Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

simple days just like these
nagihiko & rima

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i. 

She frowns.

He smiles radiantly at her. “Rima-chan, it’s the first day of school, so you should look happier.”

Scowling darkly, Rima snubs him and drills her glare into the paper hung on the wall in front of her. Whoever made this list is obviously an evil individual unhappy with their life. 

Nagihiko casually looks at the list. “It says here that we have the same class. What a relief! I thought I wouldn’t know anyone, but now I know one.” He checks it again. “Oh, Hotori-kun is with us too!”

She keeps her mouth shut.

Glancing at her, he also adds, “Amu-chan isn’t here, though. Sorry.”

That was totally on purpose , she thinks, convincingly. Rima darkens and starts walking away from him to enter the classroom. Her pace is brisk and fast, but he is somehow right behind her when she finds a suitable seat near the window, and he is still there when she sits down and looks to the only desk beside hers. “Why are you here?”

“Because it’s my classroom too?” he innocently says, sitting down to claim the desk. He smiles and exchanges greetings with KusuKusu, who came out from behind Rima’s hair to say hi. In return, Nagihiko opens his bag to let Rhythm out to join them. Rhythm hugs KusuKusu, KusuKusu cracks a few jokes, Nagihiko smiles, and the rest of the class are all chatting in their own little circles already. It’s a happy, cheerful sight.

Watching them, Rima frowns and starts taking out her notebook and pencil case to get ready for class. 

“It’s the first day of junior high,” Nagihiko remarks, eyeing her amusedly, “so there’s no need to look so sour, Rima-chan. We can find Amu-chan later when it’s lunch time.”

“ ‘We?’ ” she quotes, tersely.

He simpers. “Yes.  We . Don’t you think Amu-chan would like it if she saw both of us? The junior high school division is bigger than what we’re used to, so no doubt she’s also in a class with not a lot of people she knows. We can eat lunch with her and Hotori-kun, and even Souma-kun if we can find him in the other building.”

“So you thought it’d be better to cling onto me like a leech?” she dryly remarks, taking out a lead pencil and an eraser. But because he mentioned Amu, she also says, “You seem to know where she is already, so you better do a good job of leading the way.”

He looks surprised, but ends up smiling. “All right!” He then turns around at the mention of his name, amicably greeting Tadase, who just entered the classroom. Tadase decidedly claims the seat behind Nagihiko, so Rima concludes that she’s stuck with these two for another long year. They’re no longer in the Guardians anymore, but it feels as though nothing has changed as she listens to Nagihiko and Tadase chat about their summer break. Kiseki joins KusuKusu and Rhythm in their little circle, and Rima lets them all talk, boredly staring at the clouds. She’s starting to regret coming to school early today, but her mother would scold her if she’s tardy for the morning assembly. 

“I look forward to another year with you, Mashiro-san,” Tadase suddenly says, kindly looking at her after his conversation with Nagihiko is done. “It’s a shame that Amu-chan was assigned a different classroom. If you ever need any help, please feel free to ask me or Fujisaki-kun.”

Nodding, she politely replies, “I will.”

“That’s what she  says , but I know she would never ask  me  anything,” Nagihiko whispers to Tadase, who smiles amusedly. 

She gives him a flat look. “The school year  just  started and you’re already annoying me.”

“Oh, wow!” He feigns shock. “That’s a new record! I thought you would’ve been annoyed the moment you saw me walking through the hallways.”

“I was.”

“And now we’re together for another year.”

“I know.”

“If anything, I thought you’d be  happy  to boss me around.”

“Something is wrong with you if you think I’d be happy to put up with you again.”

“Aw, don’t be like that. I’ve never shared a class with you before, so I’m looking forward to it.”

“Well, I’m not.”

He pretends to look sad, facing Tadase. “I feel like someone is trying to spite her by purposely placing Amu-chan in a different classroom.”

Tadase chuckles. “Hopefully she’ll feel better by lunch. Amu-chan texted me her classroom number, so we can all meet her together.”

“Hear that, Rima-chan?” Nagihiko says, smiling. “You just have to put up with my existence for a few hours and then you two can meet again.”

“Lunch is only for an hour,” she laments, “so I still get the worse end of the deal.”

Nagihiko laughs, hearty. “That’s the Rima-chan I know!”

She’s about to retort something, but the teacher comes in, so she simply glares at him before the teacher starts homeroom after taking attendance. The teacher passes out a sheet of paper for the class to pass around, claiming it to be a seating chart and that everyone is to fill in their names on the seats they’re currently occupying. By the time Rima gets the paper, she skims the names scribbled in each square box, reading ‘Hotori Tadase,’ then ‘Fujisaki Nagihiko’ before writing her name in the box next to it. She stares at it again, then looks to her right to see Nagihiko watching her.

He quietly smiles and gives her a small wave.

She snubs him and passes the paper to the person in front of her. She doesn’t look at him again as the lesson continues, but maybe— maybe —she’s glad that her seat neighbor is someone she actually knows.

Classes continue until lunch at noon. Rima sticks with Tadase and Nagihiko, and Tadase helpfully leads them to Amu’s classroom while she isn’t sure what other purpose Nagihiko serves aside from being annoying. They walk through the hallway in silence until Tadase finally points out a class number. When the three of them peek inside, Rima sees familiar pink hair and makes eye contact with Amu, who promptly grins and rushes over to meet them in the hallway.

“Rima!”

“Amu!” Immediately, she lunges herself into Amu’s arms for a hug, clutching at her uniform. 

“...You’re so excited,” Amu notes, sounding confused. “Did you miss me that much?”

Rima nods, clinging onto her for her life.

“Don’t mind her,” Nagihiko pleasantly says. “She’s just upset that she’s stuck with me in her new class.”

“Oh, you’re both in the same class?”

“With Hotori-kun, but I’m pretty sure Rima-chan doesn’t care about those details anyway.”

“I don’t mind  Tadase ,” Rima says deliberately, glaring at him after separating herself from Amu’s arms. 

Nagihiko feigns a hurt look. “Rima-chan… I helped you reunite with Amu-chan, so I don’t understand why I’m still being treated like this.”

“Don’t think I didn’t see you laughing at me when I had to apologize to the person in front of me for the eraser KusuKusu accidentally flung at her head.”

His smile is amused. “I said I was sorry!” 

“I’m sorry too, Rima,” KusuKusu apologizes, her eyes big and sad. 

“It’s okay, KusuKusu,” she says, and adds nothing else. 

Nagihiko, as if he predicted this, sighs. “C’mon, let’s take this outside. I’d hate to create traffic in front of Amu-chan’s classroom. Look, people are already staring at you, Rima-chan.”

They all begin walking towards the courtyard with their bentō, Tadase leading, Nagihiko behind him, then Amu and Rima at the end. “That’s normal,” Amu offhandedly remarks. “I mean, this  is  the Seiyo Junior High School Division. I’m sure a lot of Rima’s fanboys also attend here. Are some of them in your class?”

“Oh, yes,” Nagihiko casually answers, making Rima grimace. “I can feel them staring at our side of the room during lessons. They don’t really approach us, though.”

“Probably cuz of you, Nagi,” Rhythm comments, his arms folded behind his head. “After all, some of them hold you in high respect since you’re so good at sports.” He starts grinning slyly. “That reminds me: are you joining any sports club here?”

Nagihiko gives him a warning look. “No. Don’t even think about it. I don’t want to get scouted again.”

Amu’s face pales. “Y-Yeah… I’d rather not have another reenactment of what happened last time, please…”

“What happened last time?” Rima asks, squinting her eyes suspiciously. 

“He Chara-Changed and participated in all the sports club showcases, and I somehow got dragged in,” Amu reminisces miserably. “He had to carry me and run through the whole school to lose everyone following after us. They  reeeeally  wanted him to join their clubs, you see.”

“He…  carried…  you…?” Rima slowly echoes, her voice dripping with venom. She glares darkly at his back, and even though he’s not looking at her face, Nagihiko still bristles rigidly. First he steals her best friend, and now she finds out he was  manhandling  said best friend while being chased for their lives? This son of a— “Through the  whole  school, you say?”

“I could carry you too, Rima-chan!” he blurts, laughing nervously. “Would that make it fair for you?”

Looking disgusted, she says, “No.”

“What if I offered to treat you to a parfait? Just like old times!” 

Normally, Rima would be fine with that—but this bastard still manhandled and carried her best friend, and therefore, an appropriate form of retribution is needed. “I’ll forgive you if you become my servant for a week.”

“How is that any different than usual?” he complains.

Unfazed, she adds, “For each day of the week, you must also come up with a joke that will make me laugh.”

“That's too hard!” he complains again. “I’m not good at jokes! At least, not when  you’re  the judge!”

Coldly, she smiles. “Good luck, Nagihiko.”

“...” He finally looks over his shoulder to give her a look. His smile is tight and strained. “And here I thought we were on good terms.”

“That has nothing to do with this,” she insists.

“You didn't deny it,” he goads, annoyingly. 

It makes her glare at him. “Irrelevant.”

“You  still  didn't deny it, Rima-chan.”

She decidedly says nothing this time. (Next to her, Amu snorts.)

“What’s this?” Nagihiko remarks, fascinated. “You're not going to say anything?” 

“I don't want to waste my breath,” Rima replies, calmly. 

“So you're saying it's a waste of breath talking to me?”

Spitefully, she shrugs.

“Ow. I’m hurt.”

“You sure don't look like it.”

Rolling his eyes, he opens his mouth—

“Oh, we’re outside! Let's go sit!” Tadase suddenly announces, smiling meekly as he ushers everyone to a long, wooden table to sit. It's so obvious to Rima that he just wants them to stop talking. “So this is what it feels like to eat in junior high… I hardly brought my own lunch before since I’m so accustomed to the tea and snacks we had at the Royal Garden.”

“I know, right?” Amu says, sitting next to him. Their formation has Tadase and Amu across Nagihiko and Rima. “I kinda miss it. The snacks were pretty good.” 

“Like the senbei crackers I brought!” Tadase happily adds.

“I see someone even brought her own dessert,” Nagihiko remarks amusedly, looking at Rima's lunch. “Raspberry tart?”

Nodding, she sets the tart slice aside as she takes out her fork. “It’s a leftover, but it’s still good. And I didn't like Japanese tea and senbei crackers anyway,” she says boredly, making Tadase sulk depressingly and Nagihiko consolingly pat his shoulder. It’s not in her intentions to insult Tadase’s love of traditional Japanese food, but her parents used to spoil her with a more western palette, so this is what she’s used to. 

The four of them settle into a familiar routine as they unwrap their bentō and eat, like when they were still back in the Royal Garden. 

“I wonder where Kukai is,” Amu absently says, looking around. “This place is bigger than I thought. I wonder how Tsukasa-san makes time to manage it between elementary school and his fortune telling  and  the planetarium…”

“Even  I  wonder that…” Tadase mutters embarrassedly before smiling. “Speaking of Souma-kun, why don’t we search for him tomorrow? He still has one more year before he moves onto high school. Seiyo has no high school division, so I’m afraid we might not be able to see him that much anymore soon.”

