Chapter 5: Confession [Part 1/3]

[20th August, 10.04]

[Third Person Pov]

[20th August, 10.04]

[Third-Person Pov]

"Kaoru... You killed us. You weren't there when we needed you."

"Stop it. You're not real. My Mother isn't like this. She would never s—"

"Kaoru... You haven't avenged us yet. Have you forgotten about us? Have you forgotten what happened? Have you forgotten about our suffering?"

"No, of course not, Father. I'm already doing everything I c—"

"Nii-san, you liar. You liar. You said you would play me "Für Elise," didn't you? You promised it me. You liar..."

"No, it's not like that, Kyō. I wanted to play it for you. But all of you never arriv—"

"Nii-san, why did you let me die? Didn't you say you would protect me? You said you'd protect me no matter what happened. You said it, didn't you, Nii-san? So why... Why am I dead, Nii-san?"

"Kaori... I'm sorry. I wasn't there when you needed me the most. Please forgive m—"

"Forgiveness?!" she asked. 

"Avenge us, then you might get forgiveness." The voices of these four echoed through his ears.

"....Haaah.... Haah...." he breathed at an irregular speed.

"A nightmare?! How long has it been since I last experienced one? It's been almost two months now since my last one."

For a couple of seconds, he began to recompose himself.

He looked at his shirt. "Sweat? I see... I should better go into the shower. After all, I'll meet up with Hiyori later. I shouldn't go in a state like this."

After fifteen minutes, he left the shower and prepared himself a breakfast. 

He cooked himself a bowl of rice, a miso soup, salted salmon, Tamayoyaki, and made himself a bowl of Blanched Broccoli with Sesame Oil.

A classic traditional Japanese breakfast. "It's also been a long time since I ate a breakfast like this. Too long, actually."

He ate while remembering a few things from his past. He liked this dish always, but neither his little brother nor sister did. 

Not even his father. 

It was just his Mother and him who had this specific taste. However, it's been almost eight years since he ate this dish last time.

"Good old memories."

While eating, he smiled slightly. Memories like these could ease his mood a bit.

It didn't even take 5 minutes until he was finished with the meal. "Well... I will clean the tableware later." 

He proceeded to put the tableware in the sink and went once again to bed, staring at the ceiling.

[30 Minutes Later]

"I can't sleep. Damn it. Should I simply head out outside? Yeah, it might be better to buy myself.... what precisely? I don't really lack anything here."

Saying that, he looked around his room… 

"...I have up to... 90 different clothes, 30 brought from home; I have more than enough tableware, an expensive set of kitchen utensils, a rice cooker, a coffee maker, up to 80 books on my shelves, a video game console alongside video games, a fifty-inch television... so what exactly should I buy?"

He pondered in deep thought.

"I guess I'll buy myself a Yogurt Maker until Hiyori contacts me. Do I still have the coupon for the 5 percent Discount on any electronic device?"

He looked for a second and then found it in.

"Found it. I suppose, I should head out now."

He immediately changed himself into a set of casual clothes.

[1 hour later]

"I bought it. But I admit, it's a bit heavy. Perhaps I should have paid 5,000 Private Points more for them to send it directly to my door? No, it's fine. I just have to walk back now."

[40 Minutes Later]

"I'm nearly there. I wonder... Did she write something?" He asked himself, checking his phone with his left hand, his phone.

"No, she didn't. Normally... I wouldn't have cared, but since the Cruise Ship, she's constantly on my mind. Before that, it'd happen only occasionally, but now, it's far worse. I really had someone steal my heart, huh?"

"Hah... In the past, I'd never thought it could happen. But it did. There's no use in denying it or acting like an idiot."

Deep in thought, he walked further.

Tens of minutes later, his phone rang. 

Someone was calling him. He checked his phone. The person who called him was Shiina Hiyori.

Not wasting any seconds, he accepted the call.

"Hiyori, it's quite early. What's wrong?"

"Ah... Did I perhaps wake you up, Kaoru? I'm sorry; it wasn't my intention. I should have called you a bit later."

