. “I need you to help me with something rather important here, Yamazaki-kun.”

“What is it?” I asked calmly, although deep inside, my heart is beating faster than a rabbit’s as all the possibilities of the moment runs through my head. Being so coy, eh, Natsumi, calling it help and whatnot, but I know what you really want!!!

Then…she took out a big plastic bag, and handed it to me. “Help me do my homework please!” She said loudly to me, bowing down.

Oh.

“Ehh…well..” I stammered, unable to formulate a decent answer. This scenario didn’t exist in my head! What is this?!!! Didn’t she have a GPA of 9.1 or something???!! Why the hell would she need my help??? With those thoughts circulating in my brain, I was fully prepared to tell her that there is no chance in hell that I am gonna waste my extremely rare day off to help her do some bloody homework…but right then and there, she played her trump card.

Now, I am sure most of you have heard the phrase “puppy-dog eyes”, which refers to a person giving some sort of pleading, cute look to try and entice someone to do something. Well….Natsumi’s is more of a “thousand-puppy-dog-eyes” look. It is so freakishly cute that I don’t think any man in this world would have the mental strength necessary to refuse her. And I sure as hell don’t have the required amount of mental strength…so I ended up nodding repeatedly, mumbling ‘ok, ok’ looking very much like an idiot. Again.

March 7th 2009, 12:43 AM, Shimizu Sushi Yokocho Shops, Shizuoka City

"So are you saying that when x is differentiated, its power will decrease by one.” Natsumi asked. “I guess so.” I responded rather unenthusiastically. Can you blame me? It’s springtime and I am spending it doing differentiation, which is possibly the most boring topic ever invented by mankind. “You could at least PRETEND to sound interested” Natsumi suddenly snapped at me. “Well, SORRRRRRYYYY if I am not exactly psyched up at the thought of doing math on my day off.” I replied testily.

“Didn’t your parents teach you that you should always help out a damsel in distress?”

“Chivalry is dead, and you are not exactly in distress”

“Bahh, you are so insensitive, math is my worst enemy you know!!”

“Didn’t you get 92 on the last test? I’d say you have more things to worry about…”

”Th-that was different! It didn’t have any calculus in it!”

“If you can’t do calculus, why makes you think that I, who have consistently scored lower than you in every single test since the beginning of time, can?”

“Ahh…” Natsumi faltered to answer back. Sensing a breakthrough ahead, I decided to press on. “Don’t tell me, you just called me out here so that you can spend some time with me!” I stated in a joking manner, grinning mockingly. I expected Natsumi to laugh out loud and reply with something along the lines of “No chance in hell”, or “Keep dreaming, buddy”, but instead she averted my gaze, and in a really quiet, near inaudible voice, muttered “So what if I did.”

Eh?

No way.

Nahhh

I must’ve heard that wrong.

Oh, I got it! She is just playing with me again! This is just another one of her tricks, isn’t it? Well, I am not gonna fall for it again!

“You-you’re playing with me, aren’t you? This is all part of a masterful, diabolical plan to make me humiliate myself, right??!!” I stammered, unable to compose myself.

Natsumi sighed, gave me a very annoyed look, and stood up. “Baka” she murmured, and stormed out from the sushi shop.

….Okay, I DID NOT see this coming. At all. So therefore, my natural response was to sit wide-eyed, holding a piece of sushi in front of my mouth. It’s amazing how I can look like an idiot three separate times on the very same day.

Wait, is this supposed to be the part where I am supposed to chase her? And tell her I’m sorry and all that?
But…but, what about my manly pride??? Wouldn’t doing that be incredibly humiliating?? I need to think this through before making rash decisions…

“WELL, AREN’T YOU GONNA COME AFTER ME?!” Natsumi’s voice suddenly rang out. “AND BRING MY BOOKS WITH YOU!”

Okay, decision made, can’t keep a mentally unstable girl waiting now... I quickly picked up all of her books, paid for the food we ordered, and ran out from the shop.

Today’s gonna be a long day….

Honestly I feel that this chapter is a bit rushed, but I'm pleased overall.

