Answers

(Author's note: This story will now update every Monday and Friday. Thank you for reading.) 

Although I felt like my conversation with Yorikane went well and maybe we can be true friends, something unexpected happened when club time came the next day. I met Kishi there and we looked for books to read. I recommended a series to him so he wouldn’t spend all day searching again today. We found a table to sit at while we read.

It was peaceful as usual in the library as everyone stayed quiet and minded their own business. That was until the sound of the door opening roughly was heard. And what followed that sound was a voice. That voice made my blood run cold.

“Rose-chan! Is Rose-chan here?”

My limbs froze as dread flowed through my veins. Why is Yorikane here? Why did he have to shout out my alias in the middle of the dead silent library? I thought he understood that I didn’t want to see him. If he finds me, I feel like only misfortune will follow.

“This is a library, you need to be quiet.” I heard the voice of the club leader. It felt like he had come to save me, allowing me to get control of my body again.

“Is there a Rose here?” Yorikane asked.

I looked to my right to see Kishi trying to look between the bookshelves to see who was at the door. I reached out my hand and grabbed his arm. He looked at me. I shook my head.

“Don’t look,” I whispered.

He looked confused. “Didn’t he say Rose…?”

I quickly fumbled for my phone in my pocket and began texting him.

“There’s no one here by the name of Rose,” the club leader said.

“Really? Is it anyone’s nickname?” Yorikane continued asking.

“Do you think I’d know that? We don’t really talk among ourselves. Now leave if you’re going to keep being loud.”

“Alright, thanks anyway… Sorry for being loud.”

I sent my text to Kishi as I heard Yorikane leave. It said,

“That was Yorikane Miya-san. I had been texting him just like I did with you, using the name Rose. I didn’t think he’d come to find me after I told him which club I was in.”

Kishi looked at his phone. Then he glanced at me before typing out a reply.

“Oh, I see. You don’t want to meet him in person?”

“I don’t. I thought he understood, but him coming here today, it’s obvious he didn’t.”

“I’m sorry, he should have respected your wishes. What are you going to do now?”

“I guess I’ll have to tell him we can’t be friends after all. I don’t want a friend who’ll make me uncomfortable.”

“I don’t make you uncomfortable, right…?”

“Of course you don’t.”

We looked at each other and smiled. Then I leaned in to whisper.

“Let’s just get back to reading.”

“Okay,” he whispered back.

I still felt on edge after Yorikane barged in here. My heart is beating out of my chest just thinking about it. More than angry at his actions, I feel sad. I thought he would be a good friend. But doing this completely goes against my wishes. I don’t think we’ll be a good fit.

After the club ended and Kishi told me to get home safely, I got on the bus. I thought about what to say to Yorikane when I got home. And once I was in my room, I saw a text from him.

“Rose-chan, are you mad?”

“What do you think?”

“Okay, just let me explain myself! I really wanted to try meeting you so I went to your club. I figured you probably wouldn’t want to meet with me anyway, but I still had to give it a try! But I promise I won’t do anything like that again until you're ready, alright?”

I could only sigh. How can I believe those words anymore?

“Sorry, Miya-san. I trusted you after our talk yesterday. But your actions have betrayed my trust. I think we should stop talking to each other.”

“I’m really sorry! I thought maybe you needed a little push, but it seems like it didn’t help. You must have a reason for not wanting to meet me, but I thought we could overcome that together. Whatever you’re worried about, we can work it out.”

“It’s not that simple. Like you said, I have a reason for not wanting to meet you. A reason with a lot of trauma behind it. I know you didn’t know that, but I wish you were a bit more sympathetic to my feelings. I need a friend who will be understanding and let me overcome my trauma at my own pace. It can’t be rushed. I’m too scared to get burned again.”

“Rose… I’m sorry, I really didn’t know. I promise I’ll reflect on my actions and be a better person. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I guess I thought you were just shy. I thought that if I put out my hand, you’d be able to take it. But I’ll wait for you to extend yours first.”

“I’m glad you understand now. Just don’t try to meet me again. I want to take some time before I talk to you again, if I do.”

“I’m sorry…”

He really does sound sorry. I hope he takes more time to reflect on what I said. I know he’s a kind and amiable guy… But he should learn that it’s impossible to know what someone is going through. He should treat everyone sympathetically instead of just being a kind friend who only wants to hang out and have fun.

