Chapter 33:

This Junior... AHHH!

I Know You Can't Write!

I’m happy to report last weekend wasn’t a wash—the weekend after Yoshika came to me that is.

A decent amount of writing happened, and only a few mishaps with Fujioka breaking and entering. It doesn’t help whenever she does my mom invites her to a meal. Don’t encourage her mom!

I got the draft for chapters one and two done—being working in a four act system.

“Hey. Fujioka-san.”

“Hold on.” She set down her Faffle-pen. “I’ve been thinking you shouldn’t address me so casually. You’re my junior after all.”

“Mm… Then Fuji-san?”

Despite my… disposition towards interacting with other people, I usually don’t have a hard time keeping up with Fujioka.

She slapped the table with her palm. Ah, and I don’t need to mention where we are, do I?

“Are you comparing me with a mountain because of my height or my weight?”

“Both?”

“Fine. Then you shall now be “Mako-chan”.”

“Erk—!”

That’s a critical hit! That’s basically what Sayuri and mom call me! Curse you living next door!

“That name should only ever come out of the mouth of my cute little sister and lovely mom! Don’t taint it with your unworthy vocal cords!”

“Mako-chan. Describing your mother as lovely is endearing. But saying “cute little sister,” is a bit creepy, no?”

“Fuji-san!” It was my turn to slam my hands on the table.

“Mako-chan.” Fujioka bolted up from her seat.

“Fuji-san!” I followed.

“Mako-chan!” She leaned across the table with a carnivorous look on her face.

“Fuji-san!” I copied.

“Mako-chan!” She gripped onto my collar.

“Fuji-san!” I gripped hers’.

“Senpai’s…?”

“What!?” We flicked our attention to the door in unison.

The girl that called out to us in a worried tone was someone I hoped wouldn’t slowly become a regular—Nao Yoshika. Unfortunately for my productivity, it was seeming to be the reality.

It was next week monday… So what is that? Five days since Yoshika came the first time?

“What’re you two doing?”

Fujioka and I released each other’s collars.

“We’re just… discussing some ideas…” I said.

“On top of the table…? Looking like you’re about to fight?”

“Yes.”

***

We now sat in silence at the club-table. Fujioka and I across from each other with Yoshika at the end.

None of us did any work, the atmosphere was telling us to wait for Yoshika to say her piece but she never did. You can’t just enter a random clubroom and sit down! You’re freaking me out!

“Uhm… Oh! Fujioka-san, I meant to ask. Have you seen Akimoto-san?”

“Hmm… The la—”

“I saw her! She was sitting on a desk laughing with some guys.” Our new kouhai friend intuerupted Fujioka.

“A-ah, I see… Thank you. That’s a bit unfortunate, I would’ve liked her opinion on this section.”

I’m glad for Akimoto of couse, she really was starting to fall off. Whenever I’ve seen her this week talking with her old friends she always had a glow around her—shining so brightly. I guess it makes sense for her to prefer the status-quo of secretly reading light novels and being popular rather than committing to this.

Akimoto’s great, but as I expected initially, she’s in a whole different world from me. And from what I just heard, she seems to be moving onto a new guy already from Katsuki, so that’s good.

My cursor flashed at the top of the document, next to where it said: “By Kiyotaka & Akimoto”

That’s so corny and on the nose… what the hell is that?

Akimoto hasn’t been to the club room in almost a week now. I suppose it could be her catching up with a bunch of people and she’ll find a routine of the club and her social-life.

She sits in the desk directly in front of me, but we really never talk.

Before my thoughts could spiral any further Fujioka pulled me out of my head.

“Okay. Yoshika-san. Why’re you here?” She said sternly.

“Why…?”

“Yes why. You’ve been silently sitting there for almost twenty minutes.”

“I— I’m doing an observation project for my class.”

“Ha! Please don’t be so obvious with your lies. Most of the first year curriculum is designed by me and I included no such project.”

Fujioka folded her arms in front of her chest with a smirk.

“...I’m… I’m waiting for Sato-senpai to invite Kiyotaka-senpai out so I can tag along.”

She folded under such little pressure!

I glanced over and Fujioka had a similar reaction so I asume she thought the same thing as me.

“I-in that case.” Fuji-san regained her composure. “As long as you don’t distract Makoto-kun, you can stay.”

“For real!?”

“Yes. But that means being absolutely completely quiet.”

“I can do that!”

“You’ve failed.”

“Ah—!”

***

“Kiyotaka-senpai—” My kouhai whined.

“Hm.”

“Have you heard from Takechi-senpai at all—?”

Quit whining… We’ve been doing this routine all week.

“No.”

“Quit being so cold! How can you be so cold to someone so cute!?”

I didn’t respond this time. I continued tapping at my keyboard attempting the silent treatment.

“Hmpf—”

Yoshika puffed out her cheeks and lowered her head onto the desk-chair’s back rest. Her black hair falling in front of her eyes as she did.

Today I had an idea I needed to write urgently, so I stayed in my homeroom after it ended and pulled out my laptop. One bonus I thought was going to be no Yoshika, however, she must’ve checked the clubroom and found me missing. So naturally, of course, she came to my homeroom.

She sat backwards in the desk in front of me…

“Isn’t Takechi-senpai and Sato-senpai in the same homeroom as you? Where’d they go when it ended?”
I shrugged my shoulders without looking up.

“Use your words!”

“Shrug.”

“...”

Yoshika seemed as if she was about to go on again when Sato and Takechi strolled past the classroom’s door.

Divine intervention.

God has to be real.

I’m a Christian now.

The black-haired junior perked up like a dog hearing walk. She jumped up from her seat and didn’t even say goodbye to me.

“Takechi-senpai! Wait up! Wait up!”

She moved so quickly it blew my hair off to the side.