“But even then, he’d be busy next year with entrance exams,” Nagihiko grimly adds, making Tadase frown concernedly upon realization. 

Amu starts scolding those two about not looking so sad before deciding that yes, they’re all going to search for Kukai tomorrow. Tadase volunteers to text him about it, and Nagihiko starts reminiscing on their old Guardian days with Kukai. Amu joins in and Rima starts tuning them out by then since she was never too close to Kukai anyway. He did give her a noogie on the day they first met, though, and she supposes that was the most she’s ever interacted with him. 

“—so would you like to come with us to find Kukai, Rima?” Amu is saying.

Rima shrugs. “Sure.”

Amu nods approvingly, going back to her lunch. “Okay, that settles it then. We only have lunch break to talk with him since we’re not in the Guardians anymore, so make sure you eat fast tomorrow.”

Nodding, Rima starts eating her tart slice. She softly pokes into a piece to put in her mouth—

“I got it,” Nagihiko says, taking his tissue to pick up the raspberry that dropped on her lap. It had powdered sugar on it, so her skirt is unfortunately stained. Nevertheless, he leaves the stained tissue on the table, then tries to gently dust the powder off her with a handkerchief this time, moving his hands like it’s a habit. She briefly wonders if he did this often when he was still Nadeshiko. Nadeshiko wore skirts, after all. “I got most of it, but you might want to wash it at home just in case, though.”

Deflating a little at her loss, Rima glumly nods. “Mhm.”

“...” Nagihiko looks at her for a moment, then takes his chopsticks. He picks up one of his mini octopus sausages, placing it at the edge of her rice. “Here, you can have this instead.”

She blinks owlishly. “...Thanks, but now you’re short on one.”

“What do you mean?” He winks, pointing to the tissue with his chopsticks. “We simply traded food. It’s an exchange, Rima-chan.”

“But it dropped. Can you even eat that anymore?”

“It’s not like it dropped on the floor.” He continues smiling. “I don’t have any raspberries on hand, but I thought giving you the octopus was better—since they’re small and round like you.”

“I told you I’m  not  round,” she complains. “And why do you have such a cute lunch anyway?”

“Baya made it for me.” He rolls his eyes at her reaction. “Rima-chan, just eat your tart. It won’t taste good if you leave it like this.”

“Whatever,” she grumbles, pointedly avoiding his eyes as she scoots herself into the table more and makes sure to be careful this time. Feeling Tadase and Amu watching them amusedly, she also tries to restrain herself from telling them off. Neither of them risk commenting, so they all resume eating peacefully after Nagihiko chuckles.

She frowns grumpily when she realizes that she owes him now. 

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ii.

After two weeks, Rima thinks she’s finally getting used to junior high school life. Her teacher is a cheerful, recent female graduate, so the classroom atmosphere is always lively, reminding her of her old class with Amu and Tadase. Tadase sometimes helps her with a problem or two if she’s stuck on her work, and the people seated in front and behind of her are both nice if she passes something to them. Overall, she supposes the only thing that bothers her in this classroom is—

“Rima-chan, here’s the last notebook,” Nagihiko greets, smiling as he approaches her desk to put someone’s science notes on the pile at her desk. He had been helping her collect the class notes while she filled in the classroom log. It’s not required of him to help her because she’s the one saddled with classroom duty this week, but it still makes her frown and sulk all the same. 

She can  totally  collect notebooks on her own. It’s like he has nothing else better to do than to be a busybody just to spite her. 

“Thanks,” she gruffly says, not forgetting her manners. She closes the classroom log, putting her pencil away. “Shouldn’t you be cleaning?”

He simpers, leaning against his broom. “It’d be better if I cleaned after everyone leaves the room. I figured I could help you as a way to pass time.”

Rima puts her pencil case away into her school bag. “I didn’t  ask  for your help.”

“Should you really be saying that when you and I both know you can’t carry all of these by yourself?” he casually replies. 

“...” She apprehensively eyes the imposing pile on her desk. With her height and strength, she’d be lucky enough if she can even  find  the door while carrying it. “You carry half.”

“What did you say?” Nagihiko says, blasé. He raises a hand to cup it at his ear, as if he can’t hear her. “Is that how you ask someone for help?”

She glares at him, stands up, and takes half of the pile into her arms. 

“What about this half?” he asks curiously, watching her walk past him.

“I’ll make a second trip,” she decides, annoyed. Immediately, she continues walking to the door, weaving past some of their classmates. When Rima is in the hallway, she hears footsteps behind her as she walks to the teacher's lounge. 

“I was just kidding,” Nagihiko says apologetically, walking beside her with the other half of the notebooks in his arms. “I was going to help you anyway since two heads are better than one.” 

“All right,” she curtly says.

“I’m sorry,” he consolingly adds.

“Whatever,” she replies, halfheartedly. She needs the help anyway. 

“Will you forgive me if I treat you to a parfait today?” he asks, hopefully.

She pretends to ponder. “I want it extra large this time.”

He mutters something about his savings before resignedly saying, “Okay. Let's go after we drop these books off and I finish cleaning the classroom.”

Satisfied, Rima nods, then finds herself back in the classroom with him ten minutes later. She holds the dust pan while he sweeps. Since it's only the two of them in the room, Rhythm, Temari, and KusuKusu all help with wiping the windows. It doesn't take long, so they make it to the dessert shop with plenty of time to spare. Eating her parfait after they find a booth, she perks as he sighs miserably at his wallet.

“You’re obviously enjoying my suffering,” Nagihiko grimly remarks, putting his wallet away to watch her eat. 

She nods smugly. “It's quite entertaining.”

He gives her a flat look. “I’m not your personal clown.”

“Of course not,” she easily replies, eating a strawberry from her parfait. “That privilege is for Amu.”

“She's the  former  Joker now,” he comments, scoldingly, “so you shouldn't call her that anymore.” 

“Well, I’d call her my best friend,” Rima casually begins, “but it would seem that  someone   else  claimed that title too.”

“I repeat again: I can't control who she wants for a best friend,” he wearily says. “But now that she knows about Nadeshiko, I think you’ll be pleased to know that she was mad at me for a whole week after the wedding.”

“She should’ve been mad at you for at  least  a whole month,” Rima laments, feigning disappointment. “I mean, you  did  lie to her for how long?” 

“I know, I know… It was all my fault. I was just being a chicken about it,” he laments, looking remorseful.  

“A really dumb and stupid chicken.”

“Hey! Way to rub salt into the wound!”

She eats a piece of mango with whipped cream from her parfait. “You knew what you were in for, so you aren't really in a position to complain.”

“...” Nagihiko sulks depressingly, a gray cloud above his head. “Your tongue is so much sharper when you're eating, I noticed.” 

Pausing, she eyes the empty space in front of him. “Why didn't you order anything for yourself anyway?”

He snorts, drumming his fingers on the table. “Rima-chan, do you realize how expensive an extra large parfait is?” 

Her eyebrow arches up. “How much do you get for your allowance?”

“Enough to get by for a few days,” he dismissively says, reaching for his school bag. “Okaa-san is a little strict with my allowance, so I try to save up whenever possible. I do have enough to buy something normal-sized, but I’d rather save it just in case. Or at least whenever I get my next allowance.” 

She quietly watches him take out a textbook and some worksheets they got in class today. “So you're going to do homework instead? Boring.”

“At least I’m getting a head start on it while you're too busy consuming sugar,” he pleasantly replies, taking out a pencil. 

It makes her frown darkly. “Then why don't you just go home?” 

Nagihiko pauses, then says, “I thought I could walk you back. I know you said your parents divorced recently, so maybe your mother would be more reassured if you're with someone.” After a beat, he adds, “Mothers tend to worry, y’know.” 

Now it's Rima’s turn to be quiet. 

She lets her spoon sit in the parfait, then she stares at the orange glow of the sky reflecting through the window. Her mother promised to be more trusting of her, so Rima hasn't gotten any calls or texts about where she is right now. It's still something she's getting used to. If her parents both worried silly over her, then it must be even harder to worry as a single parent. Rima doesn't like to worry people so much. People get sad that way.

“Fine,” she relents, then gives him a warning look. “But don't even think about using this as an excuse to meet my mom or something.”

“Why would I do that?” he asks, letting out a sudden laugh. His eyes gleam with amusement. “ Do  you want me to meet your mother?”

“No!” she hastily denies, looking disgusted. “I just don't want you getting strange ideas.”

“I didn't even think of that until you mentioned it!” he says laughingly, trying to steady his hand as he writes an answer for his homework. 

“You're strange enough to get the idea anyway,” she mutters, going back to her parfait. 

She can  feel  his amused stare, but he luckily says nothing as he resumes his homework. It's like that for a while: Rima eats while Nagihiko scribbles worksheet answers. The glow of the sky is still orange, their Charas are chatting among themselves on the window sill, and it is quiet at their booth. When she finishes more than half of her parfait, Rima quietly looks at the lone strawberry sitting inside the glass among a layer of whipped cream with chocolate sauce. She reaches over to the utensils container at the side of their table, taking a clean spoon. 

The rattling noise makes Nagihiko look up confusedly. “Did you drop your spoon?”

Shaking her head, she calmly places the new spoon inside the glass and gently pushes it to him. 

He looks very puzzled. “Rima-chan?”

“It's your reward,” she casually says, setting her own spoon on her napkin, “for offering to walk me home. Eat it now before we go.” 

“...” He blinks, staring at her for a moment before shifting his gaze onto the parfait. “Thank you.”

She grumpily averts her eyes, hearing him pack away his belongings. “With this, I don't owe you anymore.”

“Owe me?” he echoes, and she can hear the  clinks  of the spoon hitting the glass.

“For that octopus,” she mutters. 

It's quiet for a bit, then he says amusedly, “Has that been bothering you this whole time?” 

Her face is warm as she stubbornly stares at the wall. “...”

“You didn't have to owe me for that,” he chuckles. “I did that because I wanted to.” 

“Lies.”

“There's nothing wrong with being a decent human being.” 

“Hurry up and eat.”

“I’m already done,” he replies, his voice shaky as he stifles a laugh. Standing up, he grabs his bag and she can feel him smile at her. “Let's go, Rima-chan. It’s getting late.”

Hearing KusuKusu and Temari giggle at her, Rima sulks and follows him out the door. He can be so annoying.

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iii.

“Mashiro-san,” Tadase greets politely after an uneventful school month, putting something small on her desk, “could you give this back to Fujisaki-kun when he comes back? I would do it myself, but I have to go to the student council room.”

“Sure,” she replies, watching him thank her before he quickly walks out the classroom while holding some paperwork. Even in junior high, Tadase is still somehow roped into taking care of everyone as the student council president. He didn’t have a choice anyway considering how the whole school voted for him behind his back, so Rima sort of pities him. Looking at the item he left on her desk, she sees a little keychain with a basketball attached to it. It must be for Nagihiko’s phone. 

“Oh, thank you,” Nagihiko tells her when he comes back and she hands it to him. “I was wondering where it went. It’s still brand new, so I figured it couldn’t have grown legs and walked off!”

