#68 Flirting?

After I took a bath, I read Kei's messages. Most of it was if I am alright because I wasn't answering for almost the entire day. I remember that I tried to enter The Golden Cliff around 7 PM yesterday and it's already 2 PM. However the time flows there much slower than here, that's how I at least feel. When I was practicing there, it felt like a few days but the strange thing is that I never felt hunger, dehydration or any basic need at all.

Anyway, back to the Kei's messages.

[I am fine, sorry for worrying you but I wasn't feeling well last night so I was still asleep until a few minutes ago.] sounds like a good reason and...send.

[Finally! Geez, I was really worried! How do you feel right now?] Reply came almost immediately, it came so fast that it almost scared, it felt as if she had this already written before I texted her.

...Scary

[I am feeling energetic, completely opposite to last night] I replied the way so she wouldn't worry about me but at that time I still didn't know that I would regret such words.

[Great! Hirata-kun and a few other people wanted to gather the entire class to go to the pool to create some summer memories or whatever. I was persuaded by my friends to go with them so you are coming with me to suffer too, hehe]

Ugh, summer memories my ass! They just want to peep on the girls again! And Hirata being a good friend was easily persuaded by their words: "Let's gather the entire class to create wonderful memories!"

Last time, I had to go out of my way to help them not being discovered by Ryuen and Sakayanagi.

[Hey, now that you mention it I am starting to feel dizzy] I tried my luck.

[Yeah, so it's 1 hour from now on. Get yourself together and come at the destinated time.]

Ugh, straightly ignoring my message, huh?

Hmph! If you think that you can control my life just because I favor you slightly more than other people then you are wrong.

I tossed my phone on my bed and went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. I also didn't forget to refill Yukina's bowls with food and water.

When I was preparing to go for a walk with Yukina, my phone vibrated again.

[...Please? Will you come? I am sorry about the thing before, it was just a fun...] Heh, I guess she is already regretting trying to command me, I just wanted to tease her a bit because I know her very well.

[Alright, I see that you can also be polite if you truly want, heh]

[Wait! You aren't really angry, are you?!] Sorry but I am not sorry about that, haha.

"Yukina, let's go" I called out her name and she quickly came to me. Some people might think: 'Walking a cat? Moreover a kitten?' But Yukina is actually really smart how she can easily comprehend most of my actions and, well, to be honest, I am not someone who would want to imprison her in my room. She is smart, so if she wants to have a freedom and run away, she can. If she wants to remain with me, she will keep close to me.

When I walked out of the dorms with Yukina by my side I saw someone who I didn't expect.

"Hey, Felix-kun!" Kei was standing before the dorms, probably waiting especially for me with a naughty smile while waving at me. She was wearing pretty tight jeans that showed how slender her body was combined with casual shirt which was slightly unusual. She used to wear some more stylish things but seeing this "simple" Kei was slightly refreshing and to be honest if I had to evaluate which is better if "stylish Kei" or "casual Kei" then I would go for casual.

What if I actually waited an entire hour before going to meet up with them? Would she actually be standing here the entire hour?

"What are you doing here? Wasn't the meeting time at 3 PM?" I gave her a suspicious look.

"Hey! Is that the way how you greet your friends?!" She pouted when she saw the suspicious look I was giving her.

"Alright, alright, I am sorry. Hi Kei, you look especially fantastic today, is that better with you?" I responded in a lazy tone while yawning.

"Hehe, much better...but I think you shouldn't greet your every female friend like that or they might misunderstand you." She placed both her hands on her red cheeks with a happy expression but then she added with a stern expression.

"So basically, I am allowed to greet only you this way because you won't misunderstand me?" I tried to tease her a bit.

"Yes! That's right!" She nodded with a satisfied expression.

When we were talking, Yukina was exploring the area, of course not too far away from me.

"Hi, Karuizawa-san and Walker-kun!" Someone called out our names so both of us stopped our conversation and turned at the person.

It was Ichinose who seemed to be coming back from the shopping.

Hmm... I threw a quick glance at Kei and a mischievous smile appeared on my face.

"Hey Ichinose-san, it suits you really well today, especially the color of your dress makes your eyes appear to be deeper and brighter like the ocean under the bright moonlight" I said with a friendly smile but I didn't even know if what I just spit out was making any sense. I just improvised on the spot and if I were to compare my flirting skills with all boys in this school then I would perhaps end up at the dead end.

"Wha?!" Kei who was standing next to me almost screamed out when she heard my words.

Of course, she had no idea that I was simply joking but knowing Ichinose's abilities she must have seen how I threw a glance at Kei with a mischevious smile, she must have noticed it but completely opposite to my expectations, Ichinose stopped approaching us and she blushed while looking downwards.

