Chapter Text
"If all someone ever did was lie, their lies would seem like the truth, and if that person were to tell the truth, it would seem like a lie. This is true, but if someone who never spoke of their true feelings were to say something of the sort, wouldn't people think that what they're saying is the truth? That little bit is easy information, and everyone should know it. At the same time, no one should use it to their advantage. That just wouldn't be humane, right?"
The day seemed like a normal one to Oreki. He woke up, got ready for school, left for school, attended classes, and then went to the club room. When he got there, Chitanda was there already. They gave their normal greetings, and Chitanda pointed to the box of candy on the table, saying that Oreki could have as many as he wanted. Ibara came in a minute later, a smile lining her lips as she explained that Manga Society didn't have anything planned for the day, so she was able to come to the Classics club. Chitanda did the same with her as she did Oreki, pointing to the candy on the table. After a moment, they were all seated, and they waited until the last member arrived.
"Maybe he has to go to the Sewing club today?" Chitanda suggested, having Ibara shake her head.
"No, this morning he told me that they canceled today's activities. And I don't think that the-"
Before the girl could finish her thought, the door to the room slid open. Sure enough, it was Fukube who walked in. He had a small smile on his lips, but he made no bombastic greeting like he usually would when he was able to come to the Classics club. He sat down at the table wordlessly, avoiding eye contact with the others as he did.
"Fuku-chan?" Ibara piped up, tilting her head as she stared at the back of the boy's head.
"Huh?" Fukube blinked out of his little trance, and he turned to look at the girl who was sitting beside him. "Ah, sorry Mayaka. I guess I was a little distracted." He excused, smiling his goofy smile and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He let out a small chuckle, before glancing at Chitanda and meeting her gaze.
"Fukube-san, I brought candies from home. Have as many as you want!" The black-haired girl said as she moved the box closer to the boy.
There was a small thank you, and then each of them started immersing themselves in their own work. Oreki was reading; Chitanda was doing homework; Ibara was working on her drawings for her manga; Fukube, though, was just staring out the window. Occasionally, Ibara would stop and show her drawings to Chitanda, asking how they were. With every positive response, she smiled and went back to work. There were times when she tried asking Fukube, too.
"Fuku-chan, do these look proportional to you? Do you think I should change the size a little..."
At first, the boy didn't even acknowledge the girl when she spoke, but he turned to her the second time. After blinking a couple times, he nodded and grinned. "Yeah, Mayaka, it looks great!" The girl gave him a worried look before he turned back to look out the window, and Ibara chose not to ask for his opinion again today. He didn't really seem focused on anything, so it was best to leave his mind to things.
After about half an hour longer, Ibara broke the silence of the room again. Not with a question about her manga, though.
"Chii-chan, do you have any mystery that you're curious about? Today hasn't been very eventful for me." The whine was evident in her voice, along with the slight plead.
"Mystery?" Chitanda looked up from the book she was reading, the one she picked up after finishing her previous work. "Not today...Sorry, Ibara-san!" She flashed the girl an apologetic smile before returning to her book.
Another half an hour went by before Fukube stood up from his seat and cleared his throat. "I think I'll head home now." He announced, glancing at Chitanda and Ibara.
"So soon? It's only been a little over an hour..." Chitanda said, glancing at the clock to confirm her words.
"Ah, well..." Fukube was rubbing the back of his neck again, shrugging. "I don't really have anything I need to do here. All I've been doing was staring out the window..."
"Oh...All right."
With that, Fukube took a hold of his bag and slung it over his shoulder, starting towards the door.
"I'll go with you."
At those words, the boy near the door froze, glancing back and taking note of who spoke. His eyes locked with Oreki's for a moment, and a thought fled through his mind. That was the first time since he got there that Oreki looked up from his book and acknowledged him. The reply wasn't immediate, but there was no hesitance to it, either.
"No, I'm fine."
And with that, the boy left the room, sliding the door shut behind him. He left the others staring after him, and there was a small silence in the room before you could practically hear the tension and the silent accusation of Ibara's glare.
"What did you do to him?!" She demanded, obviously aiming the question at Oreki. She only got a blank look and a shrug in reply, but then the boy went back to reading his book. There was a pause in the speaking again, before Ibara made another inquiring tone. "Chii-channn." Now, she obviously had the upper hand. At the simple name, Oreki tensed, looking up at Ibara with a glare. It would have been intimidating if it weren't laced with an emotion similar to fear. He was nervous, and Ibara just knew that this was a battle that he couldn't win.
"Fukube-san has been acting a little weird..." Chitanda's slow words made Oreki grip his book tighter, and he even went as far as to lift the book up to hide his face behind, as if that would shield him from the weapon that Ibara had just unleashed. It didn't work, though.
"Oreki-san!" The dark-haired girl grabbed the book he was reading and set it on the table, her force going unnoticed by herself. "I'm curious!"
With the sparkle of her eyes, Oreki just couldn't decline. He was pulled in, just like Ibara had planned him to be. He stole a glance at the girl across the table, and her smirk was obvious and triumphant.
"What..." Oreki had to clear his throat before trying his question once more. "What are you curious about..?" It was obvious that he was reluctant, and he was doing his best to look away from both of he girls. Chitanda, luckily, moved back to her own seat, sitting down. She was still leaning towards the boy, though, and that was why Oreki was looking away. His cheeks were shaded with a light pink, and that fact only had Ibara snickering as she watched. Her behavior flipped when Chitanda answered Oreki's question.
"Fukube-san is never honest with his feelings! I want to know what he's thinking! And why he's upset today!" She seemed eager, but she turned confused when the color on both of her friends' faces faded. There was a moment of silence before she quietly piped up. "What's wrong..?"
Ibara was the first to answer, but she was fidgeting with her fingers while she did. "Well...You see...Fuku-chan, he..."
Oreki cut her off, although he looked just as uncomfortable as the girl. "Satoshi isn't good with sharing his feelings. It's best if we leave sorting them out to him..."
Now, Chitanda just didn't understand. She didn't want to pry, though, so she figured her request could be altered. "Then...can you at least find out what made him so upset? Oreki-san?" She looked back to the boy, gave him the look that always made him cave, and even pouted.
Oreki wasn't too fond of this, so he looked away once more, clearing his throat. "He probably just had a bad day...It'll all wash over tomorrow, and then you can ask him about it himself." He declared. Before the girl could protest, though, he stood up and grabbed his bag. "I'm leaving." And that's what he did, Chitanda not stopping him. Instead, she watched him leave, turning to Ibara once he was actually gone.
"Ibara-san?" She asked, leaning across the table and staring at the girl. She was begging, it was obvious, but all Ibara did was smile and shake her head.
"Sorry, Chii-chan. I guess we'll just have to wait until tomorrow. Don't think about it too much, okay?" The short-haired girl stood up and gathered her things, tucking them away into her bag. "I better get going, too, I'll see you tomorrow, though, and then we can ask Fuku-chan about it. Okay?"
There was a small glare that Chitanda gave the girl, but it was quickly dropped with a sigh and a nod. "All right..."
Then Ibara left the room, and Chitanda left a few minutes later. Both girls ended up thinking about Fukube for a while longer, and the two of them couldn't help but be curious.
"Tomorrow..."
The same word was whispered into the air by four different students. The day ahead of all of them would be a complicated one.