Friendly Fire Enabled - AidanTheWriter - かぐや様は告らせたい | Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai (2024)

Friendly Fire Enabled

Yu Ishigami frowned, setting his sights on his goal. The underclassman did some quick warm up stretches in preparation. He lost enthusiasm upon hearing that the next activity will be based on teamwork.

In this game of Scavenger Hunt, he was tasked to run to his next point of interest, wherein he will then be given a description of a person. Yu will then have to get him and this said quest item to the finish line.

If that sounded ridiculous, that was because it was. Ishigami could easily tell someone who had friends made this game. That happiness tax was really tempting now.

In this world where men were the wolves and women the snakes, he was the wolf that strayed from the pack just fending for himself. Life was easier that way. He didn't want to rely on others to be happy or to succeed. People only disappointed him.

And even if his social circle grew a little, it was mostly just acquaintances that he was coerced to talk to. He still wouldn't touch anyone with a ten-foot pole. Who knows what they'll accuse him of next...

Yu took off the moment he heard the gunshot in the air. He could feel the others on his heels.

"You can do it, Ishigami!"

Did his eyes and ears deceive him or did Rei Onodera cheer him on? He shook his head, staying focused on the run.

It wasn't about her or the fact that there was certain uninvited element there that wanted him to "fall flat on his face." He was solely focused on himself. Today, he was going to outrun everyone and everything, including this cruel fate he was destined with.

It felt surreal.

It felt empowering.

With a new lease of life, Ishigami ran faster, ignoring any pain cramps from his lack of exercise.

He gasped for oxygen, grabbing the piece of paper for the scavenger hunt. All he needed to do now was acquire the item and get them to the final destination.

But first he tried to collect his breath. Yu was hunched over, holding his knees and cursing himself for not being in shape. Ishigami opened the note.

Smartest girl in school.

That was, without a shred of reasonable doubt, Kaguya Shinomiya, his Senpai and tutor. She was close by waving a banner among the other students. This should be an easy win. However, getting her to agree was another story.

Other runners were already sprinting towards school pupils. Time was running out. He was thinking of possible ways to convince her as he went towards his goal.

Kaguya was cheering on her year's classmates and the next thing she knew, Ishigami popped up in her view. He was covered in sweat and panting for breath.

"ISHIGAMI, WHAT ARE YOU-" Before she could finish her sentence, Kaguya was picked up in Yu's arms.

"Forgive me Shinomiya Senpai. I'll explain later!" He ran fast as possible back towards the running track field lane, holding onto Kaguya. His opponents joined him. They were also carrying other students, either bridal style or over their shoulders in a desperate rush.

Yu noticed Kobachi Osaragi over a burly student's shoulder. She merely adjusted her glasses. They were gaining speed over him.'Damnit!'

Kaguya wrapped her arms around Yu's neck, studying him up close. It was rare to see him so fierce, determined and passionate about something. He gritted his teeth while the red bandana wrapped on his head whimpered from the gust of wind.

She felt like time was slowly coming to a halt, as they were close by the finishing line. It was crazy to see how much he had changed from that boy who was hiding under the President's desk or walking and moping all by his lonesome. The corner of her mouth slightly moved upwards.

However, time itself reverted back to normal. Ishigami stumbled a bit, losing his focus due to the immense heat and lack of training. Locking himself in his room has been proven to be very detrimental to his own health. The decent muscles he had was gone and carrying Shinomiya, even though she was light, was getting very strenuous for thin Ishigami. It didn't help the rays of sun was blinding, making him disorientated.

Next thing Kaguya knew, they were off track and crashed straight into a small kiosk stand for water. Small paper cups were flying every upon impact. The audience reaction was met with shock and horror. Their eyes were widened, and mouths were covered.

The more fortunate runner broke through the satin ribbon while the rest of the Shuchiin Academy's students erupted into cheers of victory.

Defeated and with a red scrape on his forehead and nose, Ishigami walked with his shoulders sagged down. That was the most embarrassing moments in his life, even more then when he had to tell Miko that her earphones weren't properly plugged in.

His bad mood turned to worse when he saw a happy couple close to him. The guy's name was Tanuma something he recalled. 'Whatever!' He was in the race as well and managed to get his girlfriend in the scavenger hunt. He came second last and was rewarded with love and affection from a cute girl. It pissed him off. Where was his participation trophy?

A note flew and drifted behind them while they acted lovey dovey towards another. It landed right by Ishigami's feet.

"Hey, you dropped your-" Yu turned towards the couple. They paid no attention to him, they walked away carelessly.

Annoyed, he rummaged the piece of paper into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket. "This is why normie couples pisses me off, never focusing on their surroundings and always littering!"

Somehow, he feels like the worst has yet to come. He stood in front of the Nurse's office and took a deep breath for courage. Yu walked in, ready to take his punishment like a man. While he only received a few scratches, Kaguya had injured her ankle when he fell over her.

She looked up, sitting upright on the bed while holding her foot. She could only sigh. "Geez Ishigami-kun, what am I going to do with you?"

"I did say I was sorry." He apologized, sitting on the chair opposite side of her bed.

"Sorry doesn't budge it. You didn't just lose; you came in last! You also dragged me down with you." Kaguya said. "It was dumb."

She expected him to be ashamed from her scolding, instead he shyly rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Yeah, I guess it was dumb. I had real fun!"

Her point remained. "That's really not supposed to be a good thing..."

"But isn't it supposed to be in this case, Senpai? Doing dumb and fun stuff? When we leave school, we'll have to be responsible adults. We won't be able to do these sorts of things anymore, it'll only be a memory we can look back at."

"Yes, I'm certainly looking forward on telling my children one day about what a major klutz you are." Kaguya said all to sarcastically. She thought of being surrounded by her and Miyuki's children one day. (Heck, she had the privilege of meeting her future father-in-law today too. She was making genuine progress) There were going to be boys and girls with blonde and black hair while she told the story, everyone was laughing. She couldn't help but have a small smile. In hindsight, maybe Ishigami was right.

Not that she would say it. Her dignity wouldn't allow it.

"So, what was your scavenge item supposed to be, Ishigami-kun?" Kaguya asked. Usually, they announce these things after the race, but considering they haven't finished it...

"Does it really matter now?" He looked away.

His aversion only craved her curiosity. "Considering you've put me here; I think I have the right to know. Uh, lemme guess, they asked you to get the smartest girl?"

"No!" Ishigami flat out denied. He lied, but it was because he didn't want to give Kaguya any gratification. Her ego was over inflated enough as it is. Last thing he wanted was for her condescending words of, "isn't that adorable." or "how cute."

Kaguya continued to pry. "The prettiest girl then? I must say you have impeccable taste Ishigami, even though you're as lowly as a talking weed."

"Smart ass. Just for that, I definitely won't tell you now."

"Come on, don't leave me hanging!"

"Forget it." He crossed his arms. It was his final say over this. Yu looked around; it was really quiet. "Where is the nurse?"

Kaguya shrugged, rubbing her sore ankle. "I don't know. She wasn't here when I got here."

He stood up. "I'll go check for something for your foot."

As Ishigami walked away, the crumpled up note in his pocket, rolled out to Kaguya's delight. The dinner bell rang. Curiosity was about to feed the cat. She waited for Ishigami to disappear behind the white curtains before limping towards it. 'Sucks to be you Ishigami. Hehe! I'm about to find out what you're so desperately trying to hide! I wonder what could it be...'

Kaguya straightened the rumbled piece of paper. Her heart was beating fast upon realizing what his scavenger hunt paper said.

A girl I have a crush on.

Her cheeks were set a flamed, burning the same shade as her red eyes and hair ribbon. Her hands that held the declaration of his affection shook like an earthquake. She bit her lip. Ishigami has a crush on her?

Without as much as a word to the rest of the student council, Kaguya Shinomiya and her off ankle disappeared from the sports festival and into her carpool.

Ishigami pulled out a small bag out of the nurse's fridge. He understood the basic fundamentals of the injuries now.'Right, its ice now then heat later.'

He turned around, only to find Kaguya nowhere in sight and an unkempt bed where she laid down on.'Huh, where'd she go?'

A few hours later, and the effect of this newfound revelation still haven't worn off. It was indescribable. Could it be shock, excitement, anger, sadness that she didn't recuperate her fellow colleagues feelings? Regardless, she intended to ask her maid in honor and big sister, Ai Hayasaka.

It was late at night. Kaguya sat on her bed, unable to frequently pace due to her ankle. She explained everything to the blonde girl who remained as expressionless as always.

"I see, so he didn't confess to you directly?" Ai Hayasaka asked.

"No, he didn't, but I wished I never picked up that crummy note! What am I going to do Hayasaka?!"

Ai held her chin. "I suppose the best plan of action would be to pretend that you've never read it. That way your friendship with Ishigami-kun remains and the integrity of the student council stays intact. No one has to know."

That made Kaguya even more hysterical. "But I would know!"

Then she wasn't giving her much of a choice. "Be up front, tell him the truth. While you're flattered, you don't feel the same way. If Ishigami truly values you and your friendship, he'll respect that."

Kaguya sighed. That sounded a bit better than just merely sweeping it under the rug. Nevertheless, "It doesn't make it any less difficult Hayasaka-chan!"

Ai shrugged. "It never is. I'll leave the rest to you..."

That night, Kaguya Shinomiya couldn't sleep a wink, tossing and turning on her gigantic bed.

Images of Ishigami appearing in her subconscious mind. In some of them, he smiled and in other he was in his somber mood. She was going to hurt him tomorrow. She hated that. Just because other Shinomiya's were accustomed to stepping on people, didn't mean that she liked to. The raven-haired clutched her silky covers for comfort.

The next morning, Kaguya Shinomiya appeared early at Shuchiin Academy, wanting to have a head start on the day before it had a head start on her. She was mentally and physically preparing herself to reject Ishigami while walking to the shoe lockers.

She felt her heart jumping in her throat when she noticed the usual tardy, black-haired bang, headphones around the neck boy also at the entrance, much to her misfortune.

Her plan of action was to act casually until the opportunity came. She cleared her throat. "G-Good morning, Ishigami-kun!"

He looked up after adjusting his indoor shoes. Yu greeted back, however it wasn't with her enthusiasm. "Morning, Shinomiya Senpai. How's your foot?"

It still stung, but she pretended like the accident hadn't occurred. "Never better! My oh my, crazy hot weather we're having recently!"

Ishigami didn't look interested in the slightest. "It's all right, I guess."