"Don't worry, you didn't wake me up. I was already awake since a couple of hours ago."

"Okay. Ahm... Kaoru, would you mind meeting up with me a bit later? In an hour or two? Is that alright with you?"

"Sure. I am fine with two hours."

"Is it okay with you if we meet up right in front of the dormitory then?"

"I am fine with that."

"Okay, see you later, then."

"Until later."

Saying that, he hung up the call.

"In two hours, huh? I should check in the meantime whether the Yogurt Maker works."

Going back into his room, he tested the Yogurt Maker. He made different kinds of flavors, and put them in the yogurt box. Within a couple of hours, it should be ready, he thought.

"I'll eat you later. For now, how about I continue my series? I'm still at episode 4, after 2 whole months. It's finally time to continue it. But it's really rare that I'm being like this. I'm currently acting like a normal high school student, aren't I? Aoki... Even if only for a small time, I'll try it out at least."

For the remaining hour, he watched his series in a streaming portal that could be bought with 1.585 Private Points monthly.

For his Yogurt Maker, Kurushima paid about 10,500 Private Points. 

In the end, he didn't decide to use his coupon, though, since it was cheaper than expected. 

[1 Hour Later]

"It's nearly time. In fifteen minutes, it'll be precisely two hours. I should better change myself."

After a bit of thinking, he decided to dress himself up more formally. Being ready, he opened the door. "I should clean my room after our meeting. I haven't cleaned it up since quite a bit of time."

"Hahaha..." he laughed painfully.

Looking back, he could see how, everywhere, clothes lied on the floor. "I'll do it later. Hopefully, nobody sees my room in this chaotic state."

A couple of minutes later, he was right in front of the dormitory, waiting there.

"Am I not too soon here?" he asked at the time. It was 14.21, which happened to be 9 minutes too soon.

"I guess, I'll play a mobile game in the meantime."

For five straight minutes, he played a game, while sitting on a bench. The moment he heard someone coming, he immediately put his phone in his pockets. 

A girl from the dormitory entrance shouted his name. 

"Kaoru, sorry for being late."

He turned his head to the right. There, he saw Hiyori Shiina, who had dressed herself differently from usual. 

She looked stunning. That was his first immediate thought. He couldn't help but blush a bit.

She wore blue jeans and a white pullover. On her left hand, she wore the friendship bracelet Kurushima had gifted her.

[Image:] 

He had a pair as well, which he had hidden in his sweater. 

Kurushima in return, wore simple black pants and a black shirt. Nothing extraordinary. 

It could be regarded as a bit too casual, he guessed. He wasn't too sure what to wear, so he took the casual approach. 

'He looks... good. Really good. Did he also put, just like me, a lot of thought into what to wear? I wanted to wear a white skirt and a white sweater, but I decided to dress myself a bit more casually. Thank you, Mei-san. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to decide what to wear.' Hiyori thought. 

"You look good."

"You too," she responded in slight embarrassment.

"Shall we go then?"

He looked slightly confused. "Where exactly?"

"It's a surprise. Just trust me, Kaoru. You won't regret it."

"Okay."

[20 Minutes Later]

"We're here."

A bit surprised, he asked her something. "Where exactly are we?"

"It's an 'All-You-Can-Eat' restaurant. I remember you saying that you wanted to visit an 'All-You-Can-Eat' restaurant."

"You remember that?! I said that three months ago."

She nodded. "Don't you like it?"

"No, no, of course I like it. I'm glad to spend time with you, Hiyori..."

Blushing a bit, she responded. "Me too. I like spending time with you too, Kaoru. I like it really much."

He nodded quietly, trying to hide his red cheeks.

"Good afternoon, dear Customers. How many people are you?"

"For two people, please," Hiyori replied.

"Have you made a reservation?" The waitress asked.

Kurushima looked at Hiyori in shock. "Did you...?!"

She nodded. "It's under my name, Hiyori Shiina."

