Friends?!

“If Sumiye is going to her car, I should head home already.” with that in mind Koshiro started to walk away from Obaka High’s front gate.

“Where do you think you’re going?” 

“Huh?” Koshiro turned around and looked at Sumiye, she had something on her hands, “What do you mean? I’m heading home.”

“And why is that?” she started to open one of the things in her hands, it was a granola bar.

“Hmm… I thought that you were heading home…”

“Of course not!” the woman frowned and then showed him her phone and the granola bar: “I was just picking up this and leaving that bag on the trunk. I have to let my neighbor know I’ll arrive later than usual.”

“Saved by the off-screen character, huh?”

“Yes…” Sumiye took a bite of the granola bar and unlocked her phone, starting to type on it, “An off-screen character... that’s costing me a lot of money...” she munched the bar.

“Sure…” Koshiro observed Sumiye typing, and then he felt his phone notifying him:

“Nobu: Hey! Are you an aspiring writer??! Check this out...” Koshiro started to read, “...Kanojo x Kanojo x K…” and stopped midway, “Okay, that’s enough.”

Koshiro (replying to Nobu): It’s obviously a scam! Bye, bye!

Nobu: Hey! It’s not! I’m your friend Nobru, I mean Nobu!

“And… blocked. I should let Nyoko know about that...”

Koshiro: Hey, Nyoko-chan. I think that your brother was hacked or something, please tell him that he’s an idiot.

Nyoko-chan (replying to Koshiro): Nyoko-chan is sure to do that!

“Koshiro.” Sumiye called him, “Let’s go.”

“Okay. I was just talking to 'Nobu' and Nyoko-chan here.” Koshiro walked towards Sumiye and put his phone in his pocket.

“Do you want some?” Sumiye offered him a granola bar.

“No, I…”

“Just accept it.” she quickly opened the bar and shoved it into Koshiro’s mouth.

“Warugh alwe do sofregh lahta?”

“It’s impolite to talk while you eat, don’t you know that?”

“Aarknou.” Koshiro started to munch the bar.

“Hey, why the quotation marks?” she started to go to the main school building, “When you talked about Nobu that is.”

“Hmm.” Koshiro swallowed the bar, “Oh! It seems that Nobu was hacked or something.” 

“Aah.” Sumiye smacked her head and sighed, “Sadly, that’s no surprise.”

“Huh? And why is that?”

“It’s because of the stuff you keep watching.”

“Watching? Do you mean anime?”

“I wish. Don’t you remember when I found your browser history?” 

“I have absolutely no idea of what you’re talking about.”

“Really?” she put her hands on her waist and smiled, “I’m pretty sure it was about Lol…”

“Hey! Hey!” Koshiro jumped back, “Let’s calm down a little bit. What if someone hears you tell such lies??!”

“Huh?” Sumiye was the one confused now, “Are you that afraid of liking Legends of Labor?”

“Oh, so that’s what you were talking about…” Koshiro murmured while averting his eyes.

“Duh! Anyway, let’s start searching.”

“Hmm…” Koshiro gazed at the school territory, “Search for what?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We have to find that girl!”

“Oh! I guess that you’re right…” he turned to Sumiye, “Did you found anything from the president?”

“Yes. But we’ll talk about it later.”

“Okay.”

“Now, let’s search for her.” she gazed at the school. “You go to the gym and I will see the rest.”

“Huh? I’ll just search the g…?” when he was finishing his question Sumiye had already vanished. Koshiro sighed and then ran to the gym, a place where most of his memories were related to Takayama hitting him with balls ( the PE classes of that place loved mixed activities), and the other ones were related to him getting hit by Takayama without balls (the girl wanted to show diversity from time to time).

When Koshiro arrived, the big and vacant room called the school gym was suspiciously opened at that time. The boy gazed at the place for a moment, but it didn't take long for him to notice whispers coming from the storage room.

“Shhh, be quiet, Kuma-chan! Someone is coming!” a muffled voice could be heard.

“She really needs to learn how to whisper.” Koshiro stared at the door for a moment, "Or how to hide." the boy started to open the door: “What a crappy place to h…” his voice died when he looked at the situation before him. “What…?”

“Hi…” a little girl lying on several cardboard boxes was trying to hide behind an inflatable bear.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”

“Hmm.” Sawada sulked, “We were about to have a great night of sleep until a certain idiot interrupted it.”

“You’ve got to be kidding with me.”

“We a…”

“Hey, Koshiro! Have you found her?” Sumiye’s distant voice was drawing closer.