Kaguya gnawed her teeth in frustration. She wanted to slam her head against the locker.'The weather, really?'She had to address this situation if she ever hoped for some normalcy to return.

"Say, do you have some time after school? I want us to meet on the roof. There's something I'd like us to discuss." She gave a forced smile, trying to hide her anxiousness.

He had a poker face. "I'm free, but can't we discuss this at the student council room with everyone else?"

Kaguya took her shoes; thankful that the locker door was now shielding the blush she had on her face. Either he was an idiot, or co*cky enough with his feelings on her. Regardless, she was going to crush this little crush he had.

"It's something I don't want the others to hear."

To her relief, he didn't pry further. "Okay?"

This situation was too much to handle. She wanted to get far away as possible from Ishigami until then. She hopped on her good foot, while trying to fit the shoe on her bandaged foot. Kaguya ended up losing balance and almost falling.

That was until a pair of arms went around her waist. Ishigami embraced her. Her cheeks reddened even more. She could hear her heartbeat in her eardrums rapidly.

"Let me help, Senpai." He dropped to his knees, as if he was about to propose. He picked up the shoe she dropped during the fumble, placing it on her foot almost like a prince holding a glass shoe for his princess.

Her entire body was unable to move. Kaguya's hands held onto Ishigami's shoulders for support.

"You need to be careful. Don't put so much pressure on your foot." He pulled up her sock too and stood up. Their faces were inches away.

Just like that she took off. That was the fastest he had ever seen someone, let alone someone with a swollen ankle, run. Ishigami simply saw it as her pride hurting then went his own way. School was starting soon, much to his dismay. "I want to go home."

Maybe having a second opinion on this matter would help her.

By lunch break, Kaguya had the entire student council room to herself. She brought in Nagisa Kashigawa to discuss this issue. Since the vice president always helped the girl, maybe she'll have professional courtesy to help her in return, preferably in utmost confidentiality too.

The shorthaired girl with red hairclips took a sip of her tea, sitting across the longer haired conflicted girl. "Honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner."

"What do you mean Kashigawa-san?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I mean you give a complete loser, loner, incel, introvert like Ishigami any kindness that's bound to happen. That's why girls steer away from him. Don't even get me started on his reputation he got in middle school!"

Kaguya looked at her reflection in the tea she was holding. "Please refrain from saying those things. He's still my friend."

But Nagisa digressed. "It's the truth! I really don't see what the President sees in him. He gives me the creeps."

With her red orbs, Kaguya glared at Nagisa over the teacup she drank from. She didn't just insult her friend Ishigami, but also her Miyuki's judge of character, which was completely unforgivable.

The frost princess glare quickly made the student withdraw her statement. "But I'm sure the President has his reasons. That goes without saying haha!"

Back to the topic at hand, they talked about possible solutions on how to handle it. Kaguya explained the note he had dropped at the nurse's office.

"Strange. My Tanuma also received the exact same scavenger hunt note..."

Nagisa's approach was far more confrontational. "You need to find out how deep this crush goes. Corner him and demand answers! If he did fall seriously for you, then you need to reject him!"

That's where the problem came. "I don't want to hurt him."

Nagisa sat next to Kaguya, whispering to the naive, inexperienced girl her next course of action, as if they weren't talking loudly and didn't have the student council room to themselves.

The school bell rang. Kaguya placed the expensive tea set so the school staff could clean it. Slowly, the girl felt the pressure rising when she saw the time on the clock tower by the window. The small and longer arm met up high. It was almost time. For what looms over the vice president was methodically torturing her.Tick, Tock...

"This is too much! I need to get some fresh air!" Just as Shinomiya was about to make a run for it, she ran headfirst in a grey wool vest. Like a Houdini, Yu had appeared out of thin air, covered in grass.

"Where's the fire, Senpai?"

She tried to keep her composure, wondering whether the palm-to-the-cheek technique would keep her calm. She changed the subject. "Eh! Why are you so dirty? Were you and the president lazing about on the grass again?"

"Well, yeah but-" Yu was unbothered.

"But nothing!" Kaguya scolded him. "You look like a complete slob! As part of the student council committee, you should take better care of yourself. What if the Principal comes in and sees you like this!?"

Just like that she started to brush off any strands of grass off him. She inspected him more; even the collar off his shirt was crooked. Kaguya adjusted it more neatly in behest of him.

"About our meeting this afternoon, I'll be a few minutes late. I have another meeting with the Cheer club after school. They told me it wouldn't be long though."

Kaguya was getting cold feet all of a sudden. Now she was only wiping imaginary particles from his vest. "Oh, that, it's nothing. Don't worry about it. You can go home after. I have everything handled."

Which couldn't be any farther from the truth.

"If you say so..."

She playfully patted his cheek. "Good boy! Now you look neat, presentable and handsome-I mean for the other girls!"

There were a few seconds of silence before Kaguya spoke. "We have to go to class now. I better not hear about you dilly-dallying from the teachers, so get to it!"

Ishigami groaned. "Yes, mother."

Tomorrow she'll tell him she doesn't feel the same way. She told herself. Today's results were non-conclusive, out of fear that she'd ruin what amazing thing they have here.

With nothing to show, Kaguya returned home and debriefed Ai about the whole situation. She laid out her next course of action like game plan for the maid, as if she was a war general with chess pieces, moving them all towards its intended target. She was planning on following Nagisa's tactic, which was completely fool proof.

Or at least that's what she thought.

Ai Hayasaka blinked a few times upon hearing it. She wasn't a relationship guru by any means. However, she was so dumbfounded that she couldn't help but pull her face. She sighed. "Honestly, that sounds terrible. Why is it always those in relationships giving the worse relationship advice?"

Kaguya was getting hysterical again, thinking she's only digging her grave deeper. "Yours wasn't exactly helpful to begin with either!"

So, the girl who couldn't have a normal conversation with the President was going to berate her help? That was rich. With a condescending look, Ai crossed her arms. "Ah, so you asked him directly then?"

Kaguya's silence was more than enough answer.

"Quit stalling and playing games. Men want honesty and directness. You could have ended this entire thing today. If he's serious, then you're giving him false hope. Stop wasting his time and ultimately your own."

Ai couldn't help but have a small smile. "Quick and clean and to the point. You won't get any better advice elsewhere. I am so charming I had Miyuki eating at the palm of my hand once!"

"Hey, that's uncalled for!" Kaguya yelled. She chewed the gel off her fingernails nervously. "I'll do it tomorrow then..."

Ai rolled her eyes. She found that hard to believe.

For the most part, things went on normally the next day. Everyone went to school assembly early in the morning and then went to class afterwards. Extracurricular such as archery and aerobics swimming kept her mind clear and focused.

Everyone went on as they normally should. The president and Ishigami discussed video games. Chika was introducing Miko to a new card game they were playing and its convoluted rules. Most importantly, and she can't express this enough, Ishigami made no hints or advances. Kaguya smiled amidst the banter. She guessed these things just come and go. Like her French class saying goes,C'est La Vie.

Now she can go back to what's important.

"So, are you getting the game, Prez?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Speaking of which, their conversation piqued her interest.'My oh my, what's going on here?' The dark-haired girl leaned her head back, trying to eavesdrop. Could this be a possible elaborate scheme to get the President to profess his undying love to her? If he did, she wouldn't mind it, but her proclaiming it first was out of the question. She was more than inclined to give him that first push, however.

"I've been looking forward for this games for ages." Shirogane said.

Kaguya smirked, imagining herself acquiring the game. If it's a real romantic confession, she'll let him play an hour or two.'Wouldn't that be adorable?'

"I already pre ordered and paid for it in advance."

Or maybe not. Looks like he made plans despite his family's financial problems. Her smile dropped along with her hopes and dreams.

"You don't pre order games, dude! You should always wait to make sure they don't release a buggy broken game!"

"My mistake, I don't usually buy games. They're always expensive so I have no clue how it works."

She lost all interest in their conversation. Her and the President's battle had once again reached a stalemate.'Oh joy!'Kaguya thought pessimistically.

She continued reading the complaints/suggestions the students had over the Academy, regardless of how consequential they were.'Not enough cheese puffs at the cafeteria store? I want a girlfriend? I take it we're not doing TOO badly if those are the main issues.'

Tiresomely, Kaguya went through everything with a fine comb. She used their official stamp as a means to show they'll consider it. The Principal had the final say over this.

After fighting like a cat and dog with Ishigami, Miko stormed out. Shirogane didn't choose a side between the two and was quickly accused of favoring Ishigami. Upon hearing that some first year had a crush on another student, the Love Detective Chika donned on her deerstalker cap and grabbed her magnifying glass. This subject needed further investigation.

Alas, her Miyuki had to leave as well for his part time job. Kaguya lamented. She could make all his money woes vanish. That way he'll spend all his time coddling her instead.

All this meant that she was now alone with Ishigami. Kaguya stiffened. Somehow the recluse was pretty comfortable all things considering.

"They sure are working us to bone." Kaguya complained, hoping to break the ice.

"Tell me about it. First, they had a problem with all the financial things being on a two-page spreadsheet. Now, they're complaining about the text being too small. There's no winning with them."

Kaguya sighed. "Absolutely. It's like everyone expects the student council to be miracle workers."

"If the teachers think they can do better than us, they can take our jobs too. These sorts of jobs are just glorified crap to lessen their workload anyways." Yu was about to throw in the towel.

"But between you and me, I think it has less to do about the work and more about who is doing it." Yu said, pushing himself to type further.

'He certainly isn't responsible if he sees the student council that way.'Kaguya was skeptical. She decided to humor him anyways. "You really think there's some agenda against you?"

His eye didn't leave the screen. "Duh, normies absolutely seethed when I was given this job. The teachers kept telling the President to reconsider the slot for some "picture perfect candidate" but he was stubborn! All he said was, "Sorry I've made my decision."

She smiled at Ishigami's impression of Shirogane. "Oh my, that sure does sound like Miyuki! I mean-President! PRESIDENT!"

Kaguya hoped her mistake wouldn't raise suspicion. Not that it mattered since everyone knew, except for the two at war. It was the pink elephant in the room that didn't need any elaboration She continued. "And yet, here you are. You are proving the President right. You're definitely nowhere near as bad as people make out to be."

"Oh, I'm bad to the bone." He insisted.

Which made her laugh slightly. "I didn't know you have a sense of humor, Ishigami-kun."