Rolling her eyes, she says, “I didn’t know you’re the type to use phone charms.”

“It’s a trait that Nadeshiko and I share,” he replies, winking. Sitting at his desk, he takes out his phone and starts to attach the charm on. “I thought it’d be nice if I could personalize my things a little more now that we’re older.”

“It’s only been a few months since we graduated from Seiyo,” she boredly remarks, packing away her workbooks. 

Oddly, Nagihiko is suddenly quiet. His smile seems a little dim as he fingers the charm strapped to his phone antenna. “Yeah, but this is still a nice way to remind myself that I am who I am.”

She pauses.

“Sorry,” he says in the silence, but the chattering of their classmates in the background is still evidently loud. “That must sound stupid, huh? I'm in charge of arranging the bookshelf this week, so I’ll see you tomorrow, Rima-chan. Thanks for giving my charm back. I’ll thank Hotori-kun tomorrow when I see him.”

Rima quietly squints her eyes at him.

He blinks at her. “Rima-chan…?”

“Hmph,” she scoffs, grabbing her phone to send her mother a text about coming home late. The whole time, Nagihiko blinks at her blankly like the idiot that he is. She puts down her bag and stands up. “Well? Get moving. Those books won’t arrange themselves.”

“Wait.” He stares at her incredulously. “ You’re  going to help  me ?”

“I thought you were smart, Nagihiko,” she casually says, walking to the back of the classroom where the bookshelf is. Since they’re both from the Seiyo department, the junior high classrooms look very similar to the old elementary ones, which also apparently applies to bookshelves. “I’ll take the bottom shelves,” she says, hearing him behind her. She starts emptying the messy shelves, piling all the books on the counter.

“...” Standing beside her, Nagihiko helps empty the top shelves. “Thank you.”

“Talk less, work more,” she scolds. 

He snorts. “This is so weird. I’m used to nagging  you .”

“No, this is simply the natural order of things. After all, I was Queen’s Chair while you were Jack’s Chair.” 

“I was the  original  Queen’s Chair.”

“Excuse you,” she scolds again, “that was  Nadeshiko .”

Rolling his eyes, he dryly says, “I can’t believe Nadeshiko won your heart so easily.”

“Well, she’s cuter and much better than you,” she goads, struggling with a thick dictionary.

He easily grabs it from her, setting it on the counter. “I don’t even know if I should take that as a compliment.”

“No, you shouldn’t,” Rima says matter-of-factly, “because that was for Nadeshiko. Not  you .”

He gives her a tired look, not even bothering to retort anything. “Rima-chan, you’re still so immature. You’re in junior high now.”

“There is nothing wrong with how I behave here.”

Feigning contemplation, he remarks, “You’re right… You actually do your work instead of ordering your servants around and drinking tea. I’m amazed.”

Frowning, she starts clearing out the last bottom shelf. She remains squatting on the floor while he stands tall above her. “That doesn’t sound genuine—and I don’t recall you ever saw any of that.”

“Hotori-kun told me about it,” he casually says, making her glare. (Stupid Tadase.) “You caused quite a stir when you first transferred in. I wish I could’ve seen it.”

“Yeah, right,” she gripes. “You would’ve been too fixated on Amu.”

“You’re right,” he agrees again. “I would’ve.”

“But…?” she trails, knowingly.

Nagihiko ponders. “But… I think I would’ve paid attention to you too. You had such a knack for fake tears, it fascinated me for a while.”

“That sounds insulting.”

“Feel free to interpret it however you like,” he pleasantly smiles, putting his final book on the counter. He then kneels down to help her take the remaining three books left on her shelf. 

“With that attitude, it’s no wonder you’re not so popular anymore,” she mutters. 

“For your information,” he begins, blasé, “I’m trying to stay lowkey here. I told you: I’m not interested in being popular.”

“As long as Amu still likes you?” she asks mockingly, just to spite him.

Unfazed, he replies, “Well, that’s important too, but not entirely it. I just want to have a normal life for junior high school.”

“Define ‘normal’ because you’re definitely  not  normal.”

Nagihiko starts thinking. Rima waits. They’re both still squatting on the floor, a pile of thin literature books on her lap while he holds some thicker books, and their classmates left at some point to go to their after-school activities or home. “Wake up, eat breakfast, go to school,” he eventually answers, “eat lunch with my friends, play some basketball in the park if I have spare time, go home, practice dancing, eat dinner, shower, go to sleep, rinse and repeat.”

“That’s really normal,” she comments.

He nods. “I know.”

She glances at him, then pats his head.

“What is it with you and patting my head?” he dryly asks, raising his eyebrow. 

“You seemed so pathetic, I thought you needed it,” she nonchalantly replies. She starts standing up, carrying the books in her arms—

Something grabs her sleeve. 

“Wanna come with me to the park after this?” Nagihiko asks, smiling at her from the floor. It’s strange for her to look down at him like this. “It’s still early outside, so I was going to play some basketball before I go home.”

Rima gives him an odd look.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he says, something indescribable in his smile, “but the offer is open if you don’t have anything else to do today.”

“...” She watches him stand up and start taking the books from the counter to neatly arrange into the bookshelf. “If we pick up the pace, then we can still make it before it gets dark. What are you arranging them by?”

Blinking, he says, “Series.”

Nodding, she starts looking at the counter for books of the same series to hand him. He says nothing, but smiles at her gratefully and focuses on inserting the books in the shelf. They work like this together for a while in silence, making Rima nostalgic. Amu also helped her arrange the bookshelf like this when they first became friends. It’s still a precious memory to her, and she wonders if this is the same for Nagihiko, but she quickly reconsiders it. Someone like him has plenty of friends already, after all—but when she sees him playing by himself at the park forty minutes later, she wonders if she was wrong.

“You  reeeeally  won’t play with me?” he asks teasingly, lifting the basketball, as if to tempt her.

She rolls her eyes, leaning back against the bench. “Duh. I’m  not  going to get sweaty now, you idiot.”

“Suit yourself then,” he laughs, dribbling. His moves are too complex for her to describe, but he eventually tosses the ball into the basket with one try. Panting, he rests his hands on his knees before going over to retrieve the ball. “Thanks for coming along, Rima-chan. I honestly thought you would go home instead.”

“That was the  original  plan,” she mutters, grumpy.

“Did you say something?” he asks loudly from across the court. The park is quite small, but still big enough for someone playing basketball by himself. 

“I was wondering why you didn’t invite someone else with you,” she says more loudly, her face scrunching. “I can’t even dribble.”

He unexpectedly laughs. “Don’t worry, I was just teasing you earlier. I didn’t have  any  expectations at all of you joining me.” He quiets down, and she isn’t sure of what to make of the look in his eyes. “To be honest, I wanted some time to myself here, but I thought it would be okay if it was you who came along.”

Tilting her head, she feels puzzled. “Again: I don’t see your point.”

He starts looking thoughtful, as if trying to find his words. “I feel more reassured if Rima-chan is with me. You don’t like liars, after all.”

“Yeah, I don’t like your lies. You hurt Amu with them.” But because she knows, she also adds, “But you tried to protect her and soften the damage, so I guess you aren’t  that  horrible.”

Smiling, he says, “See? Your cold bluntness reassures me.”

“What happened now?” she asks, knowingly. 

To give him some credit, Nagihiko simply smiles before walking over to her. He leans his back against a light pole next to her bench and stares at his basketball. “Yesterday, Okaa-san told me that she wants me to go abroad and attend dance school for three years when we enter high school.”

It’s suddenly quiet. 

He says nothing anymore, and Rima tries to process what she just heard. 

Silence.

Silence.

“So we’re not going to see each other in high school?” she eventually says, placid.

Nodding, he walks over to the other side of the bench and sits with her. He places the basketball in between them, then stares at the sky. His sleeves are rolled up, his school blazer is off, his tie is loose, and he looks like a normal guy with nothing heavy weighing his shoulders. “I only have two years before I go.”

“Three, if you count now,” she adds helpfully.

He smiles, but it looks a little sad. “Yeah… It made me wonder how I can enjoy these three years before I need to go.”

She swings her legs. “Stop being so sad. You’ll come back, right?”

“Yeah,” he says again, and stares at the distance, “but I’ve always wanted to spend my high school years with everyone here, so I hope that’s good enough of a reason for me to feel sad right now. I spent the past few months wondering if I should leave Seiyo or go study abroad, so this solution should’ve worked out for me—but I just feel sad. That’s why I’ve been a little distracted lately.”

“...” Rima is quiet and stares at the floor instead. She’s so used to his playfulness that she’s unsure of how to handle his honesty. His honest self seems rather fragile. “Then just be yourself. You’re usually unbearable and you can’t make a decent joke at all—” He gives her a look. “—and you know how to get on people’s nerves. When you put all of that together, it’s hard to get a boring day out of it.”

“Does that mean I make the day interesting for you?” he quips.

She flatly looks at him. “Don’t push it. You’re the one who’s being dumb right now. Stop worrying over something that’ll happen two years from now and just focus on what’s in front of you. If you’re coming back, that means you’ll attend university here, right?”

“Yeah…” He lowers his eyes. “Okaa-san made me a deal: I could either stay here for high school and live abroad, or I could go to dance school abroad and come back here after graduation.”

Silence.

Silence.

“...Your mom sounds evil,” she remarks. “You should major in something not related to dancing just to spite her.”

“Actually, she was willing to let me pick whatever I want,” he admits, amused, “but I think I’ll still choose dancing. It’s a part of who I am, after all.”

She rolls her eyes. “Then you better be  super  good by the time you come back, or else I’ll feel inclined to call you the world’s biggest chicken.”

“It’s amazing how you managed to insult me and cheer me up at the same time,” Nagihiko remarks with a snort, his smile more genuine. “I hope that part of you never changes, even when I’m gone, Rima-chan. I like it.”

“...” For some reason, Rima felt something skip in her chest, but isn’t sure of how to accept it. What kind of response was that anyway? Warily, she scoots away from him. “You creep me out when you say things like that so easily.”

“I was just showing you my appreciation.”

“Can you do it in a less creepy way then?” she asks, seriously. 

Suddenly, he bursts out laughing. It makes her feel mildly concerned for his sanity. Even KusuKusu, Rhythm, and Temari peek out from inside their school bags to look at him oddly. “I’m glad you’re here,” he wheezes out, trying to compose himself, “because I don’t think I can laugh like this in front of anyone else!” 

She rolls her eyes. Normally, she’d retort something, but figures she could let it slide this time. Just this time. “I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

“I know!” he laughingly replies, hopping off the bench. He stretches his arms and turns around to grab his basketball, running back to the court. But before he starts dribbling, he smiles at her. “If you stay a little longer, I could walk you home again! It won’t take long!”

“Okay,” she ends up saying, then watches him play again. He’s playing by himself, but this time, he’s smiling brightly and he plays with so much energy. It makes her wonder how some mere words she said could invoke such a drastic change from him—but then again, it’s Nagihiko, after all. He has a lot of layers to himself that not many people might notice. Maybe that’s why she allowed herself to accompany him to the park, watching him play basketball by himself even though she doesn’t like sports; listening to his problems that he can never tell anyone else. Rima is no dancer, but she at least understands how it feels to be scared and follow expectations from her parents. Nagihiko must know that too, because he wouldn’t have told her anything at all if he felt that she didn’t understand. He trusts her.

