Hollow Me

The day at school was brutal. Kuromoto Nishi sat restlessly in his chair, his pencil irritatingly tapping the polished wood of his desktop. He was definitely trying his best to pay attention to Tetsunori Shinpachi's lesson, but his mind was too occupied with excitement and doubt. Was his manga really good enough to turn into a proper series? Once he stamped the envelope later that day, there would be no going back. He desperately wanted to see the sparkling eyes of Tan-Tan when he read her the letter of approval that his manga would be accepted into the magazine; but, of course, he would first have to actually obtain said letter first.

Sensing his conflict, Tetsunori decided to turn a blind eye to the distraught boy; secretly holding a soft spot for the kid who helped make his life as a teacher a little more enjoyable. He silently nodded to himself, deciding to do something nice for the manga club for all of their hard work.

Around lunchtime, Nishi scooted his desk beside Minami's; he always made an effort to eat lunch with his childhood friend every day to keep her entertained. He poked at his food with his chopsticks, gently clicking the edges of his bento box in a trance.

"Not gonna eat, Nishi?"
Minami smiled with a mouthful of octopus shaped sausages, her chopsticks resting cutely against her bottom lip.

The boy snapped out of his stupor, meeting her soft gaze.
"I am. I'm just a little worried."
He stole an octopus wiener from her bento.

"Hey! I was going to eat that!"
She retaliated by snagging a large helping of omelet from Nishi's.

"My omelet! You took, like, half of it!"
Nishi yanked his bento box away, guarding it as he stuffed his face with as much food as he could.

Minami giggled, scooting closer to Nishi. Her hand rested on top of his.
"Are you worried about the contest?"

Nishi nodded his head, gently shifting his weight in his seat.
"What if they turn it down? All of our hard work would have gone to waste. I couldn't bear to look you and Aki in the eyes. And Tan-Tan... what if she-"

Minami pinched the sulking boy's cheek, tugging on it.
"Stop saying 'what if'! You won't know until you try! And if it gets denied, we'll just have to help you create an even better manga for next time!"

"Ouch! Okay, okay! Lay off the physical abuse!"
He tugged his face away from her calloused fingers, secretly loving the teasing.

"Got room for one more?"
A deep, gloomy voice called out from the entrance of the classroom. Sakai Akinari took a seat between the two, letting out a sigh from overeating with his own classmates a few doors down.

"Aki!"
Minami quickly snuggled up to his side, her head nuzzling against his shoulder.

"You miss me that much, Minami? I only just saw you a few hours ago."
His hand shamelessly started petting her red hair; an uncomfortable stare from Nishi pierced through his eyes.

"What?"
Akinari quickly hid his blushing cheeks, turning his head to face the blackboard.

"You two can't go more than five minutes without PDA, I swear. I'm going to go find Tan-Tan."
Setting his bento box inside his desk, Nishi strode out of the classroom, heading upstairs to the first-year classes; whispers from freshman girls filled the hallway as he approached classroom 1-B

"Who is that?"

"That's Kuromoto-senpai. I heard he's a total otaku!"

"What?! An otaku? But he's so handsome! And his brother, oh my gosh!"

"He probably has a first-year cousin. Why else would he grace us with his presence?"

He slid the classroom door open, standing before a class full of timid students. His eyes scanned the room as he adjusted his glasses with his middle finger.

"Yo, Tan-Tan. Let's chat."
He leaned against her desktop, his aura exuding an intimidating presence.

The classroom went silent, unable to believe such a handsome senpai was talking to the class midget. Surprise was an understatement; the eager students couldn't wait to gossip about this revelation after school.

"N-N-Nishi-senpai?! Why are you in my class?!"
Her cheeks turned a deep red. She shifted her bento box aside, immediately giving him her full attention.

"I got sick of watching Aki and Minami get all lovey-dovey. I figured you could use a friend."
His teeth shone as he grinned cockily.

"A friend? Did you hear that, Kuromoto-senpai just called Tanaka-san his friend?!"

"No freaking way! Why would he spend his time with the class otaku?!"

Nishi could hear the faint whispers of his peers; it angered him. He casually tossed his arm around the small girl, his body close to hers from behind.
"Let's get out of here. I don't want to make a scene in front of these lames."
With a swift motion, he guided her toward the door. He glared back with a menacing stare at the confused students.