 

[xyzapy]

Indeed, it feels a bit rushed but I cannot point what exactly is rushed. Maybe because of the sudden development at the beginning? With that I mean that you should have written how they exchanged numbers and e-mail or something.
Another thing that bothers me a little is that the math teacher feels like he is forced to be in this chapter for the development. I think it would be better if he was mentioned in an earlier chapter.
The rest of this chapter is good in my opinion and thus I too think it is pleasant in general.

Please, don't get me wrong - I like your stories and I hope there will be more.

 

[Paladinoras]

Indeed, it feels a bit rushed but I cannot point what exactly is rushed. Maybe because of the sudden development at the beginning? With that I mean that you should have written how they exchanged numbers and e-mail or something.
Another thing that bothers me a little is that the math teacher feels like he is forced to be in this chapter for the development. I think it would be better if he was mentioned in an earlier chapter.
The rest of this chapter is good in my opinion and thus I too think it is pleasant in general.

Please, don't get me wrong - I like your stories and I hope there will be more.

Ahaha, no, it's just that generally I take around 2 to 3 weeks to write a chapter, this took me 2 - 3 days and personally, I think I missed a few points that I would have like to have added. Well, I'll always have more time to edit it later I guess. To put it simply, this is not quite up to my standards haha

 

[xyzapy]

Oops... Sorry for misunderstanding the rushing part. Hopefully were my comments still a bit helpful despite the fact I got the wrong impression.

 

[Paladinoras]

Chapter 3.75 – Spring Daze

Spoiler: Chapter 3.75

March 21st, 12:25 PM, Togakushi Soba Ramen Shop, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka

“Can’t believe our band is already this old.” Natsumi said in a nostalgic tone. “2 years and 7 months…I honestly never thought that we’d last this long.”

“Yeah, me neither. I guess we have Ken to thank for that.” Yukimura echoed Natsumi’s sentiments. “I mean, sure, I had my doubts, but Ken turned out to be a pretty good leader after all.”

“I was only the leader cause you’re such a lazy ass, Tanaka-san.” I retorted, taking a jab at our band’s oldest, yet most immature, member. Yukimura laughed off my statement. “Oh come on, Ken, it was all part of my five-year plan to let your leadership skills grow! So far, it’s working out beautifully.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, but could you at least help me arrange ONE gig? ONE! I’m not asking for much here!”

“Aww, Ken, now see, I would, but that would be like, totally detrimental to the ‘plan’. And we cannot disturb the ‘plan’.”

“What plan?! Admit it, you’re just lazy aren’t you?! And aren’t you supposed to be a university student this year?!”

“Now now, chill out Ken.” Natsumi interrupted us before Yukimura had a chance to respond to my statement. “We’re here to celebrate our band’s birthday, so just relax and have a gyoza.” After saying that, she immediately stuffed a piece of gyoza into my mouth, nearly choking me in the process.

“Aww, how sweet, you’re spoon feeding the leader of the band. Keep doing that and you’ll move up in the world Nacchan!” Yukimura exclaimed in a mocking tone, a none-too-subtle jab at my relationship with Natsumi.

“Look, I know that you love to think I’m dating her, but fact is, we’re not, so just shut up, mmkay?” I told him in an annoyed tone. I mean, yes, Nacchan is an incredibly cute girl, and I do like her very much, but just not in THAT way. I have no idea why to be perfectly honest, I’d do anything for her, but I just can’t see myself in a proper boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with her. I blame us spending too much time together.

Anyways, as Nacchan had said, all of the members of our band had gathered today at the place where it all started, the Togakushi Soba Ramen Shop. This was the place where all of us had first met and decided that we would form a band, and we developed a strange little tradition to meet here on the 21st of each month to commemorate the founding of our band. Thus, our rather stupid conversation right now which I honestly would rather not have. Nevertheless…

“Aww, look, our fearless leader is miffed.” Yukimura poked fun at me again. “But I mean, you two are meant to be! I mean, you two met romantically by a stroke of fate!”