"I'm dead serious. I am doing this just to trigger people who don't like me."

Kaguya wasn't convinced. She remained smiling. "No one is that petty. Don't sell yourself short. You're as gifted as the president says you are."

She leaned over the table so she can pinch his face. "Isn't that adorable?"

"That's pretty demeaning, Senpai. I'll sue for emotional damage." Yu said while his cheek was pulled.

"You're loving all the attention don't deny it." Kaguya teased. "Do you want some tea?"

"If it's not an issue, can you make mine a coffee instead? I'm having trouble staying awake."

"Shouldn't be a problem." She stood up and playfully ruffled his hair too.'I raised this boy!'Yu remained unfazed by her antics and his messy hair. He was still typing, albeit under heavy eyelids.

After a few hours, he slammed the laptop, not caring about properly closing the computer program. He was contemplating asking earlier, however, since they were both here now, there was no better time than the present.

"Shinomiya Senpai..." The sound of her name shook her out of her fatigue.

"Y-yes?" She asked with hesitancy, fearing what this could possibly lead to.

"I was wondering if you'd like to...go out this weekend..." He looked away. She could have sworn she saw a hint of red on the recluse face. "...with me?"

"Like adate?" She was considering "accidentally" throwing the scalding hot tea on her school summer uniform just so she can excuse herself.

"No!" Ishigami quickly assured her. He couldn't even maintain eye contact with her. "I mean me, and the president had plans originally, but he got extra works shifts at his part time job. I asked Fujiwara Senpai, she dodged my question with some silly quiz game and took off. Ino-chan said yuck."

"So I am your last resort?" Somehow, she was offended that he treated her like an afterthought.

"Well, it's just you scare me the most, Shinomiya. No offense." She'd be lying if she responded with none taken.

"It's just, I am trying to get out more often. I'd rather not stay cooped up in my room the entire weekend." His leg was restless, while his hands fidgeted in fear. "So,um,please?"

For some reason, she found herself incapable of saying no. It would be like kicking a homeless puppy to the curb. He was courageous enough to ask her upfront as well. "Jeez, if isolation is really that more terrifying than me, then I supposeI could clear my schedule, Ishigami."

In a major turn of events, Kaguya Shinomiya found herself doing the complete opposite she had intended. All she was doing was delaying the inevitable.

"So how do you go from planning on rejecting Ishigami to going on a date with him?"

Annoyed by Ai's question, she looked over her shoulder and clarified. "It's not a date!"

Kaguya was busy choosing an outfit for today. She rounded it off to two possible ones. Again, this couldn't be specified enough, "We're just two friends who are hanging out."

Semantics, in the blonde girl's eyes. "Just like a date..."

"A boy and a girl can hang around and not be romantically involved, you know. I swear people weren't like that when I helped Ishigami-kun with studying."

"I'm just saying Mistress Kaguya, it doesn't look good. What you are saying and what you mean aren't matching up. You're giving mixed signals! When he confesses-"

She stopped her right there. "Ifhe confesses to me, I will handle it. I already told you about Kashigawa-san's plan. I'm following it to a T."

"Oh God,thatplan?" The maid had to press her finger against her own forehead, feeling the impending headache that was arriving from how baffling idiotic it was. Kaguya just looked on in bewilderment. Her caretaker acted as if she was about to make a big fool of herself.

"You're going to make a fool of yourself." Ai added with no mouth filter attached. "And it will hurt you both."

'Hmph! What does Hayasaka know!? I'll show her!'She didn't see it that way. In Shinomiya's inexperienced eyes, Kashigawa was the vanguard of relationships. She was even certain that Nagisa and Tanuma had done the deed. Logically, it made sense to ask her how to simply reject someone.

Needless to say, the detractor, Ai Hayasaka wasn't bought with the skeptical look she was giving. Kaguya was going to do what Kaguya wanted. She was a prideful girl.'She'll just have to learn the hard way then.'

Finally, Kaguya picked an outfit. During the dreadful humid summer, she wore a red top that exposed her shoulders a bit, along with white pants and sandals. She only hoped that Ishigami didn't have some secret fetish over it, getting exposed to Twitter only recently had deeply traumatized her.

Ishigami wasn't surprised when large, burly men in black suits and sunglasses questioned and searched him upon his arrival. It was so fortified, almost as if they were protecting the Prime Minister's daughter. She is from the Shinomiya family after all. They don't acquire that much money without making a few enemies.

Fortunately, she did warn security beforehand, but that didn't mean that they were going to proceed without caution. He brought his student ID and allowed himself to be pat down, as well answering any of their questions. They were very intimidating needless to say. Yu wouldn't be surprised if a few of their former professions were sumo wrestlers. He was as thin as a stick compared to their statures.

After interrogating Ishigami, the bodyguards escorted him through the long driveway.

He was having second thoughts standing by the grand entrance. However, he knew it was way too late to back down now. Kaguya Shinomiya would literally kill him for wasting her time like that. Sucking it up, he rang the doorbell. The front door creaked slowly open. For an unfathomable reason, his face burned up and it wasn't due to the current heat wave.

This was the first time he saw Kaguya in normal clothes and with her raven hair down her back. Cliché as it may sound, for him, she looked like the moon goddess from the famous folklore. He found himself tongue tied by her beauty,

Ishigami looked away, repercussions be damned, but this had to be said. "Hey. You look very...pretty, Senpai."

Her face was as red as her top. "Thank you, Ishigami-kun. Y-You don't look so bad yourself!"

Shinomiya rarely heard him give a compliment. Mostly because it backfired horribly, like the time he complimented Fujiwara's change of hair conditioner. He must genuinely mean it. "So shall we do this?"

'Maybe going to the mall wasn't the brightest idea?'She thought. After all, it was the weekend, which made it the busiest time there was. That meant they were more than likely to run into Shuchiin Academy students like them. Lord knows if they see the Vice President and Treasurer together; they'll turn a storm into a teacup.

On the bright side, it meant that with huge crowds they could pass by completely inconspicuous. Kaguya and Ishigami walked side by side, not wanting to lose each other in the bustling crowd.

Kaguya's vigilant red eyes kept thwarting left and right in search for any recognizable faces. That way, the second she noticed someone, they could use the people for cover. Ishigami couldn't care less, seeing this only as a friends outing.

Kaguya saw that Yu's walking pace was busy slowing down when they walked past a video game store. His attention was at the advertisem*nt boards for an upcoming game at the display windows. She rolled her eyes, grabbing his arm.

Close by the movie premiere selections, a boy and girl stood with matching blonde color hair. They were twins. The girl worn a white summer dress; her magenta pink eyes beamed up upon seeing the choices. One in particular had her interest so much that the sparkling star in her left eye was brighter than ever.

"Aww, but Aqua you promised we would watch it if I passed my entrance exam!" Ruby Hoshino moaned.

The twin boy groaned. A promise was a promise. Aquamarine accepted his cruel fate. She wouldn't let him hear the end of this. "Fair enough, let's get this done and over with..."

The sister dragged the brother past Ishigami and Kaguya. They looked on in great curiosity while the other two rushed towards the early show in a blur. Whatever it was that had them in such a rush had to be good. They stood where the twins were earlier.

"How about this Shinomiya?" They stood in front of a movie poster. It was the anime adaptation of a manga she read not so long ago. "Fujiwara Senpai borrowed it for you and it made you cry, remember? The online forums said it stays faithful to the source material."

Kaguya had to compose herself. She highly anticipated this piece of fiction. She almost fan girl squealed when seeing the"Now Showing"plaque on the cover. However, this was a romance, something a boy and a girl who are in a platonic relationship shouldn't (at least in her mind) attend. Doesn't the genre bind the people who watch it together?

Watching it was out of the question, a big no from her.

"I heard completely otherwise, people on the inter web said it's...mid! Let's watch something else!" Kaguya said a bit too eagerly, tugging on his shirt.

Ishigami merely raised an eyebrow. Her attempt at internet slang felt like a boomer trying to brush up her vocabulary. "Okay?"

He followed her to the next movie. It was a full-blown horror, dubbed as the scariest horror flick to come out this decade. It was the subtle things that made this one so unsettling and resolved around generational curses.

Kaguya had a sad*stic grin, turning her head like a supernatural doll towards Yu. "This looks very scary, doesn't it, Is-hi-ga-mi?"

"No ma'am!" He declined, a fearful sweat drop rolling down his face. "This is the scariest moment of my life!"

Undecided, the duo moved towards the last screening at the cinema.

"This looks...interesting, Ishigami."

"A Documentary about the Ocean Life?"

It was the safest option between the three. No romance to make her uncomfortable and no horror to make Ishigami uncomfortable. As far as she was concerned, it was a win-win.

It was almost ominous with how quiet the theater was when they stepped inside. Kaguya could hear a needle fall. The only source of light was from the steps.

She wasn't satisfied. "You probably wanted something with a bit more action. Just to turn your brain off from studying so much."

Kaguya was thinking that he genuinely wanted to watch the romantic movie instead. It was the first thing he recommended.'I mean he even read reviews beforehand! He did his research. I must have been a real spanner in his work. Heh!'

Kaguya smirked over the notion of foiling Ishigami's romantic plan.'Too bad! Do you really think my heart can be swayed that easily?'

All though, she can commend him informally for remembering that she read the manga.'It was thoughtful of him, but that's beside the point!'

If anything, Ishigami was content for someone who just had his day plan ruined. Yu sank into the comfortable cinema chair. He looked relaxed. Maybe it was the lack of cabin fever. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad to be out."

She took the seat assigned besides him. "If it's boring, we can always catch the afternoon screening for that scary one."

That's where he drew the line. "No way, I'm not giving you any ideas!"

"It's a paranormal! The Shinomiya family doesn't possess that sort of power!"

"That we know of..."

"Please! I, for one, would actually like to be original with my ideas. Consider it my own trademark." She playfully jabbed his side. It was hard for him to maneuver away while sitting. He merely accepted his cruel fate. Kaguya took a handful of popcorn.

"Hey, who said you can have my popcorn?" Yu quickly took the large popcorn away from her unsolicited grasp.

"You're still co*cky enough to reprimand me. I can't be that scary!" Kaguya leaned over and took more just for the sake of it.

The two fought like siblings over the popcorn. Eventually, Yu placed the popcorn on the armchair nestled between them so they could share.

They were the only ones in the theater. She's sure he wouldn't have any romantic proposals on a freaking geographic documentary movie. Besides, the theater was way too cold to think of something like that. They must have air cons on full max. She rubbed her arms. "It sure is chilly in here hehe."

