Chapter 4:

Fan Club!

The Significance of Love


“ Being so angry at me, are you his fan club or something?” I couldn’t help but ask them.

“ What if we are?”

“ You got a problem with that?”

The girls reacted more defensively than before the start of this conversation, making it more obvious that they were his fan club.

“ As fan club members, it’s natural for all of you to care for your idol’s wellbeing, I can understand that perfectly. Rest assured, girls, as I’m in no way a threat to you. If we’re done here, I’ll be taking my leave.”

As I was leaving, one of the girls’ questions stopped me in my tracks.

“ You still have yet to answer our question. Why are you leaving?”

“ What were you doing with Ryuji Fujimiya yesterday?”

“ Do you care to explain, or should we make you?”

These jealous girls’ wouldn’t let me leave unless I answered all of their questions, which was getting kind of annoying and frustrating.

“ Haven’t I already answered your questions? What else do you girls want?”

“ Let me make this clear to you once and for all, so you’ll understand!”

“ I have no interest in Ryuji Fujimiya whatsoever. As for my interaction with him yesterday, I don’t have to answer that, as it’s none of your damn business. Had I made myself clear, or shall I repeat myself?”

“ That’s what I thought—-------- Due to your jealousy, I might not be able to have lunch.”

I headed out and at the exit, Ryuji Fujimiya was standing there immobile. His eyes were livid and showed no expression whatsoever.

(Just what I needed—--------- What’s he doing here?)

I passed him by without uttering a word to him. He grabbed my wrist before I could walk further.

“ Fujimiya, what are you doing? Would you please let go?”

He didn’t listen to anything I was saying and dragged me away from there. His attitude was strange, and I wanted to understand what got into him so suddenly. He finally let go of me when we reached the cafeteria.

“ Please have a seat! He uttered very politely.

(What’s gotten into him? Why is he being so polite to me? Is this another attempt to earn my forgiveness?)

Right after I was seated, he went to buy food as I waited for him silently. He got back to our table less than five minutes later. He had bought bread with seasonal inside and handed one to me, as he bought two seasoned bread in the first place.

“ No, thanks!”

“ Lunch break is almost over! You don’t have any other option than to eat what I bought you. Although you dislike me, please don’t do the same with the food.”

As he stated that, I felt that something was not right with him. As I tried recollecting what might’ve happened, something struck me, and it all made perfect sense to me.

(Did he perhaps listen in to our conversation? If he did, this would explain why he’s behaving like this with me. He’s behaving nicely with me, but deep down, he must be so upset. I could try retracting my words and explaining things to him, but if I were to do that, things would become kind of troublesome for me. I’ll let him misunderstand me so that he’ll leave me alone for good.)

“ Thank you!”

Ryuji on the other hand was having some thoughts of his own.

(Albertini-San stipulated that I should use my actions to speak for me instead of words, but how should I do that? I bought her food just now. Was that a good deed, or did I make another blunder? Sakamoto's opinion of me is very low at the moment. She won’t see me for who I am unless her opinion of me changes.)

“ Thanks for lunch! I’ll be going now.”

“ I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

Ryuji grinned brightly at me, and his behavior couldn’t help but make me even more confused. Several questions were going through my head at once, but I couldn’t ask any of them.

Gymnastics class went smoothly as well as all my other classes. At the end of the day, Patricia and Sabrina were waiting for me at our usual spot.

“ Hey, girls!”

“ How were your classes?”

“ How was lunch?”

“ Lunch, as well as all of my classes, went well. What about you, girls?”

“ Likewise!”

“ What about Fujimiya? Did he come to bother you again?”

“ About that—--------------------------------------”

I narrated to Sabrina and Patricia the recent events which took place in their absence. They had a hard time believing Ryuji Fujimiya’s intentions, just like I did.

“ Why do you think he acted so naturally around you, despite everything he heard?”

“ Normally, he wouldn’t have acted that way. What could he be thinking?”

“ No clue!”

Afterward, we headed home, and then morning came the following day just as fast as the day had ended previously.

As I arrived at school, being absent-minded, I didn’t notice the rock in front of me and as I was about to trip, someone caught me, preventing me from falling.

“ Fu—------------------- Fujimiya?”

(Fujimiya saved me just now, didn’t he? When did he get here? What in the world is happening?)

“ Sakamoto-San, are you alright?”

“ Yes, I am! Thanks for saving me!”

“ You’re welcome, Sakamoto-San!”

Right after that, Sabrina and Patricia arrived at school, and I instantly told them what had happened to me before their arrival. In English class, I was told to deliver some boxes to the storage room.

“ The storage room is up ahead. I have to hurry in delivering all these boxes, or I might not be able to make it for lunch.”

“ Do you need help carrying these boxes?”

Out of nowhere, Ryuji Fujimiya appeared once again, proposing to help me carry the heavy lifted boxes.

“ No, thanks! I think I can manage just fine.”

“ It would go a lot faster if I help you, won’t it?”

“ Besides, lunch break is almost upon us. You don’t want to miss it now, do you?”

(He has a point! It would go a lot faster if he helped me carry them, but—--------------------)

“ Thanks for your help!”

I was carrying six boxes and I gave him half to carry. We reached the storage room in less time than what it would have taken me had I gone alone.

“ It was a lot faster, wasn’t it? It took less time, too. Now, we won’t be late for lunch.”

With everything being delivered to the storage room, Ryuji Fujimiya was leaving the storage room when I stopped him.

“ Fujimiya?”

“ Yes!” He turned around to face me.

“ Why are you doing this?”

“ What am I doing?”

“ Don’t play dumb with me!”

“ Lunch yesterday and help today. Everything you’ve been doing for the past twenty-four hours, why all that? You heard everything I said to your fan club yesterday, didn’t you?”

“ Why are you acting as if nothing had happened? This sudden urge of kindness, where is it coming from?”

“ What are you trying to accomplish? What are you aiming at?”

“ Okay, Sakamoto-San! I’ll tell you all that you need to know, but I have a request.”

?

“ If you accept, I’ll answer all of your questions. What’s it going to be?”

“ What’s your request?”

“ If I answer all your questions, in return, I’ll be asking twenty-four hours of your time. Do you accept my terms, Sakamoto-San?”

Taylor Victoria
icon-reaction-1