“And just who told you that, Tanaka-san?” I asked him patronizingly. “I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone the story of how me and Natsumi met.”

“OHOHOHO, is it THAT romantic? Did you save her from a burning building and she decided to dedicate the rest of her life into repaying you the debt of life she owes you?!” Yukimura chattered off excitedly.

“You’ve been watching way too many movies, Tanaka-san.” My sister Hitomi said meekly, reflecting my thoughts flawlessly. “But, nii-san, I don’t believe you’ve told me either how you met Natsumi-neechan… Might telling us now?” Hitomi suddenly asked me a question I’ve been dreading to hear for a while now. I sighed deeply at her words, and said, “Well, it’s nothing special really, I met her at the park and I told her to join us.”

….Awkward silence.

A chorus of responses greeted me, ranging from “That’s not how we met, idiot”, to “Quit lying to me, I’m your goddamn senior!” These people are sure a lively bunch, I hope we don’t attract negative attention now...

“Yeah yeah, okay, calm down, ALL OF YOU!” I snapped at them, trying to shut them up.

“Okkaayyy, so I guess I DID condense that version a teensy, weensy bit, but that’s basically how we met.” I told them honestly, before sighing again. “I guess I’ll have to tell you guys the whole story eh?” Everyone’s heads nodded in agreement.

“Well, I was on my last year of middle school at the time, as I’m sure you all realize.” I started, recollecting the events that transpired all that time ago. “Back then, I was pretty bored with life, and I wanted to shake my life up a little bit, but I wasn’t going to do anything stupid or extreme…so I decided to start a band.”

“Now, as I’m sure you all already know, Tanaka-san there is my good friend Kazuhiko’s distant cousin, so no need to explain how we met. I didn’t want to make one of those new bands with the freaky hair and heavy synthesizer use, I wanted to make an old school band, you know? The usual bassist, drum, and two-guitar combo. Tanaka-san there turned out to be a pretty good drummer, and he was interested, so recruiting him was a cinch.”

“You make it sound like I’m the least talented member of the band!” Yukimura suddenly groaned, cutting me off midway.

“Well…you kinda are..”

“Yeah, I know, just playing with you, keep going!”

“Yes, so where was I?” I continued. “Ah, right, so yes, drummer position is filled, and well, we already have a supremely talented guitarist here.” I paused for dramatic effect. “…yours truly, so we don’t need another one of those.” Natsumi and Yukimura playfully booed at my self-appreciating statement. “Yeah yeah, anyways, at the time I hadn’t really thought about what kind of music we were going to play, so I didn’t really care about our vocalist. So I went on to search for a reliable bassist first. To my great dismay however, it turns out that a large portion of Japanese males in this area are under the impression that the bass is absolutely useless compared to the guitar, which just shows their level of intelligence, but nevertheless, it had the unfortunate effect of me not being able to find any decent bassist…”

“And so, to my great shock!” I pointed at my sister dramatically. “It turns out that my savior had been living in my house all along, eating the same food, watching the same TV, sleeping on the sam—well, okay, we didn’t do that, quit looking at me like that Nacchan!” She had this really disgusted look on her face right now, damn, some people really can’t take a joke. “Yes, so I must admit, I had my doubts when I saw my baby sister holding a bass which is 3/4th her size, but she had practiced so hard that all of my doubts are gone now. Hitomi, you are now one top class bassist. I guess some of my genes passed down to you after all!” I mocked her playfully. My little sister just smiled bashfully and motioned with her hands for me to continue.

“So, ahh, yes, now I needed a vocalist and a second guitarist. But I didn’t really know who had a good voice around this area, and most of the ones that had a good voice were already part of a band. Now, I’ll be honest with you guys, I had wanted a girl vocalist because there’s no chance in hell am I gonna let my sister be the only girl in the group. So, as I was walking along one of the many live houses in Shizuoka, I overheard two guys talking… They were talking about a certain girl who had a beautiful voice, playing her guitar all alone every day on the east side of the Shizuoka Central Park.”

“And that girl was Natsumi-neechan?” Hitomi asked me, assuming that my story was nearing completion. But it wasn’t.