She snorts as the basketball bounces off the basket rim and lands on his head, then he whines at her for laughing.  He’ll be fine , she thinks.

.

.

iv.

“Hey, guys!” Kukai happily greets during lunch one day in the middle of November. As usual, he is never out of energy. Rima feels tired just from looking at him. “Utau is having another live concert soon, and she’s prepared a new song! I could get you all tickets if you’re interested in going. It’ll be held in the same week as Christmas, on Monday.”

Amu, Tadase, and Nagihiko all agree, so also Rima agrees. “Will you invite Yaya too?” Amu asks curiously, eating her lunch. “I think she’d like that.”

“She would  love  that,” Kukai laughs heartily, patting her shoulder. “There’s still time before lunch ends, so I’ll go ask her now. Chances are: she’ll say yes and hug me like a koala until I fork over a ticket.”

“Good luck,” Amu replies, solemnly. “She can hug pretty tightly.” 

“Don’t I know it?” he sarcastically quips, walking away after he waves goodbye. “See ya! I’ll update you guys if Utau has anything to say.”

“I’m still wondering how those two got so close…” Amu mutters when Kukai is out of sight. “I mean,  Kukai  and  Utau ? They were always competing over ramen whenever I saw them.”

“Love works in different ways, Amu-chan,” Su lectures, handing some tea and cookies over to Miki, Ran, and Dia. “You have to be open-minded about it. I’m sure something sparked between them when you weren’t looking.”

“I don’t think I need to know that,” Amu replies, looking disturbed. “But good for them, I guess? I’m fine with it as long as they stop arguing over noodle types and ramen broth.”

“I doubt it,” Tadase pipes in, amused. “There was never a day where Utau-chan  wasn’t  being stubborn.”

Amu snorts. “I expect nothing less from her. She kinda reminds me of Rima, actually.”

“ What? ” Rima narrows her eyes. 

Casually, Amu looks at her, then at Nagihiko. “Well, you’re always arguing with Nagihiko like how she and Kukai argue.”

“We don’t ‘argue’ about  ramen ,” Rima says, sourly. 

“Yeah, it’s more like she gets offended by something I said and then she proceeds to insult me,” Nagihiko chimes in, like it’s normal to tell people that. 

“And then you treat me to a parfait just to weasel your way out of it,” she adds, spitefully. 

“But it works!” he happily goads, smiling as he sips his milk box. “It’s worth the financial sacrifice if it means I’m forgiven.”

“Now I’m tempted to empty out your entire wallet.”

“Rima-chan,” he begins patiently, “think about all the calories you’d be consuming. Are you really going to do that to yourself? You don’t even exercise.”

She glares darkly at him. “I’ll make you buy something that’s not food. Problem solved.”

“Like what?”

She pretends to ponder. “Well, for starters, there’s this new volume of a gag manga I like… I was thinking about buying the other eight volumes as a set for Christmas.”

Nagihiko rolls his eyes. “Figures you’d spend my entire savings on gag manga.”

“It’s good comedy,” she insists, irked. 

“Yes, yes,” he habitually says, gesturing to her macaroons. “You should finish your dessert first before you talk about that. Any food would go cold after you talk about comedy.” 

“Know-It-All,” she mutters, grumpily eating a macaroon. 

He smiles at her, then smiles at their two spectators. “Yes?”

“You handle her so well,” Amu begins, amused. “If you were  anyone  else, then I would’ve felt sorry for you. Tadase-kun, it must never be boring for you in class.”

“Indeed, it never is,” Tadase agrees, amicably. He turns to Nagihiko. “But you must’ve grown fond of it since you two have been going home together more often these days, Fujisaki-kun.”

For some reason, Nagihiko smiles tightly at him. “...Hotori-kun, what did I say about not sharing our private conversations?”

To Rima, the way Tadase innocently blinks seems very deliberate. “Oh, did you mention something of the sort? But I—”

Nagihiko casually covers Tadase’s mouth, using his other hand to pinch his cheek, then he stands up to drag Tadase with him somewhere. He wears a polite, businesslike smile the whole time. “What’s that, Hotori-kun? Your face hurts? That won’t do; let’s get you to the nurse’s office right away. We’ll be back later, Amu-chan, Rima-chan.”

For once in her life, Rima sends a prayer to Tadase before sharing a look with Amu. 

“They’re so weird,” Ran blurts, turning to Rhythm, who has been casually eating some of Nagihiko’s egg rolls. “I didn’t know Nagi could be like that.”

Rhythm snorts. “Trust me; this isn’t even half of it.”

“Tadase-kun said you two walk home together…” Amu mentions, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. “Doesn’t your mom pick you up, Rima?”

Rima opens her mouth—

“She did, but she promised Rima that she’d let her walk home when she entered junior high!” KusuKusu suddenly chimes in, making Rima avert her eyes. 

“What about your dad?”

KusuKusu continues, “Her parents divorced back in spring, so he hasn’t—”

Rima reaches over to cover her mouth. 

Amu blinks slowly. “...Your parents divorced?”

Nodding, Rima softly says, “It was something they discussed for a while. They apologized to me, so I’m willing to accept it. It means that they did their best for me.”

“I’m sorry,” Amu sincerely apologizes. “I had no idea… Rima, you shouldn’t try to shoulder it all on your own.” 

“I wasn’t alone,” she replies calmly. “...Nagihiko was with me, and I told him. He was unexpectedly good at cheering me up, but it’s okay now. I’m fine.” After a beat, Rima looks up sadly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you first, Amu.”

Amu simply softens her eyes, smiling. “It’s fine. My parents are still together, so I probably wouldn’t have been able to say anything you needed to hear. If Nagihiko could do that instead, then it’s fine. I just want you to know that there are people you can rely on to share your burdens with, Rima. Never forget that, okay?”

Rima smiles warmly. “Okay.”

“Now that the serious talk is over…” Amu’s smile starts to look sly. “Nagihiko walks you home?”

Rima shrugs. “Only when one of us gets classroom duties to do after school.”

“They help each other with their duties,” Rhythm adds annoyingly. Rima doesn’t like the look on his face. “And he walks her home once they’re done.”

“How nice…” Amu murmurs, looking a little wistful. 

Rima gives her a knowing look. “Christmas is next month. Is Ikuto coming back for a visit?”

Amu’s face turns bright red. “W-What does he have  anything  to do with this?!”

Rima shrugs. “You can walk with him as he takes you to places.”

“Yeah, right! It’s like I’m cat-sitting instead of interacting with a normal human being when I’m with him,” Amu grumbles.

“But you like him,” Rima points out patiently. She doesn’t really like that city cat, but he makes Amu happy. “So you should text him that you want him to come back for the holidays.”

“ I. DON’T. LIKE. HIM ,” Amu intensely denies, but her red face and ears easily belies her words. All the other Charas immediately start teasing her.

Rolling her eyes, Rima thinks that if there are any two people who are similar to Utau and Kukai, it’s Amu and Ikuto. After all, Utau and Amu are both too stubborn to admit liking anyone, and Kukai and Ikuto are both too energetic and playful around them. Rima isn’t like Utau or Amu because she likes no one, and Nagihiko lies and lies because he’s such a chicken. They probably wouldn’t see eye-to-eye, just like how she and Kirishima wouldn’t see eye-to-eye either. 

Besides, he’s leaving in two years anyway.

.

.

v.

Rima gets cleaning duty when December starts. She hates it.

“You missed a spot,” Nagihiko remarks, very unhelpfully pointing to the aforementioned spot. He leisurely leans against the teacher’s podium, watching her wipe the chalkboard, doing absolutely nothing productive…

“Why are you still here?” she complains. 

He pretends to think. “I heard that it was apparently our tradition to help each other when one of us gets classroom duties to do. I was taught to honor traditions, Rima-chan.”

“You’re just standing there and talking,” she grumbles, hating that Tadase is in the room. He has no student council work today, but gets the honor of having bookshelf duty this week and listening to whatever stupid things Nagihiko says to her. “That’s not helping.”

“Sorry, but there’s only one eraser,” he simpers, gesturing to the one strapped to her hand. “It would be better if I cleaned the chalkboard while you sweep the floor. I  am  taller, y’know.”

“It feels like you’re just rubbing it in,” she mutters, tersely handing him the eraser. When he takes it, she walks past him to take the broom. 

“No, I’m not,” he consolingly says. “I was just trying to prove that I’m better suited for cleaning the chalkboard than you. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.”

“Whatever.”

“Aw, did I make you mad?”

She snubs him.

“Hotori-kun, I made her mad,” he laments, feigning sadness.

Tadase chuckles, peacefully inserting books into the shelf. “Maybe this will teach you to mind your mouth next time, Fujisaki-kun.”

“I agree,” Rima immediately agrees. 

“Am I being ganged up on?” Nagihiko asks dryly, reaching up to erase the last bit of chalk on the board. 

“I’m on no one’s side,” Tadase insists calmly, but still smiles. “But if Mashiro-san feels uncomfortable with you, then I’m inclined to stand on the opposite side of you as the student council president.”

Rima smugly smiles, quietly sweeping as Nagihiko laments about feeling betrayed. He and Tadase start exchanging a few quips, so she focuses on her sweeping, doing her best to sweep through all the aisles. When she’s done with sweeping, she puts the broom away and goes to gather her belongings to leave. 

“See you tomorrow, Rima-chan,” Nagihiko tells her. 

Blinking, she stops and looks at him and sees him standing with Tadase at the bookshelf, helping him put away books. Tadase is still here. “Oh…”

Both Nagihiko and Tadase stare at her curiously, their arms full of books, but it is Nagihiko who says tentatively, “...Did you want to go home together?”

She averts her eyes. “N-No,” she denies, by force of habit. It’s not like she  asks  him to walk her home. “My mom got off work early today, so she’ll be at home if I go now.”

He scrutinizes her, then replies, “Okay…? Be careful then.”

Rima stiffly nods, calmly walking out of the classroom. This is the first time he doesn’t walk her home after classroom duties are done. It feels a little strange, but it’s not like they walk home everyday. A lot of students are still in the school by then, so it was always safe for Rima to walk home by herself among the sea of people if she doesn’t have classroom duties. That’s why the empty hallways right now seem a little eerie to her. By the time she exits the school gates, there are no students lingering around, so she walks home in silence. It makes her feel uncomfortable.

“Rima, look!” KusuKusu eventually says, stretching her face widely. “A funny face!”

She smiles warmly and laughs and knows she still has KusuKusu around. 

“Lookie! I’ve been practicing my animal impressions!” KusuKusu starts making a variety of odd facial expressions and poses. “An ostrich! A cat! A pigeon! A toad! A seal!”

Rima continues giggling—

Suddenly, she hears footsteps behind her. 

She stops walking. The footsteps also stop. 

“...Rima?” KusuKusu stops her shenanigans, looking worried. 