The waitress nodded. "This way, please, dear Customers."

Both of them followed the waitress to their respectable table. Once they arrived, they sat down. 

"You really didn't have to make a reservation."

She shakes her head. "No, I heard this restaurant is quite populated. There are often many first, second, and third-year students here, so I wanted to ensure we got a place. I wanted to make you a joy, Kaoru. You do so many things for me, so I wanted to repay you, even if only a bit."

The answer hit him quite unexpectedly. Too unexpected, actually.

"I didn't do anything praiseworthy at all, Hiyori," he responded, slightly blushing from her previous answer.

"Yes, you did, Kaoru. You have helped me so often, by now. I feel frustrated because it feels like you're the only one doing something. I at least want to return the things you did for me. Please see this as my way of doing something for you, Kaoru."

He nodded. "Okay."

"Can we... watch a movie together, again?"

"Of course. Should we watch one from... the cinema, or should we buy a DVD and watch it in either one's of our rooms?"

"Let's buy a DVD. In the cinema, there aren't any movies that appeal to me. However, I have to say, I'm not often watching movies. I tend to watch movies that have famous Book Adaptations. What about you, Kaoru?"

"Hmm... I would've replied two months ago exactly like you, but I have spent quite a bit of time watching movies in the cinema with a couple of friends. I was mostly invited, though. Under normal circumstances, I doubt whether I would have watched these movies."

"A couple of friends?" she asked in curiosity. 

"It was mostly myself, Hirata, Hirata's girlfriend, Karuizawa, and a couple of her friends. But I did also watch two movies with Sudo."

"Sudo? Isn't he..."

Kurushima nodded. "Yeah, that's him. The one who Ryuen-kun wanted to expel."

Hiyori looked to the left, avoiding his gaze. 

"Don't worry. It's already solved. Besides, I wouldn't even think of framing you for something like that."

She reassuringly sighed out of relief. 

Despite knowing this, now that he was friends with him, who knows if his opinion regarding that changed. 

"Should we slowly...?" she asked.

"...Eat? We can still talk midway while eating."

Seeing that he wasn't wrong, she agreed. "Okay."

Both of them went to the front and took themselves something to eat. Knowing that she already paid, he didn't want to waste any second. If he remembered correctly, per hour, it'd be additionally paid.

"Your plate seems delicious," she said.

"Yours too."

"Do you perhaps... want a bite?"

Slightly embarrassed, he nodded. "If that's okay for you."

'I didn't think he'd say yes. I thought he'd deny it.'

"Of course. Ahm... here you go."

She took with her chopsticks one piece of meat with rice from her plate and held it right before his mouth. She was slightly embarrassed, because she could see other people watching them. 

But Kurushima didn't seem to mind them at all.

He took a bite and chewed it down, in front of everyone. "It tastes delicious, Hiyori. You were right; this restaurant is really good."

She smiled slightly. "I'm glad to hear that. Ahm..."

"Ah, sorry, do you also want a bite from my plate?" he asked.

She nodded.

With his chopsticks, he took a piece of his meat, called Tonkatsu, a piece of vegetables and rice, and held it right in front of her mouth.

When bowing down, she put the strand of hair behind her ear, and took a bite.

*Gulp*

Kurushima couldn't help but to immediately gulp. 

He watched her lips precisely, seeing her slowly going down with her mouth towards his chopsticks. He couldn't help but attentively watch her in the process of eating it.

"~Am~"

She slowly chewed it. "Your plate also tastes quite delicious, Kaoru."

Recomposing himself, he replied. "Glad to hear that."

While these two seemed to be immersed in each other, people from the side were quite loud about them. 

In particular, Kurushima, who happened to be one of the most prominent figures in the school.

"Are these two a couple?" someone asked.

"Of course they are. Friends wouldn't do that to each other."

Unlike Kurushima who was so immersed in eating and enjoying his time with Hiyori, she happened to hear them. 

"A couple?" she murmured, while her cheeks began to get red.

She was quite embarrassed, and put her head into her hands.

