𝟶𝟺𝟽: 𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜...

"Akito! Get up! Since we're in America, we should look around!" An jumps on my bed, waking me up. Fuck... what time is it..?

Nine? Huh, I usually wake up earlier than this.

"By the way, Kamishiro and Tenma did give us permission!! Don't go in their room, though." She says, grabbing my shoulders.

I look outside, seeing the view. It's really nice. Today doesn't look cold, so there's no need for my sweater, right?

"You were rolling around and groaning in your sleep. Are you feeling unwell? Or was it a nightmare?" Kohane asks, feeling my forehead. I shake my head, sitting up.

Isn't that embarrassing...

I wonder what caused that.

"It probably had to do with this shithead stealing the blanket all night." I hiss, glaring at An. I thought I was going to get a bed to myself, but she just had to give the pull-out couch to Kohane!

Fuck, just sleep on it together!!

"Be grateful you even got sleep..." Mizuki whines, coming into our room, looking absolutely drained. Oh, right. They pulled the shorter stick to go sleep in the same room as Kamishiro and Tenma.

"Stop laughing!" They shout, throwing a pillow at me. I catch it, sighing.

"Okay. Let me get ready." I say, grabbing clothes and going to get ready.

"Wait, if you're here, does that mean they're..?" An asks, and Mizuki nods immediately. Damn.

Seriously, how much money does Emu have..? She bought us two separate hotel rooms and formal clothes, a personalized driver, and got us into the ceremony!

And on top of that, she only got a warning from her brother apparently. Not even yelled at?! Grounded?!

But you know what, what did I expect from her in the first place..?

°•°•°

Tomorrow is the day. I'm really nervous, what am I going to say first? We're in the area it's being held, so the building is probably about half an hour away.

This is me trying to distract myself from the pain. My arms are getting sore from the weight of these bags.

"Hey, carry your own shit you buy!" I shout at An, causing some people to turn to me. Oh, right.

This is America.

I'm glad Kamishiro and Tenma are sleeping and finally relaxing like they should, but where are they when I need them?!

How is she speaking English so naturally? Didn't she say she failed the exam? Why didn't she help me study for it?! I was ripping my hair out!

"Don't wanna. Oh, I wanna check out that store over there!" She grabs Mizuki's arm, dragging them away. I stare at the nearby bench and sit down.

It's getting darker out. People stare at me as they walk by, but I don't care. Let them look. At least that means I'm gorgeous.

"Um.. excuse me? Sir?" Some girl talks to me, and I look up. She blushes, getting startled.

Okay, but I don't want to be that gorgeous.

"I'm sorry to say this so suddenly, but... D-Do you.. think I could get your number?" She asks, fidgeting with her phone. Oh crap.

"Sorry, I'm taken by someone already." I say, rubbing the back of my neck. She gets surprised but nods and walks away.

Yikes.. I should put a hat on to avoid that kind of attention.

°•°•°

Another half an hour passes, and I'm still on this same bench. It's night outside! Everything's closing!

We've been out for almost five hours! Does she not know how to take a break?! My legs hurt, my arms hurt, and I'm hungry!

Ken, you're spoiling her with that huge amount of cash... Wait, where's Kohane? Shit, I think we lost her.

As soon as I get up to go look for her, someone sits next to me, and I look up. Kohane?

"Oh, you're back." I sigh in relief, sitting back down.

"You're not going to walk around with them?" I ask, but she doesn't seem like she's in a good mood.

She shakes her head, frowning while crossing her arms. Where was she this whole time, though? She's not even carrying any bags. Well, I'd carry them if she was.

"Is something wrong? What's up?"

"Shinonome-kun, has she told you about the fight we had around October?" She asks. I nod. An is gonna be so mad at me for talking about this behind her back.

"Yeah, well, this is part of the reason..! Even though we had a fight, she's still off somewhere getting close to other people that.. I don't like it." She slumps in the bench, pouting. I'd better not tease her right now...

"Really? Even knowing how friendly she is?"

She glares at me. Shit.

"I know, I know.. I just.. I don't know!! Is it because I'm insecure? We've been together for two years. Two years! And she goes and talks about her old crush, sounding like she's still in love with her!" She rambles.

Pause, I'm having a hard time keeping up with what you're saying..!

"I'm sorry. I just want her to look only at me. Like she always has..." Kohane sighs, her eyes growing teary.

I put my arm around her back, patting her shoulder. She's a good kid, I'll just kill An.

"Hey! Get your damn hands off of her!!" I can hear An yell from the distance. I have a bad feeling... I move away quickly and somehow dodge that shoe she threw. Holy.. shit. I look behind me, seeing the dent in the wall.

Today was almost my last day.

"You--! Akito?" She basically jaywalks, grabbing my collar and preparing to beat the shit out of me. But she calms down when my hat falls off.

"Oh, it's just you!" She drops me. Ouch!!

"Sorry, I could barely see you. It's dark outside!" She smiles innocently. I'm gonna kill her.

I can't blame her, though. I probably did look like a creep trying to make a move on her. She's as protective as always.