“No I’m afraid, dear sister. Not even close. I did walk to the east side of the park, and I did saw a beautiful girl playing all alone with an acoustic guitar, but I didn’t think that she would be particularly interested in joining our band…”

“Why not?” Yukimura quizzed me. “Was Natsumi the only one who fell for your lame pick-up lines?” Nacchan slapped Yukimura’s arm in response.

“Err…no, actually.” I hesitated for a while. “It’s because that girl was Haruna, you know, the lead singer of SCANDAL? I didn’t think that she’d leave her band for us.”

Everyone turned very silent.

“YOU MET HARUNA AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME???” Yukimura roared. Right, I totally forgot that he is a massive fan of hers. “WHY I OUGHT TO JUST KILL Y—“ He couldn’t finish that sentence as Nacchan clamped one of her hands on his mouth, before turning towards me and ranted on her own. “YOU WERE CONSIDERING ANOTHER GIRL BEFORE ME? WHAT IS THIS, I DON’T EVEN…”

“CALM DOWN YOU RETARDS!” I screamed at them, and that seemed to snap them back to their senses, as Natsumi and Yukimura sat themselves down and began to calm down. “Wait a minute….SCANDAL is based in Osaka, what would they be doing in Shizuoka?” Yukimura suddenly shot me question. I shrugged. “Beats me, I guess they were touring or whatever.”

“Ahh…yeah…” Yukimura mused about it for a while then remained silent.

“Yeah, so anyways, it’s obviously impossible for me to get Haruna, so as I walked around dejectedly in the park, I heard a beautiful song being sung on the more deserted parts of the park, a slow acoustic guitar accompanying the soft, sweet, melodious voice of a girl…”

“So that’s definitely Natsumi-neechan right?” Hitomi asked me again, sure that she was right this time round.

“No, that’s actually my ex-girlfriend.” I answered my sister with a flat tone. Nacchan whacked me across the head immediately afterwards. “Ouch, that hurt! But yeah, I was kidding, that was our” I coughed a little. “VERY wonderful vocalist over here.”

“Oh, what song was Natsumi-neechan singing back then?” Hitomi questioned me yet again, her eyes gleaming expectantly.

“I can’t remember actually…I think it was something she composed herself.” I answered truthfully. “Maybe our awesome vocalist can give us a repeat performance?!” I looked at Nacchan, grinning sarcastically.

“Hmph…” Natsumi scoffed at my request. “Fine, but it’s only because your cute sister there asked for it.” She cleared her throat then began to sing, her voice as beautiful as I can remember from that day oh so long ago:

Monokuro machi no keshiki
Kousaten surechigatte yuku
Dokoka ni wasurete kita
Ano koro no mirai sagashite

Nayamu koto mayou koto ga asu ni tsunagarun da

Itsudemo karenai you ni hikari wo atsumete
Waratte irareru you ni kono mune ni hana wo sakasete yukou

Sekai wo kaeru nante ookina koto janakute ne
Chiisana hibi no koto wo utaitai tada sore dake
Boku dake wa boku no koto wo shinjite agenakucha

Miageta sora no mukou ni te wo no bashite miru
Chiisana kono tenohira ni takusan no yume tsumekonda mama de
Boku dake wa boku no koto wo shinjite agenakucha

Moshi ima irodzuite kita tsubomi da toshite mo
Yukkuri kagayaki nagara ookina hanabira wo hiroge
Itsudemo karenai you ni hikari wo atsumete
Waratte irareru you ni kono mune ni hana wo sakasete yukou

Everyone at the soba shop immediately clapped their hands after she was finished singing. Nacchan’s face turned into a bright shade of red as a result. Heh, even after dozens of stage performances, it is things like these that really make her happy, simple people enjoying her music.

“What’s that song called anyway?” I asked Natsumi afterwards, when everyone was gone. I was walking her home, as expected. (Damn you, you under-developed baboon)

“Hmm…I haven’t really thought of it yet…I think at one point or another I named it Sakune.” She replied, the evening sun shining upon her stunning face.