Kishi asked if I talked to Yorikane. I told him I did and that we probably won’t speak for a while. I’m even more grateful and appreciative of Kishi now. He was so patient and understanding of my feelings when I first talked with him. I’m really glad I’m friends with him.

Since Yorikane is in my class, I couldn’t help watching him sometimes. After our text conversation, he almost seemed to be in low spirits which was unlike him. Is this the first time he’s had a friend who pushed him away because they were going through something? I guess this has been a learning experience for him.

The days that followed passed peacefully. Although Yorikane was in lower spirits for a couple days, he recovered. I do like to see his happy smile instead of his more somber expression. And having Kishi in my club has been great. We don’t usually meet each other outside of the club because his other friends are always with him. The other one in my club has been hidden among the bookshelves so I haven’t seen him. It’s probably for the better.

On a particularly normal day, one of my teachers decided to pick on me. I say that, but she only wanted me to carry some of her documents to the staff room for her. I couldn’t refuse so I took the large stack in my arms and began walking through the hallways. I was just focused on putting one foot in front of the other when someone stopped me.

“Hey there, need some help? That looks heavy.”

I tried to see who it was through my glasses and hair. His green eyes caught my attention first. Then his brown hair. And then his kind smile. The fourth hottie, vice president of the student council, Shoji Iwasaki, was talking to me.

“Oh… Um…” I stammered, unable to agree to his help nor refuse it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take half.” He reached out to pick up half, unbothered by my unresponsiveness. “This goes to the staff room?”

“Y…Yes…” I managed to say.

“Perfect, let’s go then.” He began walking. I paused a moment before hurrying to catch up.

I did want to get a better look at Shoji, but I never expected this to happen… Even in my first year, we never crossed paths. I hear rumors about him always being busy with student council duties, although he does make some time to help his fellow students. Apparently I’m now one of the students that he’s helped. I feel like I need to brag about it or something.

“By the way, what’s your name? I don’t think we’ve met before.” Shoji’s question stirred me from my thoughts.

“I’m… Saki Shiotani…”

“Nice to meet you, Shiotani-chan. May I call you that?”

“Yes…”

“Wonderful. And you’re in year…?”

“I’m in my second year…”

“Gotcha. You might know me, but I’ll introduce myself anyway just in case. I’m Shoji Iwasaki, a third year, and the vice president of the student council! If you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to talk to me or our president, Akemi Tamura.”

“Okay, I will…”

He smiled at me.

We arrived at the staff room before I knew it. We handed off the documents to the other teachers there. They were all very happy to see Shoji with big smiles on their faces. He returned their greetings with a bright smile of his own. I felt like I was being forgotten, but there’s no way I could join such a bright and happy atmosphere anyway. Not with my gloomy appearance.

Since everyone seemed to be distracted, I decided to slip out of the room before anyone noticed. But on my way out, Shoji made sure to say goodbye to me.

“See you later, Shiotani-chan. Thanks for coming to the staff room with me.”

I quickly nodded as I left. I should be the one thanking him… Why is he thanking me? But it was nice walking with him. I learned that the rumors of him being nice and helpful are true. And I’ve been wondering about something for a while. He’s a part of the student council, so I’m sure he’d know. Should I try to start a conversation with him as Rose?

I met up with Kishi in the library for our club as usual. He smiled when he saw me and began to whisper.

“Saki, would you want to come over to my house sometime?”

“Sure.”

“Great! I wanted to show you one of my stories, if that’s alright… And I have some games on my playstation we could play together too.”

“Sounds good. Does this weekend work?”

“Yes! I can’t wait.” He beamed.

When I went home, I decided to give Shoji a try after all. Even if we don’t become friends, he can at least answer my question. I just hope I don’t get myself in trouble like with Yorikane. I’ll just ask the question and leave him alone. It doesn't need to go anywhere.

“Hello, I’m Rose. This is Shoji Iwasaki-senpai, right? I just wanted to ask you a question.”

I feel a little intimidated to text him because of his position on the student council. He seems to be leagues above me in every way. But he was kind when we met in person, so I should calm my nerves. I started on my homework as I waited for a reply. It came just before I was going to bed.

“Hello, Rose. Yes, this is Shoji Iwasaki. Go ahead and ask me any questions, that’s what I’m here for.”

“Thank you. This is a bit late, but I finally got the courage to ask. If you could tell me, I was wondering how the announcement on my first day back to school came to happen?”

