Trapped

Cleaning duty. Not the biggest deal for Arata, it was something that he used to enjoy doing because it meant an excuse not to spend time with anyone. Nowadays, he kind of missed being with everyone, but at least it gave him some time for himself.

Listening to music, he had already wiped up all the boards and was now mopping the floors. This was a lot more calming than usual. Maybe because for once, he was avoiding everyone's antics in a way that didn't involve awkward arguing. Or at least, that what he thought was going to happen.

"So it's in this room, right?" Arata instantly recognized that voice. It was Yogi, and it sounded like he was walking into the room he was currently in. Thinking fast, he rushed inside the utility locker that normally held all of the cleaning supplies.

"That's correct." The other person with him, it was Misei. So his intuition was right, the reason he chose to hide was to not spoil the alone time any of the girls were going to have with this boy. "Misao said there should be some paperwork for us to grab here."

"That explains that stack over there." Arata whispered to himself. While cleaning he was unsure of what it was doing there, so he left it alone.

"There it is." Yogi noticed it laying on the front. "Well, let's go grab it and-" Before he could finish his sentence. The door slammed shut. This frightened everyone in the room. Arata almost gave up his position with that sound.

That was an odd thing to have happen. He knew that he left the window open to air things out, but the wind shouldn't have slammed it that hard. In fact, aren't the doors here sliding ones?

"That was strange." Yogi felt the same way as him. "Uh oh." He muttered to himself, as he attempted to open the door. It wouldn't open, as if someone had locked it.

"It won't open?" Misei commented on his inability to open the door. "I guess I should get someone to check it out later." Given the way she was acting, it didn't seem like she was in on the plan.

Arata knew exactly what happened here, how couldn't he? He knew for a fact, that Misao was behind all this. Unfortunately for him, she probably didn't know he was in the room to, so now three people are stuck in here. With one inside a locker at that.

"Darn, it looks like we're stuck in here." Yogi gave up trying to open the door, it was too much for him. "I guess we should call Misao, right?" As Arata saw, he wasn't as dumb as he could be sometimes.

"Well, you should do it." Misei told him. "I don't keep my phone on me during classes, so it's still in the student council room."

"Hehe, funny you should say that." Yogi nervously laughed. "You see, I don't have my phone either." Arata rolled his eyes, they both were hopeless sometimes.

If they both didn't have their phones, maybe he could try and contact her. Even though he knew what she did and why she did it, he didn't want to be stuck in a locker either. Except there was one problem…

"Huh? Where is it?" He tapped around his pockets, he didn't have his phone on him. That was odd, since he was just listening to music, until he realized the issue. "My phone's still on the table!" He quietly face palmed. That what he gets for switching to the newest wireless headphones today.

He lamented that he was going to be stuck in here for the long haul now. It's not like he could just announce his presence to them now, that would be strange. Plus he wanted to be fair to Misei, she was in love with this boy.

"I guess if we're stuck in here, then we can just talk to pass the time." Yogi took this situation in stride. Something that Arata always admired.

"R-right." She replied. She got really quiet, now that she knew she was stuck, alone with the boy she liked. Or at least that's what she thought. "Your cousin, I hope that things have been going well here at school." She chose the subject matter first.

"Oh yeah, Yuki's been real happy since she got here." He answered. From what Arata knew about her, she was really quiet. Happy might not have been the word he'd choose, but Yogi was closer to her than him. So he'd know better.

"That's good to hear." Misei returned to her official tone. "I hope that this school manages to maintain a high standard for all students." Arata shook his head, he knew if she wanted to get closer to this boy, she'd have to open up better. Well, that's what manga taught him anyway.

"What about you?" Yogi asked her. "It's been a while since I could go to your house, how's your family?" The two of them were walking around the classroom, so some parts sounded more quiet to Arata than others. Though he was able to hear every word.

"They're good." She said simply. "You know my parent work a lot, so I don't see them that often myself." While they were walking, he noticed that Misei was moving strangly, it was probably the nerves of being alone with Yogi right now.

"It's too bad that they're always working. I think it'd be cool if all of us could come over and see them. Like a party or something." That Yogi, always wanting to have a good time.

Now that Arata thought about it, the last, and only, time he was at Misei's house. He never saw her parents either. With what was going on then, he wasn't really thinking about it. They must have work similar to his dad's, he figured.

"Yeah…" Misei's response sounded very downtrodden. Something that was lost on Yogi, but Arata wondered what that was all about. "But it can't be helped." She concluded.

"It's a shame that I haven't met most of your parents." Yogi thought about it. The only one's he had met would have to be Akiba's, Akaki's, and more recently, Arata's. The former two was because of how long he had known them. The last one being more dumb luck.

"I suppose that things just happen that way." She explained to him, hiding that the reason he had yet to meet her parents, was more by design.