"Nishi-senpai, why did you-"

"Because I was angry. It's not their place to poke fun at you like that."
His eyes narrowed as he focused his gaze on the doorway of the manga club room.

She couldn't help but giggle, leaning into his gentle touch. She whispered
"You really are a knight in shining armor."

And so, the two enjoyed a relaxing lunch period, making lighthearted conversation inside the familiar club room.

The final bell rang to life through the loudspeakers around campus, students immediately made their way to the classroom doors. Tetsunori Shinpachi motioned a waving hand toward Nishi, calling him over to his desk. He stood before the teacher, his hands restlessly clutching his school bag by his hip.

"Kuromoto-kun. You seem anxious."
Tetsunori tucked a cigarette behind his ear for later, his main focus being his favorite student's dilemma.

"I am, Sensei. I'm finally submitting our manga today. I can't stop thinking about all of the possible outcomes. I don't know how I'll be able to face the club members if this manuscript gets turned down."
Nishi ran a hand through his hair, his eyes glued to the floor below him. He wore a distraught expression, full of uncertainty.

Tetsunori clicked his tongue bringing his cigarette to his mouth.
"You know how people say smoking is bad for you? Well, a lot of those same people live to be a hundred years old, while others who never smoke die from lung cancer at fifty. You never know if it's going to kill you unless you try it; or something like that."

Nishi raised an eyebrow, his facial expression immediately turning into a hearty chuckle.
"That's a terrible analogy, Sensei. It sounds like you want me to start smoking rather than submitting my manga."

Joining the laughter, Tetsunori's eyes crinkled at the corners, his lips pursed like a mischievous cat's.
"Don't you dare take up smoking, Kuromoto-kun. Then again, who am I to judge?"

"Thanks, Sensei. I feel a lot better. I've got Tan-Tan waiting downstairs, I'll see you tomorrow."
With his fears dissipated, Nishi hurried to the school gate.

"Nishi-senpai! Over here!"
A small hand waved from the sea of students; a bright silver cowlick was visible from behind a group of gyarus, talking about idol boy-bands.

"Hey, Tan-Tan. You ready to go?"
He reached his hand toward her, offering help from her enclosure. She grabbed his wrist, allowing him to pull her through the oblivious group.

"Want to get ice cream on the way home? I could use a sweet treat to beat the heat!"
She skipped happily alongside her senpai, her skirt fluttering in the gentle summer breeze as she hopped from one foot to the other.

"Sure, ice cream sounds great. Thanks for tagging along."
Nishi mimicked her skipping, purposely making a fool of himself with the silly motion.

The two skipped all the way to the train station, not caring about who saw them. They had each other, and that was all that mattered. Together, they shared a moment that curious onlookers couldn't even begin to imagine; they were about to shake the world with their very own manga. Soon, those same onlookers would now be staring at the pair of teenagers who created something extraordinary. At least, that was what they were thinking in their moment of shared joy. Strolling into the train car bound for the post office, they stood facing each other, Nishi's school bag between them; ensuring their bodies acted as a protective barrier from the rough bumps and foot traffic amidst the cramped space.

Thankfully, those efforts were short-lived, as they got off just a few stops from their school. Tan-Tan watched as Nishi nervously signed the cardboard box that held the manila envelope inside. He applied a heavy amount of tape around the edges, and stamped the corner. She could see the beads of sweat emerging from his forehead, his pores laced in a thin, glistening sheen.

"This is it, Tan-Tan."
His hands hovered over the dropbox, the thin cardboard layer resting halfway inside.

"Right, let's blow these corporate money-grubbers out of their seats. We're definitely going to win this contest!"
She placed her hand on his, helping guide the box inside the metal container.

They both let out a sigh of relief as it clanked against the hollow bottom.
"Now, about that ice cream."
Nishi smirked down at Tan-Tan.

"Yay! Choco-Choco Cho-co-late~"
She twirled around him like a child, her body in a constant spinning motion.

"Jeez, you're acting like Minami. Let's get you that chocolate cone, okay?"
Nishi guided her out of the post office, his hand resting against her upper back.