Rima quietly starts walking—

The footsteps resume.

She stops, and the footsteps stop again.

It makes her anxious, her brows furrowing and her face paling. The ugly feeling knots up in her stomach and the dark memories start flashing through her head, unsettling her. She abruptly starts running on the path home, not caring about how her legs are starting to burn already. Rima forces herself to run with everything she has—

“Rima-chan, wait! It’s me!”

Huh…?

She blinks at the voice, then accidentally trips from her shock. Colliding with the cement, she lands on her hands and legs, making her palms and knees throb in pain. 

“ Rima-chan!  Are you okay?!”

“...Nagi..hiko?” she breathes, dazed. 

Kneeling next to her, he puts down his school bag and inspects her injuries. Her vision is blurry, so she can't really see him, but her hands are suddenly warm and she feels fingers. He is probably checking her palms. “Your hands aren’t bleeding like your knees, but they look bruised… Hang on, I have band-aids…” After a bit of silence, he asks, “Were you  crying ? Oh my— I’m really sorry! I did this, right?”

Rima finally snaps out of her daze, letting it sink in. 

It was only Nagihiko. It wasn’t a kidnapper. It was only Nagihiko.

It was only Nagihiko.

“...Rima-chan?” he tentatively says, letting her grab onto his sleeve. 

She sniffles, then croaks, “...I thought I was going to get snatched again.”

Knowingly, Nagihiko replies, “It was only me.” After a beat, he says lightheartedly, “Hotori-kun insisted he could handle the books, so I wanted to catch up to you—but I hesitated because you and KusuKusu were laughing together.”

Rima sniffles again, feeling her shoulders become lighter. She breathes slowly, trying to calm herself. It’s been so long since she’s had an episode. “I thought you were a stalker.”

“I could tell,” he quips softly, gently using his handkerchief to wipe the dirt and little rocks that clung to her palms. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I thought you would’ve seen me if you had looked over your shoulder.”

“...” She sniffles again, sitting on the ground and wiping her eyes with her sleeves. There is no one else around, so only he can see her crying like a mess with red eyes, bruised palms, and bloodied knees. Her mother would have a heart attack.

Nagihiko takes two band-aids from his bag, peeling one to gently stick over her right knee before doing the same for the left one. When he’s done, he quietly assesses her with a guilty look. “I’m sorry.”

Sniffle. “I know.”

“Still, I’ll keep saying it until you feel better. I’m sorry.”

“It would make me feel better if you  stopped  doing that,” she grumbles. 

He smiles apologetically, standing up and offering her his hands. She takes them, stumbling as she stiffly stands up. He grabs both of their school bags and insists on carrying hers as a part of his atonement. “Is your mother going to be fine with you coming home like this?”

“No,” she easily answers, making him cringe. 

“Why don’t you come to my house today?” he offers helpfully. “You can clean yourself up and go home tomorrow. Okaa-san and Baya wouldn’t mind.”

Even though her eyes are red, she still gives him a look that says,  Are you crazy?

“You can even tell your mother that you’re having a sleepover,” he tries again, “with Nadeshiko!”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s fine. I don’t want to leave her alone if it’s just her in the house.”

“At least let me come with you,” he insists, imploringly, “so that I can apologize to her for making you look like this!”

Rima thinks about telling him off again, but gives up. He would probably follow her all the way home anyway. Idiot. “Do what you want.”

He looks satisfied, both of his hands occupied with their school bags, and this is how he presents himself when they reach her house later and her mother comes to greet her at the door. “Rima…?” her mother says, blinking at Nagihiko standing in the genkan. “A friend of yours…?”

Nodding, Rima is about to introduce him—

“What happened to you?!” her mother suddenly exclaims, walking up to examine her knees. “Did you get hurt in school?! And were you crying? Your eyes are red!” 

“Actually…” Nagihiko tentatively begins, looking guilty. He politely bows. “ I  caused that. I accidentally frightened her and she tripped on the way home. It was completely my fault. I’m very sorry for what I did.”

Rima’s mother looks grave and serious, as if she is trying to remain rational and calm. “What is your name?”

“Nagihiko. Fujisaki Nagihiko.”

“Nagihiko,” her mother calmly begins, looking stern. “I don’t know what the full story is, but I appreciate that you came all this way to tell me this. I don’t know how you scared her, but if you’re her friend, then you should know about Rima’s incident a few years ago.”

“I do.”

“It is  because  of that incident that it’s why you shouldn’t try to scare her anymore, especially if she can get injured from it.” As he apologetically nods, her mother scrutinizes him carefully. She eventually sighs. “I’ll let it slide this time because it doesn't seem like her injuries are too major, and you seem to be genuine with your apology. It’s not everyday someone visits our home just to apologize for what they did to hurt Rima. It takes courage to do that. Just don’t do it again, okay?”

Nagihiko smiles in relief. “Yes! Thank you, ma’am!”

Her mother nods before curiously turning to Rima and whispering, “Is he your boyfriend? He seems to worry like one.”

Rima immediately scowls. “He is  nothing  of the sort.”

“Really? He’s even holding your bag for you—”

“ Nagihiko ,” Rima says loudly, “you should go home now since you got to apologize to Mama. I’ll see you at school.”

Her mother blinks. “Oh, but he came all this way—”

“ Bye ,” she grits, annoyed, walking past her mother to snatch her school bag from him. 

Nagihiko smiles amusedly at her before bowing politely to her mother one more time. He turns around to open the door, waving over his shoulder. “Bye, Rima-chan. I’m glad you're okay.”

When he leaves and shuts the door, it is quiet. 

Silence.

“I see you're both on a first name basis.”

Rima tiredly says nothing, walking over to the couch to rest.

“If your father were still here, he’d have a conniption,” her mother continues. “The very first person you brought over is a boy.”

“Are  you  against it?” she curiously asks.

Her mother is quiet. “I  would've  been …  But he seems sincere and cares about you. You need someone like that, Rima. I won't be here forever, you know.” 

“...” Rima curls her legs up and sits like a ball. She stares at the band-aids on her knees, then thinks,  I know.

It seems like everyone is just going to leave her, one by one: her father, her mother, then it’ll be KusuKusu, and then Nagihiko. They’re all going to leave. Even Amu will, one day, leave too. Rima knows. She really does.

I know,  she thinks again, sadly.

.

.

vi.

“Stop that,” she demands the next day after school. 

He holds the gag manga she was trying to fetch from a shelf she couldn't reach. “Did you not want this?” 

“I want it.” She snatches it. “But I don't remember asking you for help.” 

“You couldn't reach for it, so I think I had to help anyway,” he argues. “And while I'm at it, you should take it easy on your hands and legs. I saw you wincing when you were taking notes earlier.” 

“You were  watching  me?” she asks, making a disgusted face. “Stalker.”

“To make sure you are okay,” he corrects unnecessarily. “I could clean up here in the back while you can take the front. The teacher didn't write that much on the board today, so you’ll be fine.”

“Yes,  Nanny ,” she mockingly says, dragging her broom with her and leaving the gag manga on her desk as she passes it. 

As she walks past Tadase still packing his things, he looks at her knees and hands, and says, “So it was because of Fujisaki-kun that you got these injuries? I noticed them during lunch, but I didn't want to worry Amu-chan by asking.” 

“Yeah,” Rima nods, putting her broom aside to erase the chalkboard. “He thought it'd be funny to follow me like a stalker.”

“I didn't mean to!” Nagihiko wails, remorseful. 

“Just don't do it again,” she tells him, setting the chalkboard eraser back. She grabs her broom and starts sweeping. 

“I won't,” he promises.

“So… I take it that this is officially your tradition now?” Tadase innocently asks them. 

“Do you not have a student council meeting today?” Rima dryly asks.

“I do,” Tadase casually answers, standing up and taking his bag. “I was concerned about your injuries, so I stayed behind to ask, but since you're fine, Mashiro-san, I shall take my leave now. I’ll see you both tomorrow.” 

“I thought he was okay at first,” Rima comments after Tadase leaves, “but he's starting to sound annoying like you. Stop rubbing off on him.” 

“I don't control how Hotori-kun wants to act,” Nagihiko retorts, lifting up some heavy-looking boxes to set on the counter next to the bookshelf. 

“No, but you can  affect  how he acts,” she gripes.

“You and I both know he's too nice to be overly annoying.” 

“You're right,” she casually agrees. “Because being overly annoying is  your  job.”

“Only if it's towards you,” he quips, walking over to her and beckoning at her broom. “Here, I’ll take over.”

“Stop feeling guilty,” she replies instead, frowning. “It's not like my hands and legs are broken.”

“Rima-chan,” he begins, calmly meeting her eyes, “you still cried. Let me do  something  to make up for that, okay?”

“...” She stares at his hand, then slowly gives him the broom. He accepts it with a smile. “Volunteering to do my duties seems like a stupid way of accomplishing that, though.” 

“Do you have a better way?” he curiously asks.

Instead of the typical parfait demand, Rima ponders for something else, but is stuck, so she says, “Just walk me home  normally .”

His smile is amused, but he sounds sincere when he says, “That, I can do.”

She relaxes, and that's how she finds herself walking with him twenty minutes later. The empty hallways are still the same, but it's less spooky now, and it's peaceful as they exit the school gates. Rima is a little awed by the difference he can make just by  being  here.

“It's finally December,” Nagihiko offhandedly remarks. “What are you doing for Christmas?”

She shrugs. “Other than that concert Kukai talked about, I guess I'll stay home.” 

“It'll be your first Christmas with only your mother, right?” he softly asks. “Is your father going to visit?”

Again, she shrugs. “He did say he’d try to be there for me, so we'll see. What about you? Any plans?”

“I have dance practice,” he replies with a smile. “We have a performance coming up during winter break, but it's luckily not on the same day as the concert. Okaa-san was willing to let me attend both if I tried extra hard this month.” 

“How come you didn't invite anyone for that?” she asks curiously.

He averts his eyes. “It's a little embarrassing now that everyone knows about Nadeshiko…” 

Snorting, Rima replies, “Don't worry. We all knew you were super girly before that.” 

He grimaces, embarrassed. “That's not very reassuring…”

“What about New Year's?” she asks, casually ignoring the comment. “I’m going with Amu and Yaya to the shrine to pray, but I know Tadase will want to join too.”

“I’ll be free for New Year's, so I’ll come too,” he smiles. 

“Will you be dressed as Nadeshiko with flowers in your hair and an equally flowery kimono?” she innocently asks. 

He looks unamused. “I’m going as  Nagihiko , mind you.”

She feigns a disappointed sigh. “At this rate, we’ll never see Nadeshiko anymore.” 

“This tempts me to never show her again,” he pleasantly replies.

“Why?” she sulks. 

He is oddly quiet for a moment. “Because I'm trying to enjoy life as Nagihiko.”

“You're a performer,” she points out, “so you know there's nothing wrong with a cameo or two.”

“True,” he admits, blasé, “but I don't want to switch to Nadeshiko for a while.” 

She raises an eyebrow. “Why not?”