"Sorry If I had the jacket, I would give it to you."

'Wait, isn't that the sort of thing couples do!?'Kaguya vividly remembered those scenes playing out in Shojo manga's. The girls would wear their boyfriends' oversized hoodies and jackets when they underestimated the weather.

Or perhaps she was completely misinterpreting his kindness? This time it was her second guessing herself. He sat completely composed and flicked the popcorn in his mouth.

He had a crush on Tsubame last she heard, so that must very well be the case. She crossed her arms, trying her best to ignore these feelings.

On the contrary,'Who cares if Ishigami has a crush on me?'Kaguya thought, looking at Ishigami while he was eating popcorn. There were things she liked about him too.'He isn't two faced; he doesn't beat around the bush. He still has a keen sense of justice by a school system that hates him. There's still kindness in him too even though he won't admit it. I heard how he defended Iino-chan from bullies. Yes, he's often lazy, but he makes attempts to better himself like in his studies instead of wallowing in his own misery.'

'Ishigami is a diamond in the rough.'Was the biggest praise her vanity would ever allow her to give him. She observed him more, unbeknownst to Yu who was just blankly staring at the screen, waiting for the movie to start. Sometimes, she wondered how his eyes would look like without his hair covering half his face.

Kaguya was contemplating. Come to think of it, he did show interest beforehand. Ishigami did admit to thinking of her when they played along with that ridiculous survey. She just didn't think much of it, other than he's an insect.

The lights grew dimmer, the surround sound speakers and big screen was brought to life. Instantly, they were transported at the middle of the ocean, before descending hundreds of meters below the depths. The sunlight reflecting through the ripples of waves above lit the coral reefs. A school of fish took refuge in the branches upon hearing the call of the humpback whale.

It was so terrifying and yet calming being this deep within the unknown blue. Kaguya's peripheral vision managed to catch a quick glimpse of Ishigami. Jellyfishes swam by them. Far off in the distance, a swarm of anchovies started to form. The huge population of smaller fishes formed a spiral, as they grew closer. Eventually, they were in the center of it, almost as if she and Ishigami were caught in the eye of the storm. It was almost hypnotizing.

Kaguya saw his hand resting on the armchair. Now was the perfect time to initiate Nagisa's plan:'Operation find out if Ishigami has a crush on me.'She moved her hand closer.'Kashigawa san said I need to make physical contact by "accident". I can just say I didn't see his hand. It was way too dark!'

Her hand hovered over his hand; she settled it down, feeling his cold fingers.'Now pull away and be disgusted!'Never did she want to be more wrong about her suspicions. She squeezed his hand.'Do it Ishigami! Tell me this is just one HUGE misunderstanding. Please!'

'Ishigami?' She turned to him, waiting for his reaction. Ishigami was lost, watching the league of dolphins' rush through the maelstrom of fishes, their clicking noises notified the others of their successful hunt. The entirety of the movie theater was enveloped in a blue light while it ventured further into the great unknown.

Ishigami took his hand off. She felt a massive wave of relief wash over her. However, it was short lived when he placed his hand on top of her hand, squeezing back kindly in response.'This can't be happening! This can't be happening!' Kaguya repeated for herself. She couldn't understand why such a plan could horribly blow back in her face. Kaguya only wished that someone had warned her about it earlier...

Slowly, he adjusted his hand so their fingers could interlock. Her heart was beating loudly, matching with the ground shaking speakers. Ironically, The Frost Princess was completely frozen to do anything; even then his grip was firm and secured. All of a sudden, it wasn't so cold.

She felt safe, even though this was uncharted territory. Just like the submersible descending down the dark madness. It was alienating. She didn't hate it. For this instance, Kaguya decided to embrace the craziness. His hand was now warm.

By the time they left the cinema, it was tenfold crowded. Most of the audiences surrounding them were around their age. She assumed that they were going to watch the tearjerker romantic movie. Kaguya and Ishigami just had to be elusive to avoid any familiar faces lurking about. In the process, her shoulder accidentally brushed against Ishigami's arm.

Kaguya blushed, trying her best to forget what happened in there. "That was...educational."

Ishigami was deep in thought, scratching the side of his head. "Yeah, it kind of had me thinking what we can do for an extracurricular school activity, but it's probably lame and sh*t."

She assured him. "Well, I'm certain it can't be any worse than those suggestions I've been reading this week, so let's hear it."

Kaguya smiled. "Your input matters too, Ishigami-kun."

He couldn't maintain eye contact "Maybe we can have like everyone, the first and second years go on field trip and pick up trash on the beach. We can also help baby turtles who are stranded."

Kaguya blinked. That was even better than the ones that were actually submitted. "And we can cover more beaches by assigning it to different years classes too. That's... an interesting idea."

It was a rare sight to see him so invested in something that wasn't video games or anime. He was finally stepping out of his comfort zone, and trying new things too, regardless of what people may think.

Kaguya felt lightheaded, bumping into Ishigami's side again. He hooked his arm around hers. "Easy there, Senpai. Are you hungry?"

She couldn't even remember eating anything last night or this morning out of fear of anticipating today. "Heh, I must have forgotten about breakfast."

It was his time to lecture her. "Idiot. You're always telling me to take better care of myself. You need to practice what you preach."

This was equivalent of the younger brother giving life advice to his older sister.'Really?'

They walked together in search for a restaurant, but everything was full. They were packed in the mall like the dried sardines she had forced fed upon him during his study session. The waiting line was relatively long too.

Within the mall, was a small ramen store. The restaurant was designed to resemble the Feudal Japan era. They slide the traditional door open. The inside of the store was more modern to accommodate for the dining appliances. Smoke was emerging out of the kitchen, brining an enticing smell as well.

Kaguya was always interested in ramen, especially the aroma. Her special chefs unfortunately looked down upon the dish. It had the social stigma of being "commoner, poor people's food" and they wouldn't be caught dead cooking it. The Shinomiya bloodline wouldn't be caught dead eating it either.

"My, oh my. What a cute little place." Kaguya remarked.

"I still can't believe you've never tried it." The earliest memory Kaguya had of ramen was when the kindergarten caretaker ate some during lunch break. The rich spicy fragrance reeled her in. No matter how specially made and exotic Kaguya's own food was, she wanted that.

"Since you're much more knowledgeable about this, you can teach me." The junior will be teaching the senior today

"Hmm." Ishigami took a good look at menu, trying to find something suitable for a beginner like Kaguya. "How about we start off with something basic? Next time, we'll be more innovative."

"S-sure."'Next time!? Bold of you to assume that I will say yes for a second date.'Kaguya reached under the counter, holding her hand he touched earlier, still feeling the warm linger.'But if he did ask me again, then I guess I wouldn't mind.'

"Yes, can we have two miso ramens please with extra cashews." Yu asked the chef.

The scary and quiet man merely gave a nod, and then proceeded to work on two stoves simultaneously. One was for boiling the ramen to the degree that it wasn't soft but not firm. On the other, the miso soup was stewing. Using his culinary skills, he cracked and removed the shell of the boiled egg and sliced it in half with great precision. Once satisfied, he poured in the steaming soup, followed with the ramen. He placed the egg on the bed of noodles along with the single layer of seaweed. The rectangle pork cutlets were swimming in the broth. With his finishing touches, he sprinkled on the diced green onions and cashews in absolute flair.

Seeing everything in motion just made everything more enticing. She couldn't help but drool a bit. Upon receiving the ramen, Kaguya immediately grabbed a fork and ate without any inhibition. Her strict home schoolteacher who taught her fine dining etiquette would have a heart attack seeing her now.

"Ah!" She coughed a bit, the soup still hot enough to burn her tongue. "W-what?"

She could have sworn she saw Ishigami smile. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. "It's nothing."

She tried to be more lady like, straighten her posture. "Just got a bit carried away, that's all."

Yu started eating. "Don't wait too long, otherwise the noodles will get soggy."

Kaguya inspected the noodles, which were medium. "Is that a bad thing?"

Ishigami shrugged. "Not really, no. Some people prefer it that way. Personally, I'm okay with it."

He noticed she took some spices off the selection. "Hey, be careful those are the really..."

Ishigami was too late; she had already poured the intense powder in her ramen bowl. "...hot stuff."

Kaguya smiled proudly, condescendingly closing her eyes. "I'm a refine lady, I assure you I can handle my spicy food."

She took a bite, instantly transferring herself into a world that resembled hellfire and brimstone. Fire exited her ears. Kaguya persevered. Her Kohai was watching her intently. She couldn't showcase any sort of weakness in front of him.

Through her endurance, she found method in her madness. Her taste buds grew accustomed to the spice as she transcended into a higher being.

Ishigami wasn't completely bought. "You really don't have to suffer for my sake, Shinomiya Senpai. Let's trade food."

"I-I have no idea what you're yammering on about, Ishigami-kun. I am having the time of my life here!" Her voice trembled. Kaguya twirled around more ramen with her fork. Her entire body shaking while her face was on fire. She was certain she could see through time.

Not to mention the idea of eating something he already ate from sounded too intimate. In her innocent mind that was almost like an indirect kiss.

The old-style slide door was opened with such great enthusiasm that the wheels nearly jumped off its track. It so was loud that it jolted the hallucinating Kaguya. It was one girl, but she had the hunger of an entire battalion. The trumpets of war were playing.

Her pink hair was tied in a ponytail. She wore a green tank top that accommodated her small green bow quite nicely on her hair. The long white skirt reached all the way to her geta sandals.

She needed no introduction.

"I'm back!" Chika Fujiwara broadcasted.

"Crap, Ishigami! It's Chika! What are we going to do?" Kaguya whispered, trying to hide next to his thin frame.

"Uh, the exact same thing we were doing before? Eating. We have just as much right Fujiwara Senpai to be here." Ishigami said calmly while eating.

There was no point in hiding. The ramen shop was incredibly cramped and the only seat available was right next to them. They were compromised.

Or so they thought. The secretary sat beside Ishigami without exchanging a single greeting or look to either of them. She was solely focused on the chef of this ramen establishment.

"You think she recognizes us?" Kaguya gave a worried look to Chika, whispering to Ishigami.

The treasurer looked at the secretary then at the vice president again, whispering back. "I don't think so..."

"What do you mean, you don't think so? She's literally sitting right next to you!"

"It's like she's completely zoned out. Chika can be in her own little world." For him, it was nothing out of the ordinary. It was Chika being Chika.

