Chapter 4: Celebration

I sat down on the couch, watching a documentary on the planet. Although the documentary was in English, I could still understand it. The narrator had a soothing voice which was one of the reasons I watched this documentary. Documentaries on history or the planet always had the best narrators however the topics I liked most didn't have such soothing narrators.

Ring!

The doorbell which I've only used once to test was rung. I wondered which person has interrupted my free time.

I opened the door to see Akito. I let Akito in and he immediately—without taking if his shoes or jacket—sat down on my couch.

"Akito, you forgot to take off your jacket and shoes." Akito listened and took them off and sat back down on the couch.

"Tadashi, they turned themselves in."

"Who did?" I asked. "Oh, the guys who beat the living—"

"Remember who won?" Akito said with a smug grin on his face.

"You still got beat up."

"Shut up! I still won!!"

"Anyways what happened with those three?" I asked as it was the reason Akito ruined my documentary time.

"They turned themselves in so there was no point in the court hearing. They are expelled and I receive their bank balance."

"Wouldn't be much but it'll do I guess. What's the status with Harumi?"

During my research on students, school is incredibly boring however there are a few things that make it fun for some students one of them being when a student likes another student.

"I guess we're growing slowly." Akito said, solemnly.

"That's good, that means she will have more affection for you in the end," I said. Akito's eyes glimmered with joy.

Our moment was then ruined when a second ring from the doorbell was heard.

I walked to the door and opened it to find Kaori along with Harumi and Shimoda.

"Evenin' Tsukamoto-kun!" Ryoko said as she popped up from the side. I jumped back to act startled however I think I had jumped too far as I was now laying down on the couch.

"Oh Aki-chan is here!" Kaori said, mockingly.

"Shut up you failure as a child!"

"At least I can speak my feelings!"

"SHUT UP YOU GYARU!"

"You two, shut up." I said which somehow got the two to stop fighting. "Take off your coats, jackets, and shoes before entering."

They all listened including Shimoda and Ryoko.

"Oh, Tsukamoto-kun is like a big brother!" I cringed as Ryoko said those words however no one denied it.

Someone say something about it!

"Why are you guys here in the first place?" Akito asked.

"Harumi just asked us if we should celebrate Akito's success in his hearing even though it didn't even happen." Kaori explained. Akito looked at Harumi and his affection for her increased. Harumi caught Akito looking at her and went red and the atmosphere turned awkward.

"Oh, what's this?" Ryoko said with a smirk as she stared at Harumi from her side which startled her. Harumi didn't even see if she had even moved.

"Oh you guys are already here?"

We all turned out heads to the door to see Yamada and Takemoto standing at it with a plastic bag in their hand.

Why my room?

I turned to look at Harumi's expression as she probably felt the same as me as we were both introverts. Avoiding gatherings such as there was something that I couldn't do due to recent incidents.

"Alright let's start!" Ryoko announced.

Ah, my first party sort of thing.

Just then a few extra people entered my room. It was Uehara and Kitamura, who were also friends of Akito's.

"I heard there was a party going on." Kitamura said.

The more the merrier I guess.

* * * * * *

A few hours passed and we have gotten closer to each other. I had also observed Ryoko and Harumi talking with each other more however Shimoda didn't talk to anyone other than Ryoko.

"LET'S DO AN ARM WRESTLE TADASHI!!" Akito yelled.

What the hell is this out of nowhere?

Akito didn't even suggest it or ask a question, he straight up ordered it and with everyone cheering, I had concluded that alcohol was involved which also meant I had also consumed some of the alcohol.

Although alcohol doesn't affect me in any way this might give me a chance to act out a whole different persona which could open up some opportunities and would close the gap in our relationships.

Kitamura grabbed my coffee table and dragged it across the floor. Akito and I were now opposite each other. We both placed our elbows on the coffee table and locked hands.

The coffee table's going to break.

"3…2…1…" Everyone counted down. "GO!!!"

I hadn't put much pressure yet and the coffee table snapped in half. There was silence in the room now as no one knew how to react. A student then opened my door which was left open for some reason.

"Hey, can you guys—"

I glared at the person. It was Hachiro Arita.

"Hachiro-san, never step foot in my room again."

Everyone was shocked by the expression on my face and the tone of my voice and suspected it was because of the alcohol. Hachiro got scared of me and ran away leaving the silence with us.

"Haha!!" Ryoko giggled as she slapped my back. "Tadashi-kun, you're so scary!"

"I'm sorry, Tsukamoto-san, I'll pay for your coffee table!" Kitamura pleaded as he was the one who dragged it across the floor.

"It's alright, I'll pay for it." Yamada suggested.

"I SAID IT'S FINE!" I yelled.

Was that too much?

"SHUT UP TSUKAMOTO! I SAID I'LL PAY!" Yamada yelled back.

We both jumped up from our seats and stood up, glaring at each other.

"Stop it, Tadashi-kun!" Ryoko cried, drunkenly as she grabbed me back. Her strength had floored me onto the ground but before I fell, I spun in the air and kicked Yamada in the face. Yamada dodged the kick and turned and attacked my leg with an elbow strike. I then locked his head and trapped it in my legs as he struggled to escape.

"Akitooo!" Harumi cried as rolled on the floor.

"TADASHI! FIGHT ME!" Akito yelled.