He’s quiet again, staring at the sky. “There are some things in life I just want to do and appreciate as Nagihiko, that's all.” He turns his head to her, smiling. “After all, Nagihiko and Nadeshiko have different things they treasure.” 

“...” Rima is still confused, but doesn't ask anything this time. It feels as though she  shouldn't  ask anymore, like it meant something to him because he said it like that. 

“Rima…” KusuKusu gently says, peeking from inside her school bag, holding Rima’s cell phone in her small arms. “Your mom just texted you.” 

Curiously, Rima takes her phone and checks her messages. She blinks at the attached photo of hot chocolate mix. There are two different brands side-by-side, one labeled ‘milk chocolate’ and the other ‘dark chocolate,’ and her mother wants to know which she prefers. Rima blinks again before typing out an answer—

“You like milk chocolate, Rima-chan?” Nagihiko asks, casually looking over her shoulder. “I thought you would like dark chocolate since you can be so bitter.” 

“Don’t you know how to  not  look at other people’s private messages?” she sneers, glaring at him.

He simpers. “Sorry, but I was curious. It’s nice to see you two texting each other normal things for a change.”

“Even though it’s just the two of us now, we decided to try acting more like a family,” she grumbles, putting her phone away and resuming their walk. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“It’s not,” he agrees, following her. “I was just being nosy.”

“At least you’re self-aware.”

“I know!” he says, cheeky. “I suppose some of Nadeshiko’s habits rubbed off on me. See, I had to be pretty nosy when I first met Amu-chan because she kept turning down my requests for her to join the Guardians.”

“...What was she like when you first met?” Rima ends up asking, genuine curiosity prodding her. 

If he notices her curiosity, Nagihiko comments nothing about it. “Stubborn and the very image of ‘cool and spicy,’ and she had trouble trying to fit in. I thought it was very normal for someone her age, but she was still quite insecure about herself.” He pauses, then softens his eyes. “Even back then, she was always trying her best for the people around her in her own way. She eventually started relying more on others and she learned to appreciate who she is. She really grew so much; I don’t have to worry about her anymore.”

“You love Amu a lot,” Rima remarks. 

He simply laughs. “I love Amu-chan, but not in the way you think. There are many ways to ‘like’ and ‘love’ someone, Rima-chan. I may have liked Amu-chan for her brilliance, but if there is someone for me to fall in love with, it’d be someone whose true self I’ve already seen. Someone whose true self is someone I can relate to and can see myself happy with.”

“They sound way too incredible for you.”

“Well, she is an incredible person, in my opinion.”

“So it’s a ‘she’ and probably someone we know?” 

He smiles secretly, pretending to pull a zipper over his mouth as he suddenly stops walking. He starts waving at her in a friendly manner. “Rima-chan, being nosy is  my  specialty, not yours. You’re home now, so I think I’ll return here. Bye!” 

She narrows her eyes suspiciously at his back as he turns around to walk away. It hadn’t occurred to her that he was already in love with someone else. All the signs had pointed to Amu… Rima doesn’t know any other girls besides Yaya and Utau, and he’d have to be insane to go after either of them.

Weirdo , she thinks, entering her house.

.

.

vii.

“ Riiiiiiiimaaaaa-taaaan! ” Yaya bellows, lunging herself to wrap her arms around Rima’s poor neck. “ I miiiiiissed youuuu! ”

“Yaya, get off,” she patiently says, but still lets Yaya cling to her like a koala. “It’s hard to breathe.”

Yaya pouts, rubbing their cheeks together. “But Rima-tan! We haven’t seen each other in  months ! Stop complaining and let me shower you in some Yaya love!”

Rolling her eyes, Rima looks unamused. “The concert’s about to begin. Go back to your seat.” 

“Rima-tan is no fun,” pouts Yaya again, letting go of her and standing up from the chair she was sitting on. “Sorry for hogging your seat, Nagi.”

Chuckling, Nagihiko stares at them with amusement, sitting down. “It’s all right. I’m happy to lend you my seat if it means you can have the tearful reunion you’ve always wanted with Rima-chan.”

“Bah!” Yaya grumps, sulking. “She didn’t hug back like in my head!” 

Rima calmly sits back down in her seat. “I’ll hug you back in your dreams.”

“ Booooo ,” Yaya replies, giving her two thumbs down. “If Amu-chi, Tadase-kun, and Kukai weren’t backstage greeting Utau, then I would’ve gone to them to play! You two are boring!”

“Here, Yaya-chan,” Nagihiko begins, smiling amicably as he spreads his arms. “Unlike Rima-chan, I like being a good sport.”

“Nagi, you’re the best,” Yaya declares, giving him her signature hug, but lets go of him to pout at Rima. “Unlike  someone… ”

Rima ignores the gibe, simply staring at them thoughtfully. No, it’s definitely not Yaya he’s in love with, right? Nothing changed about him during that hug—

“Rima-tan?” Yaya waves a hand in front of her face, looking distressed. “Are you mad at me? I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it—”

“Calm down, Yaya,” Rima tells her calmly. “I was just thinking about something.”

“You were looking at me, so I assume you have something to ask me?” Nagihiko asks, curiously. 

“Ew, no.”

Her repulsed reaction makes him look fascinated. “Then why were you staring?” 

“I was just wondering how in the world did I get stuck with only  you  in this  giant  stadium,” she replies, grumpy, “while Amu and everyone else are two rows behind us.”

“Souma-kun said he was sorry,” he reminds her, looking amused. He takes out his ticket from his pocket, as if to support his point. “It’s not his fault that he accidentally grabbed the wrong tickets when they all look the same to him.” 

She snorts. “It was  definitely  his fault.”

“The font for the seat numbers do look pretty small on these.”

“Still his fault.”

“Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Still his fault. He had a whole  three  weeks to double-check everything.”

“...” Nagihiko is suddenly quiet, adjusting his cap and averting his eyes to avoid answering back. She smugly smiles at the sight of him putting his ticket away, feeling triumphant.

“You two are awfully closer than before now that I’m watching you…” Yaya comments, suspiciously narrowing her eyes. “What have you guys been doing in junior high?”

“Study,” Nagihiko quips. “You know, like regular students, Yaya-chan. How has Guardian work been, by the way?”

It’s a good thing that Yaya tends to get easily distracted: she starts complaining about how Kairi keeps nagging her to do her work properly, then she starts complaining how Hikaru can do her paperwork way faster than her. Nagihiko nods in sympathy periodically while Rima tells her to keep trying before saying how she can always boss those two around since she’s the oldest member. No one comments on the devious smile Yaya wears afterward as Amu, Tadase, and Kukai finally come back to gather Yaya and go to their seats two rows away. As they all wait, more and more people start piling inside the stadium. Rima is inevitably stuck with Nagihiko as they both get flanked by people sitting at their sides.

“It seems like the crew is adding more special light effects this time,” Nagihiko absently says, looking at the stage. 

“I hope they don’t flash too much,” she replies, grimly. “It’ll hurt my eyes.”

“Are your eyes sensitive?”

“Not really, but flashing lights still annoy me.”

He is quiet for a moment, then takes off his cap to offer her. “Here. It’ll help cover your eyes.”

“I don’t want your hat,” she complains, petulantly. 

He rolls his eyes and puts it on her head himself. “Rima-chan, just wear it. I promise this hat is still brand new if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

“I’m more worried about Yaya seeing this.”

Snorting, he says, “It’s just a hat.”

“Aren’t you worried about it too?” she asks, flatly looking at him. 

“No, I don’t see why I should be,” he casually replies.

She gives him an odd look, thinks,  Won’t the girl you’re in love with wonder about this? , then shrugs to herself as the stadium lights turn off and Utau starts walking on stage under a spotlight. Sometimes, it feels like she will never understand him and his cryptic way of thinking. As Utau starts singing her new song, the lights occasionally flash into Rima’s eyes, but she tugs the cap down to shield herself each time, so it’s not that bad. It continues like that for a while until Utau ends the concert off with  Glorious Sunshine  and a sincere thank you to her fans. Afterward, it’s Amu and Kukai who find them first among the crowd when it’s time to leave.

Amu looks at Rima amusedly. “You look cute in that.”

“...” Rima calmly yanks the cap off and shoves it to Nagihiko’s chest.

“You’re welcome,” he simpers, putting it on himself. 

“We’re going to go backstage to thank Utau for inviting us,” Amu announces, sharing a knowing look with Kukai. “Yaya and Tadase-kun should be outside the building if you want to see them before going home. The crowd’s so big, I feel like we’ll miss each other if you wait for us, so bye, you two! Enjoy your winter break!”

Rima wonders if she can even enjoy winter break when Yaya is squinting at her like a detective towards a criminal when they find her and Tadase outside the stadium entrance. “I knew it!” Yaya firstly yells, pointing accusingly. “Something  did  happen! Don’t think Yaya missed it when Nagi gave you his hat!  Yaya knows all!!! ”

“Then you should know nothing happened,” Rima dryly says.

“ Liiiiiies! ” 

“Yuiki-san, I’m sure he was just trying to be nice,” Tadase placatingly says, smiling meekly. “Why don’t you two go ahead and head home? Yuiki-san and I agreed to wait for Amu-chan and Souma-kun, but since you two weren’t in the discussion, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

Rima quietly takes out her phone to check the time. Her mother should be done with overtime by now. “I should go home…”

“It’s dark, so I’ll come with you,” Nagihiko decides. 

Unamused, she tells him, “Always eager to offer, huh?”

This time, he gives her a serious, stern look. “Rima-chan, it’s definitely  not  safe for you to walk home alone in the dark.”

She sighs, turning around to walk down the steps and waving slightly at Yaya and Tadase. “Fine. Let’s go.”

He catches up after exchanging goodbyes with Yaya and Tadase, both of them walking side-by-side in the silence, their Charas probably following them from afar. Those three have been leaving them alone a lot these days, making her wonder how fast the rumor mill spreads. 

Rima suddenly sneezes. 

Startled, Nagihiko blinks at her. “Why didn’t you bring a scarf?”

“It’s hot inside stadiums, so I didn’t bring one,” she admits. 

“It’s colder at night, Rima-chan,” he scolds. 

“It’s not like you brought a scarf either,” she gripes.

“No, but at least I brought a warm coat.”

“ This —” She fingers the fur shawl around her. “—is warm.”

“Then why did you sneeze?”

“Coincidence.”

He rolls his eyes. “Okay.”

She gives him a look, grumpy. “Your performance is coming up, right? Try not to choke, you chicken.”

“Real mature of you to say,” he comments, dryly. “But thanks anyway. I think I gave it my all during practice, so I can only hope for the best.”

She quiets down. “...Good luck.”

“I hope that was not an ill-intentioned jinx,” he lightheartedly says. 

“It can be if you want it to be,” she threatens.

He smiles amusedly. “Thank you, Rima-chan. I  was  actually a little nervous, but I think I’ll be fine now.”

“Because you’re a chicken?”

His smile softens. “Because you wished me luck.”

Rima says nothing, listening to the sound of their footsteps. The snowfall isn’t that heavy this year, but everything is still coated in a layer of white. “You’re worried for nothing, Nagihiko.”