"That's because her ramen switch is on." The middle-aged businessman explained, donning his glasses up higher.

"Her ramen switch?" Kaguya and Ishigami both exclaimed. Well, there was a new explanation to this new phenomenon.

"It's something only a very few possess." The Japanese salary man said. "When a true ramen professional enters the premises, the only thing that exists between time and space is the connoisseur themself and their master."

And here they thought that Chika was only obsessed with love.

The same, scary chef now smiled brightly. As if he was a doting father towards his daughter. "My favorite customer, will it be your usual?"

"Uh-huh! Pork bone ramen with soy sauce, thin broth and extra garlic!"

Almost immediately the man cooked up the special item. Her order shook Kaguya and Ishigami to the core. The corporate man alongside them didn't even flinch.

"No way Fujiwara Senpai can eat that!"

"She did it before, she can do it again." The businessman detailed the events of their first encounter, as if he was an American World War 2 veteran storming the beach of Normandy.

A meal befitting for the gods was placed in front of Chika. She clasped her hands in a prayer thanking those exact same deities for the bountiful food she was about to eat.

Without further ado, she picked up a spoon and fork, digging into the fresh ingredients. Kaguya and Ishigami studied her further, as if she was alien baby dropped off by an UFO. Because there was no other explanation for an odd ball like Chika Fujiwara.

In her own little world, Chika made a mini ramen within her spoon before eating it. She did so a few dozen times until the pork ran out.

Once that was finished, the secretary ate the remaining noodles, which were no longer firm from staying in the broth for too long. It was shocking enough to see her get this far already. The petite girl's stomach was an unlimited void.

To top it all off, Chika picked up the bowl and drank the garlic broth like a soup, leaving no possible survivors. There wasn't a trace of food left.

Chika slammed the yen coins down the counter. "Thank you for the food!"

The chef and salary man gave thumbs up for their ramen buddy. Kaguya and Ishigami handed her the same signature, not wanting to be left out like a sore thumb.

Chika returned the gesture with a thumb up of her own. She left without saying a word to her colleagues, making Kaguya wonder whether or not witnessing this was just a fever dream as a result of the spices. Ignorance is bliss as they said.

Yu only wished he could have offered her a breath mint.

Kaguya didn't expect them to head towards the arcades next. She looked around. The last time she remembered Chika was dragging her at one when they first met. When everyone saw her unapproachable due to her cold demeanor, the tabletop gamer only saw it as a challenge.'My, we sure worked up a sweat getting a perfect score at the dancing game.'

Speaking of which, she certainly hoped Fujiwara wouldn't bring up the fact that she saw her and Ishigami today.'History or no history. She better not. For her safety...'

The sound of coins entering slots filled the room alongside beeping claw machines and upbeat retro 8-bit themes.

In a fit of rage, the emo kid threw the gaming gun towards the taunting game over screen. He placed his index and middle finger cursing these distinguishable words. "Lazer Death Beam! Lazer Death Beam!"

'Yes, they're definitely under Ishigami's influence.'Was the first thing to come to her mind. "You must be a quite a regular here, Ishigami-kun."

Yu shyly tucked the hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I've been here playing to win enough tickets to get you, um, a gift. You know, as thanks for helping me with studying."

The social outcast looked down at his feet while walking, fearing she would ridicule and berate him just as so many others already had.

Except she gave him a tiny smile. "You really didn't have to. It was my morale obligation as a council member to help a school pupil."

"Yeah well, I already handed the tickets in so...we just have to collect it. And I wanted to do this for you. You're always spending time helping an underachieving, high maintenance junior, who barely gets a passing grade."

There were a few seconds of silence between the two. The only sound was of the retro arcade machines making gunshots or burnout motorcycle wheel noises. Kaguya took his frown and turned it to an odd smile, predominantly showing his upper teeth.

"Stop being so hard on yourself. That'smyjob! Your job as Kouhai is to listen to me. You're being way too doom and gloomy."

She took a step back, folding her arms nervously behind her. "So, what did you get me? One of those tiny little hairbrushes? A piece of bubblegum?"

"Actually..."

A freakish larger than life pinkish purple teddy bear was slammed on the store counter. A huge shadow loomed over Kaguya. Just from one glance, she knew how soft it was. Its bright chirpy smile was sweet, as was the fur which was a strawberry scented. The paw held onto a crutch, giving the impression that it was an elder bear.

This was the biggest gift of affection she had received from a guy. Sure, she received love letters before. In her mind, those didn't count. What kind of man doesn't uphold his convictions and confesses in person.'Heck, Ishigami has more honour than them and he's scared of me!'

The jury was still out on The President. Him and his sweet keister wearing those womanizing underpants she caught a glimpse of, was taking forever to give her a gift. But she was certain it would be amazing when that day came. She just stood there.

"I don't get it." Ishigami uttered to himself. Kaguya's reaction was the complete opposite he anticipated. "This was a bad idea, sorry. I thought girls liked cute stuff."

"Not all girls but..." She was hesitant. Ishigami must have slaved off hundreds of hours behind these arcade machines. And he did say it was obligatory gift, nothing else. Recent evidence might consider otherwise. Kaguya just couldn't part ways with the huge bear. "I do! If you insist then I guess, I'll take it!"

All of a sudden, they were intercepted, greeted by child who looked like he was in the midst of a sugar rush.

"Hey big bro Ishi!" The chubby boy greeted Ishigami as if he knew him. "We're about to have a NERF war against other kids. We only have five friends but need two more. Why don't you and your girlfriend play too!?"

"G-Girlfriend!?" Kaguya blushed, awaiting for his response.

The junior ignored the kid's comments of his Senpai, but accepted the challenge, narrowing his eyebrows. He had his game face now. "You're on!"

Ishigami grabbed Kaguya's hand and led her to the shooting arena. "Let's show them how the Student Council does things, Shinomiya Senpai."

'The Student Council shouldn't be partaking in such events period!'That was not the problem this instance, it was the fact that he didn't correct the child's statement. "Ishigami back there...he said I am your girlfriend."

"They're dumb kids. We know the truth, Senpai."

'And what is the truth?'She lacked the courage to ask. His response was ambiguous enough to be left open for interpretation. Is it the actual truth, or the truth that he wanted this to be true?

"Doesn't it bother you?" Kaguya asked.

"Why would it?" Yu stopped in his track, still holding onto her hand. "I think you'll make a great girlfriend, Senpai."

Ishigami's bluntness earned him a critical strike on her heart.'Fair game, Ishigami-kun. You win this round.'

Unbeknownst to Kaguya's inner conflict, Ishigami kept dragging her towards the shooting range. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

Kaguya followed Ishigami and the amped up kid down an extended hallway. She looked at the silver lining; at least Ishigami didn't want them to attend events that other couples do.

"Ishi's girlfriend, is this your first time playing this game?" The child smiled ear from ear.

"I'm not his-"

"Yeah, she's a newbie. We need to help her." Ishigami spoke on her behalf.

"Oh, cool FNG like in Call of Duty. I am down for a quick tutorial!"

'Why aren't you correcting him!?'She doesn't understand this nerd jargon they were speaking. Not to mention, this was the second time she was being referred to as his girlfriend.

Through the door was their base. The allies would use this as their house to meet, restock and refuel before every game. Kaguya stepped inside. She wasn't surprised when she saw all her teammates were children with the exception of Ishigami. All of them carried these futuristic rifles.

"Why don't you grab a gun at the weapon rack, Senpai?" Yu suggested, leaning his back against the wall and checking his android watch.

Kaguya walked up to the armory. The guns were hanging off the wall in a wide selection. They looked really expensive and certainly didn't give the impression of being safe for children.

"Aren't these dangerous, Ishigami-kun?"

"It should be all right." He looked up from his watch while pressing on the touch screen. "I think..."

"You think!?"

Ishigami raised his hands at his own defense. She was acting as if he was personally shipping these out. "My dad said it should be relatively safe. They're still prototypes though. It's not for sale yet."

She remembered that his father was the owner of a toy company who was manufacturing these water type guns.

"Don't worry, Senpai. I won't let you get hurt. When it comes to it, I'll protect you."

"Ishigami-kun..." Her expression softened at his words. She scoffed the notion. "I'll be fine!"

A green light came to life. The buzzer rang and the chain linked fence opened. The team death match has officially begun.

"Let's go!" A child screamed

The group spread out to check different areas of the shooting arena. Kaguya stayed closed behind Ishigami, making sure no one could shoot him on his back. Kids could be crafty.

At the far opposite end of the arena was where the enemy's base resides. Ishigami could see a few heads slightly peeking out from covers.

"Enemy sighted!" A child yelled.

A small girl jumped out, attempting to ambush Ishigami. His reflexes were too fast. The girl was sent flying sky high because of the prototype kid's cannon. She went through the building backdrop.

"Ishigami this is crazy!"

"I know right! This is even better than VR!" Ishigami said enthusiastically. He aimed down the sights of the rifle's blue dot, awaiting anyone to reach his crossair.

Yu remained vigilant but lowered his gun. "Follow me, Senpai. Keep your head down!"

They went through a small building; Ishigami tilted his head to take a look inside. Once he was certain it was clear, Yu gave a hand signal for his Senpai to indicate it was a green light.

Kaguya continued to watch his back. They haven't heard anything since the first opponent fell. Poor children must still be in shock and awe from watching the girl deny the laws of physics and fly around like a ragdoll through tissue paper.

They walked cautiously down the hallway until a shot rang outside.

"Hold." Ishigami whispered, he reached back accidentally grabbing Kaguya's hip. Suddenly her own reflexes kicked in. She jumped, burying her face in the back of his pull over shirt. Kaguya could smell his cologne. It made her oddly feel safe.

"They're on the other side!" Ishigami rushed towards the end of the hallway, making Kaguya wonder where that energy resides from. He took cover behind the doorway to have a better look outside.

Only to almost get head shot by a child. Ishigami managed to dodge it just in time.

The child gave a barbarian war cry, holding down the trigger of the toy gun, unleashing waves of fire upon Ishigami's location. The small soul found out the hard never to have the setting on automatic for too long. His ammo ran out fast.

Ishigami and Kaguya walked by the child playing possum. Either the kid was a genuine good actor, or he really was unconscious.

"RETREAT!" The last remaining enemies yelled.