“Please don’t turn me in Koshiro!” Sawada started to beg, “We’re friends, right? I promise I won’t eat your food anymore! Neither call you an idiot! I can’t go back! Please, I’m begging you! Just…”

“Sumi-nee! She’s here!” Koshiro shouted.

“Koshiro idiot! idiot! idiot!" the girl got up and ran towards Koshiro, "I hate you! I HATE YOU! YOU IDIOT! You'll make me go back! I hate you! You idiot!” she started to punch him.

“Friends?” he murmured.

“Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! I HATE you! I'll never forgive you!” she kept punching.

“Friends?” the boy uttered.

“Idiot! Idiot! Idi…”

“FRIENDS?!” Koshiro shouted and seized Sawada's wrists. He glared with all his might at the girl, “If you really say that, THEN YOU SHOULD JUST SHUT UP!” making her lose her voice, “It’s because we might be friends that I’m doing this!”

“...” the girl only looked down and murmured: “What a way to act towards your Senpai…”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

“Nothing…”

“Great.” Koshiro started to pull the girl, “Now, let’s go.”

“Wait!”

“What? You’re not going to trick me again.”

“I know…” she turned around, “I just want to take Kuma-chan...”

“Kuma-chan?” Koshiro followed the girl’s eyes, “I don’t think we can take her out of the school.”

“But…”

“Everything alright here?!” Sumiye had just crossed the door, she looked at the situation in front of her.

“Suto-Sensei…” Sawada started.

“You want to take Kuma-chan with you right?”

“Huh?” the girl blinked twice, “That’s it, but how…”

“Not important, let’s get going.” Sumiye went to the storage room and grabbed Kuma-chan.

The three (four?) of them left the gym and headed where Sumiye’s car was, “How did you manage to search the rest of the school so fast?” Koshiro asked while they were walking.

“I didn’t search, I knew where she was all along.”

“Huh? How?”

“Maybe I put a tracking device on her, and I just used my cellphone to locate her…”

“Aaah! Where? Where? Where?!” Sawada started to search for the device in her clothes.

“...maybe I actually put it in Kuma-chan…”

“Aaah! Kuma-chan! You betrayed me!”

“OH my god, you’re such a kid.” Koshiro commented.

“Who are you calling a kid?! I..”

“...MAYBE…” Sumiye interrupted her, “...I’m just too good at hide and seek. But you wouldn’t know that, right Koshiro? Since you’re so bad.” she smiled.

“I’m average.” he affirmed.

“If you say so…” they were a few meters from the car, Sumiye picked the keys and unlocked, “C’mon guys, get in.”

Koshiro let go of Sawada and made sure she was settled in the back seat to then head to the front door and open it: “Huh?” fluffy eyes were staring at him, “Why is Kuma-chan on my spot?”

“I’m sorry Koshiro, but today I won’t let underages sit here.” Sumiye informed him.

“How many years does she have?”

“One, but inflatable bear ages are different.” she explained, “Now go and make some company to Sawada-san, okay?”

"Very specific type of age." Koshiro sighed. “Okay.” he headed to the back door and opened it: “What? She’s already sleeping?”

“Dolaakii…” Sawada murmured.

“Whatever.” the boy went to the other side and sat beside Sawada.

“If everyone is ready, we’re going now.” Sumiye announced after she locked the seat belts for herself, and Kuma-chan. Koshiro did the same for him and Sawada.

“Did the bear really needed that, Sumiye? Are you sure you aren’t a bit drunk?” Koshiro looked at Kuma-chan while Sumiye started to drive to the Koike household.

“Dolaakii… Koshiro idiot…” Sawada kept murmuring beside Koshiro.

“She’s a pain even when she’s sleep…” the boy stopped, a bit startled because the car made the girl fall to the side, making her lean against his shoulder. Koshiro didn’t move an inch, he just looked at the face of the sleeping girl and continued his line thought: “Well… at least she can be cute… sometimes.” he kept gazing at the girl until:

“Ohoho! Look at the look on your face!” Sumiye uttered.

“W-What?! I’m not doing anything weird!”

“Shhhh! Be careful or you’ll wake them up!” she whispered.

“Wake them?”

“Don’t worry about it.” she kind of ignored him, “I know you weren’t doing that type of weird stuff…”

“Which type was it them?”

"I know that look…” Sumiye smiled, “I could bet that I have it sometimes...” she looked at Koshiro using the rearview.

“You could bet… that you have it…?” Koshiro murmured, returning his eyes to Sawada. “Hmm…”