“Heh…”Blooming Sound”, that’s an appropriate name.” I commented. We walked on for a few minutes in silence, neither one of us knowing what to say.

“In the end…” Natsumi finally struck up a conversation, “you didn’t tell them about the really interesting part about how we met did you?” I grinned ever so slightly.

“That’s…for us to know, and for them to never find out, Nacchan. I hope you don’t mind.”
She gave me a strange look, as if she was contemplating whether I was being nice or mean. I guess she decided I was being nice, as she smiled and said, “Yeah, I guess so. We definitely wouldn’t hear the end of it from Tanaka-san” She laughed dryly.

“Indeed. Well, eitherway…” I stopped walking. Natsumi followed suit, giving me a strange look. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a necklace. It wasn’t any ordinary necklace though, the design was ludicrously simple, a small black string attached to a single guitar pick, and to the average bystander, it wouldn’t appear to be of much value, but I know Natsumi would think otherwise. Before she could react, I draped it over her neck, and as I expected, the necklace suited her perfectly.

“That’s the first guitar pick you used in our first ever live. I hope you don’t mind.” I told her rather uncomfortably. I’ve never been very good at this whole gift-giving thing, especially not to a girl, and especially not to a girl like her. Nacchan looked at the necklace for a while, picking up the guitar pick with her slender fingers, staring at it as if it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen.

“Well, here’s to 2 more years of our band!” I announced quickly and walked away, not wanting prolong the oppressive silence any further.

“Heh…yeah…” I could hear Natsumi mutter softly before she picked up her pace and ran after me.

I’ve said it before, and I’d say it again…

Gotta love my band.

P.S: English meaning of that song:

A white and black view of the city
I had taken a different path to the intersection
I had forgotten the usual path
From that time on, I looked forward to the future

The struggling and the lost
I will lead them to tomorrow
The place that’s always withering
Is where the light will gather

To be smiling always
I will let my heart blossom like a flower

I can never change the world
I’m not that great
I only sing about little things everyday
That’s all

I just have to believe in myself
Looking up at the sky beyond me
I tried to reach out my hand to it
In that small palm
Contains many dreams

I just have to believe in myself
Even now, these colorful buds
While slowing shining, will spread their large petals

To be smiling always
I will let my heart blossom like a flower

 

[Paladinoras]

Chapter 4 part 1 – Birthdays Were Created To Kill My Feet

Spoiler: Chapter 4 part 1

April 6th 2009, 8:45 A.M, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka

“Hoaammm” I yawned loudly as I walked outside towards the school’s outdoor track & field court. Spring was in full flow at the moment, and thousands of Sakura petals were scattered about in the school grounds with thousands more fluttering wildly about in the air. Blissfully romantic, some would say, but the only romance I want to start right now is with the bed in my room. Who is the genius who decided that the first subject of the worst day of the week should be PE anyways? Meh.

After some stretching and basic exercise, my PE teacher, a strongly-built, tanned man in his forties, determined that we would all play basketball as part of today’s lesson. We have 40 people in our class, so all of us had to be divided into teams. I have never been the athletic type, but I have always had a knack for playing basketball, god knows why. I can’t play baseball or football properly, but no one so far has managed to beat me in basketball. Maybe it’s all of the guitar training I did…my fingers are special now!! Anyways, after the teacher has teamed us up, I was appointed as the captain of my squad, consisting of Kosuke Hiroyama, a tall, lanky guy who is deceptively powerful, Shikanosuke Juushiro, a boy with a weak disposition, yet has killer accuracy, Kenji Shimoda…who I know nothing about, and lastly, Dieter Shimazu, a German-Japanese athlete who is the star of the school soccer team…not sure if he is equally dependable for basketball though, but his pace is useful at any rate.

And of course, it just had to happen, but the opposing team is led by none other than Kazuhiko. Now, don’t get deceived by his perfectly manicured nails and overall pretty-boy look, Kazuhiko is one hell of an athlete. Problem is, he never shows it, so the coaches assume that he is what he appears to be: a guy who got rejected by some random boyband. But of course, Kazuhiko is…well, Kazuhiko, he would much rather spend his time chasing after some girl than doing practice runs in a club, so obviously the coaches never gave him a second glance. However, it seems that playing against me gave him some sort of twisted motivation, cause he suddenly asked me if I wanted to make a bet with him for the game.