Ishigami walked confidently out in the open, firing the gun from his hip. He was on the verge of eliminating almost half the squadron. Yu gave a maniacal laugh as he fired on the bus prop and open buildings as a scare tactic. It worked, sending the children in a crying frenzy.

Kaguya holstered her gun. She figured he had it pretty much handled.

One child dared to rise from the occasion. With a brave heart, the kid climbed the ladder that led to the watchtower, giving him complete over watch of the entire map.

Using the bird's eye view, he looked through the sniper scope, spotting Ishigami and Kaguya in the center. This should be an easy two birds one stone elimination. He thought.

However, Ishigami's brilliant ways of analyzing data around him lead to him spotting him easily. He looked up, his demon eye piercing directly through the sniper lense.

"Found you!" Ishigami had an evil smirk.

Simultaneously, Yu and the sniper returned fire on each other's locations. It was wildly inaccurate with goo ammunition hitting everything except its intended targets. Ishigami continued to laugh as if he had a death wish.

On the other hand, Kaguya ran for cover. Seemed like the sniper was focusing his undivided attention on her since she wasn't nearly as much as a wild card.'Why are you shooting at me!? Shoot him! He's the crazy one!'

The sniper had no intentions of deviating from target and kept shooting the hiding Kaguya. At one point, she felt it crazing her hair. She was done treating them with kid's gloves.

Finally, Kaguya had enough. She stood up and fired back. The single shot was enough to reach the sniper's vantage point

The projectile landed on the kid's face. He fell off the highest platform. The back of his head connected on the padded floor with a loud thud sound.

"Nice shot Senpai!" It was so impressive that Ishigami stopped shooting to give his teammate praise. "I was trying to shoot the captain since the start!"

"I wasn't even aiming directly for him! I just wanted him to stop shooting at me!" Kaguya yelled.

Ishigami was laughing behind the cover, occasional returning fire so the enemies wouldn't outflank his team.

"I'm almost out of ammo!" Yu called. While crouched, he was in a desperate search for a secondary gun. A downed teammate's rifle would do just fine.

Suddenly, the air horn blew again.

"Wait, is the game over?" She was hoping that was the case, even for a kid's game, it was way too stressful for her.

Ishigami shook his head. "No, it's worse."

"FREE FOR ALL!" A child screamed. It was now every man for himself.

At that moment, all the children, both enemies and former allies of Yu made a temporary truce to fight against Ishigami. The Devil of the Shooting Arena was too powerful and would surely eliminate them all if they didn't intervene now.

Ishigami crawled towards the discarded rifle on the ground, barely missing the barrage of bullets flying past his head. He was stuck in the middle of the gunfire where he was the sole target. With a bit of preservance, he believed he could survive.

Kaguya Shinomiya however was in imminent danger. Yu gritted. Victory was no longer an option.

His protective instincts came out. Ishigami leapt up, taking the shot in her stead. It striked his back hard, but he kept walking, unwavered. The second shot struck his shoulder, then his side, followed by his stomach. There was no shortage of bullets

"Ishigami!" She crawled towards him. Kaguya turned Ishigami around on his back. She saw this coming from a mile away. This whole thing was a lawsuit waiting to happen.

"Senpai?" His eyes started to open.

She gave an exasperated sigh. This was too much excitement for one day.

"Listen, I appreciate the chivalry, but I'm not some damsel in distress, I can take care of myself just fine."

"Really, Senpai? I defended your honor. And I don't even get a single thank you..."

She smiled. "I thought you were scared of me, hm? Now why would you do that?"

He looked away, deep in thought. "I was wondering that myself, so I did some digging. Psychology books call it Stockholm Syndrome."

She shook her head defeated. Her attempt to be blunter didn't lead to an answer. However, his usual lock of hair covering half his face was almost out of the way during the tumble. Her hand moved to his forehead.

"Senpai?"

"Don't move..." Kaguya's hand gently brushed the last bit of hair strand back so she could have a better look.

His eyes. They say that eyes are the gateway towards the soul. Yet when her crimson eyes locked with his blue eyes, she doesn't sense any malice within them. It's hard to believe those eyes belong to a juvenile delinquents.

That goes without saying, her favorite was still the sleep deprived crazy Shirogane eyes. She guessed she was just a sucker for it. The sight made her quiver. On the other hand, Ishigami's navy blues weren't bad either. 'Who am I kidding, they're both a disgrace to the Shinomiya family!'

In Kaguya's rebellion phase, she felt calm gazing at them; all the overhead gunshots were fading background noises. For that brief moment, it was just the two of them.

Ishigami was underneath his Senpai with a puzzled look while he was under an intense observation. He wasn't sure how to handle the awkwardness. He eventually found himself lost in her eyes too. It was hard to believe that these were the eyes of a serial killer.

Shinomiya's hair cascaded down, acting like a black veil curtain and shielding him from the arena's blinding lights. He was sucked in a black hole. The only thing that existed were those hypnotizing, enchanting eyes. Dying now didn't seem so bad.

"Hey big bro Ishi, are you okay!?"

Fate had plans other plans when they were snapped back to reality. Hundreds of eyes were on them. Kaguya was right over Ishigami. Their faces were at close proximity. They looked up at just in time see the kid make a very bold announcement.

"ISHIGAMI AND HIS GIRLFRIEND ARE FLIRTING!"

"We are not!" Kaguya and Ishigami yelled in unison. They were once in agreement.

Needless to say, they stood up quickly to avoid any more confusion. Ishigami and Kaguya stood back-to-back with rifles in their hands. The army of two showed no mercy for their former allies and enemies. Some may say it was unfair advantage, but the Student Council Committee liked to believe they taught them an invaluable lesson. Life itself was not fair.

The usual punctual Kaguya Shinomiya had lost track of time. It was way past her curfew, and she didn't care. She loved every minute of it.

Often in life, there are setbacks where roads may diverge. But it was the scenic routes that made it worthwhile, like the time she walked to school and helped a small girl cross the road. At the end of the day, she was glad she agreed to this. Kaguya and Ishigami walked side by side painted in various colors. The prized giant teddy bear was in her arms.

"What is this stuff made of? Will it even wash off!" She was certain some managed to get in her ear.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Ishigami spoke. "They also use it as blood on the movies sets. It's mostly just corn syrup with different flavor colorings."

Weight was lifted off her shoulders. School was tomorrow and she had no valid excuse for looking like a rainbow had vomited on her.

Out of the blue, Ishigami scooped up syrup from her cheek with his finger. He licked it. "You have pineapple."

"H-Hey!" She quickly called his forwardness.

"Try mine." Ishigami leaned down to her height.

Despite her better judgment, she did the exact same. It was only fair. She brought the sweetness to her mouth. "Orange..."

"They don't have raspberry anymore for obvious reasons. That kid scared the sh*t out of his mom." He chuckled. It was almost reminiscent to the time Kaguya waltzed into the council room with a knife covered in "blood."

Kaguya smiled gleefully. "Like when I helped the Drama club last semester. I certainly scared you straight, Ishigami-kun."

He rubbed his forearm nervously at the thought. "Shinomiya Senpai's acting was very convincing. I still have goose bumps..."

"Acting?" She gave him a menacing glare, which made the back of his neck hair rise. "Who said it was an act..."

Ishigami turned as pale as a ghost.

"Kidding! Kidding! You're still as gullible as ever!"

He laughed nervously.

Kaguya convinced him. She winked. "I won't try anything, I promise. My foot isn't healed fully so I can't chase you!"

Ishigami felt guilty. "Right, sorry. Do you want to call for transport?"

"I'd rather not!" Kaguya quickly interjected. Having servants hovering over her all the time was obnoxious. The punctured car wheel weren't there by coincidence. "Could we sit down for a little while?"

The empty playground was the nearest place available with seats. Ishigami and Kaguya were on the swings. She stayed motionless with the teddy bear on her lap. Ishigami stood on his swinging seat, holding onto the chains. They were quietly enjoying each other's company, idly watching cars pass by.

Kaguya didn't want ruin, which was a great evening. She just desperately wanted a definitive answer.

"So Ishigami, how are things fairing with you and Tsubame?"

He swung past her. "So far so good!I got her Line, Senpai. I was thinking, maybe I'll try confessing at the culture festival."

She should be happy for him. Yet Kaguya was filled with this aching feeling in her heart, molding this boy into the ideal man, gift-wrapping him and then sending him off to Tsubame. It just didn't seem fair to her. Why should Tsubame reap the benefits she made no effort on? She would just take him for granted. Agitated, she bit her lower lip.

Kaguya tried to hide the pain away with a smile. "I see...I sincerely hope things work out for you two!"

What she said and what she felt didn't correlate.'And what about me? Hmm? Are you just going to disregard your actual crush then? Why didn't you just pick Tsubame at the sports festival? If you could only save one, who would it be, me or Tsubame?'

Kaguya sighed. This wasn't a healthy mindset.

He stopped swinging, using the end of his shoes against the gravel ground to brake. He sat down normally. "But I have to prepare myself that Tsubame won't feel the same way. Like some people keep bringing up my past and sh*t. Whose to say, she won't do the same?"

Kaguya frowned. "You need to have faith in your crush!"

Kaguya had no experience in romance but even she knew that trust was an important part in relationships.

She felt bad for bringing this up. He probably didn't want to have it hovering over his neck like a guillotine, especially during their date.

"You're probably going to think I am selfish. Please don't kill me." Ishigami spoke, laughing half-heartedly. "But I'm really doing this for myself. I want to become the best version of myself. I know I probably won't get the justice I want, and I'm done waiting for it to happen."

He looked up at the night sky. "The world isn't going to stop. Why should I stop? This bitterness made me into an ugly person. I want to forget and live for moments like this with...you."

Throughout all his inner turmoil, he never stopped to appreciate things, like the full moon on display. It locked him in and had this gravitational pull feeling. The moonlight that shined across the park complemented his pale recuse skin.

He smiled, stargazing and then turning to her the next moment. Kaguya Shinomiya was the reason he wanted to leave but ultimately couldn't. Now she was one of the reasons hewantedto stay.

Her eyes widened. "Ishigami..."

Ishigami never gave Kaguya the chance to finish.

"I really like being part of the Student Council and I really like you, Kaguya."

Her pupils started to dilate while her jaw dropped in shock. Her face started to burn up as the chains of the swing she held onto started to rattle.

There was no mistaking it now. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Hmm?" With the odd way she was looking at him, she was basically begging him to ask a question. "Are you okay, Shinomiya?"