Soon the whole room was full of drunk students. Yamada and I fought while Ryoko tried to pull us away which resulted in us flying halfway across the room. Shimoda was also drunk and fell asleep and yelled everyone's names subconsciously. Kitamura and Uehara were shouting at each other and Akito kept inviting me to a fight while Harumi called his name. Kaori, excluding me, was the only one who was completely conscious and stared at us in disappointment.

We all then fell asleep.

* * * * * *

I woke up, processing what happened the previous night. I then sat up on whatever I was sleeping on.

Huh?

I was sleeping on the ground while some students were sleeping on the couch. Another student was also somehow sleeping on a broken coffee table

"Fight me Harumi." The voice startled me. It was Akito who was sleeping next to me.

I didn't realise he was and I still had a hard time remembering what happened. I then heard the water running. I got up to see who it was.

"Oh you're up, Harumi!" Kaori said. There was also another person with her. It was Nakamoto-san.

"Morning Kaori-san and Nakamoto-san."

"Mornin' Ikeda-chan!" Nakamoto-san said with her usual gleeful smile.

They were both wearing aprons and Nakamoto-san handed me one.

"Wanna make breakfast for the boys?" Nakamoto-san said. Just as she said that Shimoda-san walked into the kitchen wearing an apron.

I was the last of the girls to wake up.

"Tsukamoto-kun said to clean the plates and cutlery thoroughly before doing anything." Nakamoto-san said as she watched the dishwasher. Its low hum was soothing I'm the morning and the atmosphere felt warm.

"Oh, Tadashi's awake?" I asked. For the past days, he woke up at least an hour and a half from now but he had woken up quite early today.

"Nakamoto-san woke him up." Kaori explained. "She shook him in his sleep. She almost got punched as well!"

"Got punched?!" I exclaimed. A punch from Tadashi would be extremely painful judging from the Physical Exams.

"Almost, Ikeda-chan. He stopped immediately as he woke up." Nakamoto-san added. "Yoshio and Yuuda are also awake."

"Oh, you're awake." I turned around to see Tadashi standing at the doorway of the kitchen. His hair was wet and water droplets dripped on the floor. He patted his hair down with a towel that was wrapped around his neck. Tadashi wore shorts that I had never seen him in. His legs were muscular which explained why he could jump so far.

"I woke up a few minutes ago." I said.

A person then emerged from behind Tadashi, it was Yamada-san.

"So only those three idiots are asleep." Yamada said as he stared at Kitamura fall from the couch which made him wake up. "Two idiots now."

"What the hell! Why does my neck hurt?!"

"This hopeless guy." Kaori muttered as we all stared at Kitamura. "You were sleeping on the damn table!"

"SHUT UP KAORI THE FAILURE! LET ME SLEEP!" Akito yelled before he went back to sleep.

* * * * * *

I woke up with a minor headache. I opened my eyes to not the sunlight warming my face but to Tadashi.

"Mornin' Tadashi." I said, while still half asleep.

After I yawned my vision began to clear and I then saw ten teenagers surrounding me whilst Tadashi lifted me in the air.

"Aki-chan, remember the challenge? Whoever wakes up last has to do—"

Everyone's attention turned to the door.

Knock!

There was a single knock.

Knock!

Then another. Then another. Soon the knocks became more frequent.

We all looked at one another then we all looked at Tadashi, awaiting a command as it was his room.

He then nodded at me and somehow I understood what he said. Everyone looked at us conversing telepathically in confusion.

Tadashi then walked to the door and opened it.

"Oh, Hachiro-san, good morn—"

Hachiro Arita then tried to force the door open however Tadashi was too strong.

I looked at everyone's faces and they weren't all as confused as I had initially thought. Tadashi was holding the door with his index finger and his thumb and it was still stronger than Hachiro's whole strength.

"YOU HAD ALCO—" Hachiro yelled but Tadashi quickly stopped him from speaking as he pulled him in.

"What should we do with him?" I asked.

"Akito, didn't you bring the alcohol?" Kaori said.

Of course, that b***h would say that!

They all stared at me instead of Hachiro.

This is what betrayal feels like.

* * * * * *

Everyone stared at Akito as he was the one who had brought the alcohol in the first place however, he isn't the only one in the wrong.

"Akito isn't the only one to blame as we had it as well."

Although I did let my guard down and accidentally drank it, I did still drink it, and everyone else.

"Well we can't change the fact that we did drink it so what do we do now?" Kaori said.

"You know amnesia—"

"NO!!" Everyone stopped Kitamura's illegal suggestions and soon he was banned from even suggesting anything.

"You know I'm still here." Hachiro said which reminded us of the situation.

I looked at Ryoko and she somehow knew what I was thinking even though I didn't make any facial expressions.

"Arita-kun, do you want to know something?" Ryoko asked.

"What?"

"Ayama-chan has developed a sort of…feelings for you." She explained. "I did give her some advice but you look like you couldn't see the hints."

Hachiro looked at her, his face beat red as he stared at all of us from the floor. Ryoko then knelt down to be on his level.

"I know the feelings are mutual so how about we help?" She whispered to him. "Oh look at you, you're red!"

She then stood up and reached her arm out to him.

"You keep this a secret and we'll help you, it's a win-win!" Kaori added.

Ryoko's emotional intelligence isn't anything of a normal human level. It was on par with the children of the Institute.