"Is everything alright, Hiyori?"

In approval, she nodded. "Didn't you hear them, Kaoru?"

"Hear who?"

"The people on the side." 

"Not precisely. Did they say something?"

She gave a small nod, as her cheeks grew red. "They said... we seemed like a... couple?"

*Cough*

*Cough*

"A... a... couple?" exclaimed Kurushima in shock.

"Yeah..."

"I mean... I wouldn't mind us being a co-"

"Yo Kurushima. You're also here?"

A voice that interrupted him from finishing his sentence emerged behind him. He could suddenly feel, how that person... patted him on the shoulder.

Kurushima looked deadpanned at Sudo, the person who interrupted him.

"Ah, you have company. Sorry to interrupt you."

He walked further, until he found an empty table.

'Was he just going to say he didn't mind us being a couple? Why... why did Sudo-kun have to interrupt it...' the first time in her life, Shiina Hiyori felt a grudge and frustration towards a person.

"Ahaha. Sorry, we were being interrupted."

Painfully, Kurushima covered his head with his hands. He couldn't believe that Sudo just interrupted him. 

Are they in a manga or what? 

How could something like that happen in real life?

After that, he didn't have the courage to continue where he left off, because it was far too embarrassing.

'Talk about bad luck, huh? Why does that keep happening to me?' Completely embarrassed, he asked himself that.

--

[After the Dish]

--

The two of them finished their meal and were completely full. After Sudo interrupted them, the situation became a bit awkward. The mood wasn't like it was before, so they changed the topic and forcefully talked about irrelevant themes.

Kurushima, slightly being curious, asks her something. "Hiyori, did you perhaps already pay in advance for one hour?"

She shakes her head. "No, I chose the option to pay in the restaurant. Why do you ask?"

He looked a bit embarrassed about what he was going to say. "You know, when we entered the restaurant, on one of the posters stood something."

After one short moment of recalling it, she remembered it instantly. "You mean... the couple's discount?" she exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, that precise discount. How about... we act for a small moment as a couple while paying? You'll spare 2,500 Private Points out of 8,000."

She thought for a moment. "I... am alright with that. But... what if rumors about us spread?"

"Let them spread. I don't mind it at all. If you're okay with it, of course. We don't... have to act like a couple if you don't want to."

"No, no, I am fine with that. If it's you... I don't mind if rumors about... us spread further."

At this point, both of them couldn't even hide their red cheeks from each other anymore. It was clear that they were embarrassed about this. Yet, both of them were in agreement, regarding this topic.

"Should we... do it now?" she asked, making herself ready to stand up, to pay for the meal.

"Yeah..."

Both of them stood up.

"One moment."

Hiyori looked slightly confused. Did he perhaps forget something. "Did you forget somethi—"

He grabbed her right hand with his left hand. "Let's do it like this."

She gave a slight nod while looking beneath the ground.

Right now, she couldn't talk.

She was focused on something entirely else. She had observed it before once, but his hand was feeling really soft and comfortable. 

This feeling... she remembered it up to this day. Now it was the second time they were holding hands. The first time was on the Cruise Ship, just a couple of days ago. 

For her, that moment hadn't gone out of her head, just like many other moments. She really wondered by now whether, after all these moments they spent together, she was the only one who felt something.

It couldn't be?

Or could it be?

Those were the kinds of questions she asked herself right now.

Both of them were walking to the cashier. 

"We'd like to pay." 

The cashier nodded. "Which table are you?"

Apparently, this restaurant had for each table a time clock, so by only saying the number of the table, they'd figure out how much you had to pay during the time you were here.

"Table...7. It's table 7," she said.

"That'll make 8,000 Private Points."

"Please give us... the couple discount." Hiyori said, holding the back of her phone in front of the device, to do the payment.

"That'll make 5,500 Private Points."

The payment was accepted.

"Good afternoon."

"You too," both said, leaving the restaurant.

They walked a couple of meters away, to avoid suspicion from the staff.