She pursed her lips, unsure of what to say now that the cat was out of the bag. Ishigami thought she must be tired. It was already close to midnight. "Right, it's late. Let me take you home."

They were quiet the rest of the walk to the Shinomiya's residence. She could hear the humming of the streetlights and the buzzing night insect's as well as their own footsteps. Kaguya wondered what sort of icebreaker she could use for this awkward silence. She looked at Ishigami through the corner of her eyes. He seemed quite composed despite professing his love for her.

Nothing came to mind; she remained silent throughout the journey. The gate guard noticed them and immediately opened it. Ishigami insisted on walking her all the way to the front door.

"My, oh my, today was chaotic. I can't believe you dragged me through all this, butI would be deceitful if I said I didn't have fun. Thank you for dragging me along, Ishigami-kun."

He smiled. "I am glad you enjoyed it, Senpai."

Kaguya gulped. Maybe she should address what he said at the park? Kaguya wondered. She was uncertain how.'I don't hate Ishigami-kun. He's a good guy, and the fact that loves me for who I truly am makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I just love Miyuki so much. I am sorry.'

Instead, she settled for tilting the teddy bear forward so its snoot could press against Yu's face.

"Chu!" Kaguya made a smooching noise and puckered her lips. "Look, even Lotso had fun!"

"Lotso?"

"You like it?" She hugged the teddy bear tighter, looking up at it with admiration. "I even picked out a name for him and everything!"

He couldn't help but find her cute. That, he kept to himself.

She was about to leave. "Oh, and Ishigami-kun, one more thing, let's keep today a secret. Nothing personal, but you know how obnoxious people can get if they find out."

He nodded. "Of course." 'Right. Shinomiya Senpai is trying to get together with the Prez. They'll make a good couple.'

He was reminded of how he found out those two coupons for coffee unintentionally under the table, so it wasn't much a secret. Yu saw this as friends hanging out, but teenagers are often monsters who rip everything out of proportion, so the vice presidents' concerns were warranted.

"I'm serious." She said with a smile. "If you flab your gums, I will kill you. I have all the necessary equipment in the basem*nt. I have dissolving acid too."

"Goodnight!" She said all to cheerful, leaving Ishigami pale as a ghost. Needless to say, he was going to make sure all the doors and windows were extra secured before going to sleep.

His reaction was priceless. She went inside. Ai Hayasaka sat on the stairs, scrolling on her phone. She opened her mouth, most likely to lecture her on her tardiness.

"Not a word!" Kaguya warned.

The maid nodded, giving Kaguya a courteous bow instead. "Very well, Mistress Kaguya. I shall prepare a bath for you."

The mindfully preoccupied Kaguya went to her chambers, diligently placing Lotso on the bed before sitting down herself, not caring if she was staining the covers. The scene played continuously over in her head.

"He did it..."

Kaguya's vision became blurry. Her face felt wet all of a sudden. Droplets of tears ran down her cheeks. Her attempts to wipe them off with her small knuckles were futile as they were replaced with more.

She could do nothing about this pain in her heart, knowing she'll have to hurt her friend. "Damnit, Yu, why would you do this? Why would you jeopardize us?"

The more she asked herself that, the more she cried. The last time she poured her heart out this much was when her own father prohibited her from seeing the fire works with the President.

She laid down on her back, crying more. Her entire body was shaking uncontrollably. One way or the other that was predetermined, this was unavoidable.

Kaguya Shinomiya's attendance record was near exemplary this year. Minus the time she managed to get sick due to Shirogane's cycling skills in the rain. When she woke up the next day with her eyes blood shot from all the crying, she considered staying at home. Knowing how nosy her friends will get over her absence, she decided against it. However, she was soon going to wish she had listened to her inside voice.

For today will be known as the day someone poked a stick on a sleeping black panther.

A loud and obnoxious girl sat on the school desk, talking to her friends. Just from one glance, Kaguya could tell the amount of infractions her school uniform had. Make up, fashion accessories, short skirt, she could go on. Miko spoke to her constantly and even filed multiple warnings.

One day, the Principal pulled the entire School Council Committee aside and demanded they looked the other way regarding her dress code and behavior. Seemed like her father made quite a hefty contribution at the school. Ishigami might not be wrong about there being serious corruption within the school system.

"So Vice Prez, what's this I'm hearing about you and Ishigami being, like, on a date or something last weekend."

Kaguya wasn't surprised it came out. She attempted to handle it with utmost diligence. "We were discussing school matters and since the premises are closed on the weekend, we decided to have the meeting elsewhere."

Not that she owed the girl an explanation.

She scoffed while her friends alongside the girl laughed. "Then how come the Secretary and President weren't with you two, huh?"

She had her there, but it still wasn't any of her business. "I assure you, it was merely school business."

"My ass!" She cackled, along her group of friends. "I thought you and the Prez were an item or are you that type of girl who needs two guys."

She wasn't even going to dignify that with an answer. Kaguya's cheek twitched, she had a vein on her forehead, and she forced a smile. "I think I'll be the bigger girl and ignore that."

"Your reaction says it all! OMG! You really have feelings for your junior! A complete dumb, childish, common, weak, virgin loser!"

Another girl interjected "Ishigami such a complete waste of oxygen! If his father wasn't the owner of a toy company, he wouldn't even be here."

To which another said. "I bet he's a disappointment to his entire family!"

Kaguya felt her eyes burning, the pencil in her hand was held with such a tight grip, if any more pressure had been placed, it would have snapped into two.

They didn't know her like she did, his warm touch in the movie theater, his small smile underneath all that exterior of hurt. Seeing and hearing them laughing like a group of hyenas after harming tarnishing Yu's name, it was like a something came over her.

As of possessed, Kaguya rose up from her seat. The chair was screeching behind her. She raised a hand.

SLAP!

Before Miyuki, who was at the back of the class, could intervene, it was too late. The vice president slapped the closest girl in the group, everyone gasped while it echoed throughout the room.

Immediately everyone ran to the crying girl's aid, consoling her.

Her classmates were shell-shocked. They didn't expect in a million years to see such an undignified side of Kaguya. Her head was hung low, staring at the wooden desk. She could still feel her palm stinging.

"See, she's even becoming just like him! She really does love him!"

She was fuming, didn't they understand the ramifications of spreading such statements, and it already left such a conflicting mark on her weak heart. Kaguya gritted her teeth. "Keep Yu's name out of your God damn mouth!"

She felt her angry demeanor diminishing, when her Miyuki's hands went on her arms. The blonde boy was the only one by her side. Everyone else in class had demonized her.

His blue eyes looked on with great concern. "Everything will be okay Shinomiya."

His nurturing only served to anger his school pupils. "How can you say that Prez? She struck that poor girl! Did you even see what we did!"

He had no empathy, and only glared at them. His loyalty was to Kaguya Shinomiya no matter the consequence. His hands held her tightly. "What I saw was two fellow student council members being slandered with insults and false rumors. Shinomiya was defending herself."

"I can't believe we voted for you. It's that Ishigami; he poisons and corrupts everyone in his path! We should report your ass!"

The wild look in his caffeinated eyes was much more prominent. "By all means, be my guest, go ahead and report me. I will forfeit my position. I refuse to lead people who are belligerent against my friends "

He was ready to yank the 24-karat golden chain off his school jacket and stomp it, that's how far he was willing to go for Kaguya. Half the class turned on them while the other half was too scared to choose any side.

She felt her nerves shuddering. She couldn't face Miyuki out of shame. He probably thought less of her now after this outburst. Kaguya broke free from Shirogane's grasp, storming out the room filled with judging eyes. Other classes were in the hallway to peek inside. They parted like the red river for the ice princess to pass.

Then the last person she wanted to see crossed paths with her. His usual fatigued look had concern for her. Word must have travelled fast. "Senpai, are you okay?"

Why did they persist on asking her, when it was abundantly clear she wasn't? It only annoyed her. "No, I'm not okay, far from it."

She turned around to walk the opposite direction to get far away fromhim, everyone else and these feelings she was experiencing. Yu insisted on following her instead like lovesick puppy.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She ignored him. Kaguya walked faster. Yu tried to keep the pace but was slowly falling behind.

"Please, we're friends, right? We can tell each other anything." He persisted.

That knocked her out of the flight mode, Kaguya turned around to face her problem head on. "That's right, Ishigami-kun. We're friends, just friends, or did you seem to forget?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" For someone to be this confrontational, she wasn't very transparent.

"You tell me..." She left him with more questions than possible answers.

Once the harmonious school bell rang the student council members walked into their room, Ishigami followed behind them in a late fashion. Kaguya greeted everyone except him.

She would ignore him, not even look in his general direction, as if he was a ghostly apparition. Kaguya would exclude him from a field trip she was planning with the council. Seeing his Senpai deny his existence was the equivalent of a knife in his chest.

He sat down, awaiting in the library for her. Maybe he caught her in a bad time that was what he told himself. Ishigami went through the revision notes Kaguya made. Her neat, eloquent writing just made him miss her more.

So he kept waiting and waiting, to the point where even the gossiping girls in the corner had lost interest. He lost count to how many times he clicked his pen. Whoever told him he'd get used to the pain was a liar. It still stung as much as the first time.

Yu would try to apologize, even though he wasn't sure for what, Kaguya would only ignore and walk past him in the hallway. He tried to hide away the pain on his face, but it was all to visible.

As he walked away defeated, Kaguya looked over her shoulder with a hurt expression of her own.

Just like Shinomiya went towards others for advice, so did Ishigami. The president helped him out of a dark place before, so ideally he went to him.

"I see..." The blonde-haired boy responded. There was a long silence with only the sound of the clock ticking filling the room. "...and you haven't said anything to upset her."

"I didn't, or at least I don't think I did." Ishigami gazed at the red carpet. Whenever he'd see red recently, he would be reminded of her.

Shirogane gave him the you're-not-really-helping me look, which finally grated on Ishigami's nerves. But it wasn't geared towards the President, he was frustrated towards himself.

"I'm just not really good with girls, Prez. I genuinely don't know! Everything was fine one sec and then the next..."

"Shinomiya can be eccentric at times so she can be a mystery. Don't take it too personally."

For him, it was personal. They should be able to confide in each other about their issues. "Senpai is my friend. I want her to tell me if I'm the cause of her pain."

Usually, he'd ironically tell that Shirogane that he was planning on crawling into a hole and just die but losing a great friend and study buddy like Kaguya Shinomiya, it genuinely felt like he really would die.