“What kind of bet?” I asked him, suspicious. “The type that you will probably lose.” He replied cockily, grinning sardonically.

“Hmph, if I am not gonna gain anything from it, then why should I bother doing it?” I stated in an uninterested tone.

“Heh, very well then..” Kazuhiko extended his hand.”If you somehow, by some weird miracle, manage to win, I’ll tell you a very....interesting secret about Natsumi, which would help you quite a bit, I must say.”

Urrghh, damn him, he knows my main weakness.

“Deal” I shook his hand, and briskly walked back to my team’s corner.

The game just got a lot more interesting.

5 minutes later, the game started in the outdoor basketball court. The gentle spring breeze cooled my face, but all I could think about was whether the wind speed is going to affect my shooting. Sad, I know, but it’s for Natsumi! Speaking of which…is she playing? Honestly, I have never seen her perform spectacularly in PE class, although Kazuhiko’s notes suggest that she is a good athlete. After our March encounter, I haven’t talked to her much, it’s just too awkward. Did she indirectly say that she liked me or something? I mean, her attitude seems to imply that, but…

“Hey, captain, mind dribbling the ball already?” Dieter’s deep voice suddenly cut my thoughts short.
Oh right, we are in a game now, better start playing now…

From the beginning of the match, I used an ultra-attacking line-up, with me as point guard, Dieter as Power Forward, Kenji as Small Forward, the tall Kosuke as my center, and the accurate Juushiro as my Shooting Guard. I thought that this was the best possible line-up, as I cannot risk giving Kenji, who again, I know nothing about, a point-getter role, while Juushiro is too easily disrupted as a playmaker. Well, if you want to get things done, you gotta do it yourself, I suppose. “Okay, guys, let’s go!” I yelled out to them, trying to sound encouraging. Strangely, Kazuhiko is not the one guarding me, I guess their captain don’t trust him a lot, instead, a quick, muscular guy who I have never seen before is hounding my every move. Luckily, I have a height advantage over him, so he shouldn’t trouble me too much. I scanned the court for any open players….there! Dieter has broken loose of his defender and is rushing towards the middle. I quickly passed to him, and he swiftly dribbled into the inside post, scoring easily with a lay-up. “Alright guys, beautiful point!” I praised my teammates.

Most people don’t realize this, but the first point in any competitive sport match is very important, as it determines the tempo of the game, as well as the morale of the players. And with a point like that, the opposing team is sure to feel the pressure. Kazuhiko however, just smiled calmly, without a care in the world. Their captain, a pretty close friend of minenamed Nagayuki Sanada who just happens to be the star shooting guard of the school team, also does not seem to be visibly shocked. Well, it’s to be expected, he has had a lot of match experience….but his teammates sure as hell don’t. As long as we keep him contained, I have a legal shot at winning this match. Kazuhiko sure as hell picked the wrong time to make a bet!

20 Minutes Later, Halftime

“Give me more water!” Dieter barked at the waterb—err, girl, who quickly took his bottle and filled it up with water from a nearby dispenser. The teacher’s idea of a joke, make the students who are exempt from PE class due to some illness and whatnot, our helpers. The unfortunate girl who was assigned to my team in this particular moment is Yui Matsuda, the girl who Kazuhiko had said to be a potential girlfriend for me. I had to admit that she moved with a certain elegance about her, every single one of her movements are refined, even if it’s only to fill up the water bottle of an irate German-Japanese dude.

It was currently halftime, and my team had built up a sizeable margin over Kazuhiko’s team, leading 43 – 27. I led the scoring with 14 points while Dieter and Juushiro were tied at 12 points apiece. The scoring on the other team had been pretty lopsided, with Nagayuki taking in 24 points, most of the points they have scored. In fact…he has been carrying the team all the way. Without him, the score would have been substantially worse. Kazuhiko, of course, had played nonchalantly, never holding the ball for more than a few seconds. If he has any plans of winning this bet, he better start stepping his game up.

