Chapter 49-Part 1

It was Wednesday, and the school dismissal bell had rang. I had wanted to ask Tsundere-kun on a third date since the last one, and my chances had felt high.

The Honorary Committee had a meeting today, so I couldn't afford to dawdle, as I frantically searched every hallway posthaste.

(Aw, why did President Tenryou-san have to enforce that stupid phone rule? Unless it's emergency related, I can't even call or text anyone on school grounds!)

As I felt despair seep in, I was about to call it a day and make a beeline for the Student Council room, until a certain pink-haired individual had caught the corner of my eye.

Twintails flowing, with a jet black backpack slung over his shoulder, looking down at a book he was reading as he walked toward the exit.

It was him!

I caught my breath from being exhausted, and ran down the hallway to catch up to him.

I was going to ask him out this time, I'm sure of it!

Tsundere-kun was trudging along, reciting lines from Homer's "The Illiad", while his hips swished left and right with every step that he took, and unawarely bouncing his backpack back and forth with each sway.

He was entranced in the book as he held it in his left hand while holding the sports bookbag over his right shoulder.

The book was not written in kanji the way he was used to, but English font, as an assignment from the teacher regarding language barriers.

He cleared his throat.

"'The soul of th-the migh tee chiefu~'"

I had finally caught up to him as he reached the exit door, tapping him on his shoulder.

"Wut.", was his response as he turned around. He clearly did not want to be interrupted.

"I-I'm sorry if this is a bad time.", I said, scratching my head, while grinning sheepishly.

He didn't say anything as he turned his attention back to the book.

"'T-The soul,~' eeeeeh...'th-the soul of might-' uuuh 'm-might-ee chiefu uunti~' REEEEH!?", he exclaimed at how complicated this all was.

I giggled a bit at his broken english, but felt the air get cold as I met with pure animosity in response.

A fierce aura emanated from the twintailed wild child.

"Do you wanna die, baka?", he said in a threatening tone.

"N-No! Gomenasai! It won't happen again.", I cried.

He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

He then shuts the book, and, with eyes still closed, turns his head up to face mine, this time, with a cute smile on his face.

"GOOD. Make sure it doesn't, okay?", he says in an even cuter voice.

If it wasn't for the words coming out of his mouth being a death flag, this moment alone could've been diabetic in terms of how sweet it was overall.

"Now, what did you want, baka? I don't have all day.", he asks me.

"I was wondering if you were free this weekend, and I~"

He blushes dark red momentarily before jolting back to attention.

He outstretches a hand as if to interrupt me.

"Hold that thought. Were you about to ask me out?", he replied.

"Well, I~"

A slight crowd of afterschoolers gathered.

"That girl is way out of his league."

"What is he thinking?"

"Those two? Together? Reeeeeeeh!?"

If only they knew we were already in a relationship, but I had probably messed that up by now. No wonder we never talked to each other here except during homeroom.

I had so many questions, but so little answers about this.

I slumped to the floor holding my head while the thoughts swirled within.

Just then, a loud cry I was well affiliated with pierced my ears louder than the comments of the spectators.

"AS IF, BAKAAAA!"

A loud thud clapped through the hallway as I felt a sharp pain on top of my head.

He had punched me. HARD.

I had already known about the golden rule about keeping it a secret, but I didn't know that asking him out was taboo, too.

However, the punch was not hard enough.

As I lay out on the ground, I close my eyes, still conscious, only contemplating what everything meant.

"Uh-oh. Miri-kun has did it again."

"Beauty, Brains, and BODY. Is there anything she can't do!? Such a wonder!"

"What a mountain lion!"

"Shhh! She might hear you."

As Tsundere-kun turned his focus towards the crowd, two words parted from the boy's lips: "Who's next?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd quickly dispersed.

"Hey. You can stop pretending now.", he says.

I open my eyes, and see him extending his arm while looking away, blushing.

He had held back from knocking out on purpose.

I had realized this while my eyes were closed, but what I had seen as I opened them solidified it.

I grabbed his extended arm, making him blush a little more as he pulled me up.

"L-Listen, I~"

"No.", I said.

"It's fine. I didn't know that was off limits, and if you don't want me talking to you, I understand.", I continue.

A load of tittering evolved into chuckling, then erupted into full blown laughter.

Tsundere-kun was holding his stomach, from laughing so hard.

"You think THAT was why I slugged you?", he says in tears.

"Y-yeah, I mean~"

"HAHAHA *snort!*"

All it took was him snorting to cease laughing and cover his mouth in embarrassment.

He cleared his throat, face still slightly red, from a mix of hard laughter, being embarrassed by the incidental snort, and his overwhelming interest in me.

"Listen. You were wrong.", he starts after maintaining composure.

"Huh!?", I exclaim.

"I didn't kick your ass for asking me out. I did it because of WHERE you did it.", he replies, blowing a tuft of hair away from his face.

"I-uuuh...sorry.", I said, dejected, as I started to walk away.

A hand grabs my arm.

"No. It's okay. You're still learning.", he says, looking down, face still red.

"Unfortunately, my mother will be home from her job overseas this weekend while I have to make sure the restaurant is clean and all.", he says.


His mother?

Come to think of it, I had never met his mother before. I wonder what she would think abo~

"Don't even think about it. I know what that look on your face meant, and trust me, you don't want to be anywhere near that woman.", he says.

"Is she bad?", I ask, worried.

He looked around temporarily.

"Good. The coast is clear. Come with me.", he says, grabbing my arm, and dragging me down the hallway to a more suitable place to talk in private.