Miyuki placed a comforting hand on Yu's shoulder. "Tell her that. Let her know you'll keep fighting for her friendship. The strongest swords are forged under the heaviest of fires."

He was certain that she wouldn't care what he had to say. People didn't before with the false allegations, why would anything change now. This was just history repeating itself. No one ever listens to him. "She won't listen to me..."

Shirogane smiled. "Do it your way, Yu. Use that fire residing within you. Believe in yourself like I believe in you!"

The blonde president looked outside to see an upset girl making her lonely walk to the limousine at the front gate. "You still have some time left, if you move now."

Ishigami bolted off the sofa, "Thank you Prez. I promise you I'll keep fighting or die trying!"

"Go." Shirogane donned his head towards the exit. "But please don't die."

Yu barged through the doors, his feet echoing through the empty school hallways. Memories of his past failures in flashed in his mind. It only reinvigorated him to run faster. He skipped a few steps down the stairs by jumping.

"Shinomiya!" In a matter of seconds, he reached the gates, stopping the girl before she climbed in the car.

Despite the fact that the school was empty this late, Kaguya stormed towards the out of breath boy, whispering. "Ishigami-kun, what are you doing? Someone could hear us!"

"Let them! I don't care if the whole school hears what I have to say! I'm done running, Shinomiya Senpai! I'm going to fight for you. I'm going to fight for us!"

She stopped halfway, her eyes widening. Ishigami marched up to her, still panting. "Someone who is important to me, told me I need to believe in myself, so that's what I am going to do! The other night, I meant every word. I know you are angry, and I am sorry. I can't help how I feel. Shinomiya, I care about you..."

Ishigami grabbed her shoulders. Kaguya's eyes were beaming. "I...I...I."

"Okay! Okay!" Kaguya looked away from the stuttering boy, she was hoping he wouldn't notice the tinge of red on her cheeks, but it was too late. If someone was this devout, maybe he deserved an answer even if it's a rejection. ".. Can you give me until tomorrow afternoon for an answer?"

Ishigami nodded just as he was about to say they were friends. He realized that he came across as too aggressive. She just needed a few more hours to process everything after all the turmoil. Kaguya gave him a smile as she got into the car.

She was thankful the car's windows were tinted because she clutched her chest to feel her heartbeat. He was serious after all. This was the point of no return. Ishigami was thankful they were on speaking terms again so they could make amends.

There are many love stories that blossomed or were ultimately shot down on the roof, it was an odd choice for a rendezvous. He was just eager to put this whole thing behind him.

Shinomiya stood by the railing. Shuchiin Academy's roof had an immaculate view. A few of the apartment complexes and office workspaces were already lit. The orange sky was growing darker as the sun was slowly disappearing behind all the buildings. A cold wind was brewing.

"Do you remember when we were here, Ishigami-kun? Me, you, Miyuki, Fujiwara and Ino-chan, we were all stargazing together. My, we even brought out a telescope and everything!" She smiled, reminiscing the memory fondly.

"Yeah, good times."

"I'm really sorry for how I treated you the last couple of days. It was unbecoming." Kaguya turned around; a thin decorated box was in her hands. Maybe, in a way, it'll help soften her incoming rejection. "I got you a gift."

"For me?" The only thing he ever expected from any girl was looks of absolute disdain. Nevertheless, he took it, albeit cautiously.

"Go ahead, open it!" Kaguya implored. Ishigami removed the present cover. It was that video game. The release date was today. Yu was so upset over the last couple of days, he had completely forgot about it.

"I overheard you and the President talking about the game the other day and saw how you were looking at the cardboard standouts at the store. I couldn't help myself!" She smiled fondly. He kept blankly staring at the video game, making her stress that she messed something up. She wasn't an avant gamer. "Wait, I didn't get the wrong game or anything, did I!?"

"Don't worry, Senpai! Thisisthe game!" He looked up, giving a bright smile for Kaguya. "This is the nicest thing someone ever did for me!"

She felt relieved. "It doesn't change the fact that I was cruel to you, I let my personal feelings and people's bickering get the best of me, and I pushed you away as a result. That's not what friends do. Please forgive me, Ishigami-kun."

The late afternoon wind pushed his hair bang back. She could see the sincerity in his dark blue navy eyes. "No one ever really apologized to me, let alone give me a gift too. Thank you, Senpai. It's all-good. I forgive you."

Without a warning, Ishigami walked up to Kaguya and embraced her. She was shocked at first but gradually accepted the hug, wrapping her arms around him too. Her head rested against his chest. She hoped he would find that someone special who understood him so that he wouldn't ever have to go through that awful experience again. He deserved someone special. Kaguya smiled, feeling the last ray of sun grazing her face. She stayed in his warm arms.

Eventually, they broke the hug.

Kaguya cleared her throat. It was the moment of truth. "Now, you have something important to tell me."

Yu had a serious demeanor now. "Yeah, I don't think I can hold it any longer."

He swallowed his fear, his voice trembling. Ishigami was having doubts. "I'm really scared!"

"Don't be." Kaguya's calming voice spoke. She took his hand and brought it to her face, cupping her warm blushing cheek. "We're friends, Yu. You can tell me."

"Shinomiya-no, Kaguya!" He called her by her first name. It made her heart leap. "I...I...I..."

Yu closed the distance even further between them. His head leaned forward. Words alone must not be enough to express this.

'Is he going to going to kiss me!?'Her back was pressed against the railing. Her legs couldn't move. She felt like she was crashing. Kaguya prayed her top league of doctors were on standby by because this wasn't normal.

Kaguya's eyes closed. Instinctively, and in spite her best effort, she felt her head moving closer too. Their lips were about to touch.

"I don't own an Xbox."

Her crimson eyes shot open. "Huh?"

"It is the right game, but you've got the wrong version. I don't own the system."

This couldn't be any more anti-climatic. "Is...that it?"

"Yeah, I thought you should know." Yu's eyes averted her gaze, ashamed. He noticed his hand was still holding Kaguya's cheek, which begged the question. "Wait, what were you expecting, Senpai?"

"Weren't you going to confess your love for...me?"

'Where was this coming from?'

"..."

"...Um, no? I do like you Senpai, but not like that!" He quickly shook his head.

"But-but the note? Us holding hands? The confession at the playground? People are talking about us!"

"Wait, they are?" He withdrew his hand, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. It dawned upon him. If the school people were talking, then Tsubame must have overheard too, making his task more complicated.

Ishigami's face burned up and yet here he thought holding hands was a token sign of friendship. "Why didn't you just tell me about this!"

Kaguya made light punches on his chest. "You idiot! You dummy! How dare you lead me on like that!? I am so embarrassed right now!"

"If I'm an idiot, then you're the bigger idiot for not just asking me sooner!"

She was the reddest she had ever been. He was just trying to weasel his way out of this now that she caught the boy red handed. "Your scavenger note said you need to pick a girl you have a crush on! Care to explain that, Ishidumb!?"

He rubbed his two temples with his fingers, trying to suppress his laughter, before getting angry. "That was Kashigawa senpai's boyfriend's note! He dropped it and I picked it up! I had to choose the smartest girl in school, but clearly, I was wrong because you're a complete idiot!"

Ishigami finally cleared up any confusion. She didn't see it that way. In her fragile mind, he was rejecting her. It's supposed to be the other way around! It won't end this way. She won't allow it.

Her face was now red from the embarrassment and anger. Her vanity was at stake. She placed a hand on her chest, smiling proudly. "Clearly, you saw that I am out of your league, so you're trying to back down and save whatever pride you have left. Me and you? Seriously, Ishigami? Don't make me laugh!"

He took offense to that. "Well, you aren't Miss Perfect either!"

Ishigami stormed off. Kaguya wasn't about to let him have the last say. "Get a haircut! Maybe then I'll give you the light of day!"

He turned around, rubbing his grey vest to emphasize how flat the girl was. "Maybe if you grow an actual set of boobs, I would give you a shot!"

She gasped, pointing a finger at him. "Why don't you just run along and go play your video games, you otaku!"

Ishigami grabbed his bag. "I think I will. Thank you very much. Virtual girls actually tell me what I do wrong early in the game!"

"Fine then."

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

He slammed the fire escape door hard, leaning his back against it. Ishigami hugged the game his friend and Senpai had bought him, smiling. Things were finally resolved. Although, it would take a while for nature to fully heal itself.

Once she was home, Kaguya dove head first on her bed, burying her face in the gigantic teddy bear Ishigami had won for her. She was kicking her feet on the rich silky covers, punching and screaming. Her words were muffled but audible enough. "Yu is a big idiot!"

'What is she having a temper tantrum over now? It's like there's no winning with her!'Ai Hayasaka's pose and facial expression remained blank.

"Miss Kaguya, isn't this the best possible outcome you wanted?"

She looked up from the stuffed teddy bear's stomach. "Well, yeah but..."

"Or could it be, you actually wanted Ishigami-kun to confess to you?" The maid gave her a horrified judgmental look over such possibility.

Kaguya hugged the teddy bear tighter, and looked away. "...No!"

Ai Hayasaka didn't understand what the problem was then. She left the girl with her conflicting emotions. Her working shift had already ended. 'Talk about wanting your cake and eating it too.'

Kaguya rested her head on the fluffy bear's chest. She was so caught up in the moment, that she wasn't certain that her answer would have been a definitive no. That was exactly what bothered her. She was a vulnerable girl who wanted to experience love after all.

The frost princess's eyes were getting heavy. She really hoped the President would confess soon. The sooner, the better.

Meanwhile, Ishigami placed the gaming headset on and joined a lobby with Shirogane.

"Sorry for the wait Prez. I just got home from the meeting with Shinomiya Senpai."

"Don't worry about it. I hope everything is resolved with you and Shinomiya. I know she's not exactly the easiest to be around with."

Ishigami decided to keep this between him and Kaguya. "Yeah, tell me about it. It was all just a mix up. She even got me the new game to apologize, but it's for the wrong system."

Miyuki smiled over the line. "I'm glad everything worked out with you guys. Also, I believe if the game is still sealed, you can trade it for the right system."

"Too much work, I've got it digitally anyways." Ishigami looked at his video game library. Despite the fact that the green case stood out from the other blue cases, he couldn't part ways with the game. For him, it's the thought that counts.

He couldn't remember the last time he received a gift from a friend. It had so much sentimental value. Yu Ishigami smiled.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I can't believe this is my third Ishigami and Kaguya story. I hope you enjoyed it!

Aidan.