"Ah! Umm...I- I...that is...I mean...thank you" She said in a low voice while looking downwards

Alright...that didn't go well. Maybe I overestimated Ichinose's abilities? I always thought that she is smart and also perceptive.

"Um...you also...Ah! I must go back before...before the ice-cream, I bought melts in this hot weather. Yes! The ice-cream! Goodbye!" She tried to say something in low voice but then she suddenly lightly hit her cheeks and run away while yelling at us.

*sigh* Why I had to do that? Now I will have to explain it to her.

"Pfff, hahaha" Kei, on the other hand, started unrestrained laughing right next to me.

"See? I told you that you will be misunderstood." She explained while wiping away the tears from her laughing.

"Hmph! I don't think it's good to greet my female friends in different ways. Don't you think that might give an impression of favoring one over others? Therefore I will simply greet you and others the way how I used to." I snorted at her laughing and said in cold tone but with a smile on my face.

"NO!" She immediately shouted at me.

"Hm?" I looked at her with a confused expression.

"I mean...we aren't just friends. You are my...um...Best friend! Yes! We are best friends! So I expect your greetings to be the same as today!"

"Huh? When did we become best friends?"

We started to walk back to the dorms so I could grab my swimming trunks and also leave Yukina in my room. I didn't want to take her to the pool when she is so small, maybe later.

"What? How cruel!" She said with a sad expression but a playful smile never disappeared from her face.

"There is something I wanted to ask you for some time" When we arrived at my room, I decided to take this chance to ask her something that was on my mind for some time.

"Hm?" She looked at me with a more serious expression when she heard me.

"You were bullied for numerous years but... Was there really no one to stop the bullies? Not even school?" It's normal that school can't control this entirely however what she experienced was completely different from normal bullying. Making scars on someone's body that won't disappear for their entire life isn't bullying. That is simply sadistic, I don't see any difference between this and real torture. Well, torturing might be better when it is for the reason of getting information...

"...I tried to tell my classmates and teachers but as you can imagine, it only got worse. The school tried to stop this but they always gave the bullies only light punishment and that again, made it only worse for me." She replied with a sad and pained expression.

Light punishment? What a rotten principal! I bet he let them go easily because they were from influential families or because he can get more money from the government by having more students in his school. Moreover, it still surprises me how kids were able to make a life-threatening scar without any care. Humankind never ceases to amaze me, haha.

"I am sorry for touching such sensitive matter but do you still remember their faces and names? Also, other additional information would be good" I said with a smile while comforting her by gently patting her head.

"What?! What do you want-" She seemed surprised by my request so she looked straightly into my eyes and wanted to warn me from doing anything dangerous but I stopped her before she could finish by placing my finger on her lips.

If kids were able to do such a thing then such filth shouldn't exist in this world. Who knows what will they do once they will grow up. I am not some hero of justice, if they didn't do anything to me then I wouldn't go out of my way to do anything unless they would be right before me but they dared to hurt Kei and give her such trauma. I already see Kei as my little naughty sister.

Of course, kids can do stupid things and if I happen to see them leading an honest life then I MIGHT only exert some money from them as compensation but I doubt that so much corrupted kids could lead an honest life, in that case, the only thing I can say to them is: 'Good luck'. Everything will depend on who I chose first as a target so a few of them will live slightly longer, how fortunate for them.

"Remember, as long as you will keep a strong mind, no one...NO ONE can bully you with me around." I said with a strong voice while ruffling her hair.

When she heard me, she looked at me with a surprised expression and her eyes moistened.

"Felix-kun!" She called out my name and tightly hugged me.

"Thank you..." She said in a low voice and I couldn't hear any sobbing so I guess she remembered to keep 'strong mind'

"Don't thank me...if we hadn't met as kids I would perhaps never care about you." I said the painful truth.

"Then I guess our meeting can be said to be a fate" She looked up at me while hugging me with a bright smile, there were still tears in her eyes which made you feel like you had to protect her.

Heh, I don't understand how could such a girl be ever bullied.

"Then maybe meeting me, changed fate and this is the reason why you were bullied." I lightly said with a smile but she looked at me with a resolute expression.

"Even if that was the truth...I don't regret getting to know you earlier before school. Because if I got to know you at this school, I can't imagine how I would be talking to you right now." Her words slightly shocked me.

"Heh, you can't imagine what would happen...you could even have more friends to even care about me." I said with a chuckle.

"But none of them would be as dependable as you." She said with a happy smile.

I guess her happy mood returned back.

"Me and dependable? Hah! don't jest, we should go not to arrive late." I broke the hug and for the last time patted her head before heading out of my room.