“It’s only natural to feel worried and scared,” he serenely replies, staring at the sky. “I can’t help it.”

Sometimes, she forgets he still has things to worry about. He has always acted so sure of himself—but she supposes that’s how it would seem to someone who isn’t used to seeing so many masks. “You’re an idiot.”

“Gee, how nice of you to say.”

“You’re aware that you tried your best,” she continues, ignoring the comment, “so stop brooding and just treat this as your best performance yet. Don’t discredit the hard work you put into this, or else there’s no point in trying your best. That’s just a waste of time and energy.”

“...” Nagihiko stops looking at the sky to stare at her. Then he smiles, his eyes softening. “You’re surprisingly good at inspirational talks.”

“Well, I  am  the former Queen’s Chair.”

“All you did was drink tea and eat snacks and let Hotori-kun do the talking.”

She snubs him.

“I was not brooding either,” he adds, unnecessarily. 

“You totally were.”

“Was not.”

“Was too.”

He chuckles. “I’ll let you know how it goes when I see you for New Year’s.”

“Why in the world would I want your progress report?” 

“Because I don’t want your pep talk to be for nothing?” he amusedly replies. 

She flatly looks at him. “I’m going to be mad if I find out my words fell on deaf ears.”

He stops walking, grinning and waving at her. “I’ll repeat them in my head until it’s showtime, complete with an image of you yelling at me! Nothing works better than an angry Rima-chan threatening me!”

Rolling her eyes, she waves back before turning around to walk towards her house. This time, he is still there smiling at her as she looks over her shoulder and shuts the door.

.

.

viii.

“Where’s Amu…?” she asks, puzzled.

Yaya meekly smiles, her pigtails bouncing. “I don’t know how it happened, but we bumped into Ikuto on the way here, and he suddenly carried Amu-chi away! He never said when they were coming back, so that’s why it’s just going to be us today, Rima-tan…” 

Sighing, Rima stands up from the bench that had been their meeting spot. If they’re going to the shrine for hatsumōde, then they’d better go now before the crowd gets worse. “Let’s go then, Yaya.”

Yaya happily walks with her as they make their way towards the matchmaking shrine. Rima isn’t interested in matchmaking, but it’s nearby and still a shrine nonetheless. She listens to Yaya prattle about all the crazy things that happened at Seiyo, complaining about how Kairi won’t let her binge-eat cakes and how Hikaru has a fondness for rabbits. Rima, in return, tells her about how junior high’s been going: like this one time when Amu accidentally headbutted someone when they tried to peek at her phone when she was texting, or another time when Tadase’s shoe locker overflowed with love letters and he had to carry all of it home with a spare trash bag, or when—one day, a week before final exams—Nagihiko left a scribble on the corner of her notes when she left for the restroom during self-study.

“What did he scribble?” Yaya asks, fascinated. 

Rolling her eyes, Rima recalls, “A basketball. Go figure.”

Immediately, Yaya looks disappointed. “Aw. I thought it would be something else.”

Rima wisely does not ask. “He did that with a pen—and he said ‘no reason’ when I asked why, so I’m holding it against him.”

“No one scribbles on someone’s notes with a  pen  for ‘no reason,’” Yaya points out, activating her detective mode again. “Very fishy…”

“How do you know?” 

“My sources are confidential.”

“Okay, so shōjo manga?”

“ Shhh , Rima-tan. That’s not the point. I, Detective Yaya, will figure out this mystery and—”

“And what?”

Rima blinks, and Yaya also blinks. 

They peek over their shoulders to see Nagihiko and Tadase watching them with fascination. Tadase is clad in a plain kimono and haori ensemble, but Nagihiko is more casual in his coat and sweater and long pants and dark shoes. They both wear scarves, and Rima suddenly notices that she and Yaya have reached the shrine already. Had they been talking that long?

“You two are late,” Nagihiko points out, looking around. “And where is Amu-chan?”

“Ikuto,” Rima simply says. 

Nagihiko nods understandingly while Tadase looks plain depressed. (Ikuto’s name is so powerful, Rima thinks.) “Perhaps you ought to get yourself a matchmaking charm while we’re here, Hotori-kun.”

“Likewise, Fujisaki-kun,” Tadase replies, smiling radiantly. “In fact, I think  you  need it more.”

“...” Nagihiko’s smile is tight and not as sparkly. “We’ll both get one then, but let’s go pray first.”

Rima gives up understanding these two as Nagihiko ushers the four of them into the queue for prayers. Their formation starts with Nagihiko, then Tadase, then Rima, and finally Yaya. 

“Rima-tan, your hairpiece is getting loose,” Yaya mentions, helpfully reaching over to adjust the flower pin in her hair. “Your kimono is so cute, by the way! You wore red last year and that was pretty cute, but this orange one is also really cute! Oooh, I just noticed the red gradient on the sleeves!”

“Yours is cute too, Yaya,” Rima compliments sincerely, looking at the gold flowers printed on Yaya’s pink kimono. “The pattern fits you a lot.”

“Is it? Mama used to wear it when she was younger. I wanted to wear the one I wore last year, but she insisted on dressing me up,” Yaya whines. “I thought we could compare with Amu-chi, but that cat got to her first. Boo.”

“He makes her happy,” Rima remarks, “so it can’t be helped.”

“Yeah…” Yaya sighs dramatically. “Maybe it’s good that she isn't here. She totally stood us up! Amu-chi’s love life is blossoming so much while we’re stuck here by ourselves!”

“Are you two implying that you don’t like  our  company?” Nagihiko asks, raising his eyebrow. He and Tadase watch them from over their shoulders, but Tadase is at least a little more amused.

“Hehe… I like your company well enough, Nagi, Tadase-kun,” Yaya amends, laughing apologetically. 

The line starts moving again until it’s their turn to pray, so Yaya miraculously manages to avoid the rest of the conversation by tossing in her offering and praying hard for… whatever she’s praying for. Rima keeps it simple and prays for a peaceful year for her and her mother. After Nagihiko and Tadase are done with their own prayers, Yaya is the one to usher everyone to the stand selling matchmaking charms. She finds one for Rima first, handing it to her before dragging Tadase with her to find one for him next, declaring Nagihiko last. 

“Are you really buying that?” Nagihiko asks her, both of them watching Yaya ask Tadase which color he wants. 

Rima shrugs. “Why not? She picked it out for me already.”

“But it’s still a  matchmaking  charm,” he casually points out, putting his hands in his pockets. “Does anyone pop into your head when that occurs to you?”

She warily looks at him. “No.”

He looks disappointed, sighing. “I see…” After a beat, he says, “I did great on my performance, by the way. I didn’t mess up any steps.”

“Good for you,” she nods, boredly.

He slants her a look. “You could at least congratulate me.”

“Congratulations.”

“You sound like a robot!” he complains, sulking. “I was able to do my best because of you, Rima-chan!”

She simply gives him a dull stare that says,  What's your point?

“Anyway,” he says resignedly, changing the topic, “what were you and Yaya-chan talking about earlier when Hotori-kun and I found you?”

“About how you’re such a jerk for scribbling on my notes,” she gripes, “because you did it in pen.”

“I drew in the corner!” He rolls his eyes. 

“It’s the principle of it.”

“Which is?”

“You don’t just scribble in people’s notes with a  pen .”

“Okay, then I won’t anymore. I only did that because I ran out of pencil lead. You’re overreacting, Rima-chan.”

She opens her mouth—

“Nagi, you’re up!” Yaya declares, holding four matchmaking charms of different colors, two in each hand. There is blue, purple, orange, and red. “You and Rima-tan were talking, so I just picked some colors for you. Which one do you want?”

He thoughtfully looks at each one. Rima assumes he would pick blue, but he ends up reaching for the red one. “This one is nice.” 

Yaya turns around to put the other three charms back. Rima watches him smile at the charm and asks, “Why red?”

“It reminds me of someone,” he explains, looking fond.

Rima decidedly asks nothing else as he walks off to take out his wallet and pay for it. She stares at her own pink charm picked by Yaya and wonders what it would feel like if there is a specific face she can think of whenever she looks at it. She’s never been in love before, after all. Who did he think of? He was smiling at his, like that little red charm meant the world to him—

She shakes her head. 

That’s none of her business.

.

.

ix.

School resumes like normal for the rest of January, making Rima feel grim as February begins. It's almost that time of the year again. Her father didn't visit them for Christmas, so would he do the same five days from now? It's been bothering her for a while, ever since midway January. He said he’d be there for her—

“Mashiro-san…?” 

Blinking, Rima stops staring at the date on her phone and looks behind her to see Tadase offer her an eraser. She stares at it, dazed.

“You dropped it just now,” Tadase helpfully explains. “It rolled by my feet.” 

“Oh, thanks…” She accepts it from him and puts it away in her pencil bag.

Nagihiko scrutinizes her. “You've been extra quiet today… Is something wrong?” 

Rima quietly closes her phone, but the date still flashes on the screen. “Nothing.”

Squinting, he says, “You’ve been staring at your phone a lot too.”

“You also seemed distracted during lunch,” Tadase worriedly adds. “Amu-chan wanted to say something, but she decided not to in case you didn't want to talk about it.” 

Rima starts feeling guilty. “I was just thinking about something. It's nothing major.” 

Unconvinced, Nagihiko and Tadase share a look before Nagihiko starts gathering his hair with his hands, holding it up to make a ponytail. 

“You won't even tell  me , Rima-chan?” he asks, his voice suddenly higher in pitch and sounding much more feminine. “As former Queen’s Chairs, we have to look out for each other, so please don’t hesitate to tell me anything.” Nadeshiko looks imploringly at her, her face extra sparkly and radiant.

“...” Rima gives her a dull look before facing the window. 

“I thought that would work!” he complains, sounding like Nagihiko again. “This is more serious than we thought, Hotori-kun.”

Tadase snorts. “Fujisaki-kun, I don't think she’ll feel inclined to talk if you persuade her like that.”

“It was worth a shot. She told me she prefers Nadeshiko.”

“Still, there's always a place and time for these things.” 

“It's not like you had much luck yourself.”

“Hm, true… Maybe we  should  send in Amu-chan?” 

Annoyed, Rima looks at them. “No, you will not. I told you there's nothing wrong.” 

“Ignoring Nadeshiko  is  something wrong.”

“You're still dressed as Nagihiko, so I felt repulsed just from seeing you talk with her voice.” 

Sighing, Nagihiko says, “If you have the energy to insult me, then I suppose you're fine. But Rima-chan, remember you can always tell us if something is on your mind… I‘m being serious right now.” 

“I know,” she says, standing up with her school bag and phone. She hasn't had any classroom duties for a while now, so she quickly leaves to go home, ignoring his eyes following her out the door. After that conversation, Rima tries to be more mindful the next few days, paying attention during lessons and lunchtime—but the date on her phone always makes her stop and stare.  February 5th,  it reads today.

Someone knocks on her desk with their knuckles. Her eyes trail up the arm, seeing Nagihiko standing in front of her with a thin booklet in his other hand. 