The third quarter started and it went pretty much the same way as the first and second, with me and Dieter leading the scoring. Nagayuki struggled to bring the score closer, but of course, one man can’t do much against 5, but to his credit, he did score 10 points in the quarter alone. Nevertheless, the gap between us increased, and by the end of the quarter, it was 64 – 42 in our favour. Victory was pretty much assured.

I grinned mockingly at Kazuhiko, who didn’t seem to have broken a sweat at all. He grinned back, and mouthed the words “get ready to lose”. Hmph, even when losing, he hasn’t lost any of his usual obnoxiousness. The piercing sound of a whistle marked the end of the break, and both teams returned to the court. Kazuhiko, for once, looks like he is gonna play seriously. He pulled his rather long hair back, tying it in a ponytail-like-thing, and strapped on red wrist guards.

…..Shit, I have never seen him go wrist-guardy since the 8th grade…he scored 34 points then… in one quarter.

“Guys, mark Kazuhiko tight! Don’t let him out of your sight!” I barked orders at my teammates. “Are you serious? He hasn’t done anything since the beginning of the match, let him be guys, just focus on Nagayuki” Dieter scoffed at me. Blah, being captain of the soccer team has obviously given him some ego problems. “Trust me guys, I know Kazuhiko, he is gonna kill us if you don’t stop him!” I ordered again. My words fell on deaf ears however, as my teammates seem to share the same mindset as Dieter. Damn, this could be trouble.

The fourth quarter started smoothly enough, with Juushiro clinching a three-point shot after a good pass from yours truly, but Kazuhiko’s counter attack was well…scary. We had assigned Kenji, who is the weakest player in our team, to defend Kazuhiko as of course; none of my teammates recognized his true skill. Kazuhiko took the ball, dribbled it quickly between his feet, and drived past him, nailing a jumpshot easily. Kenji was so surprised that he didn’t even move an inch throughout the whole process. “B-beginner’s luck!!’ Dieter stammered, more to comfort himself than anything else, really.

He was equally formidable in defense, as Juushiro dribbled and tried to shoot a three-pointer, Kazuhiko literally grabbed the ball in mid-air, and dribbled back to our side of the court. Dieter raced back, and with his amazing pace developed by years of playing soccer, managed to catch up with him, if only barely. Dieter’s large frame didn’t seem to faze Kazuhiko one bit though, as he charged directly at the basket, not decreasing his speed. Dieter quickly jumped up, attempting to block Kazuhiko’s lay-up. What happened next was a blur, nobody had actually seen Kazuhiko putting the ball into the basket, but in the aftermath, Dieter was lying down on the ground, the ball was in the basket, and Kazuhiko was standing in the middle of it all, unscathed.

“D-did he just knock Dieter down? Th-that was possible?” Juushiro squeaked from behind me. “Apparently so..” I muttered, walking over to Dieter and pulling him up. He had this dazed look on his face, like he didn’t know what hit him. Well, to be fair…he didn’t.

Kazuhiko pretty much went on a rampage soon after that, sinking mid-range jumpshots, driving to the basket and scoring with lay-ups, and even the occasional three-pointers. Even Nagayuki was visibly shocked at his show of skill. We tried triple-teaming him, but then, that left Nagayuki wide open, and he scored easily as well. Before we knew it, it was 84 – 85, with 10 seconds remaining, ball in our court. Kazuhiko had managed to score 32 points, and Nagayuki took in 11 of his own. “Okay, guys…we have one last shot left. Who wants to take it?” I asked my teammates during our timeout. None replied. “Gah, fine, give me the god-damned ball and I’ll make things happen!” I said confidently...well, at least I thought that I sounded confident, I can't really be sure, considering I am running on pure adrenaline right now.

And so it began.

10 seconds, ball inbounded from half-court.

9 seconds, Dieter is carrying the ball, dribbling past his defender rather easily.

8 seconds, Nagayuki popped out, blocking Dieter’s path.