"Should we..."

"...release our hands?" he finished the sentence, which she started.

"... Hiyori... truthfully... I don't want to."

"... What do... you mean by that, Kaoru?"

"I'm not sure if you noticed it, but previously, before Sudo interrupted us, I wanted to say something... important."

"What... had you wanted to tell me... at that time?"

"Ahm... You see... I wanted to ask you... whether you wanted... to be... my... girlfriend, Hiyori."

'I said it. Huh, what a relief!I could finally say it.' Kurushima thought reassuringly immediately.

"Your... girlfriend? Kaoru... do you like me?"

He nodded. "Very much, actually."

His heart began to beat crazily. He couldn't believe how hard it was to wait for her answer. His face turned completely red, waiting for her answer. That was the first time for him.

This silence... was really becoming very uncomfortable. 

He was so uncomfortable that he didn't know what to do.

Was she going to reject him? He didn't know.

Was she going to accept him? He didn't know.

Did he know anything?

Perhaps.

But at that precise moment, he couldn't tell.

Right now, he was just a boy who confessed his feelings to the girl he liked. He was nothing more than that at the moment.

As the silence grew bigger, he could see a sudden change of development occurring right in front of his eyes.

Shiina Hiyori was smiling out of relief. She felt like something huge that has been pressuring her for a long time has been solved.

"Does that mean..." he asked, his facial expression slowly changing.

She nodded. "I like you, too. I had mustered my courage today to confess to you today, but I didn't expect you to be the one. Especially... since you're so popular with girls, I always thought you'd reject me and our friendship would also end."

"Oh, dear god," he sighed out of relieved. "My nerves were killing me. I thought you were going to reject me. I feel really relieved right now."

"Sorry, I was just so happy that you returned my feelings that I didn't pay attention... to you for a moment. I always thought... you were going to reject me, so the fact that you confessed to me... was a huge relief for me."

Kurushima sighed in relief. "So that was how it was. I was panicking mentally here really much."

"Sorry, Kaoru. It wasn't my intention to do that."

"No worries."

"Now that we're girlfriend and boyfriend, what should we do?" She asks him.

"I don't know, actually... It's my first time having a girlfriend."

Hiyori agreed in understanding. "You're also my first boyfriend."

"Perhaps... something like holding... hands, I guess?"

"Seems logical," she responds.

"Shall we, then?" he asks her.

She gave a small nod, signaling her approval.

With his left hand, he held her right hand. "Do you want to go anywhere specific, Hiyori?"

"No, not quite. I just want to spend time with you together."

"Hmm.... okay," he answered, his cheeks slightly red. "Should we... still buy the DVD and watch the movie together?" 

"The movie? Ah, yes, let's do that."

"Ok. It's not quite long from here away. We might be within 30 minutes back at the dormitory again."

--

A/N: That's the first part out of three from the Hiyori Chapters. As a huge Hiyori simp, who believes Hiyori being the best girl in cote, I want her be happy. Lol, she's literally the biggest part of my sudden motivation. 

I'm not sure if I'm good in writing romance, but I hope I am. I tried on making many dynamics between her and Kurushima, where it both leads for them to fall in love. 

Kurushima first sees her in a bit of an other way during the time she visited him when his family died, although since it's written in Hiyori's Pov, there's no indication for that with him.

I plan on making things more clear in the future. 

Also, how did you like the AI Art? 

I'm thinking of doing them generally a bit more, but it greatly depends whether I get satisfactory results or not. 

Since we're at it, how did you find Episode 5 of Season 3? 

I liked it overall.... But Hiyori needs more Screen time. 

Well, that'll be all for now, I guess. 

Around the time Volume 7 would occur, at December, Kurushima's first revenge plans are also going to happen.

Since I did say, he's waiting until Sakayanagi's medications from outside come, for her congenital heart disease, until he confronts Chairman Sakayanagi.

I'll upload tomorrow again.

For now, here you go.

Hope you liked reading it.

Goodbye. Have a great Day!