"Yeah, well I'm sure-" Before he could continue this conversation, Yogi tripped on the feet of a desk. Those two probably should've found somewhere to sit, instead of walking around during this conversation.

The next thing he knew, Yogi had fallen on top of Misei. They also just so happened to land right in front of the locker that Arata hid himself in. He covered his mouth, hoping they wouldn't find him.

"Y-yogi." Misei stumbled over her words, with Yogi on top of her. She had her arms covering over her chest, as if to protect herself.

"I-I'm so sorry…" Yogi barely said anything in return. He was enamored with her looks. This cool beauty in such a vulnerable position. She was shining in quite a different light at the moment.

Meanwhile, Arata was getting front row to this sight. He felt a little dirty watching such an intimate moment. He did everything he could to conceal his breathing, so that he would ruin this moment. Was this going to bloom into something?

Thoughts ran through his mind, thinking that this might be the moment that Yogi took his relationship to the next level? Unfortunately, despite Arata's best efforts to not ruin this moment, he still ended up doing so.

Suddenly, a bell ring could be heard across the room. This took the both of them out of the moment, as they turned their heads to find what made that noise. It was Arata's phone, he had received a message.

"Wait a second." Yogi quickly got up from Misei. "That was a phone." He instantly got excited at the prospect that they would be saved.

"Oh, that's great…" Misei still laid on the ground, feeling a little upset at the ruined moment. While also trying to contain her beating heart.

"Wait a second." When he grabbed the phone from the table, he recognized it. "This is Arata's phone."

"It is?" She asked.

"Yeah, he must've forgotten it while cleaning." Yogi answered. "Well good for us, I'll call for help and then give this back to him." Arata knew he was going to have to play dumb for that moment.

Yogi opened the phone, the message notification wasn't anything that Arata had to worry about. What he did have to worry about, was related to the last thing he was doing with it.

"Hey, it looks like he was listening to music last time." The phone opened to his music app. Yogi didn't recognize the title of the song, so that made him more curious.

"We should be getting help, not snooping through his phone." Misei looked at him with a serious expression.

"Come on, every time I ask him. He's always so vague about it. Like, I ask him what type of music he listens to, and he'll answer 'oh, just music'." Arata didn't' want to answer, because he was too into those anime opening and ending songs. The type he'd want to skip while watching a show, but then get too into the music itself.

"...Fine, but only for five seconds." She wants to hear it too!? This was his worst nightmare. After getting out of his blackmail with Erina, some other girl already found his secret. He didn't need more people finding out now.

This was it. Yogi was slowly going for the play button, and even though he didn't want to do it. Arata knew he had no choice, but to reveal himself now. He opened the locker door, about to announce himself. When the sound of the class doors caused him to retreat again.

"There you two are." It was Misao, pretending to have been looking for them. This shock caused Yogi to drop Arata's phone to the ground, much to his dismay. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Oh, well the door got stuck or something." Yogi attempted to explain himself.

"I suppose it did." She replied. "Oh, did I ruin a moment?" Misao noticed the phone on the ground. "It looks like you two were about to share in listening to some music to pass the time." She teased them.

"Actually, this is Kashimura's. We should go look for him, so we can give it back." Misei quickly responded. The trio left, right at the moment they closed the door behind them. Arata leaped out of the locker.

"Safe." He was finally out of that awkward situation. Doing a couple of squats, he needed to stretch out his body after being in there for so long. Things could've been a lot worse for him, so there was some consolation.

He was about to leave and look for them, until he noticed the pile of papers on the front desk. Those three forgot about them, so he went to go grab them.

"Kashimura?" A voice called to him. It was Misei, who had returned because she remembered she forgot the papers. "When did you get here?"

"Oh, um." He needed to think of an excuse. "I just got back here, you see I think I forgot my phone somewhere."

"That's convenient." She replied, taking his word for it. "I actually found your phone and was going to return it." She handed it to him.

"Thanks." He expressed false gratitude. Except, as he took it from her, he realized something strange. Wasn't it Yogi that had his phone?

He didn't want to bring it up, since it probably wasn't really important. Besides, he really wanted to leave this room so he could go home already. However, before he could step aside so that she could grab the papers. The two were frightened by the sound of the door slamming once more.

"What was that?" She asked him.

"It sounds like the door slamming." Arata thought that was odd. There was no way Misao did that, why would she? He walked over, not thinking too much of it. However, the real problem came when he tried to open it. He was struggling, but it wouldn't budge.

"Well? Go ahead and open it." Misei asked nervously. She wasn't really in the mood for a joke.

"I don't understand." He tried even harder, using his legs to push off against the wall. "This. Thing. Just. Won't. Budge!" With an even harder attempt, Arata's hands slipped off. He went tumbling backwards, knocking into her, causing the stack of papers to go flying.

The two of them couldn't believe this. They were going to be stuck in here yet again.