7 seconds, Dieter desperately passed to Juushiro, who is smothered by his defender who is quite a bit taller than him.

6 seconds, Juushiro tries to dribble past his marker and sink a shot. No such luck.

5 seconds, Juushiro desperately shot the ball, almost went in, but instead, it bounced off the inner rim of the basket.

4 seconds, Kosuke rebounded the ball, pushing away the enemy’s center.

3 seconds, Unable to find a shot, Kosuke threw the ball back out, to me.

2 seconds, I drove towards the basket, dribbling past Nagayuki and another player.

1 second, Kazuhiko jumped in front of me, his intention written clearly across his face
.
“AARRRRGGGHHH!!” I yelled, jumping up for a lay-up. “NOT IN A MILLION YEARS, BOY!!!” Kazuhiko yelled back, a crazed look in his eyes, his hands ready to block me. Our two bodies collided. Hard. All of the air in my lungs was forced out by the impact, but with the last bit of energy I could muster, I tipped the ball into the basket, hoping that it goes in as I feel myself falling towards the ground, gravity pulling me.

And it did, barely.

“YEAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!” I screamed out as soon as my lungs regained some air. It’s just a PE game, but screw it, this was the most exciting game I have ever had. Nagayuki smiled bitterly on the other end, displeased that he has lost, but admitting that it was a good game as well.

“Hahahaha, you worked out, didn’t you?” Kazuhiko laughed loudly. “Not bad, I guess I should’ve started playing sooner.”

“Heh, you…. would’ve….. still …..lost” I replied between my gasps for air. Both of us were lying on the ground, neither one of us having enough energy to stand up.

“Dream, on, but well, a bet’s a bet.” Kazuhiko sat up. “Natsumi Hinata’s birthday is on the 22nd of April, so that gives you a 16 day window to prepare something special.” He told me calmly.

“Oh…great, thanks.”

“Don’t get used to it, I am gonna slaughter you next time.”

“Keep dreaming, lover boy”

“My dream is your reality, guitar boy”

We both laughed.

I slowly stood up, my feet still wobbly. My PE T-shirt was completely drenched with my sweat and a little blood, don’t ask me who’s, and my breathing was ragged. Overall, I am in a very sorry state. Dieter came up to me and shook my hand. “Good game, you were a good captain” he said grudgingly. “No problem, man” I replied coolly.

As I walked over towards the locker room, I started to feel a searing pain across my left leg, probably a byproduct of that horrendous fall. The pain was so intense and shocking that for a short moment, I lost control over my left leg. I would have fallen over too, had Natsumi not suddenly caught me. “Wow, you’re kinda heavy.” She commented. “Good game there, Yamazaki-kun, you played beautifully. It was…poetry in motion!”

“Uhh, thanks” I replied, not expecting this at all. And it was rather hard to come up with a reply anyways. Natsumi slung my left arm across her shoulder and put her right hand on my waist, supporting me. Oh god, actual physical contact? I must’ve done something right in my past life or something. As we walked together to the locker room, I could hear some of the more immature boys making some catcalls, but I didn’t care. All of my senses are not functioning properly, but Natsumi’s sweet scent still manages to linger in my head and I can still feel her soft skin brushing against mine.

…Every cloud has a silver lining after all.

P.S

Final Stats:

Kazuhiko Toyama, Small Forward/Shooting Guard – 32 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks
Kenichi Yamazaki, Point Guard – 33 points, 7 rebounds, 14 assists, 3 steals, 1 block.
Nagayuki Sanada, Shooting Guard, 45 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals, 3 blocks
Dieter Shimazu, Power Forward, 24 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 2 blocks
Shikanosuke Juushiro, Shooting Guard, 21 points, 0 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks

 

[DiSa]

Very good. Your story keeps getting more and more interesting. I hope you can continue to post it as fast as possible.

Will be looking forward to it :)

 

[Paladinoras]

Thank you for the kind words ^^

And yeah, I will try to update this as fast as possible but yeah, I wouldn't want to compromise my standards just to dish chapters out quickly ahaha.