Kyoukai no Kanata - Chapter 2, part 1 [English]

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CHAPTER 2

Monday, April 16th - lunch break.

"Hiro'omi."

He lay sprawled at one end of the roof.

"That's _Mister_ Hiro'omi to you. Er. This feels like deja vu."

He looked at me with his head off-kilter as he picked himself up off the ground. He was a real pain to deal with, but I couldn't just ignore him.

"I guess that's because you said more or less the same thing to me last week."

"Uh-huh. Remember what I told you then, Akky?"

The Nase siblings always liked beating around the bush. Thus, _I_ had to get to the point.

"Yes, I remember."

"Good answer. I hope you're ready."

"Ready for the possibility that I could die during the lull?" I asked, taking the wind out of his sails.

Hiro'omi looked at me suspiciously.

"Someone tipped you off?"

"I won't deny that. You're the only guy I can ask about this."

"I suppose you have your ways."

Hiro'omi stood up and shut his eyes for a few seconds. Then, he glanced at me and continued on.

"Is that food in your hand? I take it lunch isn't over. Let's go to the club room. Even if we _are_ just bantering, some ecret might enter into the conversation. Wouldn't want ordinary people to find out, you know."

"'Let's go to the club room', my ass. You never even show up, you snotty little prat!"

"I don't want to hear that from a potty-mouth like you. Respect your elders," he sneered back.

Hiro'omi turned and started walking towards the door back into the building. Even if we were under ceasefire, it was odd that he, a xenor, would turn his back to me, his enemy. Did he just trust me that much? I shrugged my shoulders tiredly and trailed behind him.

"Should we get Mitsuki to come too?"

"Nah, we don't need Mitsuki for this. Besides, if she's around, that puts you at an advantage."

Apparently, the way he saw it, his sister was my ally. A vision of a future in which I was married to Mitsuki drifted through my mind. I wouldn't mind being scolded by my new wife before I left for work. The thought of having to be Hiro'omi's brother in law near-killed me, though. Well, it was more like I was on my knees, begging for release from this world.

"Enough with the weird daydreams. Let's go."

"W-what weird daydreams!?"

"Uh-huh, right. I'll overlook that. Let's get moving."

"......"

I didn't understand what was going on. I was stunned silent.

"What's the matter?" he asked, seemingly puzzled.

"You tell me! Get your fucking hands out of my armpits!"

"C'mon, you've got to be okay with lending me some warmth."

"Yeah, well, not if you borrow it this way!"

Looks like he got behind me during the mere instant I was distracted. And, in a repeat of last time, he thrust his arms into my armpits again. Worse, we were stuck so close together that I felt his breath on my neck. It was so nauseating that I wished I was dead.

"Come on, get to walking. I'll prop you up so you don't fall down the stairs."

"If somebody sees us like this, I'm going to want to fall off a _cliff_!"

"Look, I'm willing to compromise if it'll get you to shut up and deal with it."

"Quit whispering in my ear. That's just gross."

"So, what do you say?"

"......"

A compromise, huh. Well, there was one obvious concession I could have him make.

"At least put some glasses on, dammit."

"......"

"You don't have a pair on you, do you? Just pick a pair you like out of my jacket and put it on."

"......"

"Well? Put it on already."

"This is gross."

"_You're_ gross!"

"So are you."

In the interest of world peace, I'll spare you the details of exactly _how_ we ended up getting to the club room.