“Ah, you mean that announcement board that showed my face along with three others? It’s kind of a funny story. I know that Akemi, Akemi Tamura-san, was trying to figure out a way to attract more students to our school. I was in the dark when she came up with this idea. I only found out after she had put the plan in motion. So I didn’t really have a part in it, it was all Akemi’s idea.”

“She didn’t talk to you or the others about it first?”

“No, she didn’t. But she often makes impulsive decisions like this. They always seem to work out though.”

“Are you upset that she did this without consulting you first…?”

I had hoped that that announcement board wasn’t made without the persons involved consenting to it first. She didn’t tell Shoji about it either though? It seems like her idea would have gotten shut down if she consulted the rest of the student council because of how bizarre it was, but I guess if she didn’t tell them anything, then they couldn’t stop her.

“I guess I’m a little more embarrassed than upset. But what’s done is done, and it did happen to help our number of students rise. I also apologized to the other guys on Akemi’s behalf. They did seem a little upset though.”

I realize that I never asked the other three about how they felt about Akemi’s actions. I’m curious to hear it directly from them. Although, I’m not quite ready to talk to Yorikane again… And I’m not sure about talking to Yuasa either.

“It’s understandable to be upset. I bet you’ve gotten plenty of other texts from other students, right?”

“Besides some strange ideas that Akemi has, she’s a really great person and student council president. I hope you don’t think ill of her because of this. I understand that her plan was just to help our school. At the end of the day, I’m glad she went through with it because I know I’d try to stop her if she told me about it. And yes, I’ve gotten quite a bit of texts from the students. I try my best to answer each and every one. A lot of them don’t seem relevant to school though…”

“Tamura-san has helped run the school for a couple years now, I can tell she’s good at what she does. And it sounds troublesome to get all of those texts. I’m glad it seems like you’re handling them well though.”

“You’re right, it was a bit troublesome with hundreds of texts coming through on my phone in the beginning. I had to put it on do not disturb so I could still use it. But after that was over, it was nice to speak to some of the students through text and answer their questions or comments. I was actually a bit surprised to see your text come through at this point, weeks after the announcement.”

“You’re very kind for answering everyone’s texts. If I was in your situation, I might have just ignored all of the text messages because I was overwhelmed. And like I said, I only now got the courage to text you and ask my question. I hope I’m not bothering you in any way.”

“Not at all! I’m glad to answer any questions you have, within reason of course. May I ask you a question as well?”

“Go ahead.”

“Perfect. I was just wondering how your school life has been going. Having any problems? Whether it’s about students or teachers or even your studies, I’d like to hear about it. The student council would love to take your feedback and continue to improve our school.”

“My school life has been going well. I haven’t encountered any problems. I don’t really have any feedback to give so I apologize.”

There’s no way I can tell him about how most of the other students act like I don’t exist. In fact, it makes my life easier so I wouldn’t want him to try to fix it. Plus I now have a friend, Kishi. I have everything I need, I don’t want anything to change in my school life.

“That’s alright, I’m glad you haven’t had any problems. If you ever do though, don’t be afraid to reach out to us at the student council. We will do our best to help if we can. And if you think of any feedback later, tell us that too. We’re always looking to improve, even in the smallest of ways. Do you have any other questions for me?”

“I do have one more that I remembered. It seems like Yuasa Kitahashi-san isn’t on the student council anymore. Is there a reason for that?”

“Ah, Kitahashi-kun. He left of his own accord when we entered our third year. Most of the student council stayed with Akemi when this new school year started. Kitahashi-kun just didn’t want to be a part of it anymore for his own personal reasons. We would have loved to have him join us in our last year, but things just didn’t work out like that. We’re still good friends though.”

Friends? Somehow I doubt that. But I’m still curious as to why he left the student council and joined the obscure library studies club. Maybe his love of reading outweighs his love for the student council. Or maybe it’s a reason I’m not thinking of.

“Thank you for answering my questions. I’ll definitely ask if I have more in the future.”

“And give your feedback, right? I’m joking, but of course talk to the student council anytime as long as it’s school related.”

“I will, thanks for taking the time to talk to me.”

“Of course.”

I’m glad my questions were answered. I already feel like I really can go to the student council for anything in the future. Akemi wasn’t lying on that announcement board when she said Shoji was reliable…

After that informative conversation, time passed until my hangout with Kishi.