The two of them make eye contact, but An looks away, flustered. Dude, just apologize.

I grab the bags again, but I hear hiccuping and look up. Kohane's crying?!

"Shit, are you--" I ask, but An grabs me.

"What the fuck did you do to her." She threatens me with the shoe yet again. Dude, what.

"An-chan, you idiot!!" Kohane yells, yelling at her.

"M-Me?!"

"Why are you like this?! You used to always talk to me first, but now it's like I'm just a ghost to you! First you get back in touch and act all friendly with Kiritani, Akiyama--"

"Dang."

"--And worse of all, you keep yapping about your crush from your first year in middle school!! I know you were a kid, but still!! You're suddenly too busy or you run away!" Kohane cries, with her make-up running. Oh, shit. Hold on, I think I have some wipes in my bag.

"Kohane, I--"

"I hate you!! I hate you so much, An-chan!! Drop dead!" She sobs, pointing to the road.

"Right away!" An says, running into the road without a second thought.

"Seriously?!" Mizuki shouts, dropping the bags they brought.

"Get out of there--!" I shout after her, but continue trying to find them.

"Not until she forgives me!" She yells, and then looks up.

"Kohane!! I've been avoiding you because I'm nervous! Whenever I see your gorgeous face, my heart beats really fast, and I feel so happy I could puke!!"

You fucker! Get off the road!!

"I'm sorry I've been too close to Haruka! She's my childhood friend! I'm sorry that Mizuki is so unlikeable--"

"Girl."

"--And I'm sorry I kept talking about your old self!!" She shouts at the top of her lungs. We're drawing so much attention..!

"H.. Huh?" She asks as I wipe her face off.

"You probably don't remember this! But! In my first year, I was really shy. I couldn't look at anyone. I was trying to get home as fast as I could, but then I bumped into you. I apologized, and when I looked up, I saw an angel holding out her hand."

Dude, talk about a fanfiction. Props to Ena for showing me what that was.

"You were so beautiful.. your ponytails and glasses! Adorable! But when you left in such a hurry, I saw you dropped your pen!" An yells, grabbing a pink pen with a fuzzy ball on top from her pocket.

Now that's just creepy.

"And when I finally met you again and became friends with you, it's like God answered my prayers! And the day I confessed to you, I was so nervous even my tits were sweaty!"

Shut the fuck up--!!!

"Kohane, I love you so much, and I'm sorry for causing you all this pain! I'm going to let a car hit me now, so--" An begins to cry, still shouting.

Kohane gets up, drops everything, and runs to An, knocking her over. The two of them hug each other tightly, crying together on the floor. In the road!

"Get over here!!" I yell one last time, and they listen.

Some people around us clap, confused, but still happy for them.

"Great, now let's head back. Carry your own bags." I say, unamused and begin walking back to the hotel. Kamishiro and Tenma aren't going to be happy with us.

°•°•°

"Please!! Switch with me! I can't go another night without sleeping!" Mizuki cries, on their knees begging me. Get up...

"No, I need to rest before seeing the love of my life tomorrow." I say, closing the door.

"Come on! How am I gonna get good pictures in a terrible state?!"

I close the door in their face. Oh well, at least I get the bed to myself.

"Kohane, you're so cute! Seeing your face up closely after all this time is giving me energy!" An squeals, basically choking her.

But she doesn't mind, obviously.

I get into the bed, sighing. I'm so not ready for tomorrow.

°•°•°

My alarm goes off, and I end it, sitting up. I'm going to go get everyone breakfast from somewhere nearby.

Seven isn't that early, right? They're still sleeping, so I have time. But no doubt the other three are awake...

°•°•°

I walk back with the food, tired. But I'm alright with this, since I'm still really hungry.

It's a miracle translators exist...

I hear someone yelling, and I turn my head.

"What do you mean he's not doing well?! Tell him to get dressed right now. He's not making an excuse today! I'm coming over right now." Some old guy yells at his phone and hangs up.

Have I seen that guy before? I stand there, trying to get a closer look. As he gets into the car, I see his face for only a moment, but immediately recognize that nasty look.

That's Toya's dad.

Wait, he was talking about excuses.. the only person he'd be that furious about from what I've heard is.. Toya.

Holy shit. I run back as fast as I can, panicking. Is Toya sick?! Has this idiot kept going even though he's reached his limit? I know he seems like the type of guy to neglect his health.

I hurry to the room after getting off the elevator and pounding on the door.

"Don't you know it's rude to do that?! What's your--" An opens the door, and I rush in, placing the food down on the table.

"I don't think Toya's doing so good right now." I say, and they both stare at me like I'm crazy. If he's not there, I don't want to go! I wouldn't have a reason, otherwise.

What if he's doing really badly?! Why'd he have to go and get sick without me being there for him?

An sighs, running her fingers through her hair.

"Only showing up can confirm it. So... Just eat. We can worry about that when we get there."

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟺𝟽, '𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜..': 𝚎𝚗𝚍.

-*-*-

Creator's note: HEEEEEYYAAAAAAAAA.