“I have to fill in the classroom log today,” he casually says, then sits down on the chair of the desk in front of her, “so keep me company.” 

She says nothing as she watches him set the log on her desk, open it, and start writing while hogging her desk space. The remaining classmates all gradually leave, so it's just the two of them as she listens to the noise of Nagihiko’s pencil. For a while, it’s peaceful like this.

“I need to write down what the class did today,” he suddenly tells her, blasé. “I also need to mention details such as someone not paying attention in class, or if someone is absent, or if  someone feels bothered about something …”

Nosy , she thinks, unsurprised. “Yeah, I’m being bothered by you.”  

He smiles radiantly. “If you don't want me to write your name in here for the teacher to see, then you better stop staring at your phone and tell me what’s bothering you, Rima-chan.”

“Is that a  threat ?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. 

He ponders. “I guess so.”

Rima sighs, resignedly. “Tomorrow…” 

“Tomorrow will be February 6th,” he patiently says.

She nods, awkwardly looking down. She struggles to say it.

Silence.

Silence.

“Your birthday is tomorrow,” he softly says, finally. “I remembered it from last year—but that's not the problem, is it?”

“...” She starts feeling sad. “Papa didn't come over for Christmas. A part of me thought he  would  because it would've made me happy—but he didn't. I started wondering if he would do the same for my birthday since this’ll be the first time I’m celebrating it without him…” 

Nagihiko is quiet, exhaling. “Did you ever tell him that you wanted him over for Christmas?”

“No,” she admits. “I thought he would think of it on his own.” She wanted to believe in him a little.

Nagihiko puts his pencil down. “Rima-chan, no matter who it is, I don't think anyone is a mind reader—not even our parents. Words were invented so that we can talk. All it takes to get started is by finding the right words to say.”

“How do you know if they're ‘right?’” she asks, staring at the table. 

“You don't,” he replies, lightheartedly. “We’ll never know if they're ‘right’ or not if we don't tell them to someone else. Each person is different, so that judgment will always vary.” He pauses, then says gently, “Tell your father that you want him to come for your birthday. Tell him what you want. It's okay to be selfish on your birthday.”

“He can always say no.”

“He could, but there's also a chance that he  won't . There's got to be a reason why he and your mother stayed together for as long as they could before divorcing. Sometimes,  you  need to be the brave one if there’s something you want, right?”

Rima sighs, looking at him. He is smiling, looking like he believes in her. “You're really nosy.”

“I know!” he happily says. 

“It’s like you personally experienced it…”

He smiles cryptically. “Well, there’s someone I want to tell something to, but I’m still trying to find the right words to say because I’m such a chicken. I don’t want to make any mistakes, so I’m taking my time. I don’t know if the words I choose will be ‘right’ or not, so that’s why I have to consider how she could react.”

“Is this about the person you’re in love with?” she asks dully.

“Who else?” he replies, smiling. 

“Is it Yaya?” she asks, seriously. 

Nagihiko blinks at her, eyes wide.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

He suddenly starts laughing. He folds his arms over her desk and buries his face into them. “Are you actually  curious ?”

“ NO ,” she denies fervently, her face warm. She glares darkly at him as he continues laughing like a maniac. “I’m just trying to look out for Yaya! A-And Amu, for that matter! It better not be either of them or else—”

“I-It’s not e-either of them!” he wheezes, his laughter regressing into chuckling. He starts sitting up, composing himself, but still grins at her. “But she  is  closer than you think.”

“That’s a lame hint,” she mutters, grumpy. 

Nagihiko happily pats her head. “You’re so curious, I just felt like tossing you a bone.”

“I’m  not  a dog, and I  wasn’t  curious,” she denies insistently.

“Remember to talk to your father later,” he casually reminds her, picking up his pencil to resume writing.

“ I wasn’t curious! ”

Lazily glancing at her, he says, “Rima-chan, I can’t fill in this log if you’re yelling at me.”

Glaring at him again, she sulks as she picks up her phone. Rima stares at it for a moment, then flips it open to access her messages. Her thumb hovers over the ‘enter’ button upon highlighting her father’s contact, but she forces herself to click it. She’s still too cowardly for a call, but a text message, she can try. The sound of Nagihiko’s pencil scribbling on the classroom log is comforting to her as she anxiously types up a message. She occasionally backspaces and changes her wording, but she eventually manages to press the ‘send’ button with shaky fingers. After she sees the notification telling her that it successfully sent, Rima immediately exits and closes her phone and exhales.

“...I sent it,” she announces, looking up to see Nagihiko watching her, the classroom log closed and his pencil neatly sitting on top. He seemed to have finished writing a while ago. “I asked if he could come over tomorrow…” 

“You did great!” He smiles fondly, patting her head again. Taking the classroom log, he stands up. “Let’s walk together once I turn this into the teacher’s office, okay?”

This time, Rima smiles at him, feels her heart skip a beat, then nods. “Okay!”

.

.

x. 

She blinks, putting down her fork. She is quiet.

Silence.

“You’re supposed to accept it if someone gives you something, Rima-chan,” Nagihiko helpfully says, “especially if it’s for White Day.”

Rima firstly swallows the apple pie she’s been eating, then slowly accepts the tiny gift box he sets on her palm. It’s square, wrapped in light blue paper with white polka dots, a dark blue ribbon sealing it with a bow. She stares suspiciously at it, examining it from every angle.

“It’s a  normal  gift in a  normal  box,” he dryly says, watching her. 

“I didn’t say anything,” she casually replies, proceeding to unwrap the gift.

He smiles tightly. “You didn’t have to. Your face did.” (In the background, Amu snickers at them while Tadase smiles.)

When she takes off the lid, she peeks into the box and blinks again. Rima takes out the item and holds it up, then gives him another suspicious look. “I only gave you  one  piece of giri chocolate for Valentine’s Day.”

Nagihiko nonchalantly nods. “I know.”

“ This —” She lifts up the little figurine, practically shoving it to his face. He leans back a little. “—is obviously worth more than what I gave you.”

“So?”

“That’s not how White Day works.”

“Rima-chan,” he patiently begins, gently pushing her hand down, “you  like  this character. I remember seeing him in the gag manga you read. I saw this when I was trying to find you a White Day gift, so I figured this was killing two birds with one stone.” After a beat, he adds, “I got it on sale, by the way.”

“How do  you  know I like this specific character?” She squints.

He shrugs. “You smile the most whenever he shows up.”

“Ew, stop watching me like a stalker.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Tadase,” she begins, turning to him, “is it true that he watches me when I’m not looking?”

Perking up, Tadase smiles radiantly, happily opening his mouth—

Nagihiko calmly leans forward across the table to cover his mouth with a hand. “Rima-chan, there’s no need to drag Hotori-kun into this. I’m hurt you would  still  accuse me of this. We’re going to be second years in April.”

“That has nothing to do with you acting like a stalker.”

“If you don’t want it, then I can take it back,” he sighs, beckoning with his hand for the gift.

Rima swats his hand away. “Too late. I got it already. It’s impolite to take back what you give.”

“Rima, just say that you want to keep it,” Amu comments, amused. “Don’t mind her, Nagihiko. She’s actually happy.”

Glaring at Amu, Rima pointedly avoids his eyes. 

“Is that so?” he replies, also amused. “That makes me happy too. Thank you for clarifying, Amu-chan.”

Rima grumpily puts the figurine back into the gift box, setting it next to the mini pack of cute hair barrettes Tadase gave her. Tadase mainly picked ones with flowers on them, but Rima likes flowers and needed some new barrettes for summer anyway. Nagihiko starts mentioning that Tadase’s birthday is coming up this month, so she resumes eating her slice of apple pie as they talk. Tadase’s birthday is on a weekday, so Amu suggests visiting Yaya at the Royal Garden after school to have a small celebration.

“We can also think of it as a celebration for Rima,” Amu is saying, looking apologetic, “since we didn’t get to do anything for her birthday last month.”

“It’s fine,” Rima dismissively says. “Mine was on a weekend, after all.”

“But did you have fun…?” Amu tentatively asks, meaningfully. 

Rima smiles. “Yeah. Papa and Mama bought me a bigger cake this year.”

Amu slowly smiles back, looking relieved. “Let’s get a big cake for Tadase-kun too! You can never go wrong with cake.”

“Amu-chan, a big cake might be too much for us,” Tadase remarks.

“But Yaya will be there too, so I don’t think we have to worry.”

“Now I’m worried we might run  out  of cake…”

They soon launch into some deep discussion about cakes, making Su passionately join in their debate, so Rima leaves them alone. “What, Stalker?”

Nagihiko continues smiling at her. “I’m glad you had a good birthday.”

“...” She stares at her rice and apple pie. “It wouldn’t have turned out good if it weren’t for you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” he humbly says. “You did it all on your own.”

“It’s weird how you’re always modest when you do something that deserves credit, yet you’re such a chicken yourself,” she mentions. 

“Are you just going to keep calling me a chicken until we graduate?”

She ponders. “I didn’t think about that, but yes. I will now. Thank you for the idea.”

“...” He slants her an unamused look. 

Casually ignoring it, she asks, “When are you telling everyone about that anyway?”

Nagihiko blinks. “That?”

“You know,” she hints, eating her apple pie again, “one year from now.”

He is quiet. “During our second year. I don’t want to drop it so soon.”

She scrutinizes him, swallowing. “As long as you will  actually  tell them…”

“I will,” he reassures, smiling. He suddenly reaches for a clean napkin, lightly wiping at her face. “You have pie on your face, by the way. It’s been there for a while.”

She blinks. “...And you didn’t tell me until  now ?” 

He pleasantly smiles, putting the napkin down. The crumbs sit in it, as if mocking her. “I thought you would notice eventually.”

“Liar.”

“You looked happy earlier, so I didn’t want to say anything yet,” he admits, amusedly. “I like it when you’re happy, Rima-chan.”

She stubbornly avoids his eyes, annoyed that her heart actually skips a beat at that. “Just because it’s White Day, it doesn’t mean you can say creepy things.”

“How was that creepy?” 

“It just is.”

“Very helpful explanation,” he dryly comments. “I thought we’ve gotten closer this year to tell each other things like that.”

Rima stays silent because she still can’t quite describe their relationship yet. “...”

It’s quiet, then, “Why aren’t you looking at me?”

“I… don’t want to see your face?” she suggests.

“This is suspicious behavior,” he remarks, nonchalantly, “because I don’t think I did anything wrong. I even got you a White Day gift that you like, out of the goodness of my heart.”

“With how you said it, it sounds like you want brownie points for something,” she mutters.

There is a pause, then he says, “Not really. I’m happy as long as you’re happy.”

It sounds sincere, so her heart skips another beat. 

She sits there quietly, knowing Tadase and Amu and all their Charas are watching them, but she does nothing as she listens to her heartbeats in the loud silence. “You talk too much, idiot,” she finally says, rewrapping her bentō and standing up when the bell rings. He doesn’t ask her anything as they walk back to class with Tadase, and he still doesn’t as they both take their seats in the classroom next to each other. It makes her feel relieved. She wouldn’t know how to explain herself anyway.